Dealers Fear They’ll Feel Profit Pinches

LAS VEGAS Like nearly all dealers attending the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention here last month, Robert L. Beadle was in a great mood. We've had five straight year of good business, says the president of Beadle Ford-Chrysler, in Bowdle, SD, north of Pierre. The mood was joyous throughout the convention parties, from one end of the sprawling exposition to the other and for the most part,

By Maynard M. Gordon • March 1, 2004

Northwood Honors Six

Northwood University honors six of its graduates, two of them dealers, as recipients of its annual Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award. The dealers are James J. Doyle II, owner and CEO of Jim Doyle Ford and Kane Doyle Jeep, Kenmore, NY; and Mark J. Snethkamp, president of Snethkamp Automotive Group, Highland Park, MI. They were feted at the Midland, MI university. Its curriculum centers on dealership

March 1, 2004

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

DEW Drop

Inner debates? How about fights, laughs Phil Martens as he describes the reaction in Ford Motor Co.'s inner sanctums when the decision was made early in the design of the '05 Mustang to abandon the DEW platform for an all-new architecture. Engineers were not far into the program when it became evident the expensive DEW98 platform (Lincoln LS, Ford Thunderbird, Jaguar S-Type) would not provide Mustang

By Alisa Priddle • March 1, 2004

Flip, Flop & Fly in Baja

ENSENADA, Mexico Expect the unexpected, says Adam Pettis, who deals with credit-challenged customers at Bill Heard Chevrolet outside Tampa, FL. The dealership is in Plant City, the Strawberry Capital of the World. Pettis has seen ragged but rich strawberry farmers in overalls plunk down $35,000 for a new Silverado pickup. Conversely middle-aged people, who look affluent enough, can carry a lot of

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2004

On a Roll

One-time Democratic frontrunner Howard Dean had it. John Kerry grabbed it away from him. The New England Patriots rode it all the way to a Super Bowl triumph. It's called momentum that intangible phenomenon that makes a body in motion stay in motion, or perhaps creates the aura of a charmed existence. Infiniti believes it's got momentum, too. After years at the bottom of the luxury-car pecking order,

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • March 1, 2004

GM Is Getting Sick of High Health-Care Costs

LAS VEGAS National health-care coverage should be an issue in this year's presidential campaign, says Gary Cowger, president of General Motors Corp.'s North American operations. We need to start a discussion on it now, he tells a J.D. Power & Associates' International Automotive Roundtable held in conjunction with the 2004 National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention here. Cowger says GM, the nation's

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2004

Ford Seeks Aid for Oakville

The Ontario government's plans to make strategic investments to help attract automotive assembly to the Canadian province bodes well for Ford Motor Co.'s desire to make its Oakville operations a flexible campus. Comments by Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade Joseph Cordiano in mid February that the province will compete against U.S. states for plants with incentives coincides with

March 1, 2004

Alfa Visconti Concept Gives Peak at Upcoming 157

TURIN – ItalDesign SpA’s Alfa Romeo Visconti concept car, to be unveiled in Geneva next month previews the front end of Alfa’s new 157, due in May 2005. Designer Fabrizio Giugiaro says the Visconti – named after a famous Milanese family from whom Alfa borrowed its serpent badge – is another attempt (the most recent being the new Maserati Quattroporte) to create an Italian rival for the Mercedes S-Class

By Peter Robinson • Feb. 23, 2004

’05 Solara Convertible Marks Development First for Toyota

CHICAGO – The all-new, second-generation Camry Solara Convertible unveiled at the auto show here enjoyed a unique development process, Toyota Motor Corp. officials say. All-new Solara convertible developed separately from Solara coupe. Toyota engineers say the Solara Convertible was designed and developed from the onset as a wholly distinct model from the Solara Coupe, meaning it was not engineered

By Bill Visnic • Feb. 5, 2004

Ford Adds Jobs in Chicago

CHICAGO Ford Motor Co.’s investment in a Chicago-area supplier park, as well as its manufacturing facility here, will result in 400 to 600 more jobs than originally expected, the auto maker’s top executive says. Initial estimates called for about 1,000 jobs to be added. Chairman Bill Ford, speaking at a meeting of the Economic Club of Chicago, says the new job figures will bring Ford’s Chicago-area

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • Feb. 5, 2004

Tucson Small SUV Bows at Chicago

CHICAGO Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. continues to expand its U.S. offerings with the Tucson small SUV. The Tucson, which carries the Southwestern theme begun with the Santa Fe, the South Korean auto maker’s first utility vehicle, will go on sale in late summer in the U.S. as an ’05 model. Hyundai says it is targeting the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander as its primary competition. The auto

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • Feb. 4, 2004

All-Wheel Drive May Strike Chord for Mercury

CHICAGO – All-wheel drive, an increasingly popular feature in many segments of the U.S. light-vehicle market, may prove to be an important selling point for Ford Motor Co.’s Mercury brand, says Lincoln-Mercury President Darryl B. Hazel. Mercury unveiled its ’05 Montego fullsize sedan this week at the Chicago Auto Show here, and Hazel says the availability of AWD may play well with potential Mercury

By Bill Visnic • Feb. 4, 2004

Chevy, Pontiac Debut Minivans

CHICAGO The second half of General Motors Corp.’s four minivans will debut here at the 2004 Chicago auto show, along with an updated ’05 Pontiac Vibe. The unveiling of the ’05 Pontiac Montana SV6 and Chevrolet Uplander minivans follow last month’s introduction of the Buick Terraza and Saturn Relay at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. (See related story: GM Debuts Saturn Relay,

By Brian Corbett • Feb. 2, 2004

Dealership Kin Honored for Service to Kids

Two sisters and a brother, who co-own one of Southern California's largest Mercedes-Benz dealerships, were honored for community service by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. Besides Judy Rehwald Richards, Francie Rehwald and Bill Rehwald of W.I. Simonson Mercedes-Benz, other honorees included celebrities Andy Garcia, Serena Williams, Hillary Duff, Verna Harrah, Jose Navarro and Pam

Feb. 1, 2004

It Takes Two to Replace the Ford Taurus

Ford Motor Co. continues to insist the new flagship Ford Five Hundred sedan will not replace the storied Taurus. But that's only half the story. The rest revolves around the smaller Ford Futura, coming in 2005 as an '06 model. Collectively, the Five Hundred and Futura will replace the Taurus. We are no longer trying to fill the (midsize-car) segment with just one vehicle (Taurus) and end up selling

By Alisa Priddle • Feb. 1, 2004

Seeing Sea Biscuit to Top

If you've seen the movie Sea Biscuit you may have noticed a batch of mint-condition, vintage Buicks of the '20s, '30s and '40s. The movie didn't make a big deal about the Buick connection, but there's a story behind it. Charles S. Howard, who purchased Sea Biscuit for $8,000 in 1936 while he was in Saratoga Springs, NY, looking for a yearling for his friend, Bing Crosby, at one time was one of Buick's

By David C. Smith • Feb. 1, 2004

Nissan Could Make Auto Industry Sales History in 2004

Nissan North America Inc. could make history in 2004: It may see its U.S. sales increase an astounding 200,000 units from 2003. So far the biggest year-to-year gain by a non-Big Three company is a 180,005-unit jump by Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. in 1977. Nissan North America ended 2003 with 794,784 unit sales, its second best ever behind the 830,767 vehicles it sold in 1985. But back then, half

By Haig Stoddard • Feb. 1, 2004

Lincoln Finally Gets a Pickup Truck

Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Div. finally gets a pickup truck, and the unnamed vehicle will be in showrooms in first-quarter 2005. The near-luxury brand showed a 44 concept pickup with bright chrome finish for the full length of the vehicle and an interior trimmed in aluminum. It rides on 20-in. wheels and will adopt Ford's 5.4L Triton V-8 engine. Why a pickup for Lincoln? We like to make money, quips

By Alisa Priddle • Feb. 1, 2004

Hot Button Won’t Push Out Other GM Spiffs

Incentives probably won't be rolled back at General Motors Corp., even though the auto maker began a Hot Button marketing gimmick that will give away 1,000 vehicles by the end of February, the company's top executive says at Detroit's auto show. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner says GM's Hot Button campaign is to create excitement during the typically slow January-February shopping period. But the

By Brian Corbett • Feb. 1, 2004

Smart CUV

DaimlerChrysler AG's Smart brand will develop an all-new platform for its new cross/utility vehicle, the first model the brand will sell when it arrives in the U.S. market in 2006. The CUV has been dubbed Formore and will feature several carryover components from the Forfour platform, but the underpinnings will be unique to the CUV configuration. The 4-wheel-drive Formore, also to be launched in other

Feb. 1, 2004

Ready to Rumble

Two auto makers in Europe have started TV advertising of a virtual rumble-strip system that almost certainly will save lives even if it may be hard to sell. The system will be introduced in a U.S. passenger vehicle next year. The commercial by France's PSA Peugeot Citroen explains how infrared sensors mounted under the car can detect when the front tires drift over the white lines at the right or

By William Diem • Feb. 1, 2004

Revolution Replaces Rock

General Motors' Chevrolet division is scaling back use of the long-running Like a Rock marketing campaign as the company introduces 10 new products in the next 20 months. Only the Silverado fullsize pickup will continue the Like a Rock tagline. The new marketing pitch An American Revolution will represent both Chevy cars and trucks in TV ads. The new ads are accompanied by Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet

By Barb McClellan • Feb. 1, 2004

Firing On Fewer Cylinders

Cylinder deactivation tried once by General Motors Corp. in the early 1980s with essentially disastrous results returns with much more convincing potential, thanks to the sophisticated electronic controls and actuators unavailable when GM experimented with the concept two decades ago. GM, the most vocal proponent of new-age cylinder-deactivation technology, which it dubs Displacement on Demand (DOD),

Feb. 1, 2004

Quick Response

Three months ago, suppliers panicked upon learning General Motors Corp. had a new get-tough policy allowing parts makers to easily be from long-term contracts. Suppliers heard through word-of-mouth and media reports, rather than from GM. Bo Andersson, GM vice president-worldwide purchasing, apologizes. We didn't do a good job communicating what the change was and what the impact was, Andersson tells

Feb. 1, 2004

Audi of America Exec Auctions Used Cars

Add auctioneering to the job description of Len Hunt, head of Audi of America Inc. It reflects his growing interest in marketing used cars, especially the certified variety. He personally auctioned off seven Audis at important auto auctions lately. Sometimes the auctioneer gives me the courtesy of auctioning off a vehicle, Hunt explains. He usually flies in the night before an auction to entertain

By Herb Shuldiner • Feb. 1, 2004