Sonari Glinton

U.S. Automakers Are On A Roll, But Hiring Is Slow And Steady

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:21:00 +0000

There is one basic question that keeps being asked about the U.S. auto industry: Is it on the rebound?

"People ask a lot, is the auto industry back?" says Kristin Dziczek, a director at the Center for Automotive Research. "And it depends on what scale you want to look at."

So if we're looking at scales, let's start with productivity. In this case, how many work hours it takes to build a car. Productivity in U.S. plants is 39 percent higher than it was in 2000.

Garment Industry Monitors Work On Immigration Overhaul

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:43:00 +0000

In Los Angeles, the business of fashion is big. The apparel business employs as many as 45,000 workers in L.A. County, many of them immigrants.

Consequently, the garment industry is worried about the outcome of the immigration debate and watching closely to see what happens.

'You Don't Have Another Choice'

One of the heavyweights is American Apparel, which makes more than 40 million articles of clothing each year out of its factory near downtown L.A.

The clothing industry is notorious for employing illegal workers.

L.A. Blue Jeans Makers Fear Their Business Will Fade Away

Sonari Glinton — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:35:00 +0000

Los Angeles is the world leader in the most American of clothing items: bluejeans. High-end, hand-stitched, designer bluejeans that will you run well over $100 a pair.

But as the U.S.

More Jobs, But Wait: They May Not Pay Much

Sonari Glinton — Sat, 04 May 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. The economy added 165,000 jobs in April. That exceeded the expectations of economists. It also drove down the unemployment rate to a four-year low, 7.5 percent. Unfortunately, the biggest gains were in lower-paying fields like hospitality and temp agencies. And as the school year comes to a close and young people start looking, the question is will there be enough work for them. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Wall Street got pretty excited about the jobs numbers.

J.C. Penney Wins Legal Fight Over Martha Stewart

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:01:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Proof of Martha Stewart's ongoing commercial appeal has been on display in a New York courtroom. Yesterday, an appeals court decided that department store J.C. Penney can continue selling a new line of housewares designed by Stewart. But the ruling keeps Macy's from having the exclusive rights to the brand.

NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: There is one reason why both J.C.

Shoppers Should Avoid Sandy Damaged Vehicles

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:56:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

The Atlantic Coast of the U.S. took an economic hit six months ago from Hurricane Sandy.

House Panel Investigates Government Loan To Fisker Automotive

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:16:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Auto executives got a grilling on Capitol Hill yesterday. Not the usual suspects from Detroit's Big Three. Think much, much smaller. Executives from the hybrid carmaker Fisker testified about hundreds of millions of dollars in loans Fisker got from the government. Today, the company is on the verge of collapse.

NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Fisker, the car company, isn't dead yet. But Congress has already begun the autopsy.

REPRESENTATIVE JIM JORDAN: Today's hearing is about getting to the bottom of the U.S.

Google, Microsoft Look Past Desktop Computers To Increase Earnings

Sonari Glinton — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:42:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with the tale of two companies.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Google and Microsoft quarterly earnings reports are in and it appears their slugfest continues with Google's earnings up 23 percent and Microsoft up 18 percent. That is even as sales of desktop computers decline.

GREENE: As NPR's Sonari Glinton reports, the future for both companies is on the small screen.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Here's a reality.

Ford Claims Top Spot In Global Sales Race

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:42:00 +0000

The Focus is the best-selling "nameplate" worldwide, followed by the Toyota Corolla, new data shows. Ford's sales have jumped in recent years as it dropped unsuccessful models and adopted a single global manufacturing system.

Auto Industry Stalls In Japan

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 10:45:00 +0000

Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers are doing just fine in the U.S. Sales have rebounded, buoyed by a weaker yen and the usual lineup of reliable cars. In the home market of Japan, however, the car makers are struggling.

Electric Car Company Posts Its First Profit While Another May File For Bankruptcy

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 21:17:00 +0000

Two startup automakers with big ambitions for electric vehicles appear to be headed in different directions. Luxury plug-in hybrid maker Fisker has hired a law firm to advise it on a possible bankruptcy, according to multiple published reports. Electric car maker Tesla announced on Monday that it expects to turn its first ever profit in the first quarter.

State Gives Example Of New Federal Gas Standards

Sonari Glinton — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 10:11:00 +0000

The Environment Protection Agency has proposed new rules that will require cars to run on cleaner gas. The rules are intended to lower sulfur emission and reduce smog, and they'd go into effect in 2017. NPR's Sonari Glinton reports they're similar to standards in place in California.

Researchers Expect Oil Demand To Plateau By Decade's End

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 09:51:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with an appetite for oil.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

WERTHEIMER: Researchers say they see a plateau in the demand for oil. A new report says demand could level off by the end of this decade, and that's a lot sooner than expected, as NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: With such growth in markets like Brazil, Russia, India and China, you'd think the demand for oil would continue to skyrocket. Anthony Yuen says that's not the case.

Ford Unit Apologizes For Demeaning Ads

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And out next business story fits in the category of what were they thinking? Ford Motor Company is apologizing for ads sketched up by an agency in India - ads that have been decried as demeaning to women. They are cartoon drawings showing off how spacious a Ford trunk can be. One spoofs Italy's former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. He's at the wheel, and in the trunk, three women, tied up.

NPR's Sonari Glinton reports.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: The ads were never used commercially.

Examining Dual Trends In The Economy

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:42:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm Renee Montagne.

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And I'm David Greene.

The U.S. economy has been so good at sending mixed signals. We'll hear a couple of reasons for optimism. The housing and stock markets appear to be having parallel rebounds. The stock market is up. And after years of being a drag on the economy, construction and home prices are beginning to see a turnaround.

2 Former CalPERS Officials Inicted For Fraud

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:43:00 +0000

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with charges of pension fraud.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

MONTAGNE: A federal grand jury has indicted the former CEO of the California Public Employees' Retirement System.

NPR's Sonari Glinton has more on the bribery and influence-peddling case.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: Let's start with the characters. There's Calpers - or the California Public Employees Retirement Systems. As pensions systems, go you can't get bigger.

There's Fred Buenrosto. He's the former head of the pension system.

GM's Archive Offers Glimpse Of Its Past And Future

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:26:00 +0000

After more than 100 years of ups and downs, General Motors has a lot of history. Most of GM's history is in the form of cars — hundreds of actual individual cars. The company tries to keep at least two of each car in storage. NPR's Sonari Glinton went on a walk through GM's attic to find out about the company's past and future.

Jobs Report Produces More Relief Than Celebration

Sonari Glinton — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 12:10:00 +0000

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. When it comes to job creation, the U.S. economy has been in a rut. Now, in a moment, we'll hear from Americans who have been struggling to find work, but yesterday's jobs report suggests things might be changing a bit. Employers added far more jobs than expected, and the unemployment rate declined to its lowest point in more than four years.

Even so, the news produced more relief than celebration.

As Construction Picks Up, American Truck Makers Race

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Economists look at many tea leaves as they try to determine the health of the economy. One of the most important surrounds vehicle sales, and more specifically pickup truck sales, which are tied to the construction industry. And as last month's sales rose 18 percent, the auto industry is betting big on a real estate rebound.

It's arguable that the Ford F-150 is the most important vehicle to come out of Detroit since the Model-T.

Why Buying A Car Never Changes

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:18:00 +0000

"Buying a car sucks," Scott Painter says. "It's something that most consumers fear."

Back in the '90s, Painter started a company to try to change this. "The name of the company was Cars Direct," he says. "The mission was to sell cars directly."

Painter wanted his company to build virtual dealerships that would let people go online and buy cars. But after talking with a few car execs, he realized nobody would even consider his idea.

Painter was stopped by a web of state laws that make it very, very difficult to change the way cars are sold.

Beyond Portlandia: Subaru Drives For America's Heartland

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:33:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXMTtykHfE

From Chicago to D.C., Hometown Supporters Welcome Obama Back

Sonari Glinton — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:02:00 +0000

For President Obama's first inauguration, Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois organized a group of more than 700 people — on 10 buses — to make the journey from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

Last time, one of those buses broke down. This time, however, the group decided to take an 18-hour Amtrak ride to see the second presidential inauguration of their hometown hero.

Davis staffer Tumia Romero, who organized the trip, says she did not want to deal with the nightmare of a bus having issues again.

"Someone emailed me and said, 'Let's take a plane this time,'" Romero says.

Bump On The Road For Driverless Cars Isn't Technology, It's You

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:38:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDA28Nb4h1k

With Redesigned Corvette, GM Ushers In New Era Of American Muscle Car

Sonari Glinton — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 08:24:00 +0000

This week, the sleek, speedy Chevy Corvette turns 60 years old. In the increasingly competitive auto business, where few cars make it past their teens, that makes it nearly ancient.

General Motors, however, is not retiring one of America's oldest sports cars just yet, and is embarking on the perilous path of updating the beloved brand. The auto company unveiled the new 2014 Corvette at the Detroit Auto Show on Sunday, a model that also revives the long-dormant Stingray name.

The Corvette is iconic not just in the car industry but also in culture.

2012 Was A Very Good Year For The Car Industry

Sonari Glinton — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 10:07:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

NPR's business news starts with a roundup of auto sales.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

INSKEEP: We mentioned the other day that auto sales numbers for 2012 were looking like they were going to be very good. Now we have the numbers. For the auto industry, sales increased by 13 percent in 2012 and the major carmakers were profitable.

NPR's Sonari Glinton tells us why.

SONARI GLINTON, BYLINE: 2012 brought with it the third straight year of double digit growth for the auto industry.

Alec Gutierrez is an industry analyst with Kelley Blue Book.

Wind Power Changes Landscape In Multiple Ways

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:30:00 +0000

The "fiscal cliff" deal leaves in place tax subsidies for the wind power industry for at least one more year. Windmills have dramatically changed the picture of the Midwest. Wind has also changed the landscape economically and politically.

Car Deals To Be Found This Time Of Year

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:42:00 +0000

Dealers are looking to move inventory to make way for new models. Consumers have one other advantage: Americans are keeping their cars longer, and that means fewer total buyers with lots of new vehicles to choose from.

Toyota To Settle 'Sudden Acceleration' Lawsuits

Sonari Glinton — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:34:00 +0000

Owners of Toyota vehicles that experienced sudden and unintended acceleration have reached a settlement requiring the carmaker to pay as much as $1.4 billion in claims. A judge will review the proposal Friday.

Detroit Three Look To Revive Their Luxury Brands

Sonari Glinton — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 20:51:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1NCSrwa2Us

What Does A Gun Debate Mean For Retailers?

Sonari Glinton — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 10:42:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Companies that make firearms are facing some tough choices in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Yesterday, the private equity group Cerberus Capital Management said it is getting out of the gun business. And one of the largest outlets for firearms, Dick's Sporting Goods, says it is suspending sales of certain kinds of rifles.