A Very Sick BYD + Saab v Volvo + Prison Auto-Restoration

choi

(1) Patti Waldmeir and John Reed, Shifting Horizons Trouble BYD's Dreams; CARS; News analysis; Car maker's electric vehicle plans have been scaled back. Financial Times, Oct 27, 2011 (title in print; online title: BYD a Victim of Its Own Grand Predictions).
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cddc16 ... 1-00144feab49a.html

(a) Excerpt in the window of the print: "There are a lot of things that need to be done to fix BYD, but I don't think it's terminal.

(b) Quote:

"over the past year, many of its dreams have become fantasy.

"It has repeatedly said exports of its electric cars to the US were on the horizons, but has repeatedly moved that horizon.

"After rapidly expanding its dealer network to cover some of China’s smallest cities, BYD reversed course. According to the Chinese media, it now plans to fire as many as two-thirds of its 2,600-strong salesforce.

"Many are now questioning whether the dream si over for BYD--and with it, for China's electric car industry.

(c) Note:
(i) EV in this report stands for "electric vehicle."
(ii) hurdle (vt):
"1: to leap over especially while running (as in a sporting competition)
2: OVERCOME, SURMOUNT"
www.m-w.com
(iii) GUO Guangchang/ Fosun  郭广昌/ 复星 国际
www.fosun.com/


(2) David Jolly, Just Miles Apart in Sweden, the Divergent Fortunes of Saab and Volvo. New York Times, Oct 25, 2011.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/2 ... sq=volvo&st=cse

(a) Quote:
(i) Two consecutive paragraphs:

"That the outlook for the Swedish carmakers could be so different is partly testimony to diverging histories under former American owners — General Motors for Saab, Ford Motor for Volvo. It also reflects their ensuing fortunes: Volvo found a deep-pocketed rescuer and Saab did not.

"The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the largest private carmaker in China, paid Ford $1.8 billion last year for Volvo. Saab ended up in the hands of an underfinanced Dutch entrepreneur, Victor R. Muller, the owner of a tiny maker of sports cars called Spyker.

(ii) Stefan Jacoby, Volvo’s new chief executive appointed by Geely from Volvo rank, "predicts Volvo will post an operating profit this year.

(b) Note:
(i) For the description of a "door adjuster," see a compnay of that name: The Door Adjuster. It is really about doors.
http://www.thedooradjuster.com/aboutus.html
(ii)
(A) Saab Automobile
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab_Automobile
(originally a division of Saab; acquired by General Motors in 1990 which sold it to Dutch in 2010)
(B) Saab
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saab
("Svenska Aeroplan AB" (AB is short for aktiebolag) (Swedish for "Swedish Aeroplane Company Limited") (SAAB) was founded in 1937; The style "Saab" replaced "SAAB" around 1950)
(ciii) Volvo Cars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_Cars
(founded in 1927; owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group; The trademark Volvo is latin for "I roll")


(3) Joel Millman, These inmates Have License to Tool Around With Vintage Cars; A Nevada prison revs up a niche; Old Chevys 'built with conviction.' Wall Street Journal, Oct 27, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB ... 53670533388508.html

Quote:

"They [vintage cars] come in rough and battered, and inmates restore them to their original glory. It may be penal system's most unusual workshop.

"medium-security inmates [reports to work] at the prison's auto shop every weekday.

"40 of 50 states still produce license plates behind bars

"In the US, prison industries--correctional facilities with for-profit ventures that sell goods and srvices to the public--will have sales of over $2.2 billion this year, according to the National Correctional Industries Association, a Baltimore-based trade group. Silver State's auto-restoration shop here in Indian Springs brought in $130,000 of the facility's $6 million in fiscal 2010 revenue.

"For inmates who have to pay them [money for victims of their own crimes], 5% of their wages--which top out at $5.15 an hour, accordng to Mr Fuller [an inmate worker]--are garnished for deposit into Nevada's victim-compensation fund.

Note:
(a) The "tool" in "tool around" is an intransitive verb that means "DRIVE, RIDE."
(c) The slogan "built with conviction" is a pun implying conviction of a crime.
(c) drawknife
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawknife
(d) The "bit" in a 12-year bit" is a noun defined as "a brief period : WHILE <wait a bit longer>"
(e) running board
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_board
(f) This report does not mention China at all.