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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.

2013 Lincoln MKZ spotted beside its predecessor

We've seen the 2013 Lincoln MKZ on the road before sans camouflage, but it's the company that this particular MKZ is keeping that makes these photos notable. Snapped by Autoweek reader Jon McCrary in Traverse City, Mich., the pictures show the upcoming 2013 MKZ next to a current-generation MKZ. The contrast is striking.

Infiniti FX Black & White Edition for Europe – but not UK

A limited edition of the Infiniti FX – the FX Black and White Edition – is launched in Europe based on the FX S Premium. But not for the UK. Sales for the whole of 2012 amounted to just 582 cars (Lexus, in the same period, sold 8,404), up by an impressive 38 per cent, but from irrelevant to…still irrelevant.