Automakers: Page 429

Excursion: The Ultimate Golf Cart

The Sierra Club would love to throw stones - they'd better be big - at Ford Motor Co.'s new titanic sport/utility vehicle as another example of American conspicuous consumption.But in a way, the No. 2 automaker can't be blamed for exploiting a market that has treated it so well in recent years. From small to large, every SUV segment is saturated, and new foreign players are crowding the playing field

By Said Deep and Tom Murphy • April 1, 1999

Tooling Up for Change

The correlation between maximizing shareholder value at an automaker and manufacturing engine blocks is hard to understand at first, but one look at an old-fashioned powertrain machining line makes it clear. These giant "transfer lines," which seem to stretch the length of a football field or longer, cost $100 million to $150 million apiece. Make mistakes with a few of these babies, and as the saying

By Drew Winter • April 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

Wanna buy BMW?Brand equity defines its allure

What's the typical Mitsubishi driver look like? How about the Mazda owner or Oldsmobile buyer? What does the Ford brand stand for? Or how about Buick or Volkswagen?Those are tough questions to answer.Not so with BMW.Most everybody seems to have a definite notion of who BMW buyers are - affluent Baby Boomers who wear their cars like Rolex watches and Armani suits, but also express a passion for driving.That

By David E. Zoia • April 1, 1999

A heady struggle to maintain independence

On Dec. 9, 1959, BMW AG came within an ace of being bought by Daimler-Benz AG.Today the two are archrivals. But back then, Daimler was already a giant, employing 63,000 people, compared to the struggling BMW, with just 6,000 workers.BMW's erratic new model policy through the '50s served up the miniature rear-engined 600, powered by a 2-cyl. motorbike engine and with the front of the car acting as

By Peter Robinson • April 1, 1999

BMW’s Reitzle lands at Ford

Wolfgang Reitzle, the man who twice missed his shot at the top job at BMW AG, is going to get his chance at a little revenge.Late last month Mr. Reitzle, 49, who as the head of product development and marketing was seen by many as the very heart and soul of BMW, was tapped by Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Jac Nasser to head up the newly created Premier Automotive Group. He'll oversee all of Ford's

By David E. Zoia • April 1, 1999

So Much for SynergyAre more defections coming at DaimlerChrysler?

Dennis Pawley triggered a minor stir at Chrysler Corp. a few years ago when he boasted that if he and a handful of other executives were to die together in a plane crash or other calamity "I think the son of a bitch would dissolve."An executive vice president with top responsibility for manufacturing at the time, Mr. Pawley's unpublished short list included Chairman Robert J. Eaton, then-President

By David C. Smith • April 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

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

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

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

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

COMMUNICATION BreakdownSME awards & 1.7 million in university grants

Big industry, including automotive, is complaining loudly about the job that universities are doing in preparing future engineers. They claim a canyon-sized deficiency exists they call the "competency gap."Graduates may be future Ketterings or Fords when it comes to the guts or the production of an automobile, but they have a serious problem. They don't know how to talk about it, write about it, or

By AL ROTHENBERG and TOM MURPHY • March 1, 1999

Talking the TalkYou’re global. Now how the heck do you communicate?

Everyone speaks the international language of love. Alas, the same cannot be said of engineering. One engineer's fascia, wing and sump are another's dashboard, fender and oil pan. And if you don't know what a scuttle (cowl) is ... well, what's the matter, don't you speak English, mate?Like it or not, the auto industry is globalizing at a furious pace. Automakers and suppliers are gobbling up one another

By Drew Winter • March 1, 1999

China FirstIt’s a sure-fire formula for despair

First it was Jack Smith of General Motors declaring that he wanted 10% of the Asian market. Ford wasn't going to be left behind or take a whit less than GM and said it wanted 10% of the Asian market.Now somebody else - it could be DaimlerChrysler or Renault, it doesn't really matter - wants up to 25% of the Asian market. I suppose before long Volkswagen and Fiat and Peugeot (or maybe not Peugeot,

By Jerry Flint • March 1, 1999

GM Truck Frames: Taking ‘Flexibility’ Too Far?

It came out in an offhand remark during a Detroit automotive television talk show. A journalist let fly that he'd heard a rumor General Motors Corp.'s new pickups were experiencing bent frames in non-demanding circumstances.The story goes like this: GM's all-new GMT800 pickup frames were being bent on vehicle transporters. The rumor took on steam when the tale expanded to say the doors of pickups

By Brian Corbett • March 1, 1999

1999 Porsche Carrera 4

I endured no small degree of snickering from my peers after last year's review of the all-new Porsche AG 911 - a depraved litany of biased sycophancy, scatologically tempered by allusions to the religious salvation obtainable from the 911's brilliant chassis. I'm told I should be glad the local Bishop didn't get wind of that 911 critique, or I'd have joined Madonna and Sinead O'Connor on the Vatican's

By Bill Visnic • March 1, 1999

Alfa Romeo Solves ‘Tiptronic’ FoibleEngaging the ‘logic’ gear to improvemanual automatic transmissions

Fiat SpA's Alfa Romeo acts on an astute insight into one ergonomic problem that, to now, has vexed the new breed of sequential-shift automatic transmissions: the gear lever offers the driver no perception of which gear is being used.Many drivers of automatic-transmission vehicles equipped with a "manual" sequential-shift function - often called "Tiptronic" after the system name coined by early adopter

By Bill Visnic • March 1, 1999

Competitors Covet Flexibility of GMT800

Drive General Motors Corp.'s all-new Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra full-size pickups and one immediately perceives a marked improvement in structural "feel." It's largely due to the automaker's newly developed design - and production process - for the GMT800's ladder frame.Customers and the jaded press have offered mostly raves about the new structure - with some notable exceptions (see sidebar,

By Brian Corbett • March 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

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

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

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

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

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

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