Automotive News back issues from May 2002:
Branded a failure.(General Motors abandons Ron Zarrella's brand management strategy)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... General Motors finally buried the last vestiges of Ron Zarrella's brand management scheme. It didn't work because brand character is not something that can be added at the end of the assembly line, even with clever marketing. Real brand character begins with the product and the ...
In brief.
May 06, 2002 ... What: 2002 Automotive News Elastomers Conference Sponsors: Rubber & Plastics News, Cooper Standard Automotive ...
Stock Watch.
May 06, 2002 ... table: see ...
Customer Incentives * Dealer Incentives.
May 06, 2002 ... 2 tables: see ...
Employment dispute.(Acura Division employee accuses management of discrimination)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Complaint: A former Acura Division assistant manager who is black alleges that American Honda passed him over for promotion in favor of a Caucasian with less experience ....
Piech was always in the driver's seat.(Ferdinand Piech; appreciation)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Ferdinand Piech, 65, retired last month after nine years as chairman of Volkswagen AG and 39 years in the auto industry. Almost everyone has a Piech story. Story multiplied by story becomes legend. Like all legends, Piech's has a strong vein of truth in it - and an equally ...
Ferdinand Piech.(brief profile)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... 1937: Born April 17 to Anton Piech and Louise Porsche, daughter of Ferdinand Porsche 1963: Joined Porsche AG 1972: ...
Doolan and Bond head Ford panel on diversity.(Victor Doolan, Julian Bond)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Victor Doolan, executive director of Premier Automotive Group, and civil rights leader Julian Bond are heading a new council to advise Ford Motor Co.'s collection of European brands on diversity issues. Doolan and Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of ...
GM raises parts prices.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... GM dealers are unhappy with changes in parts policies. GM has * Cut the return allowance from 6% to 5% of parts orders * Cut the stock order discount from 3.75% to 2.75% * Cut the customer-focus incentive ...
GM still leads the way on prices.(General Motors)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... General Motors is the lead husky pulling the Big 3 incentive sled this spring. Each of the makers revised or renewed its rebate and finance programs last week. But Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group didn't act until they learned of GM's plan. Ford ...
GM passes Toyota in certified used-vehicle sales.(so far in 2002)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... General Motors has overtaken Toyota Division as the top seller of certified used vehicles and is on its way to exceeding its 2002 sales goal of 200,000 units. Toyota Division isn't taking GM's sales news lying down. On Wednesday, May 1, Toyota Certified Used Vehicles ...
Dealership loses bid to reinstate suit over warranty audit.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... DaimlerChrysler did not violate its sales and service agreement or act in bad faith when it rejected warranty claims and charged back the disallowed amount to a Cincinnati dealership, the Ohio Court of Appeals has ruled. DaimlerChrysler had a contractual right to audit warranty ...
In the driver's seat.(four interior integrators for General Motors Corp. listed)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... GM's interior integrators and their jobs Johnson Controls: Minivans, mid-sized cars Lear Corp.: Full-sized ...
Finding a cost advantage.(higher volume of production helps spread out fixed costs per unit of production)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... * Variable costs are those that change with production levels, such as wages and materials used directly in building vehicles. *Fixed costs, such as pension obligations, rents, depreciation and interest expense, are stable regardless of production levels. A company ...
As Olds' residual values slump, leases fall below industry pace.(Oldsmobile's pending demise reduces residual value, thus making auto leases more expensive)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Industrywide reductions in residual values, coupled with Oldsmobile's pending demise, have driven the division's off-lease residual values lower than the industry average, and the decline is occurring at a faster pace. Oldsmobile has settled into a ``glide path'' to manage ...
Supply line.(various news items)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Lear Corp. takes stake in Korean supplier DETROIT - Lear Corp. of Southfield, Mich., has acquired a 29 percent stake in Hanyil Co. Ltd., a publicly traded supplier of automotive seats with operations in South Korea. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Hanyil ...
Metal-bending savings reshape maker's schedule.(product introductions are limited by an automaker's efficiency)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Mark Stevens has a simple measure of an automaker's efficiency at metal-bending: product launches. The high cost of stamping and welding tools can limit the number of launches a company can afford, says Stevens, general director of engineering for GM's metal fabricating ...
Just how bad was it, Jack?(Jack Smith, chairman of General Motors comments on the past decade)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... GM Chairman Jack Smith took stock of GM's decade of cost cutting in a March speech to stock analysts. His comments on: GM in the early 1990s ``The place was a mess. We were the high-cost producer. We had unbelievable excess capacity. We had multiple vehicle and ...
GM starts fast with Daewoo; Korean cars head for Mexico, probably with Chevy badges.(General Motors Corp. buys significant part of Daewoo Motor Co.'s assets)
May 06, 2002; ... With the ink still drying on its deal to buy the biggest chunks of Daewoo Motor Co., General Motors said last week it will begin shipping Daewoo cars to Mexico as quickly as possible for sale there as a GM brand, most likely Chevrolet. The foray into North America will stop at ...
Supplier assembles modules in Nissan plant.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Tucked inside Nissan's sprawling assembly plant here, workers from CalsonicKansei are bolting together instrument panels and front-end modules that are shuttled a short distance to the Altima assembly line. Having suppliers work inside Smyrna - a move unheard of in a North ...
Late News.(various news items)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Buick will sell another sport-utility DETROIT - Buick will add a five-passenger sport-utility to its lineup in about 18 months. The vehicle will be based on General Motors' GM360 short-wheelbase vehicle architecture. The 2004 Buick Rainier will feature all-wheel drive ...
Plastics supplier bolstered by JCI business.(Plastech Engineered Products Inc. plans new plant so it can fulfill contract with Johnson Controls Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Flush with new business from Johnson Controls Inc., Plastech Engineered Products Inc. wants to build an $11 million plant in Caro, Mich. Plastech, a Dearborn, Mich., injection molder, already has one plant in Caro that employs 100. The new site would employ about 150. The rural ...
W8 takes VW Passat to a higher power.(Volkswagen AG develops 8-, 12- and 16-cylinder engines in W configuration)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... The Volkswagen Passat was not designed to accommodate a V-8. So when former VW AG Chairman Ferdinand Piech decided to expand the Passat model range with an eight-cylinder engine, engineers in Wolfsburg, Germany, had to determine how to shoehorn a larger engine into a space ...
The Mini's major welcome; A little mania hits a N.J. dealership. Will it last?(BMW introduces the Mini)
May 06, 2002; ... In this wealthy East Coast market, diehard Mini fans and former owners are turning out to welcome the brand back to the United States. The cars are ``really selling themselves. ... I'm just taking the money,'' said Mini saleswoman Debbie Franks, of Princeton BMW-Mini, who is ...
Shark bait.(Ford Motor Co. ads use sharks)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Ford Division is using one of the most dangerous creatures of the sea to demonstrate the side curtain airbags on its 2003 Expedition. In a TV campaign that breaks today, May 6, the Expedition is attacked by sharks in a California shark tank. The spot is one of three ...
Mini portrait.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... Base prices: Mini Cooper, $16,850; Mini Cooper S, $19,850 Headquarters: Mini USA, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. Parent: BMW of North ...
Auto News digest.(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... Martha Stewart makes Chrysler deal NEW YORK - The Chrysler group and Martha Stewart's company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., have reached a marketing agreement called ``Road Trips.'' ``This is an integrated marketing program,'' said Suzanne Sobel, executive ...
Japan's exports rise 7.4.(new vehicles)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... Boosted by sharply higher shipments to North America, Japan's new-vehicle exports in March rose 7.4 percent from a year earlier. The monthly increase, to 395,025, was the third in a row. U.S.-bound shipments surged 24 percent in March, and exports to Canada rose 26.8 percent, ...
Pouring on the power.(Volkswagen's W engines)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... Horsepower range of VW's new W engines * 4.0-liter W8: 270 hp ...
GM dealers feel parts pinch.(General Motors raises prices)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... General Motors has angered dealers by effectively increasing wholesale parts prices under new discount and return policies. GM is cutting two discount rates and its return allowance effective June 1. The company says it is partially offsetting the cuts by raising some parts' ...
Auto News briefly.(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... World Series? Flowers? Wasn't me, Nasser says Former Ford Motor Co. CEO Jacques Nasser finds himself part of the Suzy Wetlaufer story. She's the former Harvard Business Review editor who resigned after admitting to having an affair with former General Electric Co. CEO Jack ...
Maine first to put mercury mandate on makers.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Maine last month became the first state to mandate that automobile manufacturers take responsibility for removal and disposal of mercury in used cars and trucks - and the vehicle makers don't like it. The bill requires that manufacturers ``establish and maintain consolidation ...
VW: We're no threat to Audi.(Volkswagen of America Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... As Volkswagen of America Inc. introduces the Passat W8 to the United States, it dismisses suggestions that the sedan strays too far into Audi territory. VW says cross shopping between owners of the brands is only 4 percent. ``Ninety-six percent of Volkswagen's ...
Nissan to replace crash sensor.(Nissan North America Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Nissan North America Inc. is asking owners of 127,000 Altimas from the 2002 model year to return their vehicles to dealers to replace a crash sensor for front airbag deployment. The action is not a safety recall under federal law. Instead, the company said on Wednesday, May 1, ...
Hyundai ads will seek 'emotional connection'.(Hyundai Motor America hires new advertising agency, Richards Group)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Hyundai Motor America's new ad agency will try to establish a brand image that goes beyond the 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. The head of the Richards Group, which won the Hyundai account on Monday, April 29, says his advertising will try to tap consumers' emotions. ...
Ford exec juggles cost, content, quality.(Jim Padilla, group vice president for Ford North America)
May 06, 2002 ... Jim Padilla, 55, is charged with turning around Ford Motor Co.'s struggling North American operations. To recover from $5.45 billion in losses last year, Ford has to fix quality, introduce vehicles on time, update its product lineup and repair its relationships with employees, ...
Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the Editor)
May 06, 2002 ... Let's go diesel as others do To the Editor: I applaud Peter Brown's March 25 column about the corporate average fuel economy hearings in Washington. I also applaud Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. Too bad he got run over by the auto industry and his fellow ...
Dana counts on link with German supplier.(Dana Corp., Gertrag)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Dana Corp. hopes to reverse slow growth in Europe by focusing on its alliance with German supplier Getrag. In Europe, Dana wants to win business outsourced by automakers, as it has done worldwide. But Bill Carroll, president of Dana Automotive Systems Group, admits that progress ...
German battery maker seeks partnerships.(Varta AG)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... German battery maker Varta AG is seeking partners for its automotive and portable battery divisions. Varta is in intensive negotiations with potential partners to strengthen its business in Asia or the United States, said CEO Georg Prilhofer. Talks have been going on for more ...
S.C. group plans r&d center for racers, suppliers.(Clemson University, other South Carolina investors want to build research facility for auto industry)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... A private investor, Clemson University and South Carolina economic development agencies have linked up to get into the Southeast's burgeoning market for auto industry r&d. The group wants to build a $50 million wind tunnel and research center in Greenville, S.C., to service the ...
Mexico sales fall for first time in '02.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... The Mexican auto industry is putting on the brakes. Light-vehicle sales in Mexico fell 3.9 percent in March from the year-earlier month. Production also declined 12.7 percent. The sales drop was the first of the year. Still, because of sales increases in January and ...
It is GM's duty to play fair with Daewoo dealers.(General Motors urged to take responsibility for Daewoo's US sales operations)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Yes, General Motors was shrewd in picking up the best parts of Daewoo Motor Co. at a fire-sale price. But if GM thinks that it can escape responsibility for Daewoo's now-orphaned U.S. sales operation, it must think again. GM must drop the charade that it acquired only ``certain ...
Lincoln changes ride to copy world brands.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Lincoln is taking the first engineering steps to emulate the driving experience of the world's top luxury brands. Lincoln realizes the driving dynamics of its vehicles vary widely and don't match the standards of such brands as BMW and Lexus. So it is improving the ride, ...
Study: Technician shortage is easing ; NADA also finds lower turnover rate.(National Automobile Dealers Association)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Dealers last year found it slightly easier to find technicians and keep them on the job, the National Automobile Dealers Association says. On a scale of 1 (easy) to 10 (difficult), dealers rated the difficulty of finding technicians at 7.5 last year, down from 7.9 in 2000. ...
Prechter's ASC sold to financier Alix.(Questor Management Co. acquires ASC Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... ASC Inc., the company founded by entrepreneur Heinz Prechter that pioneered the sunroof market in North America, is being sold to an investment fund headed by financier Jay Alix. Questor Management Co. LLC's purchase, expected to close within two weeks, will include: ...
What GM gets.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... * Asian production base * Home-boy access to Korean market ...
Visteon beats Faurecia for Peugeot door panels.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... France's PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA has picked Visteon Corp. over its in-house supplier, Faurecia SA, to supply door panels for the next Peugeot 407, its upper mid-sized sedan. The value of the deal was not disclosed but, to satisfy the contract, Visteon will spend some $25 million ...
Alabama's challenge: Find enough auto workers.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Flush with its success in recruiting the auto industry, the state of Alabama faces a challenge: delivering more than 14,000 qualified and trained automotive workers by 2005. Alabama's burgeoning automotive sector will create a hiring tidal wave in the next 36 months. The state ...
After Textron deal, Collins and Aikman faces test.
May 06, 2002; ... Collins and Aikman CEO Tom Evans has sold his vision to bankers, investors and analysts. He has recruited executives from four companies who have agreed to lead a revamped Collins and Aikman Corp. with the addition of Textron Automotive Co. Inc.'s trim division, a deal completed ...
Aston Martin chief: Going public is an option.(Ulrich Bez)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Aston Martin Chairman Ulrich Bez wants to have his British supercar maker ready for an initial offering on the stock market by 2005. That doesn't mean it will happen, Bez added. ``I want to make sure the company is in the right shape so the option is available to our ...
Ford scrambles for more Super Dutys; Ky. plant attempts to add 30,000 units.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... With stocks of F-series Super Duty pickups at low levels, financially struggling Ford Motor Co. is trying to make changes at the factory to boost production. ``The dealers are saying, `Send us more Super Dutys.' We have drawn the stocks down,'' said Steve Lyons, Ford Division's ...
Ford ads fight stereotype.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... Need routine maintenance? Think of your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer. That's the gist of a Ford Customer Service Division ad campaign that began April 1 and runs through May 26. It attacks the notion that dealerships are high-priced and inconvenient. The ads ...
Holden, GM's current darling, could send a 2nd car to U.S.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... General Motors may follow the Pontiac GTO with another vehicle drawn from its Australian subsidiary, Holden Ltd. Peter Hanenberger, Holden chairman, says that if GM's plan to import restyled Holden Monaros as GTOs in 2003 goes well, Holden's V/W platform could spawn another ...
Dealers.(awards and achievements)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Milestones * Jack Kain of Jack Kain Ford Inc. in Versailles, Ky., received a 40-year award from Ford Division. * Helen Heller and Don Heller of Homer Heller Ford in ...
Rejected repairs.(DaimlerChrysler)(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... Issue: Dealership fights dismissal of its suit against DaimlerChrysler over rejected warranty claims ....
Acura manager charges racial discrimination.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... A former assistant manager in the field office of American Honda Motor Co.'s Acura Division claims that he was passed over for a promotion at the company because he is black. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Myron Reed alleges that he was passed over for ...
Plastics News to host conference in Detroit.
May 06, 2002 ... The 2002 Automotive Elastomers conference will be held June 18-19 in Dearborn, Mich. Among the topics to be discussed are the use of recycled components in rubber formulations, O-ring seals in carbon dioxide refrigeration systems and materials being used to meet 2004 Low ...
Makers work toward high-mileage future.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... During panel discussions at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in March, officials from several of the world's largest automakers hinted at the technology they'll use to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions. * Honda Motor Co. plans to perfect its hybrid ...
You cannot fake the product.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... In the past few months, there has been a renewed understanding of just how important product is for the success of a company. But some companies still think they can take shortcuts to great products. It can't be done. I was talking recently with an executive from a Japanese ...
GM aims at suppliers for biggest savings.(General Motors)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002; ... DETROIT - GM Chairman Jack Smith says that squeezing price reductions from suppliers has been the biggest factor in the automaker's decade of cost reductions. GM's key move was to restructure supplier contracts in the early 1990s, demanding cost reductions each year rather than ...
GM launch teams have busy 2002.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... General Motors' manufacturing schedule this year includes 22 vehicles that are either new or that receive mid-cycle changes, compared with eight last year. Guy Briggs, general manager of vehicle manufacturing, says competitive pressures may make such difficult schedules the ...
Midnight warriors key to Odyssey plant success.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002; ... Honda Motor Co. had several ideas about manufacturing improvements when it gave the green light to its Alabama Odyssey plant, which opened late last year. So did Chuck Ernst. ``Like I didn't want to have to spend any more holidays working,'' says Ernst, the 45-year-old Lincoln ...
Personnel.(various appointments)
May 06, 2002 ... AMERICAN SUZUKI MOTOR CORP. - Tom Carney, 44, to marketing director of American Suzuki Motor Co. Automotive Division. He was regional sales manager for the central region. DESIGNWORKSUSA - Neil Brooker to executive director of operations. Brooker was director of ...
At Chrysler, cost cutting starts to pay off.(Statistical Data Included)
May 06, 2002 ... Wolfgang Bernhard arrived at the Chrysler group in November 2000 as COO with orders from DaimlerChrysler headquarters in Stuttgart to cut costs and return the U.S. automaker to profits. As Chrysler's three-year restructuring program enters its 15th month, the company already is ...
Personnel.(Brief Article)
May 06, 2002 ... DELPHI CORP. - Rodney O'Neal, 48, executive vice president of Delphi Corp. and president of the company's safety, thermal and electrical architecture sector, was awarded the 2002 Lifetime Achievement in Industry Award by the National Society of Black Engineers. Delphi, of Troy, ...