Automakers: Page 440
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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 -
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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 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Kia Corporation
TrendlineArtificial 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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
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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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Shrink-wrapping a mini-van
On paper the plan looks brilliant. Design a van to sell in both North America and Europe, leverage a global supply base that is beginning to feel comfortable with a once-chaotic purchasing system and build them all in one assembly plant with a local union that is just glad to see a second shift again.But mix Opel engineers with their counterparts from General Motors Corp.'s Midsize Car Div., add the
By GREG GARDNER, Michael Arnholt • April 1, 1996 -
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She’s in it for the cars
No one had yet conceived of the Prowler in 1985 when Chrysler Corp. executives singled out Cynthia J. Frey from a Boston consumer clinic and asked her to come to work in Detroit.Now, a decade later and with a stimulating academic career teaching marketing at Boston College behind her, Ms. Frey is program manager for the innovative open-wheel roadster that rolls into showrooms a year from now (see
By Neff, Natalie • April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
A firm believer in teamwork
Maureen Kempston Darkes' first car was a Chevrolet Camaro. Now, the 47-year-old lawyer is responsible for the plant that churns them out in Ste. Therese, Quebec, as well as General Motors of Canada Ltd.'s other operations.Her appointment in 1994 to president of GM of Canada and GM vice president was a milestone on several counts. She holds the highest operating post ever achieved by a woman at GM.
By Gazdik, Tanya • April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
From Kroger to kaizen
Japanese U.S. transplant automakers make strong cases for their progress in becoming American companies. While levels of local content and enormous operational investments are beginning to support that case, American workers are the building blocks.Some Japanese automakers are passing the gavel to their American counterparts, empowering them to govern the bulk of the business including vehicle design,
By Knapp, Gwendolyn S. • April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ssay it with SSUVs: Korea’s SSangyong goes where the buyers are
Whoever coined the phrase "Go for the jugular" must have known a thing or two about South Korea's Ssangyong Motor Co. Ltd.Unlike Hyundai Motor Co. Ltd. and Kia Motors Corp., who led their charge into North America with inexpensive, small cars spun off cheap, low-tech platforms, Ssangyong plans to take a radically different path. And this one will be right into the Big Three's stronghold: the sport/utility
By Knapp, Gwendolyn S. • April 1, 1996 -
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Opel Sintra offers something others don’t
The transatlantic cooperation be tween General Motors Corp's North American engineers and the design team at Opel will give the '97 European Sintra significant advantages over other European minivans.Already the van market is bursting at the seams, stuffed with new model introductions over the past two years, including the Ford Galaxy/Volkswagen Sharan, Mercedes-Benz Viano and the Citroen Evasion
By ROB CLEVELAND • April 1, 1996 -
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More at stake in GM’s Dayton strike.
This time, Dayton. Next time, Janesville, WI, or Lordstown, OH, Tor Oklahoma City.If General Motors Corp. is truly committed to overhauling its parts-sourcing strategy, it may have to dig deeper into its $12 billion cash reserves to fight more battles like last month's 18-day stand-off at two Delphi Chassis brake plants in Dayton.These are brutally competitive times. If Robert Bosch Corp. comes along
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
So long Kirk, hello Steve; Chrysler’s Bob Eaton now faces the UAW’s Yokich
"Where we can, we would like to export from the United States because the United States is the lowest cost place to produce cars in the world "Chrysler ChairmanRobert J. EatonNow that he has dodged the bullets fired by billionaire shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, Chrysler Corp. Chairman Robert J. Eaton turns his attention to upcoming negotiations with the United Auto Workers union led by Stephen Yokich
By Gardner, Greg • April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Taking a ‘deep dive’ with Ford; No. 1 automaker lifts veil on ‘total cost strategy.’
If it all works, Ford Motor Co. will become the world's lowest-cost automaker with the fastest new-product turnaround, affordable prices, high quality and after-tax profits averaging 5% return on sales (ROS) by the turn of the century.Ford's ROS was 1.9% last year. it's all part of a grand "total cost strategy" Ford is implementing under its Ford 2000 globalization scheme, which began 15 months ago
By David C. Smith • April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Geneva: chic and sleek; Jaguar’s new E-type is a show stopper
But Jaguar takes a decidedly unhistoric tack with its powertrain -- a Ford-designed 4L V-8 with variable-valve timing and a ZF AG 5-speed automatic replace the inline 6-cyl. found in the old E-type. An XISM ragtop derivative will debut at the New York Auto Show this month.Lotus Cars plc manages to highlight its new V-8 Esprit amid a swirl of rumors about a Korean buyout. The high-performance carmaker
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Women bring an added perspective to the auto industry
They're running plants, designing cars and, well doing their thing. It started in the 1960s when corporations throughout America, including the U.S. Big Three, buckled to growing pressures and began electing women and minorities to their boards of directors. Today that's commonplace: GM has two women directors, Ford, two, and Chrysler, one.Although a small number of women began making inroads at the
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Borg-Warner grabs Chrysler contract
Borg-Warner Automotive Inc. has been awarded a contract to design and produce a complete engine-timing chain system for Chrysler Corp. The system will be featured on the automaker's new double overhead cam 2.7L engine for the 1998 model year. The contract's value, believed to cover some 300,000 engines annually, is not disclosed.
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Isuzu joining small SUV fray
Who says tariffs don't bring jobs to the U.S.? Another Asian automaker is ready to build a small sport/utility vehicle for the 1998 model year at its Subaru-Isuzu Automotive plant in Lafayette, IN. The new SUV will be smaller than the Amigo, which Isuzu stopped importing from Japan two years ago because of the 25% import duty that made it cost as much as a Chevrolet Blazer. It will enable Isuzu to
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lack of fourth door plagues Ford
Ford Motor Co. is taking plenty of heat these days for failing to offer a fourth, rear passenger sliding door on its Windstar minivan, which debuted in 1994. Meantime, General Motors Corp. engineered a fourth door on its all-new '97 U-van see cover story, p.26), and Chrysler Corp. offers it as a $500 option on its new-for-'96 minivans. As a stopgap before the next Windstar comes along -- likely 1999
April 1, 1996 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
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
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