Automotive News articles from August 2006

Automotive News archives from August 2006

The right way to go.(memberships of Ford Motor Minority Dealers Association)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Kudos to the Ford Motor Minority Dealers Association, which is moving to control its own destiny by establishing a new membership fee based on the number of vehicles each dealer sells. The association has been funded by dues collected from...

Late News.(pension bill Congress )(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Pension bill is mixed bag for industry WASHINGTON - A pension bill Congress sent to President Bush late last week is not as bad as it could have been, especially for General Motors and Ford Motor Co., industry leaders say. "Some of the...

Suppliers roll with the punches - part 2 of 2.(opinion of chief executive officers)
August 7, 2006... GM-Nissan purchasing? GM is studying a possible alliance with Nissan-Renault. How would you imagine Nissan-Renault might align with GM purchasing? Orchard: I think Mark should answer this. Hogan: Well, I don't want to comment on...

Turnabout: Chrysler now boasts about sharing with Mercedes - part 2 of 2.(product information of Chrysler Corp.)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Bradford Wernle Chrysler, Dodge trucks Chrysler PT Cruiser: The PT Cruiser got a freshening for the 2006 model year, and LaSorda says quite a few good years are left in the current Cruiser's life. But it's what to do next with...

Continental outlines plan for telematics business unit.(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Erin Robinson Continental AG unveiled a plan last week to develop more safety products on vehicles through a new telematics business unit. The business unit, established after the company's $1 billion purchase of Motorola...

Murtaugh's charge: Make Ssangyong strong for SAIC.(SAIC Motor Corp.)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Alysha Webb These days, Phil Murtaugh, the former chairman of General Motors' China operations, is eating a lot of beef and the pungent Korean cabbage dish kim chi. He gripes, but Murtaugh must have known it was coming when he...

GM mulls 3rd-quarter truck production cut; Trim would offset inventory glut of full-sized SUVs.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors may trim third-quarter truck production to offset increasing levels of inventory, particularly with the 2007 full-sized SUVs. GM pumped its redesigned full-sized SUVs into the market earlier this...

Exports to U.S. fuel Japanese growth.(export details of automobiles)
August 7, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Japan's auto industry is relying more and more on exports to the United States. As domestic sales fell, rising exports fueled an increase in production in the April-June quarter. Exports to the United...

Denso eyes 25% sales growth.(Suppliers)
August 7, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Denso Corp. aims to raise revenues 25 percent over four years while also raising profit margins. The company announced those goals as part of its new midterm plan. And the Japanese megasupplier jumped off to a...

Future robots will see, feel and send e-mail.(robots help in the automotive industry)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell They won't be your father's robots. Robots have been used in assembly plants for decades, but the factories of the next 10 to 20 years will have robots that will be more advanced than those seen in classic...

Isuzu will add 2 pickup trim lines in 2007.(Isuzu Motors Ltd.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Kathy Jackson Isuzu plans to add two trim lines to its lineup of pickups, offering customers four small pickup options for the 2007 model year. The new trim lines are the i-370 two-wheel-drive extended cab and the i-370...

Honda's too-hot line.(Photograph)
August 7, 2006... Sometimes a consumer hot line is just a little too hot. That was Honda's problem - and it resulted in a gigantic recall campaign involving 1.2 million 2006-07 Honda and Acura vehicles. But it doesn't involve a big safety problem or a...

Study picks up where Harbour Report leaves off; Competitiveness is next big thing for Jim Harbour.(production management of automotive industry)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Edward Lapham Jim Harbour is doing it again. The manufacturing guru is about ready to alter the way the auto industry looks at itself, this time with a study that measures the gap in cost competitiveness in North America and how it...

Shareholders explore a deal with Delphi.(Delphi Corp contracts with Appaloosa Management)
August 7, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz A group of Delphi Corp. stockholders led by billionaire David Tepper has hired financial advisers to explore a "potential restructuring, acquisition or other transaction involving Delphi.'' Tepper's hedge fund,...

Freeway fatigue: The more, the wearier.(survey of drivers)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Has the romance of the road gone out of your life? You're not alone. Only two-thirds of U.S. motorists say they like to drive, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. When a Gallup poll asked the same question 15 years ago, four of...

With Chung sprung, Kia's Georgia plant plan moves ahead.(management of Kia Motors Corp)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Now that its powerful decision maker is out of jail in Korea, Kia Motors Corp. is hustling to get its planned billion-dollar auto plant back on track in Georgia. The company had been slow-walking the project...

Dealers.(People)(Appointments and awards for automotive dealers)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Milestones * Wade Carter and Sara Carter of Carter Volkswagen in Seattle received a 45-year award for Volkswagen from Volkswagen of America. Transitions * A. Foster McKissick III of Fairway Ford in Greenville, S.C., was elected...

BMW arts series aims at black consumers.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Arlena Sawyers BMW of North America LLC is betting that urban black consumers who are interested in pop-jazz music and independent films also have a penchant for its cars. The company is inviting thousands of black consumers to...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Obituary)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... James Vestal KERNERSVILLE, N.C - James Vestal, owner and chairman of Vestal Pontiac Buick Inc. in Kernersville, N.C., died May 22. He was 88. Les Viland DETROIT - Les Viland, an automotive engineer who was one of the industry's...

Future work force: 2 types, shifting loyalties; Cost, competition are already imposing this model.(contracts)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Tim Moran He's a laborer who's happy to have part-time work. She's a college graduate whose manual dexterity makes her a valued full-time member of an assembly team. Each of them lives in a semirural area of the country where...

Pickups: Down, but not out; GM, Toyota hope workhorses won't join SUV slump.(sport utility vehicle)(General Motors Corp)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Amy Wilson U.S. sales of full-sized pickups are down, and trade-in data suggest owners are moving out of pickups into cheaper, more fuel-efficient vehicles. But don't call it "SUV Collapse: The Sequel'' just yet. Through July,...

Flexible work rules help factories meet productivity goals; Swing shifts are added; workers handle more jobs.(Insight)(Continental AG)(DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group)(Hyundai Corp)
August 7, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz Hourly workers at Continental AG's brake plants in Virginia and North Carolina are getting a taste of the future with new work rules that the company says are helping Continental compete with lower-cost manufacturers...

Ford aims Expedition at core SUV buyers; Re-engineering is focused on need for interior space, towing, comfort.(analysis of consumer preferences)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Amy Wilson With an emphasis on a quieter, smoother ride and more creature comforts, the 2007 Ford Expedition aims to keep existing owners in Ford's SUV fold. With the full-sized SUV segment shrinking dramatically, the...

Red meat(heads).(advertising)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... What makes a man a real man? Hummer's ad agency, Modernista, is on the case . . . but seems to be having a tough time tracking down clues. Hummer learned that you shouldn't make light of male virility after it put out a TV commercial for...

Letters to the editor.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
August 7, 2006... Suppliers deserve automakers' respect To the Editor: Your July 31 article on Bo Andersson's condescending, heavy-handed approach to General Motors' suppliers makes it crystal clear why Nissan, Toyota and Honda are quietly taking market...

Software that designs digital assembly lines gains ground.(technology application)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel The auto industry has been an early adopter of digital manufacturing software, which allows an automaker to design, visualize and test a vehicle assembly line on a computer before ever installing a single conveyor. ...

Suppliers gladly accept handoff of niche vehicles.(market research )
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Automakers have long toyed with outsourcing the assembly of niche vehicles. And coachbuilders are happily standing by to do the work. But will the North American auto industry ever follow the European practice...

Supply Line.(Briefs)
August 7, 2006... Delphi, JCI complete sale of factory DETROIT - Delphi Corp. said last week that it had completed the sale of its New Brunswick, N.J., battery plant to Johnson Controls Inc. Johnson Controls will continue to employ about one-third of the...

The factory of the future.
August 7, 2006... Automakers are experimenting with factories run by remote control; robots that see, feel and communicate; and even "talking'' fasteners. Automotive News tours the factory of the future in a special report starting on Page 28A. CAPTION(S):...

Fire sale may figure in Ford's fix-up plan.(Final assembly)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Bill Ford has a new "strategic adviser.'' And the strategy appears to include an examination of the merits of selling off some of Ford Motor Co.'s troubled brands and forming partnerships with other automakers. Kenneth Leet, 48, a former...

Nuts and bolts? Not smart enough for the future.(Insight)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Tim Moran Wouldn't it be great if you could ask the fasteners and screws in a new car whether they're installed correctly? It could happen in the factory of the future. The technology already is taking test flights in the...

RDX gets added scrutiny at end of the line.(product development)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel The new Acura RDX is getting some extra scrutiny from inspectors as it rolls off the line here. Honda of America Manufacturing Inc. has deployed 45 so-called "Line End Testers,'' hand-held units that can check how...

Sequencing's unexpected dividend: Better data.(market research)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Automakers and suppliers are moving rapidly toward sequenced parts delivery, the process in which specific components reach the assembly line to be installed on preassigned vehicles. But the motivation is not...

GE Plastics turns parts 'green'.(GE Plastics)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Will the Japanese auto industry pay more for a "green'' component? General Electric Plastics thinks so. A new family of GE plastics has properties and performance characteristics that are almost identical to...

Supplier park partnership works for DCX; Honda says it has decided against park concept.(product information of DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Automakers, in this age of just-in-time parts delivery, have been drawing their suppliers closer to their North American vehicle assembly plants. Nissan, Toyota, Ford and Mercedes-Benz all have vehicle assembly...

Lawsuit: Hyundai chokes in the clutch; Owners say company won't cover transmission defect.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin A lawsuit filed against Hyundai Motor America alleges that the automaker installed faulty clutches in 2003 model Tiburon coupes but refuses to honor warranty claims for them. The suit, filed in federal court in Los...

Survey: Many shop online, most don't seek quotes.(market research)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Despite all the car shoppers using the Internet to help them buy a new vehicle, it turns out that only one-third of them submit an electronic request for a quote to a dealership. Two-thirds prefer to go to a...

Automakers struggle to wipe out paint shops.(control of emissions)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett Few manufacturing advancements are coveted more by the auto industry for the factory of the future than the elimination of the paint shop. It's the messiest and most expensive part of the automaking process. A...

Wanted: Innovative dealers.(News)
August 7, 2006... If you are a franchised new-car dealer and have pioneered a winning strategy in any part of your business, please tell us about it. We're gathering ideas for a special Insight section on Innovative Dealers to be published Oct. 2. Send a note to...

Wake up, Bob . . . time to go.(General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz Plans to stay with the company)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Finally, a definitive answer from General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz on how long he plans to stay with the company: "Who knows?'' Asked at a press event last week whether GM had extended his contract into 2007, Lutz responded: "I am...

Honda will certify parts and service managers.(American Honda Motor Co. Inc. will launch a certification program )
August 7, 2006... Byline: Kathy Jackson American Honda Motor Co. Inc. will launch a certification program for dealership parts and service managers next January. Both Honda and Acura stores will take part in the program. Its goals are to improve profits...

Ad shop 'instability' led to Cadillac switch.(Marketing)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist Cadillac's decision this summer to dump the ad agency it had used for more than 70 years wasn't just the result of a Super Bowl TV spot that misfired. True, Cadillac execs weren't pleased with the commercial...

Feds near decision on 'black box' rule; Device won't be mandatory, but data format will.(rules for automobile industry)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett Life is about to get more complex and more expensive for automakers that equip their vehicles with event data recorders. The devices, sometimes referred to as automotive "black boxes,'' record information about...

Import sales boost dealer groups.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Donna Harris The six largest public auto retailers weathered a tough new-vehicle sales climate in the second quarter, largely on the strength of import-brand sales. Rising interest rates and higher gasoline prices took a toll. ...

GM's new pickups.(product enhancement of General Motors)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... General Motors' most important vehicles have been re-engineered and restyled for 2007. The full-sized GMC Sierra, above left, and Chevrolet Silverado pickups are wider and lower than previous models. Engineers focused on crashworthiness, fuel...

Auto News Briefly.(market research)
August 7, 2006... Import dunking: A barge load of book publicity It was promoted as the 2006 equivalent of the Boston Tea Party. Arnold Goetzke, a former engineering supervisor for the Chrysler group, said he would dump seven import-brand vehicles into the...

GM-Goodyear deal averts crisis at Delta Twp. plant.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lisa Hockensmith A deal late last week between Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and General Motors averted - at least temporarily - a stalemate that had threatened to disrupt the opening today, Aug. 7, of GM's plant in Delta Township,...

Shrinking N.A. profits don't worry Toyota.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Toyota Motor Corp.'s North American profit margins are shrinking. But the carmaker says it is not worried. North American operating profits rose 1.7 percent to [yen]140.13 billion, or $1.22 billion at current...

Nissan's Wilhite jumps to Hyundai's U.S. hot seat.(Appointment at Hyundai Motor America)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin Steve Wilhite, Hyundai Motor America's new COO, is joining a company that has shown limited patience for its top executives. Wilhite takes the place of Bob Cosmai as Hyundai's top U.S. executive. Cosmai was ousted...

Auto News Digest.(market research)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... AlixPartners reorganizes DETROIT - AlixPartners LLC, a global corporate turnaround firm with a variety of automotive clients, announced a reorganization last week. The private-equity firm Hellman & Friedman LLC, of San Francisco, made an...

Visteon improves, but others struggle; Auto suppliers face rising costs.(Suppliers)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Robert Sherefkin A restructuring at Visteon Corp. made aggregate second-quarter results look good for North American auto suppliers. But take Visteon's dramatic improvement out of the equation, and the picture was grim. An...

American engineer turbocharges Acura's new RDX crossover; Honda vet led team under cover of L.A. darkness.(management)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel As chief engineer of the 2007 Acura RDX, Gary Evert did not always see eye to eye with his Japanese colleagues. Evert, 41, was the lone American on the RDX development team that began work in the United States and...

Once-rigid assembly plants become flexible.(production management)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel When Honda began mass-producing its 2007 Acura RDX two weeks ago in its Marysville, Ohio, assembly plant, the new crossover model had two companions on the assembly line. Honda of America Manufacturing is producing...

Suppliers roll with the punches - part 1 of 2.(growth of automobile industry)
August 7, 2006... Auto suppliers face unprecedented challenges in North America, but it's not all doom and gloom. Suppliers are expanding, diversifying and innovating as the needs of their customers constantly change. Automotive News convened its annual...

Takaoka: Toyota's factory of the future.(production management)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Toyota Motor Corp., already regarded as the industry leader in manufacturing efficiency, is raising its sights. Toyota is completely refurbishing its high-volume Takaoka assembly plant. Toyota says it is aiming...

Chrysler adds punch to powertrain offerings.(Spotlight on Future Products)(Correction notice)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett ***** Correction: A story on Page 36 of this issue gives the wrong cylinder configuration for two Cummins diesel engines. The 5.9-liter engine and the larger engine debuting for the 2007 model year are both...

Denso's resolve: Greener plants in 10 years; Company's EcoVision 2015 plan could become an industry benchmark.(control of Emissions (Pollution))
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The factory of the future will be environmentally correct. As environmental awareness rises, manufacturers are stepping up their quest for greener factories, with reduced land waste, cleaner air and water...

Carmakers shift engineers to plants to speed decisions.(DaimlerChrysler AG acquired with Siemens AG)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Manufacturers want to be more flexible in the future with shorter product cycles. But that's easier said than done for factories. Altering products and changing assembly lines usually are the tasks of engineers,...

Saturn charges dealers for shortfall; Automaker raises fees to end $8.5 million computer fund deficit.(analysis of vehicle loans)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Saturn has informed its 438 dealers that they must collectively eliminate an $8.5 million deficit in the fund they use to pay for dealership computer systems. That revelation comes on top of the much-debated...

Storm is brewing over title washing; Bill before Congress backs NADA's call for insurers' database.(National Automobile Dealers Association)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Harry Stoffer Auto dealers and insurers are headed for a confrontation over title washing. Dealers support a bill before Congress that would require insurance companies to report every vehicle they declare a total loss. The...

Land Rover: Poor quality is result of software glitch.(market research of Land Rover Range Rover)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin So how clunky are Land Rovers, anyway? According to the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, the British SUV brand is at the bottom of the heap, with 204 problems per 100 vehicles. That's far worse than the...

Lightbody is named to ad sales position.(appointment of Kathleen C. Lightbody )(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Kathleen C. Lightbody has been named a regional sales manager of Automotive News. In her new position, she is responsible for advertising sales in Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, West Virginia and portions of Louisiana and Arkansas. ...

Levi is out in Faurecia fracas.(resignation of Pierre Levi )(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... In the midst of a bribery investigation, Faurecia Chairman Pierre Levi quit last week. German prosecutors are examining allegations that Levi covered up payoffs by the French supplier to automakers' employees in order to win contracts. ...

Chrysler's employee pricing spiff flops; Company tweaks its Dr. Z ads.(News)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Bradford Wernle The Chrysler group's summer blowout sale has flopped. In July, the automaker tried to reignite last year's summer sales frenzy by reviving its employee-pricing incentives. Chrysler's daily vehicle sales rate...

Judge tosses suit over Jag plates.(Legal File)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Eric Freedman A federal judge cleared Ford Motor Co. in a class-action lawsuit arising from a lack of hardware to attach license plates to the front bumpers of some Jaguar models. Ted Strauss was fined $155 for not having a...

Makers, suppliers must pull together to reduce weight.(desperate drive to reduce the weight of cars )(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Although Congress has dithered on the fuel economy issue, market forces have intervened. Rising gasoline prices and demand by consumers are prompting automakers to improve the fuel economy of their vehicles. But automakers can't do it...

Production.
August 7, 2006... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy CAPTION(S): This 2006 Honda Civic was the 4 millionth vehicle built by Honda of Canada Manufacturing in Alliston, Ontario,...

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 7, 2006... A story on Page 36 of this issue gives the wrong cylinder configuration for two Cummins diesel engines. The 5.9-liter engine and the larger engine debuting for the 2007 model year are both inline-six engines, not V-8s.

All aboard the franchise express!(company management)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Alfred Sloan built an automotive colossus with the help of a railroad car. After he became president of General Motors in 1923, Sloan outfitted the private car as a rolling office. Riding the rails every month through the early 1930s,...

German firm steps up LED development.(development of light-emitting diode)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Klaus-Dieter Floerecke Schefenacker, a German lighting technology specialist, is intensifying development of light-emitting diode, or LED, technologies for headlamps. Some of the technologies are undergoing test trials. ...

Chrysler delays small-car plan.(marketing)(Brief article)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Harald Hamprecht The Chrysler group is giving itself more time to find a partner for a new entry-level Dodge to be sold in the United States and Europe. "At the start of the fourth quarter, at the latest, we will announce who...

2007 Sebring highlights innovation inside and out.(DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Bradford Wernle Chrysler group executives hope that distinctive styling and innovative features will set the 2007 Chrysler Sebring apart from the competition. Chrysler is positioning the Sebring as a "clear alternative to...

Help wanted: 35,000 techs - now!(united states. Labor Department)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist To meet growing demand for service technicians, auto dealerships must hire 35,000 per year through 2010, the U.S. Labor Department estimates. New-vehicle dealerships employed 258,100 technicians last year, the...

The chips are in for tire manufacturers.(usage of radio frequency identification )
August 7, 2006... Byline: Tim Moran Deep inside the black sidewalls of Michelin tires these days lurks a tiny assembly that consists of an antenna, a microchip and a miniature capacitor. When the tire passes a reader, the capacitor receives a small jolt...

Factory of the future: E-mailing robots; More computers, fewer (but smarter) people - and fasteners that talk to headquarters and tattle about screw-ups.(Insight)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Philip Nussel, Richard Truett In the factory of the future, robots will e-mail their overseers when they spot a problem. Supervisors will run a factory's assembly lines from locations halfway around the world. And even the lowly...

Workers' shift to GM eases strike threat at Delphi.(General Motors sales and earnings)
August 7, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz The transfer of hourly workers from Delphi Corp. to General Motors has lessened the threat of a strike at Delphi, which is seeking wage and benefit cuts. Since December, 550 workers at Delphi's plant in Saginaw,...

Weight watchers; Suppliers scramble to make vehicles lighter.(analysis of fuel economy)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell, Philip Nussel Automakers are desperate to slim down - one part at a time. Gasoline prices are climbing, yet cars and trucks continue to gain weight at the worst possible time. According to a just-released...

Parts makers in China: 'You've got to be there'; It's a powerful combination: Huge market, low wages.(facilities of automobile industry)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Robert Sherefkin After a long march, China is well on its way to becoming one of the world's auto parts manufacturing hubs. But will China become the global hub? "Yes, I think they can,'' says Alain Charlois, who recently...

Leanest plants will slash number of workstations.(Insight)
August 7, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz The most productive auto factories of the future will have as few as 100 assembly line workstations, compared with as many as 450 at some of today's most inefficient plants. Future plants will operate with fewer...

Retro fun.
August 7, 2006... While Chrysler ads tout German engineering, the company's newest vehicles - the '07 Jeep Patriot and Chrysler Sebring - have Mitsubishi links. Future vehicles with American inspiration include Dodge's '08 Challenger and the bold-looking '08...

The new Malibu.(News)
August 7, 2006... This lightly camouflaged prototype of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu was snapped last week. The Malibu continues on General Motors' Epsilon front-wheel-drive platform, but the car is longer and has more rear passenger space thanks to a stretched...

Ghosn is talking to the wrong company.(acquisitions and management)
August 7, 2006... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Sure, we know who started the conversation. And, yes, Jerry York is a member of the General Motors board. Right now, Renault/Nissan and GM are trying to determine whether an alliance would be a good thing for them....

Turnabout: Chrysler now boasts about sharing with Mercedes - part 1 of 2.(management of DaimlerChrysler)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Bradford Wernle DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche has taken to the airwaves as a celebrity pitchman this summer. His main message: DaimlerChrysler products offer customers a blend of German and American expertise they cannot get...

Vegas visitors get on GM's fast track; Consumers can take cars for a spin.(new facilities of general motors)
August 7, 2006... Byline: Larry Edsall When was the last time you took a test drive and the person sent to ride with you demanded that you do your best to burn rubber? That's what happens at The Drive Automotive Performance Park, Las Vegas' newest...