Operations: Page 198
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Movie Star, Car Buff Tim Allen New Voice for Chevy
GM has been searching for a new approach for all of its brands since emerging from bankruptcy last year, and its volume brand Chevy has been a top priority.
By Ward's Staff • Sept. 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
New Steels Stymie Rescue Methods
The good news is thanks to the use of advanced high-strength steels vehicles are safer than ever in severe crashes. The bad news is that in the worst crashes these same ultra-strong steels can make it difficult to extricate survivors from a crushed vehicle. Traditional Jaws of Life hydraulic cutters simply cannot shear through the new steel alloys used for the body structures of a growing number of
By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2010 -
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
Get Most from Email
A good email subject line is like a good book cover. It looks interesting enough to open. Auto dealers should keep that in mind when using emails to communicate with customers. Emails with dull subject lines typically end up unread and in the e-trash bin. The subject line makes or breaks an email, says Hunter Swift, a sales manager and trainer for DealerSocket, a customer-relationship management software
By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Jerry Flint Left Mark on Automotive Journalism
Jerry Flint and I were contemporaries on the auto beat and sometimes fierce competitors, but always compatriots, buddies. Flint died Aug. 7, ending a 52-year journalism career, nearly all of it covering the auto industry for major publications including, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Forbes magazine, where he rose to senior editor and continued writing an automotive column until
By David C. Smith • Sept. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Demand Increases For Used Cars
The used-car market is enjoying relatively good times, in part because of the tough times the nation and the new-car industry have been experiencing. Many cautious buyers — especially those hit by the recession's one-two punch of job instability and reduced housing values — are bypassing new cars and opting for less-expensive pre-owned vehicles.
By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Takata Pitches New Crash Sled
The new sled, arriving in Auburn Hills next year, is unique for its ability to simulate the nose-diving sensation that occurs when a vehicle is braking hard before a collision.
By Tom Murphy • Aug. 24, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Scion tC Undergoes Sex Change, With Dubious Results
Scion’s coupe now is more a male driver’s car, losing the upscale European feel of the first-generation tC.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 19, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Demand Increases for Used Cars, But Challenges Remain
Lingering economic woes make for a tough automotive market, used or new.
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 16, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Scion tC Headed for Another 6-Year Lifecycle
While acknowledging tC sales slid during its first six years on the market, a top Scion executive tells Ward’s the drop was less precipitous than that of competing models.
By Christie Schweinsberg • Aug. 6, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
‘Cash Doesn’t Lie,’ Investor Tells MBS
Distressed assets can be saved, “but once they’re idle…it’s too late,” Patriarch Partners CEO Lynn Tilton says.
By David C. Smith • Aug. 4, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Reporter’s Notebook: ‘It’s All Good’
Ward’s writers pass along the buzz at this week’s CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.
By Ward's Staff • Aug. 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Saab “Alive and Kicking” After Near-Death Experiences
The flagship 9-5, redone after 13 years, is the first new vehicle from the iconic Swedish auto maker since a series of convulsive near-death experiences that began in 2008.
By Steve Finlay • Aug. 3, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
vAuto’s Dale Pollak Wins Entrepreneur of Year Award
Dale Pollak, vAuto founder and chairman, received the 2010 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year award for Emerging Companies in the Midwest region. When I began this journey five years ago, I never dreamed that my vision for designing new methodologies and technologies for the used-car marketplace would evolve into vAuto the product, the people and the remarkable success story, says Pollak, a former
Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
What’s Salesperson’s Role?
Who would ever think about stopping a sale in today's economy when the opportunities are so few and far between? But nearly every day I get emails from people who have read my articles or blogs or who have participated in APB educational programs. The correspondents lament about sales people who simply were not interested in helping customers buy. Is business really that good that a salesperson can't
By Richard F. Libin • Aug. 1, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Arlington Is No Motor City
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.[caption id="attachment_35" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Vintage Cadillac graces Woodward Dream Cruise."][/caption] The April is...
By Tom Murphy • July 28, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Retooling Sets Stage For New Reality
By 2015, Detroit’s auto making capacity in North America should shrink to 59%, while Asian and European transplants will grow their shares to 35% and 6%, respectively.
By Tom Murphy • July 20, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Delinquent Automotive Debtors Easing Downward
Finance conference participants note nobody wins when an auto loan goes bad – not the lender, the dealership and certainly not the borrower.
By James M. Flammang • July 19, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
‘Fire Up the Video’ at Car Dealerships
The boldest idea out of the suggestion box is Napoleon Rumteen’s proposal of recording dealership staffers either confessing their sales sins or touting their accomplishments.
By Steve Finlay • July 6, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Walking In L.A.
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. The Missing Persons, a 1980s rock group, recorded “Walking in L.A.” that, despite the song title, is about not walking in Los Angeles. “N...
By Steve Finlay 2 • June 30, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
When Push Comes to Pull, Are Auto Makers Asleep at Switch?
Added functions mean more dials, knobs and buttons are competing for space on the center stack.
By Christie Schweinsberg • June 29, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Malaysia Unable to Protect Proton From Aging Product Lineup
The national car company remains handicapped by lack of scale, overcapacity, outdated technology, a limited product lineup and lack of exports, analysts say.
By Mack Chrysler • June 23, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Online Chat Helps Car Sales
“Chat is one of the most amazing things we have done, even though we were not quick to jump on it,” says Shaun Kniffin of Germain Motor Co. dealership group.
By Steve Finlay • June 15, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Chevy Shorthand: Like a Rock
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.I’m sending $10 to Alan Batey, vice president for Chevy sales and service, as a down payment.Not for a car, but in lieu of future abuses of ...
By Barbara McClellan 2 • June 10, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Class 8 Jump Boosts Canada Big-Truck Sales
Class 4 volume-leader Ford crushed the competition with 144 deliveries. No other brand recorded more than nine sales.
By Eric Mayne • June 10, 2010 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Remy Sees Growth in China as Market Matures
“There’s always a Chinese counterpart whose product (costs) much less than ours,” Remy President Jay Pittas says. “But we’re starting to see quality levels and expectations” of auto makers come up to global standards.
By Christie Schweinsberg • June 10, 2010
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