Vehicles: Page 191

Megadealers Love Those Vehicle Discounts

It's unanimous. CEOs of the nation's six publicly owned dealership chains liked the summer's employee-price incentives so much they want them renewed. The third quarter, when the employee-price incentives were in effect, brought the megadealers substantially higher sales and profits compared to the same period a year earlier. AutoNation, Inc. racked up a record performance in the quarter, with Chairman

By Mac Gordon • Dec. 1, 2005

Mobile Electronics Profits Are Music to Dealers’ Ears

LAS VEGAS It is evident at this year's Specialty Equipment Marketing Assn. show that mobile electronics is one of the automotive aftermarket's fastest growing segments. Some participants see that as an opportunity for new-car dealers to capture a piece of the action. While much of the electronics market is owned by auto makers and the big box electronics retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit City,

By Cliff Banks • Dec. 1, 2005

Powertrain Diversity

The minor earthquake that momentarily jostles central Honshu during the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show press preview is a reminder that power comes in many forms. Not that show-goers needed reminding. As auto makers pull the sheets off 79 never-seen-before vehicles and 120 others that had never been viewed in Japan, a powertrain pattern emerges. It goes something like this: hybrid, hybrid, fuel cell, hybrid,

By Eric Mayne • Nov. 1, 2005

For Vehicles Worth Putting Up On a Pedestal

Rampboss-USA is touting its new vehicle-display ramp as a way to better display vehicles at dealerships. For years, car dealers have relied on angle-iron displays, that are often unsightly, to showcase vehicles, despite efforts by auto makers to enhance vehicle presentations. Claiming to have a better idea is Rampboss-USA, the North American licensed distributor of Rampboss-Pty. Ltd. of Austrailia's

By Mike Sutton • Nov. 1, 2005

Mercedes to Push Diesels in Japan

TOKYO Mercedes-Benz will introduce two diesel-powered cars in Japan next year, as it attempts to persuade customers here to appreciate the advantages of the technology. "Our aim is also to convince Japanese drivers of the advantages offered by our up-to-date diesel technology," says Mercedes head Dieter Zetsche, who takes over as DaimlerChrysler AG CEO in January. “We believe that diesel technology

By William Diem • Oct. 19, 2005

VW Ecoracer Concept Takes First Step Toward HCCI Engine

TOKYO Volkswagen AG surprises the Tokyo Motor Show with the unannounced Ecoracer concept car. The carbon-fiber sports car is capable of 143 mph (230 km/h), yet achieves 69 mpg (3.4L/100 km) in normal European driving, thanks to its lightweight and 134-hp turbodiesel engine that uses spark plugs part of the time. This is a first step toward homogenous combustion engines (HCCI)," says Mathais Rabe,

By William Diem • Oct. 19, 2005

Suzuki to Show 2-Seater, Manly Minivan in Tokyo

TOKYO Suzuki Motor Corp. is one of two auto makers that dominate the minivehicle scene here. So it is no surprise the company has a mini model as the centerpiece of the exhibit planned for this year's Tokyo Motor Show, opening to the public for 16 days beginning Oct. 22. Suzuki LCSuzuki IonisSuzuki P.XSuzuki Mom's Personal Wagon The 2-seat LC is a throwback to the 1960s, when most cars in Japan were

By Roger Schreffler • Oct. 12, 2005

Pierburg Looks to U.S. for Incremental Growth

FRANKFURT – Fuel-saving water and oil pumps, low-friction bearings and lighter pistons will not change the world – but it is a start. While elaborate and expensive hybrid technologies captured much of the attention at the recent Frankfurt auto show, Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG, the automotive unit of German automotive and defense supplier Rheinmetall AG, touts products that offer small but significant

By Drew Winter • Oct. 6, 2005

Fuelish in Frankfurt

Sleek and sporty fuel sippers are the norm in Europe, where heavily taxed consumers are accustomed to paying $5 or more for a gallon of petrol. If ever there were a time when European small cars could find an audience among size-obsessed U.S. buyers, it is now. Recent hurricanes along the Gulf of Mexico have sent fuel prices skyrocketing, forcing Americans to at least contemplate alternatives to fullsize

By the Ward's Staff • Oct. 1, 2005

Webasto Scores Functionality

The unquestioned functionality of a pickup truck lies in its bed. Is there any vehicle architecture on the road today that makes it easier to load or unload bags of topsoil, hockey equipment, lumber or other bulky items? German supplier Webasto AG, best known for its roof modules and convertible tops, unveiled at the recent Frankfurt auto show a concept that lends pickup-truck functionality to a conventional

By Tom Murphy • Oct. 1, 2005

Dealership Salesman Killed After Refusing a Test Drive

Car dealership personnel who, for whatever reason, refuse someone a vehicle test drive often get scorned. Rarely do they get killed. That's what happened to a salesman at S & J Chevrolet in Cerritos, CA, last month. He was fatally stabbed with a butcher knife after turning down a man's request to drive a Corvette. Accused is Melchor Macaso, 35. He was refused the test drive because he couldn't produce

Oct. 1, 2005

Buy A Mitsubishi, Get Tanked

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is providing its customers with a year's supply of gas as part of a promotion. Those who buy or lease an '05 Galant, Endeavor, Montero Sport, Outlander, Eclipse or Lancer will get a debit card ranging from $1,500 to $2,500, depending on what type of fuel the vehicle requires and the estimated amount of gas required to run it for 12,000 miles (19,311 km). The offer cancels other

Oct. 1, 2005

Suzuki 3-Door Grand Vitara for Europe

FRANKFURT Suzuki Motor Corp. shows the new, third-generation '06 Grand Vitara that for Europe comes in two body styles: a 5-door similar to the one offered in North America, as well as a short-wheelbase 3-door version. Like its counterpart for North America, the front-engine, all-wheel-drive cross/utility vehicle is unibody construction with a built-in ladder frame. (See related story: Grand Vitara

By Alisa Priddle • Sept. 13, 2005

SuperTurbo is Marriage of Engine Technologies

PONTIAC, MI – A truce may be in the works in the battle for forced-induction supremacy. Turbochargers and superchargers have been slugging it out for a generation, and neither wants to yield any ground in the automotive high-performance landscape. Each technology has its pros and cons, but one automotive supplier has a potentially radical idea that could compensate for the inherent weaknesses of each

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 9, 2005

No Easy Way Out

Proposed changes to the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standard would make light trucks subject to varying degrees of fuel efficiency based on rather than weight. The proposed standard would divide light trucks into six categories defined by multiplying a vehicle's wheelbase by its track width. What Washington calls Reformed CAFE would require improved performance in each category, but larger

By Eric Mayne • Sept. 1, 2005

Get Vehicle Rap Sheets

The number of used vehicles with title discrepancies and problems may be at an all-time high, considering the five big hurricanes of 2004 and predictions of a very active hurricane season this year. I am reminded of this as I watch the evening news showing hundreds of vehicles submerged to their roof lines in water. Where do these vehicles end-up after they are dried-out and cleaned-up? I would bet

By MATT PARSONS • Sept. 1, 2005

Diesel Popularity Not Enough in U.S.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – The good news is Chrysler Group’s Jeep Liberty CRD, powered by a diesel engine, is exceeding sales forecasts in the U.S., Frank Klegon, vice president-product development process and components, says. Klegon takes over as executive vice president-product development Jan. 1. His replacement should be named in the next few months, he says. The bad news is popularity is not the determining

By Alisa Priddle • Aug. 5, 2005

Standardization to Cut Electronics Costs, Supplier Predicts

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – How much suppliers will be able to charge for the software they develop for cars is a tricky issue that won't be resolved easily. The virtual nature of code makes it seem cheap, but the effect of software is key to future vehicles. John Sanderson, CEO of Siemens VDO Automotive in North America, ducks a direct question on software pricing at the Management Briefing Seminars here

By William Diem • Aug. 3, 2005

Injection Selection

Johnson Controls Inc. says its new line of CrafTec interior processes for injection-molded plastic interior components is helping auto makers respond to consumers' increasing desire for attractive, high-quality interiors in affordable vehicles. Combining craftsmanship and technology, the CrafTec Partial Mold-Behind (PMB), Multi-Color Injection (MCI) and Partial Foam-in-Place (PFIP) interior systems

By Mike Sutton • Aug. 1, 2005

CNA Lets Dealers Rate Vehicle Service Contracts Online

CNA National has introduced QuikRate, an online application that enables dealers to rate vehicle service contracts. The program can be customized for each dealership based on preferences for coverage, terms (months and miles) and deductibles. When a vehicle identification number is entered, the system automatically displays the eligible plans and the corresponding retail costs, which are guaranteed

Aug. 1, 2005

Consultant Touts Katzkin’s Procurement Model

TRAVERSE CITY, MI John Waraniak is one of the oft-seen utility players at the annual Management Briefing Seminars here, and he sometimes brings some “out there” concepts to the table, says the Center for Automotive Research's Brett Smith, assistant director-manufacturing, engineering and technology. But at least one idea actually may be worth a follow-up by certain members of the supply chain. Waraniak

By John D. Stoll • Aug. 1, 2005

Smyrna to Build Hybrid Altima

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. will assemble its Altima hybrid model at its Smyrna, TN, plant, the company has announced. Production of the '07 model is slated to begin next year. Nissan is investing $10.4 million to add the hybrid-electric vehicle to its Smyrna line, which already builds the gasoline-powered Altima sedan, as well as the Maxima sedan, Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs and Frontier compact pickup

July 1, 2005

Headstrong Strategy

With its January acquisition of Cosworth Technology Ltd., Mahle Group is pursuing aggressively a strategy to engineer, machine and assemble full cylinder-head modules for global auto makers, the company's chairman says. Cosworth Technology, which will be renamed Mahle Powertrain Inc. as of July 1, already machines some 100,000 cylinder-head castings annually. Mahle produces camshafts, valves and all

By Tom Murphy • June 1, 2005

Banking on Composites

Lotus Engineering plc believes tougher pedestrian-impact rules that take effect in Europe in 2010 will help it sell technology for composite front-end structures, but during 2005, composites will remain a hard sell. For mainstream companies, it is true that they are being very conservative about material choices, says Jason Rowe, chief material engineer for Lotus Engineering, the British subsidiary

By William Diem • June 1, 2005

Hybrid Bill Running Out of Gas

Appearing to run out of gas in California is proposed legislation to sell hybrid vehicles over the Internet without dealer involvement. Spearheading the bill is a consortium of environmental groups that touts such legislation as a way to encourage higher sales of vehicles. The proposal would create a separate licensing category and, in effect, circumvent auto dealers by way of direct sales. Bill sponsors

By Steve Finlay • June 1, 2005