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America's Going Out of the Car Business
Ford, GM, and Chrysler are all moving almost exclusively to trucks, SUVs, and crossovers.
James Joyner · Friday, April 27, 2018 · 44 comments
Ford made news yesterday by announcing it is all but phasing out cars for trucks and SUVs. But GM and Chrysler (to the extent the latter still counts as an American company) are on the same path.
Bloomberg ("Ford Is About to Abandon American Sedans"):
The Model T, the '32 deuce coupe, the Thunderbird, the Mustang: For much of its 115-year history, Ford Motor Co. has been synonymous with cars.
But now Ford, one of the great engines of 20th Century American industry, is about to do the unthinkable: abandon the American car business almost entirely.
Just two years from now, a mere 10 percent of the vehicles rolling off Ford assembly lines and into North American showrooms will be sedans and sports cars like the Taurus or Mustang. The rest will be pickups, SUVs and commercial vehicles — more lucrative models that the company hopes will secure its future as change tears through the global auto industry.
Ford's board ousted its chief executive officer last year and replaced him with Jim Hackett, a cost-cutter who's prepared to make the sort of audacious gambles that Wall Street thinks have been missing.
"The passenger car rationalization plan is just the sort of bold and decisive action we believe investors have been waiting for," Ryan Brinkman, an auto analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. wrote in a report Thursday. "It is indicative of a management team for whom there are no sacred cows and which seems increasingly likely to pull other such levers to aggressively improve earnings and shareholder value."
Ford shares rose as much as 3.8 percent, the biggest intraday gain in six weeks, and were up 3.3 percent to $11.48 as of 3:16 p.m. in New York.
Hackett, 63, is choosing a route similar to the one Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV used to pass Ford in North American profitability. Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the Italian-American automaker, killed off the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 sedans and retooled the factories that had been assembling them. They now build Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups instead. Marchionne aims to surpass General Motors Co.'s margins in North America before his retirement in 2019.
While scrapping several sedans paid off for Fiat Chrysler — the company almost halved net industrial debt in the first quarter — the move wasn't devoid of risk and won't be for Ford, either. Both may have to count on fuel staying cheap and supporting demand for Ford Expeditions and Jeep Wrangler SUVs, plus the F-Series and Ram truck lines.
In the long-term, abandoning car segments may turn out to have been the wrong move if the Trump administration's plans for weaker mileage standards don't last long after his presidency. And Japanese automakers also are likely to welcome less competition for some of their best-sellers, including the Toyota Camry and Honda Civic.
"For Ford, doubling down on trucks and SUVs could be just what the brand needs," Jessica Caldwell, an analyst for Edmunds.com, said in an email. "But this move isn't without risk: Ford is willingly alienating its car owners and conceding market share."
By not investing in next generations of any car for North America except the Mustang, Ford now anticipates it'll reach an 8 percent profit margin by 2020, two years ahead of schedule. Abstaining from that spending is part of Hackett's plan to cut $25.5 billion in costs by 2022. That figure, announced Wednesday, is almost double what the CEO laid out in October.
"We're going to feed the healthy part of our business and deal decisively with areas that destroy value," Hackett said on an earnings call Wednesday.
While battery-powered vehicles have been money losers thus far, Ford's plans aren't completely inconsistent with the global march toward electrification that's shaking up the auto industry.
Ford will hedge against risk of rising pump prices by spending $11 billion to bring out 40 electrified vehicles by 2022. Among those will be 16 battery-only models, including the Mach 1, a high-performance electric SUV coming in 2020.
The company will expand its offering of crossovers, with vehicles such as the Focus Active coming next year that combine the high-riding attributes of an SUV with lighter-weight car frames to improve fuel economy over traditional big rigs.
Ars Technica ("Say goodbye to nearly all of Ford's car lineup: Sales end by 2020") notes that "Ford dropped a bombshell during its Q1 earnings call" and this seems more about stock prices than profitability. A CNBC report ("Ford is basically giving up on US car business, and GM is not far behind") quotes Adam Jonas, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, saying, "Virtually eliminating Ford's NA car portfolio makes a lot of sense, in our view" but goes on to note,
[D]espite the fact that American companies are reshaping their lineups, sedans will still form a substantial portion of the vehicles sold in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.
"Although passenger car segments have declined over the last number of years, they are still very important," GM's Stevens said Thursday. "Small cars are important internationally, and they still make up a chunk of sales in the United States."
As a January Bloomberg report ("The American Sedan Is Dying. Long Live the SUV") notes, it was Chrysler who started this move:
Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne started it off by killing the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 to reorient Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV around Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups. The profit boom that's followed has emboldened Detroit's other CEOs to consider snuffing out sedans such as the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Impala.
"The industry thought Sergio was a mad man when he did that, and now he looks like a genius," said Jeff Schuster, an analyst with LMC Automotive. "He paved the way for everyone. Now, with the Detroit brands, virtually every car is under review."
Chrysler essentially means "Jeep" at this point, with the Dodge Ram pickup and Dodge Charger Mustang-competitor all that's left of the old-line brand. (Those of us of a certain age remember when Jeep was part of the American Motors Company.)
Essentially, American automakers are ceding a major part of the market to Asian and European competitors because there's a larger profit margin on trucks and SUVs, which makes Wall Street happy, and because American sedans and small cars have little cachet outside the Mustang and Corvette brands. Cadillac and Lincoln simply lost their appeal to the under-70 demographic, who prefer BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Lexus. Similarly, Ford and Chevy haven't been able to make cars with the appeal of Honda and Toyota.
But there's no inherent reason that has to continue indefinitely. Tesla, an American-based startup, has generated huge excitement with its Model S luxury sedan and Model X SUV, both of which are higher performing, more stylish, and more distinctive than anything coming out of Europe or Japan in those price points. They've had less success with their Model 3 mid-priced sedan, which is less stylish and has had production problems.
To be sure, part of the demise of the American car is about classification. A lot of the cars now being marketed as crossovers, ostensibly a cross between a sport utility vehicle and a car, are essentially station wagons. Still, Detroit is being out-designed in that segment as well.
Elon Musk has shown the way forward: make distinctive products that people want to drive. There's simply no reason American companies can't do that again.
FILED UNDER: Economics and Business, Auto Industry, Chrysler, CNBC, Detroit, Elon Musk, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Japan, New York, Tesla Motors, Toyota
Doug Mataconis says:
Friday, 27 April 2018 at 07:50
Well one difference is that the Tesla is still pretty much outside the price range of the average American, and electric cars (and the charging stations needed for them to keep driving) are not nearly pervasive enough to be a major part of the market. At least not yet.
I was stuck in Tallahassee recently and rented a Ford Fusion. Granting that it's unfair to compare a mid-price sedan to my own Mercedes, I still found the basics – steering, accelerating, and braking – off. You don't notice all the clever little computer assists until you don't have them anymore and the Ford wandered all over the road like a toddler. The whole vehicle felt imprecise, unbalanced, like a badly-weighted kitchen knife. On the other hand, I've rented Ford Mustang convertibles and those are tons of fun. Still not the precision Mercedes gives you, but a fun car.
I recently rented an Infiniti Q50 and loved it. My daughter drives a Kia Sportage and we really looked for a US choice, but in the end nothing US came close to the array of features and the basic competence of Kia. My default family rental is still a Toyota RAV, a very competent small SUV. American cars have gotten much better, but I still avoid them. They always feel sloppy.
American car designers started falling behind in the 70's and while they've advanced by leaps and bounds, the Germans, Japanese and Koreans still do a better job. The Big Three skimped on design and went all-in on financial games and surprise, the companies that focused on building good cars ate their lunch.
Assuming fuel prices will stay low sounds like a perfect example of not planning beyond the next quarter.
Just 'nutha ig'nint cracker says:
@gVOR08: My closest station is now at $3.14/gal. and has been changing prices at mid day. I was in Korea for a long time so somebody tell me; is $3.14 considered low now?
Mikey says:
@michael reynolds:
I recently rented an Infiniti Q50 and loved it.
I am on my second Q50. This time I got the RS400 model with the twin-turbo V6. Infiniti's official HP number is 400 (hence the model name) but people have put them on the dyno and are getting almost 400 at the wheels, which would indicate about 440 at the crank, and almost 400 lb-ft of torque. Not bad for a 3-liter engine.
The thing has so much power and it comes on so fast–max torque hits at about 1500 RPM and it's there all the way to redline. And it has all the bells and whistles, automatic everything, dynamic suspension and selectable driving modes, etc. There's really nothing to compare to it for the price.
Dave Schuler says:
U. S. car companies haven't made small car engines for decades—they've all been imported. It's not particularly sad for the auto companies to stop making unprofitable models.
However, it may well be very sad for the workers and our government should be taking action to whatever degree the production of foreign autos is being subsidized by their governments.
Franklin says:
@michael reynolds: I also rented a Ford Fusion in Florida a couple months ago, but I had a different experience. It was a hybrid, and I was comparing it to some older SUVs that we own, but I was quite pleased with it. But then again, I had rarely driven a *car* since I sold my Toyota 86 a couple years back. Maybe I had forgotten that cars simply drive better and was overly impressed.
Not the IT Dept. says:
American car industry is stupid. Again. Film at 11.
@Franklin:
The Fusion's not a bad car, it just doesn't bear comparison to foreign-made sedans. It still floats at speed and the brakes hit the ABS at any stress. And the steering feels vague. But again I'm mentally comparing a 30k car to a 70k car so I'm probably being unfair. I did like the Apple Play though.
al-Ameda says:
@gVOR08:
American automakers have been down this road before, and not all that long ago. It sure seems that they're intentionally trying to get out of the passenger car business, doesn't it?
The only times in the past 20 years that I've driven an American car is when I've rented vehicles at airports.
I'm on my 2nd Prius now, I get 53 MPG, it's a smooth ride, hatchback tipe of rear with good space for luggage and gear. Had my previous for 8 years, 240K miles, 47 MPG, no problems or extra maintenance at all.
Why American car makers can't roll out this level of reliability and quality is beyond me.
Trucks are what Detroit sells now, they've given up.
I drive down California 85 every morning to go to work. It's slow in the morning, because of all the Google and other tech company employees that use it to get to work. But it has a diamond lane, and EVs and hybrids get to use it. I counted 20 Volt/Bolts, 12 Tesla, 8 Leafs, and a few other assorted models e-Golf and the BMW entry. I didn't even count the Prius' I saw.
And in an afternoon on a major surface street I counted the cars at a stop light. Over 20 percent were hybrid/EVs. I'm pretty sure we're ahead of the curve here in NorCal, but these cars are coming.
On the subject of Ford, we owned an Escort station wagon once. I drove my kids home from the hospital in it. It's the least favorite car I've ever had.
Gromitt Gunn says:
@michael reynolds: Re: Kia.
I bought my first new car in 2014 after my previous car got totaled. Prior to that, I had always bought cars that were 2 – 4 years old with low miles.
I went with a Kia Soul, and I have never regretted that decision. The number of features that Kia makes standard at their price point is pretty remarkable, the car's performance is modest-but-solid, I have never felt unsafe while driving it, and I can't imagine any other brand new car that I could have purchased at a similar price that has everything that my Soul has.
Stormy Dragon says:
1. This article is misleading to the point of being bullshit. It's counting all crossover vehicles as trucks despite the fact they're built on unibody car platforms (e.g. the Ford Edge uses the same CD4 platform as the Fusion, the Taurus, the MKZ, and the Continental).
2. One big problem with electric vehicles is that they don't work for people without garages or dedicated parking they can put a charging station in. If you can't leave them charging overnight, no one is going to want to keep sitting around for an hour plus to charge it every few days.
It's strange, like Michael, I have never been a fan of the way American cars drive. But overseas, I drive a Ford made for the European market and it's a great little car. So I'm not sure why there is this difference, but it exists.
That's another point to keep in mind, Ford's international branch will continue to make and compete successfully with small vehicles in foreign markets.
One other thing I would add is the exit of diesel vehicles from the US market, which is also occurring this year or next. The only diesel vehicles will be trucks, primarily from American manufacturers. Mercedes is dumping diesel completely here, including it's popular van chassis.
@Doug Mataconis:
Well one difference is that the Tesla is still pretty much outside the price range of the average American, and electric cars (and the charging stations needed for them to keep driving) are not nearly pervasive enough to be a major part of the market.
Sure. But the successful Teslas are fast and stylish even by comparison with similar non-electrics in their price point. And, presumably, it would be easier to market a gasoline-engined car that looked like a Model S or Model X.
If I were buying a sedan, it would be my choice. Nissan makes a really good car and they undersell their German competition considerably.
@Dave Schuler:
What's interesting is that, over the last 20-25 years, so many "foreign" cars are made here. My Toyota Sienna minivan was made in Kansas City.
@Gromitt Gunn:
The number of features that Kia makes standard at their price point is pretty remarkable, the car's performance is modest-but-solid, I have never felt unsafe while driving it, and I can't imagine any other brand new car that I could have purchased at a similar price that has everything that my Soul has.
The Koreans are doing what the Japanese did in the mid-1970s: offering below-market cars of comparable quality. And, actually, they've started to do with the Japanese did in the late 1980s or so: competing on features and style as well.
@Stormy Dragon:
It's counting all crossover vehicles as trucks despite the fact they're built on unibody car platforms (e.g. the Ford Edge uses the same CD4 platform as the Fusion, the Taurus, the MKZ, and the Continental).
I noted in the OP that there's something of a categorical sleight-of-hand here. Still, crossovers site higher than sedans and consumers seem to prefer that.
Kia is making really good cars. I occasionally drive Julia's Sportage and it has essentially all the bells and whistles my Benz has and some things, like collision warning, that it does better. The Benz freaks out in low slanting light and thinks every shadow is a car in my path. I can't even fault the brakes and Benz spoils you with their brakes.
The only problem we've had with the Kia is a tendency for the front right tire to clip curbs and cost me replacements. Twice. Though it's just possible that's my daughter's driving.
@StormyDragon It's a good point. I think EVs are a really great choice for a commuter/second car for a lot of people. And I think people are going to figure that out over time. But gas powered vehicles will remain in the fleet for a long time, since gas still has a bunch of advantages.
Nevertheless, I think Ford is missing the boat here.
@Andy:
It's sad about diesels, for a while there they looked like a solution to the mileage issue. I rented cars in Italy (sadly, vans) for a while and the mileage in a diesel is crazy good.
Euro-Fords really are tighter I think – they have lots of competition, especially in the hatchback segment. I've rented Fords overseas at times, though generally in the UK or ANZ where I'm thinking less about handling and more about Aaah! Which way do I go in a roundabout? . My favorite though was an Audi A3 hatchback, a sweet little car, though a bit wider than I seemed to think as I was driving out of Edinburgh. (Sorry about the side mirrors, Edinburgh. My bad.)
Generally European drivers are just more demanding, probably because they have more tight roads, more small villages, more one-lanes, their competition in urban spaces is most often from motorbikes not big gas-gulpers, ridiculously difficult urban parking structures. (I'm pretty sure Italian parking garages are the inspiration for Tetris.) They have a tougher driving environment and we build for freeways and cruising boulevards. (If you want a lowrider, you buy American.)
Hal_10000 says:
We've had a Toyota Camry for a while (built in Kentucky) and it's been a great family car for us. My job makes me travel a lot and I always see rentals as a kind of test purchase. I've definitely favored foreign makes when it come to sedans. You can tell Ford's heart isn't in it.
That having been said, this is a bit shortsighted. Oil is only going to go up in price, especially if we get a carbon tax or somesuch. This may be a gamble that pays off in the short term but kills them long term.
Generally European drivers are just more demanding, probably because they have more tight roads, more small villages, more one-lanes, their competition in urban spaces is most often from motorbikes not big gas-gulpers, ridiculously difficult urban parking structures.
I would love to take my Q50 to Germany and run it wide open on the Autobahn.
Unfortunately, at some point I'd have to drive it into Nuremberg and try to find a place to park it.
When visiting my wife's family, we drive my mother-in-law's Honda Jazz (sold as the Fit in America) and while I really miss the power of my Infiniti, the Honda is just so much easier to go anywhere in.
Apropos driving in Germany, I have a saying: In America, we learn to operate a motor vehicle. In Germany, they learn to drive.
I need to see an EV that will get me from SF to LA without a two hour layover in Bakersfield. Then I'll be all over a good EV because the better ones have crazy fast acceleration. But I don't want to be creeping down the 5 in a big old flashlight with failing batteries.
grumpy realist says:
@michael reynolds: The Big Three were notorious for designing U.S. cars for what the Big Three executives thought everyone wanted: nice, fat, cushy rides in big cars on straight, flat roads going from Detroit up to the wilds of Michigan for camping. Which is why U.S. cars have historically had the turning radius of a boat.
I had the chance back in 2014 to test drive a whole bunch of rental cars since I was visiting a friend in hospital multiple hours away and didn't have my own car at the time. I hated the Korean cars, which came across as three-gerbil power. The US cars had too many bells and whistles on the dashboards and were sloppy in handling. The one Volkswagen I tried bounced on acceleration like a jackrabbit on speed. And my experience with keyless cars; let's just say the less said the better.
I finally bought a Nissan.
Ted Craig says:
@James Joyner
'And, presumably, it would be easier to market a gasoline-engined car that looked like a Model S or Model X.'
No. The virtue signaling of the electric engine is part of Tesla's appeal.
@Jay L Gischer
California offers generous tax breaks and there is a value to using a special lane in your state. Those factors don't apply in most other places.
Yeah, it's a bit of an understatement to say European roads and driving are different. I lived in the UK for close to four years and there are roads there and on the continent that would be inconceivable here. Europe also wasn't as eager to flatten parts of their cities to build highways systems and the roads to support them.
It is sad about diesels, but it seems they couldn't pass emission standards without blatant cheating.
@Mikey:
We lived in Italy for seven months and I loved driving in Italy because it's professional-level. You have to be on your game. The Italians do not screw around, but it's cooperative driving not competitive, all the parts meshing neatly unless you're an American driving like an American in which case you're the boulder in the stream. I was totally into it. I've driven Florence many times and even Rome – where every single street is one-way the wrong way. I'm convinced that Roman street urchins rush around changing directional signs on one-ways just to see if they can get a tourist to drive into a brick wall in frustration.
@grumpy realist:
And my experience with keyless cars; let's just say the less said the better.
Oh, I have two keyless cars, a Merceds and a Volvo. And the cool thing is the way they unlock as you approach. Unless they don't. In which case you've tried the handle three times and now you have to fish out the key and do it the old-fashioned way. Such convenience. I've also walked away with my keys and left the car running on several occasions. Just because an engineer can figure out some clever new trick doesn't make it a good trick. (I'm looking at you, iPhone 8 engineers, you meddling nitwits.)
As for Kia, ours is a six. I try to avoid 4 cylinder cars. The Kia with a six takes off pretty well. And to be honest in the mid-range the Kia transmission is better than the Benz's. But for the extra 40k you get to drive around looking like a dude who'd spend 40k just to look cool driving around looking cool. So there's that.
Correction: the Kia is a 4, the Volvo is a 6. Also a competent vehicle but zero fun to drive.
That categorical sleight of hand is also driven by the CAFE standards, which put all the crossovers into the light truck category, instead of the passenger car category where they clearly belong.
Gustopher says:
I just want a car where a 6'6" body can fit behind the steering wheel, and which doesn't have insane blind spots…
Also, it must come in a bright, vivid color.
I drove around Cornwall with my family in a rented, full-sized Volvo station wagon. I still have nightmares.
@Gustopher:
What are you, some kind of communist? Look down a road or across a parking lot these days, it doesn't seem like anybody buys anything but black, white, and various grays. I have a rule about not buying pavement colored cars. If you wanted to camouflage a car, particularly at night or on a rainy day, what colors might you paint it? Don't buy cars those colors.
I sometimes wonder if it says something about our national psyche that everyone dresses in black and drives black or grey cars.
@grumpy realist: Keyless … christ this is a poorly-thought-out idea. How 'bout when your spouse jumps out to get a table at the restaurant, accidentally taking the fob with them? The vehicles freaks out and eventually shuts down in the middle of the goddamn road (or thankfully for us, just the parking lot).
I've never owned an SUV. As some car magazine said years ago, there's nothing an SUV does that something else doesn't do better. Thinking about the marketing of SUVs (sit higher, mines bigger'n yours) makes one think Freud was on to something after all. I was raised on sports cars. I'm slowly conceding modern, high end, automatic trannies are pretty good, but I'm still a little into "If it doesn't make the car go, or make the car go faster, why is it on the car?"
We've settled into my daily diver being a bit sporty (currently a Mazdaspeed3, turbo, tight suspension, big tires, hoot to drive) and my wife's being a minivan (Honda Odyssey). Our fifth or sixth minivan ( I forget how many early Dodges we went through). Minivans have the cargo space of a Suburban, OK fuel mileage, and sedan-like handling. The only downside is no image. (Why didn't Iaccoca call them "sport haulers" or something instead of "minivan"?) As I'm one of those pragmatic, unimaginative STEM types people were bitching about a day or two ago, I don't care. You even sit high, if that's a thing for you.
@gVOR08: @gVOR08: Ha. I've got two cars: A 2013 BMW 335is convertible and a 2010 Toyota Sienna minivan. The former is fun to drive and my daily commuter; the latter is my kid and crap hauler. They are, alas, silver and black, respectively.
@Franklin: @gVOR08:
One of the reasons I went for my Nissan Versa is the bright blue color, making it obvious in a parking lot. (I still wish I had hung out for the peacock blue instead, which was the next year's model.) The thing turns on a dime, which has proven to be extremely useful when a) dealing with local traffic b) getting in and out of the public parking garage, and c) avoiding smashing the local Canadian geese that stomp around acting as is they own the place. (They do.) And it's surprisingly roomy when it comes to being able to pack boxes in the back.
The main bells-and-whistles I went for was making sure it was an automatic and getting the rear-view-camera option.
Well, at least you know your Volvo has been moose-tested, no?
@gVOR08: As a child, I was hit by a car while crossing the street — it was a white car, and there was a snowstorm, and the damn thing was invisible. I will never understand why we have cars in anything less than really bright, visible colors.
If I could get a car in traffic cone orange, I would.
(Subaru has a perfectly fine orange that looks like fall foliage, so for 50 weeks of the year it would be entirely acceptable… alas, it is only on the cars I don't fit in. Honda has a pretty good day-glo green, but designed their interiors to block my legs… the Dodge Charger has potential)
JKB says:
I think you mean nominally "American" car manufacturers are getting out of the passenger sedan business. To say American cars and mean Ford, Chrysler, GM is obscurant. I own the American-made pickup, the Toyota Tundra. Fords aren't made in the US, even with the company head offices in America.
It was 15 years ago in some federal procurement training when the procurement office head pointed out that if Toyota wanted they could challenge every federal government purchase of "American" autos. Few met the requirement of the Buy American Act but Toyota did. That they didn't was pure PR related and based on the fact they didn't need the hassles of federal procurement.
You think that's a nightmare try driving in Germany. When I worked in Germany I drove a (rented) Ford. On the Autobahn I could barely get out of the way of the Mercedes and BMWs barreling down the road at 120 mph fast enough.
Liberal Capitalist says:
yep… rented a Q50, and when asked how I liked it, I said it was like driving Batman's car. Very cool. Great acceleration.
But like most American's I'm not a sedan person….
Which is weird, because Tesla is building sedans… so there must be a market for overpriced four door toys, right?
I will admit, I did pull the trigger and bought a Orange Chevy Bolt. 4 door hatchback, tight suspension, 100% Electric, $13,500 on tax rebates. I do not miss the gas stations or oil changes.
It goes well with My Orange Honda Element… and my Orange '69 convertible corvette. My wife's Audi A4 Quattro convertible in red is the odd one out.
Step 1: Admitted I was powerless over my car addition and my life has become… pretty darned cool!
Waiting for my 100% electric 2+2 convertible, and some magical 100% electric vehicle that can take the place of the Honda Element.
We lived in Italy for seven months and I loved driving in Italy because it's professional-level
I worked in Rome for 6 months. I loved driving I Rome and all over the peninsula.
Of course, I'm a former Detroiter, where fast is just the way things go. In Italy, once I figured out that they drive like I drive… I was in nirvana.
Brazil was also a challenge. fast and aggressive. was there for nearly 3 years… never got around to getting a driver's license. Loved my little Mercedes A160 🙂
Autobahn… yeah… loved it too. Replicated the same in the USA going across the great open Midwest in a 1989 corvette convertible (white, red interior). Luckily my wife is cool with 120MPH+. Say what you will about the 'vette C4, that thing loved to eat up the highway!
replaced him with Jim Hackett, a cost-cutter who's prepared to make the sort of audacious gambles that Wall Street thinks have been missing.
Ford is doomed.
Tyrell says:
"crossover": another name for station wagons.
How about the van/mini-vans? Are they still made?
EV cars: would sell more if NASCAR would create an EV racing series.
And Dodge needs to be in racing – they would sell more cars.
Detroit needs to set the trends, not follow Japan.
My last gas fill up was $2.44/gal. Too high. Trump better keep an eye on this.
Smart cars: how long until we get to a highway, no hands, read a book or watch a movie car trip?
Saturday, 28 April 2018 at 07:34
@Tyrell: They don't have to make minivans (although some are). Most crossovers and some SUVs are just glorified minivans…
Best US production motor ever: Ford Boss 429 – 600 horsepower, then Chrysler hemi, Chevy 396.
As a child, I was hit by a car while crossing the street — it was a white car, and there was a snowstorm
God gawd. I hope you weren't badly hurt.
I came close to hitting a guy a couple years ago. Predawn, unlit intersection, black guy dressed all in black.
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This unique twist on a tamale turns a popular Mexican meal into a classic American-style comfort dish that is positively delicious.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with nonfat cooking spray.
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Place in oven and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and poke all over, using a fork.
Pour 1/2 of the enchilada sauce all over the top. Then evenly cover with the chicken. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over chicken and top with the remaining cheese.
Return to oven, and cook for another 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
I'm entering this into my Recipe Builder now on the WW website, and I subbed in the Jiffy corn muffin mix, and I can't seem to work it out to less than 8 Points Plus per serving! Is the difference in the mix? What could be causing this?
Should the bottom be baked all the way through when it comes out…mine is still rather liquidy…should it have a cornbread texture?
Hi there! your site is sooo amazing! I just started WW and your site is so helpful. Just want to ask can i use regular canned enchilada for this? or the one you used has better nutritional facts?
Fantastic! Thanks for such a fabulous recipe!
I know this recipe was posted ages ago, but I just discovered it recently. I had to stop back by and tell you that my family LOVES it. I've made it 3 times in the last month and it is always a hit! What a nice weight watcher friendly crowd pleaser. And a bonus, with just chicken and cornbread (always on hand) this is an easy and economical meal as well!
This was the inspiration for Tamale Tuesday at our house! Everyone raved over this delicious casserole. NOM NOM!
I think my husband will like this. Question though, can I substitute with a homemade cornbread somehow? I have a lot of cornmeal to use up. Would I basically just mix up a homemade recipe and add it like I would a mix? Thanks for being awesome.
Yes….just create the dry homemade mix, and you can use that.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! Can you give me a breakdown of calories per ingredient? I can't get my 8 serving' s below 290. Thanks!
Can you use jiffy corn bread mix, and can you use the package enchilada sauce?
I sprinkled some fresh cilantro and green onion. We loved it thank you for this recipe it is a keeper!
I spinkled some fresh cilantro and green onion. We loved it thank you for this recipe it is a keeper!
Yes, I used a for scale to weigh it out. I actually just ended up using the rest of it when I made the casserole again about 2 weeks later…even though it was a bit less than 8oz, it still worked out just fine :). So, if you wanted, you could just divide the box in half to make the recipe twice.
Kind of a goofy question but can you use regular eggs instead of the egg substitute?
Yes, absolutely! I just use the egg beaters instead of actual eggs because it eliminates extra fat and cholesterol.
Thank you so much for another DELICIOUS looking recipe!!! I ordered my sauce and cornbread mix today, so hoping to make this one next week :) I haven't tried one of your recipes yet that I don't like, so I'm very confident this one will be another winner!! Thank you so much for taking the time and energy to share with us!!
I made this last night and I CANNOT TELL YOU ENOUGH how amazingly delicious it was! Thank you so much!
Hi Wendy – I am wondering if you can make this ahead of time and then just heat up? I've never had tamales so don't know if the crust will get too soggy? I'd like to make it for a friend and her family, but didn't know if I should assemble it or just have the crust and everything ready and she can assemble. Thanks!! BTW – LOVE the site and I enjoy your Friday Finds. I have tried many of the products you share.
Hmmmmm…good question! I've reheated next day leftovers on this before with no problem whatsoever, so I'm guessing that it would be fine. Glad you are liking the recipes…thanks so much for reading!
Thanks for the reply. I made it last night and made a pan for my parents (gave it to them un-assembled). My husband and I loved it as did my parents. My boys (6 & 12), however, took a few bites and were done – more for me :-).
Ripping off another Emily Bites recipe without any credit… I've seen you do this so many times. Your recipe/word choice is way too similar to be a coincidence. I saw you do the same thing with her buffalo wing hummus recipe.
Amanda…I think you may be mistaking me for someone else. I have never posted a Buffalo Wing Hummus recipe. And as for the Tamale Casserole Recipe, there are TONS of them online…and they all are very similar. That being said, I looked at the one on Emily Bites and it is identical to the one on Cooking Light, so…yeah. My version is similar, but still a little different.
Amanda, LaaLoosh is right… there are so many versions of this recipe, going back to the 80s when my mom would make it for me! Come on now, recipe mods, borrowing, and inspiration happen so often now because of the internet. I've seen GIna from Skinnytaste post many versions of LaaLoosh's recipes, but I don't hear LaaLoosh crying and bitching about it. It is what it is, and intention is everything.. your anger is misplaced. That being said, I can't wait to try this lightened up version… it'l take me back to my childhood. Thanks, LaaLoosh, for everything you do.
I have to agree with Ms. Lee. I have seen lots of versions of everyone's recipes all over the net. If you like Emily Bites site so much maybe you should stick with getting your cooking inspiration from their and stop trolling Laaloosh. I am glad to have a place to come find lighten versions of recipes that actually taste good. Thank you Laaloosh!
Where did you find the enchilada sauce? I haven't seen that one before although I have heard of Frontera.
Got mine at Whole Foods.
You can order is from Amazon!
I found the Frontera brand at Rainbow Foods (Roundy's). Probably a Midwest store. I found a another brand at the other local grocery store. I made a pan for my parents with the "other" brand and they loved it so I would try any brand of sauce you can find.
This was so delicious and pantry friendly. My 2 year old and four year old ate it too. I just omitted the jalapenos and substituted red bell pepper.


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A pregnant woman works at an office station.
Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
Associates Suing MoFo Ask for Pseudonyms
Stephanie Russell-Kraft - Special Correspondent
Associates suing MoFo for discrimination sued using pseudonyms
Anonymity in these kinds of cases is tough to get but not unheard of
Morrison & Foerster was hit May 3 with a proposed class action by three associates who allege they were discriminated against after taking maternity leave. What makes the case unusual is that the associates are hoping to sue anonymously.
The women, all based in California, allege they were held back a year and cut off from work opportunities after they became pregnant and took maternity leave.
The plaintiffs' attorneys have said they sued under pseudonyms to protect the women from press scrutiny as the lawsuit gets underway. The women know that if the case heads to trial, their names will become public, according to their lawyer David Sanford.
"Plaintiffs' lawsuit implicates sensitive information, including confidential health information and information pertaining to plaintiffs' minor children," Sanford wrote in a memorandum accompanying the complaint. "In addition, plaintiffs are concerned that filing this complaint under their true identities at this time will further interfere with their standing amongst partners and peers at the Firm, and allow MoFo to publicly impugn their professional reputations in an effort to chill this litigation and irreparably harm their future career prospects."
This is the second high-profile case brought by Sanford against a Big Law firm in which the plaintiff has asked to remain anonymous. Connie Bertram, a partner suing her firm Proskauer Rose for gender discrimination, filed a complaint under a pseudonym last year and only went public recently.
It's not unheard of for federal courts to grant anonymity to plaintiffs. Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff from the Supreme Court's landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade, litigated under the pseudonym Jane Roe. But courts don't grant pseudonymity easily, usually reserving the practice for cases involving children, sexual abuse, or other sensitive claims, according to Lior Jacob Strahilevitz, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School.
"In general, the federal courts, at least in this country, have been skeptical of claims that people should be allow to sue under a John or Jane Doe," Strahilevitz told Bloomberg Law.
At the same time, pseudonymous litigation is "increasingly common in our SEO-influenced world," according to Erica Johnstone, a partner at Ridder, Costa & Johnstone and co-founder of Without My Consent, a nonprofit that helps individuals protect their online privacy.
"Court records are public records that are blogged, tweeted, and indexed," she said. "And so, if the plaintiff ever hopes to have a life that is not defined by the wrong alleged in the complaint, then pseudonymous status is one of the helpful tools judges have at their disposal to balance the competing values of public access to government records with individual privacy rights."
Most courts still require plaintiffs to show a direct risk of retaliation if they sue publicly, something that can be hard to prove when a risk of career damage is in the future, and not at a current employer, according to to Strahilevitz.
In the Morrison & Foerster case, "what the plaintiffs are probably concerned about is not their futures at Morrison & Foerster, it's their futures at other law firms," said Strahilevitz. "The courts haven't been giving that as much weight as it ought to be given."
He said the associates would be "breaking some new ground" if they succeed their bid to use pseudonyms.
One thing that may help the associates, according to Strahilevitz, is that their complaint does not name any of the specific partners they allege engaged in discriminatory behavior. "Courts like to see symmetry between the plaintiff and the defendant," he said.
In this respect, the Morrison & Foerster case is different from other recent Big Law gender discrimination cases, where managing partners and other leaders have been named as co-defendants alongside their firms.
"It acts fairly by granting individual actors comparable anonymity to what the plaintiffs seek,"said Deborah Marcuse, another partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp representing the associates.
Marcuse said the lack of individual names also "keep[s] the focus on the firm culture as a whole, which is where it belongs in cases like these, which are never about one or two bad actors."
This will likely prove challenging to the plaintiffs, according to Northwestern University professor Laura Beth Nielsen, who believes the U.S. court system isn't set up to fully address the types of problems this lawsuit hopes to address.
"We're starting to see the problem of gender relations in the workplace as part of something broader," said Nielsen, who teaches sociology and directs the university's Center for Legal Studies. "It definitely includes overt discrimination, but it also includes implicit bias and all of these different things."
"Really trying to put the emphasis on culture rather than the individuals in the dispute, it's something the law doesn't do very well," she said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Russell-Kraft in New York at srussellkraft@gmail.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom P. Taylor at ttaylor@bloomberglaw.com
Law Firms, Litigation, Litigation, In-House

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Prior to Christmas I treated myself to a new Sal Y Limon bracelet.
I had seen their new glitzy bracelets in a magazine and decided to take a look at them.
At the moment I'm really into my reds and burgundy's. I have a few tops and several nail polishes in similar colours, so I thought this bracelet would suit my current look.
The red laquer of this design is covered in lots of red diamante which gives this bracelet real sparkle. I particularly like the gold underside and hinge of this bracelet. It looks really glam against the red.
Do you have any of the Sal Y Limon bracelets?
Hello, I love its color..
Followed you, hope you can check back and maybe, follow back?


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Linesight collaborating with Dublin Simon Community
A frightening number of people, families and children have fallen into homelessness, and with a recent media spotlight on the issue, never have we been more acutely aware of it. Each and every day, more and more individuals are facing the culminating effects of eviction, rent arrears, abuse, poverty, bereavement, physical health conditions, and addiction or poor mental. They are very quickly being left behind, without a safe and secure place to spend the night.
In Dublin, where Linesight is headquartered, there are 3,162 individuals, 2,096 children and 1,028 families trapped in emergency accommodation, isolated and destitute; this magnitude of individuals, families and children has never been witnessed before. Thankfully the introduction of additional emergency beds has greatly reduced the number of people without a safe place to spend the night, although there are still people taking refuge on our city streets – grateful for a sleeping bag or a layer of cardboard to protect their bodies from the bitter cold and hardship.
Dublin Simon Community is an exceptionally valuable organization, which works tirelessly to tackle the homelessness crisis in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, by providing invaluable services and support to those who need them, in all stages of homelessness. Just two nights ago, on 25th January, its Rough Sleeper Team counted 53 people sleeping in the doorways, parks and laneways of Dublin's City Centre.
In 2012, Dublin Simon Community acquired a property in Phibsboro in Dublin. The site included a 22 bed unit, two shop fronts and two apartments, and was funded using government grants and Simon's Capital Development Fund. In 2016, a further seven townhouses were acquired for shared accommodation in neighboring Spire View, again through Simon's Capital Development Fund. This will be the site for Chester House Phase Two – a 20 bed, high-support housing unit, for people who have experienced long-term homelessness and may have mental health, addiction, physical and personal care issues. It will provide a permanent home for people who are unable to live independently and will have 24-hour support staff on site.
Linesight is delighted to be offering Cost Management and Project Management services for this project, and we would encourage individuals and organizations to offer their skills, where possible, to support Dublin Simon Community in their efforts.
Linesight COO, Paul Boylan, explained why the organization is getting involved:
"It's great to be involved in this project, as it's a cause that is very close to all of us and we are proud to support the fantastic work that Dublin Simon Community does. We're really looking forward to the journey in delivering the project, alongside the rest of the team (RKD, Ethos and Garland)."
Speaking about the collaboration, Sam McGuinness, CEO of Dublin Simon Community said:
"We are delighted to work with the Linesight team to create a 20 bed unit extension to our high support housing project at Chester House in Phibsboro, providing additional long-term solutions for people who are homeless. The number of vulnerable adults, children and families becoming homeless highlights the urgent need for safe and secure housing with dedicated specialist care. It is only with the support, guidance and belief of our supporters that we will achieve our target of 480 additional bed units over the next four to five years."
The "housing crisis" is a phrase we hear so often, it has almost become meaningless. But make no mistake – this is an urgent, desperate situation and it is affecting thousands of people around Ireland from every background, every day. By delivering specialist short and long-term housing, Dublin Simon Community are giving people a chance to regain their dignity and purpose – in essence, a chance to rebuild their lives. If you would like to find out more about supporting Dublin Simon Community, or to donate, please click here.
More about Dublin Simon Community and the Simon Capital Development Fund:
Dublin Simon Community works to prevent and address homelessness in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, providing services to individuals, children and families at all stages of homelessness. Its aim is to enable people to move to a place they can call home. Invaluable support services include Soup Run and Rough Sleeper teams, prevention and resettlement services, high support accommodation, independent housing, health and addiction treatment, counselling services, training, education and employability.
The Simon team listens to people who turn to them for help, and do everything they can to support them to move out of homelessness into independent living. They strive to empower people to access, secure and retain a home of their own, by reducing their reliance on short-term emergency accommodation and providing permanent supported housing for them to sustain a home in their local community. Moving people into supported housing produces life-enhancing and life-saving results, and is more cost-effective in the long run.
Since 2012, the Simon Capital Development Fund has created 239 bed units in the Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath areas, helping over 370 men, women and children move out of homelessness. Their five year strategic housing plan, which started in 2016, aims to acquire 480 additional bed units that have the potential to help over 750 men, women and children move from homelessness towards a place to call home.


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Stagecoach partners with Middlesbrough Foodbank to launch free travel initiative
Stagecoach North East is working in partnership with Middlesbrough Foodbank to launch an initiative which offers free travel on buses for its community members following an approach from a local Middlesbrough Councillor.
The local bus operator has shown its support for the great local cause and joined forces to create a bespoke voucher scheme for its services across the Tees Valley, to help assist people who visit the centres with their travel costs.
The voucher, which can be exchanged on all Stagecoach buses in Teesside and Hartlepool, enables anyone who uses the foodbank service in Middlesbrough to travel on a single journey from its seven food bank collection centres throughout Middlesbrough.
Residents who visit the community foodbank can then benefit from a free journey home with their groceries or can travel further afield and enjoy a trip to places in and around Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.
The foodbank helps people suffering financial hardship, providing emergency food parcels and putting people in touch with organisations which can provide long-term solutions.
Cllr Matthew Storey, Middlesbrough Councillor for Central Ward, said: "I am delighted that following my approach to Stagecoach North East, they have agreed to start this scheme in Middlesbrough. Foodbanks provide vital support to people who are really struggling. Often they will have mobility issues or children with them when collecting their food and in any event, travelling from the Foodbank with heavy bags isn't always easy. This excellent community engagement from Stagecoach North East will make a real difference to people who could use a little extra help when they are finding it hard to make ends meet."
Middlesbrough Foodbank project manager, Soroush Sadeghzadeh, believes it is the first service of its kind in the area. He said: "I first heard about a similar project through the Trussell Trust's newsletter where a local bus company had partnered with a local food bank. At the time, I thought that such a partnership would really benefit our clients in Middlesbrough and it wasn't long after that I had a call from Cllr Matthew Storey about Stagecoach North East partnering with us to offer this service.
"I was once in one of our distribution centres and after our volunteers welcomed a mum and her two children, we found out that she had walked over four miles to get to us. If it wasn't for the kindness of volunteers, she would have had to walk back home.
"However, with the generosity of Stagecoach North East, we're now able to offer such a fantastic service to our clients and help us in offering a more holistic support. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in this project, as well as all our generous supporters and volunteers."
Nathan Stanislawski, Operations Manager at Stagecoach North East's Teesside depot, said: "We are delighted to support an organisation that provides such a vital community service. With the rise in demand for projects of this nature, community food banks are becoming increasingly important and are relied on heavily.
"We hope that it helps people to get around their community and make it that little bit easier to perhaps visit friends or family or enjoy the places and spaces in and around Middlesbrough."


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Project Management
Government Facilities Project
City of Los Angeles Emergency Operations Center
Construction Value:
Approx. $120 M
A state of the art facility to control emergency operations for various agencies within the City of Los Angeles including the Police Department, 911 Fire Department Dispatch, and Emergency Management Department. The facility includes full structural base isolation to allow for maximum possible vertical and horizontal earthquake movement, and full seismic isolation supports for major mechanical, electrical, plumbing, elevator, and telecom/data equipment. As an essential emergency facility, the project was built with blast resistant perimeter and was equipped with state of the art security and surveillance systems.
The facility housed the latest in telecom, dispatch, and audio visual equipment, and integrated such equipment with other essential systems. Emergency standby power was provided by two 1MW generators with underground fueling systems supply. A cornerstone of this project was redundancy of systems to provide backup in case of service shut down. The redundant systems included on site water and sewage storage tanks, a backup DWP power supply originating from a different grid, and communications backup supplied from a non-interlinked switch. Other components of this project include a 200 car post tensioned parking structure, and a 160 foot tall communications tower and associated power facilities.
PMCS Group's scope of work included change order negotiations, managing the RFI and submittal process, document control, coordination with governing agencies, and chairing weekly meetings with the various owners and stakeholders, the general contractor and its subcontractors, and the Architect and its A/Es. Our company was recognized by the client for efficiency in executing this project, and for resolving conflict between the multitude of stakeholders including its three main tenants that had differing agendas and ideas for the final product. Construction Value: Approx $120M.
Back to Government Facilities Projects
© Copyright 2015 PMCS Group


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Home / Beauty / Chanel J12 Watch 20 Years Commercial – Feat. Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Lily-Rose Depp & More
Chanel celebrates 20 years of its J12 watch with a special series of interviews. The J12 muses give an answer to a series of questions related to their 20 most wonderful years.
In one of the interviews the ladies – including Claudia Schiffer (face for Cristalle fragrance and Chanel watches), Lily-Rose Depp (face for No5 L'Eau and an ambassador for Chanel makeup) and her mother, Vanessa Paradis (the face for Coco fragrance), Naomi Campbell, Ali MacGraw (the face for No5), and Liu Wen – talk about how they would like to spend two decades. "It would be the most wonderful to spend 20 years with my loved ones, my family and friends," Lily Rose Depp said, mentioning that "it's a simple answer, but it's true". "The most wonderful 20 years with… would be with my family," Claudia Schiffer said. Naomi Campbell said "20 years with the great continent of Africa" and Ali MacGraw answered "20 years with a sane feeling on the planet among all of us," and Vanesa Paradis answered that "The best thing would be to stay 20 for 20 years".
The 30-second video ends with the J12 appearing on screen along with the tagline "It's all about seconds".
The J12, first released in 1999, quickly established itself as an undisputed pillar in the brand's watch collection. The 38mm watch is now entirely in ceramic, including the case back (which was previously in steel), has a sapphire crystal, and is slightly thicker, to accommodate Caliber 12.1. It also features slimmer numerals, an increase in the bezel notches from 30 to 40, and narrower crown.
Tags: Chanel 20 Years, Chanel J12 Watch
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Everything was there. It works. Nothing was missing or odd-sized for the parts kit.
CMMG has always made some good parts, and this isn't an exception. Grabagun has gotten some mixed reviews online so I was a little hesitant but hoping for the best. Parts came in quick, everything was there, and it was legit CMMG parts. There is also a QR code for easy assembly for turning the LPK and a stripped lower to a functioning lower minus the stock, buffer tube and castle nut parts. Good price, and great shipping, if I find myself building another AR, I'd definitely get i here again.
The price seemed a little high but at least it was in stock. The trigger was a little better without any work than other kits I put together.