Automakers: Page 372

Ford Motor Co. 4.6L SOHC V-8

Most of the conversations about Ford Motor Co.'s 4.6L SOHC V-8 during Ward's 10 Best Engines testing went something like this: “You drive the Mustang yet?” “Yeah. The four-six is nasty. Goes like stink in that car.” “Sounds awesome, too. Perfect muscle-car sounds. Perfect muscle-car V-8, as a matter of fact.” Associating Ford's spectacular 4.6L V-8 so closely with the Mustang is both boon and curse.

By Bill Visnic • Jan. 4, 2006

General Motors Corp. 2.8L Turbocharged DOHC V-6

The dominant engine layout in the U.S. is the V-6. Last year, about 44% of the vehicles produced in North America came so equipped, and V-6s beat every other engine layout in terms of total sales. Strangely, though, there are few V-6s using forced induction to generate big performance. In the U.S., if you want a V-6 with better performance, you buy a V-8. So it is a special day to see an all-new turbocharged

By Bill Visnic • Jan. 4, 2006

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

Mazda Motor Corp. 2.3L DISI Turbocharged DOHC I-4

Big-horsepower engines are nothing new to the Ward's 10 Best Engines competition. Even big-horsepower engines at incredibly accessible prices are not unusual. Those two attributes provide the foundation of a good 10 Best Engines resume. It's no wonder, then, Mazda Motor Corp.'s sizzling new 2.3L DISI turbocharged DOHC I-4 lands in the winner's circle for 2006. Few hoods in the U.S. market cover a

By Bill Visnic • Jan. 4, 2006

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. 3.5L DOHC V-6 update from January 2006

An engineer for one of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s rivals recently groused, “You know, you really ought to call it 'Ward's 9 Best Engines,' because Nissan automatically gets a win every year.” The comment was offered good-naturedly but with a twinge of frustration. With a record 12th consecutive win for its landmark 3.5L VQ DOHC V-6, Nissan is making a case for the engineer's suggestion. It has been a

By Bill Visnic • Jan. 4, 2006

’07 Chevy Tahoe on Heady Mission

PHOENIX – This is the big one for General Motors Corp. The ’07 Chevrolet Tahoe is the first of the GMT900 family of fullsize trucks to hit the streets, and it needs every bit of its increased dimensions and high-strength steel. The load – expectations of maintaining high-volume sales and profits – is so crucial that GM accelerated development of this mega-platform. The first GMT900-based SUV, the

By Alisa Priddle • Jan. 3, 2006

Asian Invasion

The Big Three U.S. auto makers traditionally hold little back as they prepare a glut of product unveilings for the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit, their backyard. This year, however, General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group dialed back the lengthy media previews of each company's offerings in the months leading up to this year's show. GM went so far as to

By Tom Murphy • Jan. 1, 2006

Aveo Facelift

General Motors Corp.'s redesigned '07 Chevrolet Aveo sedan will make its North American debut in January at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show. The Aveo, first introduced in December 2003, has been a solid performer for GM, becoming the leader in the subcompact segment within nine months, capturing a 41% share, says Ed Peper, general manager-Chevrolet. The 4-door gets a major facelift inside and out

Jan. 1, 2006

Bright Idea

Ford Motor Co.'s new electronically sensored adaptive lighting system has eyes. When the concept sedan (set to debut at the Detroit auto show) eases into a curve, its light-emitting-diode panel in the front headlight assembly glows a soft white to follow the contour of the road, giving the driver a wide view of the dark. The panels are at once a safety feature and a technological strike for Ford,

Jan. 1, 2006

Topless Wonder

This spring, when Volvo Cars begins selling its second-generation C70 convertible, the 4-seater will feature advanced active and passive safety systems that combine to produce a high degree of occupant protection, despite the absence of a fixed roof much of the time. It is a major challenge, but today we know considerably more about safety in convertibles than we did with the first C70, says Ingrid

By Herb Shuldiner • Jan. 1, 2006

Going for the Gold

High fuel prices, hurricanes and floods have not dampened the enthusiasm of James Press, president and COO of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Our sales have set a record pace (in 2005), he says, looking at about a 10% increase to about 2.24 million Toyota and Lexus models sold. Although the forecast for the auto industry in North America as a whole may be gloomy, the outlook he sees for Toyota is good,

By Mack Chrysler • Jan. 1, 2006

Ford Gay Ads Bring Threat Of Boycott

The American Family Assn. (AFA) claims Ford Motor Co. has reneged on an agreement to halt advertising of some brands in gay publications and is now considering reinstating a boycott of Ford products. We had an agreement with Ford, worked out in good faith, Donald Wildmon, chairman of AFA, says in a statement. Sources say Ford, in an effort to placate the AFA, previously agreed to pull ads for luxury

Jan. 1, 2006

Buick, Martha Stewart Launch New Sedan

Martha Stewart is pardoned, by General Motor Corp. anyway. Stewart, who has revived her media superstar career after serving prison time in an insider-trading caper, is helping GM tout its new Buick Lucerne. She gave away a Lucerne to an audience member of her daytime TV show. On her prime-time show, The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, teams competed to design a dealership launch showroom display for

Jan. 1, 2006

A Story That Won’t Die

It is the story that Ford dealers want to go away. Yet it seems there's always a new chapter. Ford Motor Co. is in the middle of a cultural battle between religious conservatives and gays. The auto maker, acting like it isn't sure what to do, has its dealers scratching their heads. After six months of a threatened boycott, secret talks to avoid a boycott, and then allegedly reneging on a deal with

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 1, 2006

Tahoe’s Heady Mission

This is the big one for General Motors Corp. The '07 Chevrolet Tahoe is the first of the GMT900 family of fullsize trucks to hit the streets, and it needs every bit of its increased dimensions and high-strength steel. The load expectations of maintaining high-volume sales and profits is so crucial that GM accelerated development of this mega-platform. The first GMT900-based SUV, the Tahoe, began salable

By Alisa Priddle • Jan. 1, 2006

Geely Bound for U.S.

Geely Holding Group of China says it plans to enter the U.S. market before the end of the decade. Geely's engineers are currently working on design, engineering, and manufacturing changes that will bring their products into full compliance with U.S. safety and emission standards, says John Harmer, vice president-Geely-USA Inc., in a statement. Although Geely importer EER ISUZU de Puerto Rico has purchased

Jan. 1, 2006

Crossovers Gaining on SUVs

Cross/utility vehicles, amalgamations that look like SUVs but offer kinder rides because they are on car platforms, will outsell traditional SUVs by the end of 2006. So predicts George Pipas, manager of U.S. sales analysis for Ford Motor Co., who has tracked the phenomenal growth of since 1996. That's when the first CUV debuted, the Toyota RAV4. By 2000, crossovers still were a niche segment with

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 1, 2006

Zetsche Gave Chrysler a License To Thrill

LAS VEGAS DaimlerChrysler AG Chairman-Elect Dieter Zetsche promises to maintain close ties with Chrysler Group dealers as he bids them farewell during a sentimental and off-beat send-off here. Zetsche, who relinquished leadership of Chrysler in September, received a standing ovation from the 7,000 dealers and dealer representatives gathered to say and to the charismatic executive who engineered the

By Eric Mayne • Dec. 1, 2005

Ford’s Way Forward

Ford Motor Co. plans to reduce its salaried personnel costs in North America by an average of 10%, Wards has learned. The sweeping move will cut the equivalent of about 4,000 positions as part of its restructuring plan, referred to as Way Forward, which will be announced in January (see story, p.30). The involuntary cuts will involve the reduction of salaried, agency and purchased services, according

Dec. 1, 2005

New and Modern Dealerships Keep Coming

New dealerships are opening across the country. Dealer principals include a famous sports legend. Designs include a 2-story showroom with room upstairs for displaying dozens of cars. Here are some recent openings: Baseball legend Hank Aaron adds to his dealership holdings with the opening of Hank Aaron Toyota in McDonough, GA. The 52,000-sq.-ft. facility incorporates Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s new

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

Hits & Misses

It was love at first sight, even though Jacquelyn Koslowski only could see the back of the all-new '06 Volkswagen Passat. The rest of it still was shrink-wrapped, freshly delivered to a car dealership near Boston. Koslowski, 52, went to the dealership in July intending to buy a previous-generation Passat. When she expressed an interest in the newly delivered car, it was unwrapped, test driven, purchased

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

An All-New Type of Body Shop

Ken Schneider, who owns Metro Toyota Scion in Brook Park, OH, with his father, decided they needed to get into the collision-repair business. We were losing parts sales and car sales because we were sending our customers who needed collision repairs to other dealerships, Schneider says. We needed to close that loop. One problem, though. Schneider wanted to get into a business at a time when many dealers

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 1, 2005

Upside of Complaints

A customer complaint is an opportunity, but one that many dealership personnel pass up. So says Christine MacKenzie, who tracks customer satisfaction as vice president-corporate research and reporting for DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group. Missed or muffed chances can damage profits, even though many dealership complaints are easily resolved by an apology or giving an unhappy customer a chance to vent,

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

How Dealers Saved Lexus

In 1995, Toyota's fledging Lexus brand was hit by currency fluctuations, low volume and a trade-dispute threat of a 100% tariff on foreign luxury vehicles. Confidence in the then 5-year-old luxury brand was pretty low, Irv Miller, group vice president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. tells the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants' National Auto Dealership Conference in Baltimore, MD. What's

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2005

Nissan to Focus on New Small Cars, HQ Move

It isn't often an auto maker picks up and moves its headquarters 2,000 miles (3,219 km), especially if the former location is in sunny Southern California, home to a booming car culture. But Nissan North America Inc. will be doing just that next summer. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Renault SA CEO Carlos Ghosn announced in early November the auto maker would hitch up the moving van and say so long to

By Christie Schweinsberg • Nov. 30, 2005

Ford Averts Potential Boycott

Ford Motor Co. has averted a boycott scheduled for Dec. 1 by the American Family Assn. (AFA), Ward’s has learned. The proposed boycott, which was halted in June, a few weeks after its start, was in protest of what the AFA calls an “enthusiastic” support of the gay rights agenda. In averting the AFA boycott, Ford may have made some concessions in its policy of advertising and support of gay publications

By Cliff Banks and Steve Miller • Nov. 30, 2005