Automakers: Page 382
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Monkey Shines in Ads
A friend who's a former ad man sent an e-mail that simply says, And this is a real commercial. Attached was a video clip. Turns out, it's one of four TV spots touting a fake product but a real dealership, the Suburban Auto Group, selling Fords, Chevys and Suzukis in Sandy, OR, south of Portland. All four ads have aired locally. They were also on www.suburbanautogroup.com. But in one week on a dedicated
By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
International Auto Diplomacy
Perhaps Don Esmond should have chosen diplomatic service. The senior vice president and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. downplays discussion about the significance of recent headlines touting the success of the Japanese auto maker and the foundering of its U.S. counterparts. We focus on our own numbers, not the others, says Esmond, a former Ford executive. We simply expect our sales
By Jim Mateja • May 1, 2004 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Kia Corporation
TrendlineArtificial 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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Audi Stalled
Audi of America Inc. says it will receive fewer vehicles from parent Audi AG for the '04 model year because of sluggish demand and the battering euro/dollar exchange rate that is stifling profits in the U.S. Plans call for Audi to divert vehicles originally earmarked for the U.S. to other markets where demand is stronger and there is less negative impact from the strong euro. In all, as many as 2,000-3,000
By Kevin Kelly • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GM Can’t Lose Buick
Has anyone noticed that Buick is pretty much where Oldsmobile was when GM decided to fold it? Back in 1999, Olds sold 352,000 cars and trucks. Last year Buick sold 337,000. In 2000 the announcement came in late 2000 Olds sold 289,000. This year Buick is tracking around 290,000. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest: To lose one division, Mr. Wagoner, is a misfortune. To lose
By Jerry Flint • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
STS Aims at Benz and BMW
Unveiling the '05 Cadillac STS at the New York International Auto Show, Cadillac General Manager Mark LaNeve says he expects to sell 30,000 of the new rear-drive flagship sedans annually. He notes it's the first new rear-drive car for Cadillac in 25 years. LaNeve expresses confidence that Cadillac will compete with the German luxury brands more forcefully with the STS, while declining to predict how
By Herb Shuldiner • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
No-No to MX-Micro Sport
Mazda Motor Corp. will not put the MX-Micro Sport concept into production for the North American market this year because the business case is not there, officials say. The B-segment hatchback was shown at January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. At that time, the auto maker said it would go into production by year end, but officials would not confirm where the cars would be sold.
May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Risky Business
In the fall of 2002, the sun was setting fast on New Castle, IN. One of its largest employers, DaimlerChrysler Corp., was preparing to pull the plug on its 1,200-employee Machining and Forge plant, which made suspension and powertrain components for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. In this small town of 17,000 east of Indianapolis, nothing is bigger than the Machining and Forge plant, although the
By Tom Murphy • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Hyundai, Kia Tech Center Under Way
Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. and sister-company Kia Motors Corp. break ground on their future technical center near Ann Arbor, MI. Construction began in April. When Hyundai America Technical Center Inc. opens in 2005, it will take the place of a small facility that since 1986 has concentrated solely on U.S. emissions work. Thecenter represents a $117 million investment over two phases, $56 million of which
May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Aiming Straight at Gays
Can auto makers afford to ignore a $485 billion market with 15 million consumers who buy new products earlier than most, have more discretionary income than average folks and are very brand loyal? Can anyone? No, of course not. That's why major companies, United Airlines, American Express and Proctor and Gamble in fact, most of the Fortune 500 aggressively are marketing to the GLBT (gay, lesbian,
By Drew Winter • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chrysler Takes Hollywood Cues
Chrysler Group is taking a cue from Hollywood as it holds a series of festive events at dealerships nationwide for potentially millions of customers to promote a bevy of new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles. Three brand-specific national events will give the public a sneak preview of new Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge products, some on display at dealerships even before they become widely available. Dealers
By Ward's Staff • May 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
STS Returns Cadillac to Pinnacle of Luxury Market
NEW YORK – Unveiling the ’05 Cadillac STS at the New York International Auto Show, Cadillac General Manager Mark LaNeve says he expects to sell 30,000 of the new rear-drive flagship sedans annually. LaNeve expresses confidence that Cadillac will compete with the German luxury brands more forcefully with the STS, while declining to predict how close Cadillac's volume can get to the Mercedes and BMW
By Herb Shuldiner • April 8, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Xterra Stays Close to Original Concept
Generation X may be all grown up, but the Nissan Xterra, a defining vehicle of that demographic group, sticks close to its original, rough-and-ready concept. Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. chooses the New York auto show for the world debut of the second generation of its once-iconic SUV. Nissan's second-generation Xterra. “Xterra was a cornerstone vehicle in launching Nissan’s remarkable product revival in
By KATHERINE ZACHARY • April 7, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ford to Debut Hybrid Mercury Mariner in 2006
Ford Motor Co. says it will expand its hybrid vehicle lineup with the addition of a hybrid Mercury Mariner cross/utility vehicle by 2006. The Mariner disclosure is the third such announcement by Ford involving hybrid vehicles. The hybrid Mariner will bow as an ’07 model and will employ much of the same technology found on Ford’s Escape Hybrid, which hits the market later this year. In addition to
By John D. Stoll • April 7, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mann+Hummel Has North American Ambitions
DETROIT – Mann+Hummel GmbH may be Europe’s top producer of automotive air cleaners (with 35% of the passenger-car market), but for years the supplier has been a bit player in the U.S. market. Mann+Hummel supplies engine cover for Chrysler Crossfire. Now, Mann+Hummel is emerging as a formidable competitor in North America in a range of automotive filtration products. The German company boosted its
By Tom Murphy • April 5, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Honda RL Prototype Features Industry-First AWD System
American Honda Motor Co. Inc. will provide New York show goers with a close-up look at the future direction of its Acura luxury division’s flagship car when it unveils the RL Prototype. Most notable is the focus on all-wheel drive in the RL Prototype current RLs are front drive. Honda says its AWD system, dubbed SH-AWD, is the first that distributes optimum torque side to side as well as front to
By Ward's Staff • April 5, 2004 -
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Hemi V-8 Take Rates Soaring
Chrysler Group's vaunted Hemi engine is seeing greater take rates across the board than the OEM anticipated. Chrysler says penetration of the Hemi Magnum 5.7L OHV V-8 is north of 50% of total deliveries for the Dodge Durango SUV and light-duty Ram pickup. And advance orders of the LX platform large rear-wheel-drive cars the Chrysler 300C and Dodge Magnum are leaning heavily in favor of the Hemi, which
April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Kick-Started Ford Hybrid
Ford Motor Co. acknowledges it has licensed the rights to about 20 Toyota Motor Corp. hybrid system patents in order to help the American auto maker develop its first-ever gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. A hybrid version of the Ford Escape which is the first hybrid SUV for the North American market and the first carrying a U.S. nameplate bows this fall, employing variations of the technology Ford
April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Falcon Gets Extra Wings
To raise $100 million in an initial public stock offering, Falcon Financial first had to calm investors' fears that dealerships are danger zones. It meant creating a comfort zone for prospective backers who didn't know the dynamics of the dealership business, says Vernon Schwartz, CEO of Falcon, a Stamford, CT-based firm specializing in loans to dealers for acquiring, building and renovating dealerships.
By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Northern Exposures
From the high-volume Matthews-Hargreaves Chevrolet dealership in a Detroit suburb to a run-down Ford Mercury store in a remote northern Michigan village, pop. 1,133, was a leap in 1992 for Scott McNamara, a 23-year-old at the time. He recalls how he became a dealer principal at that young age: I had made it to sales manager, but I always wanted to be a dealer ever since starting out as a salesman
By Mac Gordon • April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ultra-Luxury Brands Expand
Germany's Big Three are pushing to expand volume of their ultra-luxury brands this year, potentially taking the highest-end segment to new heights. About 5,800 Volkswagen AG's Bentley, BMW AG's Rolls-Royce and DaimlerChrysler AG's Maybach vehicles will be produced this year, according to individual company forecasts. Bentley and Rolls-Royce unveiled new models at March's Geneva Auto Show. Those may
By Herb Shuldiner • April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
9-2X Launched
Production of the Saab 9-2X is under way at Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Gunma Yajima Plant in Japan. The Subaru maker jointly developed the 9-2X with Saab Automobile for the North American market. The tie-up is part of an overarching alliance strategy for General Motors Corp., which fully owns Saab and holds a 20% share in Fuji. The 9-2X, which bowed last December at the Los Angeles auto show, is
April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Toyota Supplier Park
Several automotive suppliers will set up operations on the site of Toyota Motor Corp.'s new plant in Texas, the auto maker confirms in a joint announcement with Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Some 10 parts suppliers, as well as several service companies, will locate on Toyota Motor Mfg. Texas Inc.'s 2,000-acre (809-ha) San Antonio site. Many will be joint ventures with minority partners, some of which are
April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
GLBT Market Can’t Be Ignored
Can auto makers afford to ignore a $485 billion market with 15 million consumers who buy new products earlier than most, have more discretionary income than average folks and are very brand loyal? Can anyone? No, of course not. That's why major companies, United Airlines, American Express and Proctor and Gamble in fact, most of the Fortune 500 aggressively are marketing to the GLBT (gay, lesbian,
By Drew Winter • April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Montana Move
Mega-dealer Lithia Motors Inc. acquires its third Montana dealership in a year, Power Chevrolet, with annual sales of about $40 million in the state capital of Helena, pop. 28,000. The store's new name will be Lithia Chevrolet of Helena. The purchase is part of Lithia's self-described aggressive acquisition strategy. Lithia first entered the Montana market last April with the purchase of what's now
By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2004 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
SAE World Congress Attendance Falls to 35,392
The Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress drew 35,392 visitors for the 4-day event this year in Detroit, down from 38,649 last year and 37,233 in 2002. SAE puts a positive spin on the results, as Congress Chairman Phil Martens, Ford Motor Co. group vice president-North America product creation, says the event garnered great feedback and featured an “all-time high number of presentations.”
By Christie Schweinsberg • March 23, 2004
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