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Team Player

Going up against Michael Jordan was no easy task, but neither was the training camp that Vinnie Johnson endured five years ago. It was just like the training camps of Mr. Johnson's younger days as a Detroit Pistons guard, and before that at Baylor University, where the Seattle Supersonics found him in 1979 and made him their first-round draft pick. Training camp in 1996 a year after his No. 15 jersey

By Tom Murphy • Sept. 1, 2001

GM’s Engineering Software Supplier is Buying Ford’s

Consolidation shouldn't come as a surprise in a business that loves to boil down every word and phrase into an acronym. Unigraphics Systems now is officially UGS. Its major shareholder is Electronic Data Systems, better known as EDS. Structural Dynamics Research Corp. prefers to be known as SDRC. And now UGS is buying SDRC for $950 million in cash. The deal should be consummated later this year. Hopefully

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2001

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from WardsAuto

Automakers are evaluating their long-term strategies, revisiting their product mix, and approach to both retail and manufacturing approach along the way.

By WardsAuto staff

It’s Not Just Here, Brazil Outlaws Diesels

SAO PAULO Brazil is a key market for European carmakers and is particularly important for volume-leaders Volkswagen AG and Fiat Auto SpA. Along with newcomers Renault SA and PSA Peugeot Citroen, they held one-third of the passenger-car market in the year's first half. Brazil's 14 automakers together last year sold 1.6 million cars. European makes could do even better if they could offer diesel models

By Barbara McClellan • Sept. 1, 2001

SUPER DIESELS!

When you're hurtling down that autobahn at 130 mph (208 km/h), there's not much time to ponder the intricacies of automotive propulsion. You just know you're hauling and that concentration is advisable. But in the Volkswagen AG Golf GTI TDI 150, you're compelled to divert your attention from the road long enough to smile at this car's terrible little secret: It's powered by a diesel. A high-performance

By Bill Visnic • Sept. 1, 2001

Omron Makes Gains in North America

While many automotive suppliers are crying the blues and cutting back production and head counts, at least one relative newcomer to the North American market has yet to see any softening in demand. On the contrary, Omron Automotive Electronics Inc. (OAE), the North American unit of Japan's $5.7-billion Omron Corp., actually has seen a spurt in bookings that indicates major growth lies ahead. Established

By David C. Smith • Sept. 1, 2001

New-Generation Diesels Give Cast Iron a Boost

Cast iron once was the most fundamental building block of the automotive industry. It was a major reason why automotive entrepreneurs gravitated to Detroit at the turn of the 20th century. Before it was a production center for engine blocks and other auto parts, Detroit was famous for making cast-iron stoves. Now, 100 years later, few materials have fallen from grace in the automotive world like cast

By Drew Winter • Sept. 1, 2001

JCI enters fuel injector, controller market

Johnson Controls Inc.'s $435 million acquisition of the automotive electronics business of Sagem SA of France represents a major strategic move that takes JCI well beyond vehicle interiors and batteries. With Sagem, JCI will be a producer of fuel injectors and engine controllers, putting JCI in a market already saturated by Delphi Automotive Systems Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens VDO Automotive

By Compiled by Senior Editor Tom Murphy [email protected] • Sept. 1, 2001

VW expands Polish engine plant

Volkswagen AG is investing $90 million to expand its Volkswagen Motor Polska Sp. z o.o. engine plant in Polkowice, Poland. The automaker is increasing the number of major components that are machined at the plant, which currently include cylinder heads and camshafts. Connecting rods, crankshafts and engine blocks are being added. Improvements include adding 39,000 sq. ft. (3,700 sq. m) to the existing

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

XM Satellite Radio begins broadcasts Sept. 12

The face of in-car entertainment likely will change forever beginning Sept. 12, when XM Satellite Radio begins broadcasting 100 channels of commercial-free music, news, talk and sports to vehicles on the road. The historic broadcast will originate at XM Satellite Radio's headquarters and broadcast studio complex in Washington, DC. Only drivers of certain Cadillac models in Dallas/Fort Worth and in

By Tim Keenan • Aug. 20, 2001

JCI Enters Fuel Injector, Controller Market with Sagem

Johnson Controls Inc.’s $435 million acquisition of the automotive electronics business of Sagem SA of France represents a significant strategic move that takes JCI well beyond its current status as one of the world’s largest suppliers of vehicle interiors. With Sagem, JCI will be a producer of fuel injectors and engine controllers, putting JCI in a market already saturated by Delphi Automotive Systems

By Tom Murphy • Aug. 9, 2001

MEDC Wants Fuel Cell Tech Center

The Michigan Economic Development Corp. wants to open a technology center to develop fuel cells in metro Detroit and is considering initiatives to assist the Michigan auto industry. “We haven’t decided on a location at this point,” Mike Finney, vice president of Emerging Business Sectors for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) tells Ward’s. “We’re essentially following up the results of

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 8, 2001

International Truck Spends $900 Million on All-New Platform

International Truck and Engine Corp. spent $900 million on the all-new product platform it began rolling out with a medium-duty model in April. “That’s a considerable investment for a company with a market cap of around $2 billion,” points out Mark Stasell, vice president of product development at International. Two more new trucks are on the way this year, with plans calling for another two big rigs

Aug. 8, 2001

First GM Fuel Cells Will Be for the Home

General Motors Corp. announcement Tuesday that its first fuel cell commercial application may be a stationary unit rather than in a vehicle should come as no surprise considering some 50% of the suppliers involved in fuel cell development with GM are non-automotive businesses. “There are between 40 and 60 supplier partners that we’re working with,” says Byron McCormick, director of GM fuel cell research.

By Brian Corbett • Aug. 8, 2001

2001 Ten Best Engines: Long-Term Intro

DETROIT Whenever we introduce the latest Ward's 10 Best Engines award winner that we'll be testing for the next year, it usually necessitates some background. We'll dispense with most of that this time, because we figure you all know, after seven years of handing out our annual 10 Best Engines awards, that with each new batch of Best Engines, we pick one or two and subject them to a year-long endurance

By Bill Visnic • Aug. 1, 2001

Mitsubishi Not Backing Off from GDI Engines

OKAZAKI, Japan Speculation that Mitsubishi Motor Corp. may de-emphasize its hallmark gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine is premature. To the contrary, in fact, as the automaker late last month promoted its two top GDI engineers. Akira Kijima, chief proponent of the company's trademark GDI engine, now is senior executive officer and corporate general manager for research and development at Mitsubishi's

By Roger Schreffler • Aug. 1, 2001

Mitsubishi Electric Offers 6-Disc DVD Changer

Pushing the bounds of in-vehicle entertainment just a little bit higher, Mitsubishi Electric Corp. says it will offer an in-dash 6-disc DVD changer in an '03 model vehicle. What's more, say the folks at Mitsubishi Electric, the unit plays both DVDs and CDs and takes up less space than other DVD changers on the market today. Now a road trip can include the convenience of a pre-selected mix of both

By Mike Arnholt • Aug. 1, 2001

Ford plans sweeping powertrain changes

Ford Motor Co.'s plan to reopen an Ohio engine plant is the first in a series of moves to overhaul it's powertrain products and operations, WAW has learned. By late 2003, Ford says it will be building all-aluminum 2.5L and 3L Duratec V-6s at the mothballed Cleveland Engine Plant #1 (CEP1) in Brook Park, OH. But in a currently vacant portion of the same plant, Ford will unveil an all-new 3.5L V-6 before

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

Casting industry names its stars

It may not have Emmy-level profile just yet, but the American Foundry Society decided it's high time its members got a taste of awards-type competition. So at the AFS' 105th annual Casting Congress, the society held its first-ever Casting Contest. A total of 41 metal components were submitted by casting suppliers vying for Casting of the Year honors. Independent judges evaluated the entries based

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

Wingcast/Oracle JV produces software

A voice-activated, in-vehicle e-mail access system is among the first products the public will see from a strategic alliance between Oracle Corp. and Wingcast Inc. Under the agreement, which also calls for the participants to maintain an already established research and development center in San Diego, Oracle becomes the exclusive supplier of software engines for Wingcast products. Wingcast a wireless

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

Competitiveness spurs more electronics and sensors in new vehicles

As automobile manufacturers strive to differentiate their cars from those of their competitors, they will emphasize comfort, convenience and safety to attract customers, according to research from Frost & Sullivan, a marketing and consulting firm. Automakers are installing more electronic systems to provide the comfortable driving experience consumers demand. Automotive sensors, which monitor and

July 27, 2001

A Unique Way to Produce Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD)

In spite of the claimed advances in alternative energy sources, petroleum-based fuels are still, and will be for the foreseeable future, the main source of energy used to produce our electricity, heat our buildings, and power our vehicles. However, many governments are restricting the amounts of contaminants, sulfur, NOX, particulates, and/or aromatics and olefins, a fuel may have in order to assure

By Dr. W.S. Min, SK Corporation, Taejon R&D Center • July 23, 2001

WWII Engine Design Revived

When Dimitrios Dardalis was a boy growing up in Athens, Greece, he chanced upon a book describing a British fighter-plane engine with a moving cylinder. That idea remained in his mind until he became a graduate engineering student at the University of Texas-Austin, where Mr. Dardalis decided to design a new-age, rotating cylinder-liner engine. Mr. Dardalis, 30, started investigating the idea seriously

By Herb Shuldiner • July 1, 2001

Firm gets patent for telematics software to aid road warriors stuck in traffic

InfoMove Inc., a developer of telematics software and services, received approval of a patent that provides a system for instantaneously monitoring traffic congestion by collecting location and speed information from motor vehicles. The monitoring and reporting of this information will enable drivers to receive estimated time of arrival and alternative route recommendations based on current and predictive

June 8, 2001

A bells-and-whistles system isn’t needed for effective CRM

These days, dealers are bombarded by companies that claim to have the next best idea in customer relationship management (CRM) software, but most dealers already have pretty much what they need to do effective CRM on their current computer systems. We get calls once or twice per month, says Jean Demers, systems administrator for the Orlando-based Automotive Services Network, which operates 10 stores

By Tim Keenan • June 1, 2001

Semiconductor market to grow 4%

Consumer demand for so-called vehicles with driver information systems and voice recognition is fueling growth in high-powered semiconductors, says Scott Anderson, Motorola Inc.'s senior vice president and general manager, Transportation Systems Group. He predicts the automotive semiconductor market will grow 4% this year, bucking the trend in the overall semiconductor industry, which is expected

By Compiled by Senior Editor Tom Murphy [email protected] • June 1, 2001