Automotive News articles from December 2003

Automotive News archives from December 2003

Calendar.
December 1, 2003... AUTO SHOWS - 2003 Nov. 26-Dec. 5 - Essen Motor Show, Messe Essen, Essen, Germany, 49-201-72440 Dec. 6-14 - Bologna Motor Show, Bologna Fiere, Bologna, Italy, 39-051-645-1011, www. motorshow.it Dec. 21-26 - Jeddah International...

Steep costs.(Automotive parts counterfeiting )
December 1, 2003... Automotive parts counterfeiting has widespread effects * Loss of about 750,000 jobs a year worldwide * Safety risks * Inferior quality or performance * Lost sales * Damage to brand reputation Source: Motor & Equipment...

Medicare bill will save Big 3 a bundle.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer The Medicare bill approved by Congress last week will help General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group and some suppliers overcome one of the large competitive disadvantages they face, the companies say. ...

Build X3s in Spartanburg? No decision yet.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko BMW's top executive in North America says it might make sense to build the X3 small SUV alongside the larger X5 in Spartanburg, S.C., but no decision has been made. The X3, introduced to the press here...

2004 BMW X3.(features)
December 1, 2003... Height: 66.0 in. Length: 179.7 in. Width: 66 in. Wheelbase: 110.1 in. Curb weight: 4,001 lbs. Base engine: 2.5-liter inline 6-cylinder Horsepower: 184 hp @ 6,000 rpm Torque: 175 lbs.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm ...

Late News.(automotive briefs)
December 1, 2003... New Visteon CFO quits DETROIT - Visteon Corp.'s new CFO George Strickler quit the post less than two weeks after the appointment was announced. He was to start the job today, Dec. 1. Outgoing CFO Daniel Coulson, who was to retire, has...

16 GM plants work overtime.(Production)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Debi Domby * General Motors' Shreveport, La., plant will work overtime this week for the first time in nearly a year. The plant, which builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, last worked overtime the week that ended Dec. 14,...

Dodge to sponsor TV Lingerie Bowl; Pay-per-view show is latest marketing effort to push boundaries of good taste.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Mary Connelly Dodge will sponsor Lingerie Bowl 2004 on pay-per-view cable TV during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl on Feb. 1. A group of models dressed in lingerie will play a seven-on-seven tackle football game. The...

Delphi joins push to change pension rules.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky Delphi Corp. believes it has up to a $900 million stake in changing the way pension funds are valued. The supplier has joined other companies to lobby Congress for a law that would let them pin the long-term...

Kia introduces big Amanti to U.S.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Mark Rechtin Kia Motors America Inc., the Korean company that has made its mark in the United States by selling budget-priced vehicles, is about to step into loftier sales territory. This month, on the eve of its 10th...

Wagoner: GM might back off on rebates; Improving economy, wave of new models will boost sales in '04.(Rick Wagoner)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner - who has led the industry on a no-holds-barred price war since 2001 - hopes that the automaker can reduce incentives next year. Asked whether GM will decrease incentives, Wagoner...

Approved move.(Legal File)(Chevrolet dealerships protest GM's decision to allow a competing dealership to relocate)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Issue: 3 Chevrolet dealerships in Ohio protest GM's decision to allow a competing dealership to relocate, saying it will harm their businesses. Where it stands: At the end of a second round of appeals, Ohio panel upholds GM's relocation...

Honda sets modest European growth targets.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Honda Motor Co. believes Europe is a low-profit environment and so it will concentrate growth efforts in Asia and North America. Honda has revamped its European goals from high growth to sustainable...

Battle against terrorism catches auto dealers off guard; High price could be paid for failing to check customers' names against federal list.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Donna Harris A federal list designed to combat terrorism has been nothing but a headache to John Porter, sales manager for Bill Wink Chevrolet-Geo in Dearborn, Mich. A few weeks ago, a bank held up financing for one of the...

Turbocharger companies increase their business.(News)(BorgWarner Turbo Systems and Honeywell Garrett)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Edmund Chew The auto industry's drive for greater fuel efficiency is boosting business for two top turbocharger producers, BorgWarner and Honeywell Garrett. BorgWarner has won more than $1 billion in powertrain business,...

Fight looms in Germany over labor deals.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Jens Meiners German auto industry leaders are heading for a fight with the country's powerful unions over labor contracts. VDA, the German automakers association, wants the contracts to be dramatically restructured to make it...

Porsche moves further from its sports car roots.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Jens Meiners Porsche is moving further from its sports car roots by adding a Cayenne with a Volkswagen V-6 engine to its lineup. The German carmaker also could introduce a two-door, four-seat model as a fourth platform -...

Michelin, TRW launch tire safety venture.(News)(TRW Automotive Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Ian Morton French tire maker Michelin and U.S. auto supplier TRW Automotive plan a joint venture to develop a global market for a new tire pressure monitoring system for cars and light trucks. The venture, EnTire Solutions LLC,...

VW saves time with laser welding on the 2004 Golf.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Anna Kochan Volkswagen AG is using laser technology to streamline production of the redesigned Golf. VW long has pioneered the use of laser welding in its car assembly plants. The fourth-generation Golf body has 4,500 spot...

TRW wins stability control business in Europe.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Alex Graham TRW Automotive Inc. has won its first major contract in Europe for the company's active braking system. Volkswagen AG has selected TRW's Vehicle Stability Control system for the next-generation Passat due in late...

GM to boost investment in AutoVAZ; Wagoner: Partnership has exceeded sales targets.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors will increase its investment in its joint venture with Russian automaker AutoVAZ. GM CEO Rick Wagoner says the venture has exceeded sales projections and is meeting its financial targets. The...

Wagoner: GM rarely will use 30-day cancellation clause.(News)(Rick Wagoner)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors rarely will invoke its new 30-day termination clause to terminate contracts with noncompetitive suppliers, GM CEO Rick Wagoner said. The clause - which GM began to insert in supplier contracts on...

In 2004, CEO vows, Ford will make money on cars.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Amy Wilson, David Sedgwick, Peter Brown CEO Bill Ford acknowledges that Ford Motor Co. has made unrealistic profit projections on vehicle programs. That will end, he vows, as he tries to make money on passenger cars. He was...

2004 Kia Amanti.(News)
December 1, 2003... Height: 58.5 in. Length: 196.0 in. Width: 72.8 in. Wheelbase: 110.2 in. Curb weight: 4087 lbs. Engine: 3.5-liter V-6 Horsepower: 200 hp @ 5,500 rpm Torque: 220 lbs.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm Base price: $25,535

Panelists will discuss used-vehicle profits in an era of incentives.(2004 Automotive News World Congress)
December 1, 2003... Three executives with important roles in the used-vehicle market will be among the speakers at the 2004 Automotive News World Congress. Raj Sundaram, president of Automotive Lease Guide; Austin Ligon, CEO of CarMax Inc.; and Dean Eisner,...

Less than retail.(wholesalers stats)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * An estimated 50,000 wholesalers operate in the U.S. * The average wholesaler sells about 300 used vehicles annually. * Wholesalers sell about 15 million used cars a year.

5 series put through rigorous 4-month testing.(BMW's new 5 series)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Anna Kochan The level of on-board electronics on BMW's new 5 series is particularly high. Because of the risks associated with new electronics systems as well as the large number of model variations and a steep ramp-up, BMW's...

Volvo has ambitious goal for S40 production.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Alex Graham Volvo aims to reach full production of the S40 at its plant in Ghent, Belgium, one month faster than the industry norm in Europe. Volvo believes the improvement to eight weeks from 12 weeks is possible because of...

A high bar.(tax credits)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Under legislation near final approval in Congress, an automaker would do the following to qualify its customers for a tax credit of $3,400 * Build a gasoline-electric hybrid or advanced diesel vehicle * Make it achieve a city fuel...

Suzuki, with help from GM, shoots to triple U.S. sales by 2007.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi This year, Suzuki Motor Corp. set a goal of tripling U.S. sales to 200,000 annually by 2007, even though it has never sold more than 100,000 vehicles in the United States in one year. But last month, Suzuki reported...

Dealers.(People)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Milestones * Kurt Gerrish of Gerrish Honda in Lebanon, N.H., received a 30-year award for Honda from American Honda Motor Co. * Jack Moses of Moses Pontiac-Buick-GMC in Huntington, W.Va., received a 25-year award for Pontiac from...

Software helps dealerships reduce their inventory.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Subaru of New England Inc., an independent distributor for 60 Subaru dealerships, has taken the guesswork out of ordering replacement parts. Each morning, Subaru of New England sends a recommended parts order to...

Counterfeit parts cause industry $12 billion headache.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Sherri Begin Automotive parts counterfeiters are getting bolder and more pervasive, causing increasing problems for traditional suppliers of the components. Counterfeiting costs the global automotive industry a reported $12...

Auto News briefly.(Briefs)
December 1, 2003... Teamwork, schmeamwork Reception areas in General Motors' headquarters in Detroit's Renaissance Center are decorated with large photos of GM employees, some with quotes attached. GM execs' quotes tend to be feel-good tributes to corporate...

Alfa Romeo won't return to the U.S. in 2007.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Luca Ciferri Once again, Alfa Romeo has postponed its return to the United States. The Italian automaker will not re-enter the U.S. market in 2007 as planned, Fiat Group CEO Giuseppe Morchio told Automotive News Europe. An...

Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2003... * A story on Page 20 of the Nov. 17 issue incorrectly reported that Land Rover Defenders assembled in kit form would be subject to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 120-day limit for certification. Vehicles assembled from...

History of a failed takeover.(News)(ArvinMeritor Inc. failed takeover of Dana Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... July 8: ArvinMeritor announces a bid to acquire Dana for $15 a share. July 22: Dana rejects the offer. July 25: ArvinMeritor sues Dana, alleging "misrepresentations.'' Aug. 14: Dana sues ArvinMeritor, alleging that it violated a...

BMW hones production methods; Aluminum, adhesives technology challenge German factory.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Anna Kochan Aluminum, composites and thermoplastics are playing a big role in vehicles produced by BMW. With production forecast at more than 800 units daily, the BMW 5 series is one of the volume cars with the highest aluminum...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2003... For Jeep, it's strictly a matter of product To the Editor: Where does Keith Crain get the crazy notion that "every Jeep that is sold... is expected to have... the ability to go anywhere''? (Nov. 3). What a load of hooey. It's obvious...

Delphi, UAW have model for 2-tier wages.(Delphi Corp., United Auto Workers' contract)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Julie Armstrong When Delphi Corp. and the UAW get around to negotiating a two-tier wage structure, they won't have to look far to see how it could work. For two years, Delphi and UAW Local 651 have had a two-tier wage...

Personnel.(various appointments)
December 1, 2003... FEDERAL-MOGUL CORP. - Gerhard Boehm to senior vice president of powertrain. He was vice president of pistons. Jeff Kaminski to vice president of global supply chain management. He was vice president of finance for powertrain operations. ...

ArvinMeritor's takeover of Dana wasn't meant to be.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Suppliers that are hungry for growth through acquisition should heed the lessons of ArvinMeritor's failed takeover bid for Dana Corp. It was a bad idea that wasted resources at both companies and turned into a humiliating defeat for...

So what's the big deal with Power?(J.D. Power III)(Column)
December 1, 2003... Byline: KEITH CRAIN A couple of weeks ago, J.D. Power III set off a small hydrogen bomb with an opinion column he sent to The Wall Street Journal. I wonder why he bothered to do it. He must have had something to say and wanted the...

Nissan, Dongfeng plan rapid growth; Partners plan to double China sales over next 4 years.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Alysha Webb Diving headfirst into the hotly contested China passenger car market, Nissan Motor Co. plans to double in four years the unit sales and revenues of its China joint venture, Dongfeng Motor Co. The plan is especially...

Nissan extends sales lead over GM in Mexico.(Sales)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dale Jewett Nissan stretched its sales lead over General Motors in Mexico to 1,250 units through the first 10 months of this year, thanks to healthy sales of the locally produced Tsuru and Platina models. Nissan topped all...

Wholesalers have bad rep, but who cares? Apathy foils activist's effort to sanitize image.(Jules Gollins)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Can you name the only negotiator a car dealer dreads sitting across the bargaining table from? The middleman who shows up with a checkbook at dealerships - sometimes invited, sometimes not - offering a quick way...

Bucking the trend.(News)
December 1, 2003... Some deals that succeeded. * Fiat acquires Alfa Romeo, 1986 * VW acquires Audi, 1969 * Ford acquires Aston Martin, 1987 * Peugeot acquires Citroen, 1976 * Fiat acquires Ferrari, 1969 * Chrysler acquires Jeep, 1987 ...

Ford Motor pushes for 6-cylinder diesel; Rift with supplier opens the door for other engine makers.(News)(International Truck and Engine Corp.)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Richard Truett Despite a canceled deal with International Truck and Engine Corp., Ford Motor Co. still wants to introduce a six-cylinder diesel engine for the F-150 pickup. A diesel-powered F-150 "could be a big seller,'' says...

3 Ohio dealerships again fail to prevent rival store's move.(Legal File)(Auto World Chevrolet)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Eric Freedman A three-judge appeals panel has upheld General Motors' decision to allow Auto World Chevrolet, of North Canton, Ohio, to relocate over objections by three competing Chevrolet dealerships. The Ohio Court of Appeals...

Diesel derby.(News)
December 1, 2003... Possible engine suppliers for an F-150 diesel * Detroit Diesel * John Deere * Caterpillar Inc. * Cummins Inc.

Mitsubishi seeks more U.S. product but won't expand assembly plant.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will decide in the next few weeks how to get more North American product, even as it closes down an expansion project at its Normal, Ill., plant. Mitsubishi board member Steven Torok...

Supply line.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Behr America sells S.D. plant to employees DETROIT - Behr America Inc. of Troy, Mich., is selling its Canton, S.D., manufacturing plant to employees there who have formed Adams Thermal Systems Inc. The sale is expected to be completed Jan....

New GM plant to build sport wagons; Saturn, Buick, Pontiac vehicles will be built in 2006 and 2007.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors delayed getting a new generation of sport wagons to market - but it has ambitious plans for the vehicles. GM will launch Saturn, Buick and Pontiac vehicles in 2006 and 2007 in its first wave of...

Mopar tire program gets dealer buy-in.(News)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Miles Moore More than 1,600 of the 4,300 U.S. dealerships in the Chrysler group are participating in DaimlerChrysler AG's tire replacement program. The Mopar TIRE Works program gives dealers support in arranging tire shipments...

Dana fight proved too much for Yost; Takeover target would not talk to ArvinMeritor.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Larry Yost reached too far to create a mega parts supplier. The ArvinMeritor Inc. CEO has spent much of the past six years merging or acquiring companies. In his five-month takeover fight for rival Dana Corp....

Outsider shakes up Fiat, brings other outsiders on board to help.(Talk From The Top)(Giuseppe Morchio)(Interview)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat Group CEO Giuseppe Morchio is an outsider who is relying on other outsiders to help him shake up the troubled Italian conglomerate. Eight months ago, Morchio came to Fiat from tire maker Pirelli. Since then,...

China, Big 3 import deal could hurt others.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Alysha Webb China may limit the number of cars that Asian and European automakers there can import next year as the government tries to smooth over a potential trade dispute with the United States. The government last month...

Automotive mergers rarely meet expectations.(News)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Richard Feast When the next two chairmen proudly announce the automotive sector's latest and greatest takeover, it will be time for a reality check. History indicates the enthusiasm of the moment will not match the reality of...

Expect big changes in compacts, Bernhard says.(News)(Chrysler group COO Wolfgang Bernhard)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Rick Kranz The compact-car segment will undergo a dramatic change this decade as many buyers forgo sedans, says Wolfgang Bernhard, COO of the Chrysler group. He says so-called two-box configurations, such as to the Pontiac...

NHTSA reopens books on Ford Motor pedal repairs.(News)(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
December 1, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer Federal safety officials are taking another look at Ford Motor Co. cars with adjustable pedals to determine whether repairs performed during two safety recalls corrected problems with the cars. In March 2001, the...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Obituary)
December 1, 2003... Albert Daniels COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Retired auto dealer Albert Daniels died Nov. 3. He was 89. He owned Daniels Chevrolet here from 1957 to 1996. Joseph Hayden AVENTURA, Fla. - Former auto dealer Joseph Hayden died Sept. 4. He...

Toyota, Honda lose out on hybrid credits.
December 1, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer Toyota and Honda could be penalized by a proposed limit on the number of tax credits available for makers of hybrid vehicles. The cap is included in a major energy bill pending before Congress. It likely would...

It boils down to sales and market share.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. The auto business isn't nearly as complicated as some people try to make it. Success or failure can be summed up in only three words. The first is sales; the other two are market share. I can hear the chorus...

Opinion.
December 8, 2003... Flawed energy bill unfairly punishes 2 hybrid leaders Congressional leaders must fix the energy bill before it comes up for a vote early next year. It is wrong that Toyota and Honda - the first automakers to introduce gasoline-electric...

GM moves U.S. market in Nov.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko U.S. sales of new cars and light trucks rose 4.6 percent in November, helped by an improving economy, a splash of new vehicles and continued high incentive spending. General Motors was the biggest spender and...

Let's try some new incentives.(Column)
December 8, 2003... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Although manufacturers have used incentives to sell cars for decades, we've seen them on the retail side only since the first energy crisis in the 1970s. Wholesale rebates have been around for much longer and have...

Poor N.A. demand doesn't hurt Japan exports.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Japan's new-vehicle exports in October rose 2.9 percent over a year earlier as strong shipments to Europe and Asia more than offset lackluster demand from North America. Europe-bound exports by Japanese...

Ford gives Mazda a meaty mission; Japanese automaker gets engineering lead for new million-unit global vehicle platform.
December 8, 2003... Byline: Bradford Wernle, James B. Treece After years of benign neglect, Ford Motor Co. last week moved Mazda Motor Corp. to the center of its engineering universe by giving the Japanese automaker responsibility for a new generation of...

Despite his firing, Holden isn't bitter.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell WILMINGTON, Del. - Jim Holden ought to be a man with an ax to grind. He was fired - clumsily - as CEO of the Chrysler group in 2000, a year after getting the job and just as he completed a plan to put the stumbling...

Kerkorian vs. DCX; Is billionaire plaintiff a wronged crusader or a jilted Svengali whose scheme soured.
December 8, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Kirk Kerkorian has been a shadowy figure at DaimlerChrysler and Chrysler Corp. for the past decade - little known and seldom seen. But DaimlerChrysler attorneys are portraying Kerkorian as the tail that has...

Toyota, Ford kill Asbury deal.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Donna Harris Resistance from Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. killed Asbury Automotive Group's plan to buy San Diego megadealer Bob Baker's six-store chain. The nation's fifth-largest dealership group says it...

2003 GM share gain is a stretch.(News)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Dave Guilford Even after a strong November, General Motors faces an extraordinary challenge in posting a market share gain in the United States this year. In an interview with Automotive News in late November, CEO Rick Wagoner...

Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
December 8, 2003... * A story on Page 33 of the Nov. 17 issue listed the wrong state for the Chrysler group's Newark, Del., assembly plant. * A personnel item on Page 32l in some editions of the Dec. 1 issue gave incorrect information about Noble International...

Honda, Toyota try interactive Web campaigns.(Marketing)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Jason Stein With two out of every three car shoppers gathering information online before making a purchase, automakers have begun Internet-only advertising campaigns. Last month, American Honda Motor Co. Inc. and Toyota Motor...

Group 1 exec dies.(News)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... John Bishop, senior vice president of Group 1 Automotive Inc., died on Thanksgiving Day in a boating accident on Lake Livingston, north of Houston. He was 56. Bishop was Group 1's primary contact with auto manufacturers. Automotive News...

ArvinMeritor gets Hyundai door business.(News)
December 8, 2003... MONTGOMERY, Ala. - ArvinMeritor Inc. will supply complete door modules to Hyundai Motor Co.'s new car and SUV plant in Montgomery, Ala., when it opens in March 2005. The contract will require ArvinMeritor to open a module assembly center...

Online Features.(News)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... * Toyota's and Honda's MSN Internet campaigns rely on videos and consumer participation. * Both allow Web surfers to answer survey questions. * MSN says interactive marketing programs promote brand awareness.

Letters.
December 8, 2003... How many nails will you pound? To the Editor: In your Oct. 6 editorial, you said, "Ford Motor Co. pounded what should be the final nail into the coffin of the world vehicle'' as it dropped plans for a full-sized van for the United...

MarketCenter sales top $100 million.(News)
December 8, 2003... DETROIT - The Chrysler group's MarketCenter, an online marketplace for dealers, has reached $100 million in sales since its launch three years ago. MarketCenter is for Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers. More than 3,200 Chrysler group...

Chrysler touts rwd to salespeople; The task: Undo past sales pitch on fwd.(News)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Mary Connelly The Chrysler group will try to sell more than new products when the 2005 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum hit dealerships next spring. The company also must sell skeptical buyers on the merits of rear-wheel drive. ...

* Volvo wagon coming in summer.(News)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Volvo's V50 wagon debuted last week at the Bologna Motor Show and will arrive in U.S. showrooms next summer. The wagon shares a platform with the Mazda3 and Europe-market Ford Focus. The V50, shown here in U.S. trim, will be built in Ghent,...

N.A. output falls 6% in November.(News)(Brief Article)
December 8, 2003... Byline: Debi Domby * North American car and truck production was down 6.0 percent in November from the same period a year ago. Last month's total of 1,264,054 vehicles was the smallest November total since at least 1993, when Automotive...

Late News.
December 8, 2003... Toyota to boost Prius production for U.S. LOS ANGELES - Faced with a shortage of the redesigned 2004 Prius, Toyota Motor Corp. said last week it will boost its production allocation for the U.S. market by 31 percent. Toyota had planned...

LaNeve: Cadillac's image needs work outside Detroit.(Marketing)
December 8, 2003... Mark LaNeve has a knack for taking stodgy, upscale brands and helping make them more youthful and stylish. As CEO of Volvo Cars of North America Inc., he helped turn Volvo's image from boxy and safe to sleek and fashionable. Then he...