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Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

Affordable, lightweight Honda roadster revival in the works?

There's a joke phrase from a popular movie that gets tossed around the Autoblog offices when ever a big change or announcement is coming: "Hold on to your butts." It's usually accompanied by a video of Samuel L. Jackson. That's the advice we'd recommend for reading this article. GTChannel is reporting that a new, small, lightweight, quick successor to the Honda S2000 is being "seriously considered."
Citing an unnamed source within the Japanese automaker, GTChannel goes on to list a few interesting tidbits about the new vehicle. From the sounds of it, though, if Honda is planning a new roadster, it's in the absolute earliest stages of development.
What's apparently being discussed is a car that's smaller than a Mazda MX-5, in terms of its dimensions. Under hood would be a VTEC engine, displacing anywhere from 1.3 to 1.5 liters, with GT Channel making the apt suggestion that the 1.5-liter, 132-horsepower mill from the Honda Fit could make its way into the new roadster. Curb weight would be in the realm of 2,000 pounds, which would make a 130-odd-hp engine seem absolutely heroic. Rear-wheel drive would be a given, although we aren't sure about the site's suggestion that a five-speed manual will be on offer. Styling could draw from the N-One, a popular, Honda-badged kei car.

Honda Civic Tourer... now with bikes!

Honda is rolling in to the Frankfurt Motor Show this year with a version of its Civic Tourer wagon. Called the Active Life concept, the modified Euro-market estate is outfitted specifically for cyclists. To that end, the Japanese automaker has equipped the show wagon with a rack capable of holding a pair of full-size bicycles – not on the roof, where you'd expect them to be, but inside the vehicle. With the rear seats folded down, and thanks in no small part to innovative fuel tank placement, the Civic wagon can swallow nearly 60 cubic feet – several more than the Ford Focus estate, for example, albeit less than the VW Golf Variant. The Honda Civic Tourer Active Life Concept is also equipped with a retractable arm for bicycle maintenance, a built-in air pump, a retractable bench, and toolbox, water tank, and front wheel holder integrated into the side of the trunk. There's a sleek box on the roof for accessories, too. And it's all capped by a special blue paint job with metallic gradation, silver roof, custom rear bumper, 18-inch alloys, and a customized interior with blue stitching, black headliner, and suede and leather trim. It'll be displayed alongside the Civic Tourer that recently set a world record for fuel efficiency. The bigger news, however, will be the presentation of the all-new Civic sedan. In short, there'll be plenty of Civic action to check out at the Frankfurt Messe this year, and we'll be on hand to catch it all. But in the meantime you can scope out this concept right here.Related Video: HONDA TO SHOWCASE THE CIVIC TOURER ACTIVE LIFE CONCEPT AT 2015 FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW - Civic Tourer Active Life Concept makes its debut - GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title-holding Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC on display on Honda stand Honda will reveal the Civic Tourer "Active Life Concept" at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, underlining the Tourer's class leading cargo space and versatility within the C-segment. The Concept study shows that style and space can work together; a custom paint colour further enhances the sleek and sporty exterior and an accessorised interior demonstrates the Concept's suitability for an active lifestyle and the needs of its customers. Utilising the unique centre fuel tank layout, the Civic Tourer Active Life Concept makes full use of its 1668 litres* trunk space and a low loading height.