Automakers: Page

Connecticut dealership gets new owners, new name

Subaru of Branford (CT) has a new name - Premier SUBARU - and new owners, Robert Alvin and his son Robert J. Alvine, who's now the store's general manager.They've doubled the dealership's new- and used-vehicle inventory, hired automotive sales veteran Brian Dubosar as general sales manager and upgraded the store's web site. More hiring as well as property renovations are in the works.The father is

By WARD'S DEALER BUSINESS STAFF • Oct. 1, 2000

IN QUEST OF THE IDEALLY NAMED DEALERSHIP

A debate in the dealer world is which draws better: naming the business after the owner or going with a "corporate" or geographical label.Proponents of the personal approach believe a namesake identification with the dealer maintains a warmer image.But with the emphasis on branding, there has been a swing away from the owner's name on the building.New franchises like Lexus and Saturn went with non-personalized

By Maynard M. Gordon • Oct. 1, 2000

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

AUTOTOWN CONVERTS FROM LEADS TO MANAGEMENT

Jerry Daniels spent 15 years operating a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership in Menlo Park, CA, before selling his store and founding AutoTown.com as yet another of the Internet referral companies that leapt into business during the last couple of years.While he was providing leads to his dealer clients, he researched and discovered that fewer than half of the leads he was providing were getting phone calls

By Tim Keenan • Oct. 1, 2000

JACKSON LEAVES MERCEDES FOR AUTONATION

When AutoNation Inc. founder W. Wayne Huizenga announced this summer that he was looking for a new CEO, he said he wanted someone with a strong automotive background.He got what he wanted. Michael Jackson, president of Mercedes-Benz USA Inc. and a former top Mercedes dealer, this month takes the helm at AutoNation, the nation's biggest dealership group.Mr. Jackson succeeds Mr. Huizenga and Steven

By Mike Jackson • Oct. 1, 2000

Another Southern California Cadillac dealer miffed at GM

RE your August, 2000 edition's story headlined, "Cadillac dealer says two's a crowd in San Bernardino County, CA."My family has owned Cadillac dealerships in Southern California for over 62 years, and I am the third-generation dealer. We operate two exclusives: Crestview Cadillac in West Covina and Bewley Allen Cadillac in Alhambra.Surviving as a Cadillac exclusive is very difficult indeed. The closed

By Scott H. Allen • Oct. 1, 2000

Nissan shows vital life signs

We won't have to wait much longer to see if the Nissan Revival Plan has any chance of reviving the automaker's moribund car lines.Not launched yet, but just around the corner in calendar '01 are an all-new Altima that Nissan insiders swear will wear genuine sport-sedan credentials, and the promise of several hot entries for both Nissan and the upmarket Infiniti division.But staying with the '01 theme,

By Bill Visnic • Oct. 1, 2000

Atlanta’s Wade Automotive opens third dealership

Wade Automotive dealership count now stands at three, with the opening of Wade Lincoln Mercury in metro Atlanta's Alpharetta.Alan Arnold and Keith O'Daniel own the dealership. It's on a 10-acre campus occupied by three buildings, covering 75,000 sq.-ft.Wade has been in business in Atlanta since 1933. Alan Arnold's father, A.C. Arnold, began working for Wade as a parts clerk at its first dealership

By WARD'S DEALER BUSINESS STAFF • Oct. 1, 2000

Ernie Boch commands vast empire south of Boston

NORWOOD, MA - Driving down the heavily dealered Route 1 in Norwood, MA, south of Boston, one might think that every automotive retail outlet was owned by one Ernest J. Boch. They aren't, of course, but most are.He has a Toyota dealership on that strip, an Oldsmobile store, a Kia franchise, a Mitsubishi store, a used-car operation and a state-of-the-art Honda store under construction. His Subaru distributorship

By Tim Keenan • Oct. 1, 2000

Saab not A-1 yet but its future is looking better than before

The future is uncertain for Saab Automobile AB. The upcoming year will bring not only several new niche models but also a change in the ownership structure of the company.General Motors Corp. and Investor AB now share 50/50 ownership of the company. But GM soon must decide if it will buy all or a portion of Investor's shares. If GM decides it does not want the company, Investor has the option to force

By Andrea Wielgat • Oct. 1, 2000

Metroautomall.com connects but refuses to compete with local dealerships

What is believed to be the first online shopping service directly linked to dealer web sites has opened for nationwide business with a substantial investment from longtime Chevrolet dealer Stanley Graff, of Grand Prairie, TX.On the Internet as metroautomall.com, the Dallas-based web site has compiled a data base of about 29,000 franchised and independent dealers since completing a year-long local

By Maynard M. Gordon • Oct. 1, 2000

Is the new Mercedes C-Class a woman’s car? No, but . . .

Is the C-Class Mercedes-Benz a woman's car?Well, not entirely. But half the C-Class buyers are affluent women. So, Mercedes-Benz USA plans to target women in its marketing of the redone 2001 model."It's not about `pink' marketing; I don't want to feminize the vehicle," says Karen Makris, C-Class product manager. "But we'll be stressing things that women are interested in such as safety, security and

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2000

New Goodies Abound on ‘01 Models

From soft tops to cool bottoms, supplier contributions to '01 models are plentifulEver driven a Jeep Wrangler? Did the experience leave you with ringing ears or loose fillings? OK, that's harsh, but you have to admit the Wrangler requires a hearty disposition. Experience in a saddle doesn't hurt.The 2001 Wrangler sets out to silence some of that criticism. It arrives with a new soft top that reduces

By Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 2000

Former all-American uses football lessons to run dealership

HINGHAM, MA - Scott Shulman is not the typical dealer's son who took over his father's business. Nor is he a typical former athlete who runs a dealership.A typical boss's son might consider maintaining the status quo when he takes the reigns of the dealership. A former football player might try to trade using his name. Neither applies for the son of legendary Boston Chevrolet dealer, NADA director

Oct. 1, 2000

BMW allows customers to “build” and finance their vehicles on-line

While most automobile owners fondly recall the exhilaration of driving their new car for the first time, few relish the memory of spending hours filling out financing paperwork at the dealership.Now, on-line tools from BMW Financial Services are simplifying the buying process by allowing customers to complete paperwork from their home, office or hotel room.Prospective BMW buyers in all 50 states now

Oct. 1, 2000

Rick Wagoner Sounds Like Bob Lutz

Sounding more like former Chrysler Corp. product wizard Robert Lutz than a typically reserved General Motors Corp. CEO, G. Richard Wagoner Jr. made it official: The Chevy SSR retro pickup truck is going into production. It will be available in dealerships in "late 2002," he promises.Stunned insiders say they've never heard of a new GM product being announced without an iron-clad business plan. Mr.

By DrewWinter • Sept. 1, 2000

HOW MY SON CHANGED THE DEALERSHIP

I SOLD MY CHEVY DEALERSHIP TO MY SON SCOTT IN 1992 setting up a 15-year buy-out which has been beneficial for both of us. During my career as a dealer there were 38 Chevy stores in Greater Boston and new car prospects could shop our price using less than a pint of gasoline. Currently there are less than 15 in the same geographical area.True, in the 70's Chevrolet had twice the market share it enjoys

By Nat Shulman • Sept. 1, 2000

CAN CHEVY REGAIN GLORY?

Maybe, but getting back to 3 million sales is an uphill climb It was a snowy, blustery December morning in 1972. Reporters had been summoned to the General Motors Corp. Building in midtown Detroit for a continental breakfast to celebrate a remarkable occasion. Chevrolet was closing in on a phenomenal feat: 3 million sales and an awesome 25.5% of U.S. total car and truck deliveries that year.The final

By David C. Smith • Sept. 1, 2000

Ste. Therese Fate Undecided

General Motors Corp. continues to study the future of the assembly plant in Ste. Therese, Quebec, that has no new product slated beyond 2002 when it ceases production of the Chevrolet Camaro/Pontiac Firebird.G. Richard Wagoner, president and CEO, says don't look for a decision in the next six months. He says he would like to keep the plant open to preserve a skilled workforce and take advantage of

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • Sept. 1, 2000

COMBATT Pits Ford vs. DC

U-M Conference participants had a chance to take a ride on what DaimlerChrysler Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are battling over: the Army's new Light Tactical Wheeled Vehicle (LTWV).Both COMBATT (Commercially BAsed Tactical Truck) vehicles roll off the same line as their civilian brothers, the Ford F-350 and Dodge Ram 2500, but each get military treatment upon enlistment.The payoff is less cost for taxpayers.

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • Sept. 1, 2000

Chevy SSR Gets Green Light for 2003

Chevrolet will introduce a David production version of the high performance SSR sporty, retro pickup concept unveiled earlier this year in late 2002.General Motors Corp. President G. Richard Wagoner gave the program the green light during his appearance Aug. 9 at the U-M Management Briefing Seminars.The SSR concept debuted in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to raves

By David C. Smith • Sept. 1, 2000

Honda Cautious In e-Commerce

Although talk swirls constantly about the magic bullet of OE-supplier e-commerce and its potential for saving automakers vast sums, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. isn't buying it.Larry Jutte, vice president and general manager - Motorcycle and Powertrain, Parts and Procurement, Honda of America Mfg. Inc., says Honda simply doesn't do business with suppliers in the fashion implied by suggested models of OE-supplier

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 2000

Insight Borrows From NSX Halo

The Acura NSX may have been low volume and high cost when it made its debut as the world's first aluminum production car in 1990, but it paved the way for the Honda Insight, which has generated both hype and demand.The Japanese automaker sold 1,900 Insight electric-gasoline hybrids in the first six months and was shooting for 4,000 by the markets such as Michigan, Florida, California and the Northeast.

By Alisa Priddle • Sept. 1, 2000

New DC minivans designed to protect market share

A minivan speeds down a tree-lined rural road south of Seattle. A motorcycle police officer, armed with a radar gun and secluded in the woods, gives chase, stops the driver and gives him a ticket.So much for the notion that minivans are slow-moving boxes on wheels which draw little attention from police officers or anyone else.The "culprit" is a 2001 Chrysler Town & Country with a 3.8L engine that's

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2000

NO GM BOMBS MEANS NO DEALER WARFARE

GENERAL MOTORS IS GETTING ALONG BETTER WITH its dealers these days after the big battle of 1999.So says John Middlebrook, GM's vice president of vehicle brand marketing.Last year, GM dropped a bomb when it announced plans to buy nearly 800 of dealerships. GM dealers threw a fit. It turned into a mess for GM. But then its top executives - from the chairman on down - went to the NADA convention in Orlando

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2000

New Manufacturing System Gives Honda Flexibility

Flexible manufacturing processes and close cooperation between its production and R&D operations have enabled Honda Motor Co. Ltd. to become the first automaker in North America to build minivans and sport/utility vehicles (SUVs) together on the same line, says Frank Paluch, chief engineer, Honda R&D Americas Inc.The Acura MDX, Honda's first foray into the full-size luxury SUV market, will be produced

By Laurel Wright • Sept. 1, 2000