Automotive News articles from August 2005

Automotive News archives from August 2005

Ford: Flexible plants ease workers' jobs.(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Tim Moran Flexible manufacturing is changing the way Ford Motor Co. builds vehicles. Besides saving an estimated $2 billion by 2010, Matt DeMars, Ford's vice president of North American vehicle operations, says flexibility has...

Valeo looks for U.S. acquisitions.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine sylss75@aol.com Valeo SA is looking for acquisitions in the United States, spurred by a favorable exchange rate and financial difficulties experienced by local suppliers. "The supply industry in the U.S....

Recyling program's goal is to bust rust; Ford turns shipping containers into splash shields.(Ford Motor Co. )
August 1, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Ford Motor Co. is starting at the bottom in its efforts to become more environmentally friendly - the bottom of the wheel well. Ford plans to recycle plastic containers used to ship transmission extensions made in...

Mazda thinks outside the bin; Ujina No. 2 plant is a 2-level success story.(Mazda Motor Corp.)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Walk along Mazda Motor Corp.'s Ujina No. 2 assembly line in Hiroshima, Japan, and you'll notice something strange. The racks of parts bins filled with parts waiting to be installed on cars are nowhere to be found....

Court revives warranty suit against Mercedes.(Mercedes-Benz USA LLC)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Eric Freedman A Georgia Court of Appeals panel has ruled that it's up to a jury to decide whether Mercedes-Benz USA LLC violated express and implied warranties on a 2001 SLK230 roadster. The three-judge panel unanimously...

Are there methods in our madness?(Opinion)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Paul Wilbur Early in my 24-year career in the auto industry, most of it spent at Ford and Chrysler, I learned the famous 4 P's of marketing: product, positioning, price and promotion. I also learned the not-so-well-known 4 M's...

Electronics 101: Make it work, make it cheap.(automotive electronics)(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners Valeo SA's Martin Haub says the formula for success with in-car electronics is fail-proof functions at bargain prices. The French supplier's group vice president for r&d and product marketing believes that...

Toyota boosts Lexus sales outside U.S.(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Lexus Div.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece The launch of Lexus in Japan is a key part of Toyota Motor Co.'s plan to go global with its luxury brand. Lexus' worldwide sales will surge to 500,000 in 2006 from about 394,000 in 2004, says Toyota Motor Corp....

Honda, Nissan sales outpace profits in fiscal 1st quarter.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Honda Motor Co. raised its full-year earnings forecast after it posted record sales for its fiscal first quarter ended June 30. Meanwhile, Nissan Motor Co. posted a good, though not outstanding, first quarter...

New Corvette Z06 is fast as lightning, strong as steel; Dana supplies aluminum frame to reduce weight.(Insight)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Sometimes it's what you can't see that makes a car different. Consider the 2006 Corvette Z06. While it may look like a regular C6 Corvette, the Z06 that goes on sale in the fourth quarter will have a new...

VW executive: Modules are too complex.(Wolfgang Rohroff, Volkswagen Slovakia)(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Tony Lewin autonews@crain.com Carmakers may have become too reliant on modules, a senior Volkswagen executive warns. Large assemblies such as front-end modules and cockpit modules are becoming too complex, inflexible and...

BMW offers digital radio option on 7 series.(BMW of North America LLC)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Greg Bowens BMW of North America LLC will offer digital radios as a factory option in its 2006 7-series models. The sedans go into production in the fall. "We are the first to offer HD radio in a production car,'' says BMW...

Technological acrobatics are Hyundai Mobis' specialty.(factory automation)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe At Hyundai Mobis, automation rules. It must. Hyundai Motor Co. relies so heavily on the affiliated supplier that Hyundai Mobis' plants must spew out multiple parts for multiple vehicles in multiple versions. For...

Employees take trips to understand other cultures.(Insight)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe As a step in becoming a global top 10 supplier, Hyundai Mobis is fostering a global culture among employees. Posters at Hyundai Mobis' headquarters in Seoul promoted a campaign to learn about India. The supplier...

GM still brings in most auto bucks.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Checked the standings lately? Not in the sports section - in the business section. General Motors still leads automakers in revenue, but DaimlerChrysler and Toyota have passed Ford for the first time, says Fortune magazine. When ranked on...

Honda labor dispute turns bloody.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Honda Motor Co. gets along so well with its U.S. workers that the siren song of the UAW has fallen on deaf ears. But in India, workers' attempts to be represented by a union have led to violence. At a Honda factory near New Delhi last...

DCX hotline is under fire.(DaimlerChrysler)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The woman who used to run the whistle-blower hotline for DaimlerChrysler workers is blowing the whistle herself. The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating allegations by Christine Holtzman that some tips from employees were...

Zetsche proved his mettle during chaotic period.(Dieter Zetsche)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Dale Jewett In November 2000, Dieter Zetsche arrived in Auburn Hills, Mich., as an outsider, a hit man sent by Stuttgart to cure a headache for DaimlerChrysler AG Chairman Juergen Schrempp. Nearly five years later, as he...

Chrysler's future lineup.
August 1, 2005... We kick off our annual series highlighting the North American product plans of U.S., European, Japanese and Korean automakers. The Chrysler group's plans for the 2006 through 2009 model years begin on | PAGE 26 | Next week: Ford Motor Co....

Hyundai Mobis: Ties that bind - and confuse.(Insight)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe To grasp the growth potential of Hyundai Mobis, it is important to understand the supplier's links to Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. But get a pen and paper. This is going to get complicated. Hyundai...

It's a date.(News)
August 1, 2005... Automotive News is gathering information about 2006 auto industry events for publication in the annual Automotive News Guide to Industry Events. To have your event considered for inclusion, e-mail the date and name of the event, venue, city,...

Ford launches 3 vehicles.(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Debi Domby * Ford Motor Co. begins building the 2006 Ford Fusion, Lincoln Zephyr and Mercury Milan today, Aug. 1, at its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. The plant has been down for changeover for six weeks. * Ford ended production...

GM's sport wagon.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... This is one of General Motors' new range of compact front-drive sport wagons snapped during testing. This prototype is a Chevrolet. Saturn will get a version, and siblings are expected to be sold by GM Daewoo in Korea and Chevrolet and Opel in...

LaSorda: Lean, not mean, factory rat; Improved quality, supplier relations are among his triumphs.(Tom LaSorda)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly Tom LaSorda, an amiable, low-key Canadian, has delivered hard-hitting results in areas of the Chrysler group that urgently needed doctoring. LaSorda, 51, worked to end an era of strife with the company's...

Dealers denounce employee discount; Survey respondents hate smaller margins.(automobile dealers)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Charles Child, David Sedgwick Sales soared, but Big 3 dealers were not impressed: Most will welcome the demise of the automakers' employee discounts for all customers. In an unscientific Automotive News survey last week, 57...

Chrysler finds day-care deal ideal for minivan.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James R. Crate The Chrysler group is going where few, if any, auto marketers have gone before - unless they were carrying a diaper bag and dropping off the kids. The Chrysler Town & Country minivan is the exclusive sponsor of...

Imports thrive amid Big 3 discount spree.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Charles Child The Big 3 have used their employee discount programs to gain market share. So you'd think import dealers would be waiting for the pain to end. Not true. Import dealers report that good times continue, despite the...

Putting suppliers where they want 'em.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Automakers have been drawing component makers closer to their North American vehicle assembly plants, but the model also is used globally. Here is a breakdown. * Nissan Motor Co.: Nissan has module...

Delphi settles supplier suit.(Orlick Industries Ltd. )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Delphi Corp. says it has settled out of court with a Canadian stamping supplier that Delphi had sued to ensure delivery of parts. Delphi sued Orlick Industries Ltd. of Hamilton, Ontario, last month because it...

High-flying Honda.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Automakers typically introduce a model at a major auto show or in an exotic locale. Honda last week chose to unveil its latest creation in Oshkosh, Wis. But it made sense because the newest Honda is an airplane - the six-seat HondaJet -...

Creditors fear for supplier's future; Carmakers' support for Collins & Aikman raises suspicions.(Suppliers)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky tkosdrosky@crain.com The automakers that agreed to fund Collins & Aikman Corp. for at least 90 days during its bankruptcy protection case were shortchanging the supplier a week after the agreement, according to...

Life after retirement? Look at Lee.(Lee A. Iacocca)
August 1, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN He made his reputation on the deal. The first time he came into prominence was as assistant sales manager in Ford Division's Philadelphia district with a deal he called 56 for 56. After a 20 percent down payment,...

Zetsche's road to DCX: Product; Here's the plan that helped elevate Chrysler boss.(Dieter Zetsche)
August 1, 2005... Everybody says product is king, but the Chrysler group has proved it. The company's hip and successful vehicle lineup, and the pipeline of new vehicles for the rest of the decade, has vaulted Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche to the chairmanship...

Lexus is wrong in bid for free magazine space.(Opinion)
August 1, 2005... The Lexus campaign to place product photos in the editorial content of consumer magazines is wrong. It poses a danger to the editorial integrity of those publications in which it seeks to place product photos. It could make the medium...

GM prepares new supplier price program.(General Motors Corp.)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin General Motors' top purchasing executive says he is buttressing GM's cost-cutting efforts with a new plan aimed at reducing an $86 billion global purchasing bill. Bo Andersson says the success of GM's...

Daimler's N.Y. legal eagle flies away.(Michael Schell)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The New York lawyer who guided Germany's Daimler-Benz AG and later DaimlerChrysler AG through two decades of U.S. mergers and acquisitions has left the business. Michael Schell, Daimler's lead outside counsel...

Lexus stores in Japan will be the same but different.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece A prosperous U.S. Lexus dealer who walks into one of Toyota's new Lexus stores in Japan might be a little surprised by the scene. Oh, the store will look as elegant as any Lexus dealership in the United States....

Dealers.(People)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Milestones * Bob Gruber celebrated 50 years as a Lincoln-Mercury salesman, first at D&E Motors in Buffalo, N.Y., and for the past 16 years at Scanlon Lincoln-Mercury in Fort Myers, Fla. Transitions * John Owen and Chuck Guschewsky...

Chrysler dealers: We've got a friend.(News)(Dieter Zetsche)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly Management changes at DaimlerChrysler AG will create a new era in the relationship between the Chrysler group's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., and DaimlerChrysler AG in Stuttgart, Chrysler dealers say. ...

Late News.(automobile industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Analysts: July was hot for Big 3 DETROIT - The popularity of employee discount sales pitches is expected to have made July a huge sales month for the Big 3. Total sales for the month will be up about 15.4 percent compared with July...

Doolan, Maroone join public dealer boards.(News)(Vic Doolan, Michael Maroone )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Vic Doolan, a former president of Volvo Cars of North America Inc., is joining the board of Sonic Automotive Inc. Doolan, 64, will be on Sonic's audit committee and its nominating and corporate governance...

Test procedure is major hurdle for crash-avoidance technology.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Devices intended to keep motorists out of crashes supposedly are the next big thing in automotive safety. But they are encountering a big speed bump. The problem: No one knows for sure how to test the...

Ex-carpet company exec champions manufacturing.(Insight)(Al Frink, Manufacturing in America)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Al Frink reports to work each day at an aging government building in Washington named for Herbert Hoover, the president who is remembered, perhaps unfairly, for dithering while the Great Depression unfolded. The...

Toyota's Tundra lines are not the same.(Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Toyota Motor Corp.'s Tundra-Sequoia-Sienna plant in Princeton, Ind., is not yet 10 years old. But when it was time to construct another Tundra plant in San Antonio, Toyota created a different blueprint. Unlike Princeton, which receives...

Closeness counts; Suppliers see the benefits of locating near automakers, but there are lots of challenges, too.(Insight)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Just-in-time parts delivery once was good enough for automakers. Now they're looking for just-around-the-corner. From Ford to Toyota, auto plants are experimenting with ways of getting their production...

So what's next, a minivan?(Porsche AG)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... After years of strategizing and a steady stream of rumors, Porsche says its long-awaited fourth nameplate will be... a four-door sedan? The rear-drive, four-seat Panamera will arrive in 2009. The name comes from the La Carrera Panamericana...

THE FINAL SAY.(automotive parts industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... "The story (about bad) relationships between suppliers and the traditional Big 3 is overblown negatively. These folks do what they need to do. They've got a purchasing organization whose job is to get the best price they can. If suppliers...

Auto News briefly.
August 1, 2005... That's the sweet smell of success The Trabant, the troublesome but spunky, two-stroke east German sedan, may have gone out of production in 1991, but that's not stopping a German entrepreneur from capitalizing on its continuing popularity....

Chevy starts from scratch in China.(Chevrolet)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb Lights flash and dancers strut as Dale Sullivan, the 44-year-old brand director for Chevrolet in China, dribbles a basketball around the stage at the media launch of the Aveo subcompact here. "It's great to be here...

High price slows Honda Ridgeline sales.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore The Honda Ridgeline has a price problem. The innovative V-6 pickup costs about $10,000 more than other compact trucks in the United States. And that is hurting sales, says Koichi Kondo, president of American Honda...

Honda will sell Acuras in China.(Honda Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb Honda Motor Co. will begin selling Acura vehicles in China next spring, the first time Acuras will be sold outside of North America. The RL sedan will be exported from Japan to China. As Honda expands the Acura...

Engine plan includes new 4-cylinder family.(Chrysler Group)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly The Chrysler group's next generation of compact and mid-range vehicles will be offered with a new family of four-cylinder engines. The engines were developed by DaimlerChrysler AG, Hyundai Motor Co. and Mitsubishi...

Jeep jumps to 6 models by late '06.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly By the end of next year, Jeep's model line will be doubled, up from three nameplates today to six. Today's line includes the Wrangler, Liberty and Grand Cherokee. The 2006 Commander will be added this fall. It's a...

Explorer gets stiffer frame, more features.(2006 Ford Explorer)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett Ford Motor Co. spent big bucks redoing the 2006 Ford Explorer, but officials say the vehicle probably never will be the cash cow it once was because of the crowded market and its effect on SUV prices. "We've been...

Value pricing: Ford hops on bandwagon.(Ford Motor Co.)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau Ford Motor Co. wants to sell the product, not the deal. This week, the automaker will slash sticker prices on the 2006 Ford Explorer SUV and many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury nameplates - an experiment in value...

I know just the guy to lead Zetsche's Mercedes team.(Dieter Zetsche)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham Dieter Zetsche's scheduled takeover as CEO of DaimlerChrysler AG at the beginning of next year already has started a game of musical chairs in the executive suite. There are the obvious changes, such as Tom...

Energy bill leaves carmakers untouched.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer All automakers soon will have to slap a label on new flexible-fuel vehicles. It will remind buyers they can use either gasoline or an ethanol blend. The mandate is a tiny part of a massive energy bill that...

Ridenour's focus on innovation pays off.(Eric Ridenour)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly Success has many fathers, and the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum are no exceptions. Most of the credit has gone to Dieter Zetsche, Wolfgang Bernhard and designer Ralph Gilles. If the hit products had an unsung...

Supply line.(automotive parts industry)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Hanil plant will supply Hyundai DETROIT - Hanil USA is building a 16,500-square-foot plant in Tallassee, Ala., to make plastic and steel tube components for fuel system assemblies for Hyundai vehicles. The supplier said the $2.3...

Japan imports fewer U.S.-made parts.(News)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Japanese imports of auto parts made in the United States dropped in the fiscal year ended March 31 to the lowest level in 11 years. Those imports into Japan fell 9.6 percent to $2.91 billion, according to the...

Transplant JV enters carpet business.(Suppliers)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell UGN Inc., a Japanese- and Swiss-owned interior trim supplier, is expanding into the vehicle carpet business in North America. The joint-venture company says the patented sound-deadening material in its trim...

Hedge funds drop cash, pressure on suppliers.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky tkosdrosky@crain.com A new type of investor smells opportunity in the struggling auto-supply industry, one willing to put money at risk but expecting quick and high returns: hedge funds. Not only are these funds...

Stampers expect European carmakers to double outsourcing; Companies cite carmakers' desire to cut costs.(Insight)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Anna Kochan autonews@crain.com Stampers expect European automakers to subcontract twice as many stampings and welded subassemblies by 2015. The move will be made to cut costs and handle a growing number of low-volume models. ...

Bernhard unveils plans for 4 VWs; Brand's U.S. dealers eagerly await minivan and more.(Wolfgang Bernhard, Volkswagen of America Inc.)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Volkswagen of America Inc. will leap into four new product segments by the end of 2007, part of an all-out effort to rebuild the VW brand in the United States. Long-suffering dealers will get a convertible, a...

Hyundai Mobis looks to the world for growth.(Insight)(Company Profile)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe Hyundai Mobis is not a typical automotive supplier. How many global Tier 1 suppliers own a professional basketball team? One. Hyundai Mobis owns the Mobis Phoebus. "The objective is to give a friendly image to...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Pity the poor domestic salesman To the Editor: In his July 18 column ("Just click for more information''), Keith Crain says "there is no excuse for any salesperson not to know as much as any customer.'' He is correct in asserting...

GM cuts 2006 prices on several models.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. General Motors appears to be serious about so-called value pricing, which is an effort to bring sticker prices closer to transaction prices. On many 2006 Chevrolet cars as well as Buick and Pontiac cars and...

Car-based Jeeps are next big gamble for Chrysler: Part 1 of 2.(News)(Company Profile)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly, Rick Kranz The Chrysler group is on a roll. So, can the company that successfully predicted America's desire for Hemi engines and rear-drive cars hit another home run? This time the innovation is car-based...

Car-based Jeeps are next big gamble for Chrysler: Part 2 of 2.(News)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly, Rick Kranz CHRYSLER, DODGE TRUCKS Chrysler PT Cruiser Chrysler gives the 2006 PT Cruiser a freshening, targeting the front and rear fascias, headlight modules and grille. The interior also gets a makeover,...

Soul-searching for suppliers: Part 1 of 2.(automotive parts industry)(Interview)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard Johnson, David Barkholz, Bradford Wernle Market share losses by the Big 3 have prompted North American component suppliers to do some soul-searching. The race is on to cement business with prospering Asian and European...

Soul-searching for suppliers: Part 2 of 2.(automotive parts industry)(Interview)(Industry Overview)
August 1, 2005... Byline: Richard Johnson, David Barkholz, Bradford Wernle Pricing If it's not about price, how do you explain a situation such as with Collins & Aikman, where the Big 3 are basically floating them to keep them going right now with their...

Calendar.(auto shows)(Calendar)
August 1, 2005... AUTO SHOWS - 2005 Aug. 24-28 - Moscow International Auto Show, Expocentr, Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow, 44-207-596-5177, www.motorshows-ite.com Sept. 15-25 - Frankfurt International Motor Show, Frankfurt/Main Fairgrounds, Frankfurt, (press...

Cole: Industry faces turbulent times.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Dave Cole, Center for Automotive Research)(Interview)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Lillie Guyer Fasten your seat belts, folks, there's turbulence ahead. Dave Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research, says the auto industry faces critical years ahead. With more than 30 years experience...

Economy rules will change, but not mpg format.(Management Briefing Seminars)(miles-per-gallon)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Old habits are hard to break. So even though the federal government is preparing a historic revision in how it calculates vehicle fuel economy, one thing will not change: Fuel economy ratings will be reported in...

Light designs that shine.(Management Briefing Seminars)(automotive lighting)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Headlamps and taillamps always have been integral to a vehicle's design, but new technologies give automotive designers more freedom in the way they style a front or rear end. Here are three examples that stand out. CAPTION(S): It's a...

World Congress offers strategies.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Automotive News World Congress)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 2, 2005... Some of the industry's top leaders will share their insights at next year's Automotive News World Congress. The theme for the 30th annual World Congress is "The Road to Prosperity: The Right Strategies in a Shifting Landscape." Speakers...

Seeking innovative suppliers.(Management Briefing Seminars)
August 2, 2005... Auto suppliers can obtain applications for the 2006 Automotive News PACE Awards at the Automotive News booth here. The awards, now in their 12th year, honor innovation among suppliers. The Automotive News PACE Awards are jointly presented...

Suppliers to the 2006 Honda Ridgeline.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... The 2006 Ridgeline is Honda's first pickup. The four-door Ridgeline, which is built on a unibody frame, is available in three trim levels: the RT, RTS and RTL. The truck is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 255 hp. The most prominent...

At the half: U.S. car sales by market class.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
August 2, 2005... Each issue of the Traverse City Daily features sales or production highlights for the first half of 2005. Today: U.S. car sales by market class Wednesday: U.S. truck sales by market class Thursday: N.A. car production by platform...

Outside Acme.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Mercedes U.S. marketing chief leaves for Hyundai DETROIT - Michelle Cervantez has left as vice president of marketing at Mercedes-Benz USA to take a job with the same title at Hyundai Motor America. Cervantez will be in charge of...

Supply line.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... NAVTEQ offers map system in Austria CHICAGO - NAVTEQ has released its Map Voice Data system for the Austrian market. Map Voice Data integrates with a vehicle's navigation system to give users detailed audio driving directions,...

Carmakers can learn from other industries.(Management Briefing Seminars)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett Shorter product cycles, constantly changing technology and intense competition are roiling the auto industry. But automakers can be first with new technology and can improve manufacturing efficiencies by...

CAD documents get lighter, easier to use.(Management Briefing Seminars)(automotive design)(Brief Article)
August 2, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Automakers and suppliers now can exchange 3-D versions of computer-aided designs of components and systems during product development. A 3-D model was developed by French company Dassault Systemes with help from...

Nissan draws closer to build-to-order - in Japan.(Management Briefing Seminars)
August 2, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Nissan Motor Co. is using greater flexibility in its powertrain manufacturing to shorten lead times and become more responsive to customer orders in Japan, Yoshimasa Yamamoto said yesterday. "We believe that...