Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.

New Ford Kuga arrives in the guise of 2012 / 2013 Ford Escape

The 2013 Ford Escape arrives - the 2012 Ford Kuga The reveal of the new Ford Escape ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show this week may not have the Kuga badge on its boot, but it is – bar a few tweaks and engine changes – just what we’ll see in Europe as the 2012 Ford Kuga. Based on the European-designed Ford Vertrek concept, the Ford Escape replaces the old-fashioned North American escape with a very European take on a compact SUV, but one that benefits from much more room to accommodate average Americans. The Ford Kuga / Escape is the next instalment in Ford’s plan to unify its models around the world.

Hyundai to guarantee trade-in values

Starting May 1, Hyundai Motor Co. will guarantee the future trade-in value of its new vehicles. When a consumer buys a new vehicle from a Hyundai dealership, the company will guarantee what the trade-in value of that vehicle will be after the second full year of ownership through the fourth year.