Lickety-Split LInks (073009, Morning)

• France moves ahead with “controversial postal reform” — Meanwhile, our postal service, which should be privatized, is on track to lose a record-setting $7 billion, and wants to cut back service.
• Thanks to Alo at Brain Shavings for e-mailing links to American Thinker’s ongoing series, currently up to four parts, called “What to Ask Your Congressman About Obamacare.” They are: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4. There are apparently more parts to come; they will be linked Source: BizzyBlog RSS Feed

Meritage Homes Does Face Plant on Earnings

Trader Mark submits:

We cut almost all our Meritage Homes (MTH) a week ago Friday, in retrospect about 4 days too early (despite a 25% one week surge), so Tuesday's 11% drop does nothing to us, as we have a 0.1% stake. I don't want to rebuy here, because after the drop, it is still above the price we sold. These home builders are extremely volatile and sensitive to news, so the charts are not quite so useful either, but here is the current look.
Tuesday, Meritage had earnings andSource: Seeking Alpha RSS Feed

Volkswagen China sales out-do Germany

Reports yesterday show that Volkswagen Group is enjoying impressive sales in China. In fact, for the first time, Chinese sales of its cars outstripped those in its home market of Germany. Volkswagen sold 652,000 cars in China in the first half of this year, selling 631,900 in Germany for the same period.

Compared to the first half of 2008, the figures are a 22.7 percent increase in sales in China, and an 18.3 percent increase in Germany. TheSource: EuroCarBlog RSS Feed

Lamborghini launches LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni

The Gallardo rear wheel LP 550-2 made in honour of test driver Valentino Balboni is undergoing its launch in Europe. This pic comes from the event in Zurich to celebrate the car.

The vehicle is a special edition limited production of only 250 units, and will be the only Lamborghini rear wheel drive option. It can reach 100 km/hr in just 3.9 seconds. For a full gallery of the launch, see Autoblog, and for more information our LP 550-2 gallery and technical details.

Source: EuroCarBlog RSS Feed

Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study

Filed under: Trends, Marketing/Advertising, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Volkswagen

Click above for a gallery of the graphics from J.D. Power and Associates

Porsche grabs the top spot for the fifth year in a row in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study. For this year's study, the team at JDPA gathered information from more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year cars and questioned them on more than 90 vehicle attributes. Their studies examined "how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive," based on those evaluations.
While the APEAL nameplate ranking is significant (Porsche, Jaguar, and Cadillac round out the top-three), the segment winners offer more insight into what today's buyers are seeking. This year, it appears to be the newly launched models including the Volkswagen CC, Nissan Maxima, Dodge Challenger, and Ford Flex... each took top honors in their respective category. This year's biggest upset comes in the "Midsize Premium Car" segment as the all-new Hyundai Genesis (sedan) knocks the BMW 5 Series from the podium. Check out the gallery for the graphics, and read the full press release after the break.

Gallery: 2009 J.D. Power APEAL Results

[Source: JDPower.com]

Continue reading Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study

Hyundai trumps BMW and Jaguar in J.D. Power 2009 APEAL study originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source: Autoblog RSS Feed