Automotive News back issues from June 1999:
WEB MARKETER COBALT FILES FOR PUBLIC OFFERING.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Another automotive Internet marketer plans to cash in on the Internet stock craze. Cobalt Group Inc., a Seattle-based provider of software and online services to car dealers, filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commis-sion for an initial public ...
Car haulers have pact.
Jun 07, 1999 ... ARLINGTON, Va. - The International Brotherhood of Teamsters hammered out a new national contract last Tuesday, June 1, with 17 companies that haul new cars and trucks to dealerships. Labor analysts said the agreement was a win for the union and for Teamsters President James P. ...
DISCHARGE DELAYED.
Jun 07, 1999 ... ST. CATHARINES, Ontario - General Motors of Canada Ltd. has delayed the discharge of 1,100 workers at its component plants here. A spokesperson said the work extension is temporary. The workers - who had been ...
DAY LIGHT DIFFICULTIES.
Jun 07, 1999 ... 1998 GM trucks with daytime running lights too close to turn signals GMC Sonoma GMC Jimmy Oldsmobile Bravada 1998 GM trucks with ...
TWO WORLDS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Raytheon supplies infrared cameras to: F/A-18 Hornet Photon infrared receptor cryogenically cooled by liquid nitrogen. Sees small targets from thousands of feet. Price: ...
Eaton plans transmission plant in Mexico.
Jun 07, 1999 ... CLEVELAND - Eaton Corp. plans to spend more than $100 million to build a truck transmission plant in Mexico. Construction is scheduled to begin late this year. The ...
VENTURE TO MAKE MODULES.
Jun 07, 1999 ... CHICAGO - Borg-Warner Automotive Inc. of Chicago has formed a joint venture with Lapeer Metal Stamping Co. Inc. of Lapeer, Mich. The venture, Lapeer Warner LLC, will make automatic-transmission friction clutch modules for North ...
CONTINENTAL SEES NET GAIN.
Jun 07, 1999 ... HANOVER, Germany - Tire maker Continental AG forecasts a 26 percent increase in full-year net income as a result of its expansion into braking and steering systems. Operating profits rose to $211 million for the five months through May, from $154 million ...
TRW SELLS DEBT SECURITIES.
Jun 07, 1999 ... CLEVELAND - TRW Inc. sold $2.4 billion in debt securities, with proceeds slated to repay part of the debt incurred from the acquisition of ...
HAYES GETS D/C CONTRACT.
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. of Romulus, Mich., has received a $2 million-plus contract from DaimlerChrysler to produce fabricated steel wheels for the successor to the ...
TALK FROM THE TOP.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Ford Motor Co. wants to streamline the way it consolidates dealerships in U.S. cities, says Robert Rewey, group vice president of marketing, sales and service. Meanwhile, the top North American executive at Mitsubishi ...
ELEMENTS OF CHANGE.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Why annual reports are getting a new look: The chairman wants the change. A crisis or event opens a ...
JOHN LACKS AND RICHARD LACKS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - John Lacks, 94, a founder of parts supplier Lacks Enterprises Inc., died April 14. His son, Richard Lacks Sr., 73- year-old co-founder of the company, died May 13. Lacks Enterprises was formed in 1964 as a machining, ...
CHIEF BEEFS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Dissident Mercedes dealers object to the factory: Reducing dealer discounts ...
FORUM WILL INVESTIGATE INNOVATION.
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - What role does corporate culture play in encouraging technological innovation? That issue will be explored in a daylong innovation forum on Friday, June 11, in Dearborn, Mich. The third annual event, co-sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP and Automotive News, is an ...
GM again lifts production.
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - For the third time this quarter, General Motors has boosted production to satisfy record consumer demand. Last week, GM said it would add 5,000 trucks and 2,000 cars to its second-quarter production plan, increasing overall output to 1,544,000 ...
FROZEN.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Fuel-economy standards for cars and light trucks have been steady for years. What the graphs do not reveal is that the fuel economy of the combined U.S. vehicle ...
CAMPAIGN TRAIL.
Jun 07, 1999 ... 1999 contributions from people identified with automotive businesses George W. Bush $133,325 Al Gore 20,250 John McCain 16,300 Bill Bradley 12,500 ...
ALLIANCE GOALS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... USCAR's new Auto Aluminum Alliance hopes to: Improve aluminum quality Reduce ...
ALUMINUM ALLIANCE SEEKS 40% WEIGHT CUT.
Jun 07, 1999; ... DETROIT - It costs more, it is harder to shape, it causes nightmares at body shops and few automotive engineers know how to work with the material. But aluminum holds a trump card over steel: It weighs less. Aluminum weighs about half as much as steel. Its impact on fuel ...
AUCTIONS.(Calendar of Events)
Jun 07, 1999 ... AMERICAN HONDA FINANCE CORP. June 9 - Dallas Auto Auction, Dallas; National Auto Dealers Exchange, Bordentown, N.J.; Southwest Auto Auction, Chandler, Ariz.; and ADESA Auction of Birmingham, Moody, Ala. June 10 - Southern California Auto Auction, Fontana, Calif.; ...
New ad tag lines for Ford, Lincoln?
Jun 07, 1999 ... Top Ford Motor Co. executives want new advertising tag lines for the Ford and Lincoln brands, said three sources close to Ford who requested anonymity. Moreover, the tags would be used globally, a tricky mission because international markets vary widely. Jaguar, originally part of the ...
3 TARGETS.(News Briefs)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Dana's key financial goals 1. Sales growth: more than 10 percent annually 2. Return on ...
DEALERS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Transitions Paul Atkinson and the individual stockholders of Bossier Chrysler- Dodge Inc. purchased University Toyota in Bryan, Texas, from Don Adam and renamed it Bossier-Atkinson Toyota. Bossier Chrysler-Dodge Inc. is also in Bryan. Roto Lincoln-Mercury-Subaru ...
CONVERTIBLES' FATE IFFY.(GM may move Cadillac Eldorado production, stop making Sunfire/Cavalier convertibles)
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - General Motors' relocation of Cadillac Eldorado production from Hamtramck, Mich., to the Lansing, Mich., Craft Centre, planned in December, could spell the end of the Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire convertibles. To make room for the Eldorado, GM said it will stop ...
NISSAN STOCK FOR EXECS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... TOKYO - Nissan Motor Co. is setting up a stock option plan for its senior executives. Warrants will be issued to Nissan's top 30 corporate officers, including three from its new controlling owner, Renault SA ....
DELPHI GETS FORD WORK.
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. has won a contract to integrate the electrical system for a future vehicle for Ford Motor Co. Delphi did not indicate which Ford model is ...
FUSS STARTLES THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF GM, NHTSA: DAYTIME LIGHT FIGHT INTENSIFIES.(over daytime running lights)
Jun 07, 1999; ... WASHINGTON - Carmakers that voluntarily equip their U.S. vehicles with daytime running lights, led by General Motors, thought they were on the side of the angels. But now, even some of the clergy are upset with them. The Rev. Paul Frechette, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help ...
A TACTICAL TURN: DEFENSE CONTRACTOR RAYTHEON JOINS TIER 1 WITH SEE- IN-THE-DARK TECHNOLOGY.
Jun 07, 1999; ... One of the nation's oldest defense contractors has become one of the auto industry's newest Tier 1 suppliers with a see-in-the-dark system similar to those used by jet fighters and army tanks. Night Vision will appear this fall as an option on 2000-model Cadillacs. For ...
COMBINING WITH CARE: D/C'S PURCHASING CHIEF MUST MELD 2 DIVERSE PROGRAMS INTO A NEW SYSTEM.(Interview)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Tom Sidlik has a delicate task. As DaimlerChrysler's executive vice president for procurement and supply, he must preserve Chrysler's first-rate relations with suppliers while pushing them to compete with Daimler's suppliers. He's trying to be nice about it, but there will be winners ...
NEW DELPHITES: THEIR STORIES: LAURAANN GORDON.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Director of joint-venture project implementation, Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems Was: Banking consultant As a consultant for Detroit bank Comerica Inc., LauraAnn Gordon heard the buzz about opportunities at Delphi. And she knew about its track record as ...
PETER JANAK: CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, DELPHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS FROM: TRW INC.
Jun 07, 1999 ... At the end of his 25-year tenure with TRW Inc., Peter Janak would field three to four calls a month from headhunt-ers. The chief information officer, after all, had compiled vast information technology experience within TRW, in operations ranging from astronautics to auto components. He ...
LLOYD JOHNSON: DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL AUDIT FROM: SARA LEE CORP., EMERSON ELECTRIC CO.
Jun 07, 1999 ... "Entrepreneur" isn't exactly the first synonym that comes to mind when people think of an auditor. But Lloyd Johnson, Delphi's new director of internal audit, got plenty of opportunity to develop an entrepreneurial attitude in earlier positions with Emerson Electric Co. and Sara Lee ...
ED NORTHERN: DIRECTOR OF WORLDWIDE MANUFACTURING, DELPHI ENERGY & ENGINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND CHASSIS SYSTEMS HAS POSITIONS WITH BOTH FROM: UT AUTOMOTIVE.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Ed Northern has been a Delphite for less than 18 months, but he already has been impressed by the company's openness to new ideas from new arrivals like himself. "Having outside experience is a big thing here," said the director of worldwide manufacturing for Delphi's Energy & ...
LOGAN ROBINSON: VICE PRESIDENT, GENERAL COUNSEL FROM: ITT AUTOMOTIVE, TRW INC., CHRYSLER CORP.
Jun 07, 1999 ... For Logan Robinson, one of the biggest thrills of his career was the day he got to be one of the four Delphi representatives to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange upon the opening of trading in the company's new stock. He was representing Delphi's strategy board. ...
LARRY KAZANOWSKI.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Title: President and CEO, Cambridge Industries Inc., Madison Heights, Mich. Age: 57 Education: Engineering degree, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; MBA, Stanford University Professional experience: 18 years in product development for Ford Motor Co.; ...
KAZANOWSKI ON STYLE AND STRATEGY.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Larry Kazanowski has honed his management style over decades. He discussed style and strategies with Special Correspondent Dale D. Buss. What's your basic approach to management? I manage around four P's - plants, people, processes and products - including a focus on ...
CAMBRIDGE LOOKS AHEAD TO MAJOR GROWTH.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Cambridge Industries Inc. already has consolidated a major role in providing interior, exterior, structural and underhood plastics and composites parts to OEMs, ranging from the liftgate of the Ford Aerostar minivan to door surrounds for the Chevrolet Corvette, from sun shades for the ...
MUSTS.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Chairman's checklist for Cambridge Become a technology ...
A WARNING FOR WALL STREET: GM'S TOP PURCHASER SAYS MERGERS SHOULD BE DRIVEN BY SUPPLIERS, NOT BANKERS.(Interview)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Two years ago, General Motors' group executive for worldwide purchasing told suppliers they would have to produce components of "pharmaceutical" quality. Last year, Harold Kutner coaxed commodity suppliers onto the Internet, where GM arranged online bidding for contracts. This year, in a ...
CAN'T STAY STILL: INDUSTRY MAVERICKS ARE DRIVEN TO SWAP CORPORATE SECURITY FOR STARTUP RISK.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Ralph Reins was president of AlliedSignal Automotive and poised to create an automotive safety systems giant in the early 1990s. AlliedSignal was on the verge of buying Autoliv Inc. of Sweden. Reins just needed to get through dinner in Morristown, N.J., with the two CEOs: ...
STAYING A STEP AHEAD: FORD'S PURCHASING CZAR WAGES WAR ON WARRANTY COSTS AND PLANS TO ELIMINATE PAPERWORK BY SWITCHING TO THE WEB.(Interview)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Carlos Mazzorin has reached a new stage in his war on warranty costs. Ford Motor Co.'s group vice president of purchasing has formed supplier SWAT teams - dubbed "quarterbacks" - to analyze warranty repairs via Internet linkups. Following a successful test run, Ford plans to expand the ...
REMOTE CONTROL: A MOVE TO TOKYO.
Jun 07, 1999 ... Mitsubishi Motors Corp. recently decided that Takashi Sonobe, chairman of Mitsubishi's North America sales and manufacturing operations, could be more effective stationed in Tokyo. He will retain strategic control over North America after he moves in late June, while his lieutenants handle ...
SPEEDSTER GETS THE GO-AHEAD.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Opel plans to put the eye-catching Speedster concept car unveiled at the Geneva auto show into production. It is scheduled to go on sale by the end of 2000. The lightweight, mid-engined two-seater will ...
POINTS OF THE STAR.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Dealers who participate in Toyota's Star program are encouraged to adhere to several operating practices: Have a phone line and a fax line dedicated to wholesale parts customers Offer twice-a-day parts deliveries to some wholesale parts customers and emergency ...
TOYOTA UPGRADES DEALER PARTS PLAN.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Toyota is trying to put new luster on an old program that helps dealers boost their wholesale parts business. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. created its Star - Support to Aftermarket Repair - program about 15 years ago to help dealers assist independent shops in repairing ...
SUPPLIER OPENS DETROIT PLANT.
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - NYX Inc., a minority-owned supplier of injection-molded plastic parts, has opened a plant in one of Detroit's tax-free zones. NYX, a Livonia, Mich.-based supplier, opened its fourth plant in a ...
GENTEX GETS D/C DEAL.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... ZEELAND, Mich. - Gentex Corp., a supplier of automatic-dimming mirrors, reported that it has entered into an extended contract to supply DaimlerChrysler. Under the agreement, Gentex will ...
MAGNA OKS NONAUTO COMPANY.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... AURORA, Ontario - Magna International Inc.'s board has approved the creation of Ventures, a separate public company to hold and operate its real estate and other nonautomotive assets. Analysts have been critical of Magna's expansion outside ...
DANA UNIT HONORED.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Dana Corp.'s Spicer Light Axle Group has received the 1999 Circle of Excellence Award from the Indiana Regional Minority Supplier Development Council. During ...
U.S. BLAMES JAPAN FOR DECLINING EXPORTS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 07, 1999 ... WASHINGTON - U.S. vehicle exports to Japan plunged 35 percent in 1998, and auto parts sales dropped for the first time in years, largely because of overregulation, U.S. officials claimed. Japan has made little progress fulfilling the terms of a 1995 accord designed to open its ...
TOYOTA DROPS 5 MODELS, MAKES ROOM FOR YARIS.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999; ... TOKYO - In yet another sign of the important role Toyota Motor Corp. plans for its Yaris subcompact, the Japanese automaker has stopped production of five separate models that are to be replaced by the Yaris. The Yaris is also known as the Vitz in Europe. A similar model will ...
MOUNTAINEER IS GOING TO GIVE SOME CUSTOMERS A BIT MORE ZAP.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999; ... This month, customers who buy or lease a Mercury Mountaineer in California or Hawaii will get a free Zappy. The Zappy is an electric scooter that travels several miles at bicycle speeds on a charge. It is an old-style scooter, with a horizontal foot board mounted between two ...
DESIGNER DRAWS THE BIG PICTURE.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Ninety seconds. That's all you've got. If you don't snag your investor within the first couple of minutes, your annual report money is wasted, says Dave Mason, principal at Samata Mason Inc., a graphic design house in West Dundee, Ill. "An annual report is really ...
THE DELPHI DRILL.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Typical questions J.T. Battenberg III asks when interviewing potential Delphi executives: Tell me about James Womack (author of Lean Thinking and The Machine That Changed the World) and his teachings. Explain flow management. Tell me about Charles Fine (author of ...
PROMO PUSH.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... For Xterra: Xterra Challenge, a sort of off-road triathlon Prelaunch respondents who buy an Xterra get a free accessory Vehicle teams give demonstrations at beaches, trailheads and health clubs For Maxima: ...
HAVE PRODUCT, WILL ADVERTISE: NISSAN SPENDS BIG ON MAXIMA, XTERRA.
Jun 07, 1999; ... SAN FRANCISCO - Nissan Division will spend $150 million in advertising this year to launch a redesigned Maxima flagship sedan and the new Xterra compact sport-utility. And unlike past "fire and forget" approaches to new car products, the new policy will be "launch and sustain," ...
GM MISSED EARLY LESSONS OF NUMMI.
Jun 07, 1999; ... NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Fifteen years after setting up shop, General Motors is still learning from its automaking venture with Toyota Motor Corp. In fact, GM probably could have studied a little harder in the early days of New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., said Gary Convis, ...
DEALERS CLASH WITH MERCEDES: DISCOUNT SLASHED; NEW COUNCIL SOUGHT.
Jun 07, 1999; ... A small, but vocal band of dissident Mercedes-Benz dealers is trying to set up an independent association that would act as an underground dealer council. The dissidents claim the current dealer council, known as the Mercedes-Benz Retailer Board, rubber-stamped the factory's ...
FORD'S NASSER, PADILLA HONORED.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... DETROIT - Two Ford Motor Co. executives have been honored for their achievements. CEO Jac Nasser has been named Business Statesman of 1999 by the Harvard Business School Club of Detroit. Nasser, an Australian citizen, was honored for his global diversity: He speaks four ...
PERSONNEL.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Suppliers HAYES LEMMERZ INTERNATIONAL INC. - The company has created a Cast Components Group that includes three business units. Chairman and CEO Ron Cucuz will be interim group president. Leading the units are: Mish Jaksic, president of the Suspension Components Business Unit; ...
GM PRICES UP $63; IT'S $532 FOR MODEL YEAR.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999; ... DETROIT - A wide-ranging increase has added an average of $63 to the prices of 1999 General Motors cars and light trucks. It brings GM's average hike to $532, or 2.4 percent, since the end of the 1998 model year, an Automotive News analysis finds. The latest boost involves ...
FLAT ROCK PLANT BUILDS NO. 2 MILLION.(Brief Article)
Jun 07, 1999; ... AutoAlliance International Inc. built its 2-millionth car, a Mazda 626, on Wednesday, June 2. The Flat Rock, Mich., plant began producing vehicles in September 1987. The plant, a joint venture with Ford Motor Co., also produces the Mercury Cougar. DaimlerChrysler's Dodge City ...
PURCHASING CHIEFS ARE TAKING LONG VIEW.
Jun 07, 1999; ... Wall Street players who hope to profit from merger mania among automotive suppliers may be in for an unpleasant surprise. The top purchasing executives at Ford Motor Co. and General Motors want to see suppliers - not so-called financial buyers - buying other suppliers. ...
FORD PUSHES AHEAD WITH COLLECTIONS, NEW PROFIT AREAS.(Interview)
Jun 07, 1999 ... Robert Rewey, group vice president of marketing, sales and service at Ford Motor Co., is catching a lot of flak over Ford's dealership consolidations. But he is pushing ahead, convinced they will protect Ford brands against large public dealership chains. He is also supervising ...