Automakers: Page
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Hyundai Unveils New Elantra in New York
The auto maker claims class-leading interior volume for the compact car segment.
By Christie Schweinsberg • April 13, 2006 -
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Hyundai Stockholders Sue Top Execs; Unions to Demand Wage Hikes
The suit accuses Hyundai and Kia CEOs of diverting funds into a private company, in which the two Chungs have a controlling interest.
By Vince Courtenay • April 12, 2006 -
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
Ford, Shelby, Hertz Team on Special Mustang for Rent, Not Sale
Only about 500 of the special-edition Mustangs will be built.
By David E. Zoia • April 12, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
VW Launches New Jetta as Sagitar in China
The company received 9,000 orders for the new model before its official market introduction.
By Peter Homola • April 11, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Netherlands Loses Appeal
GM will have to pay a €35.47 million fine for its policy to withhold dealer bonuses on sales of cars outside the Netherlands.
By Keith Nuthall • April 7, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Nissan Vows Canton Issues Remedied
The auto maker, which took a bruising two years ago for the quality of the vehicles from its newest plant, says it is working hard to fix its reputation.
By Christie Schweinsberg • April 7, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bentley Opens Second Showroom in Moscow
Russia now is Bentley’s third-largest market in Continental Europe behind Germany and Switzerland.
By Peter Homola • April 6, 2006 -
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Mazda Takes Stake in Changan Ford
Mazda will hold 15% of the JV, acquiring the share from Ford, which now will hold just 35% of the company.
By Ward's Staff • April 4, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Rolls Out DI 2L for Saturn Sky Red Line
At 130 hp/L, the new DI 2L turbocharged Ecotec is GM’s highest specific output engine ever.
By Ward's Staff • April 3, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
If Anyone Should Know
BEL AIR, CA Lee Iacocca twice rescued Chrysler Corp. from the brink of bankruptcy, so he knows something about living on the edge. He thus can sympathize with the monumental challenges facing General Motors Corp. and the Ford Motor Co. as they battle to stay afloat and win back market share and also with their suppliers, many of whom already have plunged into bankruptcy, most famously Delphi Corp.
By David C. Smith • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Connelly Sees Boost For Nissan
Jed Connelly says despite the U.S. auto industry not being an expansionary market, he is confident Nissan North America Inc. will continue to see growth. Connelly, senior vice president-sales and marketing, announced his retirement March 8 from NNA. (Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s) fiscal year ends this month and our sales will be up 7% year-over-year, Connelly says. I think the next couple of years will
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Acura to Unveil MDX Concept in NY
American Honda Motor Co. Inc. will unveil a concept of the new Acura MDX at this month's New York auto show. The second-generation '07 MDX cross/utility vehicle goes on sale in the U.S. this fall. Like the first MDX, the new model was developed by Honda's U.S. research and development operations in Ohio and its Los Angeles-area design studio, says John Mendel, senior vice president-auto operations
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Profits Promised
Labeling as last year's 58.2% pre-tax profit increase to 1.7 billion ($2 billion), Volkswagen AG Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder promises more improvement in 2006, but declines to reveal a specific target. The Volkswagen Group expects sales and revenue to increase slightly this year because of its ongoing product offensive, VW says. Primary contributors will be material cost reductions and production
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Eyes on Design
General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac division will continue to be represented by boldly designed, performance luxury vehicles as it moves ahead with the second phase of its Art & Science-theme product onslaught. Launched in 2001 with the introduction of the second-generation Escalade SUV, the turnaround effort, labeled Renaissance, was aimed at regaining the luxury image and prestige of the Cadillac brand.
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Camry Confirmed at SIA
Officials from Toyota Motor Mfg. North America Inc. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant confirm Toyota's plan to build its Camry sedan at the SIA facility in Lafayette, IN. The deal, in the works since last October, when Toyota announced it was taking an 8.7% stake in Fuji after General Motors Corp. sold its shares in the Japanese auto maker, will bring 100,000 units
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai Cutting Costs
Hyundai Auto-motive Group, which includes Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd., Kia Motors Corp. and supplier Hyundai Mobis, is in a deep cost-cutting mode, asking all suppliers to bite the bullet and lower prices substantially. In January, group Chairman Chung Mong-koo ordered a 30% reduction in general expenses. In addition, cuts in supplier costs are being negotiated on a company-by-company basis, although no
By Vince Courtenay • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
She Scores an Industry First as a Female Auto Technician
Ingrid Dobson, a master technician at Chapman BMW in Scottsdale, AZ, is the first woman in the industry to win top honors in the ACT (Association of Certified Technicians) Challenge. It is a series of written tests that measure a technician's knowledge and skill. Beyond that, Dobson is leading the way in breaking down stereotypes and barriers for women interested in pursing careers in automotive services.
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Teutonic Pocket Rocket
German engineering is in da haus. So says a billboard slogan that forms part of an ambitious ad blitz celebrating the debut of Volkswagen's GTI Mk V. The campaign barely disguises VW's disdain for the tuner crowd's extreme elements as it satirically disses their hip-hop swagger. The trim silhouette of the '06 GTI restores welcome sanity to a segment given over to wing-backed, low-riding, hood-scoopified
By Eric Mayne • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Convertible for Converts
Volvo Cars sold a scant 200 C70 convertibles per year in its Swedish home market before the auto maker stopped making the rag top in 2004, two years after ending production of a companion C70 coupe. Now the C70 returns as a two-in-one vehicle: a sleek coupe and a convertible, when its 3-panel hardtop roof electronically retracts, a 30-second contortion act that ends in the trunk. Sales of the new
By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Caddy Ups Performance, Prices with V-Series
General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac luxury division moves a step closer to eclipsing the high-performance luxury image of its German rivals with the introduction of the new '06 V-Series STS sedan and XLR roadster. Aimed at niche vehicles produced by the in-house tuning efforts of Audi AG (Quattro GmbH), BMW AG (M GmbH) and Mercedes-Benz (AMG GmbH), the new V-Series cars return an element of performance,
By Mike Sutton • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
UAW Scores Dealership Firsts
The United Auto Works union, facing membership declines in auto plants, is shoring up its ranks by signing up members at car dealerships. The UAW has won the right to represent workers at a Ford dealership in Ohio and one in Michigan. It is a first for both states. A majority of workers at Mathews Ford in Oregon, OH, outside Toledo, voted for UAW representation. The 35-person bargaining unit includes
April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Why Nissan is Moving
Sandy's Downtown Grille is about to greet some new customers. This quaint little pub located in the historic town of Franklin, TN, is 15 miles (24 km) south of Nashville, where a fierce battle was waged during the waning days of the Civil War. Meanwhile, 2,000 miles (3,200 km) away, the Paradise Restaurant, a favorite watering hole near Nissan North America Inc.'s (NNA) headquarters in Gardena, CA,
By David C. Smith • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rare Occurrence: Toyota Prius Sales Drop
At a time when car buyers are focused on rising fuel costs and less dependence on foreign oil, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.'s popular Prius hybrid-electric vehicle experiences its first year-on-year sales decline in more than two years. Ward's data shows 6,547 units were sold in February, 531 less than in like-2005, the first time, since the second-generation Prius hit the U.S. market in October
By Christie Schweinsberg • April 1, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Plans New Assembly Plant in Mexico
The new plant is expected to be in operation in 2008.
By Ward's Staff • March 30, 2006 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Rules of Engagement
One can’t help wondering if Americans would issue the same hue and cry if Dubai was looking to buy General Motors.
By Barbara McClellan • March 29, 2006
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