Automotive News back issues from February 2007:
Pricing, margins are hot topics at Pontiac; Council co-chairman: New product mix will be awesome.(General Motors Corp.'s Mike Bowsher talks about Pontiac-GMC)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau As General Motors pushes its Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealers to consolidate those franchises into one store, a practice it calls "channeling,'' dealers selling Pontiac and GMC vehicles are struggling with profitability and the desire for more product. They'd ...
Dodge's priorities are inventory, bottom line.(DaimlerChrysler AG. Dodge Div.'s Hayden Elder talks about management decisions)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle Hayden Elder is a homespun Texan who loves nothing more than to take in a rodeo or a Dallas Cowboys football game. Now Elder is taking over as chairman of the Dodge National Dealer Council. He assumed the job Jan. 1, just as Dodge and other ...
Saab's job: Boost volume without new product.(Saab Automobile AB's Howard Drake talks about company's forecasting)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Mary Connelly Saab dealers await an infusion of new product later in the decade. Until then they must stress the functions and safety of Saab vehicles and work to capture buyers migrating from SUVs, said Howard Drake, chairman of the Saab National Dealer ...
On the record.(News)
Feb 03, 2007 ... We think the Smart will sell to baby boomers who want it as a second or third car or for their teenage kid. What better car ...
Pondering boomer nostalgia - and Carroll Shelby.(forecasting automobile industry)(Editorial)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: David Sedgwick Are baby boomers mired in the past? Coming from the airport Thursday, I saw three billboards that advertised the Beatles, Elton John and the Moody Blues. Well, the "Beatles'' turned out to be Cirque du Soleil's latest production. But still ... ...
GM trimmed 87 stores in 2006.(General Motors Corp)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Wilson General Motors trimmed 87 dealerships from its U.S. count last year, a reduction of 1.2 percent. Though it still has too many dealerships, GM doesn't plan buyouts to reduce stores at a faster pace. "We don't have a lot of cash to invest in that,'' ...
What's happening today.(News)
Feb 03, 2007 ... EXPOSITION 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Las Vegas Convention Center WORKSHOPS 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Convention center FORMAL OPENING 2:30-4:30 p.m. Convention center, Hall N4, Level 1 RECEPTIONS, by invitation only ...
Shelby's latest creation.(News)
Feb 03, 2007 ... Customizer Carroll Shelby, center, joins Dave Power, left, and Gulf States Toyota President Jerry Pyle around a convertible version of the Ford Mustang that Shelby is customizing for Hertz. A ...
For Saturn dealers, the 'best years are ahead'.(Tom Carpenter talks about company forecasts and management)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The last few years have been lean for Saturn dealers. Battling an aging lineup and declining sales, Saturn became less of a "different kind of car company'' as its early advertising pitched, and more like just another General Motors brand. ...
GM enhances its certified warranties.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers General Motors will cover vehicles sold under its GM Certified brand with 5-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranties starting March 5. The enhancement will be effective from the time the vehicles were sold as new, Brian McVeigh, general ...
Chrysler-Jeep dealers look to new product.(Chrysler Corp.'s Jim Arrigo talks about Chrysler-Jeep)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle Before he and his dad bought a Dodge dealership in Fernandina Beach, Fla., in 1989, Jim Arrigo worked for 10 years at Southeast Toyota Distributors Inc. learning from Jim Moran, a legend in the car business. Arrigo has not looked back. His ...
Chevy shopping list: Hybrids and entry models.(General Motors Corp. Chevrolet Motor Div.'s Roger Moody talks about company management techniques)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Chevrolet dealers have a lot to look forward to in 2007 with the new Silverado pickup in stores and the restyled Malibu sedan coming this fall. Of course, the big buzz is around the Camaro, which is coming in 2008. There were sales successes last ...
Cadillac dealers anticipate CTS; desire coupe.(General Motors Corp. Cadillac Motor Car Div.'s Daniel Jobe talks about company management techniques)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Cadillac dealers look forward to the addition of the restyled 2008 CTS sports sedan this fall. But they would like Cadillac to add a coupe. "It's a glaring omission in the product lineup that we need to address,'' said Daniel Jobe, the new chairman of ...
Question of the day.(automobile dealers pricing strategy)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007 ... What are you doing to cut costs? "Our whole strategy is about reducing cost, and doing it through scale. That's why we have 105 dealerships as of yesterday. Operating more stores lets us share the cost of advertising and insurance and other overhead expenses. ...
Dealers differ on meaning of 'profitability'.(News)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. What's your chief concern for 2007? Automotive News put that question to dealer council leaders of 32 brands sold in the United States, and the answer came back loud and clear: 17 said profitability. Interviews with the dealers will be ...
Toyota robs brands across U.S.(Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales )(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Toyota is snatching sales from almost every brand in the United States - even brands that compete in different segments than Toyota. Or thought they did. According to conquest sales data presented here Thursday at the J.D. Power Automotive ...
Buzz is audible when bag carousel is silent.(News)(Column)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Edward Lapham Just once I'd like to fly into Vegas for NADA and have my bags waiting for me by the time I get to the baggage claim area. Why does it take so long? The nicest thing you can say about the service at McCarran is that it's consistent. Undoubtedly, ...
Wall Street could speed Detroit 3 consolidation.(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell A Wall Street investor says the Detroit 3 need to eliminate 60 to 70 percent of their U.S. dealerships to compete effectively with Japanese rivals. What's more, the investor might want to put his money into helping make that happen. ...
Buick dealers' lament: 'We need more product'; Getting channelled with GMC, Pontiac is also a challenge.(an interview with Frank Bellavia)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Mary Connelly Buick dealers need a broader product line, said Frank Bellavia, co-chairman of the Buick-Pontiac-GMC National Dealer Council. "We would like to have four to five models specific to Buick that sell,'' Bellavia said. "We need more product. We need to be in ...
Report: Detroit 3 will cut rental buybacks.(News)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Program vehicles will account for fewer than half of the cars and trucks that rental companies will buy in the 2007 model year, a report predicts. Program cars and trucks are vehicles that automakers buy back after they are retired from rental ...
Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Ford Motor Co.'s salute to dealers award to its dealers)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007 ... Power: 7 brands have worst rep Can there be anything worse in the auto business than a bad reputation? Market analysts at J.D. Power and Associates have labeled seven of the industry's brands with a "poor reputation.'' Jaguar, Jeep, Hyundai, Kia, Land ...
LaNeve agenda: Blackjack, thank dealers.(General Motors Corp.'s Mark LaNeve interviewed)(Interview)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Mark LaNeve Vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, General Motors Age: 47 What do you like to do in Las Vegas? I like to play blackjack, and I like to play golf when I have the time. It's great ...
Peper benched for NADA.(General Motors Corp. Chevrolet Motor Div.'s Ed Peper met with a mishap in basketball court)(National Automobile Dealers Association)(Brief article)
Feb 03, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Ed Peper will be missing in action from Chevrolet's lineup here following a mishap on a basketball court. Chevy's 43-year-old general manager, who played college ball at Hillsdale College in Michigan, recently took up the game again, and maybe it ...
Powering up.(News)
Feb 03, 2007 ... The convention kicks off today, but discussion of industry issues began simmering Thursday at the two-day J.D. Power Automotive Roundtable at the Green Valley Ranch Resort. Performance guru Carroll Shelby got the crowd stoked about horsepower. And two presidential candidates, former ...
Acura must make do with new MDX for now.(News)(dialogue with Bud Thurston of American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Acura dealers are thrilled with sales of the redesigned MDX SUV, but they know the MDX will have to carry them through most of 2007. With no new product coming until 2008, Acura dealers expect this year to be a challenge. That's on top of a 2006 ...
Another strong year is in the cards for Honda.(News)(dialogue with Jim Smail)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Even with an aging Accord, Honda dealers in 2006 still had their 13th consecutive year-over-year sales increase in the United States. Sales for the Honda Division were up 4.8 percent in 2006 to 1,308,135 vehicles. Jim Smail, chairman ...
Ford uncertainty clouds Land Rover landscape.(Land Rover North America Inc.'s forecasts accorfing to Michael Levitan )
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Dealer group head is optimistic that quality will improve In what might be considered trying times for Land Rover dealers, Michael Levitan sees better times ahead. Levitan, chairman of the dealer group known as the Land Rover Business ...
Microsoft pushes Reynolds, ADP.(Microsoft Corp. introducing Dynamics AX software for dealers in competition with ADP Dealer Services and Reynolds and Reynolds Co)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel, Donna Harris ADP Dealer Services and Reynolds and Reynolds Co. have long been the dominant vendors of dealership management systems on the NADA exhibition floor. But this year Microsoft Corp., a giant of another sort, is also in the house. ...
Question of the day.(selling chinese built automobiles)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007 ... Would you be interested in a franchise to sell Chinese-built vehicles? "Not now. We have no developing plans. The big problem is they aren't starting out with parts and service - which is what we look at. You do not necessarily need to be on the ground floor. ...
Tales of the well-to-do and do-it-yourselfers.(Bill Ford Jr. invested in renovating his house)(Editorial)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: David Sedgwick It is oddly reassuring to learn that Bill Ford Jr. is not immune to the torments of the damned that ordinary people suffer when they foolishly launch a home-improvement project. We were hanging out at Edsel Ford's annual Salute to Dealers event ...
What's happening today.(News)
Feb 04, 2007 ... EXPOSITION 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Las Vegas Convention Center INSPIRATIONAL PROGRAM 9:30-10:30 a.m. Convention center, Hall N4 MAKE MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m. ...
Land Rover dealers discuss profitability, service concerns.(Land Rover North America Inc.)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Land Rover's U.S. dealers just had their second consecutive record sales year and likely will see another record in 2007. But dealers are still concerned about profitability and their service business. Land Rover's increased volumes ...
The new face of Ford.(News)
Feb 04, 2007 ... NADA Chairman William Bradshaw, right, and Jack Kain, left, immediate past chairman, welcome Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally to the exposition ...
Auto News digest.(Century Automotive Group Inc.'s Tracy Shields Jones awarded)(Hyundai Motor America pushing return on investment sales for its dealers)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007 ... Jones wins Time's dealer award for 2007 Tracy Shields Jones has won the 2007 Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award. Jones, president of Century Automotive Group Inc. (BMW-Volvo-Buick-Jaguar-Land Rover-Porsche) in Huntsville, Ala., received the award yesterday at the ...
Ford links bonuses to volume targets.(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Wilson In a switch from last year, Ford-brand dealers will get bonuses only for hitting sales targets in 2007. The 2006 program selected target vehicles and paid a bonus for each unit sold. The new program, which pays bonuses only after dealers ...
New models give Mercedes a winning lineup.(News)(dialogue with Doug Callahan)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko With a replacement S class, a repositioned R-class crossover and the new full-sized GL SUV, Mercedes-Benz dealers have a winning lineup, says Doug Callahan, chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Board. But that lineup is too large. There are ...
LaSorda: Insider will fill Eberhardt's slot.(DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group searching for global sales and marketing chief internally)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle The Chrysler group is searching internally for candidates to become global sales and marketing chief. CEO Tom LaSorda took over the job in December after Joe Eberhardt, controversial sales, marketing and service chief, left the company. ...
Group 1 chief a dealer - not a gambler.(News)(dialogue with Earl Hesterberg of Group 1 Automotive Inc.)(Interview)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Donna Harris Earl Hesterberg Title: CEO, Group 1 Automotive Inc. Age: 53 What do you like to do in Las Vegas? I am not a gambler, so it seems that I only visit for business. I guess the weather is a strong point, but the ...
NADA, AIADA weigh Reynolds data security debate.(National Automobile Dealers Association, American International Automobile Dealers, Reynolds and Reynolds Co.)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel NADA and the American International Automobile Dealers Association have sent a simple message to Reynolds and Reynolds Co.: Dealers control the data stored in their dealership management systems. The two associations issued a joint statement ...
On the record.(News)
Feb 04, 2007 ... "Lexus has a small entry coming to fight the BMW 1 series. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be called the BS. Some of you ...
Profits, products top Ford dealers' concerns.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)(dialogue with Kevin Collins of Ford National Dealer Council )(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007 ... Better profits and top-notch products are on the wish list for Ford-brand dealers this year. And the Ford National Dealer Council intends to keep those priorities front and center in its dealings with Ford Motor Co., says council Chairman Kevin Collins. "This is a ...
L-M dealers look for a slightly better year.(News)(dialogue with Bob Tasca Jr. of Lincoln Mercury National Dealer Council)(Lincoln-Mercury)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Wilson Lincoln-Mercury dealers count 2006 as one of their worst profit years in history. But they hope new product will make 2007 better. "We've got more product than we had in '06, so I feel comfortable,'' said Bob Tasca Jr., chairman of the Lincoln ...
On the record.(News)
Feb 04, 2007 ... "All of our dealers would like more products, but we've talked about wanting to grow Hummer as a brand that we can expand. We've got a lot of runway to grow Cadillac over time because that ...
GM's Clarke: New board will oversee minority-dealer efforts.(General Motors Corp. GM North America, Troy Clarke)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers General Motors is forming an oversight board of senior executives to monitor its minority-dealer program, a top GM executive says. Troy Clarke, president of GM North America, said creation of the board is one of the 152 recommendations made in a ...
On the record.(News)
Feb 04, 2007 ... "It has been a long time since I called Coffeyville, Kansas, home. Growing up in a town of 12,000 people had its limitations. Sometimes we had to find unique ways to get things done. For instance, at Coffeyville ...
Colliver: Trust should be standard equipment in the auto industry.(American Honda Motor Company Inc.'s Dick Colliver speaks at the convention)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Kathy Jackson "Trust'' was the key word that Dick Colliver wanted the audience to hear during his keynote speech at the convention yesterday. Colliver, executive vice president for automobile sales at American Honda Motor Co. Inc., said that when he was a ...
Smart will offer 'reservations'.(Smart USA introduces Smart ForTwo)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Smart USA will begin taking $99 reservations for its car in about 60 days to gauge interest, President David Schembri says. Paying the fee - the maximum permitted without violating state laws - won't buy a place in line for the ForTwo, ...
Girsky's math serves pie theory that's hard to swallow.(Stephen Girsky)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Edward Lapham Some guys just know how to stir up the, uh, dust. In what was probably his first significant speech since leaving General Motors and becoming president of the investment firm Centerbridge Industrial Partners, Stephen Girsky touched off a minor ...
BMW dealers must cut costs.(News)(Bayerische Motoren Werke)(dialogue with Barton Cohen of BMW National Dealer Forum)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: April Wortham Competition in the luxury segment is fierce, and BMW dealers are searching for ways to absorb rising costs while increasing profitability. Dealers need BMW's help in letting potential customers know about technical features that set their ...
GM mulls spots with conquest customers.(General Motors Corp. planning for television advertising campaign)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors may run TV commercials featuring customers who traded in a foreign vehicle for a GM product. The commercials would be part of GM's continuing push to narrow what it calls a gap between the reality of GM's quality and how consumers ...
NADA lets struggling dealers tap experts.(National Automobile Dealers Association's Lifeline to Profits program)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Donna Harris NADA is making its consultants available at no charge to dealers with financial struggles. The program, Lifeline to Profits, is the association's response to the trouble domestic dealers face as their brands' market share slides. "We ...
Jaguar dealers hunker down for a tough year.(Ford Motor Co.'s Ken Gorin talks about the sales of Jaguar)(Interview)
Feb 04, 2007 ... Byline: Richard Truett Although the new XK sports car is off to a good start, 2007 likely will be a tough year for Jaguar dealers. Sales in 2006 were off 32.0 percent from 2005. No improvement is expected this year. The entry-level X-Type is winding down. The ...
Experian adds summary scores to reports.(Experian Automotive introduced AutoCheck Score service)(Brief article)
Feb 04, 2007; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Experian Automotive will add numerical scores to its vehicle history reports to make them easier to understand. The company unveiled its AutoCheck Score feature here and is scheduled to launch it this spring. Each Experian vehicle ...
OnStar will link diagnostic reports to dealer Web sites.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Later this year, OnStar will enhance its vehicle diagnostic service to include a link to the selling dealership's Web site so a customer can schedule an immediate service appointment. That will make it easier for dealerships to win more service ...
Press makes an impression.(Jim Press honored at Automotive Hall of Fame)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007 ... A jubilant Jim Press, president of Toyota Motor North America, was honored as the 2006 Industry Leader of the Year yesterday at the Automotive Hall of Fame's annual awards luncheon here. Press ...
Man of distinction.(Metaldyne Corp.'s Tim Leuliette honored at Automotive Hall of Fame )(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Metaldyne Corp. CEO Tim Leuliette, left, is congratulated by dealer Edward Tonkin of the Ron Tonkin Dealerships in Portland, Ore., after Leuliette received a Distinguished Service Citation from the Automotive Hall of Fame yesterday. Others receiving the award were Amar Bose, CEO of ...
On the record.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... "Like it or not, we can't take a libertarian position on data security. Data ownership includes a responsibility to protect the data. If the data ...
NADA's Taylor predicts 16.5 million-unit year.(News)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Jim Henry NADA expects light-vehicle sales this year of around 16.5 million, roughly even with 2006 and around the average of other industry forecasts. "The economy is fairly strong,'' NADA chief economist Paul Taylor said at a press conference yesterday. ...
Blue Oval lawsuit gets class-action status.(News)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Byline: Jim Henry A federal court has given class-action status to a lawsuit that challenges Ford Motor Co.'s Blue Oval dealership certification program. The decision could affect thousands of Ford and Lincoln-Mercury dealers, a dealer attorney says. Nine ...
Mulally charm works on dealers.(Alan Mulally )
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Amy Wilson Alan Mulally went on a full-fledged charm offensive at his coming-out party with dealers. Over the past three days here, Ford Motor Co.'s rookie CEO mingled with boundless enthusiasm and spoke frankly about the automaker's business conditions. He ...
Autobytel will launch consumer shopping Web site.(MyRide.com)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Autobytel.com lost its swagger with Internet auto shoppers in recent years, so it is taking a big gamble by developing a consumer auto buying Web site called MyRide.com. Autobytel Inc., the pioneer in Internet auto shopping, will launch ...
Kia's Hunt likes to build brands.(News)(dialogue with Len Hunt of Kia Motors America Inc.)(Interview)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007 ... Len Hunt COO Kia Motors America Age: 51 What do you like to do in Las Vegas? Every half-hour I'm busy with dealer meetings, lunches, etc. There is so much to do that I can't do "what stays in Vegas.'' What's your goal ...
Jaguar will help dealers survive until XF arrives.(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Hang in there, baby. The hoped-for salvation of the Jaguar franchise - the S-Type sedan's replacement, named XF - will reach dealer showrooms in April 2008. For the interim, Jaguar unveiled plans to keep its dealers in business. ...
Audi moves slowly on changing dealer margins.(News)(Audi of America Inc.)(Brief article)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Yielding to dealer pressure, Audi of America Inc. is taking it slow on proposals to tie dealer margins to performance in meeting sales and customer-satisfaction goals. Audi is negotiating its margin proposal with new management in Germany. ...
Panel: To keep people, stimulate their minds.(automobile dealers can offer vocational programs for their employees)
Feb 05, 2007; ... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Even with little career advancement to offer, dealers still can use training and career development programs to hang onto good employees. Technicians, salespeople, managers and administrators are more committed when they can learn new skills. ...