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Salesman Accused of Odometer Fraud in Michigan

A salesman at Huntington Ford in Rochester, MI, is accused of installing switches that let customers leasing cars shut off odometers. Randall Hill faces charges of odometer fraud, a 5-year felony. He allegedly demonstrated the odometer device to undercover police officers, who, on a tip, went to the dealership, posing as customers. Police say the dealership wasn't aware of the scheme. Also charged

Dec. 1, 2008

10 Ways to Drum Up Business

The true mark of a professional service manager is one who can increase business in a challenging market. Here are 10 ways to do that: Multi-point inspections. They are one of the few techniques I consider a must do for all stores. The service advisor should ask the customer at the time of write-up if the service department can perform the inspection as a customer benefit. Once the inspection has

By Lee Harkins • Dec. 1, 2008

Ward’s Spring Training Returns

Ward's wants to invite you to join us in Tampa, FL, March 15-17 for the second annual Ward's Automotive Spring Training Conference. Last year's conference was a hit, and deemed by participants as one of the premier events of the year. We know that with all of the uncertainty surrounding the automotive industry, this is a tough time to be thinking about a conference. But we also know, dealers will

Dec. 1, 2008

SEMA Show Attracts Dealers

This year's Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Assn. convention in Las Vegas paid particular attention to the growing number of dealers who attend. SEMA and the National Automobile Dealers Assn. joined forces to put on a dealer day at last month's vehicle aftermarket and accessories extravaganza in Las Vegas. Dealership parts, service and general managers were treated to lunch, dinner and keynote presentations

By DAVID SKROBOT • Dec. 1, 2008

Daily Staff Huddles Lead to Great Plays on Business Field

A 10-minute daily huddle at the beginning of each shift is a great way to point your business development center in the right direction. Gather your team together and tell the receptionist to hold calls. You might be surprised at how much you can accomplish in just 10 minutes if you are prepared and focused. Go in with a game plan. Know what you want to cover. A basketball coach will call a timeout

By Tom O'Connor • Dec. 1, 2008

Mitsubishi Names New North American CEO

Kurihara makes his third trip to the U.S., after previous postings at the auto maker’s U.S. sales arm in the mid 1980s and late 1990s.

By Ward's Staff • Nov. 26, 2008

Floor plan crisis hits Hecker

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 Denny Hecker Automotive Group in Minneapolis is closing six stores and selling three because of a dispute with Chrysler Financial. Chr...

Nov. 25, 2008

How They Cope with Crisis

In February, Paul Taylor, chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Assn., and others were predicting 2009 light vehicle sales of about 15.7 million units, a drop from the 16.1 million sold last year. As the year wore on and the economy worsened, Taylor adjusted his prediction downward to 14.5 million units. That figure doesn't look so bad in retrospect, as Taylor once again lowers his forecast

By Lillie Guyer • Nov. 1, 2008

Dizzy From Cliff-Diving Charts

I told Professor Keith Schwer that if I learned one thing from his economics presentation, it's what a cliff-diving chart is. Actually, I learned much from his review of trends in auto finance. But the cliff-diving charts stand out the most. Those are graphs with trend lines that go up and up then plunge. I could show a lot of these, all related to today's economy, Schwer says. He could and did, at

By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2008

China’s Bull Market Slows on Global Woes

China, The Largest and Most-Mature Automotive Market of the world's key emerging economies, has less in common these days with its fellow BRIC countries Brazil, Russia and India and more with Western nations as effects of the global financial crisis begin to take their toll. Demand has been falling off sharply in the last two months, and the outlook for the remainder of the year is gloomy, independent

By Christie Schweinsberg with Mack Chrysler • Nov. 1, 2008

Venza Plays Where Passion Trumps Functionality

The auto maker’s new 2-row midsize CUV surprises with its sporty tendencies, but is there room in an already crowded segment?

By Christie Schweinsberg • Oct. 29, 2008

Tips On Using the Web to Target Hispanic Buyers

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.Recent U.S. Census figures estimate that by 2042, one third of the population in the U.S. will be Hispanic, with the vast majority being bor...

Oct. 23, 2008

Russia Auto Industry: A Tale of Two Markets

Russia has returned to the land of haves and have-nots, with foreign auto makers targeting the former and domestic makers left to market their antiquated vehicles to the latter.

By Byron Pope • Oct. 21, 2008

Proton Again Looking at Foreign Partnership

Proton is eagerly awaiting the impact of its upcoming multipurpose vehicle, which is expected to account for sales of 50,000 to 60,000 units annually.

By Alan Harman • Oct. 16, 2008

Capacitive Switches Push Right Buttons With Consumers

Unlike mechanical switches, capacitive switches contain virtually no moving parts.

By James M. Amend • Oct. 14, 2008

Now It’s Lenders’ Turn to Get Picky

Lenders are slower in deciding whether to approve an auto loan, in part because most of them have pulled the plug on automated approvals.

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 13, 2008

Blaming Dealers Is Wrong

Pinning the blame or the cost of sagging new-car sales on dealers is just wrong. I understand how tough it must be for manufacturers to look in the mirror and see the failure of so many of their products as self imposed. I also understand they did not single handedly cause the price of oil to rise or the stock market to fall. But, neither did their dealers, and neither a fancier showroom nor deeper

By Peter Brandow • Oct. 1, 2008

Try This Great Phone Track

I'm nervous when I hear sales or business-development people use 20-year old word tracks on the telephone with customers. Sure, the basics haven't changed, but what has changed is the communication process. If we're still saying the same things we said many years ago, we are probably offending, angering or at least frustrating many of our best prospects. Because so much of our current success hinges

By Tom O'Connor • Oct. 1, 2008

Let’s Avoid Vehicular Communism

Forgive us for our decadent and unhealthy choices, oh wise members of the new Washington Automotive Politburo.

By Drew Winter • Sept. 30, 2008

Industry Debates Pickup Potential in Wake of Recent Gains

The recent uptick in pickup share comes as good news to beleaguered Detroit-based auto makers, who still owned 86.1% of the market in August.

By James M. Amend and Byron Pope • Sept. 29, 2008

Cross Country Acquires ATX; OEM Deal Announcement Imminent

The new CEO views telematics as “a significant growth market,” something that will reveal itself at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, if not before.

By Eric Mayne • Sept. 18, 2008

Jaguar, Land Rover Stop Reporting Monthly Sales

The U.K.-based luxury auto makers continued to make public monthly tallies following their sale by Ford to India’s Tata earlier this year, but ceased the practice Sept. 1.

By Byron Pope • Sept. 5, 2008

Existing Customers Most Important

Dealership chain Lithia Motors crunches numbers to determine who are the 100,000 sales customers and 100,000 service customers most likely to buy again.

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 2, 2008

Ultra-Low-Cost Cars Pose Opportunities, Risks, Study Shows

The low-cost car segment is growing at an incredible rate, with volumes expected to reach 17.5 million units globally by 2020.

By Byron Pope • Aug. 28, 2008

Artist Dick Mayer Created Unique Brand Identity for Ward’s Publications

Mayer penned scores of original covers for Ward’s AutoWorld, including lively cartoons that became a staple of the magazine and had a major impact on its success.

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 25, 2008