Automakers: Page 426

Supply Pain ManagementGoing global is hard, but it can work

It was a minor bump in the road, really, that most people ignored when Swedish automotive suppliers began grumbling the instant that Ford Motor Co. announced recently that it was spending $6.4 billion to buy the car division of their national industrial icon, AB Volvo.But their concern was perfectly valid: How can they, as primarily regional producers, expect to keep doing business with Volvo when

By Tom Murphy • March 1, 1999

Dow Moves May Prompt Magnesium Coalition

Dow Chemical Co.'s at it again: after its recent pullout from magnesium production (see WAW - Jan. '99, p.57), the company now says it will license its magnesium-production technology to someone else.One Ford Motor Co. executive believes Dow's move may forge the beginning of a possible coalition among automakers that would support the development and research of magnesium through a chain of Tier 1

By Brian Corbett • March 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

Globalization Shifts Translation Needs Into High Gear

Of all the angles that have been scrutinized in the merger of Chrysler Corp. and Daimler-Benz AG, one fundamental question has been largely overlooked: Will employees be able to communicate effectively across the two companies?Daimler-Benz employees already understand English pretty well, partly due to the company's global customer base and an educational system in Germany that requires English instruction

By JEAN M. COOK • March 1, 1999

Can South Africa Compete Globally?

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa - The history of the auto industry in South Africa has been long and varied, with ups and downs that make other countries' auto industries look stable. Imports ruled from 1896 until 1924 when Ford Motor Co. opened the first assembly plant here to build Model Ts from complete knocked down (CKD) kits.General Motors Corp. followed two years later with its first assembly plant,

By JOHN RETTIE • March 1, 1999

Ford Focus Features Hybrid Front End

Steel, aluminum and plastic seem so often to be locked into a life-and-death struggle for the hearts and minds of engineers, it's easy to overlook the fact they can in fact be used together.A good example is the hybrid plastic/metal design of the front-end module of the new subcompact Ford Focus, introduced in Europe last spring and due in the U.S. this fall.Designed by Ford, suppliers Dynamit Nobel

By Drew Winter • March 1, 1999

All-Wheel Drive Revolution? New Venture Gear leads a shift in AWD technology

Down underneath, where the greasy driveline bits strain in doing their part to convert reciprocal motion into rotary motion, there's a quiet revolution under way: The mechanics of driving all four wheels are advancing.New Venture Gear, the 1990 joint-venture of General Motors Corp. and former Chrysler Corp. transmission/driveline expertise, has made quite a name for itself and its myriad 4-wheel drive

By Bill Visnic • Feb. 1, 1999

Mustang Cobra Gets Audited for 1999 And IRS comes a-knockin’

PASADENA, CA - It's difficult to think of Ford Motor Co.'s 1999 Mustang Cobra as a mere refresh, even if its all-new skin does sit atop a 21-year-old chassis. After all, when's the last time a mere engineering tweak has shifted the performance direction of an entire segment?With the twist of eight simple bolts, Ford does just that, sending the ponycar screaming down a wholly different road than it

By NATALIE NEFF • Feb. 1, 1999

DuPont’s Manifold Hits the Rub

Peer closely enough at almost any vehicle on the road and you'll most likely discover DuPont Automotive fingerprints somewhere. And in the case of Ford Motor Co.'s 5.4L SOHC Triton V-8 engine, they left a particularly significant one.The 5.4L dons the first North American application of a multi-piece, vibration-welded nylon 6,6 lower intake manifold, developed by DuPont and tooling partner Montaplast

By NATALIE NEFF • Feb. 1, 1999

Europe’s comeback kid

Alfa come back.It was a simple request made at last year's Concours Italiano by hundreds of American fans who fondly remember the famous marque's Italian styling and sporty handling.Although Alfa Romeo SpA became the '98 comeback kid in Europe, don't expect to see the company's new flagship 166 on U.S. streets, even if it was tested here.A little more than a year ago, questions about the future of

By Andrea Wielgat • Feb. 1, 1999

Swede Success Ford uses ready cash to buy up Volvo Cars

Ford Motor Co.'s $6.45 billion purchase of AB Volvo's car division isn't on the scale of Daimler-Chrysler AG, but it is another step in the consolidation of the global auto industry.For Ford, it means access to more luxury buyers and a more expansive dealer network worldwide. For Volvo Cars, the deal means a more secure future through increased financial resources,greater economies of scale and the

By ANDREA WIELGAT and SAID DEEP • Feb. 1, 1999

GM Finishes ‘98 on the Rebound; Ford Sets Profit-Sharing Record

What looked like a mess of a year for General Motors Corp. ended on an upbeat note as the world's largest auto-maker reports record fourth-quarter '98 earnings of $1.8 billion, a 12% increase over like-'97.Although year-end earnings of $3 billion ($4.26 per share) lagged well behind '97's healthy $6.3 billion ($8.45 per share), GM demonstrated its resolve to quickly restart production following the

Feb. 1, 1999

Is This GM’s Silver Bullet? UAW remains guarded about Yellowstone’sprospects

Building profitable small cars is a challenge for everyone, but it is a task of heroic proportions for General Motors Corp., the least efficient mass-producer in the world.For decades it has struggled to implement elaborate - and expensive - manufacturing strategies to dramatically reduce labor and production costs. In the 1980s it spent billions on brand-new highly automated plants with the hope

By Drew Winter, Dave Zoia, Brian Corbett • Feb. 1, 1999

Chicago Auto Show Nibbles at the Edges With a few exceptions

Following the unveiling of the Toyota Motor Corp. XYR concept coupe in Detroit - an early look at the next-generation Toyota Celica coming out this fall - the Japanese automaker chose the 1999 Chicago Auto Show to introduce the Toyota MR Spyder, a tease of what to expect if and when Toyota brings back the MR2 sport coupe sold between 1985-1995.The Spyder is among a handful of introductions of coming-soon

By Jim Mateja • Feb. 1, 1999

More Than Skin Deep-New IP covers represent big technological strides

Just what makes an attractive, high-quality instrument panel? Ask designers and you'll get one set of answers, ask engineers and you'll get another. Consumers will give you still different opinions.What's more, a recent study by the ITB Group Ltd., an international consulting company, shows that automakers in Europe, Japan and the U.S. don't even agree on the importance of basic instrument panel styling

By Drew Winter • Jan. 1, 1999

A Formula for Success?--GM, Montell jointly announce new composite

Formulating a genuinely new and better type of plastic isn't easy, and - some would argue - doing it in concert with General Motors Corp., makes it doubly hard.Not only is GM tough on price, but it also is notoriously reluctant to give suppliers credit for their innovations. It is perhaps the last vestige of the infamous "not invented here" syndrome that nearly sank the U.S. auto industry in the 1970s.

By Drew Winter • Jan. 1, 1999

The short, troubled life of Samsung Motors?

Epitaphs were being prepared in December for South Korean upstart Samsung Motors Inc., which officially entered the auto industry last May with the launch of its Nissan Maxima-based SM5 car and already may be on its way to becoming a footnote in the annals of automotive history. Under government pressure designed to shore up struggling conglomerates, Daewoo agrees to swap its electronics unit for

Jan. 1, 1999

January Means . . . NORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Last year it was the Volkswagen AG New Beetle that captured the hearts of show-goers at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This year Ford Motor Co. has the chance to do the same when its Thunderbird concept breaks cover.It's been more than 44 years since the first T-Bird rolled out of Ford's Dearborn Assembly plant on Sept. 9, 1954, and on to the road to becoming an American icon.Ford

By SAID DEEP and BRIAN CORBETT • Jan. 1, 1999

Temporary Setback?--Magnesium meltdown doesn’t discourage Ford

Despite recent developments that could be viewed as setbacks to the magnesium market, an executive at Ford Motor Co. is predicting automotive use of the light metal will increase tenfold by 2020.Ford is by far the world's top automotive magnesium consumer, claims a report by Hydro Magnesium Marketing SA. Says Gerald S. Cole, a senior staff technical specialist in Ford's Manufacturing Systems Dept.,

By Brian Corbett • Jan. 1, 1999

Honda of America ‘Global regions’ strategy pays off

Examine the multitudinous "global domination" philosophies in the automaking business - and there is no shortage of these strategies - and Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s idea of producing a few platforms, then modifying them to suit various world regions, holds up particularly well.Especially in North America, where Honda continually and steadfastly is increasing production and local sourcing. In the U.S.,

By Bill Visnic • Dec. 1, 1998

DMAX - A natural step for Isuzu,GM

It seems like a natural progression. General Motors Corp. already builds trucks with Isuzu Motors Ltd. at its plants in Shreveport, LA, and Janesville, WI, so expanding the relationship to include diesel engines for trucks shouldn't surprise.The partners announced recently that they will launch a joint venture to build a new plant in Moraine, OH, for production of the next-generation 6.6L turbodiesel

Dec. 1, 1998

Q&A with Bob Eaton

Here are key excerpts of Daimler Chrysler Co-Chairman Robert J. Eaton's interview with WAW Editor-in-Chief David C. Smith and Senior Editor Greg Gardner:Q. What is your outlook for 1999 in the U.S. and North America?A. It's going to be a good year. We're still looking at a projection in the U.S. of 15 million to 15.2 million. The domestic economy still continues to look good. I think that's probably

Dec. 1, 1998

Is GM Softening on Pay-to-Play Policy?

In the face of sustained protest and threatened lawsuits, General Motors Corp. might be retreating from a controversial practice that has required certain suppliers on high-volume programs to pay up front the savings GM expects them to realize over the life of the contract.Dubbed "Current Savings," the program has allowed suppliers to write GM a check up front to eliminate the uncertainty that they

Dec. 1, 1998

The State of General MotorsSo you think your job is hard

Consider Gary Cowger.General Motors Corp.'s new head of labor relations walks into the debris left from last summer's 54-day, $2 billion strike by the United Auto Workers union at two Flint plants. He points to his track record as a plant manager throughout the 1980's. Former UAW local leaders vouch for his honesty and people skills. He certainly understands how parts come together to make a complete

By GREG GARDNER and DAVID C. SMITH • Dec. 1, 1998

Productive PartnersSubaru-Isuzu Indiana plant closing in on record year

With four hot models to produce, Subaru-Isuzu Automotive Inc., projects that it will assemble 227,000 vehicles this year, the most in its 10-year history. The Lafayette, IN, facility expects to assemble 126,000 Isuzus and 101,000 Subarus by the end of this month. That will eclipse the 194,871 vehicles the plant produced in 1996.However, Ann McConnell, a spokeswoman for SIA, says the plant's production

By Herb Shuldiner • Dec. 1, 1998

Can Ford Go it Alone? Nasser

Jacques Nasser turns 51 this month and, barring unforeseen events, he'll spend the next 14 years leading what's now the world's second-largest automaker, but could well become the largest before he is finished.A major merger could hasten that day, of course, and Mr. Nasser agrees that the $22.9 billion Ford has amassed provides "quite a lot of flexibility and leaves our options open."That cash, largest

By DAVID C. SMITH and GREG GARDNER • Dec. 1, 1998