Operations: Page 213
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Handle Customers
True or False: A salesperson's job is to sell cars. False. A sales person's job is to help a customer buy a car, not simply to sell a car.
By Richard F. Libin • June 1, 2007 -
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Car Guys
The gravelly voice, filtered through an erratic cell phone signal, is moving fast along I-75 somewhere north of Detroit.“American culture is always looking for heroes,” it says. “You've got mega-stars that are car guys, and you've got mega-stars that aren't car guys. Hold on a second, I'm going to have an accident here.”
By Eric Mayne • June 1, 2007 -
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
Scanning Prevents Scamming
How many times has a vehicle been stolen off your lot? How long did it take you to notice it was gone? Days, weeks, months?
By Wayne A. Fortier • June 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Benchmark Your Profitability
The numbers I'm sharing here reflect first quarter results from the NCM database. They are average dealer performance changes compared with the same first quarter period in 2006.
By Tony Noland • June 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Metaldyne CEO Sees Future Without Life Support
To some, Tim Leuliette's vision of the future sounds like a dark science fiction movie: a hydrogen-powered world full of cruel choices and the walking dead.
By Drew Winter • June 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Are CD Players Headed for Mass Extinction?
Siemens VDO executive Frank Homann predicts the CD player will be extinct by 2015, but skeptics say stubborn consumers will keep it alive far longer.
By Drew Winter • May 29, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Group Launches EU Campaign for ESC Consumer Awareness
The Rome launch features the release by the European New Car Assessment Program of a EU ESC availability survey that finds there is a low take-rate across Europe.
By Alan Harman • May 21, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
He’s a Funny Standup Economist
Gene Stanaland is a speaker-circuit favorite for people looking for humor mixed with economics, an unusual confection.
By Steve Finlay • May 21, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Lutz Pushes for Transformation, Not ‘Incrementalist’ Notions update from May 2007
At the recent Global Automotive Conference in Louisville, KY, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz took shots at both liberal environmentalists and the Bush Administration for creating a climate of panic fear in Washington.
By Drew Winter • May 10, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Metaldyne CEO Predicts Private Equity will Transform Auto Industry
You haven’t heard much good lately about private equity here in Detroit, but according to Tim Leuliette, who is CEO of Metaldyne Corp. and co-CEO of Asahi Tec Corp., private equity is a very good thing.
By Drew Winter • May 3, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Tunable Tailpipe
J.J. Eberspaecher GmbH & Co. KG says it hopes to have a unique system on the market by 2009 that will allow drivers to dial-in the exhaust tone of their choice for their vehicle.
By Byron Pope • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Ward’s Takes Top Honors
Ward's editorial staff wins seven International Wheel Awards at a Detroit Press Club Foundation presentation held at the Automotive Hall of Fame in April. The awards honor the best in automotive journalism. Senior News Editor Eric Mayne won first place for his story about hourly worker absences. Mayne also took second and third prize in other categories. Barbara McClellan also won for her column about
May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Far Ahead of Others
Sid DeBoer: Unconventional thinker The genesis for this month's cover story on Lithia Automotive Inc. began with an e-mail from CEO and President Sid DeBoer
May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Sell Around the Orange Barrels
It can bring showroom traffic to a standstill when road crews set up orange traffic barrels and dig up the street in front of a dealership. Bulldozers, barricades and backed-up traffic hurt auto sales when would-be customers take the path of least resistance and head elsewhere.
By Maureen McDonald • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Good As Gold
There's a new kid on the block in the automotive catalyst field, and it is bringing a new concept it says is as good and inexpensive as gold.
By David E. Zoia • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
What About Other Big Player?
I have to resist the temptation of again writing about Reynolds and Reynolds and the effects of the acquisition by Universal Computer Systems Inc. last fall.
By Cliff Banks • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Housing Woes Affect Car Sales
AUSTIN, TX Overextended credit in an overheated housing market could hurt auto sales this year. That's because many consumers in the past bought vehicles with money from refinancing their homes.
By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How to Get Sales, Service and F&I to Work as a Team
Three major dealership departments sales, service and finance and insurance should work together like a football team, where each player understands the other's role, says Jim McDavid of the JM&A Group.
By Steve Finlay • May 1, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Scion Expects xB Sales to Hold Line
Volume for new Scion xB should be similar to outgoing model, 60,000 annual units annually, while the new xD should improve on xA sales, brand officials say.
By Christie Schweinsberg • April 27, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Automotive Pioneer Jim Moran Dies at 88
Moran’s automotive career began when he borrowed $360 to purchase a Sinclair gas station in Chicago and began selling used cars on the site four years later.
By Ward's Staff • April 25, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
American Suzuki Names New President
American Suzuki has been on a solid growth track in the past few years. First-quarter 2007 sales were its best ever and came on the heels of a record-setting 2006.
By Ward's Staff • April 23, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Sensata Debuts ‘Smart Camera’ System
By 2010, Sensata expects to have about 1 million of its new IM103 Image Sensors, a self-contained microcomputer, on the road.
By Tom Murphy • April 19, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Suzuki SX4 Sedan Made for ‘Life Enthusiasts’
The auto maker’s strategy calls for spicing up its car lineup while drawing on the excitement of its motorcycle heritage for inspiration.
By Steve Finlay • April 5, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
E85 Pace Expected to Pick Up in Q4
As many as 2,000 filling stations could be selling E85 by year’s end.
By Eric Mayne • April 2, 2007 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Clear the Air, Boost the Profits
Dave Lester dreams of the day when Americans begin to appreciate the value of clean air inside their vehicles, thanks to cabin air filters (CAFs).
By Tom Murphy • April 1, 2007
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