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Rolling Chassis Contract Sets Record

South Korean supplier Hyundai Mobis says its long-term contract with Chrysler Group in the U.S. to provide rolling chassis for Jeep models beginning in 2006 is the largest volume parts order ever signed by a Korean automotive company. The contract is worth 180 billion won ($154 million) annually. Chrysler announced its supplier selection for the new Toledo, OH, plant in August. Construction is set

By Vince Courtenay, Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2004

Advice From Late, Great Job Interviewer

The late Brian Wolfe was one of the best at hiring top-notch showroom sales people. Mr. Wolfe, 29, who died July 5, was sales manager at Pace BMW in Mamaroneck, NY. His success at hiring the right people stemmed from going about it the right way. He offered advice on that during an interview a few months before his death. Here's what he said: If the prospect is good at interviewing, it's like a sailor

By Dave Donelson • Sept. 1, 2004

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

Magna Gets GM Pickup Integrator Role?

General Motors Corp., for several years, has been pursuing a strategy to appoint supplier to oversee development of interiors for future vehicles. The strategy remains in place, but the players appear to be changing. GM announced in January 2002 that Magna International Inc.'s Intier division would coordinate the interiors for the next-generation fullsize SUVs, while Lear Corp. would integrate interiors

Sept. 1, 2004

New-Wave Look for Mazda

About 30 more dealerships nationwide will adopt Mazda's Retail Revolution new design look by early next year, with another 35 to follow soon after, says James O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). Since the first such store opened (Bountiful Mazda in Bountiful, UT) in early 2003, five more have followed. The latest is Sterling Mazda, moving to its new digs in Sterling

By Cliff Banks • Sept. 1, 2004

Why GM, Ford Can’t Catch Toyota

Try as they might, General Motors and Ford will not catch up to Toyota's level of profitability before 2020 if then. Both of the American auto makers are scrambling to put as many of their vehicles on common platforms as possible, sharing as many components as they can. Yes, even in the 21st Century, economy of scale still is the key to making money in this business. But with all the brands and with

By John McElroy • Sept. 1, 2004

Made in the U.S.A.

The year was 1979. Gasoline prices were soaring, the U.S. was in a tense showdown with Middle Eastern extremists, Chrysler Corp. was awash in red ink but on the verge of a strong product revival, and Starsky & Hutch had come and gone from the screen as quickly as their tomato-red '76 Ford Gran Torino muscle car. U.S. consumers were appalled to spend more than $1 for a gallon of gasoline. The aging

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2004

United States’ Rolls-Royce Dealers on a Roll

Rolls-Royce dealers in the U.S. are doing a better job at selling the ultra-luxury British car than their counterparts elsewhere in the world, and consequently are getting a larger allotment than originally planned. Rolls-Royce is on track to sell 500 cars in the U.S. this year, a spokesman says. The company's target was originally 400 units, but because other Rolls-Royce markets are lagging the U.S.

By Herb Shuldiner • Sept. 1, 2004

Bose Knows Shocks?

One of the world's foremost audio innovators has its eye on the suspension business. It started with a '58 Pontiac's air-suspension system, recalls Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof. Amar G. Bose. I owned the car 10 years and got to know its suspension, he says. I spent as much time under the car as in the driver's seat. That triggered a life-long fascination with the dynamics of vehicle

By Herb Shuldiner • Sept. 1, 2004

New Tacoma: Big Toy for Big Boys

Toyota's Scion brand pursues buyers who are young and urbane, but marketers of a new-generation '05 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck will target a different youth group: boys who like their toys. Tacoma is the prime source of bringing young male buyers into the Toyota family, says Robert Carter, vice president of sales for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.'s Toyota Div. He says the Tacoma is an extremely important

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2004

Cadillac’s Charm

The third time is a charm, as the saying goes. For General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac Div., it's definitely true. The '05 STS midsize sedan, which replaces the Seville, is the third all-new vehicle based on GM's luxury rear-wheel-drive/all-wheel-drive Sigma platform. The CTS entry-luxury sedan was Sigma's debut and has been a huge sales hit. The SRX cross/utility vehicle's public reception has not been

By Brian Corbett • Sept. 1, 2004

Detroit’s Only Ford Dealership Stays Upbeat

A $5 million bet on downtown Detroit's revitalization is paying off for the newly opened Bob Maxey Ford on Jefferson Ave. Detroit's only Ford dealership has already reported increased sales and service department visits. The 40,000-sq.-ft. facility features a new grand showroom, enhanced service areas (including 30 bays), drive-through car wash, customer parking, private sales offices, state-of-the-art

Sept. 1, 2004

Nissan Plans 600k Units From F-Alpha

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. says the body-on-frame platform underlying the new Pathfinder SUV will generate 600,000 units of production annually. F-Alpha is one of five key global architectures remaining in Nissan's platform consolidation plan with alliance partner Renault SA. Other Nissan vehicles using F-Alpha include the '04 Titan fullsize pickup, '04 Armada SUV, '04 Infiniti QX56 SUV, '05 Frontier small

Sept. 1, 2004

Ford Escape Hybrid Gets 33 MPG

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Claiming the ’05 Ford Escape Hybrid is “the cleanest and most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet,” Jim Padilla, Ford Motor Co. chief operating officer and chairman-Automotive Operations, announces here on Thursday U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings for the cross/utility vehicle. The EPA has certified the front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid at 36/31 mpg (6.5L-7.6L/100

By Drew Winter • Aug. 5, 2004

Ford’s Padilla Wins Politically Incorrect Comment of Week Award

TRAVERSE CITY, MI It’s almost guaranteed that sometime during the week at the Management Briefing Seminars here, somebody is going to say something politically incorrect on the podium. A trunk Tony Soprano will love? Jim Padilla, Ford Motor Co. chief operating officer and chairman-Automotive Operations, appears to have locked up this year’s award for the best faux pas. With comments that no doubt

Aug. 5, 2004

109-Year-Old GM Retiree Still Collecting Benefits

TRAVERSE CITY He retired in 1958 from General Motors Corp. after 32 years service, he’s now 109 and he’s still collecting GM pension and health-insurance benefits. That amazing story was revealed at Tuesday’s 2004 Management Briefing Seminars by Jerry Elson, GM vice president and general manager-vehicle operations, to underscore why GM’s health costs are running $1,400 per vehicle. Elson didn’t reveal

By David C. Smith • Aug. 4, 2004

OnStar Expands Crash Notification

TRAVERSE CITY, MI General Motors Corp.’s OnStar telematics division is planning to significantly expand use in the ’05 model year of its advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system that provides vital crash information to emergency response centers. “We launched it last year, but in a very low-volume way on the (Chevy) Malibu,” OnStar President Chet Huber tells Ward’s at the Management Briefing

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 4, 2004

Chrysler Outlines New Toledo Plant, Suppliers

TRAVERSE CITY, MI After months of planning, Chrysler Group executives unveil the final structure for the auto maker’s all-new Toledo, OH, Jeep plant, which will begin production in 2006. The plant features a unique partnership with suppliers that puts them in charge of running the paint and body shops and developing rolling-chassis systems. The plant will replace the Jeep Parkway and Stickney Avenue

By Kevin Kelly • Aug. 3, 2004

Nissan ‘Strike Zone’ Improves Ergonomic Practices

TRAVERSE CITY, MI Disgruntled players, managers and even the very umpires in charge of calling balls and strikes say Major League Baseball has a problem defining the strike zone. Not so for Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. Because its global sales are surging by veritable leaps and bounds, Nissan is getting down to the nitty gritty of improving its already industry-leading efficiency, says Hidetoshi Imazu, Nissan’s

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 2, 2004

Ford Six Sigma Savings: $2 Billion Since 2000

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Ford Motor Co. has documented $2 billion in cost savings from its Six Sigma quality initiative since it was launched in 2000, a Ford executive tells an afternoon session at Monday’s Management Briefing Seminars here. Debbe Yeager, director of Consumer Driven Six Sigma, says the $2 billion doesn’t include items such as cost avoidance but, rather, is directly related to results from

By David C. Smith • Aug. 2, 2004

Supplier: GM Still Not Lean Enough

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – How much courage does it take for a supplier to suggest its biggest customer isn’t as lean as it should be? He is tactful in doing so, but Michael Vella, vice president and general manager of TI Automotive’s Global Fluid Carrying Systems unit in Warren, MI, refers to General Motors Corp. at least twice in his speech here at the Management Briefing Seminars. Although he sees GM

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 2, 2004

Stamping Strategy

If Chrysler Group has a winner with its latest product offerings, the company's modernized stamping operation should get at least some of the credit. In 1990, the average age of its presses was 25.2 years and, if time had run its course, Chrysler's presses today would be closing in on 40. Instead, Chrysler launched a capital-intensive revitalization plan in 1994 that has deeply cut stamping costs.

By John D. Stoll • Aug. 1, 2004

Strong Speaker Lineup Set for Convergence 2004

Ford Motor Co. Chairman William Clay Ford Jr. and Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm are expected to headline a strong roster of speakers for the upcoming Convergence 2004 automotive electronics conference October 18-20. The every-other-year conference, which in the past 30 years has grown to become one of the auto industry's most important technical events, will have special significance this year.

By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 2004

Where Sebring is King

LAHAINA, Hawaii Mitch Gordon has a thing about convertibles. He's owned ragtops for more than 40 years. He recently purchased an onyx green 2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible to replace his '98. The former Wall Street Journal news executive, who retired here on the island of Maui six years ago, still hasn't figured out how to use the CD, and he grumbles that the owner's manual needs an editor. He couldn't

By David C. Smith • Aug. 1, 2004

Asbury & Audi in GA

The Asbury Automotive Group opened Nalley Audi, a new dealership in Roswell, GA. It's part of Asbury's Atlanta-based platform, the Nalley Automotive Group. The dealership is the newest stand-alone Audi franchise in the Southeast. In June, Nalley also opened the largest Lexus dealership in the region. Nalley Audi's showroom features an upscale lounge with a wireless business center and the Audi Quattro

Aug. 1, 2004

Land of the Giants

In anticipation of U.S. sales beginning in 2006 and Canada sales this fall, executives and engineers for Smart GmbH, the microcar-making unit of DaimlerChrysler AG, demonstrate the structural integrity of their miniscule 2-seater, the Smart Fortwo, by crashing it head-on into a Mercedes E-Class sedan, a car twice its size and weight. The 40% offset frontal collision, with both vehicles traveling 31

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 1, 2004