Tech firm holds its breath as a dealership tests its product

Don Palombi, the general manager for AutoWest Honda in Roseville, CA, had a decision to make. It's one that virtually all dealers encounter at one point or another: which up-and-coming new technology applications to put in place at the dealership. The decision is neither simple nor cheap. If a dealer makes a bad choice, a lot of money in technology and products go unused at the dealership. Driving

By Cliff Banks • Nov. 1, 2001

I’ll TRADE MY WIFE FOR THAT COOL CORVETTE

A major auto supplier has just the car for people who like the 1953 vintage look of the original Chevrolet Corvette but want modern conveniences. It's the Commemorative Edition Corvette, produced by Magna Steyr, a division of Magna International that wants to become a contract assembler of specialty niche vehicles. To prove its capabilities, Magna engineers took a new Corvette and redesigned it to

Nov. 1, 2001

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

Asia/Pacific Prepares for Another Downturn

Asia/Pacific automakers already were looking to the future with cautious optimism, aware that things could get worse before they got better. Now the fallout from the Sept. 11 terrorist assault on the U.S. has the region bracing for a definite downturn. Well beforehand, road signs were indicating a slowdown. Ripple effects from a prolonged Japan Inc. stagnation coupled with aftershocks from the region's

By KATHERINE ZACHARY with Alan Harman in Australia • Nov. 1, 2001

Spotlight on Glare

The National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. (NHTSA) may need lightning in a bottle in its current bid to resolve the issue of headlamp glare. That's because, industry insiders suggest, many motorists have yet to enter the age of headlight enlightenment. And as a result, automakers and suppliers are left to contend with a wide spectrum of variables beyond their control. Nevertheless, NHTSA is subjecting

By Eric Mayne • Nov. 1, 2001

Presidential visit

Mercedes-Benz USA President and CEO Paul Halata (left) stopped at Mercedes-Benz of Laguna Niguel during a visit to Southern California. Hosting him at the 21-acre dealership, one of Mercedes-Benz' fastest growing in the nation, is dealer principal Lorelei Pingree and Pat Bolter, general manager.

Nov. 1, 2001

GM delays mammoth 6-door Suburban

Citing a lack of engineering and other resources at this time, GM quietly admits that it has dropped plans to bring out a 6-door version of the Suburban. A spokesman says that a prototype was actually built, but the company was not satisfied with the results. It is seeking other engineering solutions to give greater access to the third row of seats in the giant SUV, the spokesman says. But he declined

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • Nov. 1, 2001

*Volvo now stresses delight as well as safety and durability

It has been a year of change for Volvo Cars of North America. First, was the big move from New Jersey to Irvine, CA with Ford Motor Co.'s other Premier Automotive Group (PAG) brands. And, as of November 1, there is a new man at Volvo's helm. Dan Werbin has been with Volvo since 1973 and is a product guy. Then there is the evolution of Volvo's brand. Mr. Werbin explains, Since 1927, the guiding principle

By Cliff Banks • Nov. 1, 2001

Need a lift?

Rinspeed Design, the Swiss design and engineering company known primarily for souping-up German performance and luxury vehicles, has teamed with the Mopar parts division of the DaimlerChrysler Group and Stellar Industries Inc. to launch the X-Tra-Lift loading system for pickup trucks. The X-Tra-Lift debuted at the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Assn. exposition in Las Vegas late last month, enhancing

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S ENGINE AND VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY UPDATE • Nov. 1, 2001

GM Korea chief joins policy office

David Jerome, managing director of General Motors Korea, is being reassigned to the automaker's U.S. operations at a director's level, sources tell WAW. He begins his new duties with GM's public policy office this month. The attorney will have a voice in GM's policy in international trade issues, including the automotive trade imbalance with Korea. He was involved in meetings on the issue with U.S.

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • Nov. 1, 2001

Toyota and Universal Technical Institute form new educational partnership

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., has formed a new educational partnership with Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a national private career college. Toyota Professional Collision Training (TPCT), a program between the two organizations, is designed to recruit, train, and develop entry-level collision repair technicians exclusively for selected Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Meeting the growing

By Wire Reports • Oct. 31, 2001

“A new day,” says Ford Dealer Council Chairman Jerry Reynolds

Ford dealers are reacting positively to today's news that Ford Chief Executive Officer Jac Nasser has been replaced by William Clay Ford Jr. according to Jerry Reynolds, a Texas Ford dealer and chairman of the Ford Dealer Council. Dealers have viewed their relationship with the automaker with quiet frustration. While dealers have been rather circumspect in their recent comments regarding the automaker,

By Cliff Banks • Oct. 30, 2001

Honda speeds up new factory launch because of Odyssey minivan demand

TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. Ltd. plans for Job One at its new Alabama facility on November 15, six months ahead of schedule, says Honda President Hiroyuki Yoshino. The plant, which was constructed in a compact yearlong time frame, currently is doing pre-builds of the Odyssey minivan. The decision to move up the start of production, says Yoshino, was based on customer demand for the popular Odyssey, currently

Oct. 25, 2001

New rumor says Jacques Nasser’s days are numbered at Ford

A person close to the company says Ford Motor Co. CEO Jacques A. Nasser will probably be out of a job by the end of the year, The New York Times reports today. It’s not the first time such rumors have swirled around Mr. Nasser, whose last 12 months at the Ford helm have been rocky. A Ford spokesman waved off the latest report of Mr. Nasser’s imminent departure. "We wouldn't speculate on bogus speculation,"

Oct. 17, 2001

Texas dealer hosts new radio show

Texas dealer Jerry Reynolds is on the air as the host of a new Dallas AM radio show offering car-buying advice to consumers. It’s the “Jerry Reynolds Auto Advice Show” from 1-3 p.m. on KTRA 1190. The co-host is longtime Dallas radio personality Kevin McCarthy. Mr. Reynolds, a 25-year veteran of automotive retailing, is the owner of Prestige Ford in metro Dallas. He is the outgoing chairman of the

Oct. 12, 2001

Craft Centre Likely to Make Bengal

General Motors Corp. likely will build the all-new Buick Bengal convertible coupe at its Lansing, MI, Craft Centre, sources tell WAW. That's been the talk around here, says a union source in Lansing. That name (Bengal) has been tossed around more than once. Everyone has heard about the Bengal going into production, but here the word is loud and clear. A source close to the automaker confirms the Bengal

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • Oct. 1, 2001

VW appoints former BMW head as CEO

Volkswagen AG appoints Bernd Pischetsrieder as chairman of the company's management board effective April 17, 2002. The move ends months of speculation around the succession of longtime VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech, who took over the German automaker in 1993. During a press briefing at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show, Mr. Piech congratulated Mr. Pischetsrieder on his appointment saying: He is the ideal

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE INTERNATIONAL • Oct. 1, 2001

Delphi Loses its Appendix

The competition is licking its chops in anticipation of a seemingly magical date that is only a few months away. On Jan. 1, Delphi Automotive Systems loses its right of last refusal for replacement business in the U.S. and Canada with its former parent, General Motors Corp. It's spelled out in the Supply Agreement clause buried in the 151-page prospectus issued in January 1999 before Delphi's spinoff

By Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 2001

Cadillac Escalade EXT not a me-to SUT

Some General Motors Corp. staffers were unnerved when Ford Motor Co. unveiled its Lincoln Blackwood concept luxury sport utility truck (SUT) at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in January, 1999. The reason for the concern: Cadillac was in the midst of working on its own cross between a luxury full-size SUV and a premium pickup truck the Escalade EXT, a spin-off of the Escalade SUV.

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2001

GM Brazil exports increase as production stalls

General Motors do Brasil is finding success in an intensive campaign to seek new markets, increasing its exports 33.7% in the year's first half, while slowing production to meet falling local demand. Brazil's economy this year has been severely impacted by an ongoing energy crisis, increased inflation, a currency devaluation and fallout from neighboring Argentina's economic crisis. Jose Carlos Pinheiro

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE INTERNATIONAL • Oct. 1, 2001

Ban the Bland

When Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. peeled the wraps off its now-famous Nissan Revival Plan in October 1999, the ailing automaker promised that its turnaround not only would rely heavily on cost cutting, but also would draw strength from a reinvigorated product lineup. In May, Nissan touted stronger-than-expected financial results for the previous fiscal year, with a compelling return to profit. This fall,

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • Oct. 1, 2001

Mercedes new ad campaign targets affluent blacks

Mercedes-Benz has redesigned its model lineup, lowered it prices and loosened up its brand image in the last seven years. Now, the automaker is testing a marketing program that will enable it to zero in and target a more diverse audience with rifle-shot accuracy. In other words, Mercedes-Benz USA's advertising and marketing message is going local. We want to do more event marketing, rather than just

By Frank S. Washington • Oct. 1, 2001

Hyundai to send CKD kits to Russia

Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. signs a contract with Doninvest of Russia, involving assembly of some 70,000 units of the Accent over a 5-year period. The cars will be shipped as complete-knocked-down kits for assembly at the Doninvest plant in TagAz. They will carry the Russian label Hyundai expects to ship 3,500 units this year and 8,000 in 2002, with the remaining 58,000 shipped over a 3-year period through

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE INTERNATIONAL • Oct. 1, 2001

He wins $1 million but not for long

GM sales and marketing VP Michael Grimaldi shot a charity golf match hole in one. The feat won him $1 million. Not so fast, though. As a sponsor of a WJR-AM radio fundraiser, GM had paid Mr. Grimaldi's $5,000 entry fee. GM policy says that, under such circumstances, he was representing the automaker and therefore isn't personally entitled to receive any prizes. Instead, the money went back to charity.

Oct. 1, 2001

VIRTEXX Assesses Driver Distraction

After six months of development, Ford Motor Co. is ready for serious experiments on driver distraction on a virtual highway in its VIRTEXX (VIRtual Test Track EXperiment) simulation dome. Data from the first tests soon will be available to develop in-house standards by year-end. It will be used to help the carmaker understand what products and services it should offer in its vehicles to promote safety

By Alisa Priddle • Oct. 1, 2001

Ford’s Health-Care Costs Need a Doctor

Ford Motor Co. is wrestling with a that would see its health care costs increase 20% next year, WAW has learned. Ford confirms it is in negotiations with Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the document's author and the administrator of Ford's primary employee health-care plan, but won't reveal its implications or disclose how much is spent on employee health care. An insider tells WAW that such a hike would

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • Oct. 1, 2001