Muscle cars to drag race on flight deck of U.S.S. Midway

San Diego, California - In October, 30 vintage American muscle cars and their owners will take part in the third annual Muscle Car 1000, a six-day adventure tour that will cover 1,000 miles from San Diego to Beverly Hills, featuring the first-ever exhibition drag runs down the flight deck of the USS Midway in San Diego. This year's Muscle Car 1000 runs from October 7 through October 11. The driving portion of the event traverses some of North America's most scenic routes along the California coast, with an afternoon of wide-open drag racing at California Speedway. The event is limited to 30 teams of two participants - each team must bring their own Muscle Car, defined as: 1964-1973 American Muscle Cars; 1955-1973 Corvettes; and 1962-1967 Cobras. The U.S.$5,950 fee for this year's event (which has been sold out since January), includes all of the road and track drives, stays at exclusive resorts, gourmet meals and exclusive galas. Half of all proceeds from the Muscle Car 1000 go straight to HeRO (Hunger Relief Organization), whose goal is to end world hunger by the year 2050. HeRO opened three children's feeding centres in Honduras in 2006, and added seven more centres this year, as well as a malnutrition recovery centre for infants. In 2008, HeRO plans to expand efforts to Kenya. For more information about Muscle Car 1000 or HeRO, visit MuscleCar1000.com.

Canadian GM workers back on the job

Toronto, Ontario - GM workers in Canada have returned to work following an agreement to end the nationwide strike at plants in the U.S., says Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) president Buzz Hargrove. During the two-day strike, the GM car plants 1 and 2 in Oshawa, Ontario were temporarily shut down, laying off 5,600 people on Tuesday, while 1,300 workers at the GM Windsor transmission plant in Windsor, Ontario were laid off shortly after the strike began on Monday. Other GM locations and numerous auto parts suppliers were due to be temporarily shut if the strike continued. Hargrove says that between 80,000 to 100,000 Canadian workers would have been affected if the strike lasted until the end of this week, including GM employees, independent parts suppliers and service companies.

Porsche lowers 2008 pricing over 2007 levels for Canada

Atlanta, Georgia - Porsche Cars North America Inc. has announced that it will lower prices in Canada by more than 10 per cent on its 2008 models, compared to prices and standard equipment on its 2007 line-up. "We cannot ignore our customers and dealers in Canada who can look to the U.S. and recognize a substantial price difference," says Peter Schwarzenbauer, President and CEO. "We listened to the market and did what is best for our customers in Canada." Porsche will lower the MSRP of its 2008 models by an average of more than 8 per cent; additionally, on an average equipment adjusted basis, 2008 models will offer another 2 per cent in savings from 2007.

Maryland Ford dealer to pay big $$ in sexual harassment suit

Women were fired after complaining about body shop manager’s behavior. A body-shop manager who installed video cameras behind a mirror in a bathroom at a Baltimore-area car dealership cost his company $100,000, according to a settlement signed recently with the EEOC, reports the Baltimore Examiner. Norris Automotive Holdings reportedly agreed to pay $100,000 to two women who claimed they were sexually harassed while at work and then fired when they complained. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit on behalf of the women, alleging they were subjected to unwelcome advances and inappropriate touching by the dealership’s body shop manager. Both women were fired soon after complaining to management about the harassment. “He put a video camera behind the mirror in the bathroom so he could watch them,” said an attorney for the EEOC. “He made inappropriate comments. He got a glass desk for one woman and made her work in his office so he could look at her legs. Then they fired the women. They wanted to get rid of the women and make the problem go away.” The EEOC said it filed suit in U.S. District Court in Baltimore after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. In addition to the payout, the dealership will provide mandatory training to its managerial and supervisory employees on federal employment discrimination laws — and post a notice to all employees on harassment and discharge based on sex, according to the settlement.

Canadian car dealers fret over cross-border sales

Cross-border sales issue dominates recent Toyota dealer meeting. A couple of weeks ago, DealersEdge reported on a Seattle Toyota dealer who refused to sell a car because the prospective buyer was Canadian and the sale might have violated the dealer’s franchise agreement with Toyota. It turns out that not all U.S. dealers feel the same way, especially with the Canadian dollar now at par with the U.S. dollar. And the guy who got rejected by the Toyota dealership simply went to another U.S. dealership to make his purchase. As the Toronto Globe and Mail reports, when Huck Baldwin was looking for a new car a couple of weeks ago, he headed to Seattle and saved about $13,000. "The savings are huge," said Mr. Baldwin. "I think everyone should do it." Mr. Baldwin saved so much on his 2008 Subaru Outback that he has already put it up for sale in Vancouver and plans to buy another one in Seattle with the proceeds. Mr. Baldwin apparently has lots of company. "I'm not a political person - I'm not an activist - but this particular situation has me so riled up that I talk to my friends and my blood starts to boil," said Sam Gonchor, a Toronto businessman who recently bought a Subaru in Buffalo, N.Y., for $32,122.50 (U.S.). The same car sells for a suggested $41,995 in Canada. "Why should there be a $10,000 difference on the exact same vehicle?" Mr. Gonchor related his experience to his neighbor, who will pick up a 2008 Hyundai Sonata in Buffalo next week and save about $6,000. Cars are among the easiest items for comparison shopping and car dealers are taking note. Toyota dealers in Canada said the cross-border issue dominated a recent dealer meeting, prompting Toyota to put a notice on its website outlining why Canadians should buy cars in Canada. Only Toyota vehicles earmarked for Canada are eligible for rebates and other incentives offered by Toyota Canada, the company said. But it also noted that it will honor warranties on new vehicles purchased in the United States. "People are getting tired of paying the huge prices here," said Zabin Somani, a Victoria entrepreneur who created www.ucanimport.com to help people buy cars across the border. Since the dollar closed in on parity this week, her site has been flooded with hits.