News Archive
Saudi Stocks Surge after King's Comments PDF Print E-mail
The Saudi stock market has soared 9.51 percent after the king described the economy as stable in the face of the global market meltdown.

The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) closed Saturday at 4,845.1 points. The rise was led by the banking and petrochemical sectors.

Last week, the TASI suffered a sharp drop, reaching a five-year low of 4,200 points, mainly because investors were alarmed by the sharp declines in crude oil prices.

Saturday's rise came after a widely publicized interview with Saudi King Abdullah in which he described the Saudi economy as being "in great shape." The king also said the national budget has not been affected by the world financial crisis.

saudi king
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Saudi Stocks Surge after King's Comments PDF Print E-mail
The Saudi stock market has soared 9.51 percent after the king described the economy as stable in the face of the global market meltdown.

The Tadawul All-Share Index (TASI) closed Saturday at 4,845.1 points. The rise was led by the banking and petrochemical sectors.

Last week, the TASI suffered a sharp drop, reaching a five-year low of 4,200 points, mainly because investors were alarmed by the sharp declines in crude oil prices.

Saturday's rise came after a widely publicized interview with Saudi King Abdullah in which he described the Saudi economy as being "in great shape." The king also said the national budget has not been affected by the world financial crisis.

saudi king
Read More
 
Black Friday to Revive Economy? PDF Print E-mail
The holiday shopping season got off to a surprisingly solid start, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades.

Sales during the day after Thanksgiving rose 3 percent to $10.6 billion, according to preliminary figures released Saturday by ShopperTrak RCT Corp., a Chicago-based research firm that tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets. Last year, shoppers spent about $10.3 billion on the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed Black Friday because it was historically the sales-packed day when retailers would become profitable for the year.

But this year, many observers were expecting consumers to spend more time browsing than buying, amid contractions in consumer spending and growing fears about economic uncertainty and trouble in the global financial markets.

"Under these circumstances, it's truly amazing when you think about all the news that led into the holiday season, it certainly appears that consumers are willing to spend more than most expected," said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin. "Everybody wants value for their dollar, so we saw a tremendous response to the discounts."

While it isn't a predictor of overall holiday season sales, Black Friday is an important barometer of people's willingness to spend during the holidays. Last year, it was the biggest sales generator of the season while the Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales.

Still, experts, who predict this year's overall holiday shopping period will be the weakest in decades thanks to an overall contraction in spending, caution that this year's sales growth may be hard to sustain.

Also complicating matters is a shorter buying season -- 27 days between Black Friday and Christmas -- instead of 32 last year.

Across the country, sales in the South were up 3.4 percent from last year while they climbed 2.6 percent in the Northeast as shoppers began scouring store aisles at midnight hoping to snag the best selection on early morning specials, some as much as 70 percent off. Elsewhere, sales rose 3 percent in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in the West.

Patty Saal, 60, of Mogadore, Ohio, began her Black Friday shopping at 5 a.m. when she and her daughters went to a Sam's Club to purchase iPods.

"We're doing fine," she said.

Fifth-grade teacher Daphna Stepen, 42, spent Black Friday hunting for deals inside Macy's and at the Limited Too clothing store and headed out again Saturday. The Chicago resident said she was surprised by the discounts as well as how many coupons she'd received from stores, which helped her save even more money on already marked-down items.

"You can get almost 40 percent off stuff if you work the coupons," she said.

Separately on Saturday, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said business was strong in its sites across the country as customers responded to sales. Some of the department store's best sellers were smaller electronic gadgets and practical gifts, such as sweaters, boots, coats and luggage.

But the chain said it wouldn't provide specific sales figures.

"In light of the challenging and volatile economic climate, and shifts in this year's retail calendar, we don't believe that reporting sales data for any one day (or weekend), including Black Friday, would provide a meaningful barometer of our business," the Plano, Texas company said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
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Black Friday to Revive Economy? PDF Print E-mail
The holiday shopping season got off to a surprisingly solid start, according to data released Saturday by a research firm. But the sales boost during the post-Thanksgiving shopathon came at the expense of profits as the nation's retailers had to slash prices to attract the crowds in a season that is expected to be the weakest in decades.

Sales during the day after Thanksgiving rose 3 percent to $10.6 billion, according to preliminary figures released Saturday by ShopperTrak RCT Corp., a Chicago-based research firm that tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets. Last year, shoppers spent about $10.3 billion on the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed Black Friday because it was historically the sales-packed day when retailers would become profitable for the year.

But this year, many observers were expecting consumers to spend more time browsing than buying, amid contractions in consumer spending and growing fears about economic uncertainty and trouble in the global financial markets.

"Under these circumstances, it's truly amazing when you think about all the news that led into the holiday season, it certainly appears that consumers are willing to spend more than most expected," said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin. "Everybody wants value for their dollar, so we saw a tremendous response to the discounts."

While it isn't a predictor of overall holiday season sales, Black Friday is an important barometer of people's willingness to spend during the holidays. Last year, it was the biggest sales generator of the season while the Thanksgiving shopping weekend of Friday through Sunday accounted for about 10 percent of overall holiday sales.

Still, experts, who predict this year's overall holiday shopping period will be the weakest in decades thanks to an overall contraction in spending, caution that this year's sales growth may be hard to sustain.

Also complicating matters is a shorter buying season -- 27 days between Black Friday and Christmas -- instead of 32 last year.

Across the country, sales in the South were up 3.4 percent from last year while they climbed 2.6 percent in the Northeast as shoppers began scouring store aisles at midnight hoping to snag the best selection on early morning specials, some as much as 70 percent off. Elsewhere, sales rose 3 percent in the Midwest and 2.7 percent in the West.

Patty Saal, 60, of Mogadore, Ohio, began her Black Friday shopping at 5 a.m. when she and her daughters went to a Sam's Club to purchase iPods.

"We're doing fine," she said.

Fifth-grade teacher Daphna Stepen, 42, spent Black Friday hunting for deals inside Macy's and at the Limited Too clothing store and headed out again Saturday. The Chicago resident said she was surprised by the discounts as well as how many coupons she'd received from stores, which helped her save even more money on already marked-down items.

"You can get almost 40 percent off stuff if you work the coupons," she said.

Separately on Saturday, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. said business was strong in its sites across the country as customers responded to sales. Some of the department store's best sellers were smaller electronic gadgets and practical gifts, such as sweaters, boots, coats and luggage.

But the chain said it wouldn't provide specific sales figures.

"In light of the challenging and volatile economic climate, and shifts in this year's retail calendar, we don't believe that reporting sales data for any one day (or weekend), including Black Friday, would provide a meaningful barometer of our business," the Plano, Texas company said in a statement released Saturday afternoon.
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Pilgrim Expects $800 Million Loss for Q4 PDF Print E-mail
Embattled chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride Inc. expects to post a loss of more than $800 million in its fiscal fourth quarter and plans to continue talks with its lenders to restructure its debt.

The company said Friday in a regulatory filing it was delaying filing its annual report for fiscal 2008 with the Securities and Exchange Commission due to ongoing talks with its lenders regarding temporary waivers and "related financial uncertainties."

The Pittsburg, Texas-based company had said Wednesday it reached an agreement with lenders to extend its credit lines until Monday. Pilgrim's Pride has already extended its temporary credit line twice since September when it first said it wouldn't meet obligations for current loans. It has a $25.7 million interest payment due next week.

In the filing, Pilgrim's Pride put its loss for the quarter ended Sept. 27 at $802 million, or $10.83 per share, on sales of $2.17 billion.

The loss includes a charge of $501.4 million, or $6.77 per share, primarily related to the impairment of goodwill at Gold Kist Inc., which Pilgrim's Pride acquired for $1.3 billion in early 2007. Additionally, the company is posting an income tax valuation allowance of $35 million, or 47 cents per share, against its net operating losses.

Excluding these items, the company would have lost $265.6 million, or $3.59 per share.

That compared with a year-earlier profit of $33.2 million, or 50 cents per share, on sales of $2.11 billion.

The company also said it expects to post fourth-quarter losses on feed ingredient derivative contracts of about $96.9 million, or $1.31 per share.

Pilgrim's Pride, like other food producers, has been hamstrung by soaring costs for animal feed -- made with expensive corn and soybeans -- and an oversupply of chicken that has lowered retail prices, making it impossible for producers to offset the higher costs.

On average, analyst surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast a quarterly loss of $2.06 per share on revenue of $2.05 billion. The estimates typically exclude nonrecurring items.

Looking ahead, Pilgrim's Pride anticipates recognizing losses on feed ingredient derivative contracts for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 of $13.4 million, or 18 cents per share, for feed ingredient derivative contracts that remained open at Sept. 27.

The contracts were closed last month.
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Pilgrim Expects $800 Million Loss for Q4 PDF Print E-mail
Embattled chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride Inc. expects to post a loss of more than $800 million in its fiscal fourth quarter and plans to continue talks with its lenders to restructure its debt.

The company said Friday in a regulatory filing it was delaying filing its annual report for fiscal 2008 with the Securities and Exchange Commission due to ongoing talks with its lenders regarding temporary waivers and "related financial uncertainties."

The Pittsburg, Texas-based company had said Wednesday it reached an agreement with lenders to extend its credit lines until Monday. Pilgrim's Pride has already extended its temporary credit line twice since September when it first said it wouldn't meet obligations for current loans. It has a $25.7 million interest payment due next week.

In the filing, Pilgrim's Pride put its loss for the quarter ended Sept. 27 at $802 million, or $10.83 per share, on sales of $2.17 billion.

The loss includes a charge of $501.4 million, or $6.77 per share, primarily related to the impairment of goodwill at Gold Kist Inc., which Pilgrim's Pride acquired for $1.3 billion in early 2007. Additionally, the company is posting an income tax valuation allowance of $35 million, or 47 cents per share, against its net operating losses.

Excluding these items, the company would have lost $265.6 million, or $3.59 per share.

That compared with a year-earlier profit of $33.2 million, or 50 cents per share, on sales of $2.11 billion.

The company also said it expects to post fourth-quarter losses on feed ingredient derivative contracts of about $96.9 million, or $1.31 per share.

Pilgrim's Pride, like other food producers, has been hamstrung by soaring costs for animal feed -- made with expensive corn and soybeans -- and an oversupply of chicken that has lowered retail prices, making it impossible for producers to offset the higher costs.

On average, analyst surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast a quarterly loss of $2.06 per share on revenue of $2.05 billion. The estimates typically exclude nonrecurring items.

Looking ahead, Pilgrim's Pride anticipates recognizing losses on feed ingredient derivative contracts for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 of $13.4 million, or 18 cents per share, for feed ingredient derivative contracts that remained open at Sept. 27.

The contracts were closed last month.
Read More
 
GM to Cut Brand Diversification Plans PDF Print E-mail
The Detroit Free Press reported today that General Motors, in its attempt to put forth a workable restructuring plan to keep it from going bankrupt, is at least looking at killing off three brands—Pontiac, Saab and Hummer.

Everyone knows that GM is over-branded. The problem has long been that the company does not want to have to pay dealers to fold the brands it does not need as it did with Oldsmobile in 2001. State franchise laws prevent a car company from simply ending a brand. Closing down Oldsmobile cost the company around $2 billion.

It’s unclear how GM could avoid paying big money to shutter the three brands.

Hummer has been on the selling block for months. The automaker has circulated a document to prospective buyers, which have ranged from Russian business moguls to Turkish private equity groups.

Saab is not thought to have any hot buyers. According to past conversations with GM execs, Saab Cars has never turned an annual profit for GM. It has, at times, made money in Europe. But those gains have always been off-set by losses in the U.S.

Saab is one of two Swedish car companies with limited interest from both consumers and investors. Ford, too, tried to sell Volvo earlier this year, and found no takers willing to pay Ford’s asking price.

Both Saab and Volvo have a problem of not being quite luxury. Both premium brands have long had followings of people who place safety above all other vehicle characteristics. Saab has also attracted some performance-oriented buyers as the company has long offered turbo chargers in some of its models.

Volvo is on track to sell about 82,000 vehicles this year. Sales through October were down 28%. Saab is on track to sell about 20,000 vehicles this year. Sales were down 32% through October.

Earlier this year, GM CEO Rick Wagoner said GM did not have too many brands.

Pontiac has been starved of hot new products for two decades. The current lineup consists of the Vibe (a twin of the Toyota Matrix and engineered by Toyota, built at the joint-venture NUMMI plant in Calif.), the G6/G5, Pontiac Torrent (twin of the Chevy Equinox) and the G8 sedan. The G8 has been well received by auto journalists since its debut last year, but the large sedan category is so soft and sleepy that few have noticed. The Pontiac Solstice roadster convertible, while also well received by journalists, is such a niche product that it can’t hold up the whole brand.

Pontiac sales are on track to sell around 280K to 290K vehicles this year. Sales through October were down 21%. A hefty percentage of Pontiac sales, though, are fleet sales to rental agencies.

At the core of GM’s problems is that it does not have, and has not had, enough resources to feed eight brands with unique products, and then the resources to feed each brand with unique and competitive brand campaigns. Every industry analyst and consultant has told GM management that for 20 years. It is one of the reasons that Pontiac, Buick and Saturn in particular have had a revolving door of brand campaigns—each new brand chief groping in the dark for a new big idea that will kick-start bigger interest in these product portfolios.

The contrast with Toyota and Honda is astonishing. Toyota manages a 14.9% market share (throughOctober) with just its one brand. Yes, it has added Scion and Lexus. But the Toyota brand is amazingly efficient by putting so many efficiently produced vehicles under its flagship brand. Ditto Honda, whish has a 9.8% share.

Hummer, Pontiac and Saab together only manage a 2.5% share of the U.S. market, and I’m willing to bet at least .5 of that is rental fleet.

Nah….GM doesn’t have too many brands.

A few years ago, ad agency Deutsch, which currently handles advertising for the Saturn brand, cooked up a brand positioning for Pontiac that focused on the gritty side of Detroit, and surrounded the brand with music reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen. The strategy was centered on performance, street rods and American car culture. But the decision was made that while the positioning was attractive, GM couldn’t fund a product program that would live up to the ads.

GM has been merging dealerships into a single network of GMC/Buick/Pontiac stores wherever it can. That way, each dealer can manage a single showroom of products that has depth and breadth of sports cars, sedans, SUVs and trucks. But that strategy also depends on supporting three different, attractive brand strategies.

If GM can execute this plan, that would leave it with Chevy, Cadillac, Saturn, Buick and GMC. One of the arguments for keeping Buick is how well it sells in China. The Chinese are mad for the Buick brand. I’m not entirely sure, though, that GM would lose sales in China if it killed the brand in the U.S. Sure, some brands are global. But I’m thinking Buick would do just fine in China without U.S. sales.

Now, we are down to Chevy, Cadillac, Saturn and GMC. GMC sells well, and GM execs have long said there is now reason to kill it. There are a flock of consumers who go for the “Professional Grade” nonsense. GMC is, after, all just a slightly stepped of version of Chevy trucks and SUVs.

There is much argument for killing Saturn, too, leaving GM to concentrate in the U.S. on Chevy and Cadillac as the company. Indeed, without the GMC/Buick/Pontiac sales channel, I don’t know how you would support GMC as a brand, unless you engineered a rapid consolidation of retail distribution perhaps selling GMC through Chevy or Cadillac dealerships.

But, as I said earlier, the big barrier is the state franchise laws, which give dealers a lot of legal firepower to get paid off if GM moves to shutter these brands. It seems like a reach that it would just close Hummer anyway as it still sees a market to sell the brand. GMC/Pontiac/Buick dealers would surely miss the sales volume from Pontiac. But is a GMC/Buick network really worth keeping long term?

As GM faces its near-death experience, asking Congress for survival money, it has to make some moves that tell analysts and legislators that is doing the things to fix its operations that everybody in the room knows it has to do.
Read More
 
GM to Cut Brand Diversification Plans PDF Print E-mail
The Detroit Free Press reported today that General Motors, in its attempt to put forth a workable restructuring plan to keep it from going bankrupt, is at least looking at killing off three brands—Pontiac, Saab and Hummer.

Everyone knows that GM is over-branded. The problem has long been that the company does not want to have to pay dealers to fold the brands it does not need as it did with Oldsmobile in 2001. State franchise laws prevent a car company from simply ending a brand. Closing down Oldsmobile cost the company around $2 billion.

It’s unclear how GM could avoid paying big money to shutter the three brands.

Hummer has been on the selling block for months. The automaker has circulated a document to prospective buyers, which have ranged from Russian business moguls to Turkish private equity groups.

Saab is not thought to have any hot buyers. According to past conversations with GM execs, Saab Cars has never turned an annual profit for GM. It has, at times, made money in Europe. But those gains have always been off-set by losses in the U.S.

Saab is one of two Swedish car companies with limited interest from both consumers and investors. Ford, too, tried to sell Volvo earlier this year, and found no takers willing to pay Ford’s asking price.

Both Saab and Volvo have a problem of not being quite luxury. Both premium brands have long had followings of people who place safety above all other vehicle characteristics. Saab has also attracted some performance-oriented buyers as the company has long offered turbo chargers in some of its models.

Volvo is on track to sell about 82,000 vehicles this year. Sales through October were down 28%. Saab is on track to sell about 20,000 vehicles this year. Sales were down 32% through October.

Earlier this year, GM CEO Rick Wagoner said GM did not have too many brands.

Pontiac has been starved of hot new products for two decades. The current lineup consists of the Vibe (a twin of the Toyota Matrix and engineered by Toyota, built at the joint-venture NUMMI plant in Calif.), the G6/G5, Pontiac Torrent (twin of the Chevy Equinox) and the G8 sedan. The G8 has been well received by auto journalists since its debut last year, but the large sedan category is so soft and sleepy that few have noticed. The Pontiac Solstice roadster convertible, while also well received by journalists, is such a niche product that it can’t hold up the whole brand.

Pontiac sales are on track to sell around 280K to 290K vehicles this year. Sales through October were down 21%. A hefty percentage of Pontiac sales, though, are fleet sales to rental agencies.

At the core of GM’s problems is that it does not have, and has not had, enough resources to feed eight brands with unique products, and then the resources to feed each brand with unique and competitive brand campaigns. Every industry analyst and consultant has told GM management that for 20 years. It is one of the reasons that Pontiac, Buick and Saturn in particular have had a revolving door of brand campaigns—each new brand chief groping in the dark for a new big idea that will kick-start bigger interest in these product portfolios.

The contrast with Toyota and Honda is astonishing. Toyota manages a 14.9% market share (throughOctober) with just its one brand. Yes, it has added Scion and Lexus. But the Toyota brand is amazingly efficient by putting so many efficiently produced vehicles under its flagship brand. Ditto Honda, whish has a 9.8% share.

Hummer, Pontiac and Saab together only manage a 2.5% share of the U.S. market, and I’m willing to bet at least .5 of that is rental fleet.

Nah….GM doesn’t have too many brands.

A few years ago, ad agency Deutsch, which currently handles advertising for the Saturn brand, cooked up a brand positioning for Pontiac that focused on the gritty side of Detroit, and surrounded the brand with music reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen. The strategy was centered on performance, street rods and American car culture. But the decision was made that while the positioning was attractive, GM couldn’t fund a product program that would live up to the ads.

GM has been merging dealerships into a single network of GMC/Buick/Pontiac stores wherever it can. That way, each dealer can manage a single showroom of products that has depth and breadth of sports cars, sedans, SUVs and trucks. But that strategy also depends on supporting three different, attractive brand strategies.

If GM can execute this plan, that would leave it with Chevy, Cadillac, Saturn, Buick and GMC. One of the arguments for keeping Buick is how well it sells in China. The Chinese are mad for the Buick brand. I’m not entirely sure, though, that GM would lose sales in China if it killed the brand in the U.S. Sure, some brands are global. But I’m thinking Buick would do just fine in China without U.S. sales.

Now, we are down to Chevy, Cadillac, Saturn and GMC. GMC sells well, and GM execs have long said there is now reason to kill it. There are a flock of consumers who go for the “Professional Grade” nonsense. GMC is, after, all just a slightly stepped of version of Chevy trucks and SUVs.

There is much argument for killing Saturn, too, leaving GM to concentrate in the U.S. on Chevy and Cadillac as the company. Indeed, without the GMC/Buick/Pontiac sales channel, I don’t know how you would support GMC as a brand, unless you engineered a rapid consolidation of retail distribution perhaps selling GMC through Chevy or Cadillac dealerships.

But, as I said earlier, the big barrier is the state franchise laws, which give dealers a lot of legal firepower to get paid off if GM moves to shutter these brands. It seems like a reach that it would just close Hummer anyway as it still sees a market to sell the brand. GMC/Pontiac/Buick dealers would surely miss the sales volume from Pontiac. But is a GMC/Buick network really worth keeping long term?

As GM faces its near-death experience, asking Congress for survival money, it has to make some moves that tell analysts and legislators that is doing the things to fix its operations that everybody in the room knows it has to do.
Read More
 
Auto Industry Taking a Huge Hit PDF Print E-mail
Automakers could hardly have it worse. Slumping economies and credit-strapped buyers have ushered in the stormiest era for the industry since the 1970s. U.S. auto sales in October were the worst per capita since World War II, throwing the future of General Motors (GM) and Chrysler in doubt. Carmakers are trying to move away from gasoline power and anticipate shifts in demand. Here are some of the offerings that will join Toyota's (TM) Prius in American dealerships over the next two years.

CHEVROLET VOLT
General Motors is going all in with its new Volt, an advanced plug-in hybrid that can operate without using any gas on short trips.
Year: 2010
Cost: $30,000-$40,000 est.
Fuel Economy: 50-100 mpg est.
The bet: The Volt will leapfrog Japanese technology.
The risk: The vehicle's price has crept into luxury territory. GM's iffy prospects don't help.
The innovation: A 40-mile electric-only range means some commuters will never burn any gas.

HONDA INSIGHT
Honda is rebooting the Insight brand name. Honda's smaller 1999 Insight hybrid was quickly overshadowed and far outsold by the Toyota Prius.
Year: 2009
Cost: Less than $20,000
Fuel Economy: 40-45 mpg est.
The bet: A roomier, more powerful Insight will have more appeal.
The risk: Without advanced features, the Insight could get lost in the flurry of new green cars.
The innovation: Honda drove down manufacturing costs to make this hybrid the least expensive on the market.

JEEP EV
Chrysler unexpectedly revealed a trio of electric vehicles early this fall, vowing to bring at least one to market by 2010. This Jeep EV uses technology similar to the Volt.
Year: 2010
Cost: N/A
Fuel Economy: 50 mpg est.
The bet: Drivers will flock to vehicles similar to gas versions but with advanced hybrid technology.
The risk: Chrysler might not have the cash to weather the current downturn and fund development.
The innovation: Electric motors built into each wheel could allow the vehicle to venture off-road like other Jeeps.

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI
Europe has been hesitant to embrace hybrid technology, favoring diesel-sipping engines instead. VW now plans to promote its TDI clean-diesel technology in the U.S.
Year: 2008
Cost: Base price,$21,990
Fuel Economy: 30-41 mpg
The bet: Consumers will be swayed by the reliable, German-made diesel engines.
The risk: Diesel fuel costs more than gasoline and isn't as widely available.
The innovation: Highly efficient, turbo-charged engines turn out peppier performance than most hybrids.
Read More
 
Auto Industry Taking a Huge Hit PDF Print E-mail
Automakers could hardly have it worse. Slumping economies and credit-strapped buyers have ushered in the stormiest era for the industry since the 1970s. U.S. auto sales in October were the worst per capita since World War II, throwing the future of General Motors (GM) and Chrysler in doubt. Carmakers are trying to move away from gasoline power and anticipate shifts in demand. Here are some of the offerings that will join Toyota's (TM) Prius in American dealerships over the next two years.

CHEVROLET VOLT
General Motors is going all in with its new Volt, an advanced plug-in hybrid that can operate without using any gas on short trips.
Year: 2010
Cost: $30,000-$40,000 est.
Fuel Economy: 50-100 mpg est.
The bet: The Volt will leapfrog Japanese technology.
The risk: The vehicle's price has crept into luxury territory. GM's iffy prospects don't help.
The innovation: A 40-mile electric-only range means some commuters will never burn any gas.

HONDA INSIGHT
Honda is rebooting the Insight brand name. Honda's smaller 1999 Insight hybrid was quickly overshadowed and far outsold by the Toyota Prius.
Year: 2009
Cost: Less than $20,000
Fuel Economy: 40-45 mpg est.
The bet: A roomier, more powerful Insight will have more appeal.
The risk: Without advanced features, the Insight could get lost in the flurry of new green cars.
The innovation: Honda drove down manufacturing costs to make this hybrid the least expensive on the market.

JEEP EV
Chrysler unexpectedly revealed a trio of electric vehicles early this fall, vowing to bring at least one to market by 2010. This Jeep EV uses technology similar to the Volt.
Year: 2010
Cost: N/A
Fuel Economy: 50 mpg est.
The bet: Drivers will flock to vehicles similar to gas versions but with advanced hybrid technology.
The risk: Chrysler might not have the cash to weather the current downturn and fund development.
The innovation: Electric motors built into each wheel could allow the vehicle to venture off-road like other Jeeps.

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TDI
Europe has been hesitant to embrace hybrid technology, favoring diesel-sipping engines instead. VW now plans to promote its TDI clean-diesel technology in the U.S.
Year: 2008
Cost: Base price,$21,990
Fuel Economy: 30-41 mpg
The bet: Consumers will be swayed by the reliable, German-made diesel engines.
The risk: Diesel fuel costs more than gasoline and isn't as widely available.
The innovation: Highly efficient, turbo-charged engines turn out peppier performance than most hybrids.
Read More
 
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