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Renault Egeus Hints at Future CUVs

FRANKFURT Renault SA worked on the all-wheel-drive Egeus concept cross/utility vehicle unveiled at the auto show here for nearly two years. That is three or four times longer than typical show cars, such as the Ford Iosis or Toyota Endo, which reflects the serious nature of its attempt to make upscale vehicles that sell, the company says. (See related story: Renault to Debut Concepts Big and Small

By William Diem • Sept. 13, 2005

Iosis Signals Ford Europe Design Future

Ford Motor Co. hasn't announced any production plans for the dramatically styled Iosis concept it will debut on Tuesday at the Frankfurt auto show. But the “kinetic design” of the sporty 4-door signifies unequivocally the styling future for Ford of Europe, the auto maker says. Iosis has four doors but no B-pillar and no rear-view mirrors.Suicide doors flip upward. "It sends a bold message because

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 12, 2005

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 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

S-Class Stop-and-Go Take Rate Pegged at 40%

FRANKFURT – The ’06 Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan will offer a next-generation adaptive cruise control (ACC) system that can bring the vehicle to a complete stop, then resume a safe speed based on the distance from the vehicle ahead. ACC has been appearing on a limited number of luxury cars in Europe and the U.S., although the feature has been more popular in Europe. It generally uses radar sensing

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 12, 2005

VW Eos Convertible Bigger, Badder Than Beetle

FRANKFURT Volkswagen AG uses a bed of sunflowers as the red carpet for the world debut of the VW Eos coupe/cabriolet at the auto show here. The German auto maker bills it as the first 4-seat convertible coupe with a 5-section roof. The car was shown as the Concept C at the Geneva auto show 18 months ago. In size, it slots between the Golf and Passat, larger than the Beetle convertible that has been

By Alisa Priddle • Sept. 12, 2005

Bentley Fighting to Handle Demand

FRANKFURT Bentley Motors Ltd. will use parent Volkswagen AG's vehicle assembly plant in Dresden, Germany, to build the Continental GT Flying Spur during the fourth quarter to help launch the 4-door sedan. The production is temporary and should generate up to 400 additional units for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Holland, says Adrian Michael Hallmark, head of worldwide marketing and sales for Bentley.

By Alisa Priddle • Sept. 12, 2005

Toyota Yaris Variants Bound for U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday will unveil its all-new European-spec Yaris small car and RAV4 cross/utility models at the Frankfurt auto show. The Yaris variants include a 3- and 5-door liftback. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. says when the vehicle reaches U.S. shores next spring as an '07 model, it will be sold with a 3-door body style and a yet-to-be-named variant. (See related story: Toyota Debuting

By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 12, 2005

Chinese Auto Makers to Debut at Frankfurt

PARIS Bamboo wind chimes are ringing in Europe as the Frankfurt auto show, which begins next week, approaches. At least four of China's most-aggressive small auto makers will display vehicles at the show. They include Geely Holding Group, Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd., Chang'an Automobile Group Corp. and Hafei Automobile Co. Ltd. Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., which earlier in the year announced

By William Diem • Sept. 9, 2005

The Road to Recovery

Acceptance is the first step on the road to recovery. And that is the path Mercedes-Benz recently has been following, as it tries to rebuild its once-vaunted reputation for quality and starts to see positive results from its efforts. It obviously is a top priority for incoming DaimlerChrysler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche, who also took over the top job at Mercedes on Sept. 1. The company already has been

By Alisa Priddle • Sept. 1, 2005

Profitability in Question

Armin Mueller is explaining ZF Friedrichshafen's 3-pronged approach to modularity for a group of international journalists visiting the supplier's plant in Solihull, U.K., in the Midlands, the hub of the U.K. auto industry. Mueller, vice president-development for ZF's Lemforder chassis and axle group, says modular contracts fall into three categories: Level 1 jobs limit ZF's responsibility to component

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2005

Ford Combines Sales Offices

Ford Motor Co. will shuffle top management at its three domestic brands in order to consolidate marketing sales and service activities. The auto maker names Darryl Hazel, formerly Ford Div. president, vice president-marketing for the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. Al Giombetti, formerly president of the Lincoln Mercury unit, takes the newly created role of vice president-sales for the three brands.

Sept. 1, 2005

Mercedes Working to Brake Quality Erosion

Marina Naumann is driving her Mercedes-Benz E-Class down steeply twisting Camps Bay Drive, just south of Cape Town, South Africa. Suddenly an alarm sounds and the instrument panel flashes: Long Stop Brake Failure-Stop Car. Naumann would do that if she could. The brake pedal has gone soft as if there is no connection to anything. The E-Class's high-tech electro-hydraulic Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC)

By Peter Robinson • Sept. 1, 2005

Employee Discount Scheme Praised, Panned

General Motors Corp.'s bold marketing move offering employee discounts to consumers is either a stroke of genius or act of desperation. Such wide mixed reactions surfaced at a J.D. Power and Associates International Automotive Roundtable attended by about 200 auto industry executives, dealers and suppliers in Dearborn, MI. GM's discount program triggered a sales boost, says Tom Libby, senior director

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2005

Lexus Kicks Up Service

ASADENA, CA Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus luxury division has been renowned for premium customer service since its inception in 1989. But Lexus-style deluxe perks are beginning to show up at competitors' dealerships. Freebies such as cappuccino and car washes are offered to keep buyers happy and, more importantly, keep them coming back. But trying to keep the luxury brand's storied level of customer

By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 1, 2005

GM to Order Dealerships’ Parts

A new Web-based parts-inventory management system launched by General Motors Corp. for its North American dealers may have parts managers applauding. The Retail Inventory Management system (RIM) provides dealerships with a recommended parts list and will order the parts automatically at no risk or cost to the dealer. RIM has been around since 1990, when Saturn Corp. developed it for its dealers. In

By Cliff Banks • Sept. 1, 2005

Talkin’ Trucks

TRAVERSE CITY, MI In trying to grow its presence in the U.S. pickup truck market Toyota Motor Corp. will not chase Big Three-only families, targeting instead those with a Camry and a Ford F-150 in the driveway, says the auto maker's U.S. sales chief. We really want the Tundra to serve Toyota customers, Jim Press, president and chief operating officer-Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., tells Ward's of

By Christie Schweinsberg • Sept. 1, 2005

Steel Group Opening Up?

The Auto/Steel Partnership that started 17 years ago as a Big Three attempt to improve their competitiveness probably would be open today to membership from Asian and European auto makers. If it were brought up today, there would be a discussion about it, says Roger Heimbuch, a former General Motors Corp. engineer who now is executive director of the group. Ten years ago, there would have been no

By William Diem • Sept. 1, 2005

Audi Reveals Q7 CUV

Not content with watching its German competitors reap the benefits of having large utility vehicles in their lineups, Audi AG finally enters the lucrative market with the 7-passenger Q7, set to go on sale in Europe next month. More than just a beefed-up station wagon (like the A6-based Allroad Quattro), the ’06 model Q7 rides on a 118.2-in. (300.2 cm) wheelbase version of the capable unibody chassis

By Mike Sutton • Aug. 25, 2005

Renault to Debut Concepts Big and Small at Frankfurt

Renault SA will mark its presence at Germany's Frankfurt Motor Show in September with the debut of a pair of unusual concept vehicles: the Egeus luxury cross/utility vehicle and the Clio Renaultsport small car. Egeus represents Renault's vision of the modern high-end CUV, blending traits from traditional wagons, sedans and utility vehicles. Egeus luxury CUV Concept “Egeus is an SUV for city driving

By Mike Sutton • Aug. 18, 2005

Honda Civic Coupe, Sedan Developed Concurrently

TRAVERSE CITY, MI With Japanese engineers working on the Civic sedan and U.S. engineers developing the coupe and Si, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. will be able to bring both models to market at the same time this fall in both countries. The '01 Civic coupe came out two months behind the sedan. But through use of digital prototype modeling (DPM), Honda was able to have engineers working around the clock on

By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 4, 2005

Product Leading GM Renaissance

TRAVERSE CITY, MI Suppliers latched onto the optimistic product presentation at the Management Briefing Seminars by General Motors Corp. like a remora to a shark. "It was a terrific presentation," says Rich Rurak, an executive at PPG Industries. "It was great to hear something so positive." "It was right on the spot," says Jacqui Dedo, president of The Timken Co.'s automotive division. "He gave a

By William Diem • Aug. 4, 2005

Logistics Plays Design Role at Chrysler

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Logistics has a hand in car design at Chrysler Group. For 19 different parts, including roofs and door apertures, the supply operations department tells engineers that parts must fit the packaging racks in a certain way in order to be delivered properly to the assembly line. Work stations are being redesigned to be smaller, with less room for parts storage, says Dave Hodgson, Chrysler’s

By William Diem • Aug. 3, 2005

Common Equates to Success for Toyota

TRAVERSE CITY, MI A whopping 144% increase in sales of the new '05 Toyota Avalon is further validation of Toyota Motor Corp.'s practice of using common platforms to create unique new products, says the engineer behind the program. Seiya Nakao, Toyota Technical Center U.S.A. Inc. executive chief engineer-Avalon, Solara, Sienna, is pleased with the reception the flagship Avalon has received since it

By Alisa Priddle • Aug. 3, 2005

Scorecards Mark New Chrysler Supply System

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Chrysler Group underscores its strategy of encouraging suppliers to reach “reward” status by announcing two such overachievers have been awarded contracts for an ’09 cross/utility vehicle. Johnson Controls Inc. will supply seats and Magna International Inc. will provide the rest of the cockpit for a CUV slated to come to market in late 2008, says Peter Rosenfeld, Chrysler executive

By Alisa Priddle • Aug. 3, 2005

Toyota Cultivating Supplier Philosophy for 65 Years

TRAVERSE CITY, MI When it comes to dealing with their suppliers, some auto makers act like hunters and some act like farmers, Toyota Motor Mfg. Corp.'s Osamu “Simon” Nagata, pointed out last year at the Management Briefing Seminars. This year, Toyota's vice president of purchasing for North America, expands on the theme: Toyota clearly is a “farmer” that wants to nurture and support its suppliers

By Drew Winter and John D. Stoll • Aug. 2, 2005

Getrag Starts Construction In Slovakia

Getrag Group celebrates the groundbreaking of a new production facility in Slovakia that will manufacture dual-clutch and motorcycle transmissions, gear wheels and other transmission parts. The plant, representing an investment of about E300 million ($358 million), is in Kechnec, about 12 miles (20 km) from Kosice, Slovakia's second-largest city, and will create around 750 immediate jobs.

Aug. 1, 2005