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Silver Still a Sterling Color

Silver is still the world's leading vehicle color, and in North America, rich shades of medium-dark metallic gray increased in popularity. Meanwhile, red and other high-chroma colors hint at major changes to come in the automotive color palette. The findings are part of the latest DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report, an annual trend tracker for more than 50 years. In the North American luxury

Feb. 1, 2004

ASC New Name is American Specialty Cars

DETROIT – With sunroofs fast assuming commodity status, ASC Inc. is staking out new territory within the auto industry. The late Heinz Prechter created American Sunroof Co. in Southgate, MI, in 1965 and started cutting holes in roofs to let in more light for motorists. The company helped usher in what has become an enormously popular optional-equipment sector, as about 28% of new U.S. vehicles come

By Tom Murphy • Jan. 4, 2004

Seal a Deal in 7 Seconds

Can you close a sale in just seven seconds? If you make a great first impression, you can do it even faster. Seven seconds is about what one has to make a winning first impression. If yours is unfavorable, you won't get another chance. But if it's great, you can bet the customer is likely to take you and your dealership seriously. Whether your initial meeting is face-to-face, over the phone or via

By Lydia Ramsey • Jan. 1, 2004

What’s the Big Wheel?

Bigger is better and badder. That's driving the sales of custom wheels these days. Auto makers now regularly offer their vehicles with 18-in. wheels, some as large as 20 inches. Custom wheel shops offer 26-in. rims. Meanwhile, some 30 inchers were spotted at SEMA's big aftermarket show this year. This my-wheels-are-bigger-than-yours mentality has lit up sales. SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Assn.)

By Frank S. Washington • Jan. 1, 2004

Power, Output and Thrift: Powerful Trio

Maybe I’m just a cheap date. Don’t get me wrong I love power. I love horsepower, especially when I can hear and feel it permeate the entire vehicle. Torque does it for me. But I have a prudent side. And it was soundly trampled on by my fellow judges who refused to see the light when it comes to the Dodge SRT-4 and its wonderful, lively 2.4L turbocharged DOHC inline 4-cyl. engine. This little baby

By Alisa Priddle • Dec. 30, 2003

Thriving Overseas

NISHIO, Japan A plant tour for visitors who make the trek 140 miles (225 km) southwest of Tokyo, past Mount Fuji, to Denso Corp.'s mammoth manufacturing complex here generally ends the same way every time on a bus, heading up a tight, one-lane service road that twists like a librarian's hairpin all the way to the top of a hill covered with nothing but trees and shrubs. It's from this vantage point

By Tom Murphy • Dec. 1, 2003

Insider Trading Hits AmeriCredit

Subprime lender AmeriCredit Inc. says it's censured five non-executive employees after an SEC investigation found they engaged in insider trading of the company's stock in January of 2002. The Fort Worth, TX-based company says the present or former employees traded in shares of stock prior to release of quarterly financial results. The company paid a $100,000 penalty. AmeriCredit, whose substantial

Nov. 1, 2003

Aston Martin Expands Stores; Debuts DB9

GAYDON, U.K. The new DB9 is the coolest car on the planet, Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez says unabashedly. But it's even more than that, says the German head of a very, very British car company. The sleek and potent DB9 is the lynchpin of Aston Martin's biggest change in our 89-year history, says Bez. That change is a serious determination to make some serious money. Ten years ago, Aston Martin was

By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2003

Currency Crunch

There is no true international language, but when money talks, everyone seems to understand, whether you're in Europe, Russia, Japan or the U.S. The ebb and flow of currency is the lifeblood of the global economy, but its valuation has become one of the biggest friction points in global trade. It now is the biggest single issue that is both drawing markets together and dividing the world's major auto-producing

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 2003

What’s Hot: Segment-Busters

Every October at the start of what still is considered the new model year, Ward's tries to make some sense of the onslaught of new vehicles sort of a segment-by-segment “what’s hot, what’s not” take on new product. And every year, a super-hot segment comes out on top. But for ’04, and presumably beyond, there’s something even hotter than being in the coolest segment: not being in a segment at all.

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • Oct. 16, 2003

Screening Customers

In the showroom, a 100-in. plasma screen portrays happy drivers cruising through beautiful forests, safely navigating slick roads and putting an SUV through its paces. In the caf as customers consider their purchase or wait for servicing, they can have a snack as two 42-in. plasma screens keep their attention. And if a restroom stop is in order well the video screens are smaller there. Rockland Toyota

Oct. 1, 2003

Lost in NY Cyber Space

I checked online services to price hotel rooms for a weekend stay in New York City. I wanted something on the upper east side, close to all the cool stores and to my son who's doing an internship in the city. Orbitz.com had the best rates on the hotels that interested me. After a few minutes I was out of my office, armed with information and on my cell phone to the Mrs. to coordinate dates and times.

By Peter Brandow • Sept. 1, 2003

Lights Out! But Dealers Go Largely Unscathed

Dealers breathed a sigh of relief after last month's big power blackout, escaping serious damage and losses in metro markets most affected Cleveland, Detroit and New York City. In New York, where many dealerships were looted and vandalized during a power outage in 1977 (Ace Pontiac in the Bronx had more than 30 cars stolen off its lot), many dealers posted guards to prevent a reoccurrence. Civility

By Mac Grodon • Sept. 1, 2003

Range Rover Jr.

Consolidating production of the Jaguar X-Type and the next-generation Land Rover Freelander heralds the arrival of a baby Range Rover, Ward's learns. But the new vehicle won't mitigate 1,100 job losses at Land Rover's Solihull Assembly Plant in West Midlands, U.K., says Amicus, the union representing affected workers. Amicus resents Land Rover's announcement that it will build the next-generation

By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2003

Steps in Right Direction

We should tip our hats to whomever developed the great steps of the sale. They give us timeless guidelines to tailor our presentations and focus on the needs and desires of our dealership customers. Ultimately, the steps are sales-training solutions that encourage professional excellence and superior customer service. The steps lead to success, yours and the dealership's. They're tailored to your

By RON COXSOM • Sept. 1, 2003

IBM-bitious

Forecasting massive growth for vehicle telematics by decade's end, IBM Corp. predicts future wireless innovations will enable drivers to send and receive far more automated information. These systems most likely will be digital instead of analog and will seamlessly incorporate cell phones, personal digital assistants and other devices into the vehicle probably via a wireless Bluetooth interface. IBM

Aug. 1, 2003

Ferrari 2+2 Headed for Detroit Debut

Ferrari SpA will unveil its replacement for the 456 in Detroit in January. There had been speculation the car would be shown first at the Frankfurt or Tokyo auto shows, but Ferrari has decided to make its splash in North America instead. Styling for the new 2+2 model, likely to be called the Ferrari 460, was performed by Italian design house Pininfarina SpA, the first coachbuilder to pen a 2+2 for

Aug. 1, 2003

Reduce Used-Car Stocks

August is one of the best sales months of the year. It's the month manufacturers push hard with incentives and advertising. August, due to incoming next model-year inventory, is when dealers are self-pressured and willing to maximize their advertising dollars to go for maximum customer traffic, volume and potentially strong net profits. August 2003 has five weekends. It should be a great new-vehicle

By Tony Noland • Aug. 1, 2003

Heavy Metals

Efforts by auto makers to eliminate heavy metals, such as lead and mercury, are nearly complete just in time for new European legislation banning use of the potentially dangerous materials. Although there are some exemptions, European Union countries in July began barring sales of vehicles that contain the four main heavy metals. In addition to mercury and lead, the other heavy metals commonly used

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 1, 2003

Detroit’s Bitter Pill

About this time every three or four years, when United Auto Workers contracts are renegotiated, domestic auto makers must take stock of their health. And like hypochondriacs, their diagnoses always are grim. This time it's obesity and possible hemorrhaging, brought on by periodic vision loss. Who's to blame? According to some, if the Big Three were the city of New York in 1908, the UAW would be Typhoid

By Eric Mayne, Brian Corbett, Kevin Kelly • July 1, 2003

Big Gun in Pickup Showdown

KINGMAN, AZ The word carried a decidedly different connotation in this part of the country 125 years ago. It meant the noun, not the adjective. And except for Bat Masterson, the Old West was a lonely place for any man saddled with that label. Sporting a debonair derby, TV's Masterson (played by Gene Barry from 1958-1961) walked softly and carried an elegant cane with which he deftly dispatched every

By Eric Mayne • July 1, 2003

Salesman’s Wife Laments

A Georgia woman, Melanie Knapp, asked if I know of anyone else who's gone through what her husband has as a car salesman. My answer is no, thank goodness, and I hope there aren't too many people who have. Here's her story in her own words: In April of 2001, my husband lost his job in the broadcasting industry. He tried fervently to find another position, but couldn't. As a stopgap measure, he answered

By Steve Finlay • July 1, 2003

F&I Light Keeps Burning

Some industry news is bad enough to make many dealers want to switch off the store lights and go home. NADA's average dealership profile indicates that total dealership expenses as a percent of total sales increased from 11.2% to 11.4% in 2002. Net profit before taxes as a percent of total sales declined from 2% to 1.9% in 2002. Sales are expected to soften (Ward's forecasts 2003 U.S. vehicle sales

By ANDREW J. BLAZSANYIK • July 1, 2003

AWD Popularity Soars

Auto makers are seriously eyeing all-wheel drive as a feature that can both fill a void in buyer wants and improve profit margins. Four- and all-wheel drive already have been growing strongly. At the current rate of increase, vehicles sold with 4WD/AWD capability should hit 40% by the end of the decade. It could reach as high as 50% by the middle of the next decade. The 1990s surge in sales of SUVs,

By Haig Stoddard • July 1, 2003

Smith Joins Journalism Hall of Fame

WAW's own David C. Smith, editor-at-large, will be inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, MI. Smith, one of five inductees this year, attended CMU between 1954 and 1956 before leaving to attend the University of Michigan. I was surprised because I'm not a graduate of Central, but I'm honored and delighted, Smith says. To have someone who's not a

July 1, 2003