Ford Looks To Simplify Organization

Reducing complexity is key to Ford Motor Co.'s turnaround, the company's top executive says. Since taking his post last September, Alan Mulally, president and CEO, has stressed the importance of simplifying the auto maker's massive global operations. Everything from personnel to factories, vehicle architectures and the number of option packages offered on a particular car or truck is being streamlined.

By Byron Pope • Sept. 1, 2007

Ford Formulates Global Succession Plan

Ford Motor Co.'s top executives are assigning considerable importance to devising succession plans for the auto maker's key executives. We spent six hours today working on succession planning together, President and CEO Alan Mulally tells reporters in Dearborn, MI, at an event marking his first year in office. We went through all the talent inside Ford and looked at talent outside Ford. It's not just

By Byron Pope • Sept. 1, 2007

Explore the 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

Honda Falls Behind 6-Speed Trend

As with it its chief competitor Toyota Motor Corp., which has had to delay the launch of new models due to too few employees, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. also is being affected by its growth. Honda, the No.2 Japanese OEM globally, has seen 11 consecutive years of record-setting sales in the U.S., with demand growing from slightly less than 800,000 units in 1996 to a projected 1.37 million this year. This

By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 1, 2007

Body-in-Lite

Chrysler LLC believes it has a jump on the competition in reducing vehicle weight, thanks to a new approach in body engineering the auto maker says will begin to pay big dividends in cars and trucks slated to hit the market in the next three to five years. The new holistic approach to body-in-white (BIW) engineering was developed by Chrysler and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and MBTech in collaboration

By David E. Zoia • Sept. 1, 2007

Getting Rid of the Assassins

Robert Waltz's job is to eliminate the assassins. He's not a counter-terrorist government operative. He's Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s vice president-customer satisfaction, a new department created to try to fix Toyota dealerships' overall poor satisfaction scores. Waltz describes assassins as vexed customers who, because of perceived ill treatment, leave a dealership without buying, then badmouth

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2007

Former Olds Store Celebrates 30 Years of Selling Hondas

Vidmar Motor Co., which opened in 1945 selling Oldsmobiles in Pueblo, CO, observes its 30th anniversary as a Honda dealer this year. Vidmar was one of Colorado's first dealerships to represent Honda. Last year, Vidmar strengthened its Honda presence by moving the Honda dealership to a larger building next to its Volkswagen store and across the street from its Chrysler/Jeep dealership. Jake Vidmar

Sept. 1, 2007

VW Says Dealer Profitability Looking Better

Volkswagen of America Inc. says VW dealer profitability has increased to as high as 2.45%, ahead of the 2006 industry average of 1.5%. In a tough year for vehicles sales, Volkswagen-exclusive dealers have reported an average return on sales of 2.45%. Across all dealers in the Volkswagen network profitability has improved to 2.05%. These numbers are up compared with December 2006 where profit percentages

Sept. 1, 2007

A Coming Storm?

Is there a storm front brewing in the area of dealer-manufacturer relations? One of the more pressing questions the next six months is how far if at all will Chrysler go in trying to reduce its dealership count. Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. actively have been reducing their numbers. So far, there have been few complaints on their process. Chrysler's strategy the last several years has been

By Cliff Banks • Sept. 1, 2007

GM Brazil Confident In Growth

The Brazilian market, notorious for bipolar ups and downs, is in the midst of another high, but this time there are signs the recovery may last, says General Motors Corp.'s top executive in the region. That's good news for GM, which counts more heavily on non-North American operations for an increasing chunk of its revenues and is beginning to eye adding third shifts at its South American assembly

By David E. Zoia • Sept. 1, 2007

Punchline No Longer

Time to bury those old jokes. You know the ones. What does B-U-I-C-K stand for? Big-Ugly-Imitation-Chrome-King. For the better part of two decades, the venerable brand has been stigmatized as a retiree's ride. But since the Lacrosse and Lucerne sedans launched in 2004 and 2005, respectively, Buick has been engaged in a race to become relevant. The carefully executed cars have helped raise the bar.

By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2007

First the Alamo, Now Trucks

Jordan Ford in San Antonio, TX, takes its brand's slight truck lead in the state personally. Texas is where American pickups are king, and the domestics run almost neck-to-neck. It's also where the Big Two Chevrolet and Ford are watching their backs as Toyota Motor Sales USA challenges them on their own turf with the new full-size Tundra pickup, now made in San Antonio. Also in the fray is the Chrysler

By Lillie Guyer • Sept. 1, 2007

GM to Cut Shift at Oshawa Truck Plant

Capacity at the Oshawa plant, which produces the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, goes from 300,000 units annually to 210,000 with the reduction to two shifts.

By Ward's Staff From Wires • Aug. 30, 2007

Nissan Mixim Concept for Those Who Shun Cars

The auto maker says it created the electric concept car to appeal to future adults, who as today’s teens view cars as archaic and dirty.

By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 30, 2007

Audi’s 4-cyl. DIG Powerhouse Hits Sweet Spot

Audi says there’s still plenty of potential development left for the industry’s first production engine to combine direct-injection gasoline fueling with turbocharging.

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 30, 2007

Nissan, Ashok Leyland to Build Big Trucks in India

The two companies reportedly are planning three joint ventures for vehicle and powertrain production and technology development.

By Wards Staff From Wires • Aug. 29, 2007

Redesigned Chrysler Sebring Celebrates Rebirth as GAZ Siber

The new model, unveiled by OOO Avtomobilny Zavod GAZ at the Moscow auto show today, is slated to reach Russian dealerships next spring.

By Peter Homola • Aug. 29, 2007

Buick on Track to Get Last Laugh

Elegant without pretentiousness, the Enclave offers superior refinement without diluting the driving experience.

By Eric Mayne • Aug. 29, 2007

New Honda Accord Employs 3-Stage Cylinder Deactivation

New VCM cylinder deactivation system is integrated with i-VTEC valvetrain and allows the ’08 Accord’s 3.5L SOHC V-6 to operate in 3-, 4- and 6-cyl. modes.

By Mike Sutton • Aug. 24, 2007

GM Launches Opel Astra Sedan Output in Poland

The Polish-made sedan primarily is destined for Eastern Europe and Turkey.

By Peter Homola • Aug. 23, 2007

Honda Brings Sporty Back for ’08 Accord

The eighth generation of the Japanese auto maker’s venerable family car is a worthy entrant in the fiercely competitive U.S. midsize sedan market.

By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 21, 2007

Munich Meets Talladega

Will Ferrell is the first U.S. celebrity recipient of a BMW H7 loan.

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 17, 2007

Chrysler Design Chief Bedeviled by Roadster

The Demon’s edgy design symbolizes a “rebirth” of the auto maker’s spirit as a bold, American company.

By Eric Mayne • Aug. 15, 2007

Infiniti Doesn’t Mess With G Coupe Success

The new G37 coupe continues the winning formula established with the first-generation G35 in 2002.

By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 14, 2007

Chrysler Financial Independent by Q1 2008

Mercedes business eventually will migrate to a new IT platform.

By Eric Mayne • Aug. 13, 2007

Toyota Tundra Incentives Not as High as Stated, Edmunds Says

Edmunds is retracting its assertion that Tundra incentives were approaching $7,000 in July, saying it miscalculated the spiff level.

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 10, 2007