Automakers: Page 337

  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    May Be the Best in 14 Years: Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.’s 3.7L DOHC V-6

    By now, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s all-conquering VQ V-6 architecture needs no introduction. The 3.7L variant's 2008 10 Best Engines award marks the 14th consecutive win for the VQ, and it is the only engine to do that It features refinement and ultra-low noise, vibration and harshness levels. Like many rivals, however, Nissan has not resisted the temptation to increase displacement, and over the years

    Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Body Shop Beefs Up Business

    It's been a long time since a privately owned dealership invested in boosting customer satisfaction by enlarging his body shop and constructing a stand-alone store that sells detailing products and vehicle-tweaking accessories. Robert J. Feeny, 50, is an innovative expansionist, to say the least, at his namesake Chrysler-Dodge dealership in the mid-Michigan city of Midland, home of Dow Chemical's

    By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2008
  • The interior of a Kia EV3 showing the dashboard and front seats. Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Kia Corporation
    Image attribution tooltip
    Trendline

    Artificial 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
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    GM Surprises Show With CTS Coupe Concept

    General Motors Corp. delivers the first surprise of the auto show with a Cadillac CTS concept coupe, a vehicle that exemplifies the luxury brand's future design direction and confirms a new diesel-engine application. It's a little too early to announce production, but if you look underneath, you can see that it's a real car, says GM Vice Chairman and product boss Bob Lutz. We call it a concept coupe,

    By James M. Amend • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Keystone Ford Ends 39-Year Run in L.A.

    Keystone Ford, a prominent dealership in the Latino district of southeast Los Angeles, ceased operations on Dec. 31 after a 39-year run that ended in declining sales and increasing losses. Owner Norman Stutzke, 75, says he accepted a closing offer from Ford Motor Co. after unsuccessfully trying to sell the Norwalk, CA dealership. About 400 Ford dealerships in the U.S. were closed in 2006 and 2007

    By Mac Gordon • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Yum, Yum It’s Good: BMW AG’s 3.0L Turbocharged DOHC I-6

    BMW AG's 3.0L turbocharged DOHC I-6 couldn't be more delicious if its internals were cast from solid Noka chocolate. The seminal BMW inline 6-cyl. format is the best of the best on just about any day, but when its engineers strapped on a couple of the quickest-acting turbochargers we've ever experienced, the result is pure engineering bliss. By today's standards, the absolute figure of 300 hp isn't

    Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Relatively Speaking, It’s a Big Engine: Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s 3.5L SOHC V-6

    As much as everyone respects Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s engine-development abilities, the company hasn't won that many 10 Best Engines awards. We figure it's due to Honda's overwhelmingly conservative philosophy. While it's always stretching the boundaries of engineering, its production engines tend to be comparatively unassuming in specification. It is the only one of Japan's three major auto makers

    Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    $13 Per Gallon Will Get Their Attention

    Gasoline prices must quadruple to motivate consumers enough to demand the types of expensive technologies auto makers require to comply with upcoming tougher fuel-economy standards, a Chrysler LLC economist warns. Assuming Americans will want the same utility and performance they enjoy in today's vehicles, Chrysler ran a computer simulation of conditions required to generate market in 2020, when a

    By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chrysler Sourcing Too NAFTA-Centric

    Chrysler LLC's new global purchasing chief wants financially healthy parts producers and will look beyond North American shores for high-quality, cost-competitive components, as well as vehicle-engineering services. John Campi became Chrysler's executive vice president-procurement Jan. 3 after spending more than 35 years in sourcing, some of it in automotive. He spent the last three years at Home

    By Tom Murphy • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    New Ram Boasts More Power and Storage Room

    Chrysler LLC was thinking out of the box during development of its flagship Dodge Ram pickup for '09. The vehicle not only features an upgraded 380-hp 5.7L Hemi V-8 with a Cummins turbodiesel promised after 2009 and a 2-mode hybrid system scheduled for model-year '10 it also boasts a segment-first coil-spring multi-link rear suspension, styling and innovative storage options. How innovative? The Rambox,

    By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    What’s the Matter With Kids?

    It started out innocently enough as a conversation about Christmas gifts. People my age value experiences over material things, my 21-year-old told me. I assumed he was just politely asking for cash and didn't think much of it. Then, during a recent meeting with Ward's editors, Ford sales analyst George Pipas used almost exactly the same words to explain the entire Millennial generation, people born

    By • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 Product Teams for Chrysler

    Detroit Chrysler LLC is expanding its product-development process, internally and externally, in an aggressive bid to satisfy consumer demands in an increasingly competitive environment, the auto maker's top executive says. Internally, Chrysler has replaced its architecture-oriented product-development structure with five product teams that feature a segment or brand focus. Externally, the auto maker

    By Eric Mayne • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Manufacturing Flexibility Key to Honda’s Surprising 3Q Profit

    Despite media headlines claiming Honda’s fuel-efficient cars led to a surprising third-quarter profit, its flexible plants deserve at least 50% of the credit.

    By • Feb. 1, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    LED Headlamps Provide Cadillac Escalade Technical Innovation, Design Character

    The technology marks another step in regaining the brand’s reputation as a technical innovator, while providing another flourish to its design renaissance.

    By James M. Amend • Jan. 31, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    GM South Africa Sees Opportunity for Growth in 2008

    A key growth area remains the light-commercial vehicle segment, where the auto maker holds a 23% share.

    By Richard Hurst • Jan. 25, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Ford Sees Silver Lining in $2.7 Billion Loss

    CEO Alan Mulally says he expects a boost in North America in the year’s second half, when the Ford Flex CUV and ’09 F-150 pickup hit the market.

    By Byron Pope • Jan. 24, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lexus to Borrow From Scion to Transform Showroom Experience

    What Scion buyers want – and future Lexus customers will desire, as well – is a quicker purchasing and no-fuss service experience.

    By David E. Zoia • Jan. 24, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chrysler ‘Scouring World’ for Competitive Advantage

    Chrysler’s planned centers of excellence could spawn assembly operations in China, Russia, India and Brazil, Robert Nardelli hints.

    By Eric Mayne • Jan. 23, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    VW Stands by Routan Name for New Minivan

    While most dealers contacted by Ward’s say they are just happy to have a new product to drive traffic into their showrooms, some are bewildered over VW’s naming strategy.

    By Byron Pope • Jan. 23, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Chrysler Moves Boag Again

    Simon Boag now is on his second job in two weeks and third position since rejoining Chrysler from Mercedes-Benz in May.

    By Ward's Staff • Jan. 18, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    BMW Says No Drastic Job Cuts as Battles Rising Costs, Weak Dollar

    Stefan Krause, BMW’s top sales executive, dismisses reports of growing friction between the auto maker and its suppliers as a result of cost-cutting initiatives.

    By David E. Zoia • Jan. 18, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    No Time to Pause for Rolls-Royce

    The next step involves expanded capacity, first with a tweak meant to squeeze out more Phantom convertibles, then with a more ambitious program to launch the new RR4 model.

    By David E. Zoia • Jan. 16, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Lutz Says Toyota Can Have the Sales, Production Crown

    “I think there is a certain benefit to the internal culture in being No.2,” GM’s Bob Lutz tells journalists.

    By James M. Amend • Jan. 16, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    GM, Toyota Rivalry Heats Up Over Plug-In Hybrids

    Toyota, which with its popular Prius hybrid is perceived by consumers as the greenest of auto makers, now says it is speeding up its PHEV plans.

    By James M. Amend • Jan. 15, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    Geely Returns to Detroit But Mum on U.S. Plans

    By 2015, the auto maker is targeting global capacity of 1.7 million units and annual sales of 2 million vehicles, with two-thirds coming from export markets.

    By • Jan. 15, 2008
  • WardsAuto logo.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of WardsAuto
    Image attribution tooltip

    GM Attrition Could ‘Quickly’ Reshape Workforce

    The auto maker will conduct another round of buyouts in the coming weeks, Rick Wagoner says, for which all other UAW-represented employees will be eligible.

    By James M. Amend • Jan. 15, 2008