During President Obama’s visit to Dublin, the Presidential Limo, AKA ‘The Beast’, attempted to exit the steep driveway of the American Embassy resulting in the Limo bottoming-out and becoming stuck. The videos below show all of the action happening, which is a bit embarrassing. Looks like those BMW 7 Series had no issues clearing the incline but they only weigh a fraction of what The Beast weighs.

Maybe it is time to upgrade those bad boys with some adjustable air suspension.

[source: egmCarTech]

Today is my “what to do in case of Automotive Industry emergency” news day. All of the major news networks are steadily reporting today updates of the Obama administration’s plans for the automotive industry. It seems they already want federally regulate everything else so why not do it with the Automotive industry. I mean, heck, they already gave Rick Wagoner, GM’s CEO, the boot and now they will guarantee the federal government paying for any warranty repairs on a General Motors or Chrysler vehicle if either company can’t because of financial problems or a bankruptcy filing. That’s actually good news now that I think about it because all my neighbor has to say about his Chevy Tahoe other than it is gas guzzler is that GM may not be able to fulfill their 100,000 mile warranty if they go under.

This has been the topic of discussion for thousands who happen to drive a GM or Chrysler vehicle currently. Many of these cars are still under warranty considering the 100,000 mile warranty offered in the past couple of years by both GM and Chrysler.

“Given where the industry is, these highly unprecedented actions are consistent with the unprecedented times we’re in,” Standard & Poor’s analyst Robert Schulz told Reuters today.

Let’s face it, bankruptcy is a very feasible option for Chrysler and GM and many are finally realizing this. We all knew it may come to this. I guess for now it is good that the government and/or Obama administration is on our side… or are they?

General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner will step down from his position immediately as recently reported by various news associations. This comes about maybe as a slight surprise on the eve of President Barack Obama’s expected announcement of a deadline for Chrysler and General Motors to finalize their terms for restructuring or deciding on a Chapter 11 bankruptcy package.

As the economy shows no apparent signs of improvement except for the recent stock market rallies the auto industry continues to suffer and look for some type of outlet. The outlet for Rick Wagoner was specifically requested by the Obama administration.

Rick Wagoner spent 32 years with GM and in part over-seeing the operations of General Motors all through its better days and recent slump.

Below after the jump is the official message from Rick Wagoner and GM’s board restructuring announcement.

[source: Associated Press]

GM Message from Rick Wagoner

On Friday I was in Washington for a meeting with Administration officials. In the course of that meeting, they requested that I “step aside” as CEO of GM, and so I have.

Fritz Henderson is an excellent choice to be the next CEO of GM. Having worked closely with Fritz for many years, I know that he is the ideal person to lead the company through the completion of our restructuring efforts. His knowledge of the global industry and the company are exceptional, and he has the intellect, energy, and support among GM’ers worldwide to succeed. I wish him well, and I stand ready to support him, and interim Non-Executive Chairman Kent Kresa, in every way possible.

I also want to extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who supported GM and me during my time as CEO. I deeply appreciate the excellent counsel and commitment of the GM Board and the strong support of our many partners including our terrific dealers, suppliers, and community leaders. I am grateful as well to the union leaders with whom I have had the chance to work closely to implement numerous tough but necessary restructuring agreements.

Most important of all I want to express my deepest appreciation to the extraordinary team of GM employees around the world. You have been a tremendous source of inspiration and pride to me, and I will be forever grateful for the courage and commitment you have shown as we have confronted the unprecedented challenges of the past few years. GM is a great company with a storied history. Ignore the doubters because I know it is also a company with a great future.

GM Statement on Officer and Board Announcements

GM is announcing the following changes in the corporate officers and the board of directors:

• Rick Wagoner is stepping down as chairman and CEO, effective immediately. Wagoner, 56, was named president and CEO in 2000, and assumed the role of chairman in 2003.
• Fritz Henderson, GM president and chief operating officer, will serve as CEO. Henderson, 50, was named to his current position in 2008. He was previously vice chairman and chief financial officer.
• Kent Kresa, chairman emeritus, Northrop Grumman Corporation, has been named interim non-executive chairman of the board of directors. Kresa became a GM director in 2003
• GM is awaiting further announcements by the President and the Task Force on Automotive Reconstruction, and we will have additional comments at that time.

GM Board of Directors statement, attributable to Kent Kresa, Chairman

“The Board has recognized for some time that the Company’s restructuring will likely cause a significant change in the stockholders of the Company and create the need for new directors with additional skills and experience. The Board intends to work to nominate a slate of directors for the next annual meeting that will include a majority of new directors taking into account the addition of new directors, retirement, and decisions by individual directors not to stand for re-election, although the specific individuals who will be nominated or choose not to run or leave the board are not yet known.”

One of the highlights of the delivery that President Obama gave to the joint session of congress was a vow not to walk away from the automotive industry. The tone seemed directed at the American infrastructure of the automotive industry which directly includes the suffering Big 3.

The points that were brought out by autonews and others in the automotive industry were the positive inspirational parts of the speech saying, “We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.” Then later a specific address was directed towards the automotive industry having an obvious effect on the economy where the President said, “As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.”

The speech will be critiqued among the media and other officials and a new wow factor may be brought out by those in the automotive industry where the President said, “We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.”

With those words it gives the automotive industry a positive and supported hope, one that the President spoke of during his campaign and now lives it out as President of the United States. Others may remain skeptical of his economic remedies but a good portion of America, especially in the automotive world, woke up today with a new inspiration to rebuild, retool and bring this country back to where it needs to be.

[sources: autonews, whitehouse.gov]

In our economic downturn you start to see several actions taken by President Obama and that includes the Emissions/fuel economy standards that are placed on automakers. Should it be left to the state to decide and draw the line for their own emissions standards?

Earlier it seemed President Obama would be giving states the right to set their own emissions/fuel economy standards. This has sparked a massive discussion. Today President Obama reaffirmed that he is putting in place the California emissions Clean Air act to tighten the air quality standards related to the emissions that cars produce. Regardless of what California does, it was said by President Obama that by the year 2020 all vehicles produced will meet or exceed 35 miles per gallon for cars and 22 mpg for trucks. He went on to say that this will equal a savings of about 2 million barrels of oil a day which is the amount that the USA imports from the Persian Gulf.

I guess that talk about Change was not a lie. He is really CHANGING stuff for the better right?
Do you think this will be devastating to the already struggling Automotive Industry?

The extensive details on the plan can be read at cnn.com’s money site.

The new “Beast”, what the secret service calls it, is the latest and greatest creation to hit the road made by GM – Cadillac to transport the 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack Obama. If you tuned into one of your local stations or streamed the inauguration on Tuesday then you know that this new Limousine is not your ordinary vehicle. From some of our photos below you can come to the conclusion from the 5 to 6 inch thick doors, extra thick tires and mammoth size/height of this “Beast” that it is basically a Cadillac-Tank on 4 wheels.

Rumors will tell us that the new Presidential Limo has it’s own ventilation system that seals itself from the outside air and has the most technologically advanced communication system found in a street car in the USA. Looking at the size of this vehicle next to a secrete serviceman or a Chevy Tahoe will tell you a little about massive size of this vehicle. The ride height also suggest that this is a very capable vehicle in the need that it has to go off-road to “get out of the line of fire” God forbid. Still, we all have to speculate what this vehicle is really all about or what is found inside of it. One of the images catches a glimpse of some type of LCD screen mounted low, maybe that is the infamous RED phone.