Automakers: Page 417

The GM Story: From Near Bankruptcy to Global Powerhouse

It's February 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, and all Michigan banks are temporarily closed by order of the governor. Soon it becomes apparent that the two largest institutions, First National Bank and Guardian National Bank of Commerce, do not have the wherewithal to reopen, posing a serious problem for General Motors Corp., which relies heavily on both to fund future vehicle development.

By Alan k. Binder • May 1, 2000

PT Cruiser leading Chrysler growth crusade in Europe

With a relatively new product lineup, including the PT Cruiser and the '01 Sebring family, DaimlerChrysler Corp. is setting ambitious sales goals around the globe for its Chrysler brand. While executives are forecasting only a slight increase in worldwide vehicle sales - 100,000 units to 3.3 million worldwide in 2000, the real growth is expected to happen during the next 10 years, especially in Europe.

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • May 1, 2000

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

ENERGY CRISIS AIDED JAPANESE IMPORTS

THE CURRENT SKYROCKETING PRICES OF GASOLINE stirred up some powerful memories of the original energy crunches of 1973 and especially 1979.Those were significant events for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that they solidified Japanese automakers' market share in this country.Prior to the Arab oil embargo of 1973, the "Big Three" U.S. auto producers - General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler

By Nat Shulman • May 1, 2000

Ford gives Ont. casting plants to joint venture

Ford Motor Co. will give up majority ownership of two Canadian aluminum casting plants in Windsor, Ont., to Nemak, its joint venture with ALFA of Mexico, to gain dominance in aluminum casting and pursue more non-Ford business. Ford of Canada President Bobbie Gaunt made the announcement in Windsor that the two have signed a memorandum of understanding with an agreement to be finalized by year's end.

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • May 1, 2000

Ford gets serious about certifying its dealerships

LAS VEGAS - Ford Division expects its new Blue Oval Certification program for dealers to improve the brand's consumer satisfaction ranking from below the industry average to the best in the business.Introduced during Ford's spring dealer meetings in Las Vegas last month, the program is a comprehensive series of standards and processes that dealers must prove they meet through documentation and third-party

By Tim Keenan • May 1, 2000

SUVs in NY - Is That Your Final Answer?

Okay, here's one easier to answer than the $100 question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire:What type of new vehicle dominated the unveilings at last month's New York Auto Show?a. Inexpensive 300-hp sports carsb. The '01 DeLoreansc. Boldly styled Toyotasd. Sport/utility vehicles (SUVs)You don't need a "lifeline" to answer that one, we hope.The New York Show is emerging as a nice little waypoint between

By Bill Visnic • May 1, 2000

“I’ll miss dealers most”

He bore the brunt of dealer scorn towards Ford Motor Co. pur-chasing franchised stores. But Ross H. Roberts did not leave mad when he wrapped up his 37-year career in Ford sales."The thing I'll miss the most is the dealer relationships," he declares. "We had many differences of opinion over the years, but I enjoyed giving them plaques for tenure and achievements and meeting their families."Even when

By Maynard M. Gordon • May 1, 2000

GM targets Aztek sales of 50,000 to 70,000

General Motors Corp. expects a loyal following, but not necessarily mass appeal for its new Pontiac Aztek, a crossover "sports activity vehicle" that debuts this summer. Sales predictions are 50,000 to 70,000 units a year, says Mark Reuss, vehicle line executive. That's not a huge amount by GM standards, but enough to make a bold statement that Pontiac is in the crossover game. The Aztek, which sits

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • May 1, 2000

Saab’s Manby leaves GM to head Greenlight Internet firm

A surprise top-level management change at Saab Cars USA has occurred with the departure of 21-year GM veteran Joel K. Manby and promotion of Saab veteran Dan Chasins to succeed him as president and CEO.Mr. Manby, 40, left the GM subsidiary to become president of a six-month-old auto sales website partially owned by megadealer Asbury Automotive Group - Greenlight.com, based in San Mateo, CA.The third

May 1, 2000

DEALERSHIP HITS THE 125 YEAR MARK

What's the oldest auto dealership in America? It could be Normandin Chrysler Plymouth Jeep in San Jose, CA.That store's roots date to 1875, two decades before the advent of the American auto industry.The business dates to the horse-and-buggy days. Indeed, founder Amable Normandin, a blacksmith and sleigh maker from Montreal, opened it as a buggy-making shop.In 1906, the company expanded to include

By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2000

DETROIT’S CONNOR AVENUE AUTO PLANT IS LIKE HEAVEN TO ITS WORKERS

Imagine an auto plant where workers are called craftspersons; where teams of 25 choose their own leader; where everyone knows how to perform three or more jobs and anyone can stop the assembly line over quality issues.Some would guess Toyota's Georgetown or Nissan's Smyrna plant, known for their product quality, efficiency and highly skilled employees. But they'd be wrong. Think Detroit's Conner Avenue

By Barbara McClellan • May 1, 2000

PONTIAC’S NEW AZTEK SRV CROSSOVER TAKES AIM AT THE SPRY SET

LAKE TAHOE, NV - It's pretty gutsy naming a vehicle after warrior-like Mexican Indians who had a penchant for cannibalism and human sacrifices.Then again the new Pontiac Aztek is a pretty gutsy vehicle.General Motors Corp. expects a loyal following, but not necessarily mass volumes for its new Aztek, a crossover vehicle due out next month.Sales predictions are 50,000-70,000 units a year, says Mark

By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2000

SALE OF STORE BITTERSWEET FOR VENERABLE DEALER

RICHMOND, VA. - As a highly regarded former NADA president, Dick Strauss was in a ticklish spot.The national dealer association, which he headed in 1991 and had served as Virginia's director, was locking horns with Ford and GM late last year on the issue of factory ownership of their retail stores.At the same time, the Virginia Automobile Dealers Assn. had ardently joined a nationwide campaign to

By Maynard M. Gordon • May 1, 2000

A Marriage of Convenience

Was the indomitable Juergen Schrempp, chairman of DaimlerChrysler AG, being shrewd or desperate when he finalized the deal that gave him 34% of Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Japan?There is evidence it was a little of both.Desperate is too strong a word, but Mr. Schrempp was running out of opportunities to achieve his goal of 25% of total revenue share in Asia.Geography and politics have a way of making

By Alisa Priddle • May 1, 2000

Bayer Cures Materials Headaches

PITTSBURGH - It's not just consumers who are getting rid of headaches by using Bayer Corp. products.Bayer, the epitome of a diversified company with business operations ranging from photo film to aspirin to bowling balls, also is offering technologies for vehicles that should help automakers ease their concerns about meeting ever-increasing demands for materials performance.The German-based company

By Brian Corbett • May 1, 2000

Oklahoma City is A-OK for GM

General Motors Corp. plans to spend $1.7 billion on manufacturing operations in Oklahoma City and Lansing, MI. In Oklahoma City, the automaker confirms plans to convert the plant from car to truck output. It will invest $700 million in the facility and in 2002 begin building GMT370s - a stretched version of the forthcoming GMT360 midsize sport/utility vehicles featuring a Dodge Durango-like third

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • May 1, 2000

“NO PICNIC GETTING VISTA FORD GOING”

WOODLAND HILLS, CA - When Steve Shuken opened the new Vista Ford dealership here in 1974, the outlook was dicey at best."The auto industry was trying to emerge from the first Middle East oil embargo and the Pinto Ford had introduced as an economy car was literally catching fire all over the place," recalls Mr. Shuken."I had been struck by the success of (Lee) Iacocca's Mustang in the 1960s while working

By Maynard M. Gordon • May 1, 2000

Selling to the ethnic customer

Tapan Shah walks along the many rows of new cars on the lot at Bill Page Toyota in Falls Church, VA. His eyes wander over the shiny Avalons and Camrys, but he eventually settles his attention on three, nearly identical Corollas.He huddles with friend Arunabha Majumdar, and discusses in the hushed tones of his native Indian language the relative merits of the various options which drive the sticker

By Michael J. Volpe • May 1, 2000

Toyota gets set to start the e-business parts revolution

Toyota Motor Sales is predicting that its new e-business initiative with i2 Technologies Inc. - iStarXchange - will revolutionize the automotive replacement parts market. The revolution is set to start within the next three months.The new southern California-based company, in which Toyota holds a majority stake, is designed to provide installers, dealers and retailers with an on-line marketplace to

By Tim Keenan • April 1, 2000

Intrigue Could Get Cutlass Revival

Hoping to boost Oldsmobile Intrigue sales, General Motors Corp. says it likely will increase marketing efforts for the sport sedan and is considering reviving the Cutlass brand as an Intrigue model."Dealers are asking for Cutlass, possibly a Cutlass version of the Intrigue, which would help us kill two birds with one stone by bringing back a popular name and at the same time getting recognition for

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • April 1, 2000

Small fish in a big pond make a decent splash

Stewart Management Group makes its first appearance on the Megadealer 100 list this year by virtue of its sole 1999 acquisition, Hoover Toyota in a suburb of Birmingham, AL.The Michigan-based group is among interesting players who are large enough to make the Ward's Dealer Business 100 Megadealers list, but are small compared to titans such as AutoNation Inc.Stewart (which ranks 90th) also operates

By Fred Bonnie and Maynard Gordon • April 1, 2000

CHRYSLER PT CRUISER IS A VEHICLE FOR ‘BIG AL’ - AS WELL AS LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS

SAN DIEGO - Al Capone might have liked the Chrysler's new PT Cruiser."It reminds me of the cars the gangsters drove in those old movies," says a middle-aged woman who came upon one parked in La Jolla, CA as she walked her dog.Then again, it's expected to appeal to a lot of different people. That includes:* Young people who think it's too cool.* Older people who think its retro look is the cat's meow.*

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2000

PT Cruiser is hot, hot, hot; DC increasing production

Dealers began receiving DaimlerChrysler AG's PT Cruiser just last month, and the automaker already is boosting production of its all-new segment-redefining crossover vehicle. Because of the unprecedented demand, DC will supplement production of the Cruiser at its Eurostar factory in Graz, Austria. The DC plant in Toluca, Mexico, assembles the Cruiser and is scheduled to build 120,000 units this year

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • April 1, 2000

FORD E-ALLY SEEKS OK FOR DEALERSHIPS

A website development agreement between Ford and the privately owned computer software giant Trilogy Inc. has given a shot in the arm to a controversial e-commerce auto sales project.That is the ongoing dealer-purchase initiative of CarOrder.com, a subsidiary of Trilogy and the recipient of $100 million from its parent to shop for and buy dealerships.Carorder's zealous president, 23-year-old Brian

By Maynard M. Gordon • April 1, 2000

Hyundai Finance honors 10 dealers

Hyundai Motor Finance Company gave its new Pre-sident's Club Award to 10 dealerships that produced the largest dollar volume of vehicles financed through HMFC in 1999.The dealerships are: College Park Hyundai, College Park, MD; Rick Case Hyundai Group, Fort Lauderdale; Ben Stepman Hyundai, Henderson, NV; Automax Hyundai, Killeen, TX; Lee Hyundai, Fayetteville, NC; Carl L. Gregory Hyundai Group, Columbus,

April 1, 2000