Automakers: Page

Not Your Father’s CFO

News flash: General Motors Corp.’s new head bean counter isn’t just interested in beans. That may not be big news at some companies, but at staid GM, a Chief Financial Officer who is as comfortable talking about diesel engines as he is currency rates is the same as “man bites dog.” Right after GM CFO John M. Devine walked off the podium Wednesday morning following his keynote speech, conference moderator

By Drew Winter • Aug. 8, 2001

Lutz Joins Friend Devine at GM

When Bob Lutz has his product revelations at General Motors Corp., he probably won’t have a hard time getting the funding he wants. Mr. Lutz is a good friend of a GM Chief Financial Officer John Devine, another relatively recent hire by CEO Rick Wagoner. Company insiders suggest Mr. Devine played an important part in Mr. Lutz’s arrival at GM. How else could an automaker that’s so notoriously stingy

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 8, 2001

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

AMG-Like Style Coming to Chrysler

The Chrysler Group will establish a specialty vehicle unit, much like AMG for Mercedes-Benz, by year end, says Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Bernhard. It will start with production of the Chrysler Prowler and Dodge Viper as its product base, but with a clear mandate to expand the stable of specialty vehicles produced by the Chrysler Group. “We will be able to grow it more this way,” says Mr. Bernhard.

By Alisa Priddle • Aug. 8, 2001

Wagoner, Lutz See Eye-to-Eye

I don’t know who is tallest, Rick Wagoner or Bob Lutz; both top out in the mid-6-ft. range. Clearly, though, they see eye-to-eye on the need for General Motors Corp. to inject some major excitement in GM’s vehicles. At 48, Mr. Wagoner, GM’s president and CEO since June 2000, is 21 years junior to Mr. Lutz, who retired in 1998 as vice chairman of Chrysler Corp. He later landed as chairman of Exide

By David C. Smith • Aug. 8, 2001

Is Super Bowl Next Stop for Rick Wagoner

C’mon. Rick Wagoner as a latter-day Vince Lombardi? That may seem a mighty stretch, but not to David E. Cole, founder and ongoing Lombardisque leader of the Traverse City Management Briefing Seminars. Cornered in a hallway at the Grand Traverse Resort, Mr. Cole says General Motors Corp. President and CEO G. Richard Wagoner Jr. is becoming “a fabulous coach” now that he has lassoed former Chrysler

By David C. Smith • Aug. 8, 2001

The Softer Side of Harley

Earl K. Warner came to Traverse City Tuesday to talk about collaborative engineering, but the message that came through was as much about brand management as product development. Mr. Warner, a one-time Corvette engineer, is vice president-engineering for motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Motor Co., a company that knows a little about brand management. And automakers looking to boost the value of their

By Daivd E. Zoia • Aug. 7, 2001

Western Washington Toyota dealers select Reynolds & Reynolds’ Automark web services

Reynolds and Reynolds Co. announced it has signed a two-year agreement with the Western Washington Toyota Dealers Association (WWTDA) to provide Internet technology, including its Automark web solutions, to the group's 19 member dealerships. “Reynolds’ industry expertise and custom-designed Automark solutions will deliver increased leads, improved response times and advanced reporting to WWTDA’s dealer

By Wire Reports • Aug. 2, 2001

Nissan: Mistakes were made

The numbers were obtained under very exacting conditions, say Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. officials, following the enthusiast press' raised eyebrows regarding the company's aggressive (and widely promoted) 5.9-second 0-to-60 mph acceleration claim for the all-new 2002 Infiniti Q45 flagship (see WAW April '01, p.55). WAW sister publication, Ward's Engine & Vehicle Technology Update (WEVTU), began its own

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

VW positions latest EuroVan in high-volume segment

LAKE PLACID, NY The mid-night blue Volkswagen Jetta flies down the narrow, twisty Adiron-dack blacktop mountain road, whipping up a cloud of fine sand from the road's shoulder in its wake. Not more than a car-length behind, a somewhat gangly, rectangular, forest green EuroVan keeps up, turn for turn and twist for twist. If there is body roll, it's not detectable thanks to improved body rigidity and

By Barbara McClellan • Aug. 1, 2001

On the Road to Revival

The spin from Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. since its now-legendary turnaround plan kicked in almost two years ago is that good product is going to save the automaker. Sure, new management and parent company Renault SA may have something to do with its revival, as may global consolidation of plants, staff and platforms. But more than good business sense, Nissan declared that it would ride into its comeback

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • Aug. 1, 2001

Ford Brazil exports trucks outside of region

Ford do Brasil plans to expand its exports of pickup trucks to Venezuela, Mexico and Australia in order to reach its total export goal of $300 million this year, says Antonio Maciel Neto, president of Ford Motor Co.'s Brazilian division. Additionally, the ZetecRoCam engine and transmission systems manufactured at the Taubate, Sao Paulo, plant are being exported to seven countries, generating $91 million

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

WHOSE CUSTOMER IS IT?

To view a list of companies offering customer relationship management tools for the dealer, click here. Who owns the customer? That question strikes at the heart of most of today's automotive retail relationships. It once was fairly simple the automakers built the car and the dealer sold it. The very nature of the business meant the customer was the dealer's. Now it's more complicated. New industry

By Cliff Banks • Aug. 1, 2001

GM-Daewoo talks remain stalled

Published reports that General Motors Corp. and Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd. are in final talks are wrong, sources close to the situation tell Ward's. As of press time, no date had been set for resumption of talks between the two sides, which includes the state-owned Korean Development Bank, the bankrupt automaker's chief creditor. Jin Nyum, Korea's finance and economy minister, last month reportedly told

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

Chevy ad agency teams up with local dealers

CE Retail is assisting Chevrolet local dealer groups with their advertising. It's an effort by GM and its dealers to work together in the local marketplace to increase share of voice and market share. Indianapolis Chevy dealers are among the first to sign on with CE Retail. Chevrolet's local dealer marketing program had to happen, says Bill Estes of Bill Estes Chevrolet in Indianapolis. Next markets

Aug. 1, 2001

Hooray for an Economic Downturn!

While Toyota Motor Corp. sees no recession, Kia Motors Corp. is celebrating America's new-found frugality as sales climb ever higher. With recession hanging overhead and gas prices threatening to go up, more people are shelving sport/utility vehicle aspirations and going for practicality. Kia sales hurdled the 100,000 mark in the U.S. by June, putting the company ahead of the pace set in 2000. Sales

Aug. 1, 2001

Reviving GM Design

It's been nearly five years since General Motors Corp. moved to its new World Headquarters in Detroit's Renaissance Center. But critics, and many GM insiders, have been waiting more than 20 years for a renaissance in its vehicle designs. Despite some dramatic concept-vehicle unveilings and future-production decisions in recent years that provide strong clues as to where it's heading, GM can claim

By DAVID C. SMITH with Tom Murphy • Aug. 1, 2001

Mazda Joins Ford’s 6 Sigma

Mazda Motor Corp. officials met recently in Dearborn to discuss the Japan-based automaker's implementation of Ford Motor Co.'s quality improvement initiative, Consumer-Driven 6-Sigma. Mazda North America already is on board and involvement of its parent means all pillars of the Ford organization use the system expected to save $300 million this year after $52 million in 2000. The program seeks out

Aug. 1, 2001

Ford no longer a Collection agency

Ford Motor Co. put the final shovel of dirt on the automaker-as-dealer grave when it said it's selling its retail collections in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Rochester, NY. This happened 18 months after General Motors Corp. scuttled its plans to buy and operate 800 dealerships. Ford says it learned a lot from the experience and finally made the once-foundering businesses profitable, but

By Tim Keenan • Aug. 1, 2001

Tenured Design

Not unlike tenured professors, in the 93 years that General Motors Corp. has been creating cars and trucks, only five executives have headed the design department. Of course, in the early days, GM and the rest of the industry put their full support behind their engineers. The craftsmen who engineered and manufactured the vehicles were the only voices of authority on how their products looked. But

By AL Rothenberg • Aug. 1, 2001

WELL, HE SAYS I ALMOST GOT IT RIGHT

The dealership is a tribute to Dominic Longo, Roger Penske and Greg Penske and to all the employees who have helped to create a truly unique store. PEOPLE WANT TO SOUND OFF. WHAT BETTER FORUM for that than this one? So buckle up and let's go I gave accolades in the June issue to Greg Penske, president of Longo Toyota. It ranks as the top dealership in the 15th annual Ward's Dealer Business 500. I

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 1, 2001

Companies Offering CRM Tools

Despite all of the talk about who owns the customer or who has the right to access the customer, a Forrester Research survey says 33% of customers never hear from their dealer and 38% never hear from the automakers. In recent years, there has been an explosion of customer relationship management tools hitting the market. They promise to help the dealer manage the customer better. The tools can make

By Cliff Banks • Aug. 1, 2001

‘02 Corvette Z06: GM means business

With the fall introduction of the 2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, General Motors Corp. engineers show that they're hardly done fettling with either the Corvette or its trademark small-block V-8's performance. Last year's reinstatement of the fabled Z06 high-performance badge made the 'Vette, in the eyes of many critics, for the first time ever a genuine world-class sports car. Most of the goodness was

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 1, 2001

ASTON MARTIN IS INCREASING DEALERSHIPS BUT KEEPING ITS MYSTIQUE INTACT

How many dealerships are too many? That's a question elite automakers must tackle as they seek to pursue profit and preserve panache at the same time. Aston Martin isn't saying where its ceiling is, but the primo member of Ford Motor Co.'s Premier Automotive Group (PAG), says 25 dealerships are enough to serve North America. That's how many it plans to have by year's end. Currently, there are 20 Aston

By Eric Mayne • Aug. 1, 2001

Pure Performance

Steve Rossi knows something about pitching a brand to a broader audience. His first job as chief of communications for Mercedes-Benz of North America was to market the M-Class, beginning shortly after his arrival in late 1995. The suggestion that the German luxury car producer should cater to rugged individualists who actually get their boots muddy bordered on blasphemy for many Mercedes purists.

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 1, 2001

Time for a Head-Turner

Two years ago I saw the future Cadillac CTS (entry luxury). I was told this was the final design. I can't say I liked it very angular, edgy. But we would turn our heads when that baby went by. This is Flint's Law: A car should be like your girlfriend: Look good and go fast. Okay, call me sexist, but that's a pretty simple rule. So when was the last time you saw a really good-looking General Motors

By Jerry Flint • Aug. 1, 2001