Automakers: Page

Ice cream and catsup? GM’s Metal Fabricating Div. goes on a diet

Baskin Robbins' 31 Flavors and Heinz 57 don't sound like technical manufacturing jargon, but Joseph D. Spielman, head of General Motors Corp.'s giant Metal Fabricating Div., uses them often to describe the way his operation used to be.He's referring to 31 flavors of manufacturing processes and 57 varieties of press lines. Unfortunately, they haven't blended any better on the factory floor of the GM

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 1996

Direct-injection coming for the masses

Toyota Motor Corp. says it has developed a 4-stroke, direct-injected (DI) gasoline engine that will be fitted in a production subcompact car (Japanese market) by the end of this year.In conjunction with the new DI engine is another crucial item: a production-ready 3-way exhaust catalyst capable of oxidizing the oxides of nitrogen (NOx)-rich exhaust inherent to lean-burn engines.The new engine, designated

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 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

Ford’s new ethics code: how would it look?

Could your conduct withstand public scrutiny? If your conduct was disclosed to management and reported in the media, would you be able to justify it as lawful and appropriate?That's the gist of Ford Motor Co.'s new Standards of Corporate Conduct governing what's proper behavior in doing business with suppliers and other customers.But unlike the more draconian measures put in writing by General Motors

Sept. 1, 1996

Strong buck aids Camry cause

As the first high-volume Japanese car introduced since the U.S. dollar emerged from its coma, Camry provides Toyota with an enviable dilemma: lower the price and grab some market share or hold the line and pocket a little extra profit.Jay N. Woodworth, a Summit, N.J.-based consultant, says the 35% increase in the yen (from a trough of [yen]80/$1 in May 1995 to [yen]108/$1 now) gives a huge competitive

By Gardner, Greg • Sept. 1, 1996

‘97 Ford Expedition: North, to Alaska...

FORT RICHARDSON, AK -- It was a great idea: Invite the press troops to Alaska and let 'em have a go at the all-new 4-door Ford full-size SUV in the world's most rugged terrain.What Ford didn't count on is the dearth of rugged roads, on or off, in the Anchorage and Seward areas where Expedition was supposed to show its prowess. Nothing but decent as far as the eye could see.SUV purists need mud and

By David C. Smith • Sept. 1, 1996

Steering a course to reduced mass

Nearly anyone in the auto game who's clued in enough about suspensions to know a good one from a bad one will agree that BMW AG makes some good ones. Maybe the best. And don't think for a minute that BMW isn't aware of its iron-clad reputation in this area.Suspension is important to BMW. Brilliant suspension design is a prime component in the sometimes enigmatic package of qualities that define a

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 1996

One SLicK new roadster

FLORENCE, ITALY -- As far as I'm concerned, whoever it was at Mercedes-Benz AG to have finally "signed off" on producing the 1998 SLK roadster deserves a few extra "company matches" to supplement his or her pension. The SLK is a titanic achievement.Titanic because this stubby 2-seater entertains like few other Mercedes road cars in recent memory.The SLK responds to the driver's wishes with puppy-dog

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 1996

Ford/Amcast aluminum differential carrier for new F-150 pickup

A leader in the conversion to aluminum of high-integrity, performance-critical automotive components, Amcast Automotive has developed a new aluminum vehicle component that was formerly made of iron. This critical part is the front differential gear carrier on Ford's hot new F-150 pickup truck.Named "Truck of the Year" at the 1996 North American International Auto Show, the new F-150 features a new,

Sept. 1, 1996

A new look at ethics

When in doubt, don't do it. That's the overriding message General Motors Corp. conveys with its revised ethics policy circulated to GM's 697,000 employees worldwide on May 1.Now, three months later, repercussions of the tougher new guidelines involving gifts, entertainment and other forms of gratuities continue to reverberate in the automotive community.Although it's designed to clamp down chiefly

By Smith, David C.; Rothenberg, Al • Aug. 1, 1996

No respect: EV1’s aluminum body shouldn’t stand in Prowler’s shadow

Chrysler Corp.'s Plymouth Prowler is so over-exposed in Detroit, even street people can tell you about its innovative aluminum body between sips of cheap wine. "And at only $35,000, it will be very affordable," they say. Then they ask for spare change.But the equally ingenious aluminum structure of General Motors Corp.'s EV1 electric car, which hits the marketplace this fall -- about six months before

By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 1996

Chrysler still likely strike target, but don’t count Ford out, yet.

Speaking of labor talks, it's coming down to crunch time.Chrysler Corp.'s $1 billion second-quarter profit will reinforce conventional wisdom that it will be the target. An announcement from Solidarity House is expected on Aug. 22.But not so fast. Don't be surprised if the UAW chooses Ford Motor Co., which is now making big-time profits again ($2.6 billion in the first half), to help it sculpt the

Aug. 1, 1996

General Motors’ China hand

Ward's Auto World Senior Editor Greg Gardner interviewed Rudolph A. Schlais Jr., president of General Motors China operations, during June's Auto China '96 show in Beijing. Here is a transcript of that interview.Q -- Where do things stand with the joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.?A -- We were selected as the partner of choice in October. We've been actively working with SAIC on

By Gardner, Greg • Aug. 1, 1996

More problems for Honda

Speaking of PR problems, nearly 50 Honda dealers are suing the automaker for allegedly looking the other way while a company manager forced them to pay kickbacks, according to a suit filed in federal court in Baltimore. The charges stem from the case against former American Honda Motor Co. senior vice president Stanley James Cardiges, who pleaded guilty to receiving between $2 million and $5 million

Aug. 1, 1996

If a price increass in the middle of the forest and nobody hears it....

Is it still a price increase? Of course it is. Ford Motor Co. hiked prices on its 1996 Explorer by $200 and on the F-150 by between $385 and $400. An entry-level Explorer now starts at $19,770 and a base F-150 begins at $14,815. And there's another price hike on the way for the new model year. What you give up in passenger-car rebates, why not take back on hot-selling pickups and sport-utes. Hey,

Aug. 1, 1996

Heady second quarter, profits will moderate in third

It may not get any better than this. Ford Motor Co. was the over achiever, fueled by adequate supplies of its F-150 pickup and an impressive $1,050 profit per vehicle. Ford's third quarter should be better than last year's because it is planning to build 11% more vehicles and will only have two new major new model changeovers -- the Expedition large sport/utility and the F-250 pickup, says David N.

Aug. 1, 1996

Will GM ‘Saturnize’ Saab?

Will the ultimate Saturn move-up car be a Saab?Not if you're suggesting a combination of their very different dealership networks, says Joel K. Manby, the recently named president and CEO of Saab Cars USA Inc., who was one of the marketing whiz kids behind Saturn's customer-coddling retail formula."That would be dangerous considering the extreme difference between the two divisions' brand identities,"

By Gardner, Greg • Aug. 1, 1996

C3P: new acronym signals big change at Ford

Changes in computer systems usually don't rate as hot news in the auto industry, but if ever there was a big story in this acronym-crazed area of automotive engineering, this one is "man bites dog." The scale is enormous, the potential rewards are huge, the risks are substantial."A few of my colleagues in the industry say we're crazy to undertake such a huge effort. It has never been done, and they

By Drew Winter • Aug. 1, 1996

GM’s big EVent: two years early, California gets its way - sort of

It's over. The arguments, the wrangling, the discussion, the regulation, the speculation. For the past few years -- really, since the 1990 California Air Resources Board (CARB) decree obliging automakers to sell electric vehicles (EVs) in California by 1998 -- there's been enough talk about EVs to test the patience of the most ardent tree huggers.But now it's over. General Motors Corp. will in a few

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 1, 1996

Making beautiful music with program management

It's rare these days to talk to anyone in the industry about systems integration and automaker-supplier relationships without a reference to program management slipping into the conversation. In fact you hear it so often it's tempting to think it's just another one of those buzzwords that infiltrate the industry lexicon every now and then.By most accounts, however, program management (PM) is more

By Tim Keenan • Aug. 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

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

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

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

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

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