Automakers: Page 327
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Won’t Rule Out Plastic Body Panels
“If ever there was a time to get back into plastic, now is the time,” General Motors executive Maureen Midgley says at an automotive conference, in response to exorbitant increases in steel.
By Tom Murphy • Oct. 10, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lincoln MKS Holding Own in Difficult Market
Lincoln paid particular attention to instructing dealers how to sell the MKS, launching a nationwide training program seven months before Job One.
By Byron Pope • Oct. 10, 2008 -
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
Toyota Opens New Tech Center Campus in Michigan
Despite having other tech centers in California, the two Michigan sites make the region Toyota’s “center for automotive R&D in North America,” TTC President Shigeki Terashi says.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Oct. 9, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford’s MyKey No Replacement for Parental Involvement, Safety Advocates Warn
The MyKey system allows parents of teen drivers to program a key that can limit a vehicle’s top speed and restrict audio-system volume.
By Byron Pope • Oct. 8, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mitsubishi Workers Accept Concessions in Close Vote
Of the workers to cast ballots, 54% approved the deal, while 46% were opposed, says a terse posting on a UAW website.
By Ward's Staff • Oct. 6, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Renault Reveals New Meganes in Paris
The new Meganes will offer four diesel options, with 90- and 110-hp versions emitting less than 120 g/km of carbon-dioxide.
By William Diem • Oct. 2, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volkswagen Debuts New Golf, GTI Concept in Paris
Volkwagen’s restyled Golf moves touts fuel economy and offers numerous upscale electronic and safety features.
By Drew Winter • Oct. 2, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Citroen CUV May Hint at C6 Replacement
Citroen and Peugeot will begin spreading a new generation of stop/start micro hybrid technology across its range of gasoline and diesel engines in 2010.
By William Diem • Oct. 2, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Head-Restraint Tweak Boosts Crash Ratings
A tweak earlier this year to the head restraint design of General Motors Corp.'s midsize cross/utility vehicles help the quartet earn a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The insurance group's highest safety ratings for the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave and newly launched Chevrolet Traverse arrived less than a week after two of the auto maker's small CUVs
By James M. Amend • Oct. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
AutoNation CEO Says GM Neglects Chevy
General Motors Corp. should pay more attention to Chevrolet, its flagship division, says Michael Jackson, CEO of AutoNation Inc., the nation's largest dealership chain. He's baffled GM has tried to bolster weaker brands, such as Buick and Saturn, by giving them preferential treatment with new-product infusions at the expense of Chevrolet. You don't treat your strongest brand like that, Jackson says,
Oct. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler May Simplify Surveys
Ward's has learned Chrysler LLC may pare down its satisfaction surveys to two fundamental questions for dealership customers: 1.Would you buy another vehicle from this dealership? 2. Would you return to this dealership for service? A source says those bottom-line queries would replace longer surveys based on numeric index scoring. Critics say the customer-satisfaction index system is flawed. Auto
By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Blue Oval Fight Carries On In Court
Ford dealers are awaiting a court decision which could strike a blow to the auto maker's controversial Blue Oval awards program for dealers. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia is deciding whether to extend to all Ford dealers, not just nine plaintiff dealers, class certification that would protect them from potential negative aspects of the long-standing Blue Oval program. The plaintiffs
By Mac Gordon • Oct. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Needs Volume to Make Small Cars Profitable
Joliet, Il General Motors Corp. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says the industry will not sell small cars profitably until consumer demand swings further towards the segment. Part of it is getting the supply and demand dictated, Lutz tells journalists at GM's recent '09 product preview here. The profitability of fullsize SUVs was only there because that was what the public demanded. The profit always goes
By James M. Amend • Oct. 1, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Volvo Hybrid Bus Bows Using In-House Drive Technology
The parallel hybrid system also will be used in trucks and construction equipment manufactured by Volvo Group.
By Herb Shuldiner • Sept. 29, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
African Locust Inspire Volvo’s Quest for Crash-Proof Car
Researcher Claire Rind’s studies of the African locust reveal that during migratory flights the insects do not collide even though they travel in swarms of millions.
By Herb Shuldiner • Sept. 29, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Union Ratifies Wage Package; Co-Chairman Moves to Mobis
A tentative Kia agreement reached late Thursday matches Hyundai’s terms, except the incentive bonus is less at 3.6 million won. A date for next week’s ratification vote has not been announced.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 26, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM’s Top-Selling Chevy Dealer Out of Business
Bill Heard Enterprises, which sold more than 40,000 new vehicles last year, is shuttering its dealerships.
By Cliff Banks • Sept. 25, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan VQ Enjoys 14 Years of Accolades
Nissan’s 10 Best Engines-winning DOHC V-6 keeps getting better – and bigger. With V-6s this good, who needs a V-8?
By Gary Witzenburg • Sept. 25, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Volt Makes Green-Leaning Filmmaker a GM Cheerleader
A change to the Volt’s operating system switches from an ICE continuously recharging the Li-ion battery to one that powers an onboard generator that sends electricity to the drive wheels.
By James M. Amend • Sept. 24, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota to Stick By NiMH
Too much has been invested in nickel-metal-hydride technology for Toyota to make a sudden, wholesale move to lithium-ion batteries, a top research executive says.
By David E. Zoia • Sept. 18, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai to Bring Full I-Series Small Cars to India
The i20 will launch in India by December and in two years the i30 and i40 will be available.
By Sudhakar Shah • Sept. 16, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
’09 Cadillac CTS-V Ready For a Fight
After several good-but-not-great V-Series attempts, Cadillac’s bold reprise of the CTS-V confirms GM is serious about the brand’s world-class performance.
By Mike Sutton • Sept. 15, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota to Unveil Lexus Convertible in Paris
Dealer sources say the car is U.S. bound and should help Toyota’s sports-sedan lineup win sales from rivals BMW and Mercedes.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 15, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW Happily Goes Where Some Fear to Tread With New Routan
VW hasn’t ruled out a diesel for the Routan, but there isn’t one in the product plan, says an executive.
By Tom Murphy • Sept. 11, 2008 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia Union Rejects Second Tentative Agreement
Management suspects rejection of a similar labor agreement with Hyundai last week may have influenced union recommendations.
By Vince Courtenay • Sept. 11, 2008
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