Followup: GM officials take issue with Whitacre’s IPO share price estimates

Filed under: Government/Legal, GM

Ed Whitacre, GM CEO

It was only last week when Reuters reported that Ed Whitacre, Jr. told the media that General Motors IPO shares would “likely to be priced between $20 and $25 in the initial public offering by the automaker in November.” GM didn’t respond immediately, but now, like a judge giving instructions to the jury to disregard a courtroom outburst, The General is essentially saying “ignore everything you just heard.”

According to The Detroit News, a GM response filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission refutes everything, saying that the price hasn’t been set, the IPO might not happen in November, and the company doesn’t know if it “will be successful or whether it will work.” GM is in a self-imposed “quiet period” before its IPO “to comply with SEC regulations,” which Whitacre’s comments blew out of the water. According outside observers, “Any comments beyond what is included in GM’s regulatory filings could be construed as breaking SEC rules during the quiet period and could jeopardize the timing of the IPO.” Whoopsie.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Followup: GM officials take issue with Whitacre’s IPO share price estimates originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: GM officials take issue with Whitacre’s IPO share price estimates

Filed under: Government/Legal, GM

Ed Whitacre, GM CEO

It was only last week when Reuters reported that Ed Whitacre, Jr. told the media that General Motors IPO shares would “likely to be priced between $20 and $25 in the initial public offering by the automaker in November.” GM didn’t respond immediately, but now, like a judge giving instructions to the jury to disregard a courtroom outburst, The General is essentially saying “ignore everything you just heard.”

According to The Detroit News, a GM response filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission refutes everything, saying that the price hasn’t been set, the IPO might not happen in November, and the company doesn’t know if it “will be successful or whether it will work.” GM is in a self-imposed “quiet period” before its IPO “to comply with SEC regulations,” which Whitacre’s comments blew out of the water. According outside observers, “Any comments beyond what is included in GM’s regulatory filings could be construed as breaking SEC rules during the quiet period and could jeopardize the timing of the IPO.” Whoopsie.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Followup: GM officials take issue with Whitacre’s IPO share price estimates originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Did Uwe Gemballa die because of a money laundering scheme?

Uwe Gemballa disappeared in February, 2010. His body wasn’t discovered until early October with telltale signs of the foulest play, during which time his eponymous tuning shop had closed and reopened with a new director. Police in South Africa and Germany have the task of piecing together what happened and, if possible, bringing someone to trial.

A report in the South African Mail & Guardian suggests that Gemballa was executed because of a dispute with Radovan Krejcir, a billionaire and Czech national wanted in his home country to face charges including murder, counterfeiting, abduction and tax evasion. According to the report, Krejcir was allegedly bringing money into South Africa in Gemballa cars, but one car arrived without its cargo.

At least one former associate of Krejcir, who fears for his life due to unrelated dealings with the Czech, told police that Krejcir planned to get rid of Gemballa. The purported reason for his visit was to open a Gemballa branch in the country in partnership with Jerome Safi, who claims to have been backed by Krejcir and a strip club owner named Lolly Jackson. Jackson, coincidentally, was shot and killed in May of this year by a man said to be a former employee of Krejcir.

It’s a story more than strange enough to be completely true. For the moment, however, all the police know for certain now is that Gemballa met a man at OR Tambo airport near Johannesberg, after which he was never seen alive again.

[Source: Mail & Guardian]

Followup: Did Uwe Gemballa die because of a money laundering scheme? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Motorcyclist wins taping case against Maryland state police

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Motorcycle

Anthony Graber meets the Maryland State Police – Click above to watch video after the jump

Score one for the good guys. Not that we think police in general are bad guys or anything, but after watching this video of a Maryland state trooper jumping out of his unmarked car in plain clothes while brandishing a gun, we’re not exactly keen to put him in the good guy category, either.

In any case, Anthony Graber, a man who was out shooting video of his (not exactly completely legal) motorcycling exploits when he was confronted by the aforementioned officer, was charged with felony wiretapping for recording the state trooper’s actions when being pulled over.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Judge Emory A. Pitt Jr. has thrown out the wiretapping charge, leaving Graber only to answer for his traffic violations. Why? Common sense, it would seem, has prevailed. The judge ruled that police officers shouldn’t have an expectation of privacy when engaged in a traffic stop. He said, in part:

Those of us who are public officials and are entrusted with the power of the state are ultimately accountable to the public. When we exercise that power in public fora, we should not expect our actions to be shielded from public observation.

Reacquaint yourself with the completely legal video after the break. Hat tips to Jason and Tom!

[Sources: Baltimore Sun, Slashdot]

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Followup: Motorcyclist wins taping case against Maryland state police originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Chrysler fires 13 workers involved in drinking on the job, suspends two

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Chrysler, UAW/Unions

Chrysler workers enjoying their break

A group of Chrysler employees have been in the news lately, causing a bit of a black eye for the automaker. Originally, a Detroit Fox affiliate snagged video of the UAW members really enjoying their break – by smoking weed and drinking beer. Chrysler reacted to the news swiftly, by identifying and suspending 15 employees who were ID’d in the clip. Now, after taking time to investigate the entire incident, Chrysler has put the hammer down – 13 of the Jefferson North Plant employees have been fired and the other two get an unpaid, one-month “vacation.”

It’s a shame that this happened, but it’s good to see Chrysler respond so quickly. The automaker has issued a brief statement on the matter, which you can read after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Followup: Chrysler fires 13 workers involved in drinking on the job, suspends two

Followup: Chrysler fires 13 workers involved in drinking on the job, suspends two originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Chrysler workers caught drinking during lunch suspended without pay

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler

Chrysler Workers Drinking

Chrysler has announced that all 15 of the employees who were apparently caught drinking and smoking pot during their lunch break by a Fox 2 News Detroit crew have been suspended indefinitely without pay. The workers from the company’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant were spotted drinking heavily during their lunch breaks over a ten-day period. Chrysler says that all of the individuals had been identified and relieved of their duty within 36 hours of the company learning of the problem.

The company also says that while the video seems pretty cut-and-dry, it must adhere to its protocol when it comes to removing those workers permanently. Chrysler also stressed that each of its vehicles goes through an extensive quality control system and that it doesn’t condone the behavior documented in the news report in any way. Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant employs a total 2,500 workers.

To see Chrysler’s official response, click past the jump. To read more about the story, head over to Fox 2 Detroit’s website.

[Sources: Chrysler, Fox 2 Detroit]

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Followup: Chrysler workers caught drinking during lunch suspended without pay originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Toyota and Severinsky settle hybrid patent dispute ahead of ITC hearing; Ford also settles

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Technology, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius – Click above for high-res image gallery

Following on the heels of our earlier report about yesterday’s scheduled hearing between Toyota and Alex Severinsky at the International Trade Commission came word that the parties have settled. Neither side has released any details about the agreement – and they probably won’t. Toyota had previously been found guilty of infringing upon Severinsky’s patent, which centers around getting power to a vehicle’s wheels with a gasoline-electric vehicle using both high- and low current.

In all likelihood, Toyota agreed to pay royalties to PAICE (Severinsky’s company) for all of the hybrids it has sold and will sell in the United States until the patent expires in 2012. This means that the threat of a ban on imports of Toyota hybrids has been lifted – at least until the next case.

In related news, Ford has also settled with PAICE over hybrid patent issues. The details are confidential, but there’s a bit more information after the jump.

[Sources: Bloomberg, PAICE]

Continue reading Followup: Toyota and Severinsky settle hybrid patent dispute ahead of ITC hearing; Ford also settles

Followup: Toyota and Severinsky settle hybrid patent dispute ahead of ITC hearing; Ford also settles originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: Toyota ‘strongly objects’ to NHTSA allegations it planted story in WSJ

Filed under: Etc., Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Toyota has officially spoken out against allegations that it planted a story in The Wall Street Journal that attributed the majority of the company’s unintended acceleration woes to driver error rather than entrapped floor mats or faulty software. The Japanese company’s American arm emailed a statement to Just-Auto saying that no one within Toyota has any access to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s research, and that no one in the government agency had reported any findings to the automaker.

As you may recall, The Wall Street Journal article cited “people familiar with” the NHTSA’s research on the Toyota unintended acceleration problem. It wasn’t long before fingers began pointing back at Toyota for supposedly planting the story with the WSJ. Just-Auto originally cited a spokesperson with the NHTSA who said that the information that the publication used came from Toyota.

In its defense, Toyota has said that any reports that claim that the company planted a news story are absolutely false. In its independent research, Toyota has found a number of causes of unintended acceleration, one of which happens to be “pedal misapplication.” For those of us that don’t speak corporate, that would be driver error. Whether that means that someone at the The Wall Street Journal managed to get their sources crossed or whether the NHTSA is simply trying to cover its bases after leaking otherwise confidential information remains to be seen.

[Source: Just-Auto | Image: Paul Ellis/AFP/Getty]

Followup: Toyota ‘strongly objects’ to NHTSA allegations it planted story in WSJ originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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