Automakers: Page 397

Class action against captive lenders denied

Federal judges have handed setbacks to Hispanic and black consumers suing Ford Credit and GMAC on charges of inflating loan interest rates. U.S. District Judge Suzanne Conlon in Chicago for the second time denied a request for class-action status in a suit against Ford Credit by Rudi Rodriguez. A Nashville, TN suit against GMAC on behalf of Addie Coleman, a black, was initially approved for class-action

By Mac Gordon • Sept. 1, 2002

Hy-wire Act

With a promise to have compelling and affordable fuel cell vehicles on the road by the end of the decade, General Motors Corp. rolls out the first photos of its Hy-wire, the world's first drivable vehicle that combines a hydrogen fuel cell with by-wire controls. The roll-out will culminate in a live demonstration of the Hy-wire, a working version of the AUTOnomy concept that bowed at the Detroit auto

By Mike Arnholt • Sept. 1, 2002

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

Factory Ready

For decades, loyal Jeep buyers have been modifying the world's most famous off-road vehicles, making them even more capable of gobbling up the toughest of terrain. Bigger tires, locking axles, heavy-duty driveshafts and diamond-plate sill protectors are among the aftermarket goodies that 4-wheeling enthusiasts have purchased for their Jeeps. With the arrival of the '03 Wrangler Rubicon, Jeep buyers

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2002

FORD WANTS DEALERS TO LEVERAGE INTERNET ENHANCEMENTS

Ford Motor Co. is improving the way it sends new and improved Web-based tools to its dealers. In the past, the automaker would deliver them in a scattered, shotgun approach, creating frustration and unnecessary expenses for the dealers. Now Ford is packaging related Internet tools for delivery. The new strategy has saved dealers $17 million so far this year, says Chuck Sullivan, Ford's e-marketing

By Cliff Banks • Aug. 1, 2002

MERCEDES FACES NY PRICE-FIXING PROBE

Mercedes-Benz is under investigation for alleged vehicle price fixing in the New York area. The U.S. Justice Department served parent company DaimlerChrysler AG with a subpoena regarding collusion among Mercedes-Benz dealers in the New York region. In a statement, Mercedes-Benz USA says: The only allegations that we are aware of relate to civil litigation stemming from unsubstantiated public comments

Aug. 1, 2002

Ford Credit refocuses to recover from losses

If Ford Credit were the same company now as a year ago, it would be focusing maybe even fixating on heavy growth, largely by aggressively lending out more money. That has its pitfalls, especially if too many of those borrowers are credit risks. Ford Credit learned that as its earning fell from $1.5 billion to $839 million last year. That's when the recession took hold and marginal borrowers started

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2002

Keep it Simple, Stupid

When General Motors Corp. made the bold move earlier this year to make antilock brakes optional instead of standard on a number of vehicles, it sparked quite a debate as to whether would become an emerging trend as Big Three auto makers try to stem further market share erosion by keeping vehicle prices down. Respondents to Ward's 24th Annual Supplier Survey demonstrate how passionate the debate has

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 1, 2002

Dealership group tests the CRM waters cautiously

The Asbury Automotive Group is testing the waters as it prepares to use modern customer relationship management (CRM) in their stores. The dealership group is moving cautiously to avoid drowning in the hype. There's a lot of hype surrounding CRM, says Allen Levenson, chief marketing officer for the 89-store group based in Stamford, CT. He calls CRM one of the most overused terms in business America.

By Cliff Banks • Aug. 1, 2002

What’s the Frequency, Ford?

So-called nanocomposites are one of the hottest areas in material science today, and Ford Motor Co. has developed a new process for making them that may lead to important new applications for big parts such as body panels. The process uses sound waves to improve the compatibility between the microscopic reinforcement materials and the plastic resin that are used to make nanocomposite parts. Reinforcement

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 1, 2002

BMW FINDS BIG DEMAND FOR NEW MINI

It's the kind of problem most auto makers want. BMW AG can't build the new Mini Cooper compact car fast enough to satisfy customer demand. Waiting lists per dealership are about 200-people long. The wait for the base model is about two months, and some buyers must wait up to seven months for delivery of the performance S model. Through 70 dealers in mainly metro markets, BMW of North America Inc.

By Steve Smith • Aug. 1, 2002

Deliverance

How fitting that Ford Motor Co.'s Special Vehicle Team chooses a southern setting to play possum. Until now, the word understated has never been applied to any SVT product. But it's appropriate here. Still smarting from braggadocio that proved hollow some years back, SVT engineers and publicists purposefully low-ball the horsepower generated by the '03 SVT Mustang Cobra. With poker faces firmly fixed,

By Eric Mayne • Aug. 1, 2002

Ford: Use It Or Lose It!

You want optimism on Ford? Read the other stories. I say that Ford's if you want to call it that, is going badly. Today's problems: There's no inspiring leadership; too many key executives don't know the American market; many of the if you want to call them that, like the plan to kill Escort, Cougar, Continental and Villager minivan were made years ago. And what I've heard of the new product plan

By Jerry Flint • July 1, 2002

Dealership creates an Evel Knievel F-150 Gladiator pickup truck

Beau Boeckmann, vice president of Galpin Ford in North Hills, CA, is a lifelong fan of stuntman Evel Knievel. To honor his hero, Boeckmann conceived the Galpinized Evel Knievel F150 Ford pickup. Knievel attended the dealership debut of the truck named for him. The dealership also hosted a luncheon in his honor. I've always been impressed by his courage and determination to come back over and over

July 1, 2002

Daewoo suppliers may ship to GM worldwide

General Motors Corp. has a purchasing team in South Korea investigating ways to export parts from new equity partner Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd.'s suppliers to other GM operations around the world, Vice President Bo Andersson says. The worldwide purchasing executive says a dozen people are spending 90 days in Korea looking at opportunities to export parts to Europe, Mexico and Canada. Our least priority

By Brian Corbett • July 1, 2002

GM’s Jack Smith Set to Cap 42-Year Career

Jack Smith's office at 1660 L. St., General Motors Corp.'s Washington headquarters, is modest compared to his sprawling suite at GM's World Headquarters in Detroit. Not a phone booth, but modest in size and furnishings. Somehow it fits his personality: A small town boy from Worchester, MA, who despite his lofty title as chairman of the world's largest industrial corporation still clings to his Yankee

By David C. Smith • July 1, 2002

70 MERCEDES DEALERS WANTED TO SELL NEW MAYBACH

NEW YORK DaimlerChrysler AG will start selling its new $350,000 Maybach super luxury car in the U.S. next spring after the auto maker nails down which Mercedes-Benz dealers will move the precious metal. We're talking to 200 dealers, and looking for about 70 who are serious, says Fred Heiler, a Mercedes-Benz USA spokesman. Those 200 dealers out of 320 Mercedes dealers in the U.S. overall have exclusive

By Steve Finlay • July 1, 2002

AUTONATION BUYS 2nd BMW STORE

New- and used-car retailer AutoNation Inc. is purchasing Claridge BMW in Fremont, CA. Parties are mum on terms of the all-cash deal. The store had 2001 revenue of $63 million. Owner Tom Claridge will not stay on at the dealership. A letter of intent has been signed. This will be AutoNation's second BMW franchise and its 20th new vehicle franchise in the San Francisco Bay area. AutoNation CEO Michael

July 1, 2002

Lexus boosts its black-owned dealership ranks

Last year was not bad for Chatham Parkway Lexus. The year-old store near Savannah, GA, sold 479 units. Along with Chatham Parkway Toyota, which shares the 9-acre complex, the new enterprise earned almost $1 million. On the face of it, that's no big deal. But Winston Pittman owns Chatham Parkway Lexus. He happens to be black. His store is one of six points that Lexus has awarded to African-Americans

By Frank S. Washington • July 1, 2002

Wolfsburg award goes to Fox

FOX Volkswagen of Rochester, MI, as the top-performing VW dealership in the U.S. and Canada last year, gets Volkswagen of America Inc.'s prestigious Wolfsburg Crest Club Award. Candidates are judged by how well they meet sales objectives, annual volume planning, customer satisfaction, VW parts sold and the number of employees who are certified. It was another year of tremendous growth, Michael Fox

July 1, 2002

Chrysler Wish: No More Gray

Occasionally, when a defective part on a vehicle requires attention, identifying the responsible party is simple. For the Chrysler Group, the significant majority of problems are not so black and white but fall instead into a gray area, where laying blame is extremely difficult, says Peter Rosenfeld, vice president-worldwide procurement and sourcing strategy. To minimize this oft-contentious finger-pointing,

July 1, 2002

SOME CADILLAC DEALERSHIPS GET FRESHENED LOOK

General Motors Corp. is partially bankrolling renovation work at about 150 key Cadillac dealerships so the showrooms better reflect the luxury division's new styling and products. One dealership has done the facelift, and work is underway at 12 more, says Kim McGill, Cadillac director-retail development. About 75 dealerships will complete the upgrades this year, followed by another 75 in 2003, says

July 1, 2002

SELECTED DEALERS SELL SOUPED-UP CADILLAC SLADE FOR $75,000-$100,000

Classic Cadillac in Atlanta, GA, Bud Davis Cadillac in Memphis, TN, Williamson Cadillac, Miami, FL and Cadillac Village, Norwood, MA, are the latest to join the list of XS-500 Escalade dealers. Approximately 20 Cadillac dealers are now building and selling supercharged 500-plus hp XS-500 Escalades. More than twice that number have ordered CoolCharger Supercharger Systems and PowerPak Kits as used

July 1, 2002

Baseball coach hits a BMW homer!

William Avelis, 34, of Kissimee, FL, (left) a minor league baseball coach for the Cleveland Indians, won a new BMW X5 Sport Activity Vehicle in a BMW Financial Services sweepstakes. It was held for BMW credit card owners. Delivering the prize is salesman Steve Deharde at Fields BMW of Orlando.

July 1, 2002

Hemi’s Back For DC’s Heavies

CHELSEA, MI The storied Hemi engine's back from Chrysler Corp.'s past, but this time it's thanks to a little help from its friends. Chrysler's merger friends, that is, at DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit. The claim to fame for the all-new '03 Hemi Magnum V-8 to be launched this fall in DC's all-new Dodge Ram heavy-duty pickups is its unique hemispherically shaped combustion chambers. But an

By Bill Visnic • July 1, 2002

Betting on Ford

That sound coming from the future site of Ford Motor Co.'s $250 million supplier park in Chicago isn't excavation. It's the echo of rolling dice. At the table are nine suppliers. But the buzz is that up to six more could join the game, inking long-term leases on plants dedicated to serving Ford's Chicago assembly operations soon to feature a highly flexible body shop. From there in 2004, the auto

By Eric Mayne • July 1, 2002