Automakers: Page 295
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Marchionne Succession Plan Unclear
Sergio Marchionne is one amazing guy. First, he takes over the old Fix It Again Tony car company and straightens it out in record time. Then they give him a basket case called Chrysler and he pulls another rabbit out of his hat. Unlike other top executives who regale in the pomp and circumstance their heady status affords them, Marchionne likes to saunter into meetings wearing his trademark sweater
By John McElroy • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Lower Staff Turnover
Ford Motor Co. a few years ago added a section to its financial statement that allows dealers to track the tenure of their sales personnel and service advisors. Using this information, I tracked the Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealers I worked with and detected an implied correlation between such tenure and dealership profitability. Carrying this research a step further, I concluded dealers with a lower
By Tony Noland • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Kia Corporation
TrendlineArtificial Intelligence
Automakers and dealers alike are increasingly seeing the use case for AI within their operations. Explore some use cases in this trendline.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Dealership Staffers Learn How to Sell, Service Leaf EV
Nissan North America Inc. has put dealer personnel selling and servicing the Leaf electric vehicle through intense training. The Leaf initially will be available in five U.S. markets: California, Tennessee, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, with Texas and Hawaii coming online in January. So far, about 250 Nissan dealers in those markets have opted to sell the EV. Because of the new technology, you have
By Christie Schweinsberg • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler’s 3.6L Pentastar DOHC V-6: Refinement Champ
Occasionally, a nominee finds itself in the running for a Ward's 10 Best Engines award for reasons that extend well beyond the spec sheet. If the competition simply were a horsepower race, then several other high-output engines would have made the list. The must make sense from a cost and manufacturing perspective, and extra points are awarded if an engine turns an auto maker's powertrain strategy
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
General Motors’s 1.4L DOHC I-4/111kW Drive Motor: Game Changer
Timing, as they say in the watch business, is everything. In the case of this year's Ward's 10 Best Engines testing, the Chevrolet Volt had the good fortune of arriving at our offices in mid-November, the day after we finished evaluating the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle. Don't get the wrong impression. Our time with the Leaf was uplifting. But some of us had limited exposure to the strange new world
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi’s 3.0L TFSI Supercharged DOHC V-6: Massive Torque
Creating a V-6 worthy of replacing Audi AG's superb 4.2L V-8 represents an especially tough challenge. That's because consumers say they want better fuel economy, but performance-car buyers are notoriously fickle. They like to talk about efficiency, but if it results in a tad less low-end torque or an exhaust note that lacks gusto, many walk away. That's why Audi's 3.0L V-6 makes Ward's list for the
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Tau V-8 Continues to Improve
IT'S HARD TO MAKE IT ONTO WARD'S 10 BEST ENGINES LIST, AND with powertrain technology advancing at a breakneck pace, it is harder still to maintain a spot multiple years in a row. But Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.'s Tau V-8 has managed to stay on the list for a third year thanks to major technological advancements and improvements in specific output. For the '11 model year, Hyundai won over the judges by
By Drew Winter • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer’s Dad Taught Him Well
Mike Sullivan recalls his father’s decision to sell his VW store to him in the mid-1990s. “It was such a concession for him, it was so final.”
By Lillie Guyer • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai’s Tau 5.0L DOHC V-8: Look Out
After introducing the astonishingly good 4.6L Tau V-8 two years ago, Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. could be forgiven if it chose to sit back and recoup some of its investment for at least a 4-year product cycle. But the word must not be in the vocabulary of the hard-charging South Korean auto maker. For the '10 model Genesis, engineers added another 10 hp, bringing total output to 385 hp, and winning another
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW Mini’s 1.6L Turbocharged DOHC I-4: Big Difference
Few engines got more raves this year than the not-so-new turbocharged engine in the Mini Cooper hardtop. We tested this engine for the first time in the Mini in 2007, but were not all that impressed, even though it was a huge improvement over the previous Pentagon engine, which actually made our list in 2003. More on this later. The big difference this year is the addition of BMW AG's excellent Valvetronic
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Critics Need to Drive New Chryslers
As controversial as the U.S. government bailout of General Motors remains, the rescue of Chrysler is even more so. In the dark days of 2009, even President Obama's Automotive Task Force was prepared to let the legendary auto maker, and its iconic Jeep, Dodge and Hemi brands, slip into oblivion. As task force leader and Car Czar Steven Rattner recounts in his book one of the key arguments for saving
By Drew Winter • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan’s 80kW Synchronous Electric Motor: Love that Leaf
A new day has dawned, and purveyors of petroleum should be plenty nervous. Vehicles running on electricity have arrived and more are on the way from well-known brands such as Ford, BMW, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Smart. But the EV that sets the benchmark for others to meet because it's the first one to be affordable, functional for five occupants and practical for everyday driving is the Nissan Leaf.
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
MultiAir Strategy Multi-Faceted
Schaeffler Group will launch U.S. production of the MultiAir valve-control system for Fiat Automobiles SpA in June, beginning what could be the start of something big in North America for the German supplier. The first Cheraw, SC, MultiAir units will be headed to Dundee, MI, to support production of 1.4L FIRE engines for the North American market Fiat 500, slated for assembly at Chrysler Group LLC's
By David E. Zoia • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
I’m Always Looking to Grow
ST. GEORGE, UT Stephen Wade, the National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s 2011 chairman, started in the car business 41 years ago as general manager of a new Mazda dealership in Salt Lake City. Many franchises later, the Stephen Wade Auto Center is headed by a growth-minded entrepreneur with dealerships in St. George, UT, and the northern California city of Chico. Wade, 67, co-founded the SunFirst Bank
By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mendel Sees Need for Honda Sports Car; Defends CR-Z, Civic
Any replacement for the S2000 would have to be consistent with the auto maker’s corporate strategy, a top company official says.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan to Sell Version of Mazda5 in Japan
The two auto makers announced the deal today, an expansion of an existing relationship that already has Nissan receiving Mazda’s Bongo van and truck and Mazda getting the Nissan AD/AD Expert van.
By Ward's Staff • Jan. 28, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Diminutive 500 Thin Edge of Fiat Wedge
Dealers tapped to sell the Fiat 500 are expected to form the backbone of an Alfa Romeo network, says Fiat North America’s top executive, Laura Soave.
By Eric Mayne • Jan. 28, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai’s Tau V-8 Continues to Improve
Hyundai Vice Chairman H.S. Lee says increasing the volume of GDI systems should bring down the cost.
By Drew Winter • Jan. 28, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Mexico Chief Pushes New Strategies, Sees Better Days Ahead
Grace Lieblein says she plans to continue working with the government to spur sales, perhaps taking a page from GM Brazil’s successful playbook.
By James M. Amend • Jan. 24, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Auto Dealer’s Dad Taught Him Well
Mike Sullivan recalls his father’s decision to sell his VW store to him in the mid-1990s. “It was such a concession for him, it was so final.”
By Lillie Guyer • Jan. 21, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Names Mary Barra to Lead Global Product Development
As GM’s newest car czar, Barra will lead design, engineering and quality for the auto maker’s 11 brands around the world.
By Ward's Staff • Jan. 20, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Daewoo Bowing Out as Brand, Company Name in Korea
Most Koreans prefer Chevrolet to Daewoo, the auto maker’s research shows. About half of Daewoo Lacetti Premiere customers are paying $200 to $400 to change the compact car’s badging to Chevrolet Cruze.
By Vince Courtenay • Jan. 20, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi Gears Up for Next Phase in U.S. Market Push
Audi is rolling out more high-end models, reconsidering the Q3 CUV for the U.S. market and expanding availability of diesel engines in North America as it looks to build on a record 2010.
By David E. Zoia • Jan. 19, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Now THAT’s Italian!
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.SAN DIEGO – Chrysler Group LLC is hosting test-drives of the Fiat 500 here this week. In the interest of fairness, the auto maker has embarg...
Jan. 18, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Infiniti Officials Debate High-Priced Halo Car, Mull Entry-Level Model
Despite last year’s 27.5% jump in sales, to be a credible Tier-1 luxury marque, Infiniti needs a “high-priced, halo flagship model,” Brian Carolin, Nissan North America vice president-sales, tells Ward’s.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Jan. 18, 2011
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