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Reporter Notebook: Keeping It Simple
WardsAuto writers pass along the buzz at this week’s Center for Automotive Research’s Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI.
By WardsAuto Staff • Aug. 5, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
July Sales Keep New Zealand on Pace for Record Year
Toyota remained the overall market leader with 1,856 sales for an 18% share. Ford’s and GM Holden’s shares were 10% and 9%, respectively.
By Alan Harman • Aug. 5, 2015 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota
TrendlineAutomotive Manufacturing
Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
North America Sales to Average 20 Million-Plus; Production to Top 18 Million
An irony of the 1.5 million units in new production capacity being added in North America in the next four years is that sales penetration of domestically made vehicles won’t rise significantly.
By Haig Stoddard • Aug. 4, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Panel: Styling Still Matters When Self-Drivers Hit in 2025-2030
Vehicle design is “still part of who you are,” Denso’s Patton says, no matter if you’re behind the wheel or asleep in the backseat.
Aug. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Steel Fights Back With Ultra HSS
Steel already has cut weight substantially. If a ’94 Taurus were made with today’s high-strength steel, it would weigh 30% less.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
July U.S. Sales Soar to 17.5 Million SAAR
Sales of large trucks rebounded from a June decline that ended 15 straight increases, but were uneven across segments and possibly aided by some spot incentives.
By Haig Stoddard • Aug. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ukrainian Auto Industry Has Nowhere to Go But Up
A Frost & Sullivan report says emerging middle classes in countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan will create a demand for more, and updated, cars.
By Mark Rowe • Aug. 3, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ferrari 488 Snapped Up in Oz
The average age of Ferrari owners in Australia is decreasing and now is at 48 years old, an executive says, with demand accelerating as confidence levels rise among small-to-medium-sized business owners.
By Alan Harman • July 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Malaysian Auto Group Looks for Second-Half Upturn
“We have yet to discount our target of 700,000 units for 2015,” Malaysia Automotive Institute CEO Madani Sahari says.
By Alan Harman • July 31, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
UAW Loses Ground As Mitsubishi Closes Illinois Plant
Chronically low capacity utilization, an aging, high-seniority workforce and an upcoming new contract left Mitsubishi with “a big cost bubble coming soon with little return,” says Justin West, former president of UAW Local 2488 at Normal.
By Joseph Szczesny • July 30, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
World Vehicle Sales Up 0.5% in First Half
Growth in North America and Europe balanced losses in South America and Asia.
By Erin Sunde • July 30, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Thai Sales Remain Weak, Though Slight Gain Seen for Second-Half 2015
Toyota Thailand President Kyoichi Tanada says the sales decline is being fueled by concerns over global economic instability.
By Alan Harman • July 30, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
U.K. First-Half Car Production Achieves 7-Year High
With production volumes up more than 50% since 2009 and many new models going into production in the coming months, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the region’s car industry is growing on a global scale.
By Alan Harman • July 28, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
No Laughing Matter With Blinker Bozo at the Wheel
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.There are worse offenses among drivers than being a Blinker Bozo. But that’s no consolation while you’re following one.Blinker Bozo-ness, th...
By Jim Irwin • July 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Luxury-Car Sales Numbers Small But on Rise in Russia
Sales have jumped in part because most luxury automakers and their dealers have refused to raise prices while also offering additional benefits and incentives for customers.
By Eugene Gerden • July 27, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
With TRW, ZF Shows Off ‘Wide Portfolio’
Engineers and designers from ZF and the former TRW have been sharing notes, exchanging ideas and identifying best practices, and some of the resulting technologies will be ready for market in the near future.
July 23, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Celerio Leads Maruti Suzuki’s Push Into Rural India
India’s No.1 automaker saw rural sales jump 23% in 2014, the year of the Celerio’s introduction, compared with 11% in urban areas.
By Sudhakar Shah • July 22, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Mcity Sets Stage for Self-Driving at Willow Run?
Ann Arbor’s Mcity test track includes four traffic lights, an underpass, metal bridge deck, gravel roadways and parking spaces that are angled, perpendicular and parallel. Efforts are under way to open a similar but larger facility nearby in Ypsilanti.
July 21, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Bridgestone Launches Indonesian Joint Venture
The tire manufacturer has hooked up with Indonesian auto-parts producer PT Astra Otoparts, holding 51% and 49% of the JV, respectively.
By Alan Harman • July 21, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
The Long and Short of Auto Loans Now vs. Then
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Last week, I asked readers and car-industry Facebook folks what they thought of 84-month auto loans. Plenty of people weighed in. Here’s a s...
By Steve Finlay 2 • July 16, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
JLR Looks to Eastern Europe to Expand Production
The luxury automaker has signed a manufacturing agreement with contract assembler Magna Steyr to build vehicles in Austria but also is in negotiations to build a new plant in Poland or Slovakia.
By Peter Homola • July 16, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Drive Auto Sales Without Sacrificing Branding
In an industry where TV commercials have long dominated, digital video is coming in hot on its tail.
By Erik Schear • July 15, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Report Forecasts Robust Hybrid Growth While EVs Lag
The Roland Berger consultancy calls its 2025 forecast optimistic, meaning hybrid sales growth in the U.S. and Europe will depend on strict emissions and fuel-economy regulations and large investments in battery-recharging infrastructure.
By Roger Schreffler • July 14, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Luxury Brands Have Great Cars, and Great Salespeople
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Why do Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus rank 1-2-3 in U.S. luxury-brand sales?Reasons vary. But one of them is that their dealership salespeople...
By Steve Finlay 2 • July 13, 2015 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ukraine Duties on Car Imports Under Fire From WTO
Japan’s complaint to the WTO claims Ukraine’s duties violate the trade organization’s agreement on safeguards and its general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT).
By Keith Nuthall • July 7, 2015
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