Automakers: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Uzbekistan Launches Spark Production
Uzbekistan is a major CKD export market for GM Daewoo, which shipped 199,000 CKD kits there last year.
By Vince Courtenay • Aug. 27, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Xterra on Way Out?
The auto maker sold 88,578 Xterra midsize SUVs in the U.S. in 2000, according to Ward’s data. In comparison, deliveries through July of this year tallied just 12,186, which was a 42% increase over year-ago.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 27, 2010 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota Motor North America
TrendlineTop 5 stories from WardsAuto
Automakers are evaluating their long-term strategies, revisiting their product mix, and approach to both retail and manufacturing approach along the way.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Keep Auto Techs Happy
“It's always been difficult to find a good, trained technician,” says Warren DeBardelaben, director-service support and quality for Nissan North America Inc.
By James M. Flammang • Aug. 27, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Delphi Bets Big on Smartphone’s Future
Some auto makers and suppliers are clinging to traditional infotainment technologies, such as in-dash navigation and audio systems, but not Delphi.
By David E. Zoia • Aug. 26, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW Taps Ex-Opel Exec for International Post
Hans Demant, who left Opel last week following a reshuffling at GM Europe in January, will coordinate international projects for VW, as it seeks to become the world’s biggest auto maker by 2018.
By Ward's Staff • Aug. 24, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Repositioned Turbocharger, Dual VVT Improve Subaru 2.5L Boxer
Today, Porsche and Fuji Heavy Industries (maker of Subaru vehicles) are the only major auto makers using horizontally opposed-piston boxer engines.
By Gary Witzenburg • Aug. 20, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford, GM Customer Satisfaction Decline But Now Lead Industry
The University of Michigan report puts Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division at No.1, just ahead of GM’s Buick brand.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 17, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Nearing Full Production Capacity; Rethinking Large Vehicles, North American Chief Says
The auto maker has a number of innovative ways to increase output, Mark Reuss tells Ward's in an interview. “There are a lot of other options than building new plants.”
By Herb Shuldiner • Aug. 12, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Restyled ’11 VW Jetta Loses Golf Body Panels
Sharing body panels was economical and likely went unnoticed by most car buyers, primarily because the Jetta is a sedan and the Golf is a hatchback. But the practice didn’t fit design plans for the new model.
By Byron Pope • Aug. 10, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia Sportage: It’s Getting There
The new ’11 Sportage is stylish and well-contented but suffers from some drawbacks, notably an over-the-top sportiness manifested in excessive engine and road noise.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 10, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota on Rocky Road to Redemption
A renewed emphasis on ensuring quality during the research-and-development phase portends the most promise for Toyota’s future because of its inherent forward-looking approach.
By Eric Mayne and Drew Winter • Aug. 9, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Purcell Finds Life After GM
The ex-GM staffer now is a director at Protean Electric, which shows off a concept F-150 EV at MBS featuring individual motors at each wheel.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 4, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fiat’s World Class Manufacturing Key to Chrysler Turnaround
Implementing the WCM production system was a key piece of Sergio Marchionne’s turnaround strategy after he assumed the top job at Fiat in 2004.
By Drew Winter • Aug. 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
UAW Praises Incentives for Jobs Program
The federal law authorizing loans to encourage tooling and engineering for green technology already accounts for 30,000 jobs at Ford.
By William Diem • Aug. 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Manufacturing Operations More Flexible After Bankruptcy
Since emerging from a 39-day stint under Chapter 11 protection last year, GM has been working hard at breaking down walls between design, engineering and manufacturing, Diana Tremblay says.
By James M. Amend • Aug. 2, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Completes Sale of Volvo to Geely; Jacoby Named CEO
Ford receives $1.8 billion for the Swedish auto maker, including a $200 million note and the balance in cash. Ford purchased Volvo in 1999 for $6.35 billion.
By Ward's Staff • Aug. 2, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mercury a Memory in Canada
There is life after Mercury, according to the Ford of Canada Ltd. experience. Ford Motor Co. pulled the plug on its premium brand in the U.S. in June, prompting speculation about the decision's impact. But there is a precedent: Canada's Mercury dealers were axed in 1999. Bobbie Gaunt, then-president of Ford's Canadian operations, said the action was a wager on Ford and Lincoln and not a bet against
By Byron Pope • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
F&I’s Tough Sale
Because Honda-brand buyers think their cars will never break down, pitching extended-service warranties to them seems like a lost cause. But don't tell Ron Reahard about the alleged futility of trying to sell service contracts during finance-and-insurance product presentations at Honda dealerships. Honda customers think God made their car, says the president of Reahard & Associates Inc., an F&I training
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Welcome to the Ritz-Cadillac
As Cadillac moves forward with aggressive styling and sportier driving dynamics, it is trying to instill a Ritz-Carlton mindset at its dealerships. the General Motors Co. luxury brand's dealer-training partnership with Ritz-Carlton hotel chain is paying dividends as the program evolves. The hotel chain's lateral service concept is catching on with Cadillac dealers, says Marketing Manager Don Butler.
By Eric Mayne • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
General Motors Hopes Chevy Volt Will Give Dealers a Jolt
General Motors Co. expects to build about 10,000 Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicles by the end of next year and estimates it will produce 30,000 cars in 2012. The production numbers are the first from GM since Bob Lutz told journalists at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December more than 8,000 units would be built in the Volt's first full year of production. The Volt, which can travel 40
By James M. Amend • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Pyrrhic Victory Coming for Toyota
In August 1987, a McDonnell Douglas MD82 taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport crashed and killed more than 150 passengers and crew. Incredibly, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled the horrific crash occurred because the plane's flaps were not extended. It is hard to believe a pilot and flight crew could make such a flagrant error. Two decades later, the same model plane crashed
By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Counting on Lincoln Hybrid Pricing Strategy to Generate Buzz
The MKZ Hybrid’s $35,180 price tag, including destination and delivery, undercuts its top competitor, the ’10 Lexus HS 250h hybrid at $35,525.
By Byron Pope • July 30, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Handful of Dealers Savor Arbitration Victories
In a number of dealer wins, arbitrators looked beyond Chrysler’ and General Motors’s post-bankruptcy business cases for restructuring their dealer networks.
By Lillie Guyer • July 26, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Redesigned Explorer Offers ‘Sense of Adventure,’ Ford Says
To accommodate Explorer output, the auto maker plans to add a second shift of about 1,200 new workers at Chicago.
By Byron Pope • July 26, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Porsche Avoiding Horsepower War
The Panamera’s all-new 3.6L direct-injection V-6 makes 300 hp, modest by today’s standards. With CAFE bearing down, Porsche is embracing “Intelligent Performance.”
By Tom Murphy • July 23, 2010
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