Automakers: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Sends Nick Reilly to Opel; Search for Permanent CEO Continues
Reilly brings a measure of experience in the region, having bounced between management positions with Vauxhall and GM Europe for more than 25 years.
By Ward's Staff • Nov. 10, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Jaguar Design Chief Says Time for Auto Maker to ‘Grow Up’
Ian Callum says the auto maker was “coddled” under Ford management, and an “entrepreneurial spirit” now is driving the company.
By Byron Pope • Nov. 9, 2009 -
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
Volvo Demos Pedestrian Protection System
The new system, which is engineered to automatically stop cars from hitting pedestrians at speeds of up to 16 mph, will be introduced in the ’11 Volvo S60.
By Herb Shuldiner • Nov. 6, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ad Blitz Launches Ram Brand; 7-Passenger Dodge CUV to Bow in 2010
The Dodge Viper will be phased out in July 2010. In its place will come a sports car likely inspired by Fiat brands, such as Alfa Romeo, Maserati or Ferrari.
By Eric Mayne • Nov. 4, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda Accord Crosstour: It’s What Is Inside That Counts
The No.2 Japanese auto maker’s newest CUV is a fine vehicle with a clever interior, but the styling is sure to polarize potential buyers.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Nov. 3, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Tesla Breaks Production EV World Record in Oz Global Green Challenge
Contestants in the biennial event encountered an earthquake, dust storm and sweltering conditions over seven days of endurance driving through the Australian Outback.
By Alan Harman • Nov. 3, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Launches Kia Venga at Czech Plant
Production of a fourth model, a Hyundai MPV, will be added to the mix at the Nosovice plant in 2011.
By Peter Homola • Nov. 2, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kizashi Best Suzuki, But Not Luxury Competitor
The brand’s new midsize sedan could woo Nissan Altima and Mazda6 intenders, but not those seeking used German or Japanese sport sedans.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Nov. 2, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mercedes-Financial First To Let Customers Pay by iPhone
Mercedes-Benz Financial becomes the first automotive financial services company to let customers pay their car loans using hand-held iPhone and iPod Touch devices. It's the next step in a trend of more consumers using the Internet for banking and bill-paying, says Jennifer Springer, manager-dealer and consumer point of sale for Mercedes-Benz Financial. Fifty percent of our loan payments come from
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
The Color of Money
HIGHLAND, MI Battling backlash from its controversial plan to shutter thousands of dealerships this year, General Motors Co. points to LaFontaine Buick-Pontiac-GMC and Cadillac as the sort of store to which restructuring survivors should aspire. Located some 60 miles (97 km) north of GM's world headquarters in Detroit, the 63,000 sq.-ft. (5,853 sq.-m) LaFontaine Green Auto Campus opened about a year
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Sees Trouble Ahead for Suppliers
The new purchasing chief at gen- eral Motors Co. expects more turmoil in the supply base as production volumes gain steam and says his shrunken organization is learning to do more with less. Bob Socia, a 34-year veteran of GM who took over from Bo Andersson earlier this summer, also hints GM will start bringing in some suppliers earlier on product programs and says changes he has implemented to the
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Intake
Regarding Jerry Flint's column about culture change at GM (see WAW — Aug. '09, p.32): I remember working at Toyota's Engineering Center in Ann Arbor in the late 1990s as a product engineer and having to prepare for design reviews with the president of the company.
Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Unlike Competitors, Ford Avoided Reinventing Itself
Unlike its distressed U.S. counterparts, Ford Motor Co. has not resorted to itself, making it more attractive to consumers, says Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president-marketing and communications. It's nothing against our competitors; I'd be doing the same thing if I were in their position, Farley says, referring to General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, auto makers that went in and out of bankruptcy
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GMC Covers New Terrain
A few short years ago, the thought of a GMC Terrain based on the Chevrolet Equinox would have made us cringe with low expectations of badge engineering, a now infamous practice allowing the former General Motors Corp. to share vehicle platforms across eight divisions with little or no differentiation. The strategy often watered down the auto maker's brands, leaving little to distinguish a particular
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
From Midnight Factory Worker To New GM Sales Chief
Susan Docherty, a longtime General Motors Co. executive who cut her teeth working midnights at one of the manufacturer's transmission plants, will take over the auto maker's U.S. sales operation. Docherty, 46, was general manager of Buick-GMC. Her new appointment will place her among the highest-ranking women in the industry. The Windsor, ON, Canada, native replaces Mark LaNeve, who leaves the auto
By James Amend • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford: Maybe Driving and Cell Phones Not Such a Bad Mix
Using handheld devices such as cell phones or iPods while driving is less dangerous than commonly believed, Ford Motor Co. research indicates. Since 1995, cell phone subscriptions have skyrocketed from 28 million users to 270 million. But during that time period, auto fatalities have declined, says Louis Tijerina, technical specialist-Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. The seemingly contradictive
By Byron Pope • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Digital Content Must Click
All automotive advertising matters, including established forms such as television, even though 20% of people watching prime-time TV are either drunk or asleep, quips Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s communications and marketing guru. While not abandoning traditional media, Farley is spurring a drive to digital, with about 25% of Ford's media buys now going online. About 50% goes to television. The auto
By Steven Finlay • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Harsh Words for Chrysler from One Angry Woman Dealer
Colleen McDonald thinks it was about her and 46 other women. They are among 789 Chrysler brand dealers that Chrysler LLC cut as part of an effort to reduce its distribution network. The auto maker says the eliminations were done using a data-based matrix. McDonald, daughter of a longtime metro-Detroit Ford dealer, Tom McDonald, is unconvinced. She contends her gender played a role in Chrysler's decision
By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fiat 500 Abarth U.S.-Bound
Chrysler Group LLC dealers have been advised that their first Fiat 500 car, due in the '11 model year, will be the Abarth edition, an up-contented sporty subcompact. The Abarth is similar in dimensions to BMW's Mini Cooper, but goes the Mini one better in that it has a race-car heritage dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. That's when Karl Abarth produced Fiat-based race cars and supplied parts for
By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Saturn Dealers: Now What?
When General Motors Corp. said early this year it planned to shed its Saturn brand, Shau-wai Lam decided to do the same thing at the major dealership group he heads. After consulting with his management team, he closed the last two of his remaining Saturn stores. He once had six in New York and New Jersey. Those were closed earlier as Saturn sales fell. We had originally put hope in the future of
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda V-6 Unique and Versatile
How many top-ranked V-6 engines wear two single camshafts atop 4-valve heads? Of our 2009 10 Best Engines, only Honda's 3.5L fits this description. Volkswagen AG's 2.0L I-4 turbodiesel has just one overhead cam. Another, Chrysler Group LLC's 5.7L OHV Hemi V-8, hides a single cam within its block with old-school pushrod architecture. All seven other 2009 award winners one V-8, two V-6s, two I-6s and
By Gary Witzenburg • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
The Great Divide at Dodge
Chrysler LLC's decision to divide Dodge brand administration by product line portends greater focus on the marque's underperforming car business, according to insiders and observers. The move also represents a vote of confidence in design guru Ralph Gilles, named president and CEO of the new division, and suggests a strategic departure for Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne. Historically, Marchionne favors
By Eric Mayne • Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Almost as Nice as Showroom
Bob Moran, dealer principal of Acton Toyota, in Littleton, MA, visited a local Mercedes-Benz store while mulling over the various equipment and workspace options that would outfit his new store. Seeing an organized service area with built-in toolboxes, he decided to do the same thing at his dealership. I loved the way everything looked and felt at that dealership, Moran says. It was not only extremely
Nov. 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
UAW Disconnect in Ford Concession Vote, Analysts Say
At stake are more than $2 billion in investments that would support some 7,000 jobs – including new hires.
By Byron Pope and Eric Mayne • Oct. 30, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Eager to Retain Pontiac-Saturn Customer Base
October could mark the first month since January 2008 that GM can claim a year-over-year sales hike. Meanwhile, this year could see the Chevrolet Camaro outsell its archrival, the Ford Mustang.
By Eric Mayne • Oct. 28, 2009
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