Automotive News back issues from July 2003:
Auto News Digest.(Briefs)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Toyota Prius remains at $20,480 LOS ANGELES - Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. says the price of its hybrid electric-gasoline Prius will remain at $20,480 for 2004. The price includes a $485 destination fee. Except for a $30 increase in the freight fee in 2002, the ...
New Direction.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Changes at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers * New CEO in the ...
Honda V-6 cruises on 3 cylinders.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Honda Motor Co. has developed a 3.0-liter V-6 engine that can deliver as much as 250 hp when accelerating, or cut back to just three cylinders when cruising. That flexible performance offers an average fuel economy equivalent to that of a ...
PSA develops diesel filter for life of car.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine French automaker PSA/Peugeot-Citroen has developed a diesel particulate filter that it hopes will give it an advantage in environmentally conscious Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The device, which reduces soot particulates from diesel ...
Chief Juggling Officer; John Devine must find money for GM's huge pool of retirees - and keep new vehicles coming to meet the Japanese competition.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Dave Guilford John Devine has two extremely hungry mouths to feed. Devine, General Motors' vice chairman and CFO, must keep money flowing for GM's ambitious product development plans. At the same time, Devine must divert cash - $4.8 billion last year - to ...
obituary.(Obituary)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Claude Scoggins DETROIT - Claude Scoggins, 82, who had a 35-year career with ...
Robert Bosch banks on diesel technology.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... German supplier Robert Bosch GmbH is placing a big bet on diesels. Bosch is considering mass production of a diesel particulate filter - technology that removes the soot particles from diesel exhaust - starting in 2005. That could pave the way to U.S. business. A decision is ...
Nissan looks to dent big-pickup market.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota Motor Corp. was the first Japanese automaker to launch a full-sized pickup in the U.S. market, but many industry watchers consider its entry, the Tundra, to be a seven-eighths-scale near miss. Rather than follow Toyota down that road, ...
Chief engineers put the emphasis on basics.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Even though the Nissan Titan has a Japanese chief engineer in Yuzo Sakita, the truck was designed and engineered in America. Sakita spent two weeks out of every month rotating among Nissan's Farmington Hills, Mich., r&d center, its new assembly plant in Canton, Miss., the sales arm ...
Wilmington may build Pontiac Solstice; Delaware plant would lose Saturn L series.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors is studying whether to assemble one of Vice Chairman Robert Lutz's high-profile projects, the Pontiac Solstice roadster, in its plant in Wilmington, Del. Industry sources say the Solstice business plan designates Wilmington as the ...
Most plants idle last week.(Production)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Debi Domby * An abbreviated form of the weekly production table appears below. The table lists only manufacturers' week and year-to-date totals because some North American vehicle assembly plants were on summer shutdown the week ending Saturday, July 5. Our Web site, ...
VW modernizes parts distribution network.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Volkswagen of America Inc. and Volkswagen Canada Inc. have spent $200 million to overhaul their North American parts and accessories distribution network. The overhaul involves adding distribution centers, moving regional centers and changing the ...
Nissan cuts role in auto lobby group.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Harry Stoffer The auto industry's main lobbying group, which aspires to represent a broad range of automakers in the United States, has lost the full participation of an important Japanese member. Nissan North America Inc.'s decision to drop to associate ...
Bernd Bohr.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Titles: Member of Robert Bosch GmbH's board of management since July 1, 1999; chairman of Bosch's automotive technology business sector since July 1, 2003 Born: Sept. 7, 1956, in Mannheim, Germany ...
Making Changes.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Here's what VW did to overhaul its parts distribution system. Added 2 redistribution centers 1. North America Redistribution Center in Cranbury, N.J., receives bulk shipments from Kassel, Germany. 2. Puebla Redistribution Center in Puebla, Mexico, stores ...
IBM's road map.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... IBM's telematics pitch to automakers includes * Mining vehicle data to predict problems * Developing infrastructure ...
Ford, GM hybrid SUVs will differ; Escape features all-wheel drive; Vue is front drive only.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Richard Truett The hybrid-powertrain versions of the Ford Escape and Saturn Vue are about the same size and likely will be priced about the same. Both are expected to deliver 40 mpg in city driving and to cut tailpipe emissions dramatically. But ...
Legacy costs.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... The Big 3 are struggling under the twin burdens of pensions and health care for a growing group of retirees. Transplant automakers don't have this burden. Here are the number of hourly retirees for the Big 3 and the 2 largest ...
Late News.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Calif. board staff backs Ford on Asbury sale The legal staff of the California New Motor Vehicle Board has backed Ford Motor Co.'s decision to block the sale of Bob Baker Ford in San Diego to Asbury Automotive Group. In a report, the staff concluded that Ford was ...
Auto News Digest.
Jul 07, 2003 ... M-B extends endorsement deal with Sorenstam MONTVALE, N.J. - Mercedes-Benz USA LLC has extended its endorsement agreement with LPGA superstar Annika Sorenstam through 2005. The current agreement, which began in July 2001, was scheduled to end this year. But Sorenstam created a ...
Ghosn's successes mount at Nissan; With more products, sales and share, carmaker thrives under CEO's care.(News)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: James B. Treece It was just another year at the office for Carlos Ghosn. More records. More astounding results. And another year as Automotive News' Industry Leader of the Year. Ghosn earned the honor - his third (he was industry leader in 2000 and 2001) - by ...
About that $70 billion: How General Motors will manage retiree costs.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors has mammoth liabilities for pension and retiree health care. But the company insists they are manageable. Here are key questions about GM's huge obligations: * How big is GM's underfunded pension and health care obligation? ...
Big 3, UAW prepare to bargain; Suppliers fear they'll foot the bill for industry labor peace.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: David Sedgwick When the UAW launches contract talks next week with the Big 3, the players most likely to be affected - suppliers - will not be at the bargaining table. The union has decided it can reverse decades of declining membership by organizing key ...
Letters; to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Mitsubishi boss sees bright future To the Editor: I'd like to clarify reports in Automotive News regarding Mitsubishi Motors in North America and the outlook for our brand. Let me begin by stating that the company's growth and marketing strategies are ...
Magazine auto ad spending soars 32% in first quarter.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Lillie Guyer U.S. automakers were very good to magazines during the first quarter of 2003. While total automotive spending on measured media was up 10.9 percent for the quarter, magazine spending soared 32.6 percent to $389.6 million, according to preliminary ...
Ad boss takes agencies to task; GM's Fraleigh says big ideas are scarce.(AdWatch: Outlook 2003.)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Claire Atkinson Agencies lack the big ideas that sell products, while holding companies are "flabby'' organizations that have become "more revenue models than consumer-solution models,'' says CJ Fraleigh, General Motors' executive director of advertising and corporate ...
Audi ponders building high-end sports car.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink MORTEFONTAINE, France - Audi is considering producing a high-end sports car priced above the TT that would be based on the Nuvolari concept vehicle. The Nuvolari debuted at the Geneva auto show in March. "We are currently ...
California dealer loses bid to stop rival Vokswagen store.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Donna Harris Volkswagen of America Inc. has won approval to open a dealership in Clovis, Calif., despite objections from a Volkswagen dealer five miles away. The California New Motor Vehicle Board has rejected dealer Michael Rosvold's complaint that a Clovis ...
U.S. sales dip 4% in June.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Sales of light vehicles didn't burn any barns in June, but they didn't signal the collapse of the industry, either. Deliveries totaled 1,476,929, down 4.0 percent from June 2002. Even harder to take was a dip to 15.9 million in the ...
Top execs shuffle jobs at Nissan North America; Bill Kirrane retires, Mark McNabb gets Nissan, Mark Igo takes Infiniti.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Following a 32-year career with Nissan North America, Nissan Division General Manager Bill Kirrane announced his retirement last week. He will be succeeded by Infiniti Division General Manager Mark McNabb, effective July 20. Kirrane, ...
John Devine.(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Title: GM Vice chairman and CFO Age: 59 Previous work: He joined GM on Jan. 1, 2001, after a brief stint as CEO of an e-business investment firm. Devine left Ford Motor Co. in 1999 after 32 years. When he ...
Maybach debuts with 67 U.S. dealers.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Mercedes-Benz has launched the Maybach ultraluxury car in the United States with oh-so-understated ads in eight national and regional newspapers. The ads, which appeared June 26 and 30, were tied to the arrival of the first 30 Maybachs ...
Ford to sign global ad pact with WPP Group.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Jean Halliday Ford Motor Co. will sign a global contract with advertising giant WPP Group for 2004, replacing local agreements with three WPP agency networks that handle major Ford brands worldwide. WPP may get more Ford business across its 130 companies that ...
VolksWagen brings wry humor to crucial SUV ad effort.(Sport utility vehicles.)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Jean Halliday Volkswagen of America Inc. was the comeback star of the 1990s. Now, again losing ground to rivals, it's trying to regain momentum with the introduction of its first SUV, the Touareg. The ad launch, which began airing Tuesday, July 1, is marked by ...
Who's in, Who's out.(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Alliance members Full members: BMW, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, GM, VW Associates: Mazda, ...
Ford wins deal with China banks to offer car loans.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Alysha Webb Ford Motor Co. said the Bank of China and the China Construction Bank agreed last week to provide wholesale and retail auto financing to its China operation, Changan Ford Automobile Corp. The agreement gives Ford the advantage of offering buyers ...
Turning 50 in style.(The Chevrolet Corvette turned 50.)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... The Chevrolet Corvette turned 50 this summer, and Nashville, Tenn., hosted a party to celebrate. Corvette fanciers lined the streets on Friday, June 27, to watch a parade featuring Corvettes from all model ...
Honda founder's son held in tax evasion case; Prosecutors allege his firm reported bogus expenses.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi The son of the founder of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and an aide have been arrested here on suspicion of evading corporate taxes at Mugen Co., a maker of race car engines and auto parts with close ties to the automaker. The Saitama District Public ...
Cadillac serves a bowl of alphabet soup.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. It's probably bad form to criticize Cadillac these days. Sales are up; the division has straightened out its product lineup; and it predicts even better days to come. But have you been able to decipher Cadillac's bewildering set of initials ...
IBM: Value in telematics is for carmakers.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Dale Jewett The payoff from telematics will come from the vehicle, not the occupants inside. That strategy is at the core of IBM's pitch to automakers to use its hardware and software in future vehicles. The New York-based company's technology is clustered ...
Out of control.(Health care costs.)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Health care costs are soaring for Ford Motor Co., General Motors and the Chrysler group. Ford's annual health ...
Automakers' service score doesn't move.(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Marty Bernstein There's good news and bad news for automakers, based on an annual Harris Poll survey that ranks industries by how well they serve customers. In this year's survey, 64 percent of consumers thought car manufacturers did a good job, which ranked ...
Too close for comfort?(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Issue: Will a new Volkswagen dealership in Clovis, Calif., hurt the business of a VW dealership 5 miles away in ...
Auto News Briefly.
Jul 07, 2003 ... And now, 'As the Wheel Turns' - Automotive retailer CarMax a soap star? Well, sort of. A daily soap opera called "Rebeca,'' which debuted in June on Spanish-language TV network Univision, is set in CarMax's Miami used-car store. The main character, Rebeca, works as a customer service ...
Cross Lander - then and now.(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Then (1999) ... Product: Aro Source: Romania importer: East European Imports, Miami President: John Perez ...
Saturn Corp. lacks parts for ignition recall on L series.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Saturn Corp. is recalling about 240,000 cars from the 2000-03 model years but is informing customers that parts to repair them may not be available until September. The recall affects L-series cars equipped with 2.2-liter four-cylinder engines. ...
Delphi Corp. unit goes bargain hunting; Supplier scours low-cost regions.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Julie Armstrong Delphi Corp. has established a secondary purchasing network in low-cost regions of the world as part of its drive to cut costs. North America is not included in the new four-office network. In the past three months, Delphi has set up ...
Chrysler moves to flat-folding seat in minivans.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Richard Truett When it comes to minivan rear seats, the Chrysler group has decided it's better to fold 'em than to hold 'em. Chrysler is planning to outfit its Chrysler and Dodge minivans with flat-folding third-row seats sometime in 2004, industry sources ...
Buying from China: A moral puzzle.(Column)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. I have a question, and I have no idea what the answer might be. The purpose of this column is to explore that question and present a little speculation. Maybe an Automotive News reader can supply an answer. My question is this: What does a ...
General Motor's hybrids.(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Saturn Vue Gasoline engine teamed with twin electric motors and an automatic transmission. Provides electric-motor-only propulsion at low speeds. * Fuel economy gain: 50% * Due: 2005 Chevrolet Equinox/ Chevrolet Malibu (above) 4-cylinder gasoline engine ...
Opinion.(Column)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Borrowing Chevy TrailBlazer for Saab carries risk Saab Cars USA Inc. boxed itself in for many years with a limited product line - pricey cars in a truck-happy market. So the company's disclosure that it would borrow an SUV from parent General Motors seemed overdue ....
We forget where the money is made.(Used car sales.)(Column)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN The industry's sales reports every month tell us that the automobile business revolves around the sale of new cars and trucks. We constantly hear about incentives and rebates that automakers are using to keep those sales high. Not too ...
Once again, Romanian Aro aims for elusive U.S. target; Distributors say 80-plus dealers want to sell SUV.
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Two Miami businessmen are attempting again to import the Romanian military vehicle known as the Aro, this time under the Cross Lander name. Importers have tried repeatedly since the 1980s to bring the four-wheel-drive SUV to the United ...
AIADA [American International Automobile Dealers Association] founder David Gezon dies at 78.(Biography)
Jul 07, 2003 ... Byline: Harry Stoffer The six pallbearers who carried David Gezon's casket last week were all current or retired employees of his dealership. Combined, they had worked more than 200 years for Gezon, a pioneering import-brand car dealer, who died June 27 in Grand ...
What is an All-Star?(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 07, 2003 ... The Automotive News All-Stars are the auto industry's version of Major League Baseball's All-Star team. Automotive News reporters and editors have selected ...
Halftime hopes for 16 million; Here's a peek at some of the year's ups and downs.(Sales)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. SENIOR EDITOR The sales results of the first half of 2003 can be interpreted two ways, depending on which end of the automotive teeter-totter you're riding. If you're a Wall Streeter, the 2.5 percent sales decline from 2002 confirms your ...
Cunningham: A racing legend on land and sea.(Obituary)(Obituary)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Amy Schoder Briggs Swift Cunningham II, a sports car builder and racing legend on land and sea, died July 2. He was 96. A fierce competitor who designed and manufactured his own race cars, Cunningham played a part in the development of the Chrysler Hemi 300 ...
SRX brings Cadillac into sport wagon arena.(News)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Edmund Chew The 2004 Cadillac SRX shares much with the Cadillac CTS, which also is built on the rear-drive Sigma platform. But about 40 percent of the SRX's parts are new because the vehicle brings Cadillac into the sport wagon segment. Major areas ...
Lutz was the last of Ford Whiz Kids.(News)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Richard Johnson By now the centenary of Ford Motor Co. has been thoroughly celebrated. But here are some thoughts about two personal confrontations from which sprang the Ford of today. The first involved Harry Bennett, henchman of the aging and out-of-touch ...
Chinese automakers challenge foreigners; Locals bank on price advantage, patriotism.(News)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Alysha Webb Six months ago, small-business owner Sheng Baixiong considered buying a Geely Haoqing subcompact here. He liked the price of the Chinese-developed 1.3-liter car, which is equivalent to $5,555, but wasn't impressed with the poorly fitting doors. He walked ...
FAW's Red Flag loses status in growing Chinese market.(News)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Alysha Webb In the early 1970s, looking to showcase China's auto-making capability, Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong ordered a 33-foot-long Red Flag limousine from First Auto Works, the country's first automaker. But by all accounts, Mao never got to use ...
Late News.
Jul 14, 2003 ... National gets new court date A Cayman Islands court will decide whether to liquidate the assets of National Warranty Insurance Co., the troubled service contract insurer, on Aug. 1. The proceedings originally had been scheduled for Friday, July 11. Court-appointed ...
LS 400 leads Lexus to No. 1; U.S. companies top the Europeans in annual durability study.(News)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Chaz Osburn, Mark Rechtin The Lexus LS 400 had the fewest problems of all the vehicles in a key industry study on long-term vehicle quality. J.D. Power and Associates' 2003 Vehicle Dependability Study found that the 2000 LS 400 had 104 problems per 100 ...
GM loses bid to dismiss dealer's lawsuit over Oldsmobile's demise.(Legal File)(Brief Article)
Jul 14, 2003 ... Byline: Donna Harris A federal judge has told a Wheeling, W.Va., Oldsmobile dealer that he can make a case that General Motors breached its dealer agreement by discontinuing the Oldsmobile brand. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia on ...
Fuel cell delivery vehicle debuts.(News)(Brief Article)
Jul 14, 2003 ... FedEx Corp. marked a first here on Wednesday, July 9, by delivering packages in a fuel cell vehicle built by General Motors. The HydroGen3 is the first fuel cell-powered vehicle approved for commercial use in the country. As part of the Japanese government's ...