Operations: Page 238

HE TRACKS SHOPPERS, SALES AND STOCK

LAS VEGAS - "It was a great year to be a car dealer, a Nissan dealer, a Vegas dealer and an AutoNation dealer." So says Don Forman, the general manager of Nissan West, reflecting on 1999.As chief of operations for the AutoNation Inc.-owned store, Mr. Forman rattles off some of the many dealership numbers he so diligently keeps:Gross revenues up 24.5% from 1998 to $96 million; gross profits, $13.9

By Maynard M. Gordon • March 1, 2000

Auto Talk: Pioneer Auto Writer Stan Brams Dies at 89

We thought he'd go on forever, and he almost did.Stan Brams' vitality and expansive mind belied his years. He was 89 when he died of heart failure on Christmas in Atlanta. Until very recently he showed up regularly at automotive previews and conferences just as he had done since his first preview in 1935 for the '36 Plymouth.Mr. Brams likely was the world's oldest automotive journalist and sometimes

By DAVE SMITH • Feb. 1, 2000

Explore the Trendline➔

Automotive Manufacturing

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

By WardsAuto staff

Compare apples to apples when hiring

For many employers, America's robust economy is a mixed blessing. As the economy has grown, so have profits. But with unemployment at its lowest level in over two decades, finding enough employees to meet the increased demand is proving quite difficult for dealerships in some regions (Southeast, West Coast) and next to impossible in others (Northeast, Midwest).Some dealers have taken a high tech approach

By Mary Ruth Austin • Feb. 1, 2000

Service Provider fills sales positions

Vehicle service contract provider National Auto Care Corp. has hired Rob Fox and Jennifer Fonzaglia to key sales positions.Mr. Fox is NAC's new national sales manager. He will develop and enhance the National Auto Care agency network.Ms. Fonzaglia is the new sales development coordinator. She will assist the Ohio-based company's clients with their sales and marketing needs.

Feb. 1, 2000

CarsDirect also receives “best site” designation

Recent start-up CarsDirect.com, based in Sherman Oaks, CA, has also received a "Best Site" designation, this one from e-commerce analyst Gomez Advisors. CarsDirect.com users may research, price, select, finance, order, and take delivery of a new vehicle. You may review the Gomez Advisors quarterly ranking of Internet car-buying services on the Web at www.gomez.com and visit the CarsDirect.com site

Feb. 1, 2000

AutoTrader.com named best used-car website

Yahoo! Internet Life, a Ziff Davis consumer magazine, has named AutoTrader.com best used car hub on the Web, designating the site a Gold Star Site for its depth of used vehicle listings, clean design, ease of use, and breadth of services.Yahoo! Internet Life praised Auto-Trader.com as a cleanly designed site that allows consumers to search for vehicles, sort through the returns, get Kelley Blue Book

Feb. 1, 2000

JM&A opens new training center, readies for F&I Internet sales

If timing really is everything, then the timing for the promotion of Steve Hayes to general manager and chief operating officer of JM&A Group could not have been better.The F&I service provider is entering the 2000-model year "with a lot on its plate," says Mr. Hayes, "starting with opening of a new and expanded training center for dealer F&I personnel right here on our main campus."Mr. Hayes, at

By Maynard M. Gordon • Feb. 1, 2000

At Large with Dave Smith: The ‘Inside Story’ on Generation Y

They're comin'," exclaims Jim Masters - and he's getting ready for them."They" are indeed coming, some 78 million strong: so-called "Generation Y" youngsters, sons and daughters of Baby Boomers, who range from pre-teens to voting age. They are commonly called "Echo Boomers," a moniker they prefer. "They hate taglines," he says.James C. Masters is president of Lear Corp.'s Technology Div. As a dominant

By David C. Smith • Feb. 1, 2000

AutoNation website fights the competition

AutoNation Inc. CEO Michael Jackson says the consolidator's new licensed Internet sales site will be a "big" advantage in competing with the rising host of factory, bank-linked and independent websites.The first licensees for AutoNation's website, who receive exclusive territories for a renewable two-year period, include John Bergstrom, Neenah, WI, owner of 18 dealerships; Don Flow, Winston-Salem,

Feb. 1, 2000

Auto Talk: Jean Jennings Goes to ‘Front of the Book’

Legendary automotive editor David E. Davis gives up the top job on Automobile magazine, which he founded in 1986, as the new year begins. His successor: Executive Editor Jean Jennings, who becomes the first woman to head up a major buff magazine.Her column moves to the front of the book, while Mr. Davis will continue to contribute a column to the back page.Ms. Jennings is the daughter of the late

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • Jan. 1, 2000

Rear Vision Made Simple

It's a fledgling market for now, but it won't be long before a majority of new vehicles will be available with rear-sensing systems to help drivers squeeze into tight spaces when parallel parking.After its introduction on European luxury cars in the early 1990s, the product arrives in the U.S. in time to capitalize on a market that loves big sport/utility vehicles that offer inadequate rear vision

By Tom Murphy • Jan. 1, 2000

At Large with Dave Smith: Bumpy Ride into the 21st Century

Ah, the new millennium. I can't go back to 1900 when the automotive industry experienced its birth pangs. But then, who can?I can, however, look back to the final third of the 20th century, which I've witnessed close up - a metamorphosis cumulatively so tumultuous it would fill your hard drive to overflowing.So for this 900-word exercise, let's look at the bumpy road traveled since the mid-'60s.Then

By David C. Smith • Jan. 1, 2000

Going After the Aftermarket

LAS VEGAS - The sheer size of Automotive Industry Aftermarket Week (AAIW) '99 - encompassing four trade organizations including the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) - is one indication of how profitable aftermarket accessories and performance parts sales can be to new-vehicle dealers.It's huge, the biggest aftermarket trade-only exhibition in the world. It's also the second largest

By Tim Keenan, Drew Winter with Brian Corbett • Dec. 1, 1999

The Dark Side of Color Forecasting

Could George Lucas have an impact on the automotive industry? Maybe, says a color expert from BASF.Jon Hall, manager of color development for BASF Corp.'s Automotive OEM Coatings business, says the mechanical look of Lucas' most recent Star Wars effort will impact both color and design choices in future vehicle models."Design will be more machine like and mathematical, less amoebic and organic," he

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • Dec. 1, 1999

Tampa Bay goes the way of AutoNation’s Denver pilot

Thirteen of 16 Tampa Bay area dealerships will form the core of AutoNation's "no-haggle price" pilot, covering the Florida Gulf Coast cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa.The pilot's formal launch is Dec. 26. More than 2,000 associates from the dealerships will be trained in the same product and service methods that helped lift the initial Denver pilot to sales and market share increases

Dec. 1, 1999

HERE’S A GUIDE FOR THE .COM MINEFIELD

THE INTERNET IS GROWING, OFFERING OPPORTUNITIES for those in the know, and creating confusion, all at the same time. To help you pick your way through the minefield of misinformation in the .com landscape, I humbly present some suggestions.1. LEADS GROW EXPONENTIALLY. One Internet sales rep can effectively handle 60 "quality leads" a month at most. Some simple math demonstrates the challenge. Let's

By Mark Rikess • Dec. 1, 1999

Those old fossils are cool but GM’s Smith looks to the future

In John F. Smith Jr.'s 38th floor office, a room with a view of the Detroit River and beyond, are two large fossil artifacts, a lizard and a fish from way back in time."They're from Brazil. I think they're cool," Mr. Smith says of the imprints in stone slabs, one mounted on a window ledge, the other on a stand next to his big desk.But it is mostly the future which Mr. Smith talks about, General Motors

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 1999

Delphi’s passage to India perfects process

NEW DELHI - Some call New Delhi the Rome of India, while others argue it's more like Paris, but the abject poverty and lack of infrastructure throughout the region leave both comparisons wanting. For the hordes of drivers who rumble down the streets in unmitigated chaos each day, the one thing clearly shared with the European cities is the ubiquitous car horn.It's little wonder that the few traffic

By Barbara McClellan • Dec. 1, 1999

Alas, consolidators still unimpress Wall Street

Sales and earnings flying high. Stock prices grounded.That's the third-quarter and nine-month story from all of the major publicly owned dealer consolidators, whose "patriarch," H. Wayne Huizenga, continues to voice his bafflement at investor coolness.In an analyst conference call after his top-ranked megadealer network, AutoNation Inc., reported $15 billion in sales for January-September, Mr. Huizenga

By Maynard M. Gordon • Dec. 1, 1999

At Large with Dave Smith: Die on Same Day

Don Kossak and Al Trueman were longtime friends and associates in the automotive plastics world. Both served as officers of the Automotive Composites Alliance (ACA). Both died within hours of each other on Nov. 10.I knew them well. Don was vice president of new business/SMC development at Cambridge Industries Inc. and chairman of the ACA communications committee. He was 56, and died unexpectedly from

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • Dec. 1, 1999

TO-DO LIST AIDS GENERAL MANAGERS

I often am asked for a to-do list for general managers. For our purpose here, let's assume the general manager is also the operator of a dealership. This is not an all-inclusive list, but an outline that will help you organize and bring some structure to your month.MEETINGS Departmental Financial Statement Analysis Monthly, the day after the financial statement is finalized and published, meet all

By Tony Noland • Nov. 1, 1999

Breaking Some Glass--How about a website in every garage?

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV - Picture this: Every car or truck becomes a website connected with a smart card to an Internet server.Like your Social Security number, the vehicle's unique VIN (vehicle identification number) and an access card would be the keys to linking with the worldwide web.The advantages would be monumental: Information about where and when the vehicle was built, who produced which

By David C. Smith • Nov. 1, 1999

I NEVER SAW ONE OF THOSE IN DETROIT

I'VE SAID BEFORE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT FOR AUTO journalists based in the Motor City to leave the "Detroit Beltway" every now and then to see what's going on elsewhere in the automotive world.That point hit home when I spotted several dressed-up flashy Japanese cars on the streets of San Francisco.Driven by young Asians, these cool compacts sported eye-catching aftermarket extras such as wild spoilers,

By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 1999

NEW-CAR FRANCHISES HELP TO PUT CARMAX IN THE BLACK

Its 21 new-car franchises helped nail down CarMax's first net profits for two consecutive quarters.Yet CarMax President W. Austin Ligon says the Circuit City division will keep focusing on its core area over the past six years - used vehicles."New cars still account for less than 35% of CarMax Group sales," Mr. Ligon says. "But we do need more superstores in metro markets, because customers there

Nov. 1, 1999

Tough Choices--How Would You Choose the Car of the Century?

I'm sure it happens to you all the time. As soon as someone finds out you have anything to do with automobiles or the auto industry they ask you, "What's the best car?"It's almost impossible to answer them of course, without putting them through a battery of questions: In which price range? For what purpose? To carry how many people? With which features? And so on.Now a bunch of car nuts from The

By John McElroy • Nov. 1, 1999