Automotive News back issues from December 2005:
Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Lunch at GM: Will Jerry bring the hot sauce? Investor Kirk Kerkorian has kept a low profile while acquiring a 9.9 percent stake in General Motors. But that may change next month. Kerkorian's automotive expert, former Chrysler Corp. CFO Jerry York, will take the spotlight in the ...
Toyota boosts minority spending.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Toyota Motor Corp. counts itself among a small and elite group of companies when it comes to spending money with minority suppliers in the United States. But as the Japanese automaker vies for greater market share and name recognition in the Big 3's home ...
It's only rock 'n' roll - and an R class; Mercedes promotes crossovers with Rolling Stones tour.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Greg Bowens The Rolling Stones' North American tour offers an unusual opening act: the Mercedes R class. Mercedes-Benz USA LLC is parking several Grand Sports Tourer crossovers at the main entrance of every venue on the rock group's tour schedule. Mercedes is ...
It's all in the game of speed; Customized Scion lets players race with world's fastest cars.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Mark Vaughn If the speed of the 5 Axis Scion xA Speedster is not all that great - it's just about stock - the speed you feel like you are driving can be tremendous. From the driver's seat of the xA Speedster you can find yourself racing at some of the ...
VW cuts capital spending.(News)(Volkswagen)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jason Stein Volkswagen group's three-year capital spending plan for its automotive operations will be at its lowest level in more than a decade. With crucial vehicles such as the Golf and Passat cars already launched, VW says it plans to allocate 22.7 billion ...
BMW won't change Mini's legendary design; Major changes will take place in the vehicles' interior.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Rick Kranz Mini will use a formula followed successfully by Porsche for the past 50 years: Don't tamper with an iconic design. As Mini models are redesigned this decade and next, there will be no radical exterior changes, says Kay Segler, Mini vice president ...
Automotive News names deputy managing editor.(Vander Schaaf )(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Mary Beth Vander Schaaf has been promoted to deputy managing editor of Automotive News, a newly created position that reflects her expanding responsibilities. Since 1993, Vander Schaaf has been assistant managing editor, overseeing the copy desk and production. ...
A new way to pay purchasing execs; Ford buyers will be rewarded for improving supplier relations.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is so serious about treating suppliers better that it will tie its buyers' compensation to that goal. Ford's buyers historically have been rewarded primarily for cutting prices. Now Ford global purchasing chief Tony Brown wants to ...
Ford chops the top on GT supercar; Automaker shows version with removable roof.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Andrew Luu There's not much that enthusiasts don't like about the Ford GT. Supercar performance and timeless beauty at $150,000 is hard to knock. But press them hard enough and they probably would ask for a removable roof to experience the open air as the 550 ...
Ford's Fusion feast fills floor in Vegas; Firms modify car to turn heads.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Andrew Luu You can always count on automakers to turn up at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show to try to convince drivers that their latest cars hold a lot more potential than meets the eye. Consider the Ford Fusion sedan. One can't be ...
DCX wins court OK to stop cutoff of Lear parts.(News)(DaimlerChrysler)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Robert Sherefkin DaimlerChrysler AG last week picked a public fight with a supplier that has its back against a financial wall. The German automaker on Friday, Dec. 2, obtained an order from a state court in Michigan that forces Lear Corp. to continue shipping ...
G class will get interior makeover next year.(News)(Mercedes-Benz )
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jens Meiners Not only has Mercedes-Benz saved its G class, but it also will give the premium SUV a face-lift next year, company sources say. The G class had been expected to be discontinued next year and replaced with the GL class, a larger, more luxurious SUV ...
Slumber summit shows Delphi mess ends up OK.(Final assembly)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Edward Lapham Cheer up. The General Motors/Delphi/UAW struggle will turn out OK. I know because I had a vision, which came to me in a dream: Rick Wagoner, Steve Miller and Ron Gettelfinger are on a mountaintop. They're sitting together, talking and ...
DaimlerChrysler loses bid for gas tax refund.(Legal File)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Eric Freedman Manufacturers of vehicles assembled in Michigan aren't entitled to a refund of motor fuel taxes on gasoline left in the tanks of vehicles shipped to out-of-state dealerships, a three-judge panel has ruled. In a test case, the state Court of ...
VW will pull niche vehicles out of its 'hat'.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jason Stein Volkswagen brand Chairman Wolfgang Bernhard has borrowed from his days at the Chrysler group to create a future product blueprint for VW. Internally, the plan is called "Hut'' - a German word that means hat. It refers to VW's initiative to place a ...
Fiat, GM will boost diesel engine output.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat Auto and General Motors plan to expand production capacity of their 1.3-liter diesel engine by 45 percent, supplier sources say. "This expansion won't be immediate,'' a source said. "It will take 18 months to complete.'' Once ...
Dealers.(People)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Milestones * Bernard Thompson Sr. of MacMulkin Chevrolet-Cadillac Inc. in Nashua, N.H., received a 25-year award for Chevrolet from General Motors. * Charles Scott of Regal Nissan in Roswell, Ga., received a 25-year award for Nissan from Nissan North America Inc. ...
Tough talk from Ford's chief.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... As he was preparing for a board meeting this week that will examine Ford Motor Co.'s big plan for cuts and success, Bill Ford dished out some tough love to his employees. Work hard, get with the program - or else. In an audio message e-mailed to employees last week, ...
M-B cancels by-wire brake system; Decision leaves Bosch without a customer for its technology.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Jens Meiners Mercedes-Benz is discontinuing the twice-recalled Robert Bosch GmbH braking system on the E-class and CLS-class sedans next summer in a move that is a blow to automotive brake-by-wire technology. Mercedes will drop the Sensotronic Brake Control ...
Ex-Valeo CEO also tried to hired Ghosn.(News)(Carlos Ghosn )
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Former Valeo CEO Noel Goutard didn't get his man. In his new autobiography, L'Outsider, Goutard describes his failed attempt in 1999 to lure Carlos Ghosn to Valeo to succeed him. Goutard writes about Ghosn, who has become one ...
Romania seeks partner for Daewoo plant; GM, Ford, Renault show interest in site.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jason Stein, Lyle Frink General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Renault SA are contenders to buy a Daewoo Motor Co. assembly plant in Craiova, Romania. All three automakers have expressed interest in the plant, which employs 3,000 people and last year produced ...
Teahen will join hall of fame.(News)(John K. Teahen Jr. )(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Senior Editor John K. Teahen Jr. has written commentary on the auto industry for the past 50 years. Early next year, he'll claim a place among the industry's luminaries. On Feb. 12, Teahen will be one of seven industry figures to receive the Distinguished Service ...
Supply Line.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... New Venture has new name DETROIT - New Venture Holdings LLC has changed its name to Cadence Innovation. The Sterling Heights, Mich., supplier makes interior and exterior components, systems and modules. Axle supplier goes bankrupt LOS ANGELES - ...
TRW switches to Dell servers, Linux system.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel TRW Automotive Inc., which has been converting globally to Dell Inc. desktop computers since 1999, now is doing the same with Dell servers in four global data centers. TRW is replacing its UNIX servers from IBM, Hewlett-Packard and others with ...
As '05 ends, Pischetsrieder faces new perils.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jens Meiners, Jason Stein Volkswagen Group Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder can't find relief - despite some signs his company is turning the corner. European sales are higher, and a restructured VW Group has gained 0.8 percentage point of market share, the ...
Source: Ford will close 8+ plants to stanch red ink.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is poised to close more than eight assembly and parts plants in an effort to turn around its faltering North American automotive operations, a key company insider says. Ford is likely to close at least five assembly plants in Atlanta; ...
Crain will start financial publication.(News)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Crain Communications Inc., the parent company of Automotive News, will launch a publication for corporate finance executives, FinancialWeek. The first issue will be published on June 5. Subsequent issues will be published every other Monday beginning in September. Crain will ...
Jeep hopes for link to Commander with civics classes.(News)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Mary Connelly In mid-month, the Jeep brand will target 11,000 civics teachers nationwide in a bid to promote U.S. history and the Jeep Commander SUV. Jeep is reaching out to seventh-grade teachers with a "Jeep Commander in History'' program. Jeep will ...
Qvale details birth of Brit car craze; At 86, auto pioneer writes autobiography.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Richard Truett It's no secret that MG is the brand of sports cars that America loved first. But how did it happen? The often repeated story is that American military personnel stationed in England in World War II fell in love with the spindly two-seat ...
Late News.
Dec 05, 2005 ... Chrysler's Dees joins Hyundai LOS ANGELES - Don Dees, 46, has been named vice president of service for Hyundai Motor America. Dees will be responsible for all service operations, technical training, technical support, warranty, service contracts, customer surveys and consumer ...
Good grief! Is Toyota about to screw up? More home plants are in the works; it could be a blunder.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: James B. Treece One reason for Toyota Motor Corp.'s greatness is that it hasn't made strategic mistakes - until now. Oh, Toyota has minor problems now and then. Some of its cars - like the Echo and the Japan-market WiLL Vi - don't sell. But all companies ...
Sources: Infiniti lands a sports car.(News)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Kathy Jackson The next-generation Skyline GT-R, a high-performance sports car, will be sold as an Infiniti in the United States, say two sources familiar with Nissan Motor Co.'s plans. The GT-R was sold under the Nissan brand in Japan. Company executives have ...
Auto News Digest.(Briefs)
Dec 05, 2005 ... S&P considers lowering Ford credit rating NEW YORK - Standard & Poor's last week said it will decide whether to downgrade Ford Motor Co.'s credit rating when the automaker releases its year end financial report in January. S&P has been considering a downgrade of Ford's rating ...
Personnel.(American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. appoints Alberto Satine)(Dura Automotive Systems Inc. appoints Ken Yasui)(Johnson Controls Inc. appoints Charles Baker)
Dec 05, 2005 ... AMERICAN AXLE & MANUFACTURING HOLDINGS INC. - Alberto Satine, 49, to vice president of strategic and business development. He was vice president of procurement. Michael Flynn, 48, to vice president of procurement. He was executive director of sales for the ...
Why do people pick on dealers? You can start with a $6,000 pack on a Toyota Avalon.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Peter Brown Just when you think plaintiffs' attorneys can't get any goofier in their attack on the American car dealer, along comes a case of dealer greed that verges on horror. The latest goofy attack: An attempt to force dealers to "justify'' their profit ...
Ad Age honors Mustang, Scion for hot marketing.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jean Halliday A hot car and a hot car brand are among this year's "Marketing 50'' named by Advertising Age, a sister publication of Automotive News. Advertising Age says it bestows the awards for "insightful research, consumer-savvy design and development, ...
Chrysler Web offerings draw sales leads.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Jean Halliday The Chrysler group says it has seen the future of marketing. And it's interactive. The company has made interactive media an essential part of its marketing strategy. It has backed its initiatives with hefty budgets. It seeks to pull consumers ...
Toyota assures employees they will stay in L.A.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and its related operations will not follow Nissan North America Inc. out of Los Angeles. In a recent letter to employees, Jim Press, president of Toyota in America, wrote, "I want to assure you that Toyota has no ...
Bill Ford: Company is in crisis, not chaos.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Peter Brown, Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co.'s North American business is in crisis, CEO Bill Ford says. The scion of the family-controlled automaker has put two newly promoted executives, Mark Fields, president of the Americas, and Anne Stevens, COO of the Americas, in charge ...
ID card simplifies auction buying.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The Auction ACCESS card: Don't leave your dealership without it. That's the pitch to auto dealers from National Auto Auction Association member auctions. Buying auction vehicles with the high-tech identification card prevents errors and fraud, ...
Bosul, AutoZAZ create venture.(News)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Bosal International, a Lummen, Belguim, supplier of exhaust systems and tubing, is joining forces with Ukrainian automotive group AutoZAZ. The companies will establish a joint venture to make original-equipment and aftermarket exhaust ...
For Big 3, a bleak November.(Chrysler Group)(General Motors Corp.)(Ford Motor Co.)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr., Dave Guilford, Charles Child October was a rotten month for car and light-truck sales in the United States, and November was almost as bad. November brought a meager 1,165,814 deliveries; it was the worst November since 1998. It was 2.8 ...
Delphi, GM, UAW must work as one, ditch tough talk.(General Motors Corp.)(United Auto Workers)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... All sides in the Delphi Corp. bankruptcy should cool the rhetoric and work together for the best interests of the enterprise and all its stakeholders. It is encouraging that Delphi will delay by a month its plans to ask a judge to reject its labor agreements. That gives Delphi ...
GM seeks standards for IT outsourcing.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(information technology)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel General Motors is developing a set of standard practices for the way it conducts its $3 billion in annual information technology business. Often viewed as the poster child for outsourcing IT work, the automaker has teamed up with the Carnegie ...
Suppliers will discuss business challenges at World Congress.(News)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... As domestic automakers grapple with bruising competition, declining market share and production rollbacks, suppliers are being hit with the trickle-down effects and forced to adapt. Ways to deal with these challenges will be the topic of a supplier panel at the 2006 Automotive News World ...
Obituaries.(Obituary)(Bob Thibodeau)(Bob Walters)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Bob Thibodeau VERO BEACH, Fla. - Bob Thibodeau, retired president of Bob Thibodeau Ford in Center Line, Mich., died Nov. 17. He was 79. ...
GM's $15 billion nail-biter; Tech titans await December verdict on 40 information technology contracts.(General Motors Corp.)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel The $15 billion information technology sweepstakes at General Motors is about to end, and the world's largest tech companies are biting their nails. The list of 18 finalists for GM's business is a Who's Who of the global technology industry, ...
DCX to sell Fuso trucks at Sterling dealerships.
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: James B. Treece Sterling commercial-truck dealers in North America will begin selling Fuso Canter trucks rebadged as Sterlings next June. The sales will mark a key step in integrating Fuso into DaimlerChrysler's commercial vehicle business. They represent a ...
Ford sources aftermarket parts from China.
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Alysha Webb During his Army career, Randy Creel took courses in strategic planning at the Combined Arms Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Little did he know that he would be applying those lessons to sourcing aftermarket parts from China. Creel ...
Malls, movies to surround Nissan's home.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell As Nissan North America Inc. sketches its new $70 million headquarters here, its local real estate developer is planning a commercial village to accompany it. Nissan's Tennessee home will be surrounded by other office buildings, retail ...
GM delays TrailBlazer, Envoy re-do.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Rick Kranz, Jamie LaReau General Motors has canceled an extensive re-engineering of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy for mid-2007. The automaker will change the exterior and interior styling and probably push back the restyled vehicles' introduction to ...
Wiedeking predicts Porsche will keep growing.(Talk From The Top)(Wendelin Wiedeking )(Interview)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Peter Brown, David Sedgwick, Dave Guilford, Diana T. Kurylko To the horror of some Porsche purists, CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has been transforming the German sports car manufacturer. In 2003 he added the Cayenne SUV to the lineup. Now he will add the Cayman ...
Ford expects government action on energy plan.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Ford Motor Co. executives say they expect prompt results from CEO Bill Ford's call for federal action to help the U.S.-based auto industry cope with energy issues. Ford's plan is not doomed because it came from a single automaker, says Dan ...
Letters to the Editor.(Letters)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Dealer solidly nixes fixed-price selling To the Editor: I read Keith Crain's Nov. 14 column on fixed-price selling as the "next big idea,'' and not knowing his background in the auto business, other than this publication, I would venture to say that he has never sold ...
You like it? It's probably too boring.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN More than a few years ago, Henry Ford II told me a story about walking through the Ford Motor design center and happening upon a clay model of what appeared to be some new car. "Boy,'' he said. "I'm sure glad we're not going to produce that model ....
Automakers battle carbon dioxide rules on many fronts.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Automakers and dealers are mounting a full-court press against states that seek to adopt California's rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. New York, Oregon and Vermont are the targets of the latest industry lawsuits. More lawsuits ...
Fearing a UAW strike, GM jumps into Delphi fray.(News)
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: David Barkholz General Motors made no small contribution last week to Delphi relief. Analysts peg the cost of GM's decision to forgo temporarily a scheduled 2006 price cut from Delphi Corp. at about $420 million on an annualized basis. That ...
Hyundai raises production capacity in India.
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Norman Thorpe Hyundai Motor Co. is making India a significant base for small-car production. The Korean automaker is investing about $600 million to build a second Indian plant. When it comes online in the second quarter of 2007, the plant will boost ...
What's that smell? Decay ... or money?(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... When Wall Street looks at the auto supplier segment these days, it sees a money pit. But Wilbur Ross smells money. The New York investor's growing love affair with the auto supply business kicked into full gear last week with word of his investment group's planned $100 million ...
Delphi: $12.50 looks OK to us.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... In an effort to justify proposed cuts in employee wages and benefits, Delphi last month produced a report that compared its hourly pay rates for new hires with those at eight unionized and nonunion U.S. auto suppliers. And it thinks it has a case. Delphi's most recent proposal ...
Porsche shopping spree?(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Porsche bought nearly 20 percent of fellow German automaker Volkswagen this year, and it may be doing some more shopping. At the company's annual meeting in January, the agenda includes a proposal to change corporate bylaws to allow Porsche to buy or invest in companies outside ...
Sprinter's on the move.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Pack up the vans - the Sprinter is moving. Last week DaimlerChrysler said that it will move assembly of the Sprinter van about 350 miles from Gaffney, S.C., to a Freightliner plant in Ladson, S.C. The switch will be made late next year, coinciding with the arrival of a ...
Institute ranks 10 safest cars.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Baffled by the plethora of vehicle safety ratings? Help is here. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is offering its first rankings of the 10 safest cars. The Ford Five Hundred, Saab 9-3, Subaru Legacy and Honda Civic sedan got the highest ...
Many German carmakers rush to hybrids; Strong consumer demand in U.S. is reason for shift.
Dec 05, 2005; ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko After years of pooh-poohing hybrid technology, key German automakers are doing an about-face. BMW AG and DaimlerChrysler AG have joined General Motors in an alliance to develop a two-mode hybrid drive. Audi, Volkswagen and Porsche have ...
Ex-manager set to acquire castings plant.(News)
Dec 05, 2005 ... Byline: Robert Sherefkin An investor group is in final negotiations to buy a Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. automotive casting plant following a pledge of assistance from the state of Michigan. Prospective buyer Dan Minor is set to acquire Hayes Lemmerz's Cadillac, ...