ABCs of F&I Compliance

Most dealers I've met know a heck of a lot about selling cars, but not much about things such as Regulation Z, M or B. If you don't know what these regulations are, this proves my point. Dealers do know that first and foremost they must keep the metal rolling off the lot in order to survive. But, amidst a counter-business culture comprised of plaintiff lawyers and relentless state attorneys general,

By ROB COHEN • Nov. 1, 2004

Debt Cancellation Policy Replacing Credit Life

A debt cancellation contract that replaces the traditional credit life or health insurance policy has been introduced to the F&I market by Central States of Omaha. Advantages of the Secure Pay Plus contract, says the provider's spokesman, Greg DuPlessis, include no-commission caps applicable as required by several states, and no state license is needed since debt cancellation is not considered an

Nov. 1, 2004

F&I License Law Considered

Like insurance agents and marriagecounselors, Virginia'sdealership finance and insurance managers could join the ranks of business professionals requiring a license. The Virginia Automobile Dealers Assn. is exploring whether it's time to propose an F&I manager licensing law. If enacted (and odds are that the powerful VADA could see it through), Virginia would be the first state in the nation to approve

By Mac Gordon • Sept. 1, 2004

Taking Safety Hi-Tech

It wasn't long ago when the auto industry was proposing a number of gee-whiz, space-aged ideas to promote safer driving, including smart cars and smart highways. Now, Chrysler Group thinks it has an even smarter and more cost-effective idea that will make tomorrow's vehicles and roads truly safer. The auto maker is working with a variety of government agencies across the U.S. to deploy Dedicated Short

By Kevin Kelly • July 1, 2004

JCI Output Moving To Mexico

Despite government pressure, Johnson Controls Inc. will shift sun-visor output from plants in Michigan and Kentucky to Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, saying the move is critical to remain competitive. Some 885 jobs will be cut at JCI's Southview plant in Holland, MI, and a Glasgow, KY, facility will lose 180 positions. Despite record profits, JCI says it needed to operations in order to remain in the visor

May 1, 2004

R&D Incentives

Relations between France and the U.S. hit a new low last year when the French government did not support President George W. Bush in the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But one fact has been buried in the furor over U.S. foreign policy: France and the U.S. are major trading partners with key auto-industry ties. Visiting Detroit last month in conjunction with the 9th Annual Invest in France Awards, Clara Gaymard,

April 1, 2004

Regulations Derail Solstice for Europe

Upcoming European pedestrian-impact regulations are preventing General Motors Corp. from selling a version of its '06 Pontiac Solstice there, company executives tell Ward's. The Pontiac roadster is based on GM's new Kappa small-car rear-wheel-drive platform, as are the Saturn Curve, Chevy Nomad and U.K.-designed Vauxhall VX Lightening concept cars. A GM Europe official says: It's challenging due to

Feb. 1, 2004

OEMs Agree to Safety Upgrades

Vehicle manufacturers including the U.S. and Japanese Big Three, Volkswagen AG and BMW AG, are vowing to make occupants safer in front- and side impacts and to lower the risk of death or injury in crashes between light trucks and passenger cars. The OEMs, members of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, will enhance front structural components and side-impact protection to better protect occupants

Jan. 1, 2004

Smells Like Teen Spirit

An entrepreneurial 18-year-old son of an auto dealer is at it again. Cameron Johnson, founder and CEO of Zablo.com Inc., has launched a second web-based service for dealers. This one plugs into the Federal Trade Commission's new regulations against telemarketing calls. Zablo's Do-Not-Call List Manager sets up a dealership with an account that lets staffers flag phone numbers of customers who don't

By Steve Finlay • Dec. 1, 2003

Safeguard Customer Info

With terrorism and identity theft on many Americans' minds, consumer information concerns have become a hot issue with the federal government. Businesses (including car dealerships) that handle sensitive customer data must comply with provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and the resulting Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) privacy and safeguards rules. The privacy rule addresses how you share information

By Don Ray • Sept. 1, 2003

35-year Veteran Steps Down as Head of California Dealers Assn.

Jay Gorman has retired as longtime executive vice president of the California Motor Car Dealers Assn. Peter Welch succeeds him. Welch was the group's director of government and legal affairs. The executive vice president heads the association along with elected dealer officers. A native of Missouri, Gorman began his automobile career in 1968 with the Motor Car Dealers Association of Southern California

Sept. 1, 2003

Rotary Lift Debuts Big 10,000-lbs. Model

Rotary Lift's flagship two-post lift is bulking up. Responding to increasing vehicle size and the need for greater flexibility in the service department, the lifting capacity has gone from 9,000 to 10,000 lbs. The A10i also features Rotary's true asymmetrical design, which places the center of gravity in line with the load on the columns for greater reliability and safety. It lets passenger car doors

July 1, 2003

UAW: Rethink China

A Chinese government spokesman denounces allegations by United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger that China mistreats its workers. The labor leader tells the Detroit Economic Club that China foments a climate that is hostile to workers and unions. But Jin Zhijian of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago denies the charge. Gettelfinger's remarks are not the facts, he says. China has health and safety

May 1, 2003

Law Threatens Lease-Dependent NY Dealers

Many auto industry people never heard of vicarious liability, but it's an old law that's become a legal threat to leasing. It could hurt some lease-heavy dealers, especially in New York. Eight states have vicarious liability laws dating to when many vehicles were driven by owners' employees. New York's law targeted reckless livery drivers too poor themselves to compensate victims of accidents they

By Herb Shuldiner • April 1, 2003

Global Politics Shift Auto Industry Focus

ASIA: The World's No. 1 Growth Market Global markets increasingly are seeing strategic shifts in the auto industry dictated by local politics, unstable economies, high import taxes and other protectionist policies. But such volatile fluctuations don't always spell bad news. Many markets are benefiting from a new willingness on the part of local governments to engage in regional and international trade

Nov. 1, 2002

REAR VIEW MIRROR

137 YEARS AGO On July 5, 1865, the British government enacted the infamous Locomotives and Highways Act. Also known popularly as the red flag act, it required three operators for any operating on public roads, one of them to proceed on foot at least 60 yd. (55 m) ahead of the vehicle carrying a red flag (red lantern by night) to warn drivers of horse-drawn vehicles of the approach. The act also restricted

By Compiled by Al Binder and the Ward's staff. • July 1, 2002

Lawyer: Explorer not off the hook

Washington's decision to forego an investigation of Ford Motor Co.'s top-selling SUV will have little effect on personal injury litigation against the world's No.2 auto maker, early reaction suggests. NHTSA's determination is essentially meaningless, Florida lawyer Bruce Kaster says of a National Highway Traffic Safety Admin. report that dismisses design defect claims leveled against Ford's pre-'02

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

Idiot Proof?

At least a dozen years before the Feds went on a safety binge in 1966, the auto industry took a major step to keep drivers'' eyes on the road. Critics and purists called this bold advance in 1953 “idiot lights.” They were and are red alerts on the instrument panel to warn that there''s trouble brewing under the hood. “The lights simply were a better way to attract attention, as drivers didn''t pay

By AL Rothenberg • Feb. 1, 2002

$16,000 over new T-bird’s sticker sparks debate, lawsuit

The pros and cons of charging over sticker for a hot new vehicle There have been some famous temptations throughout history — Jesus and the Devil, Adam and Eve, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. But what about a dealer holding a hot new vehicle with a high demand and low supply? Even a deity would have to think twice about resisting what to do in that situation. In recent times, many dealers have

By Tim Keenan • Oct. 11, 2001

NAS researcher says CAFE battle not finished

Expect the U.S. Senate to reverse anti-regulatory momentum generated by House passage early in August of a Bush administration energy bill that rejects imposing tougher federal automobile fuel-economy standards despite growing populist support for such legislation. So says Alan T. Crane, project officer for the National Academies of Sciences' (NAS) contentious study of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S ENGINE AND VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY UPDATE • Sept. 1, 2001

CARBON FIBER/COMPOSITE MATERIALS

'02 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH Producing lighter-weight, lower-cost, less-polluting vehicles is a never-ending task, but the pressure on automotive engineers now is growing more intense thanks to mounting pressure to improve fuel economy and curb emissions. And it is a task in which materials play an increasingly important role. Carbon fiber composites often are mentioned as a means of dramatically improving

Sept. 1, 2001

Aston Martin makes imaginative use of carbon fiber

Aston Martin's V12 Vanquish is a futurist's dream, inside and out. One glimpse of the new $228,000 460-hp with its sculpted bonnet blending seamlessly into a radically sleek tail section, strongly suggests a vehicle ahead of its time. Aston Martin claims it is, calling V12 Vanquish the technology flagship of Ford Motor Co. But eight coats of paint conceal the proof. V12 Vanquish is the first-ever

By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2001

Driver Distraction Could Doom Telematics

While not many can agree on what business model, services, fees or connectivity are the right way to grow telematics, there is virtual agreement on one thing: Without a proactive collaborative effort to minimize driver distraction and maximize occupant safety, the entire whiz-bang effort could be thrown out the window by well-meaning legislators and regulators. Sun Microsystems James DeStefano suggests,

By Mike Arnholt • Aug. 7, 2001

Pol-Mot to take 75% of Daewoo Motor Polska

Pol-Mot Holding SA will take control of 75% of Daewoo Motor Polska Sp zoo, according to a tentative deal signed June 1. The takeover agreement hinges on the restructuring of debts with Polish banks and a Polish government guarantee on $100 million in investment credits. Pol-Mot won't say what it will pay for the stake, but it does indicate it plans to increase the share capital of Daewoo Motor Polska

By Compiled by the staff of: WARD'S AUTOMOTIVE INTERNATIONAL • July 1, 2001

NHTSA rollover rating may include static

A new rollover rating system based on a dynamic driving test may not totally replace the controversial static stability factor (SSF) after all, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Admin. (NHTSA) says. The new system, which will be linked to test scores achieved during a series of maneuvers being developed by NHTSA, might integrate a vehicle's SSF, NHTSA says. Calculated by halving a vehicle's

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