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EU Debates Design Protection Tack

To secure design rights, which protect the appearance of a vehicle, auto makers must register with several governing bodies worldwide.

By Dierdre Mason • May 16, 2006

Heavy Truck Sales Boom Continued in 2005

The need to replace aging equipment and the desire to buy ahead of costly new emissions control technology kept medium and heavy truck sales strong in 2005, with a payback expected in 2007.

By Sean Kilcarr • May 15, 2006

South African April Sales Rise 12.7%

Demand for new cars and commercial vehicles remains fundamentally strong.

By Richard Hurst • May 4, 2006

Auto Show Tries Different Ways to Spark Sales

How do dealers use the New York International Auto Show to spark sales among an expected 1.2 million motor enthusiasts? Let us count the ways. A Taste of Knowledge With competitive vehicles in every price, size and class spread about 846,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, the auto show's owner, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Assn., invites manufacturers to host meals and tours for sales people

By Maureen McDonald • May 1, 2006

Wells Fargo Honors 45 Dealers with F&I Sales Awards

Wells Fargo Auto Finance, the nation's second largest non-captive automotive finance originator, gives 45 dealers its 2005 Stagecoach Dealer of the Year Awards. Winners are from every sales region. Says Gary Lorenz, Wells Fargo Auto Finance president, It is our philosophy that the best businesses are built from a strong foundation of partnership where each member of the partnership works diligently

May 1, 2006

Mini Hits Allotment Wall

There will not be a new Mini variant offered this fall, but the brand's U.S. marketing chief hints such models are coming, including a pickup.

By Herb Shuldiner • April 20, 2006

Shelby Launches Output of New Hertz Mustang

Only about 500 of the 325-hp, black and yellow performance cars will be produced.

By Ward's Staff • April 18, 2006

Ghosn to Keynote Big Apple’s Auto Show

The show features more than a dozen global debuts and about 10 North American introductions.

By Herb Shuldiner • April 11, 2006

Ferrari Vows to Keep Lid on Sales

Ferrari forecasts sales of 200-250 599 Maranellos annually, but it doesn’t expect the new model to boost sales overall in North America.

By Herb Shuldiner • April 11, 2006

OnStar E-Mail Service Hits Million Mark

“Everything in our business is scaling like crazy,” says OnStar President Chet Huber.

By David E. Zoia • April 10, 2006

Lidar Drives Hella’s ACC Bid

Hella says its approach to adaptive cruise control is half as expensive as conventional radar-based systems, making it viable for high-volume vehicle programs.

By Tom Murphy • April 7, 2006

Behr America Expanding in Detroit

Expected to open in early 2007, the $8.5 million, 3-story expansion will be built on a site adjoining Behr America’s current headquarters campus.

By Drew Winter • April 5, 2006

Pontiac to Show G6 GXP Coupe

The new performance concept debuts at the New York Auto Show to gauge public reaction for a possible production version.

By Ward's Staff • April 3, 2006

Best Performers Do This

I recently gave an inventory-management presentation for the American International Automobile Dealers Assn. Not wanting to air just opinions on best-management practices, I researched this subject in-depth. The first issue to think about is the global manufacturing capacity vs. the global market's ability to absorb this capacity. Worldwide, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study, is an estimated

By Tony Noland • April 1, 2006

Perception vs. Reality

Domestic auto makers must erase existing perceptions that their vehicles are of lesser quality than those made by foreign competitors, says Chris Denove, chief researcher for J.D. Power and Associates. Such lingering perceptions allows Japanese and German brands to command higher prices. Customer satisfaction is meaningless if it doesn't inspire customers to pay more for vehicles and even become advocates

By Herb Shuldiner • April 1, 2006

7 Reasons Staffers Fail

All too often, dealerships employ frustrated sales people who seem to fail more often than succeed. While there are hundreds of reasons for this (personality, lack of training, product, etc.), the responsibility lies with both the salesperson and management. To improve their success rate, sales people should consider these seven common reasons for failure and take action to ensure they get back on

By Richard Libin • April 1, 2006

All Over the Map

It might be no surprise that nearly half (48) of the leading Internet dealers are from California, Texas and Florida. Those three states generate the most car sales. So with volume alone, dealers there have an inherent advantage. Still, not all of the dealerships in a strong market are able to increase sales using the Internet. A Southern California dealer claims that one of his Internet sales people

By Cliff Banks • April 1, 2006

Investigator Becomes F&I Compliance Director

A former investigator for the Florida Attorney General's Office is now a director of compliance for Reynolds and Reynolds, a dealership technology provider. Terry O'Loughlin will monitor and ensure the accuracy of Reynolds' documents used by dealerships, including loan and lease applications, sales contracts and Bureau of Motor Vehicle documents. In Florida, O'Loughlin, an attorney, investigated and

April 1, 2006

Protest Unlikely

Despite the prevalent benefit package tinkering going on in Detroit, don't expect a protest movement that has workers leaving their employers en masse, experts say. I'm sure there are people who will find jobs and probably take off, but they will be the exception, says Mark Olson, a Boston-based principal with human resources consultant Towers Perrin. When you look at what the top drivers are for

April 1, 2006

Auto Tech Manners 101

I had the privilege of being a franchised dealer for 22 years in a medium-sized market in Indiana. You and I have shared many common successes and more than our share of mutual issues or problems. Perhaps the greatest dealer issue I confronted was employees' respect for the customer. A hard part of our job is instilling the importance of being professional and focused on customer satisfaction. Everyone

By LARRY CUMMINGS • April 1, 2006

We’re No.2!

Materials experts saw it coming for years, but the Aluminum Assn. presented new research recently that confirms the lightweight metal has displaced iron as the second most intensively used material in vehicle production worldwide. The study, commissioned by the Aluminum Assn., finds an average 280 lbs. (127 kg) of aluminum per vehicle produced in the world's three major markets: North America, the

By Tom Murphy • April 1, 2006

His Pets Had No Say In New Customer-Loyalty Program

Michael Gorun was ready for the life of leisure after selling CarSmart.com, an online car-buying service he started in the 1990s. I thought I was done at that point, he says. But after 18 months of working in the yard and talking to the pets, I started to look around. It led to him founding MediaTrac, a California firm offering card-carrying customer-loyalty programs that let dealers gauge their success

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2006

Dealerships Use Internet for Subprime

Of the 8,992 vehicles the Earnhardt Auto Centers sold online in 2005, 2,333 were out of the special-finance department, dubbed Mr. Ed. With those numbers the Earnhardt group placed four dealerships on this year's Ward's e-Dealer 100 ranking. We think we may be the biggest in the country, Kevin Murphy, special finance director for the Arizona-based dealer group, says of his operation. One reason for

By Cliff Banks • April 1, 2006

USCAR Names New Executive Director

The appointment of Donald Walkowicz is the executive’s third, non-consecutive term in the position.

By Ward's Staff • March 31, 2006

Cross Lander to File Complaint

The filing against Romania stems from claims that the auto maker’s interests in its Aro assembly plant have been compromised by various parties.

By Ward's Staff • March 31, 2006