Auto-moto

Thankfully, it has stopped raining here which meant I could get some fresh air today and curtail web viewing activity of varying quality (see previous post). I still found time to watch IHS Global Insights' Nariman Behravesh release his firm's 'Top-10 Economic Predictions for 2010'. It has a rather downbeat feel. It looks like emerging markets will continue to do better, economically than the West. But at least interest rates stay low, and he also believes commodity prices will be soft. Overall, plenty of constraints to economic growth globally, with some risks still there on the downside. The challenging business environment for the auto industry continues.

Got me thinking though about a management briefing I am working on concerning the automotive industry outlook for next year. I'd be very interested to invite your thoughts - general or specific - on the auto industry in 2010. What do you think the 2010 US light vehicle market will do? Winners and losers? Growth markets? China? South Africa? Vietnam? Russia? AvtoVAZ? Hot new products? Safety systems? DSG/DCT? Biofuels? If you want to bowl in a view or throw in a thought that can be shared, perhaps this blog can work as a place to get a thread going (hit 'comment on this blog', bottom right of the box)...

Oh, and, whatever it eventually brings, Happy New Year!

Terrible weather here. Cold and dark with constant heavy rain. Hard to summon up the enthusiasm to go out and get some fresh air. I've been sucked into doing a little work on the Saab story. There is still some hope over there in Trollhattan. Good luck to them. If a deal of some sort can be done to save Saab, it certainly won't be plain sailing to keep it viable, but there are some good ideas around.

It is still holiday time here. We're officially off work and we're in that limbo period between Chistmas and New Year. What to do? See friends and family. Check. A little PS3 with the offspring? Check, but I don't really do that COD (that's Call of Duty - a military shoot 'em up game) sort of stuff.

There have at least been some welcome online distractions today. Here's a very small selection of YouTube clips that have lightened my mood. What a marvellous thing YouTube is. I'll try and get on to something more cerebral shortly - I do have a pile of chunky books to read. On second thoughts, maybe I'll crack open another can of Guinness and just see where I go with the surfing thing for a little while longer...