Automakers: Page
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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 -
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
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
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
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
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 -
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
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 -
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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