kscarbel2

So brilliantly designed, the small size (dis-proportionally small) cab is virtually hidden in the overall scope of things. Recall, the amazing and much loved Zenon C.R. Hansen joined Diamond T in 1953 as vice president of sales, at the request of Diamond T founder and President C.A. Tilt. Mr. Hansen was quickly promoted to executive vice president in 1954 and president in 1956. "All of us at Diamond T felt that we had the finest trucks in the industry," Zenon said. In his first year as president of Diamond T, sales shot up 20 percent while profits skyrocketed 800 percent.

Ford Trucks Spain / May 13, 2020 Although it feels as though its been years, it was just a few weeks ago that Spanish haulier Trans-Sev was encouraged by our dealer Grupo Castejón to try the Ford F-MAX and was delighted by its performance and fuel economy. We're happy you liked it so much! .

CAS62 (sleeper version) cabs with the optional rear window are rare.

My opinion of Vice President Pence just fell to zero.

Quad Cities / May 11, 2020 The same day his press secretary tested positive for COVID-19, Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Iowa without a mask, and a video shows the CEOs he met with at a public roundtable were asked to remove theirs. The video below clearly shows Ron Cameron of Mountaire Farms, Ken Sullivan of Smithfield Foods, Rodney McMullen of Kroger, Noel White of Tyson Foods and Zippy Duvall, the president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, being asked to remove their masks before Pence and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds arrive — maskless — at the roundtable hosted at HyVee headquarters in West Des Moines. All five complied. .

Though I may sometimes fall short of the mark, I do aim to please.

https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/15604-mack-military-truck/

As always, your Kubota somehow gets into the picture to steal the limelight. Never fails. It probably has its own BMT membership too.

The part number for a B-81 radiator cap is 16MF24P2. The part number for the rubber gasket (not included with the cap) is 104AX63.

He influenced the Beatles and Rolling Stones, who I did/do listen to.

Freight Waves / May 8, 2020 Board keeps Troy Clarke in the driver’s seat as coronavirus pandemic plays out Navistar International Corp. CEO Troy Clarke will lead the company until at least July 1 as the coronavirus pandemic delays action on a $2.9 billion buyout offer by Volkswagen AG’s trucking subsidiary TRATON Group. Clarke’s contract was extended on April 11 beyond its scheduled expiration on April 22, according to a Navistar filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). It is the third time his contract has been pushed out following extensions in 2018 and 2019. The global health crisis is spurring truck manufacturers to conserve cash as they try to figure out how deeply they will be impacted by the inability to build new trucks and generate revenue. Navistar plans to restart production at its Springfield, Ohio, plant on Monday. Operations at its plant in Escobedo, Mexico, have been running day to day based on parts availability. Navistar, which makes International-branded heavy- and medium-duty trucks and buses, has cut capital spending by 30%, deferred 10% to 30% of pay for salaried employees depending on job level, and deferred $162 million in pension contributions to save $300 million. The company also borrowed $600 million in a private placement of senior debt. Likewise, TRATON, which purchased 16.6% of Navistar for $256 million in September 2016, “is reconsidering investment priorities and research and development projects,” Christian Schulz, TRATON chief financial officer, said earlier this week. TRATON did not specifically mention its Jan. 30 offer of $35 a share in cash for the 83% of Navistar it did not already own. Traders bid up Navistar shares as high as $38.27 in mid-February before the coronavirus hammered the shares, which fell to a low of $14.68 on March 23. Shares had recovered to $24.39 in NYSE trading on Friday, close to the $23.89 where they traded on the day of TRATON’s unsolicited offer. Publicly, Navistar has said only that it is reviewing the proposal. TRATON is the holding company for the MAN and Scania brands and Brazilian truck and bus maker Caminhões e Ônibus. With most of its sales in Europe and South America, TRATON eyes Navistar and its dealer network as a way to compete with global truck makers Daimler AG and Volvo AB, both of which are well established in the United States. In 2019 Navistar opened the door for Traton with a limited opportunity for the sale of Scania off-highway mining equipment in Canada. Navistar and TRATON also collaborate on engines and purchasing. Traton has significant input into a new plant Navistar is planning in San Antonio. Clarke’s $1,050,000 annual salary remains the same during his contract extension. As part of Navistar’s cost cutting, 35% of his salary beginning April 20 was deferred and will be repaid in a lump sum with 6% interest no later than March 15, 2021. His 2020 fiscal year bonus target is $5.5 million. Clarke, 64, has agreed to remain Navistar’s non-executive chairman for two years after his CEO term ends July 1.

CNN / May 9, 2020 Little Richard, the screaming, preening, scene-stealing wild man of early rock 'n' roll with hits like "Tutti Frutti" and "Long Tall Sally," died Saturday at 87, Dick Alen, his former agent says. Alen said Little Richard died in Nashville with his brother and son by his side, and the cause of death is related to bone cancer. He called the star "one of the legends, the originators" and said Little Richard had "been ill for a good while." The pioneer would have stood out in any era. But in the 1950s, when Little Richard came to prominence, he was like no other: a flamboyant, makeup-wearing, piano-playing black man who personified the "devil's music" to establishment guardians. Elvis Presley was one thing, but for all his pelvic thrusts and slicked-back, juvenile-delinquent hair, he was at heart a polite Southern boy who loved his daddy. Little Richard, though ... well, he may have come from a big Southern family himself, but he represented something else. "Richard opened the door. He brought the races together," said arranger H.B. Barnum in Charles White's 1984 biography "The Life and Times of Little Richard." "When I first went on the road, there were many segregated audiences. With Richard, although they still had the audiences segregated in the building, they were there TOGETHER. And most times before the end of the night, they would all be mixed together." Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, no onstage slouch, was an admirer as well. "There's no single phrase to describe his hold on the audience. I couldn't believe the power of Little Richard on stage. He was amazing," Jagger said, according to White's book. Little Richard knew his power. "They saw me as something like a deliverer, a way out," he once said. "My means of expression, my music, was a way in which a lot of people wished they could express themselves and couldn't." He also made no bones about his status. LIttle Richard bristled when he was overlooked in favor of other early rock figures, telling SFGate.com in 2003, "I created rock 'n' roll! I'm the innovator! I'm the emancipator! I'm the architect! I am the originator! I'm the one that started it!" He had made those boasts 15 years earlier, going off script while giving out the best new artist award at the 1988 Grammys. Five years later the Grammys finally recognized him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. It's hard to argue with Little Richard's stance. "Rock 'n' roll" was originally a euphemism for sex, and in his energy, his falsetto "woohs!" and pounding piano, Little Richard personified the life force. A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom, OK? His songs were about many things -- ripping it up, ready teddies, girls who couldn't help it -- but above all, they were about "rocking and rolling" in its original, unexpurgated form. "Long Tall Sally, she's built for speed / She got everything that Uncle John need," he belted in "Long Tall Sally," a song rife with such obvious innuendo there was barely a need to read between the lines. "Good golly, Miss Molly / Sure like to ball," went "Good Golly, Miss Molly," leaving even less to the imagination. "Spinnin', spinnin', spinnin', spinnin' like a spinnin' top / Crazy little partner, you ought to see us reel and rock," he sang in "Jenny, Jenny." The songs -- thanks to Little Richard's raucous performances -- created fearsome visions of teenage abandon in the minds of parents and censors. "With Little Richard, the rock 'n' roll audience got the aggressive extrovert to enact their wilder fantasies, and his stage performances set precedents for anyone who followed him," Charlie Gillett wrote in his classic, "The Sound of the City." Sometimes that wildness kept Little Richard one step removed from the mainstream: "Tutti Frutti," his breakthrough hit, was originally supposed to feature such lines as "Tutti Frutti, good booty," but producer Bumps Blackwell suggested changes. Even the refined version didn't make it on many pop radio stations, which looked past Little Richard's R&B hit in favor of pop singer Pat Boone's more tepid rendition. But other times, even the bluenoses had to throw up their hands at the sheer audacity of it all. In 1956, an NBC censor let "Long Tall Sally" pass because he couldn't understand the words and therefore couldn't judge their propriety, according to Brian Ward's rhythm-and-blues history, "Just My Soul Responding." The kids, of course, loved it. Many grew up to be rock 'n' rollers themselves, and they never forgot the man who helped plant the seed. "Thank you all very much, especially the rock 'n' rollers," George Harrison said at The Beatles' induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He pointed to Little Richard in the audience. "And Little Richard there -- it was all his fault, really." Richard Wayne Penniman was born on December 5, 1932, in Macon, Georgia. The third of 12 children, he clashed with his moonshine-selling father and was ordered out of the family home as a teenager. A white family named Johnson took him in, and Penniman -- who had honed his musical ability in church -- started performing in their club. Depending on the story, he was called "Little Richard" either as a childhood nickname or because he was underage. Either way, the name stuck. A link with an Atlanta DJ led to a signing by RCA, but Little Richard's recordings -- in a Louis Jordan jump-blues style -- failed to catch fire. For a time, Little Richard was a dishwasher at a Greyhound bus station. He kept playing music, however, and in 1955 sent a demo recording to Specialty Records. Specialty's founder, Art Rupe, liked what he heard and asked Little Richard to go to New Orleans to record with members of Fats Domino's backing band. Producer Blackwell recalled him in a memoir as "this cat in a loud shirt, with hair waved up six inches above his head." During a break in what had been a lackluster session, Little Richard let loose with "Tutti Frutti." The rest -- with a polish from Blackwell -- is, as they say, history: "Tutti Frutti" hit No. 2 on the R&B charts and the Top 20 on Billboard's pop charts, selling a million copies. Little Richard was off and running. More hits followed: "Long Tall Sally," "Slippin' and Slidin'," "Rip It Up," "Lucille," "Keep a-Knockin' " -- 17 songs through 1958, including three R&B No. 1s. His live shows were electrifying, and even Hollywood noticed, with director Frank Tashlin featuring him in 1956's Jayne Mansfield vehicle "The Girl Can't Help It." Tashlin, for one, knew exactly how to exploit Little Richard's energy, accompanying a sashaying Mansfield with Little Richard's "Girl Can't Help It" song. As she walks and Little Richard wails on the soundtrack, an iceman's cargo melts, a milkman's bottle erupts, and a lobby voyeur's glasses crack. But he wasn't as wild as his fainting-couch critics claimed. As Dave Marsh observed in "The Heart of Rock & Soul," Little Richard's records "featured an intensely swinging rhythm band and the music was anything but an amateurish hash, no matter what critics committed to the noble savage theory believe." In 1957, however, Little Richard lost faith in rock 'n' roll -- and gained it on a different plane. The plane, in this case, was not just heavenly; it was also the form of transportation he took after a tour of Australia. Believing the engines to be on fire, Little Richard struck a deal with God: If the plane landed safely, he would abandon the devil's music. It did, and he upheld his agreement, enrolling in an Alabama college and becoming a Seventh-day Adventist minister. A 1965 album title says it all: It was called "King of Gospel Songs." In the interim, though, Little Richard had become a hero to a new generation of rock 'n' rollers. The Beatles' Paul McCartney was a huge fan; the band covered "Long Tall Sally" and "Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey," and the Lennon/McCartney song "I'm Down" was an obvious homage. The group also toured with Little Richard when he came back to rock 'n' roll in the early '60s. Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty and Bob Seger were also deeply influenced by the singer, often reflected in their singing styles. Jimi Hendrix served as his guitarist for a time. Recognizing new fans to be converted, Little Richard resumed touring and recording in the '60s and '70s. He added "actor" to his resume with his performance in the 1985 film "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" as well as a variety of TV guest appearances. But he didn't leave preaching behind. He used his pulpit to attack drug use -- he'd been an admitted addict, telling British GQ, "I had powder on me all the time, and I wasn't putting it on my face"-- and sometimes (once again) he would condemn rock 'n' roll. He was a man of angels and fire. "When I had all these orgies going on," he said (yes, there were orgies, too), "I would get up and go and pick up my Bible. Sometimes I had my Bible right by me." Aside from music, Little Richard's most noted ambivalence was in his attitude toward his sexuality. In the early days, he covered by "exaggerating his freakishness," writes Jim Miller in the rock history "Flowers in the Dustbin." He later called homosexuality "unnatural." He told Charles White he was "omnisexual." A decade later, he told Penthouse magazine he always knew he was gay. "I've been gay all my life and I know God is a God of love, not of hate," he told the magazine in 1995. "How can I (put) down the fisherman when I've been fishing all my life?" There were honors, of course. He was among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His hometown of Macon named a street after him. He received a passel of honorary degrees, including one from Macon's Mercer University. He even kept on ministering, conducting a wedding ceremony for 20 couples in Vinton, Louisiana, in 2006. Little Richard was married to Ernestine Campbell from 1959 to 1961. He is survived by an adopted son, Danny Jones. To the end, he was always outrageous. He used makeup liberally, dressed colorfully, could be obstinate and vain, giving and shy. Being Little Richard must have been exhausting and joyful. There was only one. A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-wop-bam-boom! . . .

KrAZ Trucks Press Release / March 19, 2020 Azneftemash JSC (Azerbaijan) is a long-term partner of KrAZ Trucks, which uses KrAZ vehicles as a carrier for heavy hoisting drilling units. This company is a manufacturer of various oil and gas equipment, hoisting units, special equipment and tools for the oil and gas industry. The KrAZ model 7140H6 vehicle chassis with 8x6 wheel arrangement is intended for industrial and special equipment to be installed on it and operation on all kinds of roads and off-road. The chassis is equipped with a 375 horsepower Euro-5 diesel engine; 9-speed gearbox, two-range transfer case; single-disc clutch and ABS. An integral type power steering gear and the conventional three-seat cab. The KrAZ 7140H6 has the increased load carrying capacity (more than 30 tons), which became the decisive factor in the oilmen’ choice to get it as a base chassis for the UP-100/125 drilling rig, intended for gas and oil wells servicing. The test of the first supplied batch of KrAZ 7140H6 vehicle chassis was successful and showed positive results. Therefore, it was decided by Azneftemash to continue cooperation and order another batch of the unique eight-wheeled KrAZ vehicles. KrAZ trucks are valued by Azerbaijani partners for their high carrying capacity, reliable design, easy servicing and maintainability. .

FCA files to trademark Dakota Greg Layson, Automotive News / May 7, 2020 FCA US appears to be moving forward with plans to introduce a new mid-size pickup truck to complement the Jeep Gladiator. And there is an early, familiar contender for the name of the truck. The company on April 29 filed a trademark application for the name "Dakota," related to "parts for vehicles, namely, automotive exterior decorative trim," according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office posting. Ram dropped the mid-size Dakota pickup in 2011 after a 25-year run. For years, the Dakota was a mainstay of the Dodge lineup. General Motors and Ford have resurrected mid-size trucks in recent years, in part to offer consumers a lower-priced alternative to full-size pickups, which are among the industry's most profitable light vehicles. U.S. sales of mid-size pickups rose 22 percent to nearly 640,000 in 2019. First-quarter demand slipped 0.9 percent. FCA CEO Mike Manley said a year ago that Ram product planners and engineers are "focused on solving a metric ton midsize truck solution for us because it's a big part of the portfolio and growth we want to achieve." At that time, it sounded as if the decision was coming down to how best to execute a platform for a mid-size Ram pickup. "Being able to find a cost-effective platform in a region where we can build it with low cost and it still being applicable in the market is what they're struggling with at the moment," Manley said. "I want that problem solved, frankly, because it's a clear hole in our portfolio. It will not be filled by Gladiator because Gladiator is a very, very different mission. Trust me, they're focused on it. We need to get it fixed soon." Suppliers told Automotive News last year that the mid-size Ram pickup would be built in Toledo, Ohio, at the same plant where the all-new Gladiator is produced. A release timeline is still uncertain. Automotive News previously forecasted the vehicle would be “new in 2022” while Motor Trend, in a story this week, said a new Dakota could arrive as early as the 2021 model year. FCA, citing the coronavirus outbreak, has been forced to delay the introduction of several key models, such as a redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee and an all-new Jeep Grand Wagoneer. In Canada, the Dakota trademark application prompted Unifor is begin lobbying FCA to build the truck in Windsor, Ontario, where the company builds mini-vans. In an early-morning Facebook post Thursday, Unifor Local 444, which represents about 5,000 workers at FCA’s mini-van plant, called on the automaker to build a mid-size pickup at the factory. “To be clear, Ram has *not officially announced its intention to launch a new Dakota just yet. However, while FCA *may have applied for a Dakota trademark to protect itself from others using the name, it does signal that the company may actually use the name in the coming years,” Unifor Local 444 posted on its Facebook page Thursday at about 1 a.m. ET. “If you want it built right, build it Windsor! It’s what we do!!” The Unifor post comes just months before the union and automaker are scheduled to engage in contract talks, beginning in the fall. FCA intends to cut one of three shifts at the Windsor plant, which builds the Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler Voyager, another badge resurrected by Chrysler. Unifor has made it clear that new product is priority No. 1 during the next round of bargaining.

Transport Engineer / May 7, 2020 The Volvo FH500 GT 8x2 unit incorporates a Hiab 1058 crane featuring ten hydraulic extensions, giving the vehicle a lifting capability of 2.5 [metric] tonnes at a reach of almost 24 meters. Built at MV Commercial’s Airdrie site, the new truck will support JA Mackenzie Haulage’s specialist transport operations for works of art and public sculptures. Jimmy Mackenzie, managing director of the company, says: “Our work often includes very unusual lifts such as loading priceless paintings through gallery windows, where precision and control are essential. We required something very special – and MV Commercial’s design team stepped up to the challenge, and were able to deliver a truck that matched our precise specifications.” The new vehicle replaces an older asset and includes a range of tailored features designed to make lifting irreplaceable artwork quick, easy and safe. The detailed specification of the cab includes NATO-spec legs for increased stability, and food cooking and storage facilities for overnight travel. Meeting the requirements of FORS Gold, the truck also incorporates a 50mm air-operated drawbar coupling and remote control of the rear extender, while the hydraulic tank has been moved on to the crane itself to create more space on the chassis. .

Transport Engineer / May 4, 2020 Colchester, Essex-based EWD Recycling has bought an order for four new Volvo FMX 8x4 rigids from Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia for its waste disposal and waste recycling services for industrial and domestic users across the east of England. It operates a predominantly Volvo fleet of 30 HGVs in a demanding on/off-road application. The order includes two FMXs with Boweld steel tipping bodies and a second pair with Hyva hookloader bodywork and drawbar couplings. All four 32-tonners use the Volvo D11K Euro 6, Step D, diesel engine which produces up to 424bhp and 2,050 Nm of torque over a wide maximum torque range from 1,000 to 1,400 rpm. EWD Recycling has specified each vehicle’s day cab with a programmable night heater, enabling its drivers to arrive at work and step into a pre-warmed cab when their shifts begin at 6am. This also allows them to stay warm on colder days when waiting to load or unload, without needing to keep the engine running – saving fuel and reducing emissions. Purchased outright, the trucks have been supplied with a three-year Volvo Silver Contract which covers all preventive maintenance and driveline repairs within the Volvo Trucks dealer network for a fixed monthly amount. This helps to protect the firm’s operator’s licence and minimises the risk of unscheduled downtime. All routine maintenance will take place at Volvo Truck and Bus Centre East Anglia’s Ipswich site, which offers late night and Saturday opening. Danny Cook, manager at EWD Recycling, says: “Our drivers absolutely love the Volvos. We need vehicles which can cope being worked hard in this kind of environment and we get very good uptime from our FMXs. “On the rare occasion something needs looking at, we can drop a vehicle off at our local dealership at the end of the day, and know it will be sorted by morning. We can’t afford a truck off the road; and it’s this level of service which keeps us coming back.” .

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Navistar, City Of Tulsa Dispute Over Rent News On 6 / April 6, 2020 One of Tulsa’s largest employers accuses the City of trying to evict them from their building. Navistar leases part of the Air Force Plant #3 at the airport, but a 20-year lease expired in January, and the two sides can’t agree on terms for a renewal. The negotiations started two years ago, according to the City, and both sides agree the dispute centers on maintenance needs for the building. The City requires Navistar to maintain the property as part of the lease, but the City claims Navistar has put it off. Plant Manager Randy Tharp said the company spend $1 million each year on maintenance and the building is suitable as is for their needs. The company launched a website with claims the City wants to evict Navistar and in response the City released documents detailing their efforts to extend the lease and reach an agreement on the maintenance. Navistar employs 1,600 people at the bus plant, which turns out 74 buses each day. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said, “The main financial requirement of that lease is that they maintain the building, and then they don't it?” in arguing it wouldn’t be good stewardship of City assets to let the maintenance needs lapse. The City claims an independent inspector found millions of dollars in overdue maintenance, and that Navistar’s own inspectors found similar issues. Tharp, the Plant Manager, said the City’s termination letter for the original lease, raised alarms for the employees. “When we get a letter that says we're terminating your lease, that hits home, to 1,600 people.And we want to be heard” said Tharp. Bynum said the City won’t agree to a long-term lease without a written plan for repairs. The current extension runs through the end of May. Bynum said the notion the City wanted to evict Navistar was not true. “Why they would say that to their employees, and their employees’ families in the middle of this economic crisis? For the life of me, I can't understand it, except that it's a hard ball negotiation tactic,” said Bynum.

Steve Berg, KRMG / May 6, 2020 Major maintenance problems have been found at the Navistar school bus assembly factory in north Tulsa. That's the word from Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, who says the city found millions of dollars in repair needs during inspections, as part of their process to work out a new lease with the company. Navistar leased the giant building 20 years ago for just one dollar, but with the understanding they would pay for the upkeep. Mayor Bynum says they haven't maintained the building sufficiently, but he stresses he wants Navistar to stay in Tulsa. “But we recognize we can't keep them here for the long haul, if the building gets run into the ground,” Bynum said. Mayor Bynum points out these are not minor cosmetic issues. He says there are problems with the roofing and electrical systems that affect the building's structural integrity. .

Cummins Press Release / May 5, 2020 What do sand bags, mountains, a drone and a film crew all have in common? Well, not much, except that they were all an important part of GILLIG and Cummins’ effort to illustrate the extent of the testing and validation process for the Cummins-powered GILLIG battery electric bus. .

For both doors, you need 4 pieces of Mack part number 440SX30A. The 440SX30A is for the tracks on the removeable door panel, and the upper section of the door (you'll need to cut/shorten that upper piece). You only use the included brass retaining clips on the removeable door panel tracks. The vent window post felt is different, and is (was) sold under a vendor number 2795-170014005 (1 per vent window). The roll-up window "wipers" are Mack part numbers 35RU223 and 35RU224 (2 each).

The chrome base is 14MF45P1. A P2 variant existed (14MF45P2) but I can't confirm if it is gold. Of course the 27RU217B(P1) is a chrome dog, and a 27RU217BP2 is a gold dog.

GM stays profitable in Q1 despite shutdowns Hannah Lutz, Automotive News / May 6, 2020 DETROIT — General Motors' first-quarter net income plunged 87 percent, but earnings in North America rose even as the coronavirus pandemic drove production to a standstill. The $294 million profit made GM the only one of the Detroit 3 to avoid a first-quarter loss after the companies closed all of their U.S. plants in mid-March. GM said the crisis reduced its adjusted earnings by $1.4 billion before interest and taxes. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles posted a first-quarter net loss of $1.8 billion, and Ford Motor Co. lost $2 billion. Ford warned that its operating loss would exceed $5 billion in the second quarter. GM said it aims to reopen most plants in the U.S. and Canada on May 18, mirroring a plan announced Tuesday by FCA. Despite the plants being closed for the last two weeks of the quarter, strong sales of pickups and big SUVs pushed North American profits to $2.2 billion, a 16 percent increase from the first quarter of 2019. Global revenue fell 6.2 percent to $32.7 billion, and the company's profit margin decreased 2.8 points to 3.8 percent. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes decreased 46 percent to $1.25 billion. GM shares surged 7 percent to $22.75 in morning trading in New York. Struggles ahead CFO Dhivya Suryadevara said GM would be hit harder in the second quarter but declined to provide any projections for that period or the full year. "We are not providing formal guidance at this time," she said on a conference call. "It's too early to tell until the economy opens up." In a statement, GM said it intends to resume "the majority of manufacturing operations on May 18 in the U.S. and Canada under extensive safety measures." That plan, which is being developed in coordination with the UAW and government officials, would mean the company missed out on about two months' worth of production. UAW President Rory Gamble, in a statement Wednesday, did not object to GM's May 18 restart date after calling earlier plans to reopen plants as of May 4 "too risky." "The companies contractually make that decision and we all knew this day would come at some point," the statement said, echoing what the union said Tuesday about FCA's restart plans. "Our UAW focus and role is and will continue to be, on health and safety protocols to protect our members." GM's international regions lost $551 million in the first quarter, vs. a gain of $31 million a year earlier, and China equity income fell $543 million, primarily because of coronavirus shutdowns in that country. Earnings from GM Financial decreased 36 percent to $230 million. Suryadevara said the pandemic has resulted in minor product changes, such as deferred freshenings, but has not interrupted GM’s work on electric and autonomous vehicles. In March, GM invested $20 billion in EV and AV development, and the automaker has said it plans to launch 20 EVs globally by 2023. 'Continue as planned' “Our key product programs … whether it’s our full-size SUV franchise or EV and AV… they will continue as planned,” she said. GM is in a unique position in its product cycle, she added. The automaker had already launched all-new architectures for a variety of platforms before the pandemic. “If you look at the product cadence that we are on, we happen to be in the sweet spot where we have made a lot of the investment already from an ICE perspective,” Suryadevara said. When plants reopen, GM will prioritize profitable products that dealers are running low on, such as pickups, she said. “Obviously truck is our strong suit and that's something we are we're going to capitalize on,” she said. Visits to GM’s Shop-Click-Drive online car-shopping tool have increased 40 percent during the pandemic, she said. About 3,500 GM dealerships have access to the tool, an increase of about 800 since the crisis started and many dealers converted to virtual sales. GM is on track with the restructuring plan it launched in 2018, Suryadevara said. It expects to contribute $6 billion in cash savings by the end of this year, and in the first quarter, GM put another $300 million toward that goal, she said. Liquidity measures GM ended the quarter with $33.4 billion in automotive liquidity, including $16 billion recently drawn from revolving credit lines. The automaker bolstered its cash reserves by reducing paychecks for all salaried employees globally by 20 percent, promising to make up for the lost income within a year. It also extended $3.6 billion under its three-year revolving credit agreement, and GM and GM Financial renewed their 364-day $2 billion revolver. The automaker has been stoking demand during the crisis with no-interest, 84-month loans and deferred payments of up to 120 days to customers in top credit tiers. GM last week created a health and safety manual to instruct team leaders on the company's new safety protocol. "In these uncertain times, we must focus on controlling what we can, and we will continue to take the appropriate actions. As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, we are ready to adapt and make any changes to policy in accordance with relevant health and safety protocols issued by authorities," CEO Mary Barra and Jim Glynn, vice president of global workplace safety, said in the 48-page guide. GM's manual outlines requirements for physical distancing, wearing face masks and safety glasses, and participating in health questionnaires and temperature screenings. GM's housekeeping team will clean high-traffic areas three to four times per shift, as well as between shifts. Doors will be propped open when possible to increase airflow and eliminate the need for workers to touch them.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday that Coronavirus arrived in his state from Europe and that 2.2 million people flew in from European countries in January and February, while the world was oblivious to the threat and assumed it could only come from China. Cuomo says that between January and March, 2.2 million people arrived in New York on flights from Europe. At the time, Europe was mistakenly not being considered a hotspot. “Last November, December... we knew China had an outbreak. Researchers now say the virus was spreading wildly in Italy in February. Researchers now say there were likely 28,000 cases in the US in February including 10,000 in the state of New York. It came from Europe. When you look at the number of flights that came from Europe to New York in January and February, up until the close down in March... 13,000 flights bringing 2.2 million people. We acted two months after the China outbreak. When you look back, does anyone think the virus was still in China, waiting for us to act? Two months later? We all talk about the global economy and how fast people move and how mobile we are. How can you expect that when you act two months after the outbreak. The horse had already left the barn by the time we moved. Those are the flights coming from Italy and Europe in January and February. We closed the front door with the China travel ban, which was right, but we left the backdoor open because the virus had left China by the time we did the China travel ban. That's what the researchers are now saying. What is the lesson? An outbreak anywhere is an outbreak everywhere. When you see November and December in China, just assume the next day that it's in the US. When they say it's in China, assume that the virus got on a plane that night and flew to New York or Newark and it's now in New York. That has to be the operating mentality because you don't know the virus didn't get on a plane. All you need is one person to get on that plane in China and come to New York. You can't assume two months after the virus is going to be sitting on a park bench in China waiting for you to get there. It will happen again. Bank on it. Let's not put our head in the sand and say this is the only global pandemic we'll ever have to deal with.” Coronavirus was spreading silently through US cities including New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and Seattle in February when the world was worried only about China. Researchers from Northwestern University have estimated that based on lockdown orders, confirmed cases and people's traveling and moving habits, the true number of people infected across those five cities by March 1 was 28,000, even though only 23 cases had been confirmed at the time via testing.