| WORTHLESS NO MORE
Eight months ago, Frank Bork sold his Ford dealership near Buffalo, N.Y., to Ford Motor Co. "I regret it," says Bork, 59. "Ford has become a better company. Had we kept it and new products came out, we might have been OK."
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| GM'S NEW PITCH
Joel Ewanick, General Motors Co.'s new marketing chief, says he'll keep bringing in new blood until the automaker gets its marketing messages right.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
After a year of big gains, a new forecast shows North American production flattening in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, August sales numbers, due this week, are expected to be lackluster.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Generating leads from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube can be a mysterious exercise for dealers not used to the nuances of social media.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Co. have recalled 1.3 million vehicles from the 2005-08 model years after complaints of stalling. Toyota issued a recall of 1.1 million Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Federal regulators have begun an investigation covering 3 million Jeep Grand Cherokees to determine whether more than a dozen post-crash fires and deaths are connected to the placement of the SUV's fuel tank.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Ford Motor Co. is recalling 575,000 Windstar minivans in the United States and Canada because rear axles may corrode and break. Ford will repair the recalled vehicles by installing brackets to reinforce the rear axle.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| COMMENTARY: JASON STEIN
It's hard to forget the look on Jack Pitney's face just moments before he mounted a BMW S 1000 RR superbike, revved the out-of-this-world engine and raced it across a shiny wooden floor inside the Javits Center.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
More than 500 dealers are expected to attend an event called "The Fiat Experience," scheduled for today at the Detroit Institute of Arts.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
When it comes to the Wrangler, Jeep's go-anywhere vehicle, customers care about its ability to climb rocks or barrel through streams.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 | UPDATED: 8/31/10 5:03 p.m. ET |
|
|
Japanese suppliers of information and entertainment systems score highest in quality, says a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates. These systems, including satellite radio and navigation devices, are increasingly must-have features in vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| GREEN SHOOTS
The internal combustion engine strikes me as a perfect example of the free market ideal: a product that is continuously refined by intense competition.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 | UPDATED: 8/30/10 3:04 p.m. ET |
|
|
Now that India's Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. finally has a pickup approved for sale in the United States, it may have no dealers. Last week Mahindra said it terminated its four-year agreement with its independent U.S. importer, Global Vehicles U.S.A.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Although Honda delayed the launch of its redesigned Civic until February, it is sticking with its five-year cadence on other models, a top U.S. executive says.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
The recession and a price surge for raw materials led to better relations between the Detroit 3 and their suppliers -- and to a reappraisal of once-rosy ties between Japanese carmakers and North American suppliers, consultant Kim Korth says.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Toyota Motor Corp. is in talks with former General Motors executive and Magna International President Mark Hogan about coming on board as an adviser.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Mazda says it expects hybridlike fuel economy from vehicles powered by new Sky direct-injection gasoline and diesel engines scheduled to arrive in the United States starting next year.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Most auto parts suppliers have rewritten contracts to protect themselves against steep jumps in steel prices, but some remain exposed to price swings, according to a survey by consultants IRN Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Suzuki has delayed the relaunch of its Swift small car in the United States until next year while it works on a global product strategy with Volkswagen AG and ponders the growing strength of the yen against the dollar.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| MARKETING STRATEGY 2011
Jon Brancheau was named vice president of Nissan marketing at Nissan North America in March. He was new to the brand, but not the company.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| MARKETING STRATEGY 2011
Mini USA's lineup is rapidly expanding; it's adding models and entering new segments.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| MARKETING STRATEGY 2011
With the launch of seven new, restyled or redesigned vehicles this year, Ford Motor Co. is placing more resources into marketing as it tries to build on its return to profitability and higher market share.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| KEITH CRAIN
Somehow the very mention of fleet sales has become a dirty idea. Just bringing up the subject makes everyone back away into a corner. Anything in excess is bad for you. That includes fleet sales.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
OPINION
The U.S. automotive marketplace is evolving as consumers demand ever more transparency in how they research, shop and purchase vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| JAMES B. TREECE
General Motors argues that when you measure carbon emissions on an oil-well-to-wheel basis, electric vehicles have a larger footprint than gasoline or diesel vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Aston Martin's perplexing decision to rebadge a Toyota iQ minicar could be explained, possibly, if the car were sold only in big European cities that impose vehicle congestion charges.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
BMW will concentrate on small crossovers next year with a redesigned X3 and the all-new X1. Both are based on the redesigned 3-series sedan, which will arrive in 2012.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 | UPDATED: 8/31/10 11:11 a.m. ET |
|
|
Daimler's 7-year-old superluxury brand still uses the platform of the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz S class. Daimler executives have not decided whether to create a second-generation Maybach.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
While Mercedes-Benz and BMW move into smaller and less expensive segments in the United States, aspiring lower-volume Europeans plan bigger and more luxurious models.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
BMW plans to expand Mini's product range in an effort to boost sales and keep dealers profitable as the brand's U.S. network expands to 120 stores, from 86. After flying high for several years with record sales, Mini has stalled in 2010.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
This year's launch of the Ghost -- the long-awaited "baby Rolls" -- is expected to boost Rolls-Royce production to about 2,000 cars in 2010 from 1,200 last year. Now watch for plans by BMW AG's superluxury brand to bring out Ghost derivatives.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
After a flying start in 2009, Smart sales are crashing in the United States. But there's hope for the European microcar brand.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
India's Tata Motors, which bought Jaguar from Ford Motor Co. two years ago, recently approved a product plan that gives Jaguar three new models: a small sports car, an entry-level sedan and a station wagon.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
Mercedes-Benz is set to launch a wave of small luxury vehicles in the United States. An all-new C-class coupe will debut next year, followed by three derivatives of the front-wheel-drive B class in 2012 and 2013.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
Ford Motor Co.'s sale of Volvo to Geely this month leaves doubt about the Swedish company's product plans. For example, all of Volvo's current range except the 9-year-old XC90 crossover makes use of Ford vehicles and components.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
New owner Tata Motors promises that Land Rover will add smaller vehicles and hybrid powerplants, but it hasn't said much about the timing. Land Rover will continue to share components with Jaguar, which is also under Tata ownership.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| FUTURE PRODUCTS -- EUROPE BRANDS
Spyker Cars inherited an extensive product plan when it acquired Saab from General Motors Co. in February. The redesigned 2010 9-5 sedan went on sale last month. Production of the 9-4X, Saab's first crossover, will begin in April.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Advances in consumer electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops are changing drivers' perceptions about the design of information technology in vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| CAR CUTAWAY
Suppliers to the 2010 Acura ZDX include: PEAK Werkstoff, AKsys USA, Yazaki, Nissin Brake Ohio, Magna, Autoliv, TRW, Hella, North American Lighting, GKN Driveline, NTN Bearing, UGN, Sika, Kasai Kogyo, TS Tech, Kautex Textron, Yorozu Automotive...
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Dealerships in this report: Pearson Ford in Zionsville, Ind.; Rod East Volkswagen in San Antonio; University Mazda in Seattle; Downtown Ford-Lincoln-Mercury in Canton, Ohio; and JP Nissan in Peru, Ill.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
General Motors Co. has upgraded software on its vehicles' OnStar module remotely -- without requiring the vehicles' owners to visit a dealership -- and will do so again, said Karl Stracke, vice president of global vehicle engineering.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Ford Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. plan to spend $350 million on a Thailand joint venture to build compact pickups in 2011.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
The seven-seat version of the Chevrolet Orlando minivan will debut next month at the Paris auto show as part of the brand's European product offensive.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Spyker Cars NV, the Dutch sports car maker that acquired Saab from General Motors Co. this year, trimmed Saab's sales targets and said it would lose money through next year.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Japanese design lion Yoshihiko Matsuo, creator of the first Nissan Z sports car in 1969, eyes his young visitor warily.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Last week, General Motors Co. marketing chief Joel Ewanick shared his impressions of the marketing strengths and challenges facing the company's brands with Automotive News reporters and editors. Here are some of his thoughts.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
Jack Pitney, head of marketing for BMW of North America, was six days away from assuming a new job as vice president for BMW's eastern region, the carmaker's largest U.S. sales zone, when he was killed in an accident Wednesday, Aug.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
|
FINAL ASSEMBLY
It used to be that auto companies wanted to make cars as quiet as possible. Now they're working to make them louder. And all in the name of safety.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| RICK KRANZ
At last count, 3 1/2 car companies are preparing to duke it out in the police car business. The Detroit 3 and Indy 1/2 all want a big slice of the cop car pie.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| FINAL ASSEMBLY
The year is 1965, and a hot-to-trot new ad agency is making a pitch for an upstart Japanese motorcycle manufacturer's $3 million account. The agency: the fictional Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. The client: The very nonfictional Honda.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
| FINAL ASSEMBLY
China may have overtaken the United States as the world's No. 1 car market, but the country's transportation infrastructure hasn't quite caught up.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
FINAL ASSEMBLY
When it comes time for auto execs to present their car-guy credentials, a really good "I drive like a maniac" anecdote is as convincing as, say, a certificate from Bob Bondurant or Skip Barber.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30
|
| FINAL ASSEMBLY
Volkswagen is "seriously interested" in buying Alfa Romeo from Fiat, a VW executive tells Automotive News Europe. But Fiat sources say the company has no plans to part with its alluring but troubled Italian brand.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 30 |
|
|
Automotive News' annual guide to North America sales data. Prepared by the Automotive News Data Center, the statistics cover 2009 light-vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and sales histories.
12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 27 |
|
