Automotive News back issues from March 2008:
Mexico sales flat in January.(Sales)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Bernadine Williams Sales of new cars and light trucks in Mexico fell 0.8 percent in January from a year earlier to 96,846 vehicles. Nissan was the market leader in January with unit sales of 20,831, an 8.2 percent increase. General Motors was not far behind at ...
Webasto's fast heater will debut by 2010.(News)(Webasto AG Fahrzeugtechnik)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Richard Truett Webasto AG says a new device that rapidly heats engine coolant in extreme cold will be available on at least one North American vehicle by 2010. The German supplier will demonstrate its Liquid Heat Generator at the Geneva auto show this week ....
Mazda: New models, styling will boost its loyalty rate.(News)(Mazda Motor of America Inc.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Rick Kranz Mazda expects its loyalty rate, which has been subpar, to rebound thanks to an expanded model line and styling that attracts buyers. Last year, Mazda's loyalty rate stood at 22.5 percent, compared with 58.1 percent for Toyota and 53.7 percent for ...
Kia will build transmissions at Georgia plant.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: April Wortham Kia Motors Corp. will build transmissions at its vehicle assembly plant being built in Georgia. The factory also will supply transmissions to Hyundai Motor Co. in Alabama. In return, Hyundai will supply engines from its Montgomery, ...
Detroit 3 shun talk of NAFTA do-over.(News)(North American Free Trade Agreement)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama seek to outdo each other in their rhetorical eagerness to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Auto industry leaders call such talk not only unrealistic but ...
GM to sell medium-truck business, keep dealer network.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers General Motors plans to sell its medium-truck business to Navistar International Corp. But GM says it will maintain its network of 500 U.S. dealerships that sell Chevrolet and GMC medium-duty trucks. "The sale is for the vehicles, the ...
Fraser led UAW with 'combination of substance, politics and charm'.(Obituary)(Doug Fraser)(United Automobile Workers)(Obituary)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Ryan Beene Former UAW President, activist and professor Doug Fraser died Feb. 23 in a suburban Detroit hospital. He was 91. Fraser was UAW president from 1977 to 1983, capping a career with the union that spanned more than four decades. During his presidency, ...
Doug Fraser: A good man to have known.(Obituary)(Obituary)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Edward Lapham Former UAW President Doug Fraser, who died Feb. 23 at age 91, is remembered as one of the great labor leaders and industrial visionaries of the last century. He certainly was that. Doug Fraser - the last of the generation of early UAW ...
GM promotes service, parts leads for dealerships.(Service & Parts)(General Motors Corp.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Donna Harris Auto dealers long have valued the Internet as a source of vehicle sales leads. Now General Motors is using the Web to drive service and parts business to dealerships. Starting next month, GM's Service and Parts Operations plans to provide all GM ...
10 cool dealership technologies found at NADA.(News)(National Automobile Dealers Association)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Thousands of dealers roamed the exhibition floors here at the National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Exposition, looking for everything from software to carwash equipment. Computer services, Internet services and customer ...
Honda will recycle cycle plant.(Final assembly)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Goodbye, Gold Wing, hello, ... what? Honda, which began U.S. manufacturing in 1979 with a motorcycle plant in Marysville, Ohio, will end cycle production there in the spring of 2009 and is studying options for the space. The cycle plant, which also has made auto parts for a few ...
A tale of 2 exhaust systems.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Toyota says a pilot program to reward Swedish dealers who sell the most low-emissions cars may be extended to other European markets. Ulf Winberg, head of Toyota Sweden, said building fuel-saving cars isn't enough to cut CO2 emissions: "The other half is to have the salespeople ...
Russian plant wants to be world's biggest.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Jesse Snyder Russian automaker AvtoVAZ plans to have the world's largest vehicle assembly plant here, with annual capacity of 1 million units or more. AvtoVAZ wants to use its alliance with Renault and Nissan to help its massive Togliatti complex surpass ...
Late News.(appointment of Mike Nakashima at Mazda Motor of America Inc.)(appointment of Brett Wheatley at Ford Motor Co. Lincoln-Mercury Div.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Mazda has new top marketing exec LOS ANGELES - Mazda North American Operations has a new top marketing executive. Mike Nakashima will be director of marketing, reporting to North American CEO Jim O'Sullivan. Nakashima will be responsible for all advertising and ...
PERSONNEL.(People)(appointment of Al Hess at Dealer Specialties)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... ADESA INC. - Mike Davis, 46, to membership in the Arkansas Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame. He has been fleet/lease manager of ADESA Little Rock for the past eight years. ADESA Inc., of Carmel, Ind., is the No. 2 U.S. auto auction company. DEALER SPECIALTIES - ...
Doug Fraser was a great leader.(Column)(In memoriam)(Brief article)(Column)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN These days, we give Ron Gettelfinger a lot of credit for what he and the UAW did during the last contract negotiations. Gettelfinger deserves every bit of that credit. But he, the UAW and, most important, the Detroit 3 owe a great deal to Doug ...
Pontiac puts big ad bucks into traditional media for G8.(News)(General Motors Corp. Pontiac Div.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Pontiac will launch an aggressive marketing blitz for the new G8 sedan using mostly traditional media. That's a change from the viral or Internet advertising Pontiac is using on the launch of the latest version of the Vibe hatchback. The G8 will ...
Auto News digest.(Briefs)(appointment of Steven Hamp at Visteon Corp. (Dearborn, Michigan))
Mar 03, 2008 ... Ford prices '09 Flex atop crossover line DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. has priced the new 2009 Ford Flex at the top of its crossover lineup. The Flex will go on sale this summer at a starting price of $28,995, including shipping, according to a price list Ford distributed ...
On the Web.(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... This week at www.autonews.com: * Monday: Automakers report February U.S. sales. * Monday: Troubled supplier Plastech Engineered Products returns to ...
Auto News digest.(Briefs)(American Honda Motor Company Inc. is recalling Acuras)(Magna International Inc's net income for fourth quarter)(DealerTrack Holdings Inc's Tom Gibson resigned)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Acura to replace faulty hoses WASHINGTON - American Honda Motor Co. is recalling hundreds of thousands of Acuras to make two safety-related repairs. The number of recall notices exceeds 400,000, but there is overlap in the affected vehicles. Some owners are eligible for both ...
Bob Nardelli's new big-idea guy; Chrysler consultant Arnell has power - and the boss' ear.(Peter Arnell)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Bradford Wernle There's a new power broker working in the 15th floor executive offices of Chrysler LLC's global headquarters - a man who might give dealers a feeling of deja vu. He's Peter Arnell, a flamboyant New York branding and communications adman known ...
Production.
Mar 03, 2008 ... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy. CAPTION(S): Chrysler LLC's Windsor, Ontario, plant shut down late ...
M-B will hit the road with 50-state diesels.(News)(Mercedes-Benz USA Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Luxury buyers want to appear environmentally responsible but don't want to give up performance, says Mercedes-Benz. Marketing campaigns for three new-generation Bluetec light trucks will try to convince potential buyers that the two qualities ...
RV deliveries decline 3.4% in December; 2007 total is down 9.5% from the previous year.(News)(Recreational vehicle)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Bernadine Williams Wholesale shipments of towable recreational vehicles and motor homes fell to 22,400 units in December, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. That was down 3.4 percent from December 2007 and was the second straight monthly decline ....
Supply line.(Briefs)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Japan parts firm to build Miss. plant SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - PK USA Inc., a unit of Japanese parts maker Press Kogyo Co., will build a stamping and welding assembly plant in Senatobia, Miss., south of Memphis, Tenn. Starting in 2010, the $40 million plant will service ...
Nissan to increase spending on IT.(News)(Nissan Motor Company Ltd.)(Information technology)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Nissan aims to cut costs through investing in new information technology. The goal is to streamline design and sales operations to offset swelling raw material prices. The centerpiece of the push will be a next-generation platform for ...
Tata to siesta during Ford's Fiesta.(Final assembly)(Tata Motors Ltd.)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... It appears that Tata's victory party has been held up by a Fiesta. This week the Indian automaker will announce that it has won the bidding to purchase Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford. But that won't come until Ford's redesigned world car, the Fiesta, gets to bask in the ...
Calendar.
Mar 03, 2008 ... AUTO SHOWS Feb. 29-March 10 - Melbourne International Motor Show, Melbourne Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia, 61-3-9829-1111, www.motorshow.com.au March 3-9 - Quebec City International Auto Show, Centre de foires de Quebec, Quebec, 418-624-2290, ...
BMW shakes up global marketing, sales ranks.(News)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Pia Krix BMW is restructuring its global sales and marketing operation as part of a strategic plan launched late last year by CEO Norbert Reithofer. A main goal of the plan is to cut costs by 6 billion euros ($8.9 billion) by 2012. In a bid to ...
EU wants CO2 in ads; battle looms.(Final assembly)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Automakers and ad agencies are crying foul over a proposal by the European Union that would require auto ads to contain data about fuel economy and CO2 emissions. "I am amazed at this strange intrusion into business communications within the context of a free-market economy,'' ...
Is Blackhawk purchase bucking a trend? Troubled plastics suppliers find few potential buyers.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Rhoda Miel Blackhawk Automotive Plastics Inc. may be nearing its exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection under a new owner. But don't expect other troubled automotive-plastics suppliers to find buyers soon. It is not easy to predict who might be interested ...
Dealers.(People)(appointments of Michael Caruso,Howard Kuperman and George Whalen at New York State Automobile Dealers Association)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Transitions * Michael Caruso of Country Imported Car in Sag Harbor, N.Y., is the new chairman of the New York State Automobile Dealers Association. The other officers are Howard Kuperman of Phil's Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Port Jervis, vice chairman; George Whalen of Whalen ...
Honda: Use of ethanol limited, must be biomass.(News)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Honda says the world needs to sober up to limitations of ethanol-powered cars. Ethanol, made from plant matter such as corn, is seen as a promising renewable alternative to gasoline. But Takeo Fukui, president of Honda Motor Co., says ...
Letters to the Editor.(Letters)
Mar 03, 2008 ... How ironic: Lyons learns caution To the Editor: I had to bust out laughing when I read the Feb. 11 article about the delay in the opening of Steve Lyons' Ford dealership in Arizona. How incredibly ironic that he is quoted as saying that 2008 is a "wait ...
Maize malaise stalls ethanol.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Soaring corn prices are pushing investors off the ethanol bandwagon. Agribusiness giant Cargill is the latest to step back, suspending plans last week for a $200 million ethanol plant near Topeka, Kan. "It's basically the cost of corn going in versus the price of ...
Reynolds, ADP diverge on growth strategies.(News)(Reynolds and Reynolds Co.)(ADP Dealer Services Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel ADP Dealer Services and Reynolds and Reynolds Co. are charting starkly different paths. ADP is going global. The public company wants to be the dealership management system vendor of choice for automakers as they build retail networks around the ...
Autonet finds success at NADA with wi-fi for cars.(News)(Autonet Mobile Inc.)(National Automobile Dealers Association convention)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Leslie J. Allen A last-minute decision to display at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention proved lucrative for Autonet Mobile Inc. The Marin County, Calif., company makes a box that turns a vehicle into a mobile wi-fi hot spot. The system ...
Web classified ad firms renew marketing to dealers, buyers.(News)(Survey)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Online publishers of vehicle classified ads are rolling out new campaigns aimed at attracting users and persuading dealers to shift ad spending from newspapers. Third-party classified companies, led by AutoTrader.com and Cars.com, make money by ...
Run-up to axle strike adds to supplier woes.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: David Barkholz General Motors' suppliers are feeling the pain caused by last week's UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. The axle shortage that shut production last week at GM's Pontiac (Mich.) Truck assembly plant means GM's seat and ...
Scion hits a wall; Toyota's perky youth brand is adding dealers but losing sales as 2nd-generation models struggle.(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota's cool, quirky Scion youth brand may still be hip but is no longer hot. Sales, year-on-year, have dropped for 16 straight months. Since August, monthly sales have declined from each previous month, even though dealers have had two ...
New Kia boss reaches out to restless dealers.(Kia Motors America Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Kathy Jackson Kia dealers are seething over low profit margins, sliding sales, bloated inventories and the seventh CEO change since 1999 - and they want to know what the company's Korean bosses plan to do about it. And Kia Motors America's new CEO, Byung Mo ...
In downturn, Sonic looks beyond new cars.(News)(Sonic Automotive Inc.)(Scott Smith)(Interview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Donna Harris Sonic Automotive Inc., the No. 3 U.S. dealership group, is buying rather than renting real estate for its dealerships. Sonic President Scott Smith, son of company CEO and founder O. Bruton Smith, says these investments are part of a plan to sustain ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Mar 03, 2008 ... * In a chart on Page 1 of the Feb. 25 issue, the numbers of predicted North American sales units were incorrect ....
AutoNation chief sees tough '08, better '09.(News)(Mike Jackson)(Interview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: David Kushma, Alysha Webb Net earnings at AutoNation Inc., the nation's largest dealership group, fell nearly one-third in the fourth quarter of 2007. The CEO of the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., company, Mike Jackson, says he expects U.S. new-vehicle unit sales to drop this ...
Honda moves its American bike offshore.(Final assembly)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Edward Lapham You meet the nicest people on a Honda. That was probably true in the early 1960s when Grey Advertising came up with that tag line for Honda commercials. Back then, Honda was selling mostly little motorbikes with 50cc engines. The Beach Boys even ...
Mitsubishi's 'Step Up' plan is step down for U.S.(News)(Mitsubishi Motors Corp.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Mitsubishi's long-awaited midterm business plan, dubbed "Step Up 2010,'' is more of a step down for the beleaguered U.S. market. Sales there are expected to fall. The ambitious blueprint aims to more than double global net profits in three years ....
Honda sets lofty hybrid goal, with Civic's help.(News)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Honda Motor Co. is banking on three hybrid models, including the next-generation Civic Hybrid, to reach an ambitious annual sales target of 400,000 hybrids worldwide in the next five years. Honda sold just 55,300 hybrids globally last year, and ...
Honda CEO Fukui: No recession in U.S., despite soft sales in spots.(News)(Honda Motor Company Ltd.)(Takeo Fukui)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Recession is in the eye of the beholder. And to Honda Motor Co. CEO Takeo Fukui, the U.S. market isn't in one. "It is true that in states like Florida and California, the numbers are going down,'' Fukui said here last week. "But if you look at ...
German automakers seek more parts sourced in North America.(News)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Klaus-Dieter Floerecke, Henning Krogh German automakers are asking their suppliers to boost sourcing from North America to take advantage of the weakness of the dollar compared with the euro. "Currently, we've had inquiries from Daimler, BMW, Audi and VW ...
When Lutz dumps on global warming ...(Opinion)(Bob Lutz)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Peter Brown The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason. - T.S. Eliot Murder in the Cathedral Bob Lutz's team is turning out one terrific vehicle after another, and General Motors is ...
Ford plans to cut fleet sales 10% in 2008.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Amy Wilson After slashing U.S. sales of daily rental vehicles by nearly one-third in 2007, Ford Motor Co. plans to trim those sales by an additional 10 percent in 2008. "Last year we took a meat cleaver to it,'' Ford sales analyst George Pipas told Automotive ...
Porsche's Wiedeking: We must retool VW.(News)(investment in Volkswagen AG)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Bettina Mayer Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking says he will push ahead in transforming Volkswagen, Europe's biggest carmaker, into a leaner, meaner rival to Toyota Motor Corp. Wiedeking, 55, said Porsche's acquisition of a 31 percent stake in Volkswagen group ...
German automakers aren't worried about U.S. recession.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: Pia Krix, Henning Krough A possible U.S. recession threatens the sales outlook for German automakers there, but executives say they are well positioned to handle a downturn. The United States accounts for more than 20 percent of the total sales of Porsche, ...
Repair company grows as Detroit 3 struggle; Industrial Control Repair thrives with business beyond its traditional base.(News)(Industrial Control Repair Inc.)(Paul Gutierrez)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Brent Snavely Paul Gutierrez is increasing his business even though his company's traditional customer base, the Detroit 3, is struggling. Gutierrez is CEO of Industrial Control Repair Inc., of suburban Detroit, which fixes robots and equipment used in ...
Chrysler throws out purchasing rulebook.(News)(John Campi )
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: David Barkholz, Bradford Wernle New Chrysler LLC purchasing czar John Campi is tossing out the rulebook for dealing with parts suppliers. He's making good on his vow to source more work in India and other low-cost countries. For example, Chrysler says it will ...
Tom LaSorda's multimillion-dollar smile.(Final assembly)(Chrysler L.L.C.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... If Tom LaSorda has been smiling more lately, Daimler's annual report may hold the explanation. The Chrysler LLC co-president guided Chrysler through the divorce from Daimler and into the arms of Cerberus Capital Management - and got paid handsomely for his efforts. ...
Bright future for LED headlight suppliers? EU action would give companies a boost.(News)(European Union. European Commission)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: James Franey Lighting suppliers are poised to benefit if the European Commission approves the use of full LED headlamps by year end, as expected. High-beam LEDs still require approval to be used on cars in the European Union. "We are currently preparing ...
Valeo's Morin to Pardus: Learn before you leap.(News)(Valeo Automotive Inc's Thierry Morin )
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Anne-Elisabeth Moutet Valeo CEO Thierry Morin was feeling feisty this month during a press conference after the release of the French supplier's year-end results. Morin talked about the supplier's 17.7 percent increase in annual operating profit to 319 ...
Electronic brakes struggle to get traction; Systems improve; cost a downside.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Bettina Mayer Engineers have long itched to replace the crude and cumbersome linkages that form auto braking systems with neat wires, compact actuators and all-knowing electronic controls. But progress toward fully electronic brakes - also known as ...
GM takes stand at Texas plant.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: David Barkholz, Robert Sherefkin Texas, home of the Alamo, seems to be the place for last stands. General Motors intends to keep open as long as possible its SUV assembly plant in Arlington, Texas, in the face of a UAW strike at American Axle & Manufacturing ...
Don't let Calif. impose fuel rules on the nation.(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... For years, the auto industry has called California's effort to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from automobiles little more than a backdoor attempt to impose its own stringent fuel economy standards. And for years, the California Air Resources Board has denied the charge - ...
Delphi divestiture boosts forging supplier.(News)
Mar 03, 2008 ... Byline: David Barkholz The forging company planning to buy most of Delphi Corp.'s bearing assets says the acquisition will give it new design capabilities and assembly know-how. Hephaestus Holdings Inc., of suburban Detroit, agreed last month to purchase Delphi's ...
Big Texas dealer returns to some domestic brands.(News)(Gillman Cos' Ramsay Gillman )
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: David Kushma, Donna Harris Ramsay Gillman owns 13 auto dealerships in Texas. His Gillman Cos., of Houston, ranked No. 53 on last year's Automotive News list of the top 125 U.S. dealership groups. Although Honda and Mitsubishi franchises predominate at his company, ...
Auto industry robotics spending jumps 43% in 2007.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Michael LeGault Driven by tool-ups for new car programs, sales of automotive-related robotics grew dramatically in 2007. Robot sales to North American carmakers and suppliers rose 43 percent last year, the Robotics Industry Association said. The auto industry ...
Automakers hit with apartheid claims.(News)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Apartheid, South Africa's official system of racial segregation, ended in 1994. But several automakers still face damage claims for human rights abuses under the system. Car companies named in lawsuits by apartheid victims are General Motors, ...