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Automotive “infomediary” research sites are popular -- but don’t drive sales

“Infomediary” auto resource sites -- such as Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com -- get 77% of automotive web site traffic. But they are ineffective in driving traffic to buying sites or OEM sites. That’s according to a new study by Jupiter Media Metrix, a research firm that tracks Internet trends and profitability. The study, released today, says: * “Infomediary” sites, while the most popular

June 7, 2001

Stranded motorists kept informed

Cross Country Automotive Service's dispatch system now automatically follows up with drivers requesting its roadside assistance to let them know that help is on the way, as well as ensure that a tow truck, locksmith or mechanic has arrived as promised. The Closed Loop Technology is powered by InterVoice-Brite's OneVoice - a call automation platform with text-to-speech technology. It’s touted as a

By Ward's reports • June 5, 2001

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

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

By WardsAuto staff

Soft Landings

From the wilds of northern Ontario comes cutting-edge technology for pedestrians seeking safe passage across America's streets. The Ursus Mark VI, a modern-day suit of armor designed to provide protection from bear attacks, features: A titanium exterior linked by chain mail (for joint flexibility). A battery-powered twin-fan ventilation system. Even a black box (to record the wearer's last words in

By Eric Mayne • June 1, 2001

Cleaner emissions are killing off tailpipe suicides

The Sierra Club still thinks car exhaust is dirty, but here's proof that automakers aren't lying about cleaning up emissions: It's mighty tough to kill yourself with car exhaust nowadays. In one medical journal report, a 56-year-old man tried to commit suicide by running a hose from his exhaust pipe into the inside of his car. Rescued and rushed to the hospital, the man was still conscious after breathing

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE REPORTS • June 1, 2001

Nonprime surge helps WFS sales boost

Rising nonprime loan volume in vehicle sales has triggered new records in sales and profits for WFS Financial, whose CEO, Joy Schaefer, predicts a continuing uptrend this year, but at a slightly slower rate because of the slowdown in domestic-brand sales. Based in Irvine, CA, WFS boosted its auto contracts 26% last year to $4.2 billion from $3.3 billion in 1999. Net income surged 42% to $74.7 million,

June 1, 2001

Oh, Metallics, I Love Hue

Metallics still are the top choice for many of today's car buyers, according to BASF Corp.'s recently released annual forecast of popular car colors. The trend for North America is dominated by metallic, and that's not exclusive to silver, says Jon Hall, manager of color development for BASF's Automotive OEM Coatings business group. Copper and gold metallic colors continue to be fresh looking, with

June 1, 2001

HOW TO CHART EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY

From Automotive News: April sales fell 10%, the sixth straight month that sales fell below the year-ago total. From the Associated Press: Americans' productivity, a key measure of rising living standards, fell at a 0.1% rate in the first quarter. The decline was the first in six years. The drop in productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, during the January-March (2001) quarter surprised

By Tony Noland • June 1, 2001

SALINAS AUTO MALL LEADS DRIVE TO CUT CALIFORNIA POWER USE

Even before California residents and businesses had to grapple with the power crisis engulfing the Golden State, the Salinas Auto Mall dealers were taking big steps to cut their energy use while still providing a safe shopping environment for their customers. When we first designed the new Salinas Auto Mall, we made a major purchase of high-intensity, low-energy lights for the entire mall, says Max

June 1, 2001

Daewoo Launches High-Risk Finance Scheme

SEOUL - Daewoo Motor Co. Ltd., bankrupt and limping along on creditor bank handouts, plans to sell 15,000 of its new '01 Lanos II compact cars - aiming to capture a full 20% of the domestic compact segment. The sales target is ambitious in the current down market. The 2000 Lanos II being replaced had total domestic sales of 18,673 units in a much healthier market, when they were being built and serviced

May 15, 2001

WHO’S NEXT?

Cue the funky jungle music. It's tribal council time. On a not-so-remote island known as the North American continent, a different game of Survivor is taking shape, with carmakers trying to outwit, outplay and outlast one another in the face of a recession some say is looming. Already winners and losers are beginning to emerge, thanks to a cutthroat market that hit the brakes last October. Slammed

By ALISA PRIDDLE, HAIG STODDARD and DAVE ZOIA with Brian Corbett • May 1, 2001

Land Rover Sorry for Ad

A South African court has ordered Land Rover to make a public apology over an advertisement judged to be racist and of making a mockery of African culture. The company admits it erred by publishing a newspaper ad that featured a semi-naked African woman in native dress whose elongated breasts were blown sideways in the tailwind of a passing vehicle. The image appeared next to the caption: The new

May 1, 2001

India’s Silicon Valley

BANGALORE India's lush garden district is as unlikely a place for an internationally acclaimed center of high technology as you're likely to find. A closer inspection, however, provides a better understanding of why some of the world's major corporations are locating development and test centers in this pleasant southern Indian city. They include America Online Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Delphi Automotive

By Mack Chrysler • May 1, 2001

Japan: Weak economy remains

Japanese automakers must be watching the new economic downturn in the U.S. with a weary, been-there, done-that eye. While the North American market just now is approaching its day of reckoning, the Japanese auto climate long has been grappling with its own high-stakes game of Survivor, which began about a decade ago when the bubble popped in its seemingly unstoppable economy. Japan's economy second

By KATHERINE ZACHARY • May 1, 2001

American Classics in Cuba

The ultimate irony is that these American symbols of the freedom to travel have found their home on an island to which Americans are not free to travel. Automobiles represent different things for different people. They can be status symbols, or simple everyday transportation, or collectors' items, or just a damn nuisance. But every now and then, the automobile can transcend being merely a machine

By John McElroy • May 1, 2001

COURT MEDIATING IS LIKE CAR DEALING

My experience as an automobile dealer and sales entrepreneur is extremely valuable in performing my duties as a court mediator. I'VE SERVED AS A MEDIATOR IN THE MEDIATION Center of the Pacific for the past decade. This post-retirement career began with several intensive weekend training sessions, followed by regular sessions in the local courts. The goal is to settle disputes in lieu of actual court

By Nat Shulman • May 1, 2001

$3.5 million dealership helps sales

I didn't expect the new building would boost business. MIDLAND, MI Seven years after he took over an ailing Chrysler-Plymouth Dodge store in this city of about 65,000, Bob Feeny has relocated into a new $3.5 million structure on the growing north side of town. Chrysler's great range of products has allowed me to fulfill this dream in only seven years, declares Mr. Feeny at his office right alongside

May 1, 2001

Softer economy is a good time to buy more dealerships

To see the Ward's Megadealer 100 list, click here. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader For free download, click here. For more Wards Megadealer 100 information, click here. Auto sales reached a record level in 2000, and that truth is reflected in this years Wards Megadealer 100, which has evolved from just a list of the most successful dealer groups to a barometer of the automotive retail marketplace. Fueled

By Tim Keenan • May 1, 2001

Brit native oversees new-car sales at Arizona dealership

The Childress Auto Mall in Scottsdale, AZ, named Mike Chesworth manager of new-car sales at the dealership. Mr. Chesworth, a British native with 16 years of experience in the auto industry, will oversee Buick, Kia, Suzuki and Laforza sales and purchase new car inventory.

May 1, 2001

Autobytel to Acquire Autoweb

Automotive dot-com consolidation continues as pioneer third-party lead generator Autobytel.com acquires its struggling competitor, Autoweb. Autobytel President and CEO Mark Lorimer describes it as an “acquisition by merger.” The principals expect to complete the deal in the third quarter. It will involve a tax-free exchange of stocks with an estimated value of $15 million. Autoweb stockholders will

By Cliff Banks • April 12, 2001

American Axle Shows SmartBar, Driveline/Chassis Module

American Axle & Mfg. unveils several new technologies to further expand the company's market reach, including SmartBar, an electronically actuated stabilizer module designed to maximize sport/utility vehicle (SUV) off-road performance. SmartBar employs an integrated electronic control module to disengage the stabilizer bar, allowing full wheel travel on rough terrain, and it can be driver and/or automatically

By David E. Zoia • April 1, 2001

Acunia Presses for Open Telematics Framework

Belgium-based Acunia continues its almost evangelistic efforts to get the telematics world to adopt an open framework for the next generation of telematics devices. Telematics creates the connection that enables drivers to connect to virtually any information or service provider in the world. Acunia, formerly Smart Move, laid out its vision of a telematics future at the 2001 SAE in Detroit early last

By Mike Arnholt • April 1, 2001

American Iron and Steel Institute Makes Budget Cuts

The American Iron and Steel Institute apparently has spared its research and development efforts from substantial budget cuts instituted in March due to declining membership. Once the envy of other material consortiums for its mammoth budget, AISI's UltraLight Steel Auto Body Advanced Vehicle Concept (ULSAB-AVC) program remains on schedule for an October disclosure, an AISI insider assures. Research

By Brian Corbett • April 1, 2001

New Goodyear is pretty corny

Goodyear's new GT3 tire, introduced at the Geneva auto show, is the first tire to use corn that's right, hot off the cob as a filler compound to partially replace traditionally used carbon and silica. The corn-based filler is called BioTRED and was developed at Good-year's Luxembourg technical center over a five-year period. Those five years apparently weren't wasted, as Goodyear says BioTRED offers

By Bill Siuru • April 1, 2001

The Ultimate Gridlock

OK, I'm sure you've seen the stats. There are 6 billion people on the face of the planet, and all of the demographic trends show it will hit 9 billion in the next 25 years. There are 700 million vehicles scurrying about on the world's roads, and that will top 1 billion by the end of the decade. If the rest of the world ever gets to the level of personal automobile ownership that we enjoy in the United

By John McElroy • April 1, 2001

New Speed Sensor Boasts Higher Accuracy

Wixom, MI-based A-DAT Corp. introduces a new, more accurate speed and distance sensor for automotive research and development applications. Dubbed OS1, it is claimed to be the first speed and distance sensor based on digital optical correlation which makes it more accurate than current contact and non-contact speed sensors such as those used for 5th wheels (contact) and radar Doppler systems (non-contact),

By Drew Winter • April 1, 2001