Ford is expecting to give bonuses to their employees that will at least match last year.
...Hourly bonuses (click here) are certain to top last year's $450, but a Ford official cautioned they would not be as large as some reports have indicated. A memo to Ford's salaried workers Thursday said that salaried workers would get their bonuses, which are based on profits, market share and other performance metrics, in March.
Still, the memo from Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, also said there would be no merit pay increases this year because a market study showed workers were being fairly compensated and Ford must be vigilant in managing its costs....
Current energy rates are going up, mostly in the area of oil and gas. Ford held an edge over GM when it had monies set aside as money was cheap. Ford did not need to be bailed out as GM did. So, it makes sense Ford would seek to hold down its production costs by deferring merit pay due to its prudent management in the past. With a more than 12% increase in profits globally, GM could be able to out save Ford in the future and put market pressure on Ford by keeping their prices down. I think Ford is doing what it should until this 'new car market' (as fuel costs rise) is better understood.
...The energy index increased in December.(click here) The gasoline index rose sharply and accounted for about 80 percent of the all items seasonally adjusted increase. The household energy index, which declined in November, increased as well. The food index increased slightly in December, with the fruits and vegetables index rising notably....
Toyota out sold GM, but, only by a margin. That is a global inventory. It is noted the China market for autos has picked up which indicates the Chinese are beginning to spend more on quality of life. The problem is that the cars being sold in China aren't necessarily the most energy efficient, but, there is always Russian petroleum that doesn't rack up the overseas transportation costs.
I really think China is an excellant example as to when consumers are paid well for the economies they live in they purchase. The purchase power of the Chinese is increasing. The same would be true in the USA if people were back to work manufacturing cars for their own country. The USA needs to focus on domestic production and return a better outcome to consumers seeking fuel efficient cars. China is proof. The outsourcing worked, but, it is killing the USA market place. China has to domesticate its economy and labor force to allow the USA to 'take back' domestic manufacturing.
If citizens of any country don't have money to spend, they can't purchase. Just that simple.
GM's China sales top U.S. total, a first for the automaker (click title to entry - thank you)
General Motors' sales in China increased 28.8% in 2010 while U.S. sales rose just 6.3%. GM is one of the best-positioned automakers in emerging markets, even better than Toyota, says one expert.
By Jerry Hirsch, Los Angeles Times
January 24, 2011, 9:16 a.m.
...GM's sales in China rose 28.8% last year to 2,351,610 vehicles, GM said Monday. U.S. sales rose just 6.3% to 2,215,227, in part because of the slow economy and GM's closure or sale of the Saturn, Pontiac, Hummer and Saab brands as part of its financial restructuring....
...Meanwhile, Toyota wasn't showing much growth in North America (click here) — and growing slower in China than GM — partly because it lacks the U.S. automaker's extensive model lineup such as large-size sedans, he said.
Toyota's global sales, including truckmaker Hino Motors Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co., which makes small cars, rose 8 percent from 2009, driven by solid sales growth in China and other Asian nations, the Japanese manufacturer said.
Toyota Motor Corp. dethroned General Motors as the world's No. 1 automaker in worldwide vehicle sales in 2008 — a position GM held for nearly eight decades. Since then, General Motors, now called General Motors Co., was bailed out by the U.S. government and underwent restructuring after a brief period in bankruptcy protection.
George Hansen, a GM spokesman in Tokyo, played down the importance of Toyota's bigger sales numbers.
"We don't focus on who is No. 1," he said of the so-called "new GM."...
