NAME TAGS MAKE LIFE A LOT EASIER

An East Coast new-car dealer has a policy whereby all employees (including the dealer and managers) are fined a nominal sum or must perform extra duty for neglecting to wear their nametags on duty. IF I COULD, I'D REQUIRE EVERY PERSON TO WEAR a name tag. This simple labeling process would relieve tension and frustration from our interaction with our business associates, customers and casual friends.

By Nat Shulman • June 1, 2001

Stayin’ Alive

NEW DELHI — A new pecking order is emerging in India's overcrowded automotive industry and a shakeout is under way. Three years ago, Maruti Udyog Ltd. — a 50/50 joint venture between Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. and the Indian government — owned 83% of the passenger car market. Then last year, Maruti's market share plummeted to 56.8% as several competitors gnawed away at the underpinnings of the industry

By Mack Chrysler • May 1, 2001

What do today’s net-savvy consumers want from their cars?

The "dream car" for today's Net savvy consumer would be theft-proof, have sensors to detect hazardous road conditions and a remote zapper to start and warm it up, according to a Greenfield Online survey of 1,000 Internet users. While 62% think that governments should ban cell phone use while driving, only a handful envision that their next car would have built-in voice command telephone service. While

By Ward's reports • April 17, 2001

Big Pitch for ‘Anti-Pinch’

A battle ensues over so-called window and door closure technology. Anti-pinch now is covered by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 118 and was developed to rebuff dangers from the new generation of one-touch-up power windows and automatic minivan door closures. Until now, anti-pinch has been handled by reversing technology built into the window or door closure motors, such as Siemens AG's Closing

By Bill Visnic • April 1, 2001

DC Lawsuit Marks a New Industry Low

Back in the late 1950s, U.S. car designers were obsessed with tailfins. General Motors Corp. Chief Designer Harley Earl reportedly got the idea of putting fins on cars one day when he saw fighter planes parked at an airport. The car-buying public loved them, and competitors soon followed GM's lead. Soon, lots of cars were trying to imitate airplanes with fins. Starting out subtly in the late 40s,

By Drew Winter • March 1, 2001

LAWSUIT MAY TURN VILLAIN INTO HERO

IN PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING, HEROES BECOME villains in a flash. Usually the transformation comes as a result of a surprise and generally traitorous blow to the head with a folding chair. In the auto industry, the evolution of a villain or hero is a much slower process.Take the case of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian, DaimlerChrysler's third-largest stockholder. He has filed suit against DC, which if successful

By Tim Keenan • Jan. 1, 2001

65 Years Ago

On Nov. 21, 1935, Toyoda Automatic Loom Works unveiled the G1, its first production truck. Toyoda had earlier that year built its first passenger car, but shifted to truck development when founder Kiichiro Toyoda realized that the Japanese government was about to pass the Bill Concerning the Manufacture of Motor Vehicles, placing strong emphasis on making trucks instead of cars. Toyoda hoped to build

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

Dealers play big role in child safety seat use

A week after Barbara Halvey took her 1998 Ford Contour to a Chrysler dealer in Burlington, WI for an inspection of a child seat, her car was slammed from behind and shoved into a car in front.Despite this serious "sandwich" accident, Ms. Halvey's daughter, Monica, three, emerged unscathed.Ms. Halvey credits DaimlerChrysler's Fit For A Kid program for the safety of her daughter.At Miller Motors, inspectors

By Herb Shuldiner • July 1, 2000

Invasion of Privacy

As a former newspaper reporter, I heard a lot about privatization. Most of the school districts or local governments I covered had at some point debated the merits of handing off custodial or other work to private companies under the assumption that it would save tax dollars.The private sector is supposed to be more efficient than the public sector because of competition - a governmental body becomes

By Tom Murphy • June 1, 2000

CAFE, emissions strings may tighten soon

The current "freeze" on corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards may be nearing its end with the Clinton administration and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation battling for higher fuel economy standards across the board. The booming light truck, minivan and sport/utility vehicle (SUV) segment has been held stationary at the 20.7 mpg (11.4L/100 km) standard since 1995. But the U.S. House seems

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

Slugging It Out Over Safety

When General Motors Corp. rolled out its new 4-door minivans for the 1997 model year, the mood inside Ford Motor Co. turned from bad to worse. And with good reason.Without a driver's-side sliding rear door like its competitors, the restyled Windstar was considered dead in the water even before it hit dealer showrooms.In a feeble attempt to counter the competition, Ford chose to play up the "virtues"

By SAID DEEP • April 1, 2000

When Acquisitions Go Bad--Deals turn sour for Federal-Mogul, Breed, Siemens

Federal-Mogul Corp. dumps three top executives following a disappointing third-quarter. Breed Technologies Inc.implores a bankruptcy judge for help with a survival plan. Siemens Automotive dissolves its joint venture with Breed and considers finding a new safety restraints partner. Siemens acquired a 13% share of Breed in 1997 by purchasing $115 million of Breed stock, and as of mid-October the stock

By Tom Murphy • Nov. 1, 1999

Akron’s Different View--Goodyear CEO sees Japan opening up

We could have danced around the issue a bit more delicately, but chief executives aren't always given to great exhibitions of political correctness.When controversy arises, the best policy for some is to say as little as possible and stay away from journalists.But Samir (Sam) Gibara, president, chairman and CEO of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., wasn't going to let a few discouraging words from the chairman

By Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 1999

F&I Profits Under Attack

When profit margins on new-vehicle sales began to slip, dealers always had the back shop and the finance and insurance department on which to fall back.Now the F&I profit center is under attack - not necessarily by the factory, but by the market.The industry's obsession with customer satisfaction is leading F&I staffers to act more like consultants than salespeople.Government regulations, born of

By Tim Keenan • Aug. 1, 1999

Smashing for Safety

With a devilish grin, the operator of the front-end loader shifts gears and plows into the right side of a sparkling red Ford F350. At the same moment, another loader meets the opposite side of the truck, making metal squeal and shards of glass spray, and completes a grotesquely symmetrical visual image.No, this isn't a scene from a monster truck rally. It's just prep work for the Regional Extrication

July 1, 1999

Everyone’s a VIP!SAE changes pass policy to boost attendance

Call it an experiment that didn't work so well.For years, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) had distributed "VIP passes" for free entry to exhibitors at the annual International Congress & Exposition in Detroit. Exhibitors passed along the passes to customers to draw them to the show in hopes of selling them on some new technology.Traditionally, companies got the passes for free, but in 1998

By TOM MURPHY and JEFF GREEN • March 1, 1999

Breed’s Speranzella: ‘A lot of people are betting against me’

It's been more than a year since Breed Technologies more than doubled its size with the $710 million acquisition of AlliedSignal Inc.'s safety restraints business, but the spasms associated with digesting it all appear to be only intensifying.The company lost $28 million in the first quarter of its new fiscal year.Breed's stock has dropped from $24 in March to $61/2 in mid-December. Volumes are down

Jan. 1, 1999

DuPont Pushes for EuropeHerberts deal could be a sign of things to come

It wasn't just another megamerger when DuPont announced recently its intention to acquire Herberts GmbH, the coatings company of Hoechst AG, for $1.89 billion.The acquisition, still awaiting government approvals, is compelling not only because it creates the largest automotive coatings company (original equipment and aftermarket) in the world, nor for the novelty of a U.S. company buying a German

By Tom Murphy • Dec. 1, 1998

Can’t Tell GM’s Model Year Without CAFE Scorecard

General Motors Corp. is getting very creative with production schedules and model-year timing in order to meet federally mandated corporate average fuel-economy (CAFE) regulations.GM halted production of its 1998 full-size Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon and Chevy and GMC Suburban in January after a four-month model run and switched over to '99 models to keep from having too many low-mileage '98s upset

May 1, 1998

Mexico

Mexico is a land of great promise and always will remain so." That's the cynical quote often used to describe Mexico's roller coaster economy, which steadily rises and then plummets about every six years.The latest rise/plunge occurred in 1993 as the Mexican government and other proponents of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) painted an overly rosy picture of Mexico's economic strength,

By Drew Winter • May 1, 1998

India

No one can fault the people of India for worrying about their economic and political future. The country is experiencing its fifth government in two years, while the rupee has fallen 11% against the U.S. dollar. Ironically, low demand and more competition in India's car market is driving domestic, not foreign, firms out of manufacturing ventures.Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. is letting Ford Motor Co.

By Barbara McClellan • May 1, 1998

Is GM’s Strategy Flawed?

This is a dirty job but somebody has to do it. You want to know why General Motors' market share is falling? You want a solution? Here goes.Consider the company's key committee, the NAO (North American Operations) Strategy Board. These are the people who decide or approve the company's strategy in this market. The problem is: This board doesn't seem to understand auto strategy for the North American

By Jerry Flint • May 1, 1998

Help on the Way for Short Drivers

The Teleflex Automotive Group unveils a new adjustable pedal assembly that moves the brake, clutch (where necessary) and accelerator pedals in unison up to 3 ins. (76 mm), permitting shorter drivers more clearance from air bags. The unit also can benefit tall drivers and everyone in between, but it answers a major safety consideration by distancing short drivers and/or pregnant women from the air

April 1, 1998

When Two Laws Collide, Watch Out! SUV debate pits physics against supplyand demand

Maybe it was inevitable: Two laws have collided, erupting into a national debate once again over highway safety.The law of physics says a bigger, heavier vehicle almost always will inflict greater damage and more fatalities during a collision with a smaller, lighter vehicle.The law of supply and demand says people, all things considered, will buy vehicles they want and won't buy anything else. And

By David C. Smith • April 1, 1998

A Tale of Two Dummies - Automakers strive to ‘harmonize’ global safetystandards

Why can't you be more like your brother?" SID and EuroSID have heard it all their lives, and it has driven them apart. Everyone was hoping they'd be identical twins, but it never happened.SID, the elder of the two, was born in America and was initially the focus of all the attention. But then EuroSID was born overseas. He was younger, smarter and more sophisticated. Many seemed to like him better,

By Drew Winter • March 1, 1998