Automakers: Page

Chrysler claims it’s recession-proof; 20% market share in U.S. ‘not out of the question.’

In a recent day-long presentation more tightly scripted than either Democratic or Republican convention, Chrysler Corp.'s braintrust tries to convince a gaggle of reporters that it will be the first U.S. automaker to endure a recession without losing money."We went into the last recession selling K-cars and with no money in the bank," says Chairman Robert J. Eaton. "Today we've got a whole new product

By Gardner, Greg • Nov. 1, 1996

Lean Thinking

Have you ever sat in an airport for hours and wondered why it'll take you seven hours to reach your destination when a small charter plane could've gotten you there in two? Or what about shivering for a small eternity in a cold hospital gown wondering, what could happen if doctor's offices and hospitals operated as efficiently as Toyota?James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones, two-thirds of the trio that

By Drew Winter • Nov. 1, 1996

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from WardsAuto

Automakers are evaluating their long-term strategies, revisiting their product mix, and approach to both retail and manufacturing approach along the way.

By WardsAuto staff

EV1 on sale Dec. 5; leases range from $480 to $640

It's not in the Neiman Marcus catalog, but General Motors Corp.'s EV1 will go on sale before Christmas, at least at 26 Saturn stores in Los Angeles San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson.For those who must be the first on their block, Dec. 5 is the first day anyone can take delivery. The plug-in-and-drive-away car will carry a sticker of $33,995 but don't let that overwhelm you. Saturn expects that nearly

Nov. 1, 1996

GM lost about 90,000 vehicles from Canadian strike

The three-week strike by the Canadian Auto Workers in October against General Motors Corp., which ended Oct. 22, cost the company about 90,000 vehicles, nearly a third of which were trucks, estimates Michael Robinet, a market researcher with CSM Forecasting in Farmington, Hills, MI. The remaining two-thirds ranged from the Cadillac DeVille, Seville and Eldorado to the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac

Nov. 1, 1996

Malibu’s big, inexpensive - and an unexpected pleasure

Malibu, Ca - General Motors Corp.'s Chevrolet Div. has an all-new platform for its 1997 Malibu, and executives and engineers attending the new Malibu's press launch here believe the car perhaps represents Chevrolet's first legitimate chance at snagging not only a significant portion of traditional midsize buyers - but also the elusive import-biased customers the U.S.'s Big Three automakers covet.The

By Bill Visnic • Nov. 1, 1996

Oh, Canada....

Despite parting ways during the '80s, the U.S. United Auto Workers and the Canadian Auto Workers remain "brothers." Still, with Canada on strike against General Motors Corp. for much of October, numerous GM-U.S. plants relying on Canadian components closed down. You don't make profits when plants are shut: The 17-day UAW strike at GM plants in Dayton, OH, last March cost the No. 1 automaker $900 million.

Nov. 1, 1996

Third-quarter profits exceed forecasts at Chrysler and GM, on target at Ford

It was a prosperous third quarter for each of the Big Three. Chrysler's $680 million net was clearly toward the upper end of Wall Street's range of expectations, and GM's $1.27 billion was a very pleasant surprise, especially when bolstered by news that the General added another $1.5 billion to its cash reserves, now at a robust $14.5 billion. Meanwhile, Ford, which relied on financial services once

Nov. 1, 1996

Canada: view from the roof; production’s growing, but the market is sluggish.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. -- From a vantage point on the roof of the Toyota Motor Mfg. Canada Inc. plant, you can see the future of Canadian auto production taking shape.By the end of 1997, the construction going on below is expected to add capacity for 120,000 vehicles a year to the sprawling complex near Kitchener -- one of several assembly plant expansions under way this summer in Canada.On the other side

By Green, Jeff • Oct. 1, 1996

Branding irons hot at Chrysler

How seriously does Chrysler take brand management? Even design interns working at the automaker last summer were involved with it.Assigned to create 1/4-scale concept cars for the year 2005, they had to research and interpret what each brand meant before designing their individual Jeep, Dodge, Plymouth or Chryslerbadged vehicles. They even had to visit dealerships and pose as buyers interested in

By Drew Winter, Washington, Frank • Oct. 1, 1996

Can cars be sold like Crest? Ask former P&G and GM chairman John Smale

John Smale did a lot more than shake up the hierarchy at General Motors Corp. in 1992 when he grabbed the reins as chairman and put John F. (Jake) Smith Jr. in as president (since elevated to chairman, replacing Mr. Smale).A long-time GM board member, who retired as chairman of Procter & Gamble Co. in 1990, Mr. Smale also is credited as the architect behind GM's now blossoming brand-imaging strategy

By Rothenberg, Al • Oct. 1, 1996

At Saturn, everyone’s a brand manager

Ironically the one organization within General Motors Corp. that perhaps most effectively manages its brand --Saturn Corp.--has no one called a brand manager.From the 1994 Homecoming, when thousands of owners drove their cars to Spring Hill, TN, where they were built, to the ads featuring the Saturn cycling team that ran during the Atlanta Olympics, the company has used its own start-up story to project

By Gardner, Greg • Oct. 1, 1996

Steve Miller takes reins as Federal-Mogul ousts Gormley

First Chrysler, then the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, then Idaho-based mega-contractor Morrison-Knudsen, now Federal-Mogul. Former Chrysler number cruncher Robert S. (Steve) Miller Jr. is stepping into the breach at Federal-Mogul Corp. after the board of directors gave the heave-ho to Chairman and CEO Dennis Gormley citing insufficient progress on the repositioning of the engine bearing and seal maker

Oct. 1, 1996

Managing import brands

The term "brand management" may be a buzz word contrived by Americans, but U.S. automakers are not the only ones practicing the art. In fact, it's entirely possible that import and transplant automakers have managed their brands so well that they triggered the Big Three's new marketing maneuvers.With few exceptions, import and transplant automakers have not resorted to as much brand jockeying and

By Tim Keenan • Oct. 1, 1996

GM may mothball dual-cam 3.4L DOHC V-6

Various sources both inside and outside of General Motors Corp. have suggested GM is ready to scrap its 3.4L DOHC V-6 engine, not to be confused with the above mentioned overhead valve 3.4L in the new GM front-drive minivans. One source in GM manufacturing says the company already has decided the engine--currently GM's only overhead cam V-6-must go. Penetration for the engine is no greater than 10%

Oct. 1, 1996

New “product a month” strategy in works at GM

General Motors Corp. is creating a new product-development and marketing strategy that calls for introducing an all-new vehicle every month by 2000, says Roy S. Roberts, general manager of GM's Pontiac-GMC Div. He also says GM will increase truck production from 40% of total capacity today to 50% by 2000 to meet the growing demand for trucks in the marketplace. "A product a month, every month. We're

Oct. 1, 1996

How Ford’s new brand strategy works

What is a brand? A brand is trust. A brand is a distinctive name, trademark and trade dress that clearly identifies and enhances the value of a product, service or company" --Gregory Kolligan, partner and managing director, Brand/Equity International.Ford Motor Co. gathered 600 of its people from around the world for a six-day meeting at a downtown Detroit hotel early in June to plot a new global

By David C. Smith • Oct. 1, 1996

‘97 marks debut of GM’s grand brand scheme

Robert Baird Jr. never walked into a Cadillac dealership before he accepted the position of brand manager for Seville and Eldorado early this thisThat was exactly the point. Maybe someone weaned on imported cars, but trained in the art of distinguishing one brand of skin cream, suntan lotion or soap from another, could come up with the secret potion that could pull those affluent baby boomers into

By Gardner, Greg • Oct. 1, 1996

Bill Ford Jr. emerges in Trotman successor speculation

Meanwhile back at the Glass House, the spin doctors are busy containing the buzz that young William C. (don't-call-me-Billy) Ford Jr. could succeed Chairman Alex Trotman as early as 1999. In an enticing, yet carefully hedged article, Fortune magazine's Alex Taylor III says some Ford directors are ready to anoint the 39-year-old son of Detroit Lions owner William C. Ford as the first family member

Oct. 1, 1996

Ford-UAW pact won’t reverse trend toward outsourcing

Don't look for a massive shift of parts work from independent suppliers back to the Big 3 automakers just because Ford Motor Co. agreed to maintain its UAW employment at no less than 99,750, or 95% of the current 105,000 workers in the U.S.There are incentives meant to encourage Ford to consider making parts it now buys from the outside. For example, if Ford bought a plant that makes instrument panels

Oct. 1, 1996

Ford revs up for 1 million sales off F-platform in ‘97

In 1994, Ford Motor Co. became more of a truck company than a car company. Next year trucks based on its F-Series platform may well reach 1 million sales for the first time ever, Edward E. Hagenlocker, president of Ford Automotive Operations, tells WAW.Clearly buoyed by the warm reception given the all-new F-Series full-size pickups introduced for 1996, plus early bullish reports from dealers for

Oct. 1, 1996

Another piece of the puzzle: Chrysler maps out its global strategy

The execs at Chrysler Corp. like to think the company dances to the beat of a different drummer."When we see everybody marching along all in lockstep we start looking around to see if we can't break out of the ranks and kind of march somewhere else," says Chrysler's Tom Gale, who has been running the company's international sales for the past three years. "We don't want to be with everybody else."But

By Deep, Said • Sept. 1, 1996

Weight watchers: aluminum, magnesium make gains as automakers reduce mass.

Increasing use of aluminum and magnesium in vehicles is giving automakers faster weight loss than even possible by Sweating to the Oldies with Richard Simmons.Aluminum poundage will show a healthy boost again in the '97 model year, says the Aluminum Assn. The trade group says aluminum averages 252 lbs. (114 kg) in 1996 cars and 241 lbs. (109 kg) in light trucks, for an overall average of 247 lbs.

By Drew Winter, Tim Keenan • Sept. 1, 1996

Fiat takes on the world

It was hot-weather tested in Phoenix and cold-weather tested in Farmington Hills, MI, but don't expect to see the new Fiat Palio on the streets of these or any other U.S. or Canadian city.A small hatchback, Palio is the first in a family of cars Fiat SpA has named Project 178 -- or world cars. Brought only to the U.S. for testing, including a stint at the company's research and development facility

By Wielgat, Andrea • Sept. 1, 1996

Malaysia’s on the move

KUALA LUMPUR -- "National" vehicles are multiplying like rabbits these days in Malaysia. And none are VWs.An experiment begun in 1985 with a state-owned company to produce the Proton Saga, a rebadged Mitsubishi model, not only has spawned additional models but a second and third "national" car plus a "national" van. And the product lineup isn't complete.A "national" motorcycle with Kawasaki ancestry

By Mack Chrysler • Sept. 1, 1996

Is the bloom off light-truck boom?

Hardly anyone challenges the assumption that light-truck sales in the United States will grow indefinitely. Big Three executives boldly predict that light trucks will account for at least half of total light vehicle sales by the turn of the century.Since 1990, light trucks have grown from 33% of the total light vehicle market to about 43% currently, with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler

By CHRISTOPHER W. CEDERGREN • Sept. 1, 1996