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Foreign automakers pay from $38 to $65 per hour to non-union workers

As leaders for the United Auto Workers gather in Detroit for their Special Convention on Collective Bargaining to work out the negotiating stance for this year's new labor agreements with the Detroit 3 automakers, what they most want to do is figure out how to eliminate the two-tier wage scale. However, the lower Tier 2 wage has allowed the domestic automakers to reduce their labor costs, hire more workers, and compete better with their import competition. As it stands, per-hour labor rates including benefits are $58 at General Motors, $57 at Ford, and $48 at Fiat-Chrysler – a reflection of FCA's much greater number of Tier 2 workers. The Center for Automotive Research released a study of labor rates (including benefits) that put numbers to what the imports pay: Mercedes-Benz pays the most, at an average of $65 per hour, Volkswagen pays the least, at $38 per hour, and BMW is just a hair above that at $39 per hour. Among the Detroit competitors, Honda workers earn an average of $49 per hour, at Toyota it's $48 per hour, Nissan is $42 per hour, and Hyundai-Kia pays $41 per hour. The lower import wages are aided by their greater use of temporary workers compared to the domestics. Automotive News says the ten-dollar gap between those foreign camakers and the domestics turns out to about an extra $250 per car in labor, which adds up quickly when you're pumping out many millions of cars. That $250-per-car number is one that, come negotiating time, the Detroit 3 will want to reduce, as the UAW is trying to raise both Tier 1 and Tier 2 wages. Another wrinkle is that the domestic carmakers are considering the wide adoption of a third wage level lower than Tier 2. Some workers who do minor tasks like assembling parts trays kits and battery packs already make less than Tier 2, but the UAW will be quite wary about cementing yet another wage scale at the bottom of the system while it's trying to fight a bigger battle at the top. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., BloombergImage Credit: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions BMW Chevrolet Fiat Ford GM Honda Hyundai Kia Mercedes-Benz Nissan Toyota Volkswagen labor wages collective bargaining labor costs

Kia Soul EV will go on sale in four more US states

Live from New York, it's the Kia Soul Electric Vehicle! The South Korea-based automaker believes its first mass-produced EV is a ready-for-prime-time-player and will start selling the EV in the Empire State during the fourth quarter. Kia will also expand Soul EV sales to New Jersey, Connecticut, and Maryland, giving the model some pretty good coverage along the Eastern Seaboard. Perhaps those funky hamsters will find yet another reason to rock out. The expansion may be a sign that Americans are gravitating to the Soul EV as quick or quicker than expected. The model delivers 109 horsepower and, probably more importantly, a single-charge range of 93 miles. Kia started selling the Soul EV in California late last year. Then, earlier this year, distribution was expanded to Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. Additionally, the Soul was given the first-ever Canadian Green Car of the Year Award. The car sells for a base price of $33,950, and that's before any federal tax incentives kick in. Additionally, Kia may be coming out with a "more" base model that cuts that price by another $2,000. With the fed's help, that could bring the cost down into the $24,000 range, Some states have their own incentives as well. As for New York, eight dealerships will start selling the Soul EV, while six New Jersey dealerships will also have that honor. Take a look at Kia's press release below and go here for our Quick Spin impressions of the car. Related Videos:

Kia KX3 crossover concept leaked

Despite all the focus on the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show, there's another increasingly important event happening on the other side of the planet. The Guangzho Motor Show is yet another expression of China's growing automotive might. Not only does the show boast a concurrent introduction with the LA Auto Show, in the form of the Mercedes-Maybach S600, but it has at least one exclusive item, with the Kia KX3 Concept.
Looking like a Soul mixed with a Sportage, the KX3 heralds the arrival of a production model based on the Hyundai ix35, known here in the US as the Hyundai Tucson. Whether that model will make Stateside, though, is another story.
If it does, World Car Fans claims it will be with either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a 1.6-liter turbocharged four, both of which should be familiar to Hyundai/Kia shoppers. While WCF says there will be a manual-transmission option, we shouldn't count on any gearbox beyond a dual-clutch automatic.