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Crunch watch October 09: the auto industry in crisis

Tuesday 20 October 2009• Honda's CEO said he would consider launching electric vehicles for sale in Europe, Japan and the USA in a possible change of strategy for the Japanese car manufacturer (Automotive News, subscription required)• Ford 59-plate car sales up by 22% in September ‘09 compared to the same month last year. Ford claims a 14.8% share of total new car sales for the same period (Ford)• Porsche, VW and Daimler all sent top executives to the Shanghai motor show in April, but chose to snub the Tokyo motor show this week. The news comes as China’s automotive market is set to become the world’s largest (Bloomberg)• Toyota enters the Korean car market, challenging the 72% market share owned by Hyundai Motor Co (Bloomberg)  Monday 19 October 2009 • The organisers of the Geneva motor show claim that 'all of the major manufacturers have already confirmed their participation' for the March 2010 event (Geneva Palexpo)• Jaguar is auctioning off the first XJ off the line to raise £1m for the NSPCC children's charity.

Robert Kidder, former Duracell chief, to head new Chrysler as chairman

Business consultant Robert Kidder is set to become the new chairman of Chrysler Group when it emerges from bankruptcy. Kidder, 64, will replace Bob Nardelli, who was hired in 2007 after Daimler sold Chrysler to private equity group Cerberus. A new board of directors, to be formed after bankruptcy, will hire a new CEO for Chrysler.

Carmakers brace for stricter CAFE rules in 2016

Corporate Average Fuel Economy is a dicey subject for carmakers of all sizes. New federal requirements set to take effect for the 2016 model year require a fleet average of 35.5 mpg. As the deadline nears, the question looms: Who is in good shape, and who is far from it?