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180,000 new vehicles are sitting, derailed by lack of transport trains

If you're planning on buying a new car in the next month or so, you might want to pick from what's on the lot, because there could be a long wait for new vehicles from the factory. Locomotives continue to be in short supply in North America, and that's causing major delays for automakers trying to move assembled cars.
According to The Detroit News, there are about 180,000 new vehicles waiting to be transported by rail in North America at the moment. In a normal year, it would be about 69,000. The complications have been industry-wide. Toyota, General Motors, Honda and Ford all reported experiencing some delays, and Chrysler recently had hundreds of minivans sitting on the Detroit waterfront waiting to be shipped out.
The problem is twofold for automakers. First, the fracking boom in the Bakken oil field in the Plains and Canada is monopolizing many locomotives. Second, the long, harsh winter is still causing major delays in freight train travel. The bad weather forced trains to slow down and carry less weight, which caused a backup of goods to transport. The auto companies resorted to moving some vehicles by truck, which was a less efficient but necessary option.

Chrysler Recalling 700k Vehicles For Ignition Switch Woes

General Motors isn't the only automaker with ignition switch problems. Chrysler is fighting it too and is now announcing a recall of 695,957 examples worldwide of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans from the 2008-2010 model years, plus the 2009-2010 Dodge Journey. According to a statement from Chrysler, the models have a bad wireless ignition node detent ring in the ignition switch, making it possible for drivers to appear to have the key in the "Run" position but for the spring not to fully engage. It can then slip back to the "Accessory" position and shut the car off. If this happens, the vehicle loses power steering, brake boost and the airbags. There is some disparity about the number of vehicles affected under this recall. In its statement, Chrysler claims that it covers 525,206 vehicles in the US, 102,892 in Canada, 25,591 in Mexico and 42,268 elsewhere. However, the recall announcement posted by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists an estimated 438,109 vehicles in the US. Chrysler spokesperson Nick Cappa told Autoblog via email that the reasoning for the different figures "will become clear at a later date." To fix the problem, Chrysler will install a new detent ring in the vehicles. It will begin contacting owners soon, and obviously the repair will be free of charge. This isn't the first time this problem has cropped up in these models. Chrysler issued a recall for 248,437 vehicles in 2011 for certain 2010 model year examples. A few weeks ago, NHTSA also began investigating the 2008-2010 model years of the affected models for ignition switch problems. At this time, it's not clear whether that evaluation and this campaign are linked. Chrysler told Autoblog that it has no reports of injuries related to the problem. Scroll down to read the company's statement and the NHTSA recall report. Statement: Expansion of Wireless Ignition Node (WIN) safety recall July 1, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Out of an abundance of caution, Chrysler Group is expanding a previous safety recall to install a more robust WIN module detent ring. A previous recall in 2010 included 196,000 Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan and Dodge Journey vehicles built August 2, 2009 through June 17, 2010. The expansion includes an additional 695,957 vehicles manufactured January 29, 2007 through August 1, 2009.

New UAW boss Williams talks tough, vows 'no more concessions'

Dennis Williams, the newly elected president of the UAW, had some tough words for American automakers in his inauguration speech at the 2014 UAW Convention, striking down the possibility of any additional concessions from the 400,000-strong union.
"No more concessions. We are tired of it. Enough is enough," Williams said during his speech. UAW employees have not received a raise in nearly 10 years, according to Reuters.
Considering the recent strong results for Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, the union's demands are likely to carry a bit more weight in next year's negotiations. And considering Williams' tough stance, we could be in for some fireworks once negotiations commence.