Automotive News articles from April 2004

Automotive News archives from April 2004

Luxury vehicle has strong German supplier connection.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... The Bentley Continental GT is built off the same Modular D platform as the Volkswagen Phaeton and the Audi A8, so it is no surprise that the Bentley draws on some familiar names from the German supplier industry. For instance, all three...

Chevrolet targets tuners.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Chevrolet aims at the tuner crowd with the 205-hp Cobalt SS. The supercharged coupe comes with 18-inch wheels, a spoiler and 5-speed manual transmission. The car has a distinct front and rear fascia. Production at the Lordstown, Ohio, plant...

Calendar.
April 5, 2004... AUTO SHOWS April 2-11- Houston Auto Show, Reliant Center, Houston, 832-667-1400, www.houstonautoshow.com April 9-18 - New York International Auto Show, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, 718-746-5300, www.autoshowny.com ...

Steel solution needed.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Enough is enough. Despite some innovative attempts by Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group to offset soaring steel prices by bartering scrap, steel prices are out of control. As the crisis worsens, one supplier has filed for bankruptcy....

Calling all suppliers.(Suppliers)
April 5, 2004... If you are a supplier and have questions or want your information considered for our cutaway features, contact Alex Graham at automotivenews@autobusiness.co.uk. Upcoming cutaways: Dodge Durango, GMC Envoy XUV, Chrysler 300C and Audi A6.

N.Y. plan seeks uniform loan markups.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Donna Harris New York dealerships would have to charge all retail loan customers the same markup rate under legislation proposed by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. They also would have to disclose to consumers the...

Dura system raises windows, possibilities.(Suppliers)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Rhoda Miel Plastics News Innovative designs, even for things a consumer will never see or touch, mean business. "When it comes down to it, we're manufacturers, and this is a competitive business,'' says Greg Jager, sales...

There's more on the Web.(News)
April 5, 2004... ** Online this week Tuesday-Thursday, April 6-8: Daily coverage from press preview days at the New York auto show Friday, April 9: You can find Canada sales for March and U.S. car and light-truck inventories as of March 1 at...

Truck sales climb in quarter despite rising gasoline prices; Light-vehicle sales up 3.8% for March, 3.9% for 3 months.(Sales)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Dale Jewett America's love affair with trucks continues despite rising fuel costs. But buyers are shifting toward import brands, forcing the Big 3 to respond with higher incentives. These shifts come as the U.S. industry...

Land Rover adopts alphanumerics in U.S.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin Following the lead of other luxury automakers, Land Rover will give its vehicles alphanumeric codes instead of names. The change will begin this fall with the launch of the redesigned Discovery SUV, which will be...

Cloths recycled for plastic.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Rhoda Miel Plastics News The cloths used in auto assembly plants to clean engine parts are receiving a second life as plastic components in cars and trucks. Mobile Fluid Recovery Inc. of Evansville, Ind., and Contec Inc. of...

Automotive News staffers garner 4 Wheel Awards.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Four Automotive News staffers earned recognition last week in the 2004 International Wheel Awards, an annual competition that honors the past year's best automotive reporting. Sponsored by the Detroit Press Club Foundation, the Wheel Awards...

Retired Automotive News marketing chief dies.(Obituary)(Obituary)
April 5, 2004... Reid MacGuidwin, retired director of marketing for Automotive News, died Friday, April 2, at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., after suffering for many years from congestive heart disease. He was 78. MacGuidwin joined Automotive News as...

Late News.(General Motors )
April 5, 2004... Brand management is dead at GM DETROIT - General Motors has cut a layer of marketing executives, removing the last remnant of its controversial brand-management system. The reorganization separates marketing from dealer relations and...

Court: Used-car dealership's surety bond has limited coverage.(Legal File)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Eric Freedman A used-car dealership's state-mandated surety bond does not cover customers' claims for punitive damages and attorney fees, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in the case of a consumer who was defrauded by a...

2005 Acura RL to get awd.(all-wheel-drive system)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Honda Motor Co. seeks to boost the performance credentials of the next-generation Acura RL sedan with a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. The technology will split torque between axles and wheels and use a...

Corrections.(Correction)
April 5, 2004... * A photo caption on Page 20B in some editions of the March 29 issue named the wrong second party in a deal Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. has made to display its vehicles on exclusive Web pages. That deal is with eBay Inc. * A story on Page 70...

Auto News Digest.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Dealership sells its tire chain ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Mile One Automotive, a new-car dealership group in Baltimore, has sold its Mr. Tire business to Monro Muffler Brake Inc. of Rochester, N.Y. Tire Business, a sister publication of...

Audi needs home runs to reach goal; New products will help, but U.S. marketer hedges on chief's plan.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Audi's top American marketing executive says selling 200,000 units in the United States by 2008 is going to be a stretch. "Sell 200,000 in 2008?'' asked Michael Lembke, Audi of America Inc.'s marketing chief....

Avalon: Toyota's geezer pleaser; It's no Buick, but average buyer is 61.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin With the Avalon sedan, Toyota is happily embracing its inner geezer. The average age of the buyer of premium mid-sized sedans has stayed at 48 since 2001, according to the Power Information Network. Meanwhile, the...

Chevy shifts gears in brand advertising.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: K.C. Crain Seeking to boost its visibility, Chevrolet is not crafting separate print advertising for each nameplate. Instead, the brand is dropping each vehicle into "American Revolution'' ads, which have the same look. The...

Personnel.(Linamar Corp)(Robert Bosch Corp)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... LINAMAR CORP. - Kevin Hodgins to director of sales for Linamar's engine group. He was director of sales for Motorola Inc.'s automotive electronics group Ken Rossman becomes director of sales for Linamar's transmission group. He was vice...

From art to science to the assembly line; Hydroforming gave GM a way to keep Solstice costs down.(General Motors)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Dale Jewett It's hard for automakers to produce low-volume niche vehicles at a profit. Low production means fewer units over which to spread tooling costs. The vehicle might carry a high price as a result. Sometimes, high...

British tout globalization's benefit to industry; Trade minister to U.S. says competition means better quality.(Thomas Harris, speaks at SAE World Congress in Detroit, MI re British auto industry)(Interview)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Richard Truett Part of Thomas Harris' job as Great Britain's director general for trade and investment in the United States is overseeing his country's efforts to increase sales of British-made auto parts, engineering services and...

LEDs take over as automotive lighting of choice.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Rhoda Miel Plastics News Automotive lighting is shrinking, with standard bulbs increasingly switched out in favor of small light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. That change is prompting demands for the plastics that house lights...

Mexico production falls; sales unchanged.(Sales)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Dale Jewett Vehicle production in Mexico fell for the second-straight month in February, while sales were virtually unchanged from their year-ago totals. Overall production totaled 117,804 vehicles in February, down 8.8...

Honda says Chinese rival stole SUV plan.(Hebei Shuanghuan Auto Co)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Alysha Webb Honda Motor Co. has sued China's Hebei Shuanghuan Auto Co., alleging that the Chinese company is producing an SUV that is a copy of the Honda CR-V. Honda approached the Chinese automaker in September after reviewing...

Metaldyne fires unit controller; Accounting errors also cause delay of annual report.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky An investigation into accounting irregularities at a Metaldyne Corp. division has pushed the company to delay filing its annual report and has led to the dismissal of a division controller. The Plymouth, Mich.,...

Automakers boost Americas trade deal.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Harry Stoffer Automakers are renewing their support of a proposed free-trade zone throughout the Western Hemisphere. Agreement on such an area could create an integrated market of 800 million people. Groups of manufacturers in...

TAG diversifies by acquiring Honda plant.(TAG Holdings LLC acquires Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. wheel and tire plant)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Crain's Detroit Business TAG Holdings LLC has taken a major step toward its goal of diversification with the acquisition of a Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. wheel and tire plant in South Carolina. The deal,...

Luxury cars, SUVs top N.Y. agenda; Buick ragtop also will debut at show.(New York auto show )
April 5, 2004... Luxury vehicles will set the tone for this year's New York auto show. Cadillac will continue its product blitz when it unveils the rear-wheel-drive 2005 STS sedan. Acura, Infiniti and Lincoln will display thinly disguised concepts of...

Departure, rumors add to Mitsubishi maelstrom; Sales exec Torok returns to Chrysler.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: James B. Treece The latest turmoil at Mitsubishi Motors Corp. featured the departure of its top international sales executive and reports that the carmaker has turned to a government-run bank that specializes in extending...

Jeep calls on partner for entry-level model; Sources say vehicle will be developed from front-drive platform.
April 5, 2004... Byline: Rick Kranz, Mary Connelly The Chrysler group is developing a Jeep model from a front-drive platform, a bold departure for a brand that specializes in rugged off-roaders. Two industry sources say the new Jeep will be based on a...

Scrap steel prices see hefty decline; First drop in 2 years may help ease crisis.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The market price of scrap steel had its first significant drop in two years last week, signaling what could be a break in the auto industry's steel crisis. Analysts say the drop comes amid signs that Chinese...

Ford U.K. warranty unit examined for fraud.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Bradford Wernle Automotive News Europe Police in the United Kingdom are investigating fraud in the financial collapse of Warranty Holdings, the Ford Motor Co. unit that covers the manufacturer's used-car programs. Ford placed...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
April 5, 2004... Nissan tells its side of CAFE petition To the Editor: This letter is in response to your March 22 editorial, "Come on, Nissan; play the game by the rules.'' Playing by the rules is exactly what Nissan is doing. The company is expressly...

Ford will add 100 Quick Lanes; Quick-service shops battle independents.(oil change and repair shops )
April 5, 2004... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Ford Motor Co. plans to expand its Quick Lane program by 100 shops this year. Quick Lane is Ford's program to win back business lost to independent oil-change and repair shops. The automaker is pushing the Quick...

GM engineer joins U.S. Access Board.(Gary Talbot)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Harry Stoffer General Motors engineer Gary Talbot sought a place on the U.S. Access Board because he believes he can help disabled Americans achieve greater independence. Specifically, Talbot says car companies should give more...

We did nothing; now we must pay.(Column)
April 5, 2004... Byline: KEITH CRAIN You might call it a victory. There hasn't been much change in corporate average fuel economy standards since Congress conceived them in 1975 and the federal government subsequently pegged standards at 27.5 mpg for cars...

Japan exports to N.A. fall again.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Japan's new-vehicle exports fell 1.0 percent in February as shipments to the United States declined for the 10th straight month. Japanese automakers' exports to North America totaled 124,264, down 3.5 percent...

Metals company makes bid to acquire supplier.(News)(American Metals Industries Inc. )(AEC Holding Corp.)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Crain's Detroit Business A metals company run by a turnaround investor is vying to buy auto supplier AEC Holding Corp. American Metals Industries Inc. has made a $12 million bid for the assets of AEC of...

Toyota, Lexus, Honda top the list of sales per dealership for 5th year.(Sales)
April 5, 2004... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. When it comes to U.S. sales per dealership, three names tell the story: Toyota, Lexus, Honda. In 2003, they finished 1-2-3 for the fifth straight year. Toyota's string of successes is even longer. Its 2003...

Ford of Canada settles with dealers.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Bob English Ford Motor Co. of Canada Ltd. has agreed to compensate 102 Ford dealers who said their businesses were damaged when the company dropped the Mercury brand in 1999 and converted some Mercury stores to Ford dealerships....

Groups look at making fuel from auto scrap.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Rhoda Miel Plastics News Can mixed automotive scrap be turned into usable fuel? Chemists at the research firm Changing World Technologies Inc. have turned a five-gallon bucket's worth of shredder residue into a small vial of...

It's time to stop dancing around a CAFE increase.(Corporate average fuel economy)
April 5, 2004... The recent run-up in gasoline prices has made fuel economy a campaign issue. It's a grim reminder that sooner or later Congress, the White House or automakers must demand improved fuel economy for cars and trucks. Corporate average fuel...

Supplier pact will phase out top-paying jobs; Guide Corp., UAW agree on 2-tier plan.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Julie Armstrong UAW workers at Guide Corp. last week approved a two-tier wage agreement designed to phase out the highest-paying jobs. The approval at Guide's two U.S. plants is more evidence of the length to which the union...

Ford taps Hill staff for top lobbyists.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Ford Motor Co. is hiring two high-level congressional staff members to round out the top ranks of its governmental affairs staff. Stephen Biegun, 40, becomes a Ford corporate officer and will serve as vice president of international...

Ford settles lease-overcharge probe; Dealers must choose: Pay or risk lawsuits.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Amy Wilson About 3,700 Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers are being asked to pay up to $8,000 each to end an investigation into whether they overcharged customers who terminated leases early. The payments are part of a settlement...

Fred Lucksinger.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
April 5, 2004... Former auto dealer Fred Lucksinger died March 10. He was 82. He owned Fred Lucksinger Motors Inc. in San Luis Obispo, Calif., until 1974. He was general manager of Rusnak Porsche-Audi in Thousand Oaks, Calif., until he retired in 1988.

Rover V8 is reborn with a Mustang engine.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Bradford Wernle Automotive News Europe British automaker MG Rover has conquered manufacturing and product development challenges to revive the Rover V8, a rear-wheel-drive version of the front-drive Rover 75 sedan. And MG Rover...

Lack of big diesel keeps some Nissans from Europe.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Automotive News Europe Competitors have stalled Nissan's plan to bring some of its top-selling U.S. and Japanese models to Europe. The automaker needs a large diesel engine to introduce models such as the...

GM pumps out '05 Park Avenue.(Production)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Debi Domby * General Motors began producing 2005 Buick Park Avenues at its Orion Township, Mich., plant during the week ending March 27. The plant also builds the 2004 Buick LeSabre. * For the first time this year, GM's Fairfax...

Auto News Digest.(Briefs)
April 5, 2004... Jeep prices rise $223 DETROIT - Jeep has raised prices by an average of $223. That's 0.8 percent on a sales-weighted basis, an Automotive News analysis finds. Prices rose $645 on Grand Cherokee Limited two-wheel-drive and...

GM pushes pushrods - and reaps savings; Engines allow company to save $800 per unit sold.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford A key factor in General Motors' ability to play an aggressive price game often goes unnoticed or even draws criticism - GM's heavy use of pushrod engines. Performance buffs belittle pushrods as crude and outdated....

Dealers.(People)
April 5, 2004... Citizenship * The Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia donated $279,854 to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia through the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation. The money represents $1 for every person who attended the...

Mitsubishi shakes things up; Dealers get more money in revision of advertising plan.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Kathy Jackson Mitsubishi Motors America Inc. has overhauled its dealer advertising association structure and is pumping more money into local and regional advertising. The company also is moving to make its national advertising...

GM, Ford keep rebates high.(Incentives)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. So you think General Motors and Ford Motor Co. were shelling out a lot of money in rebates last month? Wait until you get a load of the April and May payments. GM has added a $1,000 cash bonus to the rebate...

Foiled again: Ford fouls up 'Futura'.(use of the Futura name )(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Amy Wilson Futura won't be part of Ford's future. It turns out that the Pep Boys chain of auto-parts stores owns the name. Ford Motor Co. doesn't want to pay Pep Boys, so now it is scrambling to rename one of its replacements...

Showcase for the elite.(New York auto show)
April 5, 2004... Luxury and premium brands will stand tall at this week's New York auto show. Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln and Saab will introduce important new models. Lexus will continue to unveil its design direction with a concept that hints at a 2006 coupe....

UnitedAuto creates concierge.("Penske Premier'' concierge service )
April 5, 2004... Byline: Donna Harris UnitedAuto Group Inc. has launched a concierge service for all 59 of its U.S. luxury dealerships. The "Penske Premier'' concierge service is named for UAG Chairman Roger Penske. It enables the nation's No. 2...

Mitsubishi insists it will continue production in Ill. Company says N.A. remains 'important profit source'.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: James B. Treece Mitsubishi Motors Corp. firmly denied a Japanese newspaper report that it would halt production of Mitsubishi vehicles at its Normal, Ill., plant in favor of an all-import lineup in the United States. But the...

Nissan adds Altima performance model.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Nissan is adding a performance model of the Altima, the SE-R. The 2005 model will have a 3.5-liter V-6 with 250-plus hp when it goes on sale this fall. The car has 18-inch wheels and restyled front and rear fascias. Other 2005 Altima models...

GM fights rogue auto importers.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Automotive News Europe General Motors is cracking down on gray-market importers who ship Cadillac, Hummer and Chevrolet vehicles into Europe. According to a gray-market source, the Cadillac Escalade, SRX and...

U.S. lease rates show signs of life; GM, Ford expected to lead comeback after 4-year decline.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Leasing may be poised for a modest comeback in 2004, after a virtual free fall in the past four years. New retail leases were 16.5 percent of U.S. new-vehicle sales between Jan. 1 and March 28, according to the...

Study: German supplier jobs in peril; 100,000 already lost to low-wage nations.(News)
April 5, 2004... Twenty percent of the jobs in the German auto supply industry are under threat from low-wage countries, a study shows. About 100,000 jobs already have been lost as companies transfer production to eastern Europe and Asia, according to auto...

Chevy skates into European ad arena; Brand seeks global exposure via untraditional methods.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Jason Stein Chevrolet's new marketing "revolution'' isn't just American. The Chevy logo was hard to miss during last month's European figure skating championship in Hungary and world championship in Germany. General...

Trade deficit is nonissue for Japanese; In an election year, they're unapologetic about exports to U.S.(Opinion)
April 5, 2004... Byline: James B. Treece Mounting trade deficits and lost jobs are important issues in the U.S. presidential campaign. Typically, that would lead to complaints that Japanese carmakers' exports are causing the loss of jobs in America. ...

Automotive Lighting won't fight to be No. 1 in headlights in Europe.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Luca Ciferri Automotive Lighting will rely on technical innovation to defend its position as Europe's No. 2 supplier of headlights. But the company, which is Europe's top provider of rear lights, has no plans to overtake Valeo...

EU Commission sticks to its guns on emissions.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Automotive News Europe The European Union Commission signaled that it is sticking to an ambitious program to reduce auto carbon dioxide emissions. In a document published in February, the commission...

Chrysler offers rebates on '05 minivans; Move flouts plan to lessen givebacks on redesigned vehicles.(Incentives)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Mary Connelly The Chrysler group is relying on incentives to launch its 2005 minivans, dinging its strategy to minimize rebates on new or redesigned vehicles. The 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country, on sale...

Cooper-Standard may be for sale.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Bruce Davis Rubber & Plastics News Cooper-Standard Automotive may be for sale because its Findlay, Ohio, parent wants to focus its resources on its tire business. Private-equity buyers are leading candidates if a sale goes...

Audi defends A6's massive grille.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Ralph Kisiel The grille design on the new Audi A6 is generating interest in Internet chat rooms, even though the car does not go on sale in the United States until November. Visitors to Edmunds.com describe the design as...

Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
April 5, 2004... OnStar gets credit for collar OnStar's role in the capture of a bank robbery suspect earned mention on the "America's Most Wanted'' TV show last week. Police in Tennessee used the General Motors telematics service last month after the...

Supply Line.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... JCI moves visor work to Mexico DETROIT - Johnson Controls Inc. last week said that it will move sun visor production from its Southview component plant in Holland, Mich., to a Johnson Controls plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Jack...

Late News.(iDriveonline Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Calif. bill would reward owners of hybrids A bill that goes before California lawmakers today, April 12, would allow motorists in gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles to drive in carpool lanes on freeways even when they don't have a passenger....

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 12, 2004... AUTO SHOWS April 9-18 - New York International Auto Show, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, 718-746-5300, www.autoshowny.com April 15-18 - First Hawaiian International Auto Show, Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu,...

Well done, UAW.(Opinion)(United Auto Workers (union) )(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The UAW deserves praise for accepting wage cuts at Guide Corp. Recently, 77 percent of the headlight maker's hourly workers approved a contract that sets lower wages for new workers. They will earn $12.50 an hour, half as much as the veterans....

Subaru may pull the plug on Baja.(News)(Subaru of America Inc.)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Subaru of America may kill its quirky Baja small pickup because of slow sales. "There is a 50-50 chance we will not do a new Baja,'' said Takao Saito, CEO of Subaru of America. A Subaru dealer who asked...

Honda, VW execs at China Congress.(News)(Volkswagen AG)
April 12, 2004... China is the world's most profitable market for Volkswagen AG, the dominant automaker in that country. And it has become a major export base for Honda, which plans to export a China-made car to Europe. Senior executives from each company...

Toyota steers Solara ragtop toward women.(Marketing)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Jean Halliday Advertising Age Toyota is chasing women, even more than before, as the primary target for its second-generation Solara convertible. Women accounted for nearly 60 percent of Solara convertible sales last year. So...

World's fair gives Toyota chance to paint itself green.(News)(2005 World Exposition)
April 12, 2004... Byline: James B. Treece Next year's world's fair will become a six-month showcase for Toyota Motor Corp. technology and its concern for the environment. After it opens in March, the 2005 World Exposition bordering Toyota City in...

Ford expands hybrid lineup with Mercury Mariner.(News)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: K.C. Crain Ford Motor Co. is expanding its lineup of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. About a year after the Ford Escape HEV, for hybrid electric vehicle, goes on sale this summer, Mercury will get a hybrid version of the...

Jeep bolsters Liberty lineup for 2005.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Mary Connelly Jeep is beefing up its 2005 Liberty lineup, offering a diesel and restyling the Renegade as an image leader. Jeep is getting renewed attention within the Chrysler group as the company broadens existing lines such...

Suppliers: Big 3 shop our trade secrets.(Suppliers)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Julie Armstrong Suppliers that do business with the Big 3 say it's getting more difficult to protect their trade secrets. Suppliers last week complained of losing their competitive edge because they say they are giving up their...