Automakers: Page 317
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
There Are Too Many Brands
General Motors Corp. dealers at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention appear comfortable with the auto maker's plan to focus on just four core brands - at least those retailers who hold franchises for the surviving marques. GM earlier announced it would zero in on its Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC brands, focusing most of its product-development and marketing dollars on the four nameplates.
By Derek Stark • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota: Pragmatic Short-Term, Bullish Mid-Term and Long-Term
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. will have national sales promotional campaigns in May, August and December, Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager-Toyota Div., says at the NADA convention. The campaigns are in keeping with past practices and will be regionally unique, such as emphasizing leasing on the East Coast and cash discounts in the Midwest. Although it may not have brought buyers
By Christie Schweinsberg • March 1, 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
100 Worst Cars Ever Made
I loved my first car, a '69 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe. But I grew disenchanted from dealing with too many breakdowns and seeing the former object of my affection turn, not so slowly, from green to rust orange. I thought the massive corrosion was due to my neglect, such as not visiting the car wash enough. Years later, at a store, thumbing through a book, The 100 Worst Cars Ever Made, I found mine among
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford to Debut New Ranger Pickup in Geneva
Compact pickup truck sales have tanked in the U.S. over the past decade, but Ford Motor Co. sees sales opportunities, particularly in Europe. Ford will debut its redesigned Ranger small truck, which will be sold in more than 100 international markets except North America, at this month's Geneva auto show. The global pickup is built at Ford's AutoAlliance International Inc. plant in Pleukdang, Thailand,
By Byron Pope, with Ward's Staff • March 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Doomed, Analyst Claims
Chrysler, whose top executives are in Washington today to press their application for an additional $5 billion in government aid, bristles at the suggestion that its days are numbered.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 25, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Australian-Designed Toyota Camry Hybrid Concept to Premiere at Melbourne Show
The new Camry Hybrid will play “a key role” in Australia’s automotive manufacturing sector, says Toyota Australia President and CEO Max Yasuda.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 24, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Hemi Continues to Evolve
The new ’09 version can cruise in fuel-saving 4-cyl. mode up to 70 mph and as much as 40% of the time, both major improvements over the ’08 Hemi.
By Gary Witzenburg • Feb. 23, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Cayenne Hybrid to Employ Audi’s Supercharged V-6
Porsche says the hybrid CUV can run at speeds up to 86 mph without using the internal-combustion engine.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Quietly Cuts Dealerships
The auto maker has gone from 900 to 640 U.S. stores.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 18, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Changes Lutz Implemented at GM Will Endure, Chief Designer Vows
Design has become the “great differentiator” within the auto industry, Ed Welburn says, noting technology advances often are fleeting and cost pressures intense.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 12, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acura TSX V-6 to Put Brand on Par With Top Competitors
The TSX V-6 model fills a niche between the current 4-cyl. TSX and the upscale TL, says Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 12, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
CEO Pitches ‘Revolutionary’ Ideas to Change Auto Industry
While no other industry has had a greater impact than automotive on the health of the U.S. economy, “there is no other business with a bigger perception problem,” says Hyundai’s John Krafcik.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 11, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Gets Through First Step of U.S. Loan Process
No other Japanese OEMs have indicated an interest in tapping into the $25 billion in DOE loans earmarked for retooling plants to build fuel-efficient vehicles.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Feb. 10, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai to Debut Three Vehicles at Geneva
The new HED-6 concept SUV features a hexagonal grille, angular styling lines, back-swept light-emitting diode front headlamps and 21-in. mirror-polished alloy wheels.
By Vince Courtenay • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s Bob Lutz to Retire; VP Tom Stephens Takes Product-Development Responsibility
The auto maker also takes the opportunity to restructure its powertrain operations.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealers Wonder About Chrysler, Not GM
“Being privately held, it is very difficult to know actually what Chrysler’s business strategy is,” Texas dealer Manuel Gonzalez says.
By Lillie Guyer • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s Gran Torino Relives Muscle-Car Heyday
In the Clint Eastwood film “Gran Torino,” Ford retiree Walt Kowalski’s cherished muscle car represents a time that has passed him by.
By David C. Smith • Feb. 9, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Geely Would Need China’s Aid to Buy Volvo
Ford bought Volvo for $6.4 billion in 1999 and since then the Swedish auto maker has struggled to turn a profit.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Leader in Technology Patents, Study Shows
The study, which focused on patents issued in fourth-quarter 2008, measures the significance and impact of a company’s patent portfolio across the industry.
By Ward's Staff • Feb. 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Taps Battery Supplier for PHEVs
The Li-ion battery system Johnson Controls-Saft is designing and manufacturing for Ford includes cells, mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 3, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo XC60 Builds on Safety Tradition
Dubbed the “safest Volvo ever,” the XC60 is chocked full of the Swedish auto maker’s signature safety technology.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 2, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford, Getrag Partner for Dual-Clutch Transmission
Ford Motor Co. and German supplier Getrag GmbH & Cie KG are teaming up to produce a new dual-clutch 6-speed transmission dubbed that will be used next year in North America in the auto maker's B- and C-segment cars. The transmission is being designed and developed by Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH, a joint venture that produces both manual and automated manual transmissions, a top Ford engineer says.
By Byron Pope • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer on Dodge Ram: It’s Just Been a Nightmare Launch
The suspense is over for doubters of the new Dodge Ram's radical rear suspension. If I get someone to drive it, and they've driven a Ford or a Chevy, they're blown away, says Brad Johnson, general sales manager at Bob Hoss Dodge Chrysler Jeep in Kansas City, KS. I've never had anyone that didn't come away pretty amazed at how it rides and handles. If only the '09 truck's breakthrough coil-spring setup
By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Financing Firm Free to Roam as GM Ends Its Long-Time Exclusive Ties with GMAC
General Motors Corp. ends its exclusive decades-long ties with GMAC as a condition of the bailout loans extended by the U.S. Treasury Department. The first-of-its-kind agreement includes Federal mandates that GM can access third-party lenders in addition to GMAC, while freeing the once-captive lender from its obligation to finance GMAC leases exclusively. The addition of non-GMAC lessors extends a
By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
China’s BYD Promises EVs in U.S. by 2011
Chinese battery-maker-turned-auto maker BYD Auto Co. Ltd. showed off a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle that can travel up to 62 miles (100 km) on battery power and a pure-electric concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, boldly declaring it would sell both in North America by 2011. Chairman Wang Chua-fu says BYD's proprietary lithium-iron battery technology will enable it
By Drew Winter • Feb. 1, 2009
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