Automotive News back issues from July 2002:
Auto News digest.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Autobytel adds dealer call center LOS ANGELES - Autobytel Inc. has created a dealer call center. When a consumer submits a purchase request to the online buying service, the call center representing a dealership calls the customer to qualify the lead and schedule an ...
Chrysler pumps up its warranty; Transferable powertrain plan is industry's longest.(seven-year/70,000-mile powertrain warranty)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Moving to gain a competitive edge in a market increasingly dominated by General Motors incentives spending, the Chrysler group is betting that the industry's longest transferable powertrain warranty will bring buyers into the tent and keep them there. Chrysler was expected to ...
Software supplier loses its bet on the e-market.(Commerce One Inc.)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Like other dot-com innovations, the e-marketplace is proving to be a modest success. Unfortunately, its creators were betting on a huge success - and it didn't pay off. Two years ago, Commerce One Inc. agreed to provide the procurement software to be used by Covisint. ...
Potamkin will build in Harlem.(Harlem Auto Mall)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... The Potamkin dealership group is buying nearly an entire block of city-owned land in Harlem to build a motor mall that would include at least one dealership owned and operated by the group and up to four additional stores that would be factory-owned. Including the value of the ...
Accounting scandals prompt auto industry to take a look.(at accounting standards and practices)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Aftershocks from the accounting scandals rocking corporate America are rippling through the auto industry. ``I think it would be irresponsible if you didn't review things when you see so many things occurring with Arthur Andersen or Enron or Kmart or Global Crossing or ...
Texas suit seeks changes on 25,000 cars.(Ford Motor Co.'s Crown Victoria)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... In 2000, Texas police officer Alan Neel escaped a burning Ford Crown Victoria after a drunken driver had slammed into it. Neel had minor injuries. Last week, Neel appeared with Texas product liability lawyer David Perry as Perry announced that he had filed suit against Ford ...
Industry to fight Calif. CO2 regulation; Automakers say bill has state setting fuel economy standards.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Newly passed California legislation to cut greenhouse gas output by cars and trucks has the potential to alter national policies on fuel economy and emissions. Automakers intend to prove that the California measure is a thinly disguised attempt to set fuel-economy standards - a ...
Obituaries.(Obituary)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Philip Garcia HILTON HEAD, N.C. - Retired General Motors chief designer Philip Garcia died April 29. He was 76. He joined the automaker in 1955. He was promoted to assistant chief designer of the Chevrolet Exterior Production Design Studio in 1970. In 1980, he became chief ...
GM to push quality, test drives in 2nd half.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... General Motors will attack two major marketing challenges the rest of this year: quality perception and test drives. Bill Lovejoy, GM's group vice president for vehicle sales, service and marketing, drove some vehicles at GM's Proving Grounds in Milford, Mich. After ...
Dealers dealt blow in warranty ruling.(Ford dealers have to live with $500 new-vehicle markup for higher warranty parts markup)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Ford dealers in Maine will have to live with a $500 new-vehicle surcharge if they want a higher warranty parts markup. The 35 Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealers lost their case against Ford Motor Co.'s practice of adding a surcharge to the new-vehicle invoice price to recover ...
Covisint can win with Kutner, but it won't be easy.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... From day one, Covisint has failed to live up to its hype. The online exchange, created in February 2000, was supposed to bring the speed and efficiency of electronic commerce to the auto industry. But look at the industry today. As long as automakers - the creators and investors ...
Ford raises prices 0.4% on 2003 cars.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Ford Motor Co. struck a blow for price stability as it disclosed the prices on its 2003 cars. Automotive News finds that prices are up an average of $96, or 0.4 percent, over the prices in effect at the end of the 2002 model year. Cars account for only 35 percent of ...
GM leads Big 3 back into 0.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... General Motors continued its pursuit of market share with a 0 percent financing program announced Tuesday, July 2. Ford Division, Lincoln, Mercury and the Chrysler group followed suit. ``We are not looking at an environment where we are going to give up share,'' said Paul ...
Volvo plans hot versions.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... LOS ANGELES - Volvo Cars of North America Inc. said it will launch performance versions of the S60 sedan and V70 wagon in early 2003 as challenges to such German vehicles as the Audi S4 and BMW M3. The S60R sedan will have a turbocharged version of the 2.5-liter inline-five, ...
Lessons learned; GM uses its knowledge from former e-GM to get closer to its dealers and customers.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Although General Motors has phased out its e-GM business unit, there are clear signs that the automaker is using what it learned from the Internet venture to get closer to its customers and dealers. Owner Center is one example of e-GM's continuing influence. The Web-based ...
U.S.-bound exports spur Japan output.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Japan's new-vehicle exports in May jumped 25.6 percent from a year earlier, marking the fifth straight month of increase. Shipments were robust almost across the board, but particularly to North America. The rise, to 360,246, was supported by a 34.1 percent leap in ...
Honda flies steel to U.S.auto plants.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Honda Motor Co. airlifted as much as 200 tons of specialty steel to North America from Japan at the end of June to cover a shortage at its plants here and is poised to airlift 2,000 more tons this month if needed, the company confirmed last week. The highly unusual and costly ...
Auto News briefly.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Reality is nice, but let's not forget the cars MORE CARS, LESS REALITY - Pontiac is taking a pass on reality TV for the next phase of its ``Pass it on'' advertising campaign. The campaign has used real people, not actors, without scripts who talk about having fun driving the ...
Drug problem.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Annual drug costs for the Big 3 GM: $1.3 billion Ford: ...
The All Stars.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Richard E. Dauch, American Axle John Devine, GM Jean-Martin Folz, PSA Peugeot/Citroen Akira Fujimura, Honda Carlos Ghosn, Nissan Chuck Halper, Hyundai Steve Harris, GM Judy Hu, GM Tsugio Kadowaki, ...
Lutz's look: Classic proportions, stance; GM's car guy bucks the trend toward extreme styling.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... General Motors Vice Chairman Robert Lutz uses his gift for rhetoric freely to criticize current automotive design trends. Most famously, he scorned towering, angular, plastic-clad vehicles as looking ``like a whole family of angry kitchen appliances: demented toasters, furious ...
Marketers spend 2% more in 1Q; GM paid out most, outlaying nearly double that of No. 2 DCX.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Automakers spent $1.9 billion on measured media the first quarter of this year, a 2 percent increase over the year-ago period, according to Competitive Media Reporting in New York. General Motors led the way, spending $523.4 million, a 14.7 percent increase. That total nearly ...
50 bucks makes a difference.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... I think Lee Iacocca said it first: Price does make a difference. Throughout the latest economic downturn, U.S. automobile sales remained strong. Some automakers even set sales records. For some companies, it hurts to watch the cost of sales rise. That's money that was planned ...
Hummer's task: Become trendy, but stay tough.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Mike DiGiovanni has a tough job: Turn the tough-guy Hummer brand into one that typical upscale motorists would consider for their driveway. So the ad campaign for the second addition to the Hummer family - the smaller H2 - is to present the truck in a kinder, gentler way - but ...
Covisint gets one last chance.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Harold Kutner's appointment to head Covisint may be the last chance for the online automotive marketplace to survive after most of its early hopes have crashed. Covisint has evolved primarily into a procurement hub where automakers use reverse auctions to extract the lowest ...
Ties that bind; Fixing the mess at Mercury, says Elena Ford, is a matter of relationships, not relatives.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... The auto industry may be one of the last old-boy networks. But as Elena Ford sees it, success in the business has less to do with the old-boy part of the equation than it does with networking. Parachuted in as the savior-designate of long-suffering Mercury Division, Ford ...
Q&A.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Will Lincoln Mercury stay in California or move back to Michigan to be closer to Ford decision-makers? Elena Ford: Right now, we are staying here. I shuttle between Detroit and here because product development is in Detroit and marketing is in California. People here have a ...
Elena Ford.(Mercury Group brand manager)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Title: Mercury Group brand manager Age: 36 Education: B.S., business, New York University Previous jobs: Director of e-marketing and e-solutions, ConsumerConnect; brand strategy manager for Ford's marketing strategy and brand management group; Ford global ...
Wagoner stretches stodgy General Motors; From hiring Lutz to 0%, CEO demonstrates shrewd leadership.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Rick Wagoner climbed the General Motors executive ladder as part of Jack Smith's team, which was installed in 1992 to pull the company from the edge of bankruptcy. But since Wagoner became CEO on June 1, 2000, he has proved he can lead the team. In the past year, ...
Key facts.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Who: Potamkin Auto Group What: Harlem Auto Mall Where: 127th Street and Second Avenue in Harlem When: 12 to 18 months ...
Russia's AutoVAZ would welcome a GM stake.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... AutoVAZ Chairman Vladimir Kadannikov wants General Motors to acquire an equity stake in his company, Russia's largest automaker. The two companies already work together. Production of the Niva sport-utility in partnership with GM is scheduled to start Sept. 23 at ...
Owner Center.(GM's online project)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... * Started as an e-GM project * Has registered more than 80,000 vehicle owners * Is ...
Francis will leave Ford; e-era over.(Karen Francis; electronic era)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... The departure of Vice President Karen Francis marks the end of the dot-com era at Ford Motor Co. Francis, the high-profile president of Ford's ConsumerConnect unit covering almost all e-business, will leave Ford Aug. 1, it was announced last week. Many of the electronic business ...
Coming to terms.(Chrysler)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Here's why Chrysler thinks it can afford longer powertrain coverage. * Quality scores ...
Mitsubishi to open shop in Canada 5 months early.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc. said it has signed 31 Canadian dealers of 44 it has selected to date and will begin selling vehicles here in the first week of September, five months ahead of schedule. When Mitsubishi announced almost two years ago that it would make a ...
4 automakers are 'highly interested,' Potamkin says.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Robert Potamkin, 56, co-chairman of Potamkin Auto Group, said his company will own and operate one dealership in the auto mall proposed for Harlem. He said at least four automakers are interested in franchises at the site, probably with minority owner-operators. Staff Reporter ...
Phoenix mulls alternatives to Crown Vic police cars.(Ford Crown Victoria police cars prone to explode)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Convinced that the gasoline tanks of its Ford Crown Victoria police cars are prone to explode, the city of Phoenix is evaluating the Dodge Intrepid and Chevrolet Impala as alternatives. The city's decision is more bad news for Ford Motor Co., which is trying to shore up the ...
Ford Web tool aids service departments.(Virtual Service Advisor)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Ford Motor Co. has rolled out an online tool for dealership service departments. The tool, called Virtual Service Advisor, lets online customers schedule service appointments, look up recall information and ask questions. And, unlike many dealership and automaker Web tools, the ...
Mitsubishi names outsourcing chief.(Yoichi Yokozawa)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has appointed a management-level contact person for automotive parts makers interested in buying portions of the company. On June 25, Yoichi Yokozawa took charge of the sale or outsourcing of operations that Mitsubishi does not consider core to its auto ...
Government to require more marking of parts.(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require more marking of automobile parts)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... The federal government will require automakers to mark the parts of millions more vehicles even though the effectiveness of the labeling as a theft deterrent has been difficult to measure. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that when the program is ...
Medicare bill is key issue for Big 3; Change in drug plan could boost profits.(lawmakers push to have Medicare pay for prescriptions for senior citizens)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002; ... Lawmakers from both political parties say they are pushing to have Medicare pay for prescriptions so senior citizens get the drugs they need, but some corporations, including the Big 3, also could cash in. That is because the unionized Big 3 pay medical bills for many retirees ....
Sales slip in June; GM is up.(June auto sales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 08, 2002; ... General Motors was firmly in the driver's seat in the U.S. market in June, the only mainstream manufacturer except Hyundai and Kia to post an increase in sales last month compared with the year-ago period. June sales overall were 5.3 percent behind the year-ago month, at 1.5 ...
Mexico sales up in May; 1 million in sight for '02.(auto retailers)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Mexican auto retailers are flirting with the million mark. If the sales pace for light vehicles continues at the rate achieved in the first five months, nearly 1 million units will be sold this year. Not only would that be a first, but it also would mean there have been three ...
Lost in the translation.(Ford Motor Co considers replacing Ford Taurus with sedan based on European Mondeo)(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Ford Motor Co. says it is thinking of replacing the Ford Taurus with a mid-sized sedan based on the European Mondeo. The thought brings back memories of the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique flops of the 1990s. They were fine European sports sedans that failed here in large part because the ...
Stock watch.
Jul 08, 2002 ... table: see ...
Automotive News All Stars.(Brief Article)
Jul 08, 2002 ... Top ceo, NA Rick Wagoner President and CEO General Motors Putting the General back on track He hired Bob Lutz, blessed 9 percent financing, and his cost-cutting effort has borne fruit. GM's low-key CEO lets the spotlight shine on ...
Findlay Industries finds new financing.(through GMAC Business Credit)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Findlay Industries Inc., a supplier of seat assemblies to General Motors, appears to have averted a showdown with its bankers with the help of a GM financing unit. GMAC Business Credit, part of GM's Commercial Finance Group, supplied new financing to the Findlay, Ohio, supplier, ...
Nissan's Z-car arrives; Resurrected sports car makes non-debut debut.(350ZX)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... As Nissan North America Inc. toured the country last month showing the new 350ZX to reporters, there weren't many questions left to answer. Since its debut as a concept at the 1999 Detroit auto show, Nissan has shown the coupe at several other auto shows, leaked such information ...
Personnel.(includes multiple appointments)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002 ... TI AUTOMOTIVE LTD. - Richard Kolpasky to president of North American operations. He was vice president of brake and fuel operations for the company's Americas group. TI Automotive of Warren, Mich., offers fluid storage as well as transfer and delivery systems. ...
Fields: Goal is to understand Premier brand power.(Mark Fields is new group vice president of Premier Automotive Group)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002 ... Mark Fields, 41, the new group vice president of the Premier Automotive Group, says each of his units - Volvo, Land Rover, Jaguar and Aston Martin - have their own distinct cultures. ``I want to understand the true strength of the brands,'' he says. Fields was ...
2 executives depart as ADESA reorganizes.(Frank Stephens, Tony Moorby)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Two key executives have left ADESA Corp., and the company has outlined a restructuring strategy that combines its marketing and sales departments and moves commercial remarketing personnel to individual auction sites. ADESA of Indianapolis is owned by ALLETE Inc. of Minneapolis ....
Inventory dips in June.(light vehicles)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 15, 2002; ... The U.S. days supply of light vehicles fell in June, mostly because sales at General Motors outpaced the industry. On July 1, the average industry days supply was 56 days, down from 58 days on June 1. GM had a 57-day supply as of July 1, down from 69 days a month ...
Market tremors rattle automotive stocks.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Automotive stocks held on during a quarter in which accounting scandals and economic uncertainties battered the U.S. equity markets. Automakers, parts suppliers and public dealership groups tracked on the Automotive News/PricewaterhouseCoopers Total Shareholder Return Index ...
Letters to the Editor.
Jul 15, 2002 ... Forget the '98 Miata; there wasn't one To the Editor: I am writing about ``Retro designers can learn from Miata's success'' in some editions of your June 17 issue. The story says, ``For the 1998 model year, Miata lost its pop-up headlights.'' That is ...
Joined firms seek stamp of success.(Zenith Industrial and Aetna Industries merge into AZ Automotive Corp.)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Two financially troubled stamping companies have merged to create a new firm that could intensify price-cutting pressure on the industry's biggest stampers. The formation of AZ Automotive Corp. is another example of small suppliers being joined to create one company that can use ...
Wagoner, Ghosn got it together.(General Motor's Bob Lutz, Nissan's Carlos Ghosn)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Last week, Automotive News ran its annual list of industry all-stars. It was dominated by General Motors executives. What is remarkable, however, is that all the GM all-stars have been with the company a long time - with the exception of Bob Lutz, GM's most recent and most ...
Scheele pushes more parts sharing at Premier.(Ford Motor Co. chief operating officer Nick Scheele wants Premier Automotive Group to cut costs)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Nick Scheele says Jaguar and Land Rover must cut $1,075 in development and manufacturing costs per car to be competitive with BMW and Mercedes-Benz. ``We're looking at the whole (Jaguar and Land Rover) supply chain,'' said Scheele, Ford Motor Co. COO. ``There are ...
Suzuki considers Fiat diesels; Deal would be first for GM alliance partners.(Suzuki Motor Corp. may buy diesel engines from Fiat Auto S.p.A. for use in India)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Suzuki Motor Corp. is discussing the possibility of buying diesel engines from Fiat Auto S.p.A. for use in India. The negotiations mark the first potential collaboration involving General Motors' European and Asian alliance partners. GM owns 20 percent of both Suzuki and Fiat. ...
Miss. dealers won't file appeal against Choctaws.(Mississippi automobile dealers)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Dealers in Mississippi plan to end opposition to a Ford-Lincoln-Mercury franchise license granted to a Native American tribe. The dealers are abandoning the effort because the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians agreed to various concessions, including the collection of state ...
Ballot box engineering.(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002 ... How the automobile industry could block California's climate-change measure * Get at least 420,000 names on petitions * ...
Other guys.(minivan sales April 23 - July 8, 2002)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 15, 2002 ... Selected minivan sales for Chrysler sales blitz, April 23-July 8 :Sales GM (3 nameplates): 46,777 Ford Windstar: ...
Japan sales dip 6% in June.(auto sales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Japan's new-vehicle sales in June fell 6.0 percent from a year earlier as demand shrank in almost every market segment. The decline was the ninth in the last 10 months. Only compact cars posted a sales gain. Sales of 660cc minivehicles were little changed from June 2001. ...
Corrections.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
Jul 15, 2002 ... * A story on Page 8T-H of some editions of the July 1 issue listed an incorrect Web address for the Cobalt Group, a Seattle technology company. The address ...
Retailers see small dip in 2nd quarter.(automotive retailers)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Automotive retailers sagged slightly in the second quarter, ending a sharp rise in valuations that began 18 months ago. From January 2001 through March, the segment had pumped up values by 178.6 percent, interrupted only by the Sept. 11 market plunge last fall. But in the second ...
Hyundai recalls 220,000 cars.(Hyundai Motor America)(Brief Article)
Jul 15, 2002; ... Hyundai Motor America is recalling more than 220,000 cars to repair three separate parts that protect occupants when crashes occur. The company is recalling about 43,000 Hyundai Sonatas from the 2002 model year to replace sensors for side-impact airbags. Hyundai ...