Automakers: Page 436

Full exposure: big three’s flanks laid bare

They're nimble, small and cute, and they could represent the U.S. Big Three's most exposed flank since Japanese econoboxes of the 1970s redefined what Americans wanted in a car.They're a new niche in the burgeoning U.S. sport/utility vehicle (SUV) market, with Toyota Motor Corp.'s RAV4 in the pole position. And if Big Three product planners think RAV and other small SUVs coming soon are meant for

By Gardner, Greg • June 1, 1996

Mercedes’ ‘Systems City’: New U.S. SUV program relies heavily on suppliers

First there was Toyota City. Then there was Buick City. Now there is Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. (MBUSI), a grand experiment in a small rural town near Tuscaloosa, AL, that might as well be called "Systems City."The goal is to build a well-equipped $35,000 luxury sport/utility vehicle (SUV) that is worthy of the Mercedes-Benz label, yet can be considered a good value compared with top-line

By Drew Winter • June 1, 1996

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

The cloud over Chrysler

Chrysler Corp.'s juggernaut appears to keep on rolling, like the Chicago Bulls on the way to the NBA title. First-quarter profit: $1 billion. Market share through April: 16.7%, highest since 1968. And a string of new-model styling hits.Shareholders are elated by the recent 17% dividend hike--the fifth increase in two years--followed by a 2-for-1 stock split. Life doesn't get much better.But nagging

By Gardner, Greg • June 1, 1996

GM getting its stamping act together

GM's massive in-house stamping operations long have been considered among its biggest trouble spots, but executives of its Metal Fabricating Div. say they are getting a handle on efficiency and quality issues. Two years into a five-year, $850 million capital spending program, they say die transfer times were reduced 68% from 1994 to 1995, and average strokes per hour, a key productivity measurement,

June 1, 1996

Safety: the side-bag boom: GM plans big blowout for ‘97 model year

Even though their vehicles will meet 1997 federal side-impact standards, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are moving aggressively forward with plans to install side air bags for the '97 model year and beyond.Surprisingly, Chrysler Corp.--the first automaker to equip its entire model lineup with front air bags--is taking a wait-and-see stance on active flank protection systems.The federal regulation

By Tim Keenan • June 1, 1996

Jack Smith urges ‘permanent’ MFN status for China

Stop the brinkmanship and let American companies get on with opening up what could become the second largest economy in the world, General Motors Corp. Chairman John F. Smith Jr. warns.Speaking recently at the Economic Club of Detroit, Mr. Smith backs President Clinton's call for unconditional Most Favored Nation status for China. But Mr. Smith would go one step further and make China's MFN status

June 1, 1996

Turin show: SUV wannabes abound

TURIN, ITALY--Mercedes-Benz AG corners the market on excitement at the 66th Turin International Motor Show with the unveiling of the production-garb SLK roadster. But the Italian design houses ring in with their expected assortment of intriguing concept vehicles and commissioned "study" designs. Per normal procedure, it really was the Italian design houses' show.Hometown Fiat SpA generated considerable

By Bill Visnic • June 1, 1996

The ‘Skinflint’ of Flint; C.S. Mott gave away millions ... but he watched his pennies

Al Rothenberg has covered the auto beat since the '50s and interviewed GM's legendary, somewhat eccentric pioneer many times. Here are his recollections, up close and personal.Founder William C. Durant, financial genius Alfred P. Sloan and numerous other prominent leaders dominate the history of General Motors Corp. But the most fascinating figure of them all might well have been Charles Stewart Mott.Head

By Rothenberg, Al • May 1, 1996

Witness to automotive history; up close and personal with those who’ve lived it

During my half-century of reporting and press relations in the automotive industry, I've managed to be involved in setting fire to the General Motors Milford (MI) Proving Ground, nearly drowning a six-figure Dodge prototype in the Pacific Ocean, losing a $1,000-a-week account for my newspaper, and giving up my beach shoes to the chairman and chief executive officer of the Chrysler Corp. I also toiled

By Rothenberg, Al • May 1, 1996

Chrysler bucks the trend in first-quarter earnings

Look for a repeat of the first-quarter earnings pattern between now and the end of June. Chrysler Corp. will continue to do much better than last year, while Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. will show improvement from the winter while still falling short of last year's performance. Launch costs for the F-series pickup and the Fiesta (Europe and Brazil) keep Ford's first-quarter profit of $653

May 1, 1996

New GM Truck Center aims to cut time to market

General Motors Corp. is betting a half-billion dollars that the auto industry will keep on trucking into the next century.Top executives, on hand for April's official opening of the company's new truck engineering center, located in a radically renovated 69-year-old assembly plant in Pontiac, MI, predict the truck sales boom will continue -- not only in North America, but worldwide.GM demolished and

May 1, 1996

Chrysler recall to inspect for faulty ABS

Chrysler Corp. will recall 350,000 vehicles from the 1990 through 1993 model years to inspect and replace malfunctioning antilock brake components, which in a few cases result in a loss of power-assist capability. Chrysler has gathered reports of 60 accidents and 16 injuries related to the problem. The recall list includes 275,000 minivans; 67,000 Chrysler New Yorkers, Imperials and Dodge Dynasties;

May 1, 1996

Chrysler: the cat with nine lives

Living on the edge is nothing new for Chrysler Corp.The $1.5 billion federal loan guarantee of the early '80s and the subsequent turnaround led by Lee Iacocca are good examples.Then there was the waiting-for-LH cab-forward-cars era of the early '90s. The awkward succession of Mr. Iacocca and the stunning courtship of Robert J. Eaton, who agreed to leave General Motors-Europe to take Chrysler into

By Gardner, Greg • May 1, 1996

Ford raises Mazda stake

For $500 million, Ford Motor Co. is in the driver's seat at Mazda Motor Corp., boosting its stake from 24.5% to 33.4% and promoting Ford's Henry D.G. Wallace to become the first American president of a Japanese company.But reversing Mazda's losses of more than $780 million between April 1993 and March 1995 (fiscal 1996 results will be announced in May), will be a steep challenge. Like other Japanese

May 1, 1996

In largest recall ever, Ford will fix ‘ignitions.’

Ford will replace ignition switches on up to 8.7 million 1988-'93 model vehicles in the U.S. after a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into 816 reports of fires caused by a short circuit. It is NHTSA's largest recall applying to one automaker, surpassing General Motors Corp.'s 1971 reall to repair faulty engine mounts on 6.7 million vehicles. At a repair cost of between

May 1, 1996

Lee Iacocca as I knew him; he was certainly the right man at the right time...

There's a saying inside Chrysler Corp. that Chrysler couldn't have done without Lee Iacocca in the '70s and '80s, but could have done without him in the '90s.It's not uncommon throughout history, whether it be in business, government, politics or war for people to become famous only for what they accomplished in a particular period. It's because they happen to be the right people with the right talent

By Sharf, Stephan • May 1, 1996

Supplier sequel? Some see history repeating itself

Does history repeat itself? A close look at 100 years of supplier-automaker relations reveals that ghosts of the past are reappearing, although they're taking on a different form.In the beginning, suppliers such as Henry M. Timken, Arthur Oliver Smith, Albert C. Champion and the Dodge and Fisher brothers sold parts to the early automakers that they designed and manufactured themselves. Later, the

By Tim Keenan • May 1, 1996

A chat with Edsel Ford II: fourth generation Ford carries on family tradition

Ford's timing proved miserable: Just as Edsel in all its garish glory was reaching the market, designers were lopping off fins and other excesses of the '50s, returning to sanity. After barely two years, the Edsel Div. was dismantled early in the 1960 model year.But that's history. Edsel II was not yet a teenager when Edsel, the car, nosedived into oblivion. Besides, who -- except for the Ford family

May 1, 1996

High-tech materials not so new: automakers have experimented with them for decades.

For those who think lightweight metals and plastics are new innovations in the auto industry, consider this: Louis Chevrolet won the Indianapolis 500 in 1921 using an engine with magnesium pistons.The world's first plastic automobile body? Ford Motor Co. developed it in 1941. It showed off a carbon-fiber car in 1977.Lots of materials have played a profound role in the way vehicles have evolved, but

By Winter, Derek • May 1, 1996

How Jeep came to be; the day Karl Probst came to Bantam’s rescue

The man who was the father of what became universally known as the "jeep" (now a capitalized Chrysler Corp. trade mark) -- and so, by extrapolation, the father of all utility vehicles that have become Jeep offshoots worldwide -- was an engineer with a capacity for intensive work and a reluctance to be tied to anyone's organization or schedules.I knew Karl Probst well. He was something of an engineering

By Brams, Stanley H. • May 1, 1996

The rise and fall of Billy Durant

Lt's true that the letters "D" carved into the cornices of the formidable old General Motors Building in Detroit are faded and barely visible from the street. And I suppose those who work inside the building are hardly aware of the bold deeds and master strokes of GM's founding father.But that's Detroit. Drive 60 miles (80 km) north to Flint, where it all began, and if you look hard enough you'll

By Gustin, Lawrence R. • May 1, 1996

How GM got to the top; after a shaky start, GM took off in the 20’s and never looked back

GM Chairman John F. Smith, climbed to the head of the company from the financial side, giving him just the kind of background GM prefers in its chief executive.In contrast, GM founder William Crapo Durant was no finance man. In fact, some say that was the problem.When he merged the successful Buick Motor Car Co. with Oldsmobile and several other small, financially shaky operations to form the General

By Ferris, Deebe • May 1, 1996

Mustang’s birthing pains; Iacocca scores on his third pitch to Henry Ford II

In two occasions, Henry Ford II had sent Lee Iacocca flat to the canvas when he shouted "No! No!" upon hearing his aggressive Ford Div. general manager pitch for $75 million to fund his proposed "pony car" to compete with GM's sexy Corvair/Monza in the youth market.Corvair and our Falcon both arrived as 1960 compacts. While Chevy added the sporty Monza, Mr. Iacocca was looking at re-skinning the mundane

By Murphy, Walter T. • May 1, 1996

At what price ppm?

What is the true measure of quality? In baseball it's batting and earned-run averages. In football it's yardage gained and allowed. In automotive parts supply it's defective parts per million units (ppm). Or is it?Automakers hand out quality awards to their suppliers based on a number of criteria, not the least of which is ppm. Supplier quality programs are geared to make ppms as low as possible.

By Tim Keenan • April 1, 1996

Ford big SMC user

Ford Motor Co. is expected to nearly double the number of sheet molding composite (SMC) parts it uses on cars and trucks since 1993, says the SMC Automotive Alliance (SMCAA). "The number of SMC components on Ford passenger cars grew from 22 to 43 during the past three years," says Eldon (Al) Trueman, SMCAA chairman and vice president of worldwide commercial development at Budd Plastics Div. "If car

April 1, 1996