Gen 2 Volvo Convertible to Bow at Frankfurt

NEW YORK Volvo Car's upcoming '06 4-seat convertible will bow at the Frankfurt auto show in September. The C70 successor has an innovative retractable 3-piece hardtop that converts the vehicle into a coupe at the touch of button. Also new is a side inflatable curtain to provide enhanced head protection in side impacts and rollovers. Volvo C70 The inflatable curtain is embedded in the door and inflates

By Herb Shuldiner • July 15, 2005

Brown: ‘Nothing Ultimately Is Out of Play’

Ward's recently spoke with Tony Brown, vice president-global purchasing for Ford Motor Co., as part of its annual interviews with OEM purchasing executives. In the interview, Brown encourages suppliers to join Ford's steel resale program, talks about global sourcing and supplier bankruptcy and says he is open to negotiating with suppliers that can make a solid case for higher prices based on facts.

By Tom Murphy • July 5, 2005

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

GM’s Global Creativity Teams

Numerous General Motors Corp. purchasing agents used to buy different versions of the same component from multiple suppliers. Today, one manager based in the region listed below oversees purchasing for a single component on a global basis. GM has 112 so-called Global Creativity Teams – 80 in the U.S., the rest elsewhere. Brazil Compressors Resin Canada Batteries Labels Owner’s Portfolio China Emblems/Decals

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2005

Still the Best

Bigger, faster, stronger, safer. We expect to use those superlatives with almost every new vehicle but when applying them to an icon like BMW AG's 3-Series, there's added scrutiny. For the world's benchmark sports sedan, does bigger, faster, stronger, safer necessarily mean better? This is the dilemma faced by fabled makers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche AG when they launch a new generation

By Bill Visnic • July 1, 2005

UAW Praises Ford, Slams Visteon on Restructuring

The way Ron Gettelfinger sees it, the United Auto Workers union was not trying to bail Visteon Corp. out of its troubles by agreeing to a restructuring plan calling for Ford Motor Co. to take control of 14 UAW-represented component plants. The union was looking for a way to preserve 17,400 jobs before Visteon was forced into potential bankruptcy protection, the UAW president says. We were trying to

By Kevin Kelly and Tom Murphy • July 1, 2005

Visteon’s Last Lifeline

At the end of 1995, as North America's two largest auto makers contemplated spinning off their parts-making operations, Frank Macher knew Ford Motor Co. needed to exit component sectors in which it was uncompetitive. We're either going to improve or get out, Macher, then general manager of Ford's Automotive Components Div., told Ward's in an interview at the time. The non-core businesses have to make

By Tom Murphy and John D. Stoll • July 1, 2005

Ford’s Brown Wants Better Deal

Tony Brown went shopping for two 19-in. (48-cm) televisions for his children's bedrooms and proved to the salesman why he's one of Detroit's toughest customers. The guy tells me they're $200 for one. I say, how much is it for two? He says $400. I say, wrong, you're not understanding me. I'm looking for a volume discount, says Brown, vice president-global purchasing for Ford Motor Co. He says, If you

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2005

Toyota Leaning Toward Modules?

It's no secret Toyota Motor Corp. is among the auto makers least willing to parcel its vehicles into designed, assembled and delivered by suppliers. But Toyota appears to be changing its mind slightly. The sourcing for the instrument panel (IP) on the all-new Avalon sedan, which launched in February in the U.S. market, represents a significant departure for Toyota. This modular sourcing is completely

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2005

Minority Ex-GM Dealers Sue Auto Maker

It's a lawsuit that could affect the auto industry's minority dealership programs. An initial conference in the case of Dalton v. General Motors Corp. is scheduled in U.S. District Court in Trenton, NJ. On one side are lawyers representing four minority ex-GM dealers who are the plaintiffs; on the other side, attorneys representing defendant GM. A jury trial has been requested. The plaintiffs are

By Frank S. Washington • July 1, 2005

For Dealers, It’s in the E-mail!

Imagine a direct marketing piece that 51% of the recipients open and 20% actually read. Moreover, you can know who opens the piece and see exactly what each person reads in other words, instant visibility into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. It is possible with e-mail marketing. The above metrics are results from an inaugural e-mail newsletter the Gallery BMW Group, two dealerships in

By Cliff Banks • July 1, 2005

Drivers: I Want iPod!

DETROIT Every kid in America wants one. In 2005, the Apple iPod is to music what the transistor radio was in the 1960s. So it is only natural that auto makers, suppliers, dealers and independent audio retailers see dollar signs from a massive market emerging for personalized audio systems. And Apple, the Cupertino, CA, company that pioneered the personal computer, appears to have another groundbreaking

By Tom Murphy • July 1, 2005

Playing It Safe at Volvo

IRVINE, CA It is Anne Belec's first month as president and CEO of Volvo Cars of North America LCC, and she is enjoying the give and take of a Volvo dealer conference she's hosting. It's a meeting with dealer representatives from all regions of the U.S. and Canada, she says during a lunch-break interview before the afternoon session at company headquarters here. It's fun. The Retailer Creative Forum's

By Steve Finlay • July 1, 2005

Michigan Needs Toyota

It is the home state of the United Auto Workers union, but if Michigan is ever going to save its manufacturing jobs, it needs non-union auto makers moving into the state. The media keep harping that China is siphoning off all the good manufacturing jobs. But manufacturing employment in the U.S. auto industry still is near its all-time peak of 1 million people. We haven't lost those jobs. They haven't

By John McElroy • July 1, 2005

Stoic Swedish Brand Soldiers On

Plucky Saab continues to try to find its way in the world. Under parent General Motors, the Swedish auto maker no longer has sole control of its legacy. Many product and manufacturing decisions are being made for it, not all of them favorable. Saab has seen its lineup grow, but is not completely happy with the outcome. The Saab 9-2X sport wagon is a barely disguised Subaru WRX, and not selling well.

By Alisa Priddle • June 22, 2005

Having Fun in Warm California Sun

ORANGE COUNTY, CA Why would the second-ranked Toyota dealer in the country want to devote much of his time to the 2005 chairmanship of the California New Motor Vehicle Board? “It's payback to the industry for all the good things that have come my way after I began selling cars in Waterloo, IA,” David W. Wilson says of his board service. “I never dreamed back in 1968 that I would, or even could, become

By Mac Gordon • June 2, 2005

Freelander Exits U.S. Market

Land Rover no longer will ship Freelander SUVs to the U.S. and Canada, due to a shortage of engines. The OEM has purchased 2.5L gasoline V-6s from MG Rover through a contract forged when both companies co-existed under BMW AG. With the collapse of MG Rover's Powertrain company, Land Rover will see its supply of Freelander mills run dry, a spokesman says. As a result, Land Rover is pulling the vehicle

June 1, 2005

Audi 5000 to Success

It is the scariest roller-coaster ride in recent automotive history. It began in the early 1980s with a steady rise in sales and euphoric predictions. Thanks to ultra sleek styling that pioneered the idea of having glass flush with the car's exterior surfaces, Audi appeared well on its way to becoming a worthy rival to BMW and Mercedes at the top of the luxury car food chain in the U.S. Then disaster

By Drew Winter • June 1, 2005

Visteon Shakeup

Ford Motor Co. is taking control of 24 Visteon Corp. plants and facilities in a $1.1 billion bailout expected to lighten its largest supplier's load and better position the parts maker for future growth. The deal is dependent on approval by the 17,500 United Auto Workers employees of Visteon who would flow back or be leased to Ford under the agreement. Ford previously leased employees to Visteon,

June 1, 2005

Alabama Starts Hyundai Mobis’ Expansion

The all-new Hyundai Mobis plant in Montgomery, AL, has completed its pilot runs and now stands ready to supply Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd.'s nearby new plant with an array of parts and modules needed in producing 150,000 '06 Sonatas annually. The Hyundai Motor assembly plant celebrated its grand opening May 20. Mobis is supplying the car plant with front- and rear- chassis modules, cockpits, airbag systems,

By Vince Courtenay • June 1, 2005

CLOSING IN ON NO.1

Is Toyota Motor Corp. invincible? As the auto maker continues to set new records in sales and earnings, many think so. The numbers are impressive. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, Toyota's global sales increased 10.5% to 7.4 million vehicles while profits rose 0.8% to 1.6 trillion ($11.1 billion), another record for a Japanese company and more than the combined earnings of General Motors

By Mack Chrysler • June 1, 2005

Stretch 300

Chrysler Group confirms it has given the green light to provide coachbuilders with de-contented versions of its Chrysler 300C to facilitate production of long-wheelbase (LWB) versions of the sedan. Chrysler has not set a volume target for the project, saying it will provide vehicles as it can fit them into the production mix at Brampton, Ont., Canada. We have approved the basic framework, but there

June 1, 2005

Hispanic Woman Lauded as Successful Calif. Dealer

Nine years ago, Rose Winter took over her late husband's Chevrolet and Honda dealership in Contra Costa County, CA. This year, the California Motor Car Dealers Assn. (CMCDA) recognized her as a successful entrepreneur in conjunction with Women's History Month in March. Of Hispanic ancestry, Winter is among 45 women in California operating dealerships. I know I am one of few women dealers in a male-dominated

June 1, 2005

We’re On a Roll

ORANGE COUNTY, CA Why would the second-ranked Toyota dealer in the country want to devote much of his time to the 2005 chairmanship of the California New Motor Vehicle Board? It's payback to the industry for all the good things that have come my way after I began selling cars in Waterloo, IA, David W. Wilson says of his board service. I never dreamed back in 1968 that I would, or even could, become

By Mac Gordon • June 1, 2005

Ford Exec Tries Hand at Running Dealerships

Earl Hesterberg, after a short stint as group vice president-North America marketing, sales and service for Ford Motor Co., becomes president and CEO of Group 1 Automotive Inc., a big dealership chain based in Houston, TX. Hesterberg, 51, had been at his Ford position since Jan. 1. He succeeded the retired Jim O'Connor. Steve Lyons, 56, Ford division president for the last three years, assumes Hesterberg's

May 1, 2005

Venerable VW Dealer Dies

Ralph Sharrett, 94, founder of the second-oldest continuously operating Volkswagen dealership in the U.S., died April 10. He established Sharrett VW in 1953 in Hagerstown, Md. Ralph played a significant role in Volkswagen's history, says Len Hunt, Volkswagen of America's executive vice president. Mr. Sharrett was a dealer his entire adult life. He was preceded in death by his wife. He is survived

May 1, 2005