Tagged: car

I think it’s no secret that reporters get unsolicited gifts in the mail or at posh press events from time to time.

That’s especially true for reporters on the auto beat. 

A bunch of auto beat reporters a couple years ago (not me) got I-Pads in the mail.   I’m pretty sure they were returned due to their various employers’ ethics policies.   No one has owned up to keeping one!

Not all the gifts are that obvious in their attempt to curry favor.

And some are flat-out hilarious.

This is a gift I got courtesy of Febreze as part of an advertising gimmick for their new car deodorizing “vent clips.” 

I gather you attach the clips to your heating vent and it provides an entire 30 days of fragrance-filled breathing delight in your car.

The average cost of gas in Michigan is $3.86. That’s nearly $1.00 more than it was this time last year.

Nancy Cain is a spokesperson for Triple-A Michigan. She says generally prices don’t go up this much so early into spring, "but this is our 8th weekly increase, and we’re seeing prices just going up."

Cain says the price at the pump follows the crude oil price, which she says is "topping $111-$112 a barrel. So that’s up to a 2.5-year high."

The Lansing area has the lowest average at around $3.76.

Perhaps another sign that the 'Great Recession' is thawing. Lending to people with a so-so credit score is on the uptick - at least in the car market.

The Associated Press reports "the percentage of loans going to subprime buyers rose 8% in the third quarter, their first year-over-year increase since 2007, according to a report issued Tuesday by Experian, a credit reporting agency."

Banks and auto financing companies are feeling comfortable lending money to these kinds of consumers again because savings rates are up and because the consumers themselves are more cautious. From the article:

Today executives at General Motors announced they plan to add 1,000 jobs in Michigan.

Now, Chrysler executives have announced they also plan to add 1,000 jobs.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

About 60% of the hires will be employed directly by Chrysler, while 40% will work through various contract agencies, said Lisa Wicker, Chrysler's recruiting chief. Most will be employed at the company's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich, she said.