Automotive News back issues from April 2008:
Callum: How Jag made its XF back-seat-friendly.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Rechtin Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum describes the new XF sedan as "something you can enjoy without me having to explain it.'' Then he proceeds to explain, in some detail, why the XF will transform the way people think about Jaguar. "We wanted a ...
To get the keys, Japan offers senior discounts.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Police are tackling one of the biggest dangers on Japan's congested roads: elderly motorists. Older drivers will soon be bribed to hand in their licenses. The campaign comes amid soaring accident rates among the elderly, who jam Tokyo's traffic-choked streets. ...
Dealers: Lame-duck Isuzu helps clear lots.(News)(Financial report)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Kathy Jackson It won't set the world on fire, but Isuzu logged an 11.4 percent year-over-year sales increase in the first quarter - climbing to 2,007 units for the three-month period. Pretty meager, for sure, but it marked the first time that the lame-duck ...
Chrysler eases store upgrade standards.(News)(Chrysler L.L.C.)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle As part of its downsizing effort, Chrysler LLC is lowering the amount it requires dealers to spend to upgrade stores. For an average store's land and building requirements, "we brought down the size of the footprint about 12 percent,'' said ...
Restraints group chief: Global need is great.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Airbag and seat belt suppliers have huge opportunities to save lives - and expand their businesses - in developing countries where vehicle production and ownership are rising rapidly. So says Doug Campbell, a vice president at TRW Automotive ...
Feb. Mexico sales are nearly flat.(Sales)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Stephen Downer Sales of new cars and light trucks in Mexico rose 1.1 percent in February from a year earlier to 86,976. Nissan Motor Co. remained the market leader by a nose. Nissan Mexicana's sales rose 2.9 percent to 18,551 vehicles in February. That was ...
2000 and One Ford: Mulally's global odyssey.(Final assembly)(Ford Motor Co.)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Last week's reorganization of Ford Motor Co.'s global product development and purchasing operations is a logical step in CEO Alan Mulally's campaign to forge one global Ford. Ford's new structure designates global product development centers in specific regions for specific ...
More Toyota in Fuji's future?(Final assembly)(Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.)(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Toyota Motor Corp. is considering raising its almost 9 percent stake in Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries, according to Japan's Nikkei Shimbun newspaper. That would strengthen ties that already have the Subaru of Indiana Automotive plant in Lafayette, Ind., building Toyota Camrys. ...
Downsizing arrives - with a vengeance; Shift in buying patterns picks up steam in 2008 - leaving the Detroit 3 with a revenue shortfall.
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Amy Wilson The big shift to small cars this year threatens the revenue and profitability prospects of the Detroit 3. The change in buying patterns accelerated in March, while overall sales tanked. The problem for the domestic automakers: They are still way ...
Industry targets state CO2 rules; Lobbyist takes automakers' case to statehouses across the country.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Harry Stoffer Minnesota, Colorado and Montana were moving toward adopting California-style rules on greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Now they appear to be pulling back. One reason: Top industry lobbyist Dave McCurdy is visiting statehouses. He aims to ...
In the United States, BMW is a victim of its own success.(Opinion)(BMW AG)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Guido Reinking If there were an award for last year's most profitable premium brand, it would be an unequivocal victory for Mercedes-Benz. After cutting Chrysler loose, profits at Daimler AG, Mercedes' parent, have shot upward like an untethered balloon. None ...
Time to go back to the basics.(Column)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: KEITH CRAIN This isn't the first time the U.S. automobile industry has seen a sales downturn. Although it's tough for factories to cut back production in a downturn, it's fairly easy to stop ordering cars from overseas manufacturers. Most American ...
GM dealers ponder Reynolds: Stay or go?(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel For 400 General Motors dealers, a decision looms over whether to stick with Reynolds and Reynolds Co. The dealers use a GM Integrated Dealer Management System, or IDMS, supplied and maintained by Reynolds. As part of an out-of-court ...
Imports pass Detroit 3 in single-brand stores.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. For the first time, import-brand automakers have more single-line dealerships in the United States than do the Detroit 3. According to this year's Automotive News dealership census, a record 6,530 U.S. dealerships sold a single import brand ...
Suzuki tells U.S. dealers: Don't fret.(News)(American Suzuki Motor Corp.)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Kathy Jackson American Suzuki sought to calm dealers last week after Chairman Rick Suzuki's surprise announcement that he would step down because of faltering sales. Executives held a telephone conference with dealer council members on Wednesday, April 2. The ...
Industry's March was off a cliff.(Sales)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. When the Detroit 3's U.S. sales decline for the month, the typical reaction is: So what else is new? But when the sales of the Japanese Big 3 - Toyota, Honda and Nissan - also drop, the situation merits closer examination. And when 31 of ...
Running on empty?(Final assembly)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... After spending more than $1 billion on fuel cell technology, General Motors is worried about running on empty. Speaking to the National Hydrogen Association in Sacramento, Calif., last week, Larry Burns, GM's vice president for r&d and strategic planning, warned that the drive ...
Microsoft exec rejects OnStar-style subscriptions.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Leslie J. Allen After its success with Ford Motor Co.'s Sync voice-operated entertainment and phone service, Microsoft Corp. is hunting for another "killer application'' for vehicles. One executive says the key may lie in the navigation screen. Marty Thall, ...
Bodycote eyes annual sales of $50 million in Japan.(News)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Hans Greimel Bodycote PLC has entered Japan, targeting $50 million in annual sales through treating engine and transmission parts for the country's expanding automakers. The British company, which treats metal to make it stronger, denser or more ...
Classic names are part of Tata deal.(Final assembly)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Tata didn't get two brands last month with its $2.3 billion purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover. It got five. Tata will get the right to use three classic British auto brand names - Rover and the Jaguar-owned names of Daimler and Lanchester. Ford bought the rights to the Rover ...
Dick Dauch's labor journey: Hero to demon.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: David Barkholz, Robert Sherefkin Those who know Richard E. Dauch aren't surprised that the CEO of American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. has dug in his heels against striking UAW workers. Dauch, 65, has put aside his reflexive empathy for labor to demand ...
Who will cool states' fuel economy fervor? Dingell's one of the few who get why we need a federal standard.(Opinion)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Edward Lapham Rep. John Dingell's decision to run for re-election this fall isn't much of a surprise. A staunch ally of the auto industry - especially the Detroit 3 - Dingell has been a congressman since Dec. 13, 1955, when the Michigan Democrat went to ...
Calif. board can't force its will on auto market.(Opinion)(California. Air Resources Board)
Apr 07, 2008 ... California got it wrong again. When the California Air Resources Board ruled that automakers must sell at least 66,000 plug-in hybrids from 2012 through 2014, the board really mandated that Californians must buy 66,000 plug-ins. CARB also ordered the six largest automakers to ...
Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Esurance forms repair partnership with AutoWatch SAN FRANCISCO - The auto insurer Esurance has signed a six-year partnership with AutoWatch, a system that monitors vehicle repairs online. AutoWatch enables Esurance customers to see digital photos of their repairs via ...
Personnel.(People)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE INC. - Lee Mitchell, 38, to vice president of financial services. He had been director of financial services. Group 1, of Houston, owns 104 dealerships and 26 collision service centers in the United States and the United Kingdom. MAZDA NORTH ...
Malibu spared another week from Axle strike.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: David Barkholz, Robert Sherefkin General Motors probably will have enough American Axle parts to keep building its hot-selling Chevrolet Malibu until April 18, said a UAW local official in Kansas City, Kan. That's a week longer than UAW officials were told ...
Press review of the Prius: Did ex-Toyota boss spill the beans?(Final assembly)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Chrysler co-President Jim Press landed in a PR stew last week - and so did his former employer, Toyota. In an interview, Press told BusinessWeek magazine that the Japanese government "paid for 100 percent of the development of the battery and hybrid system that went into the Toyota ...
Anne Wright, Mary Raetz are promoted.(News)(Anne Wright has been promoted to the new post of corporate director of content for Crain Communications)(Mary Raetz has been appointed director of the Automotive News Data Center. )(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Automotive News and Crain Communications Inc. have announced two promotions. Anne Wright, 47, has been named to the new post of corporate director of content for Crain Communications. Wright had been assistant managing editor, data services, for Automotive News. Mary ...
Pontiac counts on new G8 sedan to rev up the brand.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Pontiac hopes that a new rear-wheel-drive superfast sports sedan will do what the GTO could not - attract successful young male buyers. The G8 has similar styling and size to the BMW 5 series, but the G8 costs less and has more family appeal. ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Apr 07, 2008 ... * A photo caption on Page 44 of the March 31 issue gave the ...
Big challenge for Ford's quality guy; Bennie Fowler takes on 6 crucial vehicle launches.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Amy Wilson In November 2006, Ford Motor Co. quality chief Bennie Fowler and two fellow executives left a meeting three hours before they were to give the OK to ship several thousand Ford Edges to dealers. The 2007 Edge was a brand-new crossover, Ford's most ...
Lithia closes books on dealers' creative accounting.(Final assembly)
Apr 07, 2008 ... After an internal investigation, Lithia Motors Inc. execs offered this conclusion: Don't look at us. The public dealership group told the Securities and Exchange Commission last week that previously disclosed "irregularities'' in vehicle sales reports were limited to a handful ...
Pontiac goes digital for Vibe marketing.(News)(General Motors Corp. Pontiac Div.)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Pontiac plans an Internet-based marketing campaign for the 2009 Vibe hatchback. "We know people are moving away from TV on a constant basis,'' Jennifer Nardicchio, marketing manager for the Torrent crossover and Vibe, said at an event here last ...
Supply line.(Briefs)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Tenneco supplies Land Cruiser LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Tenneco Inc. is supplying Toyota Motor Corp. with kinetic suspension technology for its 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser 200. The system will be standard on five Land Cruiser models and optional on the GXL diesel model. The ...
Group 1 renews service, parts emphasis.(Service & Parts)(Group 1 Automotive Inc.)(Interview)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Donna Harris Group 1 Automotive Inc., the nation's fourth-largest dealership group, is placing greater emphasis on service and parts operations at its 104 dealerships this year to weather a downturn in new-vehicle sales. Randy Callison, the Houston company's ...
After 13 years of sales success, Toyota's on a losing streak.(News)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Richard Truett Hard to believe, but sales at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. have declined for four straight months. That's something we haven't seen for a while - 13 years, to be precise. Not since November has the Japanese juggernaut reported an overall monthly ...
Late News.(Ford Motor Co.)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Mulally paid $21.7 million DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. paid CEO Alan Mulally $21.7 million in 2007. Ford on Friday revealed 2007 compensation for Mulally and four other top executives in its proxy statement. Mulally was paid a base salary of $2 million and incentive ...
Pontiac studies fuel economy.(News)(General Motors brands, Pontiac)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Jamie LaReau Like most General Motors brands, Pontiac is considering technology such as ethanol, diesel, hybrids, direct-injection engines and six-speed transmissions to achieve better fuel economy. "Pontiac will benefit from all the fuel economy technology, ...
Goal of AOL Autos redo: Pay for listings.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers A redesign of the AOL Autos Web site is aimed in part at getting more dealers to pay to list vehicles for sale. Doug Eddy, AOL Autos' director of business development, says the revamped site lists 2.5 million used cars and trucks. Eddy estimates ...
Suppliers: Restraints must play big role in small cars.(News)(Delphi Corp's tiny Smart car )
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Harry Stoffer The tiny Smart car could be a sign of things to come - not because of its size or looks, but for the way it is engineered to protect occupants in crashes. That's the prediction of Madan Gopal, senior development engineer for safety systems ...
GM may realign marketing leadership.
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors North American marketing chief Mark LaNeve may revamp GM's sales, service and marketing to handle key functions through retail channels rather than through a centralized setup. If that happens, it would mean that each of GM's four ...
Lincoln crawls past Mercury.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Amy Wilson In 2006, Ford Americas President Mark Fields said Lincoln eventually will become the volume brand of the Lincoln-Mercury business. With Mercury sales in free-fall, it looks as if 2008 might be that year. Lincoln is ahead of Mercury in the 2008 ...
XF takes Jaguar outside world of wood and leather.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Rechtin With the launch of the XF sedan and the deletion of the S-Type and X-Type from its U.S. lineup, Jaguar now offers cars in America powered only by V-8 engines. The XF's hard points come from the S-Type, which it replaces. But Jaguar is using the ...
ADP, Ford plan online services for dealers.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Ford Motor Co. has chosen ADP Dealer Services as its partner to provide digital advertising services to its dealerships across the United States. Ford is expected to formally unveil the national plan during dealer meetings this week in Las Vegas ....
CarMax plans more stores.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Despite industry turbulence, used-vehicle retailer CarMax Inc. plans to add stores this year. CarMax CEO Tom Folliard said last week that his company intends to open 14 stores during the fiscal year that began March 1. That would boost the ...
Maybach: A soft-top limo for U.S.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Rick Kranz Do you want motorists to think you're a rock star? Or your neighbors to believe you bought the popemobile? Either way, the convertiblelike, four-door 2009 Maybach Landaulet will fill the bill. The Landaulet, which debuted as a show car ...
Dealers.(People)(Automotive dealer John Blackwell III received a 25-year award for Ford from Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Milestones * John Blackwell III of Blackwell Ford in Plymouth, Mich., received a 25-year award for Ford from Ford Motor Co. CAPTION(S): 50 with Chevrolet: Doug Rockenbach of Rockenbach Chevrolet in Grayslake, Ill., receives a 50-year award for Chevrolet ....
Dollar-euro rate may favor Continental's U.S. plants.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: April Wortham German auto parts supplier Continental AG says its acquisition of Siemens VDO Automotive last fall left the company with too many production sites in high-cost countries. That might appear to put Continental's U.S. plants at risk. But the ...
6 more finalists in contest for PACE honors.(News)(PACE Awards. )
Apr 07, 2008 ... Here are profiles of six of 23 finalists in the 2008 Automotive News PACE Awards. What: Automotive News PACE Awards, honoring innovative automotive suppliers Co-sponsored by: Microsoft, SAP and Transportation Research Center Inc. Winners announced: ...
Obituaries.(Obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Thomas Daniels ATLANTA - Thomas Daniels, a former vice president of Ford Motor Co., died here March 6 at age 83. He began his career as Edsel merchandising manager in 1957, moving through various sales and marketing posts for Lincoln Mercury, Ford division and Ford of Canada. ...
Picture this.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... You and your industry colleagues have just hung out at a party, raised a truckload of cash for charity or fired your best rounds of golf. Share your snapshots with us. When the celebration is over, e-mail your high-resolution photos, IDs and a brief description of the event to ...
GM's Middlebrook to retire; Browning to get global sales post.(News)(John Middlebrook will retire from General Motors and Jonathan Browning will replace by his post)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Ryan Beene General Motors is shuffling sales and marketing executives after the retirement of its global sales and marketing chief. John Middlebrook, GM vice president of global sales, service and marketing, will retire July 1. Middlebrook, 67, will be ...
TV channel helps dealers bond with service customers.(Service & Parts)(Automotive Broadcast Network)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Alysha Webb When Jerry Daniels saw service customers at his dealerships watching competitors' commercials on waiting-room TVs, he got angry. He also got an idea. So in late 2006, Daniels quit Asbury Automotive Group, where he had been an executive vice ...
Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Ford Motor Co. plans to reopen an engine plant in Windsor)(Toyota Motor Corp. said last week that it is opening a research institute at its technical center )
Apr 07, 2008 ... Ford will reopen Canadian engine plant DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. plans to reopen an engine plant in Windsor, Ontario, that has been closed since November. The reopening of the Essex engine plant will allow 300 employees to return to work, Ford spokeswoman Angie Kozleski said. The ...
On the Web.
Apr 07, 2008 ... This week at www.autonews.com: * Monday: Automotive News Data Center posts detailed North American production data at www.autonews.com/2008marketdata. * Monday: Nissan Motor Co. makes a "significant business announcement'' in ...
Volvo's design evolves with XC60.(News)(Interview)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Rechtin When designer Peter Horbury guided boxy Volvo toward a more muscular look in the 1990s, it was a sea change from two decades of "brick'' design. The upcoming XC60 crossover, on sale in early 2010, may look like an evolution of Horbury's styling language ....
Honda plans to ban online contract sales - maybe; Automaker will await outcome of dealer's legal challenge.(News)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Byline: Kathy Jackson Urged on by its national dealer council, American Honda had decided to prohibit dealers from selling Honda-backed extended service contracts online - starting Tuesday, April 1. But the company hadn't counted on a small Rhode Island dealer taking it to ...
Chrysler debuts safety, fuel-saving features on '09s.(News)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Bradford Wernle Chrysler LLC wants to reclaim its engineering prowess after nine years as a division of DaimlerChrysler AG. As part of the effort, the company will launch a series of features in several 2009 vehicles and is applying for patents on two of them ....
Detroit 3 diet: Lose dealerships.(Automotive industries subtract U.S. dealerships and franchises )
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The Detroit 3 continued to subtract U.S. dealerships and franchises last year, largely a result of the automakers' retail consolidation plans. On Jan. 1, 2008, General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC had 14,199 dealerships in the United ...
JCI could buy parts of Plastech.(News)(Johnson Controls Inc.)(Plastech Engineered Products Inc.)(Brief article)
Apr 07, 2008; ... Byline: Ryan Beene Johnson Controls Inc. is vying to buy the interiors and underhood business units of Plastech Engineered Products Inc., now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Johnson Controls and some of Plastech's lenders have presented a proposal to Plastech to ...
Cadillac crossover.(News)
Apr 07, 2008 ... Heavy camouflage hides the crisp lines on Cadillac's new compact crossover, shown in this spy photo. The Cadillac Provoq concept is the styling inspiration for the model. Production is expected to begin in the spring of 2009 ....
Cadillac's ad agency savors the sweet life.(Marketing)(General Motors Corp. Cadillac Motor Car Div.)(Modernista!)
Apr 14, 2008; ... Byline: Laura Clark Geist It took a while, but the head of Cadillac's advertising agency says its work for the brand has hit "the sweet spot.'' Lance Jensen, co-founder of Modernista, says the well-received campaign that his agency created last year for the Cadillac ...
Honda will export Alabama-built Pilots to Russia.(News)
Apr 14, 2008 ... Byline: Rick Kranz Russia is the new market for Honda's redesigned, Alabama-assembled 2009 Pilot. American Honda Motor Co. forecasts 3,245 exports to Russia for the 2009 model year, increasing to 4,650 for 2011. Shipments begin late summer or early fall. ...
Post-Celine, Chrysler ad guru seeks right note.(Marketing)(appointment of Peter Arnell)
Apr 14, 2008 ... Byline: Matthew Creamer, Michael Bush Don't call Peter Arnell's return to Chrysler - the scene of his advertising agency's biggest blowup - a quest for redemption. Arnell rejects suggestions that his new design role offers a second chance to make good at Chrysler ....
On the Web.
Apr 14, 2008 ... This week at www.autonews.com: * Monday: Winners of the 2008 Automotive News PACE Awards will be announced in Detroit. * Thursday: Chrysler LLC CEO Bob Nardelli keynotes the SAE World Congress ...