Automakers: Page 393

Ford’s Greatest Vehicles

A list of the most important vehicles in Ford Motor Co.'s 100-year history is probably a good way to start a fight in most any bar on the globe. Following is my list, and the Model T doesn't appear because it's a no-brainer; its place in history is secure. Several of my other selections are not found on Ford's own centennial list. Ah, memories are so short! MODEL A After a 6-month shutdown of production

By Mike Davis • June 1, 2003

Shipshape

The Ford GT's engineers must harbor secret ambitions to build 40-ft. (12-m.) racing yachts with radical rig designs and dodgy keels. How else to explain that a unique fuel-tank technology called makes its maiden voyage on Ford Motor Co.'s ultimate halo car? So named because it encloses the vehicle's fuel-delivery system within a cigar-shaped, blow-molded plastic fuel tank, ship-in-a-bottle (SIB) technology

By Eric Mayne • June 1, 2003

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

Dealer Big Hit in Iraq

Jerry Reynolds, owner of Prestige Ford in Garland, TX, is as patriotic as they come. So when U. S. forces went to Iraq, he took out full-page newspaper ads in the form of personal letters voicing his sentiments and hopes for their safe return. An Air Force captain, a B-52 radar navigator flying bombing missions over Baghdad, came across one of the letters. Moved, he emailed Reynolds, telling the dealer

June 1, 2003

Project Dead

The business plan to build the Dodge M80 was not viable forcing cancellation of the Windsor Project a C$1.6 billion ($1.2 billion) assembly plant to be built in Windsor, Ont., Canada, Chrysler Group concludes. But the innovative manufacturing concept that makes partners of suppliers, the union and government, still could work in the future with the right higher-margin product, says Chrysler President

June 1, 2003

Toyota’s IN-YOUR-FACE Texas Invasion

SAN ANTONIO, TX The JLC cattle ranch, established in 1794, will never be the same. Stretching over 2,000 acres (809 ha) on a flat, barren plain some 15 miles (24 km) south of downtown San Antonio, the ranch by 2006 will begin production as Toyota Motor Corp.'s sixth North American assembly plant. But it's not just any plant. As Toyota continues its drive to conquer every bastion of the U.S. Big Three

By David C. Smith • June 1, 2003

Ford Motor Co.: Cult of the Personality

Any list of the most influential personalities in Ford Motor Co.'s history is bound to include the two giants, Old Henry and The Deuce Henry Ford and Henry Ford II, respectively. Beyond them, the list becomes reasonably debatable. This is my list, based on nearly 50 years of writing, and 25 of them inside Ford. To understand Ford, you have to recognize that from day one the company has been ruled

By Mike Davis • June 1, 2003

Ford’s 1st Dealer 1st Met Henry at Bike Show

At a Chicago bicycle show 101 years ago, Henry Ford met William Hughson. He ended up becoming the world's first Ford dealer. Hughson was born in Buffalo, NY, in 1869. Lured by tales of the Wild West, he went that way to seek his fortune. As head of Hughson & Merton machinery parts supply company in San Francisco, he traveled to the 1902 Chicago bike show in search of new products. Ford, who had not

By Steve Finlay • June 1, 2003

It’s a Dirty Job

Criticizing all of the time is not fun. Sometimes I feel I know how Jeremiah felt marching around Jerusalem, shouting, They're coming. Repent. Nobody likes messages like this. I remember Jack Smith, the former chairman of General Motors, once saying to me, You don't think we can do anything right. It hurt, but he had a point. I thought it over for a moment, then replied: You've done a good job cutting

By Jerry Flint • June 1, 2003

INSOURCING

It was nearly a year ago that Ford Motor Co. called a meeting in Dearborn of its top suppliers about 100 of them to talk quality. For a few hours, Tony Brown, Ford's vice president of global purchasing, shared internal data suggesting suppliers were more culpable than the auto maker as recalls and warranty claims seemed to be spinning out of control. The Firestone tire debacle got the most attention,

By Tom Murphy • May 1, 2003

Silence, Skeptics

SAN FRANCISCO Remember those hand-me-down Chevy Vegas? How about the rusted-out VW Rabbits or third-hand Chevettes? That's what kids used to drive way back when. As of late, the auto industry has churned out plenty of vehicles targeted at the new youth market. But the question remains: How can teens and young adults pony up a minimum $20,000 for contemporary pocket rockets and cute-mobiles? Obviously,

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • May 1, 2003

Volvo, Dana Getrag in AWD JV

Ford Motor Co.'s Swedish subsidiary Volvo Car is forming a new joint venture to develop and make all-wheel-drive systems with two suppliers in Sweden. Volvo will own 40% of the operation, while Getrag Dana Holding, a JV between Dana Corp. and Getrag GmbH, will own 60%. The companies will invest SK1.5 billion ($177 million) in the JV in Koping, Sweden, between 2004-2006. Curt Germundsson, Volvo's production

May 1, 2003

Bank of America Buys Part of World Omni’s Loan Portfolio

Bank of America and World Omni Financial Corp. put together a deal for the bank to purchase the majority of World Omni's commercial loan portfolio, excluding Southeast Toyota's distributors, franchised dealers and their affiliates. World Omni assigns to Bank of America lending relationships with about 105 dealerships across 23 dealer groups totaling more than $600 million. It's tied to World Omni's

May 1, 2003

Unsung Hero

John F. (Jack) Smith Jr. never dreamed as a 22-year-old newcomer at General Motors Corp. that one day he'd wind up at the top and win wide praise for leading the company through one of the biggest turnarounds in U.S. industrial history. Affable and self-effacing, Smith retired as GM's chairman May 1, after turning 65 on April 6. He leaves the board of directors, but says he'll remain in an advisory

By David C. Smith • May 1, 2003

Biggest Mistake

Lee Iacocca at 78 has mellowed a bit. But he still simmers when the subject turns to Robert Eaton, who succeeded him as chairman of Chrysler Corp. in 1992 and six years later sold out to Daimler-Benz AG. The deal was called a merger of equals at the time, but turned out to be a takeover with Chrysler operating as a division of what is now known as DaimlerChrysler AG. I think it was the biggest mistake

By David C. Smith • May 1, 2003

GM Execs Forego Bonuses

For the second consecutive year, General Motors Corp.'s two top executives Chairman Jack Smith and CEO Rick Wagoner didn't receive a bonus as part of their yearly compensation, GM's proxy statement says. Also by-passed for 2002 are CFO John Devine and Bob Lutz, chairman-GM North America and vice chairman-product development. Both got bonuses in 2001. GM's executive compensation committee decided not

May 1, 2003

Subaru Ties with Armstrong

Subaru of America Inc. has a new corporate spokesman: cycling champion Lance Armstrong. So long to Subaru's former product champion, Australian icon and actor Paul Hogan, best known for his role as Crocodile Dundee. The slogan's all new, too: Driven By What's Inside. Subaru's marketing slogan since 1994, The Beauty of All-Wheel Drive, has been successful, but it's old and lacks emotion, the company

May 1, 2003

BMW Uses New Labels

Schreiner GmbH says BMW AG is using its new laser process for marking labels on automobiles. BMW uses Schreiner's color laser film process for the vehicle identification number and on 15 different parts, including trunk lid, gas cap and engine compartment. The film has a patented structure that is emission-free during the marking process. The lack of emissions enables BMW to save on filters and cleaning

May 1, 2003

Rival Auto Execs Now Partners

As executives for different auto companies, Harold Poling and Ted Cunningham were archrivals. Now they're partners in Bankers Integration Group, dubbed BIG, a finance and insurance technology company. Poling is a former chairman of Ford Motor Co.; Cunningham, a former executive vice president of global sales and marketing for DaimlerChrysler AG. It's funny, says Cunningham. I knew Red as a competitor.

By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2003

Leadership Change

Honda Motor Co. Ltd. says CEO Hiroyuki Yoshino will step down after five years at the top of the Japanese auto maker. His replacement will be Takeo Fukui, a 58-year-old senior managing director at Honda and former head of U.S. manufacturing, say reports. Industry observers had been expecting Yoshino, 63, to step down. Honda says the Fukui promotion is pending approval from shareholders at a June meeting.

May 1, 2003

Blunderville

We all make mistakes, car companies, too. Since car companies rarely admit to any, we must do it for them. Here's my list: General Motors: Keeping the old OHV 3800 V-6 as a basic engine. Many think it's a great engine. I say this old pushrod antique has been a major reason for GM's failure in the market. I say GM accountants love this engine because, with the tooling paid off, it must be the cheapest

By Jerry Flint • May 1, 2003

Iacocca Backs Off On Bush

Lee Iacocca raised money for George W. Bush, and he's also close to his parents. But in a lengthy interview with Ward's on the eve of the Iraqi war, the former Ford Motor Co. president who later rescued the former Chrysler Corp. from bankruptcy parts company with the President. I've got to support him because I voted for him, says Iacocca, who himself was a potential presidential candidate in the

By David C. Smith • April 1, 2003

GM Bad Boys

Most bad boys apparently prefer General Motors Corp. products when trying to outrun the police. That comes from Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, OR. When an intern had nothing else to do, he had her watch 50 episodes of the TV show Her assignment: Mark down what vehicles offenders were driving as they led police on pursuits. Her findings: 63% of them drove GM products.

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2003

Mercedes Prolific in Alabama

VANCE, AL A $7 million childcare and wellness center opened last May at the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. (MBUSI) M-Class SUV production site near this tiny hamlet 12 miles (19 km) east of Tuscaloosa and 32 miles (51 km) west of Birmingham on I-59 in central Alabama. We found that over a 2 to 2-1/2-year period our team members (the facility's 2,000 employees) had 250 babies, observes an MBUSI

By David C. Smith • April 1, 2003

Diversity Key to Scion Plan

The success of Scion, Toyota Motor Corp.'s flying leap into the youth market, hinges almost completely on marketing. Toyota acknowledges it is taking a huge risk with the new brand, which is set to launch in June in California with its boxy xB and xA. Brand image and Toyota's approach to the Generation Y demographic could make or break Scion. Adding to the marketing complexity is the expectation that

April 1, 2003

Book Bug in Service Thanks to Dealership

Residents of National City, CA are seeing an unusual VW Beetle roaming around town. It's the Book Bug, a colorfully decorated vehicle that's part of a partnership between South Bay Volkswagen and the Chula Vista Public Library to promote reading. The vehicle will appear at community events, concerts and parades. It's also used for the delivery of library materials to adults and children in need. Never

April 1, 2003