Automakers: Page 425

Can Cadillac Come Back?

Cadillac hasn't competed in the grueling 24-hour LeMans race since 1950, but come next June 12 it'll go head-to-head in the French classic with 47 world-class cars seeking one of racing's most prized trophies.The specially built car will be powered by a twin-turbocharged version of Cadillac's Northstar V-8. Whether it wins, places or even finishes really doesn't matter too much: Simply showing up

By Drew Winter, David C. Smith • Nov. 1, 1999

Mazda hopes to attract more families with its new MPV

Mazda Motor Corp. believes its all-new front-wheel-drive '00 MPV (multipurpose vehicle) will be the siren's song that lures young families to its brand. The stylish short-based minivan is one of the smaller vehicles in its segment and is priced affordably, starting at $19,995.Mazda wisely benchmarked the Honda Odyssey, which can't be produced fast enough to meet U.S. demand. MPV offers dual sliding

Nov. 1, 1999

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

Toyota takes on the youth market

Despite selling more pass-enger cars than any other maker in the U.S. market last year, Toyota Motor Corp. knows that if it doesn't find a way to appeal to young buyers, its future is bleak. One of Toyota's little secrets is that the average age of its buyers is disturbingly Buick-like.To address that problem, Toyota is looking to lure Generation Xers, as well as those coming up behind them, with

By Barbara McClellan • Nov. 1, 1999

Chart topper Mercedes CL Coupe

What does $85,500 look like? For the lucky 2,500 buyers in the U.S. next year it looks like the new Mercedes-Benz CL Coupe.Mercedes would use words like dream car, pure seduction, technological trendsetter or "car for whom good just isn't good enough" to describe its top-of-the-line vehicle. These descriptions are accurate but, really, would you expect anything less from Mercedes' big coupe?"The coupe

Nov. 1, 1999

What’s the Big Deal?

Last year, General Motors Corp. acquired majority ownership of several under-performing deal-erships in California's San Fernando Valley.Fifteen other area GM dealers subsequently filed a formal protest to the plan in which GM put up $18 million and brought in dealer Wes Rydell to invest $2 million and to run the San Fernando dealerships.The protesting dealers saw the GM Motors Holding arraignment

By Maynard M. Gordon and Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 1999

Honda goes both ways with new S2000 and Insight two-seaters

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s model-year 2000 lineup includes two new sporty little 2-seaters that couldn't be less alike.The Honda S2000 is a rocketing push-button-start roadster, which couples a sky-high-revving, 2L 4-cyl. engine with a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission. What we have is Honda's second rear-drive car ever to hit U.S. pavement, sporting 240 hp, and the ability to do 0 to 60 mph (97km/h)

Nov. 1, 1999

HURRICANE FLOYD GOES EASY ON DEALERS - EXCEPT ONE

When the remnants of Hurricane Floyd rolled over Danbury, CT, it dropped enough rain to wipe out the stock of Greentree Motors, a Toyota and Lincoln store. About 200 vehicles were trapped in a flooded lot and destroyed by the deluge. Danbury received some 13 inches of rain that day.It was the most serious single setback any dealer suffered from the monster storm that wreaked havoc in Georgia, the

By Herb Shuldiner • Nov. 1, 1999

NEW MEXICO FORD DEALERS FORM THEIR OWN “COLLECTION” AS AN ALTERNATIVE

Three Ford dealers in Albuquerque, NM, formed their own co-operative, and are presenting an alternative to other strategies.The three Ford dealers, anxious to remain competitive but achieve economies of scale in non-competing areas, formed the Zia Automobile Group.It's billed as an alternative to Ford's beleaguered Collection plan.The automaker took two months to approve the group. One of its goals

Nov. 1, 1999

Occupied Chrysler--Time to change your ways or sell it off, Juergen

Sometimes things just don't work out." I remember Henry Ford II saying that when he fired his president - and a very good man, too - Bunkie Knudsen. Remember that quote. I'll get back to it later.Back on Sept. 2, my editor suggested I write this column on DaimlerChrysler. I wrote it Sept. 30, but you're not reading it until some time in November. I just want you to understand the time problem, because

By Jerry Flint • Nov. 1, 1999

Jaguar XKR Adds Oomph to the Lineup

DEL MAR, CA - After a decade under Ford control, Jaguar adds another refinement to its stable with the introduction of the XKR, a coupe and convertible, off the sleek XK platform with a supercharged 4L 370-hp DOHC V-8 sitting under the hood.That brings Jaguar's model lineup to three - XJ, XK and S-Type - with a fourth, the X400 "baby Jag" on the way. And the venerable British luxury carmaker has its

By Mike Arnholt • Nov. 1, 1999

Cheerio, Old Chap--Focus on Bentley as RR&B awaits Rolls hand-off

CREWE, U.K. - It's the auto industry's version of the Hong Kong hand-over.In mid-1997 the British government ceded control of Hong Kong to Mainland China, overnight transforming the island from a British colony to a part of the largest communist nation in the world.It's a similar situation at U.K.-based Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motor Cars. Because of a complicated series of deals cut between the British

By David E. Zoia • Nov. 1, 1999

Young Internet executive wants to buy dealerships

A 22-year-old founder and president of an on-line referral service wants to buy dealerships. Brian Stafford of carOrder.com, based in Austin, TX, plans to bankroll those planned initial dealership purchases with $100 million from parent software firm Trilogy Inc.Trilogy plans an initial public stock offering by early 2000 to fund a second-round of dealership purchases, says Mr. Stafford, a Los Angeles

Nov. 1, 1999

‘Factory of the Future’ is History

I'm more than a little embarrassed to say that 14 years ago I boldly predicted the death of the automotive assembly line. It's not the dumbest thing I ever wrote, but it's up there.Mind you, a number of automakers - including Volvo - did indeed try to eliminate the assembly line with alternative vehicle-build strategies, but they never worked.Peek into just about any assembly plant nowadays and "the

By Drew Winter • Nov. 1, 1999

Extending the Enterprise--Stallkamp to leave, but his philosophy lives on

The timing, by all accounts, was purely coincidental. Still, it made for heightened awareness in the supplier community.DaimlerChrysler AG management met with supplier executives in Frankfurt, Germany, to discuss their evolving relationship on Sept. 24, the same day that the auto industry learned that board member Thomas Stallkamp would retire Dec. 31 as president of DaimlerChrysler Corp. in North

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 1999

Cadillac dealers look straight on after so much zigging and zagging

Owner Tim Cashman of Cashman Cadillac in Las Vegas sits in his showroom, next to oil portraits of his father and grandfather, the dealership's founder when the city was a desert dot on the map, and talks hopefully about Cadillac's future.Mr. Cashman sees a return to Cadillac's glory days if General Motors Corp. can carry out its "arts and science" vision for the famous brand.He says, "If GM executes

By Maynard M. Gordon and Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 1999

FORD AND GM BOTH SPINNING WEBS

General Motors Corp. says its ambitious new "e-GM" effort will steer more customers to dealerships. Ford Motor Co. says its joint Internet venture with Microsoft's Car-Point.com will enhance consumer-dealer relationships.Both automakers expect the novel programs, when fully operational, will increase customer satisfaction and reduce dealer inventory costs.And both concur that what they are respectively

By Tim Keenan • Nov. 1, 1999

SEEYLE SEES PROFITS FROM SATELLITES

Seven used-car satellites have paid off hand-somely for Don Seelye Ford-Kia, Kalamazoo, MI, and its sister dealership 37 miles to the west in South Haven, MI.Cowner Michael N. Seelye says, "With pre-owned units so desirable, it has rewarded us to blanket our market areas with sales locations that are supplied with trade-ins and vehicles bought from Midwest auctions."Our new and used units are supported

By Maynard M. Gordon • Nov. 1, 1999

Five Ford “Collections” is Enough - for Now

Ford's once-ambitious plan to establish as many as 30 city "Collections" of factory-owned dealerships has stopped at five for now.A combination of adverse factors caused Ford to halt further growth of the Collection effort. But the ones in place in five cities are carrying on."We now need to make sure we prove our business model," says Robert S. Rewey, Ford's group vice president of sales, service

By Maynard M. Gordon • Nov. 1, 1999

After creating a market niche Subaru peaks out

You've got to hand it to Subaru for not simply dominating a corner of a market, but actually creating the niche. Subaru single-handedly transformed the station wagon from nerdy, wood-paneled, family-toting suburban cruiser to an active, all-wheel-drive (AWD), bicycle-toting mountain scaler.New for 2000, Subaru rolls out updated versions of the simply dominant Outback and Legacy. Both vehicles come

Nov. 1, 1999

Spaced Out

What will cars and trucks look like 20 years from now? What kind of architecture will they have? What design themes will there be after "cab forward" and "new edge" have run their course?Not surprisingly, automakers don't want to say. It would mean giving a highly proprietary peek into the most advanced of advanced planning. Plus, who can be sure where they'll be headed that far in the future?Instead,

By Drew Winter • Nov. 1, 1999

2000 Taurus: Sometimes ‘Understated’ is a Good Thing

The 2000-model Taurus likely won't turn heads, but then neither does the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. It's a fact that hasn't been lost on Ford Motor Co. since the previous, more elliptically styled version of the car broke cover in 1996 to mixed reviews.The message to Ford was unmistakable: Midsize car buyers prefer bland to bold in their styling recipes.With its newly homogenized styling, enhanced

By SAID DEEP • Nov. 1, 1999

Contract Talks 1999Deals define auto industry’s future

Quick and peaceful. That pretty much sums up this year's contract talks between the United Auto Workers union and the U.S. Big Three. They're words not normally associated with negotiations, but then again the industry has never seen a sales pace like this year's.Although things got surprisingly tense at Ford Motor Co. over the company's desire to spin off Visteon Automotive Systems, its parts unit,

By SAID DEEP • Nov. 1, 1999

The Gloves are Off--It’s ‘no holds barred’ at Frankfurt show

FRANKFURT - The message at September's auto show here was clear: It's no holds barred in the European auto market in the new millennium.Automakers used this biannual exhibition as a dueling ground, throwing down gauntlets in the form of new concepts and production models and declaring no market niche safe from widespread competition.Volkswagen AG kicked things off with the unveiling of its Concept

By Andrea Wielgat, Brian Corbett and Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 1999

Future Still Uncertain, But Looking Up for Saab

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, 1999

One Down, Two to Go--UAW may have upper hand in Ford negotiations

As the pattern-setter in this year's contract talks, DaimlerChrysler Corp.'s deal with the United Auto Workers union may give UAW President Steve Yokich and his team the upper hand in its negotiations with Ford Motor Co.That's not to say a nasty standoff is imminent, times are still too good for either side to play that tough, but Ford's top executives likely won't get through talks this year without

By SAID DEEP • Oct. 1, 1999