Automakers: Page 420

Who are the winners in all these automotive mergers?

Down in the trenches, where the rubber meets the road, it remains to be seen what the mergers will mean for the traditional dealers, says John Porcelli, owner of Capital Lincoln Mercury in Chicago and a member of the Lincoln Mercury Brand Advisory Board."The (consolidation) clearly means savings for the manufacturer, and I own Ford stock, so that's a good thing," he says. "I try to look at it in a

By Jeff Green • June 1, 2000

BMW taking a cue from GM? Say it isn’t so

In a thrust similar to GM's made-to-order scheme with Reynolds and Reynolds (above), BMW AG is rolling out manufacturing initiatives to reduce order-to-delivery time while allowing customers to make last-minute option changes. Today the process in Germany takes 28-32 working days. "Our goal is to reduce that to less than 20 days and for pre-confirmed orders to still allow customer-requested changes

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • June 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

In the Spring

In the Spring a fuller crimson comes upon the robin's breast;In the Spring the wanton lapwing gets himself another crest;In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove;In the Spring a young man's fancy is a convertible to love.I was driving from New York to Washington in this new Toyota Solara convertible. Lovely car, V-6 power, comfortable, terrific audio, tight, no rattling or wind

By Jerry Flint • June 1, 2000

FAREWELL TO A HOMETOWN DEALERSHIP

FORD MOTOR CO. CLOSED A LINCOLN MERCURY dealership in my hometown, bringing back good memories - and a horrible one - of a venerable store.Ford bought out the Royal Oak, MI franchise of David Jankovich, who owned Diamond Lincoln Mercury on a suburban downtown corner where cars had been sold for 55 years, starting with DeSotos and Plymouths.Ford's buy-out is to thin out the number of metro Detroit's

By Steve Finlay • June 1, 2000

ANOTHER GM EXEC LEAVES FOR AN E-JOB

Karen Francis is the latest GM executive to leave the automaker for the dot-com world.She resigned after only 18 months as marketing general manager of Oldsmobile Division. Her new job is chief marketing officer and managing director of Internet Capital Group, a Pennsylvania-based e-business to business firm."I have decided to move on to the next phase of my personal career," says Ms. Francis, 38.She

June 1, 2000

Believe it or not, DeVille draws younger buyers

Cutting-edge technology, rather than styling, appears to be having a greater impact on the current sales success of Cadillac's all-new '00 DeVille. And it's drawing younger buyers to the brand, as well, Cadillac says. Year-to-date sales through April are running 42.3% ahead of year-ago (40,588 vs. 28,530). Cadillac DeVille Brand Manager Patrick Kemp predicts deliveries will "go well over 100,000"

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

DaimlerChrysler Cleared In Minivan Air Bag Death

Michigan's Wayne County juries are known for their friendliness to big settlements in favor of plaintiffs, adding just a bit more significance to DaimlerChrysler AG's victory in a recent minivan air bag suit.DC was cleared May 11 in a lawsuit that claimed that 7-year-old Allison Sanders' death was caused by an improperly tested and "terribly aggressive" air bag in her family's 1995 Dodge Caravan.The

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

DaimlerChrysler chairman foresees huge growth in F&I and aftersales

DaimlerChrysler wants to increase by 700% its income from financial services and "aftersale" products, says its chairman and CEO, Juergen E. Schrempp."By 2010, I visualize that the revenue stream of DC will be 50% hardware (manufactured vehicles) and 50% services from finance and insurance, aftersale audio equipment and repairs," says Mr. Schrempp in an interview with a German newspaper.In 1999, non-hardware

June 1, 2000

No riddle on making it to the middle

Omaha, NE, and Anch-orage, AK, are not markets where one would expect to find dealers who are among the top 500.Yet, Wayne Atchley, who's near cornfields, and Leonard Bryant, who's near the tundra, are firmly in the middle tier of the Ward's Dealer Business 500.Atchley Ford in Omaha sold 845 new cars, 1,677 new trucks and 1,795 used units in 1999 in a city's with a population of about 650,000 people.

By Tim Keenan • June 1, 2000

Ford wins the battle of the best automaker’s financial statements

There's discussion about dealers using a standard financial statement versus using a different financial statement for each manufacturer.There's also talk that some dealer groups will be adopting one manufacturer financial statement for all its dealers.Below are of my comments on the issue, based on being on the business for more than 25 years, writing and teaching about how to read dealer financial

By Carl Woodward • 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

“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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“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

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

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

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