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Mixed sales results, but automaker stocks rise on need for cars in Houston

DETROIT — The Big Three Detroit automakers on Friday reported better-than-expected August sales and issued optimistic outlooks for demand as residents of the Houston area replace flood-damaged cars and trucks after Hurricane Harvey, sending their stocks higher. General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler posted mixed August U.S. sales, with GM up 7.5 percent and Ford and Fiat Chrysler down. Japanese automaker Toyota improved sales by nearly 7 percent, while Honda fell 2.4 percent. Still, analysts focused on the potential for Detroit automakers to cut inventories and stabilize used vehicle prices as residents of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, are forced to replace tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of vehicles after the devastation from Hurricane Harvey. Mark LaNeve, Ford's U.S. sales chief, told analysts on Friday that following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 "we saw a very dramatic snapback" in demand. That said, Ford sales fell 2.1 percent in August. It sold 209,897 vehicles in the United States, compared with 214,482 a year earlier. Sales were down 1.9 percent in the Ford division and off 5.8 percent at Lincoln. Demand was down for cars, crossovers and SUVs. It was not clear how many vehicles in the Houston area will be scrapped, LaNeve said, saying he had seen estimates ranging from 200,000 to 400,000 to 1 million. Ford's Houston dealers may have lost fewer than 5,000 vehicles in inventory, he said. Ford is the No. 1 automaker in the Houston market, with 18 percent share, according to IHS Markit. The company plans to ship used vehicles to Houston dealers and has "every indication we would have to add some production" of new vehicles to meet demand, LaNeve said. Investor concerns about inventories of unsold vehicles and falling used car prices have weighed on Detroit automakers' shares most of this year. Now, automakers can anticipate a jolt of demand from a big market that is a stronghold for Detroit brand trucks and SUVs. "It's got to be a positive for the industry," LaNeve said. Investors appeared to agree. GM shares rose as much as 3.3 percent to their highest since early March. Ford increased 2.8 percent at $11.34, and Fiat Chrysler's U.S.-traded shares were up 5.2 percent $15.91, hitting their highest in more than five years. GM reported a 7.5 percent increase in U.S. auto sales in August, helped by robust sales of crossovers across its four brands.

Mahindra fights FCA's Jeep infringement claims

The Indian manufacturer Mahindra is fighting tooth and nail to keep building its Roxor off-road vehicle to sell in the United States. In early August, Jeep mother company FCA filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission to stop Roxor sales in the U.S. FCA claims the Roxor design is an intellectual property infringement on Jeep design, meant to undercut FCA's own Jeep products on the market. Now Mahindra has released a statement to the commission saying that FCA's complaint is without merit. While FCA stated in its claim that the Roxor is "an imported low-quality knock-off kit car," Mahindra points out that the vehicle took several years to develop and is manufactured in Michigan. Mahindra intends the Roxor to be an off-road vehicle only, and says it does not compete with Jeeps. The Roxor isn't road legal, only comes with a diesel engine and reaches a top speed of only 45 mph. However, it has to be said that the uncomplicated Roxor is far closer to the original ethos of WWII-era Jeeps than the Jeeps FCA currently manufactures. Mahindra also states that FCA agreed in 2009 not to bring about infringement claims as long as Mahindra used a grille design that FCA approved — going with a grille design that clearly differs from the classic Jeep trademark grille. The matter might partially muddled by the fact that the grille agreement was made with 2009's Chrysler instead of today's FCA. Looking back several decades, the entire Mahindra Roxor appearance is at its core based on a 1940s license agreement made with Willys, the original Jeep manufacturer. Mahindra's statement addresses FCA as "Fiat," and it should not be forgotten that Fiat itself manufactured a Jeep lookalike, the Campagnola, from 1951 to 1973 — also with a different grille. Fiat Industrial subsidiary Iveco's history page says the 1951 Campagnola was constructed "according to the Willys mould". Mahindra claims that FCA is using the complaint to create negative publicity to damage Mahindra's reputation. The Indian manufacturer reminds us that it is the first automotive OEM to set up a new manufacturing operation in southeast Michigan in over 25 years — in Auburn Hills, not far from FCA's U.S. headquarters. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mahindra Roxor Image Credit: Mahindra Design/Style Government/Legal Fiat Jeep Automotive History SUV Diesel Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles FCA mahindra

Aptly-named Hooligans motorcycle gang charged with stealing 150 Jeep Wranglers

Nine members of the Tijuana, Mexico-based Hooligans motorcycle gang are facing federal charges, accused of stealing 150 Jeep Wranglers in San Diego County, then moving them across the border, where they were sold or stripped for parts. "The joy ride is over for these Hooligans," said Deputy U.S. Attorney Mark Conover. "For many of us, our cars are our most valuable possessions," he said. "These arrests have put the brakes on an organization that has victimized neighborhoods in a different way, by stealing something very personal, something that has required a lot of sacrifice to purchase." Conover said the gang also stole dozens of motorcycles. The indictment alleges that the gang used old-fashioned shoe leather, a high-tech device, and a specific Chrysler dealership to pull off the thefts. San Diego County faced a rash of Wrangler thefts in 2014. Conover says most of the Jeeps were stolen in the middle of the night, and most were equipped with alarms, yet no alarm ever went off. Police were perplexed about that until they caught a break. On Sept. 26, 2014, a Jeep was stolen out of a driveway in Rancho Bernardo, where a security camera showed the thieves' method. Based on what they saw in the surveillance footage, officers sent Chrysler a list of 20 Jeeps that had been stolen and asked whether anyone had requested duplicate keys - and sure enough, a duplicate had been issued for all 20 - and all from the same dealership, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The indictment alleges that the Hooligans would case a specific Jeep days ahead of stealing it, and would take down its vehicle identification number. Somehow they managed to obtain the secret key codes that would allow them to request a duplicate key for that particular Jeep. During the theft, the indictment says, the Hooligans would disable the alarms system, program the duplicate key using a handheld device, then simply drive away. The fact that Jeeps' engine bays can be easily accessed because of their external latches made the job even easier. (Authorities recommend Jeep owners purchase aftermarket locking latches.) Three of the gang members have been arrested. One was already in custody when two others were arrested this week, one of them at San Diego's massive San Ysidro border crossing. The six others facing charges are still at large and believed to be in Mexico. Seven are US citizens, while two are from Mexico. The collective value of the thefts is estimated at $4.5 million.