Automotive News back issues from June 2000:
A copout for NHTSA.(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration mathematical caculations on vehicle rollover danger)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Rather than striking a balance among automakers and consumer groups on car/truck rollovers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration copped out. Unwilling or unable to decide between declaring rollover dangers impossible to measure or setting a rollover safety ...
Changing tide?(Jeep Grand Cherokee leases rates and floorplan costs)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Some key indicators on the sales front: Grand Cherokee leases jumped last week from $438 a month to $574 a month, after DaimlerChrysler eliminated cut-rate financing Floorplan costs for dealerships climbed ...
Subaru's 5-year plan.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Objectives are for fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, unless noted Overall goals Raise sales, improve quality, cut costs - all by about 30% Raise net profit 92% to $565 million Cut debt 22% to $3.3 billion Improve debt-to-equity ratio ...
Late News.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... LM begins online service Lincoln Mercury will start today, June 5, a national online service in which consultants will arrange price quotes and test drives for Internet shoppers. All Lincoln-Mercury dealers in the United States are participating in the program. The company will not charge ...
Northern exposure; Ford opens a new purchasing office to take greater advantage of Canada's supply base.(Ford of Canada)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... His Canadian parts bin brims with everything from hydroformed frames and electronics to brake drums and wiper blades. And in his new job, Dennis Rowland, head of Ford of Canada's new purchasing office, will see that the bin is tapped. Ford Motor Co. spends $5 billion (Canadian) ...
Not a Panacea; BMW exec says automakers, suppliers must move carefully into e-commerce.(BMW of North America Inc. manager of supplier support and purchasing strategy Bruno Dehler)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Is e-commerce the answer? It's not that simple, says Bruno Dehler, manager of supplier support and purchasing strategy for BMW of North America Inc. The longtime BMW and Volkswagen purchasing executive says automakers need to address some manufacturing basics before relying on e-commerce ...
Record sales pace slows as GM, DCX slip .(General Motors; Daimler-Chrysler)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... This year's record sales rhythm skipped a beat in May. Light-vehicle unit sales gained only 2 percent for the month, way off the pace so far this year. After five months, year-to-date sales are up 8.4 percent. Two automakers accounted for most of the slowdown, but they were big ...
Auto dealers feeling effects of slowing economy.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Jim ``Robbie'' Robinson's Chry-sler-Plymouth-Jeep-Dodge dealership in Yankton, S.D., is quiet these days. And he is worried. Many of his customers are farmers, who are anxious for rain in the parched upper Midwest. But he said the changing economic climate is the real source of the ...
Mitsubishi seeks cure for Europe, Australia ills.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... TOKYO - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. may get some outside help to ease what President Katsuhiko Kawasoe calls ``the big headache'' in his company's restructuring plan - its European and Australian operations. Kawasoe told reporters last week that Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. eventually ...
Cherry pits; Dispute highlights plight of small public suppliers.(Cherry Corp.)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Peter Cherry, his company out of favor with Wall Street, decided to take Cherry Corp. private. Last month, the move backfired. Cherry Corp., a small but global supplier of automotive switches, sensors and controls, received a bid of $26 per share, or about $262 million. That ...
GM fights wrong enemy.(Letter to the Editor)
Jun 05, 2000 ... I'm a Northern California dealer, and I feel quite fortunate to be associated with General Motors and the Pontiac, GMC and Buick brands. GM's current pace of technological evolution and product enthusiasm is welcome, and it's been a long time coming. Let's not lose all that to the discount ...
Correction.(Correction Notice)
Jun 05, 2000 ... A table on Page 89 of the 2000 Automotive News Market Data Book contained incorrect data for the NADA average dealership profile. Corrected numbers ...
In with the new .
Jun 05, 2000 ... New CEO Rick Wagoner, 47, and his young team have a historic opportunity to energize General Motors. But does the team need more outside blood? ...
Steve Feeney.(Director of investor relations Federal-Mogul Corp.)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Title: Director of investor relations Company: Federal-Mogul ...
Connie Hamblin.(director of corporate communications Gentex Corp.)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Title: Corporate secretary and director of corporate communications Company: Gentex ...
Autoliv:; Not at his desk? Then Barry Murphy is probably out selling the stock.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Callers who get Barry Murphy's telephone voice message are advised that he is ``either on another line or out and about selling Autoliv stock.'' Pitching Autoliv Inc. takes much of Murphy's time. Last month he addressed 720 amateur investors who gathered at the Sheraton Tara ...
Barry Murphy.(Autolive Inc. director of investor relations)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Title: Director of investor relations Company: Autoliv Inc. ...
Keith Stipp.(Director of investor relations Delphi Automotive Systems Corp)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Keith Stipp Title: Director of investor relations Company: Delphi ...
Federal-Mogul; Steve Feeny still digging out after earnings debacle.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Wall Street has become a brutal disciplinarian. Ask Steve Feeny. He's busy digging out Federal-Mogul Corp.'s image after the pummeling the company took from investors late last year. When the company announced last Sept. 13 that it would not meet its year-end earnings target of ...
Exec: Cut your cost in Canada.(Canadian automotive parts industry is growing and has lower costs than the US)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Association chiefs live for the chance that Gerald Fedchun got last January. At Ford Motor Co.'s invitation, Fedchun was asked to make a case for Canadian suppliers. Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association of Canada, notes that the Canadian supplier industry ...
Mercedes to assemble diesel-powered M class at Tuscaloosa factory.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Mercedes-Benz expects to start assembling the diesel-powered ML270 CDI (commonrail direct injection) sport-utility in its Tuscaloosa, Ala., plant. The tentative launch is scheduled for July, but production tests already are in progress. This will be the second assembly site for ...
Pumping Up the Volume; Mitsubishi expects suppliers to feel strain of an output surge at its Illinois plant.(Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing Corp. purchasing plans)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Keith Lawrence has seen purchasing from the supplier side. Now he's at it from the manufacturing side. Lawrence joined Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing Corp. in Normal, Ill., last year as its vice president of procurement and supply. His purchasing posts before that included A.G. Simpson ...
Subaru plans growth in America; New pickup, engine are in 5-year strategy.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000; ... TOKYO - Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. last week outlined an ambitious five-year expansion plan for its Subaru brand that envisions a nearly 40 percent jump in worldwide sales with the help of new partner General Motors. The plan, outlined here by Fuji President Takeshi Tanaka, also ...
VW draws fire for handling of investors.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000; ... What was Ferdinand Piech thinking? At Volkswagen AG's annual shareholder's meeting May 23, Chairman Piech had a chance to tell VW shareholders he cares about them. But he failed to mention the company's sagging share price in his opening speech or say what he planned to do about ...
Caring for the Shares; Investor relations has become a crucial concern for auto suppliers.
Jun 05, 2000; ... When Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. talks to Wall Street, the voice it usually hears isn't CEO J.T. Battenberg's. And it's not the voice of Delphi's engineering leader, Don Runkle. Or Alan Dawes, the CFO. Or any of Delphi's division heads. That man doing the talking ...
Trail of Tiers.(Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. plans to cut purchasing costs)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Giant Delphi looks for savings in lower tiers of supply chain The worldwide purchasing tab at Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. rivals the supplier spending of some automakers. The megasupplier last year bought almost $14 billion in components and materials, another $1 billion in ...
GM shuffles plant managers.(General Motors)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Two retirements and a promotion have triggered a shuffling of executives at General Motors assembly plants. Senior production management will change at Saturn Corp.; Shreveport, La.; Oshawa, Ontario; Pontiac (Mich.) East; Flint (Mich.) Assembly; Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Shanghai, ...
Despite snubs, design shines at Turin show.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... TURIN, Italy - When organizers decided to move the Turin International Auto Show from its traditional late-April date to early June, they hoped to attract more new model introductions. They thought the Geneva International Motor Show in March was too close to Turin's date and ...
Calendar.(Auto shows)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... AUTO SHOWS - 2000 Sept. 29-Oct. 22 - State Fair of Texas Auto Show, Fair Park, Dallas, (214) 421-8728 Sept. 30-Oct. 15 - Paris auto show, Paris Oct. 6-15 - South Florida International Auto Show, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Fla., (305) ...
How it works.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000 ... What a supplier provides to host an ASTEP intern $2,500 administration fee Monthly compensation to intern of at ...
A Sprinter for Freightliner?(Mercedes-Benz will assemble its Sprinter light commercial van at a Freightliner chassis plant)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Mercedes-Benz will assemble its Sprinter light commercial van at a Freightliner chassis plant in Gaffney, S.C. The U.S.-assembled Sprinter will likely be badged a Freightliner, said a DaimlerChrysler manager who did not want to be named. DaimlerChrysler AG, Mercedes' parent, owns ...
AIADA Congress examines anti-SUV scenario.(American International Automobile Dealers Association Automotive; sports-utility vehicles)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... WASHINGTON - This is a drill. This is a drill. Newly elected President Al Gore, the Environmental President, attacks gas-guzzling, resource-wasting sport-utilities in his inaugural address early next year, proposing a 10 percent tax on sport-utilities that cost more than ...
Ford trucks set another record.(weekly truck production records)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Ford Motor Co. produced a record 57,659 trucks in the United States the week ending May 20. The previous record was set the week ending April 15, with 57,334 trucks. North American car and truck production reached 8 million on Friday, June 2, eight days earlier than in 1999. ...
Villager, Quest minivans to die; Ford, Nissan will end 9-year joint venture.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. next year will end their nine-year joint venture to produce the Villager and Quest minivans, three years ahead of schedule. Spokesmen for both companies confirmed late last week the agreement will end after a short production run for the 2002 ...
Not If, But How; Computers are hitting the road, but the details remain murky.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Even though everybody seems to agree in-car computing is coming - some systems will arrive before year end - nobody is sure what form the technology will take. The telematics revolution, in which cars will be able to send and receive data via wireless links to ...
Hummer looks upscale, plans to review several advertising agencies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000; ... General Motors' Hummer brand will start an ad agency review this month. Hummer is completing a list of about five agencies to consider that will include its current agency, Pyro Brand Development in Dallas, and possibly other agencies already doing GM work, said Marc Hernandez, ...
Letters to the Editor.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Don't shoot the designer I read with considerable interest your May 15 feature about Ron Zarrella and his orange-haired body piercers at General Motors. It was nice and showed class to put the rap on Chuck Jordan for 1990 slow sellers. Having attended styling ...
MEMA on the move; As suppliers play larger role, group grows in scope, importance.(Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Assocation)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... If futuristic designers and engineers got together to create a prototype for a new leader of the rapidly evolving automotive supplier industry, they would probably start with these parts: Solid grounding in economics Ample international experience ...
Christopher Bates.(Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association VP)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Age: 45 Position: Executive vice president and COO, Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association Previous positions: Economist and policy adviser, U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Department of Labor; congressional staffer; factory ...
MEMA memo.(Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Assocation)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Formal name: Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association Founded: 1904 Offices: Research Triangle Park, N.C.; Washington, D.C.; Yokohama, Japan; Brussels; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City Member companies: About 700 Affiliate and subsidiaries: ...
Mercedes pushes to meet demand; Everybody wants it 'now,' says DCX's Juergen Hubbert.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Having a long line of customers waiting for your new products is not a good problem for an automaker, says Juergen Hubbert, DaimlerChrysler board member responsible for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and Smart. In fact, he says, delays cost sales. ``This is where customer demand has really ...
Partner, not Parent; Lear's plans for electronics stress cooperation rather than acquisition.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Lear Corp. is tempering its buying habits with borrowing. In its goal to integrate electronics into auto interiors, the supplier is emphasizing partnerships and joint ventures more than acquisitions. The plan comes one year after Lear's purchase of UT Automotive Inc. ...
Win-win situation.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Suppliers, makers to gain from exchange, study says When DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors announced their joint online trade exchange in February, many suppliers feared that it would be a high-tech tool for squeezing margins. More than three months later, many unanswered ...
Lincoln to reward top dealers.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Lincoln's dealer certification program will have tougher standards than Ford Division's Blue Oval but also will reward top-rated dealers with bigger bonuses on each 2001 vehicle. The Lincoln payments will return to certified dealers 2.5 percent of the sticker price, which noncertified ...
Digest.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Adesa hires DCX exec INDIANAPOLIS - DaimlerChrysler's senior manager of vehicle remarketing for U.S. fleet operations is moving to Adesa Corp. Frank Stephens will become executive vice president of marketing and strategic planning, effective Monday, June 12. His ...
Dealers place election spotlight on 'death tax'.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... WASHINGTON - Car dealers aren't likely to win repeal of the federal estate tax this year, but they and their allies may succeed in turning the despised levy into an issue for this fall's federal elections. Both major national dealer associations are among 48 groups backing a nationwide ...
Cherry Corp.(1999 financial report)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... 1999 sales: $361 million 1999 earnings: $12.3 million Share price (52-week ...
New assembly plants are flexible, inexpensive.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... General Motors took just 26 months to bring the new Pontiac Aztek to life, quite an achievement for an automaker that traditionally needed at least five years to develop new vehicles. The less obvious achievement, however, is the Aztek assembly plant, a new building designed and ...
Feds expected to OK Manheim-ADT deal.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... The federal government is expected to approve Manheim Auctions Inc.'s $1 billion acquisition of ADT Automotive Inc. - provided eight ADT auctions that were to be part of the deal and one Manheim auction are sold. Manheim in January made the deal with ADT's parent company, Tyco ...
The Big Squeeze; Hassan leads Nissan's drive toward fewer suppliers and lower costs.(Emil Hassan of Nissan North America Inc.)(Brief Article)(Interview)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Emil Hassan is in the midst of a campaign to cut Nissan Motor Co.'s supplier costs, generate new efficiencies in its supply chain and trim by half the number of its worldwide parts producers. The three-year effort is intended to cut Nissan parts costs by 20 percent, and half of the ...
2000 Kia Spectra.(product specifications)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Wheelbase: 100.8 inches Length: 176.2 inches Width: 66.9 inches Height: 55.5 inches Engine: 1.8-liter I-4 ...
VW dominates auto advertising awards.
Jun 05, 2000 ... A Jetta cruising through New Orleans' French Quarter, a crazy guy grooving in a Golf and a convertible Cabrio moving down moonlit country roads helped Volkswagen of America Inc. to nearly sweep the automotive category in the 1999 Advertising Age Best awards. Arnold ...
Study: Web wanted in new cars.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Though it's likely to be some time before Internet access in vehicles is considered a must-have option, a new national study says more than 3.5 million new vehicles annually will have Web hardware within five years. More than half of those will be in business-fleet and company vehicles ....
Core questions; Firm wants auto plants to farm out nonauto operations.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Automakers normally turn to suppliers for tires, sunroofs, instrument panels and other auto parts. But one construction and engineering company hopes automakers will outsource the management of maintenance workers, cafeteria cooks and custodians. Morrison Knudsen Corp.'s ...
Personnel.(automotive industry executive appointments)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Vehicle makers VOLVO GROUP NORTH AMERICA INC. - Tryggve Sthen to president of Volvo Truck Corp. He was president of Volvo Construction Equipment Corp. Sthen succeeds Karl-Erling Trogen, who will remain a member of Volvo's Group Executive Committee. ...
Major impact; New auto standards for head protection have plastics suppliers scrambling.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Uncle Sam has created a multimillion-dollar business opportunity for automobile safety, and plastics companies are lining up for a piece of the action. Auto suppliers are looking to plastics such as polypropylene, polystyrene and polyurethane to provide the padding needed to ...
High gear; Toyota's ambitious plans mean opportunities for U.S. suppliers.
Jun 05, 2000 ... Over the past decade, Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. automaking operations have poured on the steam on vehicle production, and with it, parts procurement. In just the past year, Toyota has announced it will create a new full-sized sport-utility here, move Lexus RX 300 production to this ...
Salesman injured in demo entitled to workers' comp.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... A salesman injured on his way to work in a dealership-owned demo is entitled to workers' compensation benefits because he ``was engaged in the performance of duties which benefited his employer,'' the Virginia Court of Appeals has ruled. The court said Templeton Oldsmobile-Dodge ...
Dealer not liable in loaner crash.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... A Dayton, Ohio, dealership that provided a loaner to a customer's unlicensed and uninsured husband isn't liable for a fatal drunken-driving accident caused by a different driver, the Ohio Court of Appeals said. The three-judge panel refused to reinstate a negligent entrustment ...
Despite improper notice, Nissan had right to refuse franchise.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Nissan properly exercised its right of first refusal in rejecting an applicant for a franchise, even though it failed to provide the notice by certified mail as the Ohio dealer law requires, a state appeals court has ruled. The court disagreed with an Ohio Motor Vehicle Dealers ...
U.S. trucks to lead Nissan into South America.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... SAO PAULO, Brazil - Nissan Motor Co. will spearhead its entry into South America with two core U.S. products, the Frontier pickup and Xterra sport-utility. Nissan COO Carlos Ghosn announced here last week that the automaker will invest $300 million over the next five years to ...
Export cargo exchange offers choices, speed.(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... Even as dot-com creativity offers suppliers new flexibility in how they move parts overseas, it may take more than low prices to take them away from their existing relationships. Automakers still are exploring the capabilities of their online procurement exchange, and suppliers ...
More than purchasing.(benefits of electronic commerce)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000 ... Other expected results of e-commerce: Shorter product development time All tiers of the supply chain better connected Better forecasting of consumer demand ...
Supply Line.(automotive supply industry news)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... NHK Spring, Lear form seat venture DETROIT - Lear Corp. has formed a joint venture in Japan with NHK Spring Co. Ltd., a Yokohama, Japan, spring and seating supplier. The venture to develop seat systems for Japan and other Asian countries will be at NHK's seating ...
Japanese exports increase 21% in April over 1999.(automobile exports)(Brief Article)
Jun 05, 2000; ... TOKYO - Japan's exports in April surged 20.6 percent from a year earlier to 407,539, driven by 50 percent rises to the key markets of the United States and Asia. The export surge pushed vehicle production to 791,107, up 11.1 percent, the third consecutive monthly gain. The ...