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Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

Drivers living in their vans

BRITAIN'S van drivers have admitted to turning their vans into mobile bedrooms as they spend more time in their vans than at home. In a survey of the country’s van drivers, 11% admitted to using their van as a bedroom for convenience. A further 31% said they used their van as an office, while half of all van drivers take their tea break in their work vehicle.

Found on eBay: 1974 Datsun 620 series pickup

It's not only domestic trucks that seem to be getting the attention of collectors. This week, there's a rather sharp-looking 1974 Datsun 620 pickup on eBay that has received quite a few bids. Even though this Datsun is for sale out of Texas, the seller claims that it spent most of its life in Flagstaff, Ariz.