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E-Commerce Drives into Japan

TOKYO - Doing business online is beginning to catch on in Japan, where a new study predicts the automotive industry will become more dot-com dependent than any other business except personal computers.The numbers still are small. Internet sales here in 1998 were $614 million (Yen64.5 billion) and the automotive share of that e-commerce was 3.1%, including parts and components as well as new and used

By Mack Chrysler • June 1, 2000

Getting used

Strong used-vehicle sales are reinforcing new-unit records and profits among nearly all top finishers on this year's Ward's Dealer Business 500."We opened five new used-car sales lots in mid-Ohio last year because of the rising demand for high quality off-lease and trade-in units," says Fred Ricart, co-owner of Ricart Automotive. Total sales at Ricart's "campus" in Columbus, OH, topped the 500 list

By Maynard M. Gordon • June 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

WHY ARE THOSE AUTO STOCKS SO LOW?

GEORGE CARLIN SAYS HIS CATHOLIC-SCHOOL teachers - when cornered with questions from students about unexplainable aspects of faith - used to say, "Well, it's a mystery."It's also a mystery why automotive stocks continue to struggle on Wall Street while sales of vehicles and components soar.The industry's success, and a wealth of other factors are working against it, says Nicholas Lobaccaro, senior

By Tim Keenan • June 1, 2000

Ay Caramba!

Unless you happened to see Ross Perot slurping a nearly empty drink while on vacation in Cancun, there hasn't been "a giant sucking sound" coming from south of the border since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted in 1994.With U.S. employment and wages at record highs, the fear spread by Mr. Perot and free trade opponents that Mexico would steal away tens of thousands of good-paying

By Drew Winter, Brian Corbett, KATHERINE ZACHARY • May 1, 2000

Making “Sgt.” Clint Eastwood proud

One of my favorite movies is the 1986 "Heartbreak Ridge," starring Clint Eastwood as an old-school Marine who has to make efficient fighting men out of a bunch of misfits.Mr. Eastwood's character, Gunnery Sgt. Tom Highway's mantra is that a Marine, to survive in combat, must "adapt, improvise, overcome."Gunny Highway would be proud of the automotive industry in its handling of the minivan/pickup/sport-

By Tim Keenan • May 1, 2000

PPG PROGRAM OFFERS IN-DEPTH SHOP ANALYSIS BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS

PPG'S innovative "MVP" program for collision repair shops is designed to help shops improve productivity, increase profitability and achieve "Maximum Velocity Performance". This value-added service provides an in-depth analysis of a shop's performance by industry experts.Recommendations resulting from the Productivity Analysis are all keyed to specific sections of the PPG Body Shop Operations Manual.

May 1, 2000

ArvinMeritor: “Financial Powerhouse”

Vowing to create a "financial powerhouse" with combined annual revenue of $7.5 billion - and huge cost savings down the road - Arvin Industries Inc. and Meritor Automotive Inc. announce they are merging.On the surface, it appears Arvin's and Meritor's product lines are not exactly complimentary. Arvin is a leading exhaust and suspension product supplier, while Meritor produces roof, door and wheel

By Drew Winter and Tom Murphy • May 1, 2000

Orange Peel Repeal

A top-notch factory paint job is de rigeuer in today's automotive sector - and, quite fortuitously, painting technology has kept pace with the expectations of customers so that everything from Focus to Ferrari boasts a wet, mirror finish that not all that long ago required meticulous hand-finishing.The brilliant, mirror-like shine of today's finishes mainly is due to ongoing advancements in high-gloss

By Bill Visnic • May 1, 2000

Changing the Face of Racing

Auto manufacturer involvement in racing is as traditional as the winner's ceremonial swig of Indiana milk in the victory circle after the Indianapolis 500.Manufacturers have used racing to prove the performance and durability of their products since the first checkered flag was waved. But times have changed. What was once a pure test bed or a place to flex corporate muscle has become big business

By Tim Keenan • May 1, 2000

Seven ways to make your brochures better

Just like a live sales representative, a brochure must have the right sales strategy to get results.You can use the following seven principles to build a strong strategy right into your brochure copy and design.1. Most readers are not interested in your brochures.Take a moment to clap your hands five times. That's roughly how long you have to grab attention and persuade your prospects to continue

By David R. Yale • April 1, 2000

PRAY AND SELL! IT FOR C&O

ST. ALBANS, WV - Pray. Then sell. That's not practiced at any place of worship. But it is a daily ritual at West Virginia's top-volume dealer in a suburb of Charleston."The daily prayer started in 1992 when a retired professional baseball player who moved here from New Jersey, the late Pete Riggan, thought it was a good way to begin a sales work day," recalls C&O Motors' long-time general manager,

By Maynard M. Gordon • April 1, 2000

Satellite radio to skyrocket; XM, Sirius unite on standards

A lot has changed recently between XM Satellite Radio Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. judging by the agreement the companies signed to develop unified standard satellite radios, probably by 2004. Clearly, the agreement reached mid-February to unify satellite radio standards is substantial because it should speed growth by lowering subscription costs. In four years, if automakers choose, drivers

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • April 1, 2000

The Palladium Problem

Judging by the media coverage regarding the current shortage of palladium, a material used in catalytic converters to reduce emissions, one might think assembly plants are on the verge of closing or the cost of vehicles is readying to jump by a couple hundred dollars.But with sufficient stockpiles of the precious metal and little if any purchasing done on the commodities markets, automakers are safely

By Brian Corbett • April 1, 2000

Federal-Mogul to swallow tough pill

Still coping with indigestion from a late-1990s acquisition drive, Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Snell issues a tough prescription for ailing Federal-Mogul Corp.: Cut 1,500 jobs (out of 50,400 worldwide) and close, consolidate or rationalize at least 62 facilities worldwide. The price tag for the drastic restructuring, which includes shuttering 22 North American aftermarket branch warehouses,

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • April 1, 2000

V.T. ventures where other consolidators dread to tread

In cementing its fourth-place ranking among megadealers, the V.T. (Van Tuyl) network went where other megas feared to tread last year and purchased six stores in three booming metro markets.The 41-dealership V.T. group posted a 26.2% jump in total revenues to $3.5 billion on 1999 sales of 191,735 new and used vehicles.Cecil Van Tuyl and son Larry for 30 years have assembled the privately owned V.T.

By Maynard M. Gordon • April 1, 2000

“PATIENT” INVESTORS BACK AUTOTRADER

The used-car business doesn't always get a lot of respect, "but that's where the money is," according to Chip Perry, president and CEO of AutoTrader.com.He says of the $370 billion used-car industry, "It's bigger than new cars, it's more profitable, and thanks to the Internet, we've made it much easier to match buyers with sellers."Two years ago AutoTrader's parent company, Cox Enterprises Inc., launched

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2000

A SHOOTOUT AT THE DOT-COM CORRAL?

AS NEW AS SELLING CARS OVER THE INTERNET IS, we are already seeing a second generation of on-line services.The subtle, but critical evolution in the sale model of the new automotive e-tailers could transform the industry.The goal of these new on-line players is to carve out a new distribution channel. The entrenched players are starting to take notice. How they strike back may determine the future

By Mark Rikess • March 1, 2000

Labor tip: Keep those wages ‘current’ to discourage union organizing

Positive steps, including wage increases, to improve employee relations are vital to ward off overtures by union organizers, say labor relations attorneys for the Chicago Automobile Trade Assocation.At a seminar entitled "Answering the Growing Union Challenge," James Hendricks and Kevin Dunphy stress the need to keep compensation packages ahead of those at unionized dealerships.Four union locals represent

March 1, 2000

Dealer-owned IADMA opens sales website

A dealer-controlled website is rolling out in the first quarter across the U.S. from its Denver base. The site is www.driveoff.com.Charter subscribers for the Internet Auto Dealers Marketing Association, headquartered in Englewood, CO, are:Burt Automotive Group, Denver; V.T. Inc. (Van Tuyl), Shawnee Mission, KS; the Utah-based Larry Miller dealerships; Lund Cadillac, Phoenix; and Arizona's Chapman

March 1, 2000

Auto Talk: Sorry, Jean

Fortunately Jean Jennings, the new top editor of Automobile magazine, is a good sport. We had to make some last-minute changes in our January Auto Talk section, and that led to a hasty re-edit of a piece on her promotion to the top job at the magazine - and a bonehead error on our part that described her as the brother of Paul Lienert. The last sentence on p.34 of our January issue should have said:

By WARD'S AUTO WORLD STAFF • March 1, 2000

Common Sense: Who’s to Blame?

When I was young and beautiful, proper behavior was clear and understood by just about everyone. Women were treated like ladies; you opened the door for them, held an umbrella over their heads when it was raining, etc.Performers on television shows, in those days, were held to certain, very strict, standards. If there was even a hint of impropriety he or she was summarily dismissed from the show.Movies

By STEPHAN SHARF • March 1, 2000

Women’s group salutes Pat Moran

Women should "reach out for leadership positions in the automotive industry... and not fear the challenge of succeeding in what was once a man's world."So says Pat Moran, president and CEO of JM Family Enterprises, as she accepts the "Spirit of Leadership" award from the Women's Automotive Association International at the 2000 NADA convention.Ms. Moran is the daughter of legendary auto dealer Jim

March 1, 2000

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

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