Automotive News back issues from July 2006:
BBB study: Warranty gripes fall.(Ford Motor Co.)(General Motors Corp.)(Volkswagen of America Inc.)
Jul 03, 2006; ... Byline: Greg Migliore Higher-quality vehicles and automakers' emphasis on customer relations have caused warranty complaints to the Better Business Bureau to plummet, the bureau says. In a new report, the bureau says it handled 37,862 consumer complaints against car ...
The Smart play: Mimic the Mini; Penske sets modest goals, wants profitable dealerships in 1st year.(contracts)
Jul 03, 2006; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle Roger Penske plans to steal a page from Mini's playbook when he starts selling Smart cars in America in 2008. Penske thinks his UnitedAuto Group Inc. can profitably distribute DaimlerChrysler's stylish Smart ForTwo minicar by signing 30 to 50 ...
Penske's right guy to handle Smart.(Penske and Schembri running the show makes sense)
Jul 03, 2006 ... Byline: Edward Lapham It's still not obvious that the off-again, on-again plan to sell Smart minicars in the United States will yield a bonanza for DaimlerChrysler AG. But having Roger Penske's UnitedAuto Group Inc. as the exclusive distributor and landing Dave ...
Late News.(car racing)(sales and earnings)(Pardus Capital Management LP acquisitions)
Jul 03, 2006 ... Challenger muscles in DETROIT - The Dodge Challenger is coming back. The Chrysler group was scheduled to announce its return last Saturday at the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Challenger concept car debuted at the Detroit auto show in January. The ...
Chrysler fires first shot in price war.(marketing)
Jul 03, 2006; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle In dealer meetings last month, the Chrysler group told dealers it would deliberately start a summer price war in an effort to provoke General Motors and Ford to follow suit. On Friday, June 30, DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche came to ...
Big 3 dealers: This summer's a bummer; As inventories and costs soar, the imports pour it on.(DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)(Toyota Motor Corp.)
Jul 03, 2006; ... Byline: Dale Jewett Big 3 dealers see trouble ahead. * Their lots are full of new cars and trucks, yet automakers continue to pressure them to order more vehicles. * Floorplan costs are rising as interest rates climb. * More customers are ...
Can Ghosn do it? It's no slam dunk for GM's board.(alliances)(Brief article)
Jul 10, 2006 ... Ever since Las Vegas billionaire Kirk Kerkorian advocated an alliance involving General Motors, Nissan and Renault, Wall Street has been the proposal's biggest booster. After Kerkorian's June 30 disclosure to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, investors bid up GM's stock price by ...
GM, Ford resist Chrysler's spiffs.(employee pricing)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle So far, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are declining to follow in the footsteps of the Chrysler group with its Employee Pricing Plus blowout sale. GM has dropped its 0 percent holiday weekend financing incentive, and Ford is sticking with ...
Dr Z: I'm no Iacocca.(corporate pitchman)(Lee Iacocca)(Dieter Zetsche)(Brief article)
Jul 10, 2006 ... DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche says he had some qualms about following Lee Iacocca's footsteps and becoming a corporate pitchman. "It took the folks in Auburn Hills to persuade me that this would help sell vehicles,'' says Zetsche of his new "AskDrZ.com'' multimedia ad ...
Detroit 3's sales swoon in June, first half; For Toyota Motor Sales, everything is coming up roses.(sales of cars - analysis)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. General Motors and the Chrysler group saw both sides of the employee-pricing coin in June. GM felt the effects of being without it. And the Chrysler group proved how badly it needs those heavy discounts, which it began offering July 1. ...
Auto News briefly.(Trade Shows)
Jul 10, 2006 ... China's carmakers have big plans for Motown The Chinese are coming, and their springboard will be the showcase of the domestic auto industry: the Detroit auto show. Five companies - Hunan Changfeng Motor Co., Great Wall Motor Co., Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Co., Zhejiang Geely ...
China plans restrictions for auto exports; Move aims to control quality, protect image.(automotive exports)
Jul 10, 2006 ... Byline: Alysha Webb Starting next year, the Chinese government will restrict the number of vehicle makers allowed to export. The move aims to protect the image of Chinese automakers. "The government does not want the undisciplined export by Chinese OEMs to lead to ...
Analysts: Alliance's benefits iffy; Global partnership of Renault, Nissan, GM risky, complex.(benefits of alliances and partnerships)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau At first glance, the proposed alliance between General Motors, Renault and Nissan looks like a Rube Goldberg invention - it has lots of moving parts, but it's not at all clear what it might produce. Does an alliance make any sense? On Friday, July ...
Ghosn's crew wouldn't right GM's listing ship.(change in stock prices due to alliances and partnerships)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: Charles Child To make sense of the proposal for General Motors to join the Renault-Nissan alliance, you must understand Kirk Kerkorian. He's an agitator. He is trying to prod CEO Rick Wagoner to boost GM's stock price. He is using his 9.9 percent stake to poke ...
Round one goes to Wagoner.(alliances and partnerships)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: David Sedgwick Rick Wagoner is still in charge. It's too early to predict the outcome of Kirk Kerkorian's proposal to form an alliance between Renault, Nissan and General Motors. But it looks like Wagoner, GM's soft-spoken CEO, has won the first ...
Alliance? Don't say 'no' so fast.(alliances and partnerships)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN They called it a merger of equals, but now the Chrysler group has decided that trumpeting a little German influence wouldn't be so bad for the brand. The new TV commercials boasting about German engineering probably will play very well everywhere but Detroit ....
Richard Petty, auto industry analyst.(planning to reintroduce legendary Dodge Challenger muscle car)(Brief article)
Jul 10, 2006 ... Dieter Zetsche is on TV telling the world how DaimlerChrysler brings customers the best American and German know-how. But if the global giant really wants to talk to the folks deep in the heart of NASCAR nation, it should give Richard Petty another call. Stock car racing's ...
Personnel.(appointment)(Brief article)
Jul 10, 2006 ... AUTOBYTEL INC. - Jonathan Rosen to the new position of senior vice president, Web business operations, from executive director of strategy for AOL's search group. George Roletter to the new position of vice president, Web site operations, from leader of AOL's Studio operations. ...
2006 All-Stars: Strong players, but no MVP.(Special Report)
Jul 10, 2006 ... ***** Correction: The wrong photo appears with an item on Page 33 of today's issue. L.G. Chavez, right, is an Automotive News All-Star. His father, Lloyd, is pictured on Page 33. ***** The 25th anniversary edition of the Automotive News All-Star team ...
Toyota delays Corolla redesign.(Toyota Corolla resigns to be launched during 2008)(Brief article)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota has delayed the redesigned Corolla for U.S. showrooms a year, until spring 2008. The delay is surprising because Toyota adheres to a disciplined redesign schedule. The current Corolla will be on the market six years, not the typical five. ...
Chase targets near-prime vehicle buyers.(Finance & insurance)(Chase Automotive Finance Div.)
Jul 10, 2006; ... Byline: Donna Harris Chase Automotive Finance is expanding its near-prime vehicle lending in an effort to take dealer business away from automakers' captive finance companies. The near-prime market consists of car and truck buyers with midrange credit scores ....
Calendar.(Calendar)
Jul 17, 2006 ... AUTO SHOWS - 2006 July 20-30 - British International Motor Show, (press day: July 18), ExCel Centre, London, 44-20-7235-7000, www.britishmotorshow.co.uk Aug. 30-Sept. 3 - Moscow International Auto Show, Krasnaya Presnya Expocenter, Moscow, 44-207-596-5177, ...
For shame, Dana.(Opinion)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Dana Corp.'s board of directors must not succumb to the corporate disease that has bloated executive compensation in America. The driveline parts supplier lost more than $3 billion in shareholder equity in two years before filing for Chapter 11 protection in March. Now Dana's ...
A rough 3 years in the U.S.(News)(automakers performance in last 3 years)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The past three years have been a rough ride for investors in U.S.-based automakers and suppliers. Among automakers, every positive return on investment for the three years ending June 30 came from companies based in Europe or Asia, according ...
GM fleet sales to drop by 60,000-plus in 2006.(General Motors)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors' fleet sales for 2006 in the United States will be down by 60,000 to 70,000 units compared with last year, says a GM executive. The automaker is also getting better pricing on units sold to fleets this year and is optimistic about ...
Plastic trim supplier shuts down.(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Rhoda Miel Engineered Plastic Products Inc. closed last month, part of a continuing contraction in the auto supply industry. The Ypsilanti, Mich., plastics injection molder entered Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit in March. At the ...
Ford slashes, Wall Street bashes.(Final assembly)
Jul 17, 2006 ... The Way Forward is looking rough. After Ford Motor Co. chopped its dividend in half last week, to 5 cents per share, folks on Wall Street renewed their hand-wringing over the progress of Ford's North American restructuring plan. Ford's promise to put its North American auto ...
Foreign brands are hot in growing Russian market; Customers wait while dealers scramble.(News)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Jason Stein The two-story dealership off Varshavskoe Highway in Moscow's sprawling southern suburbs has just about every General Motors brand a Russian buyer could desire. On the ground floor, shiny new Chevrolets sit next to more expensive Opels. Upstairs, ...
American cars, American jobs.(Final assembly)(U.S.-based car manufacturers employ more americans)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Even after slashing tens of thousands of jobs, U.S.-based manufacturers still will employ nearly three out of every four U.S. auto workers at the end of the decade. That estimate, by the Level Field Institute, is meant to convey the message that some American-made vehicles are ...
What firms please investors? You'd be surprised; GM soared, Toyota fell in wild second quarter.(sales and earnings of the company)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The recent news that investment legend Warren Buffett will give away his billions to charity should come as no surprise. He must have thrown up his hands in exasperation at the contrariness of the stock market. The market is a crazed animal - ...
Personnel.(ASC Inc. appoints Marques McCammon)(Clarion Corporation of America appoints Adam Thomas)(Lear Corp. appoints Marina Williams)
Jul 17, 2006 ... ASC INC. - Marques McCammon, 30, to general manager of the company's West Coast Design and Technical Center in Huntington Beach, Calif. He was the company's director of product and business planning in Southgate, Mich. ASC, of Southgate, Mich., supplies body ...
Late News.(Internal Revenue Service will refund $100,000)(airbag rules)(health care agreement between Ford Motor Co. and the UAW)
Jul 17, 2006; ... IRS won't appeal cash-report case WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service has dropped its challenge to a landmark court ruling in favor of auto dealerships that inadvertently broke federal rules on reporting cash transactions. Earlier this year, a federal court in ...
3-series prototype.(News)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Snapped during hot-weather testing in the Southwest last week was this prototype of the first BMW 3-series model to pack eight cylinders. A 400-hp-plus V-8 will be standard in the M3 beginning late next year. "M'' is ...
Letters to the editor.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
Jul 17, 2006 ... You want 30 mpg? Try today's cars To the Editor: I am writing in response to Patrick R. Foster's July 10 column, "Remember the days of real mpg?'' He writes, in essence, that in the past we had fuel-efficient cars, but not today. Nothing could be farther ...
Canada sales fall in June.(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Erin Robinson Light-vehicle sales in Canada fell slightly in June because of a poor showing by DaimlerChrysler AG. Sales totaled 157,296 vehicles last month, a decrease of 2.6 percent compared with the previous June. After posting strong May sales, ...
Supplies rise after sales slide in June.(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Erin Robinson Slow June sales led the supply of U.S. vehicles to swell to 67 days July 1, up from 63 days one month earlier. About 60 days is considered ideal. The traditional Big 3, although holding steady at a 79-day supply, continue to report the most ...
New Honda plant is $1 billion gain for Ohio suppliers.(Company overview)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Honda's 154 suppliers in Ohio will be the main beneficiaries of the automaker's assembly plant to be built in neighboring Indiana. When the plant in Greensburg begins production in the fall of 2008, Honda expects a $1.5 billion impact on its ...
A June swoon? Not for everyone.(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... With year-to-year sales down 10.5 percent, June was a month most automakers would like to forget. But it wasn't a bummer for everyone. Suzuki notched a 27.7 percent gain. Scion was up 23.2 percent, and Bentley sales rose 22.7, followed by Toyota (up 15.1 percent) and ...
Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)(Jerry Reynolds and Sam Pack are in contract)(chief designer of general motors to design three wheeler)(celebrities show off their customized GM vehicles)
Jul 17, 2006 ... And now, a word from our ex-rival When he was operating his Ford dealership, Jerry Reynolds spent years competing against fellow dealer Sam Pack, owner of Sam Pack's Five Star Ford, in the Dallas area. But now that Reynolds has sold his stake in Prestige Ford in Garland, Texas, ...
Obituaries.(Obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Howard Habberstad HUNTINGTON STATION, N.Y. - Howard Habberstad, founder and retired president of Habberstad BMW and Habberstad Nissan, both of Huntington Station, died here July 11. He was 71. ...
Nissan chalks up 12 million.(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Debi Domby * Nissan North America Inc. produced its 12 millionth vehicle on Wednesday, July 12. The first vehicle was produced in June 1983. * North America car and truck production was up 4.6 percent in June compared with June 2005. Last month's total of ...
Microsoft will woo dealers; Software system takes on ADP, Reynolds and Reynolds.
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Microsoft Corp. is about to reboot the sedate world of dealership-management software. Bill Gates and company will roll out a Microsoft-branded dealership management system in the United States early next year. The move is sure to ...
MGs in Oklahoma: It defies logic.
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Edward Lapham At first, the idea of a Chinese government-controlled company building MG sports cars in Oklahoma seems odd. Yet that's what Nanjing Automobile Group says it will do as part of a grand, global enterprise backed by $2 billion in capital. The plan ...
Plastic mirror maker gets new investor, business.(Marubeni America Corp acquired with VTEC Technologies)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: David Barkholz Marubeni America Corp. has purchased a 15 percent equity stake in VTEC Technologies, a growing maker of plastic automotive mirrors. VTEC Technologies expects to sell 5 million rearview mirrors in 2007, including its first in North America, said ...
Scion targets tuners in late-night spots.(marketing)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Mary Connelly Scion is launching a 30-second commercial for the tC on late-night TV. The spot maintains the Toyota brand's appeal to young buyers who customize vehicles. "Our strategy is to communicate that Scion supports personal expression through ...
Ford simplifies rebates.(marketing)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Ford Motor Co. last week simplified its rebate structure and set an Oct. 2 expiration date, suggesting that it will stand pat until the 2007 model year begins. Previously, Ford had gone the month-to-month route. Although a single ...
Ghosn could take on Toyota with alliance.(News)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: James B. Treece Ask a Toyota executive in private which Asian carmaker he is watching nervously in the rearview mirror, and he'll say Hyundai Motor Co. Nissan Motor Co. won't come up. In market after market, category after category, the Toyota colossus is far ...
GM picks execs in Korea, Canada, Mexico.(General Motors new appointments)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Erin Robinson General Motors has appointed executives to lead operations in South Korea, Canada and Mexico. The appointments are: * Michael Grimaldi, 54, to CEO of GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. in South Korea. He has been president of GM of ...
Dealership Buy/Sell.(acquisitions)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... 100-year-old Buick franchise changes hands BUYER: Aaron Poage, dealer principal, Poage Auto Plaza Inc. in Quincy, Ill. SELLER: Henry Geise Jr., owner, Geise Buick-Pontiac Co. in Quincy. MORE: Buick and Pontiac franchises will be moved to Poage's ...
Dealers.(awards for dealers)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Milestones * Rob Will of University Volkswagen in Seattle received a 45-year award for Volkswagen from Volkswagen of America. * Don Robinson of Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, Calif., received a 35-year award for Honda from American Honda Motor Co. * ...
Cross(over) purposes.(Final assembly)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Fishing in the same waters? Mercedes-Benz's six-passenger R-class crossover was positioned well above the M class when it debuted last fall. But after the R's slow sales start and later repricing, the vehicles' ...
For carmakers, a dream deferred; Guitar industry changed its ways to meet competition.(Opinion)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Victor Galvan Thirty years ago, a mature, iconic American industry faced a serious challenge from Japanese imports. So U.S. manufacturers took bold steps, reinvented themselves and won. No, we're not talking about cars. We're talking about ...
Land Rover streamlines Freelander assembly; SUV will share line with Jaguar X-Type.(News)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Anna Kochan Land Rover will use a new platform, different assembly plant and more robots to build its redesigned Freelander faster and with fewer defects. Land Rover says it will cut the time needed to build the medium SUV from 41 hours to 27.5 hours through ...
Let's quit stalling on diesels.(Sport utility vehicles are created with a diesel engine)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN If you have spent any time in Europe recently, you know that more than half of all cars there are powered by diesels. If there ever was a place on this planet that needed diesels, it's the United States. Although you can create a very ...
New guy Lentz: Still lots to do at Toyota; Improving customer service and pickup sales are high on agenda.(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. vice president Jim Lentz)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin While much of the industry is struggling with losses and declining sales, Toyota is a juggernaut. But Jim Lentz, the new executive vice president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc., still has plenty to worry about. Toyota's rapid growth ...
Exec started selling vacuum cleaners.(Jim Lentz speaks about his vacumm sales)(Interview)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Here are some insights from Jim Lentz, 50, the new executive vice president of Toyota Motors Sales U.S.A. Inc. What jobs did you have as a young man? I sold Rainbow vacuums door to door when I was 15. It was everything bad that you thought about vacuum salesmen. It ...
Does MG still have legs? Chinese firm faces hurdles.(Nanjing Automobile Group plans for MG U.S. distribution )
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Greg Migliore It's audacious: A small Chinese maker of commercial trucks wants to produce and sell British cars on three continents. Nanjing Automobile Group announced plans last week to revive the historic MG brand. The challenges are daunting: * ...
Power exec: China 5 years away from quality autos.(J.D. Power and Associates partners with The Chinese Association of Automobile Manufacturers for quality autos)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Alysha Webb Chinese automakers are about five years away from matching the quality ratings of cars sold in the United States, says Jamey Power, executive vice president of international operations for J.D. Power and Associates. "They realize there is a ...
Geely drops budget-car plan; New strategy: Develop new model, build a new plant.(Geely Automobile Holdings Group to export cars to United States)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Alysha Webb Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Automobile Holdings Group, has a new plan to export cars to the United States. He no longer wants to adapt his current line of budget cars. Instead, he is hiring outside help to develop a car especially for the United ...
Corrections.(Correction)(Correction notice)
Jul 17, 2006 ... * A table on Page 24 of the June 5 issue included incorrect 2005 and 2004 global vehicle unit sales figures for MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Group. MAN sold 74,218 vehicles in 2005 and 69,410 in 2004. * A story on Page 3 of the July 3 issue transposed the Tabbie awards won by Automotive ...
How the wedge brake works.(Siemens VDO electronic wedge brake function description)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006 ... The Siemens VDO electronic wedge brake is a brake-by-wire unit that does not need a 42-volt car electrical system. Conventional electromechanical brake calipers need to develop a clamping force of six to eight tons on the disc to slow a car. But the wedge brake uses the ...
Magna Steyr project bypasses prototypes.(News)(Brief article)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Luca Ciferri Magna Steyr's latest project pushes virtual engineering to a new level: creating an all-new vehicle, from concept to manufactured car, without a single prototype. Last month, Magna Steyr began engineering a vehicle based on a new platform using ...
Linde, Hyundai boost hydrogen technology.(News)(Linde AG)(Hyundai Motor Company Ltd.)
Jul 17, 2006 ... Byline: Jason Stein In the debate over fuels of the future, hydrogen-based fuel cell vehicles always lose on two counts: cost and availability. In a recent survey by consultants Frost & Sullivan, half of the 1,800 European respondents cited expense and accessibility ...
Coachbuilder Karmann expects business to rebound.(News)(Wilhelm Karmann GmbH)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Jens Meiners German supplier Wilhelm Karmann GmbH is optimistic that its business soon will rebound from drastic declines in revenue and production. "Because of the life cycle of the cars we build, we are currently in a downturn. But we are very confident ...
MG convertible? Think mid-engine Miata.(News)(MG TF to be introduced by Nanjing Automobile Group Company Ltd.)
Jul 17, 2006; ... Byline: Richard Truett The MG TF, which Nanjing Automobile Group plans to re-engineer for the United States, was a bright spot before MG Rover Group collapsed in 2005. A popular convertible in Europe, the two-seater sold about 117,000 units in its 1995-2005 ...