Automakers: Page
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Environment Much on Mind of Honda’s R&D Chief
Ward’s discusses trends with Honda R&D chief Masaaki Kato.
By Roger Schreffler • Nov. 13, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford Australia Revives Cobra Badge
Two new Cobra models recall a memorable victory in one of Australia’s most famous motor races.
By Alan Harman • Nov. 12, 2007 -
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
Mustang, Jetta Track Ready
Ford and Volkswagen have created separate race series and will supply track-ready versions of the Mustang and Jetta turbodiesel straight from the factory.
By Tom Murphy • Nov. 12, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford UAW Members Voting on Tentative Contract
Voting on a new 4-year labor agreement will conclude Nov. 12, the UAW says.
By Ward's Staff • Nov. 9, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bullitt Ricochets Into Ford’s ’08 Lineup
Ford’s ’08 Mustang Bullitt will sticker for $31,075. Production will be limited to 7,700 units.
By Byron Pope • Nov. 7, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Kia Borrego to Debut at NAIAS
The Borrego, to be built in South Korea, will offer V-6 and V-8 engines, the latter marking the first time a V-8 will have been offered in a Kia.
By Ward's Staff • Nov. 6, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Promotes Lentz
A new round of promotions also sees a TMS executive moving to Toyota’s U.S. holding unit in New York.
By Ward's Staff • Nov. 6, 2007 -
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Ssangyong, SAIC Plant in China Set to Launch Kyron
The two companies announced a deal in 2005 to produce the Kyron in China, but the plan stalled due to strong resistance from Ssangyong’s union.
By Vince Courtenay • Nov. 2, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Fighting the Climate Pig Image
Porsche AG's storied sports cars have been called many things throughout the decades well engineered, powerful and expensive. But Greenpeace activists recently branded the German muscle marque along with several others with a new moniker: Climate Pig. Yes, Virginia, global warming really is changing everything. Even the auto industry is being forced to turn green. The new buzzword is carbon footprint,
By Barbara McClellan • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
General Motors Poised for Record Year in Used-Car Sales
New York Tracking 6% ahead of the 450,000 certified used vehicles it sold last year, General Motors Corp. is poised to set a new sales record in the segment in 2007, says Paul Pejza, manager of GM's certified used-vehicle program. In total, about 42.5 million used vehicles will be sold this year, Pejza predicts. Last year, franchised dealers sold 14 million used cars, including 1.6 million certified
By Herb Shuldiner • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Concert for Dealers Miffs Aerosmith’s Fans
Aerosmith fans in Hawaii are suing the rock band for canceling a planned public concert in Maui in order to perform during a dealer event. The class-action suit alleges Aerosmith bailed out of the sold-out Maui concert in favor of a larger concert in Chicago and a lucrative, private concert for Toyota car dealers at the University of Hawaii. Buyers received refunds for the face value of the tickets
Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
On a Sales Roll, Audi Plans to Add 10 Dealerships This Year
Audi of America Inc. is revamping its dealer network in the U.S. to prepare for higher sales volumes. The auto maker's 270 dealers now will be required to make considerable investments to meet new volume, customer-service satisfaction and increased used-car business requirements. With the new guidelines, however, Audi is offering the opportunity to make considerably higher margins per unit. Dealers
By Herb Shuldiner • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Uses Math to Trim 6-Speed’s Cost, Development Time
General Motors Corp. says math-based tools allowed it to shave $150 million from the development of its current 6-speed transmission lineup, a launch that began in 2004 and now numbers nine gearboxes. Two to three (transmissions) in a decade would be a big deal, says Jim Lanzon, executive director-transmission engineering at GM Powertrain. But to do 10 in four years or so takes a lot of tools, a lot
By James M. Amend • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler’s New Employee, Jim Press, Pays Visits to Dealers
Jim Press appears to be on the same page as his new boss at Chrysler LLC. The auto maker's new vice chairman and president in charge of international sales and marketing says his goal is to free Chrysler employees to do what they need to do to take care of the customer. These words echo those of CEO and Chairman Bob Nardelli, who told journalists he is a huge believer in reinvesting in our human capital.
By Byron Pope • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Robert Lund, a Top GM Executive Turned Dealer, Dies at 87
Robert Lund, who rose to the highest ranks at General Motors Corp., then to co-own three successful Cadillac dealerships in Phoenix, died Oct. 18 at age 87. He had suffered from heart problems since his late 70s, but kept up his interest and visits to the dealerships all through his last years, says son John Lund, his partner in charge of the three stores, which include Hummer and Saab franchises.
By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer Defends His Customers
Saturn owners are less likely to default on their new-car loans, says Don Hudler, former Saturn Corp. president and current Saturn dealer, in rebutting a claim in a business magazine article. The story headlined Car Loans: Another Headache for Detroit in the August 20 issue of Business Week, alleges Saturn buyers are 22 times more likely to default on their loans than Toyota buyers are. Hudler, who
By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Get CEO’s Attention: Write Book about the Company
Clifton Lambreth feared he'd be axed as a Ford Motor Co. manager after he sent CEO Alan Mulally a copy of his book, an insider's account of what went wrong at the ailing auto maker. I told my wife, The book may save Ford, but it may cost me my job, says Lambreth, a customer-service division zone manager in Memphis, TN. Instead, he got a call from Mulally, asking him to lunch, where they spent two
By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Loses Robert Lund, W. Wayne Booker
Two high-ranking automotive executives died in late October former Ford Motor Co. Vice Chairman W. Wayne Booker and Robert Lund, who rose within General Motors Corp. and then retired to co-own three successful Cadillac dealerships in Phoenix. Booker began his career at Ford in 1959 as a cost analyst and was best known for expanding the auto maker's presence in Asia. Booker was named a company vice
By Mac Gordon and Byron Pope • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
They’re on the Road to Victory
Blue balloons, amusing commercials, Midnight Madness sales and frequent raffle giveaways keep the sales numbers and customer satisfaction ratings aloft at the 22 dealerships of the Victory Automotive Group. Ranked 31st on the Ward's Dealer Business Megadealer 100, Victory's stores are unique among megadealers by their dedication to mostly single-point Honda, Nissan and Toyota franchises. Owner-president
By Mac Gordon • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mazda Plants Switching to Water-Based Paints
Mazda Motor Corp. will begin transitioning to water-based paints at its global manufacturing facilities starting next year, with its plants in Japan the first of Mazda's to completely do away with solvent-based paints, officials say. We are developing the technology to apply water-based paint in our 3-coat (wet-paint) system, which currently uses low-solvent paint, senior research engineer Takakazu
By Christie Schweinsberg • Nov. 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Gives Glimpse of New Coupe
The new coupe will come with a 6-speed automatic transmission, 3.8L engine making 300 hp and will be in showrooms by 2009.
By Cliff Banks • Oct. 31, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Confirms Shreveport Investment
The new H3T sport/utility-pickup is slated to hit U.S. dealer showrooms in third-quarter 2008.
By Ward's Staff • Oct. 30, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dutch Team Wins Australian Solar Race
Stanford University’s car crashed and rolled after blowing a tire near the small Outback town of Marla, but the driver was unhurt.
By Alan Harman • Oct. 30, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VWA Shuffles Ranks; Hallmark Heads Back to Germany
Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president in charge of the Volkswagen brand for VWA since November 2005, will oversee sales and marketing initiatives for the parent company in the Asia/Pacific region.
By Eric Mayne • Oct. 25, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Pays U.S. Executives Well, Hayakawa Says
U.S. executives won’t have an opportunity to rise to the rank of president of Toyota Motor Corp. “in the near future,” the auto maker’s North American president says.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Oct. 25, 2007
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