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DaimlerChrysler launches Five-Star Market Center

DaimlerChrysler Corp. has launched a nationwide Internet-based marketplace, called Five Star Market Center, that gives its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers the opportunity to purchase products and commodities at volume discount prices."The Five Star Market Center is focused on improving our core business by adding value through a combination of two of our greatest strengths - the best dealer relations

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

SUBPRIME MOVES FROM SIDELINE TO F&I

As new-vehicle sales level off and dealer profits face even tighter limits on showroom volume, the importance of subprime financing is becoming increasingly essential for dealers of all sizes and brands.Special financing is no longer an F&I sideline. It's key for dealers seeking to maintain overall profits.Says finance and sales manager Bruce Werner of Ernie Haire Ford, Tampa, FL, "Dealers without

By Maynard M. Gordon • Sept. 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

Not `Core’ Anymore?

Investment, speed-to-market pressures may take powertrains off automakers `must-do' listThe heart of the automobile or just another expensive component better farmed-out to independent suppliers?That's the question the auto industry is wrestling with as it weighs the importance of maintaining an infrastructure for developing and building home-grown engines and transmissions against Wall Street pressures

By DAVID E. ZOIA and BILL VISNIC • Sept. 1, 2000

Ford Gets Lucky; Customers are Still Job 1

You can say, Ford Motor Co. got "lucky"Aug. 9.The Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. voluntary recall of 6.5 million tires, which are the target of a regulatory investigation, allows Ford to continue to market its goal of becoming the world's leading consumer company for automotive products and services.Many of the tires in question are standard equipment on the Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer. It would

By Frank S. Washington • Sept. 1, 2000

Szygenda: GM Transforming into an E-Company

Trying to counter the notion that General Motors Corp. is a stodgy "old economy" company caught flat-footed by the Internet revolution, Chief Information Officer Ralph Szygenda argues that GM began a company-wide integrated e-business program beginning in 1996 and now is well along in the process of adapting to the new e-economy.Among the first changes GM began to make four years ago was to spin off

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2000

Ford Customers Job 1

Ford has spent a lot of time and money during the last two years cobbling together a cohesive message, which spans everything the company does, that the customer is Job 1.Louise Goeser, Ford's quality vice president, continues hammering the message at the U-M conference Aug. 10 when she talks about the company's Consumer Driven Six Sigma effort.Obviously, customer satisfaction is a key to Ford's transformation,

By Frank S. Washington • Sept. 1, 2000

Dodge and Ford COMBATT for Contract

U-M conference participants had a chance to take a ride on what DaimlerChrysler Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are doing battle 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, donning flat olive drab paint

By Brian Reuwee • Sept. 1, 2000

STORE GOES FROM “PITS” TO PINNACLE

500's lone VW dealer a San Jose `brand' In the first full year of the new Beetle, a 30-year Volkswagen dealer who started out with the "old" Beetle has scored a Ward's Dealer Business 500 first.As the only VW dealer on the Top 500 for 1999, Bob Lewis Volkswagen amassed $86.1 million in gross sales, surpassing all other VW dealers and finishing in 340th place.That record performance, achieved in the

By Maynard M. Gordon • Sept. 1, 2000

Ford’s Rushwin: Cultural Differences Go Beyond the Obvious

The Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute SUV was the first new vehicle platform from Ford that truly was developed by two separate brands with two separate international cultural traditions says Shamel Rushwin, Ford's vice president of manufacturing. Marrying the two very different design and engineering traditions involved dealing with many issues besides the obvious, he adds.For instance, Ford program teams

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2000

Honda moving cautiously 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 Manufacturing Inc., says Honda simply doesn't do business with suppliers in the fashion implied by suggested models

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 2000

PORSCHE SELLS EMOTION, YOU CAN TOO

IT'S A COMPETITIVE WORLD OUT THERE AND mainstream, high-volume manufacturers like Ford and General Motors make no secret that they're embarking on grass-roots marketing campaigns for their models.Ford launched its new Focus by taking the vehicle to college campuses and other places where its target audience "hang out." It's now a hot seller. Other manufacturers talk of tapping into the loyalty and

By Tim Keenan • Sept. 1, 2000

Brazilian Revolution

GM's Blue Macaw finally takes flight GRAVATAI, Brazil - No one would blame Mark T. Hogan if he had no intention of attending the July 20 inaugural festivities for General Motors Corp.'s $554 million "Blue Macaw" small-car project, located here in Brazil's southern-most state of Rio Grande do Sul.Surprising, perhaps, given that Mr. Hogan spearheaded the top-secret project back in 1997, when he was

By BARBARA McCLELLAN with Sol Biderman • Sept. 1, 2000

Can Chevy Recapture Its Glory Days?

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

Toyota Will Use Technology To Improve

Toyota Motor Corp. is accustomed to being everyone's target, whether it be for quality, customer satisfaction, manufacturing efficiency or market acumen. But Toshiaki (Tag) Taguchi, president, Toyota Motor North America Inc., says even Toyota needs to improve.And quickly.In his Wednesday presentation here, Mr. Taguchi says one of Toyota's overriding priorities is to capitalize on fast-moving new technical

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 2000

Mercedes to build C-Class variants in South Africa

With production of left-hand-drive C-Class sedans already under way in Sindelfingen and Bremen, Germany, DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz Div. soon will turn to South Africa for its right-hand-drive C-Class models. Annual production of 40,000 units will start in September at the East London plant for rhd markets in South Africa, the U.K., Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Singapore, Malaysia,

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

Can GM Halt Its Shrinking Share?

Despite billions and billions of dollars invested in new products during the last five years, General Motors Corp. continues to lose market share in the U.S. Worse yet, several signs suggest the company is going to lose a lot more share before it finally bottoms out.Much has been written about why GM lost so much share over the last two decades, but what has got to worry the current management team

By John McElroy • Aug. 1, 2000

A First for Corvette: Right-Hand-Drive

General Motors Corp. has approved right-hand-drive production of the next-gen Chevrolet Corvette, due out in late 2003. The move heralds GM's decision to engineer right-hand-drive capability for a far wider range of its American models, as it attempts to broaden their appeal and increase sales in countries such as the U.K., Japan and Australia.Only half of GM's models are available in rhd. The automaker

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

Rendezvous spin-off in Saab’s future

Saab Automobile will expand its lineup with a new car-based sport/utility vehicle (SUV) culled from the upcoming Buick Rendezvous/Pontiac Aztek platform, company sources say. The new crossover vehicle is part of a recently announced $3.38 billion product initiative parent General Motors Corp. has planned for Saab between now and 2004. Peter Augustsson, Saab's new president and chief executive, says

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

Toyota Shuffles Lexus Management

With Lexus sales disappointing, except for the RX300 sport/ute, Toyota Motor Corp.'s luxury division has shuffled top management.Dennis Clements, who has been chief operating officer of Central Atlantic Toyota Distributors Inc. since 1991, becomes group vice president and general manager, replacing Bryan Bergsteinsson as Lexus' top executive.During Mr. Bergsteinsson's tenure, Lexus reported record

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

GM backs U-M in suit

General Motors Corp. is going to bat for the University of Michigan, which is the target of two lawsuits over its use of affirmative action in determining admissions. In an unusual move, GM, which says it employs a large number of U-M business and engineering school grads, has filed a brief supporting the U-M's tactics. In the brief, which appears to have Vice Chairman Harry J. Pearce's personal stamp,

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

Polyurethane Capacity Lags Demand

Unless someone puts shovels in the ground soon, automakers may need to find a replacement material for polyurethane in fascias, body panels, steering wheels, door panels, instrument panels, tailgates and numerous other vehicle components as early as next year.With a new factory needed every 12 months to keep pace with 5% annual growth and none planned for next year, Robert R. Kirk of Bayer Corp.,

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 1, 2000

Better Late Than Never

SAN DIEGO - The Koreans are getting pretty good at this game - borrow a page from the competition's playbook in designing a new vehicle, and then load it up with attractive standard features that consumers might find as optional on competitive vehicles. Add a price that usually undercuts by thousands.The strategy must be working for Hyundai Motor America, which only two years ago was contemplating

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 1, 2000

More on tap from Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz USA Inc. is studying ways to broaden its lineup, including the possibility of selling the next-generation A-Class and a new baby M-Class sport/utility vehicle (SUV) in the U.S. "I believe there's room for the A-Class in the U.S., but not in its present version," says Mercedes-Benz USA President Paul Halata, who adds that DaimlerChrysler passenger car chief Juergen Hubbert is eager to

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

Chevy Traverse gets nod for 2004

General Motors Corp. has green-lighted the Chevrolet Traverse, a truck-based crossover sport/utility first shown at last February's Chicago Auto Show, GM North America President Ronald L. Zarrella says in an interview. The 4-door Traverse, which is based on GM's midsize truck platform (body-on-frame) but features more car-like styling, will mark a new direction for GM in the midsize car category when

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

Ford India could become export hub

Ford Motor India plans to export complete-knocked down (CKD) units of its midsize Ikon passenger car beginning in the fourth quarter, ManagingDirector Phil Spender explains at a function in New Delhi to showcase two Ikon c oncept models. The automaker initially will export Ikon CKDs to South America and South Africa but also is exploring other global markets. Ford will make several changes to the

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