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Appointments enhance selling chances

Ninety-eight percent of sales people sell from nine to 11 vehicles a month and stay with a particular dealership about 10 months. The others the top 2% sell between 21 and 24 vehicles a month and stay with a particular dealership about 60 months. The top 2% also deliver more value to their employers, points out John Traver, president of Traver Technologies. The top 2% not only sell more vehicles a

By Jim Leman • April 1, 2002

Say a Prayer

BARCELONA, Spain There is a cathedral here in this partying port city that the Spanish have been working on for more than a century. When the Sagrada Familia Church is completed in about 25 years, huge amounts of money will have been spent, years of hard work logged. All for the hope that the finished product will be viewed as a benchmark throughout the world. So it's appropriate that the church is

By Brian Corbett • April 1, 2002

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.

By WardsAuto staff

Caution’s Back in Style

Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury isn't your classic Olympic hero. He is the first Australian ever to win a gold medal at the winter Olympics, but he freely admits he isn't the best short track speed skater in the world, or the second best, and probably not even the third. But even if he isn't the fastest, he probably is the smartest or at least he was on a fateful day last February. That's

By Drew Winter • April 1, 2002

What’s a Body to Do?

Not all that long ago I had the chance to personally meet Giorgietto Giugiaro, the ultra-famous Italian car designer. I gushed, you certainly had a vision of where body styles would be headed in the future. Twenty years ago you said that the one-box design would become the dominant body style in the future. he said matter of factly, you're wrong. I said that 30 years ago. Giugiaro knew that space

By John McElroy • April 1, 2002

Valuing Technology

The new Oster Perfectionist has 63 settings, touch bubbles in stead of dials, an LCD display screen, and a thick owners manual. It's a toaster. The Detroit Free Press technology writer reviewed it recently and said something that scared me: The LCD (liquid crystal display) is harder to see than the LEDs (light emitting diodes) on my old toaster, and those touch bubbles sometimes have to be pushed

By Drew Winter • March 1, 2002

Rewriting the Rules

SAN ANTONIO, TX My driving partner and I are sitting at a stoplight in trendy downtown San Antonio when a well-dressed businessman stands at the crosswalk and gives us a big thumbs up. That the new 7-Series? he asks. we say. What do you think? he says. What about the rear end? my partner yells out the window as we drive off. In the rear view mirror we see him looking hard and giving us another big

By Drew Winter • March 1, 2002

Dealership general manager heads state business alliance

Brad Majercin, vice president and general manager of Childress Auto Mall in Phoenix, AZ, was elected president of the Arizona Business Alliance. The alliance is a sales, leads, referrals and networking organization with more than 60 members representing a range of businesses.

March 1, 2002

Study: Big 3 share slides for the next 5 years

Despite a flurry of interesting new products coming from Detroit-based auto makers, Asian and European brands are going to continue to steal global market share from them for the next five years, a recent study finds. The reason is because the foreign vehicles are more exciting and appear to offer better value to consumers. That's one of many gloomy predictions for Detroit emerging from a new report

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • Feb. 1, 2002

Wake Up Before It’s Too Late

Maybe what this country needs is a good alarm clock one so shriekingly loud that it blows you right out of bed. How else can you explain the widespread apathy toward the nation's reliance upon foreign sources for 50% to 60% of its oil, especially from the increasingly volatile Middle East, making us vulnerable to all sorts of unpleasant scenarios. And if you think it can't happen, remember 9/11. Ironically,

By David C. Smith • Feb. 1, 2002

HOW TO TURN MIRRORS INTO WINDOWS

Here are two quotes on the benefits of training, and the potential results: Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know. Daniel J. Boorstin. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows Sydney J. Harris. These are more insightful when you consider what is being said. Think of the personnel in your organization that have the potential to step up to the next level,

By Tony Noland • Feb. 1, 2002

PSA sales rise in 2001

PSA Peugeot-Citroen says its overall sales were 3.1 million units in 2001, an 11.3% jump over 2000 sales levels. The company says it expects overall sales for 2002 to rise 3.7% to 3.25 million units and maintains its commitment to sell 3.5 million units by 2004. The sales increase for 2001 is attributed to the success of the Peugeot 206 and 307 models, as well as the Citroen Xsara Picasso minivan.

By Compiled by Senior International Editor Barb McClellan [email protected] • Feb. 1, 2002

2002 North American International Auto Show

DETROIT At first, journalists seemed relieved that almost every auto maker at the 2002 edition of the North American International Auto Show here wanted to talk about something other than SUVs. Then they realized that there still were a helluva lot of SUVs on display. It's not that the earnest OEMs didn't try. For one thing, Detroit auto makers suddenly seem interested in affordable coupes and roadsters

By the Ward's AutoWorld staff • Feb. 1, 2002

Get the most out of the convention and follow these tips to make NADA ‘02 work for you.

Well, it's NADA convention time again. Time to brush up on the latest developments, renew old acquaintances, and have some fun at the same time. Ever wonder, though, whether you're getting the most out of your convention? If so, use these handy suggestions to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities the event can offer you: Conduct a personal "needs analysis." Think about the problems and challenges

By Richard G. Ensman Jr. • Jan. 21, 2002

FORMER DISNEY EXECUTIVE NOW HEADS AUTOBYTEL INC.

Autobytel Inc.'s president and CEO, Mark Lorimer, resigned in what company officials called a surprise move. Autobytel's board of directors quickly named Jeffrey Schwartz as Lorimer's replacement. Schwartz joined the company as vice chairman in August in connection with the acquisition of Autoweb.com, Inc., where he was president and chief executive officer. Prior to joining Autoweb, Schwartz was

Jan. 1, 2002

OPPORTUNIES FOR USED-CAR SALES GROWTH

October was probably the best new-vehicle sales and profit month in the history of the franchised automobile business. But as you know, used vehicle sales failed to keep pace with that month's new vehicle sales rate which, for many dealers, has resulted in increased dollar inventory levels, days' supply and maybe most importantly, a decreased rate of dollar turn. I have spoken with many dealers who

By Tony Noland • Jan. 1, 2002

Is Wall Street Losing Its Clout?

A barrage of federal rules on disclosure has Wall Street analysts barred from private meetings with auto CEOs and financial staffs, leaving these high-powered financial gurus in an information black hole. With Wall Street and Main Street having access to the same information, are the financial elite losing their clout in the auto industry? Or did they wield too much power in the first place? Stephen

By Kevin Kelly • Jan. 1, 2002

Homecoming for new general manager at Darrow Dodge

The Russ Darrow Automotive Group in Milwaukee, WI has named Harvey Padek general manager or Darrow Dodge. He will continue to serve as general manager of Russ Darrow Cedarburg. The new position is something of a homecoming for Mr. Padek. His father owned the store, called Northshore Dodge at the time, when it was acquired by the Russ Darrow Group.

Jan. 1, 2002

Scania sees all-time financial loss in South America

Truck maker Scania AB is facing its worst financial loss in its 44-year history in Brazil. Arne Carlsson, president of Scania Latin America, says the company was more than $45 million in the red for the first nine months. The losses, he says, stem from the energy crisis in Brazil; the economic crisis in Argentina; the reduction of economic activity in Asia and Europe; the terrorist attacks in the

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE INTERNATIONAL • Jan. 1, 2002

Editor - Drew Winter bio

Welcome to Ward's AutoWorld Send me an email at: [email protected] For a complete staff listing, click here.

By Ward's Staff Listings • Jan. 1, 2002

Autobytel looks for new sources of revenue

Autobytel Inc., the pioneer of third-party lead referrals to auto dealers, is learning that adaptability may be the key to its survival. No longer does Autobytel see lead generation as its sole means of creating revenue. But the company is by no means abandoning its lead generation model. A J.D. Power survey shows that Autobytel still drives the most online car sales, despite dealers' occasional complaints

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 1, 2002

New leader at Autobytel

Jeffrey Schwartz succeeds Mark Lorimer as President and CEO of Autobytel Autobytel Inc. yesterday announced that Jeffrey Schwartz has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Mr. Schwartz succeeds Mark Lorimer who resigned as Chief Executive Officer, President and Director. Mr. Schwartz joined the company as Vice Chairman on August 14, 2001 in connection with the

By Wire Reports • Dec. 7, 2001

Dealerships take heat for customers’ lack of navigation system know-how

While penetration of navigation systems remains at less than 1% of the market, the number of cars, vans and light-trucks models that offer factory-installed navigation systems grew from 26 to 45, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2001 Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study. The number of vehicles with factory-installed navigation systems rose to an estimated 175,000 in the 2001 model year.

Dec. 3, 2001

Misinformation I Can’t Stand It

In a half century of reporting I have never seen any business plagued by such misinformation as the automobile industry. Think for a minute: Can you imagine that the state of California would order the airline companies to provide every traveler to and from the state with a pair of strap-on flapping glider wings? And the passengers would then be ordered to travel by leaping out of a high window and

By Jerry Flint • Dec. 1, 2001

Mexico Goes on Siesta

The good news for Mexico is that the news is not that bad. Forecasts call for vehicle sales in the country to total 830,000 to 850,000 units in 2002, down from some 900,000 deliveries in 2001. But that's not a sharp decrease considering Mexico's history, when a downturn in the heavily relied-upon U.S. market coupled with a recent presidential election likely would have caused an economic collapse.

By Brian Corbett • Dec. 1, 2001

FORECASTING IS MORE ESSENTIAL NOW

Helping good dealers become better has been NCM Associates' mission for more than 54 years. We want to assist you in planning and operating your business in a most proficient manner. With the following information, you should have a point of reference in constructing your 2002 plan. When a tragedy such as the Sept. 11 terrorists' attacks occurs, it creates certain reluctance on the part of the consumer

By Tony Noland • Nov. 1, 2001