Automakers: Page 316
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
CRM: Overrated or Underrated?
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.Is CRM overrated? Depends on who you ask. Justin Norwood, the Internet director for Classic Chevrolet, the top selling Chevy store for thr...
April 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo Leaves No Stone Unturned in Bid for Vehicle-Safety Leadership
The Swedish auto maker’s safety systems have been adopted by its competitors, including a 3-point seatbelt patented in 1959.
By Byron Pope • March 30, 2009 -
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
Mulally, Other Ford Executives Take Pay Cut in 2008
Ford executives saw their compensation reduced in an attempt to “decrease costs and conserve cash in response to the difficult global economic climate.”
By Ward's Staff • March 24, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota, EDF to Test Plug-In Hybrids in France
The Prius will be charged via 240-volt lines that are standard in France and throughout Europe, but the participants are designing the outlet and plug to be used, which could be something unique.
By William Diem • March 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo Kicks Off TV Ad Campaign for XC60
The average transaction price for the XC60, which started shipping to dealers in late February, is expected to reach $38,550.
By Herb Shuldiner • March 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Renault Samsung Unveils SM3 Replacement
The current SM3 is exported as the Nissan Almera Classic to Russia and Ukraine and the Nissan Almera to Latin America.
By Vince Courtenay • March 18, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s Electric Steering Enables Pull-Drift Technology
Ford says it will add pull-drift compensation to a number of future vehicles, including the Edge CUV, Fusion midsize sedan and Taurus flagship sedan.
By Byron Pope • March 17, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Fiesta Off to Strong Start in Europe; High Hopes for China
The small car already is a success in Europe, where Ford has delivered more than 89,000 units in the 19 markets where the car is sold.
By Byron Pope • March 12, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford, Allstate Partner to Reduce Collision-Repair Costs
To boost safety and improve fuel economy, auto makers are using lighter-weight materials, such as high-strength steel, making it more difficult for repair technicians to work effectively.
By Byron Pope • March 11, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Top Ford Dealer Has Eye Out for New Franchises
Sales down but dealer Bert Boeckmann still sold 19,000 vehicles last year.
By Mac Gordon • March 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Launches Mondeo Production in Russia Amid Worsening Industry Crisis
Output of the sedan was to begin in September at Ford’s plant in Vsevolozhsk, near St. Petersburg, which also builds the Ford Focus.
By Byron Pope • March 6, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Seeks to Swap $10.4 Billion in Debt for Equity
To facilitate the plan, Ford and its captive finance arm, Ford Motor Credit, will put up $2.2 billion in cash, as well as 500 million shares.
By Ward's Staff • March 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
‘Can’t Fix Broken Auto Dealer’
“Too many dealers trying to sell to fewer customers won’t work anymore,” says Bruce Harris, VW Finance’s risk manager.
By Steve Finlay • March 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota: 4Runner Still Has Place
The shrinking midsize SUV segment and shift to unibody construction could be a boon for Toyota’s body-on-frame model, Bob Carter says.
By Christie Schweinsberg • March 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford CEO Mulally: Congressional Hearings Not So Bad
New Orleans The impression is etched in a lot of Americans' minds: CEOs of the three domestic auto makers go to Congress seeking financial aid but are mercilessly scorned by lawmakers who ask sucker-punch questions, such as, Will you work for free? and Did you fly in by corporate plane? To many people, especially within the auto industry, the questions were unfair and irrelevant. But defense of those
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Can Car Dealers Save Saturn?
General Motors Corp. has given its Saturn division time to mount a spin-off of the brand, a possibility that has met with optimism among some of its retailers and skepticism among industry analysts. Two significant hurdles stand in the way - financing the move and finding a pipeline to future products after GM turns off the tap after the '11 model year. Saturn spokesman Steve Janisse tells Ward's
By James M. Amend and Derek Stark • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Motor Co. Salutes Dealers Who Are Philanthropic Standouts
Auto dealers who are philanthropic standouts are honored for their good deeds by Ford Motor Co. at a ceremony during the convention. The auto maker's annual Salute to Dealers program recognizes outstanding community service among Ford-brand dealers. A panel of judges picks winners from a field of 60 nominees. For nine years, Salute to Dealers has recognized some of the very best corporate citizens
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
TRW, EPS Achieve Fusion
When the all-new '10 Ford Fusion arrives in showrooms this spring, prospective buyers are bound to notice the redesigned front end, sportier look, wider stance, more-powerful engines, enhanced safety features and spiffy ice-blue dashboard lighting. But less obvious will be a significant switch to full electric power steering from a conventional hydraulically driven configuration. That's exactly what
By Tom Murphy • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
TPMS Rollout Rolling Along
Alone on a desolate stretch of highway in southern Illinois on a frosty night just before Christmas 2005, Don Amos discovered the value of tire-pressure monitoring systems.He was nearing the end of a long drive home to Missouri for the holidays from North Carolina, where he works, when the TPMS in his '03 Jeep Grand Cherokee started beeping, accompanied by a flashing light on the dashboard. He'd run over a nail.
By Tom Murphy • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Drudgery Led GM’s Lutz to Retire
As General Motors Corp. battles to stay afloat, with help from billions in government loans, the consummate car guy, who has spearheaded the auto maker's product revival since 2001, is easing out. Bob Lutz, vice chairman for global product development, will relinquish his current post April 1 and remain on as vice chairman and senior advisor to Chairman Rick Wagoner until year's end. Lutz turned 77
By David C. Smith • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
His Auto Dealership Career Got Started After His Car Stopped Running
Michael Jackson got into the auto industry by a fluke after his first car, an old Mercedes-Benz 190SL, broke down in 1971. He was married and attending law school and had no money for repairs. I went to the local Mercedes dealer and said, I'll sweep the floor in exchange for the mechanic fixing my car, Jackson told Ward's in a earlier interview. They worked out a deal. The struggling student began
March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Gran Torino Recalls Muscle-Car Era
Clint Eastwood's hit movie Gran Torino is resurrecting interest in a Ford Motor Co. car that goes back 40 years. The Torino midsizer debuted in 1968, and an all-new version called Gran Torino hit showrooms four years later. Before its run ended in 1976, replaced with the LTD II, Ford sold more than 1.1 million. Gran Torino is not the car's first cinematic role. A bright red '74 model starred in the
By David C. Smith • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Viability Plan Reveals Full Product Pipeline
Chrysler LLC appears to have settled on the Dodge Circuit concept car as the basis for its first foray into the burgeoning electric-vehicle market. Having promised to produce an electric-drive vehicle for retail delivery in 2010, Chrysler has kept the make and model a closely guarded secret. The auto maker had indicated only that it would be based on one of four concept vehicles: the fully electric
By Eric Mayne • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Car Buy-Back Plan Spurs Hyundai Sales
The Hyundai Assurance Program, in which the auto maker will buy back its vehicles if the owners' lose their jobs within 12 months of purchase, has succeeded on two fronts. One, Hyundai Motor America says it has repurchased only two vehicles since the offer's Jan. 3 start. Two, the program has spurred car sales by removing a fear factor prevalent during today's economic woes, Hyundai CEO and President
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Will Both of Them Survive?
Sometime after last Christmas, multi-franchise dealer Mark Calisi opened a handwritten note with a belated holiday greetings from General Motors Corp. CEO and Chairman Rick Wagoner. The note was a personal response to Calisi's letter of support as GM sought an emergency loan package from U.S. Congress in December. Calisi operates Eagle Auto Mall in Riverhead, NY, selling Chevrolets, Chryslers, Mazdas,
By Lillie Guyer • March 1, 2009
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