Automakers: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler’s Valued-Dealer List to Be Preliminary Filing
The auto maker must submit a list to the bankruptcy court and inform its dealers of their status at least 13 days prior to its assets sale hearing scheduled for May 27.
By Cliff Banks • May 13, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Daimler to Take Over Ford’s Stake in NuCellSys
NuCellSys currently is part of the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation JV between Ford and Daimler that is centered on the former automotive division of Canadian fuel-cell developer Ballard Power Systems.
By Peter Homola • May 12, 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
GMAC Woes Unlikely to Torpedo GM, Chrysler
Solvency issues heighten around GMAC, with the U.S. Treasury Dept. revealing earlier this week the bank must raise $11.5 billion to shore up its capital reserves
By James M. Amend • May 8, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Opel Considers Revival of Wartburg Brand
The Wartburg potentially would have a base price of about E7,000 ($9,400) in Germany.
By Peter Homola • May 7, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Renault, TomTom Have High Expectations for Low-Cost Nav System
About 80% of people who buy GPS systems opt for a nomadic device, with only about 10% purchasing integrated systems currently offered by auto makers.
By William Diem • May 5, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Don’t Call Cube Cute or Mistake It for Scion xB
Nissan expects the new Cube’s “bulldog wearing sunglasses” look will appeal to a main customer base of Generation Y buyers, age 18 to 25.
By Steve Finlay • May 4, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Australia Says Not Part of U.S. Bankruptcy Proceedings
“We are a solid, profitable business and here to stay,” Chrysler Australia Managing Director Gerry Jenkins says, although the company’s 60 dealers may run short of some models while U.S. plants are idled.
By Alan Harman • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Dealers Sell, Despite Bankruptcy
“After the president’s announcement, we received 16 leads, which never happens at the end of the month,” says dealer Tom Vann.
By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s ‘Main Street’ Bondholders Back Big-Bank Counteroffer
The Main Street bondholders call the big-bank counteroffer a “fair” and “respectable” deal that could save GM from bankruptcy.
By Ward's Staff • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
G37 Drops its Top
Some fans have begged for a new Infiniti convertible, even though the first one was less than a success for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s luxury division. That was the Infiniti M30, which had a 3-year run ending in 1992, due to sales so poor it holds the dubious title as the rarest Infiniti ever made. In a second effort at open-air motoring, Infiniti debuts the sleek and technologically impressive '09 Infiniti
By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Design Harmony: Lexus RX Achieves Harmonic Balance
Lexus interior designers handily bring a sense of calm and order inside the new '10 RX 450h hybrid CUV no small feat considering the technology inside. Contributing to the serenity are enough artistic flourishes to warrant a special exhibit at the Guggenheim. Take the dramatic swoops and bulges that make up the instrument panel. The lack of symmetry and the absence of a conventionally arrayed center
By Christie Schweinsberg • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Four Mistakes Dealers Make with Their Internet Customers
What are the big mistakes a typical auto dealer makes in dealing with Internet customers? Matthew Valentine, former owner of Valentine Honda in Richmond, KY, who now runs an outsourcing Internet-oriented business development center service, cites four failings. They are: Not tracking Internet lead-provider results. You want to know what your average cost per sale is, he says. Phone follow-up is lacking.
May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
BMW Focuses on Keeping Its Dealership Network Strong
BMW of North America LLC is focusing on keeping its dealer network strong and also increasing sales of pre-owned vehicles, which rose 16.4% last year, says Jim O'Donnell, president of the company. BMW's total used-vehicle business is up 18% so far this year, helping dealers stay solvent. BMW dealers have invested $21.5 million in technical training and facilities improvements in the last three years
May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia’s Whole Lotta Soul
Kia Motors Corp. has waited anxiously for the Soul for three years and now is hoping the subcompact cross/utility vehicle will put the budget South Korean brand on more buyers' radar screens, both in the U.S. and abroad. The boxy model is not unique in concept, with the Honda Element and Scion xB already on sale for years, and the Nissan Cube arrives this month. All aim to blur the lines between car,
By Christie Schweinsberg • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Taps North American Design Chief
Derek Jenkins replaces Franz von Holzhausen as Mazda’s North American design director.
By Ward's Staff • May 1, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bankruptcy Creates Questions for Chrysler Dealers
Chrysler, at the urging of President Obama’s automotive task force, put together a list of its good and bad dealers about a month ago, which was approved by the task force earlier this week.
By Cliff Banks • April 30, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler, Canada Settle Tax Squabble
Daimler confirms it has divested itself of the 19.9% stake it retained in Chrysler since the auto maker was acquired by Cerberus.
By Eric Mayne • April 28, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda Fits Nicely in Winner’s Circle
From the sporty mesh on the steering wheel to the second-row “Magic Seat,” the Honda Fit represents a superb value. The competition was outgunned.
By Tom Murphy • April 27, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM to Kill Pontiac Brand, Reports Say
The speculation first arose in Australia, where GM sources the Pontiac G8 sports sedan from its GM Holden unit.
By James M. Amend • April 24, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bankruptcy May Be Part of Chrysler Strategy
The bankruptcy filing would allow Chrysler to sell or close down operations and assets it doesn’t believe it will need and cancel franchise agreements with some dealers to thin its retail ranks.
By Ward's Staff From Wires • April 23, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Completes Transformation of Kentucky Truck Plant
The facility, which currently assembles F-Series Super-Duty pickups, received a new flexible body shop and added a second trim shop to handle production of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.
By Ward's Staff • April 23, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Renault and Saturn?
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 Renault the most likely partner for Saturn? Read the column to see the reasons why it might work.
April 20, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GMC, Pontiac Shut Down? Not Without Bankruptcy
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.When yesterday's stories broke on various news agencies that General Motors Corp. was considering axing its Pontiac and GMC brands as a way ...
April 17, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Sticking to 4-Brand Strategy, Looking to Trim Dealer Ranks More Quickly
GM’s CEO says today’s press conference is one of several planned as it works simultaneously to formulate a restructuring plan and prepare for a potential bankruptcy by June 1.
By James M. Amend • April 17, 2009 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How Small Can GM Get?
A fair guess for a smaller GM might be a 10.2% market share in a few years. So in a 13 million-unit year, the new GM might sell fewer than half as many vehicles.
By Jerry Flint • April 13, 2009
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