Automotive News articles from December 2005

Automotive News archives from December 2005

Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
December 5, 2005... Lunch at GM: Will Jerry bring the hot sauce? Investor Kirk Kerkorian has kept a low profile while acquiring a 9.9 percent stake in General Motors. But that may change next month. Kerkorian's automotive expert, former Chrysler Corp. CFO...

Toyota boosts minority spending.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Toyota Motor Corp. counts itself among a small and elite group of companies when it comes to spending money with minority suppliers in the United States. But as the Japanese automaker vies for greater market share...

It's only rock 'n' roll - and an R class; Mercedes promotes crossovers with Rolling Stones tour.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Greg Bowens The Rolling Stones' North American tour offers an unusual opening act: the Mercedes R class. Mercedes-Benz USA LLC is parking several Grand Sports Tourer crossovers at the main entrance of every venue on the rock...

It's all in the game of speed; Customized Scion lets players race with world's fastest cars.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Mark Vaughn If the speed of the 5 Axis Scion xA Speedster is not all that great - it's just about stock - the speed you feel like you are driving can be tremendous. From the driver's seat of the xA Speedster you can find...

VW cuts capital spending.(News)(Volkswagen)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Volkswagen group's three-year capital spending plan for its automotive operations will be at its lowest level in more than a decade. With crucial vehicles such as the Golf and Passat cars already launched, VW says...

BMW won't change Mini's legendary design; Major changes will take place in the vehicles' interior.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz Mini will use a formula followed successfully by Porsche for the past 50 years: Don't tamper with an iconic design. As Mini models are redesigned this decade and next, there will be no radical exterior changes, says...

Automotive News names deputy managing editor.(Vander Schaaf )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Mary Beth Vander Schaaf has been promoted to deputy managing editor of Automotive News, a newly created position that reflects her expanding responsibilities. Since 1993, Vander Schaaf has been assistant managing editor, overseeing the...

A new way to pay purchasing execs; Ford buyers will be rewarded for improving supplier relations.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is so serious about treating suppliers better that it will tie its buyers' compensation to that goal. Ford's buyers historically have been rewarded primarily for cutting prices. Now Ford global...

Ford chops the top on GT supercar; Automaker shows version with removable roof.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Andrew Luu There's not much that enthusiasts don't like about the Ford GT. Supercar performance and timeless beauty at $150,000 is hard to knock. But press them hard enough and they probably would ask for a removable roof to...

Ford's Fusion feast fills floor in Vegas; Firms modify car to turn heads.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Andrew Luu You can always count on automakers to turn up at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show to try to convince drivers that their latest cars hold a lot more potential than meets the eye. Consider the Ford...

DCX wins court OK to stop cutoff of Lear parts.(News)(DaimlerChrysler)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin DaimlerChrysler AG last week picked a public fight with a supplier that has its back against a financial wall. The German automaker on Friday, Dec. 2, obtained an order from a state court in Michigan that...

G class will get interior makeover next year.(News)(Mercedes-Benz )
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners Not only has Mercedes-Benz saved its G class, but it also will give the premium SUV a face-lift next year, company sources say. The G class had been expected to be discontinued next year and replaced with the GL...

Slumber summit shows Delphi mess ends up OK.(Final assembly)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham Cheer up. The General Motors/Delphi/UAW struggle will turn out OK. I know because I had a vision, which came to me in a dream: Rick Wagoner, Steve Miller and Ron Gettelfinger are on a mountaintop. They're...

DaimlerChrysler loses bid for gas tax refund.(Legal File)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Eric Freedman Manufacturers of vehicles assembled in Michigan aren't entitled to a refund of motor fuel taxes on gasoline left in the tanks of vehicles shipped to out-of-state dealerships, a three-judge panel has ruled. In a...

VW will pull niche vehicles out of its 'hat'.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Volkswagen brand Chairman Wolfgang Bernhard has borrowed from his days at the Chrysler group to create a future product blueprint for VW. Internally, the plan is called "Hut'' - a German word that means hat. It...

Fiat, GM will boost diesel engine output.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat Auto and General Motors plan to expand production capacity of their 1.3-liter diesel engine by 45 percent, supplier sources say. "This expansion won't be immediate,'' a source said. "It will take 18 months to...

Dealers.(People)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Milestones * Bernard Thompson Sr. of MacMulkin Chevrolet-Cadillac Inc. in Nashua, N.H., received a 25-year award for Chevrolet from General Motors. * Charles Scott of Regal Nissan in Roswell, Ga., received a 25-year award for Nissan...

Tough talk from Ford's chief.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... As he was preparing for a board meeting this week that will examine Ford Motor Co.'s big plan for cuts and success, Bill Ford dished out some tough love to his employees. Work hard, get with the program - or else. In an audio message...

M-B cancels by-wire brake system; Decision leaves Bosch without a customer for its technology.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners Mercedes-Benz is discontinuing the twice-recalled Robert Bosch GmbH braking system on the E-class and CLS-class sedans next summer in a move that is a blow to automotive brake-by-wire technology. Mercedes will drop...

Ex-Valeo CEO also tried to hired Ghosn.(News)(Carlos Ghosn )
December 5, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Former Valeo CEO Noel Goutard didn't get his man. In his new autobiography, L'Outsider, Goutard describes his failed attempt in 1999 to lure Carlos Ghosn to Valeo to succeed him. Goutard writes about...

Romania seeks partner for Daewoo plant; GM, Ford, Renault show interest in site.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein, Lyle Frink General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Renault SA are contenders to buy a Daewoo Motor Co. assembly plant in Craiova, Romania. All three automakers have expressed interest in the plant, which employs 3,000...

Teahen will join hall of fame.(News)(John K. Teahen Jr. )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Senior Editor John K. Teahen Jr. has written commentary on the auto industry for the past 50 years. Early next year, he'll claim a place among the industry's luminaries. On Feb. 12, Teahen will be one of seven industry figures to...

Supply Line.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... New Venture has new name DETROIT - New Venture Holdings LLC has changed its name to Cadence Innovation. The Sterling Heights, Mich., supplier makes interior and exterior components, systems and modules. Axle supplier goes bankrupt...

TRW switches to Dell servers, Linux system.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel TRW Automotive Inc., which has been converting globally to Dell Inc. desktop computers since 1999, now is doing the same with Dell servers in four global data centers. TRW is replacing its UNIX servers from IBM,...

As '05 ends, Pischetsrieder faces new perils.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners, Jason Stein Volkswagen Group Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder can't find relief - despite some signs his company is turning the corner. European sales are higher, and a restructured VW Group has gained 0.8 percentage...

Source: Ford will close 8+ plants to stanch red ink.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is poised to close more than eight assembly and parts plants in an effort to turn around its faltering North American automotive operations, a key company insider says. Ford is likely to close at least...

Crain will start financial publication.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Crain Communications Inc., the parent company of Automotive News, will launch a publication for corporate finance executives, FinancialWeek. The first issue will be published on June 5. Subsequent issues will be published every other...

Jeep hopes for link to Commander with civics classes.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly In mid-month, the Jeep brand will target 11,000 civics teachers nationwide in a bid to promote U.S. history and the Jeep Commander SUV. Jeep is reaching out to seventh-grade teachers with a "Jeep Commander in...

Qvale details birth of Brit car craze; At 86, auto pioneer writes autobiography.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett It's no secret that MG is the brand of sports cars that America loved first. But how did it happen? The often repeated story is that American military personnel stationed in England in World War II fell in love...

Late News.
December 5, 2005... Chrysler's Dees joins Hyundai LOS ANGELES - Don Dees, 46, has been named vice president of service for Hyundai Motor America. Dees will be responsible for all service operations, technical training, technical support, warranty, service...

Good grief! Is Toyota about to screw up? More home plants are in the works; it could be a blunder.
December 5, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece One reason for Toyota Motor Corp.'s greatness is that it hasn't made strategic mistakes - until now. Oh, Toyota has minor problems now and then. Some of its cars - like the Echo and the Japan-market WiLL Vi -...

Sources: Infiniti lands a sports car.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson The next-generation Skyline GT-R, a high-performance sports car, will be sold as an Infiniti in the United States, say two sources familiar with Nissan Motor Co.'s plans. The GT-R was sold under the Nissan brand...

Auto News Digest.(Briefs)
December 5, 2005... S&P considers lowering Ford credit rating NEW YORK - Standard & Poor's last week said it will decide whether to downgrade Ford Motor Co.'s credit rating when the automaker releases its year end financial report in January. S&P has been...

Personnel.(American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. appoints Alberto Satine)(Dura Automotive Systems Inc. appoints Ken Yasui)(Johnson Controls Inc. appoints Charles Baker)
December 5, 2005... AMERICAN AXLE & MANUFACTURING HOLDINGS INC. - Alberto Satine, 49, to vice president of strategic and business development. He was vice president of procurement. Michael Flynn, 48, to vice president of procurement. He was executive...

Why do people pick on dealers? You can start with a $6,000 pack on a Toyota Avalon.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Peter Brown Just when you think plaintiffs' attorneys can't get any goofier in their attack on the American car dealer, along comes a case of dealer greed that verges on horror. The latest goofy attack: An attempt to force...

Ad Age honors Mustang, Scion for hot marketing.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jean Halliday A hot car and a hot car brand are among this year's "Marketing 50'' named by Advertising Age, a sister publication of Automotive News. Advertising Age says it bestows the awards for "insightful research,...

Chrysler Web offerings draw sales leads.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Jean Halliday The Chrysler group says it has seen the future of marketing. And it's interactive. The company has made interactive media an essential part of its marketing strategy. It has backed its initiatives with hefty...

Toyota assures employees they will stay in L.A.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and its related operations will not follow Nissan North America Inc. out of Los Angeles. In a recent letter to employees, Jim Press, president of Toyota in America, wrote, "I want to...

Bill Ford: Company is in crisis, not chaos.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Peter Brown, Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co.'s North American business is in crisis, CEO Bill Ford says. The scion of the family-controlled automaker has put two newly promoted executives, Mark Fields, president of the Americas, and Anne...

ID card simplifies auction buying.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The Auction ACCESS card: Don't leave your dealership without it. That's the pitch to auto dealers from National Auto Auction Association member auctions. Buying auction vehicles with the high-tech identification...

Bosul, AutoZAZ create venture.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Bosal International, a Lummen, Belguim, supplier of exhaust systems and tubing, is joining forces with Ukrainian automotive group AutoZAZ. The companies will establish a joint venture to make...

For Big 3, a bleak November.(Chrysler Group)(General Motors Corp.)(Ford Motor Co.)
December 5, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr., Dave Guilford, Charles Child October was a rotten month for car and light-truck sales in the United States, and November was almost as bad. November brought a meager 1,165,814 deliveries; it was the worst...

Delphi, GM, UAW must work as one, ditch tough talk.(General Motors Corp.)(United Auto Workers)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... All sides in the Delphi Corp. bankruptcy should cool the rhetoric and work together for the best interests of the enterprise and all its stakeholders. It is encouraging that Delphi will delay by a month its plans to ask a judge to reject...

GM seeks standards for IT outsourcing.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(information technology)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel General Motors is developing a set of standard practices for the way it conducts its $3 billion in annual information technology business. Often viewed as the poster child for outsourcing IT work, the automaker...

Suppliers will discuss business challenges at World Congress.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... As domestic automakers grapple with bruising competition, declining market share and production rollbacks, suppliers are being hit with the trickle-down effects and forced to adapt. Ways to deal with these challenges will be the topic of a...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Bob Thibodeau)(Bob Walters)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
December 5, 2005... Bob Thibodeau VERO BEACH, Fla. - Bob Thibodeau, retired president of Bob Thibodeau Ford in Center Line, Mich., died Nov. 17. He was 79. Bob Walters JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - Bob Walters, former owner of Walters Chevrolet Inc. in...

GM's $15 billion nail-biter; Tech titans await December verdict on 40 information technology contracts.(General Motors Corp.)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel The $15 billion information technology sweepstakes at General Motors is about to end, and the world's largest tech companies are biting their nails. The list of 18 finalists for GM's business is a Who's Who of the...

DCX to sell Fuso trucks at Sterling dealerships.
December 5, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Sterling commercial-truck dealers in North America will begin selling Fuso Canter trucks rebadged as Sterlings next June. The sales will mark a key step in integrating Fuso into DaimlerChrysler's commercial...

Ford sources aftermarket parts from China.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb During his Army career, Randy Creel took courses in strategic planning at the Combined Arms Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Little did he know that he would be applying those lessons to sourcing...

Malls, movies to surround Nissan's home.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell As Nissan North America Inc. sketches its new $70 million headquarters here, its local real estate developer is planning a commercial village to accompany it. Nissan's Tennessee home will be surrounded by other...

GM delays TrailBlazer, Envoy re-do.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz, Jamie LaReau General Motors has canceled an extensive re-engineering of the Chevrolet TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy for mid-2007. The automaker will change the exterior and interior styling and probably push back the...

Wiedeking predicts Porsche will keep growing.(Talk From The Top)(Wendelin Wiedeking )(Interview)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Peter Brown, David Sedgwick, Dave Guilford, Diana T. Kurylko To the horror of some Porsche purists, CEO Wendelin Wiedeking has been transforming the German sports car manufacturer. In 2003 he added the Cayenne SUV to the...

Ford expects government action on energy plan.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Ford Motor Co. executives say they expect prompt results from CEO Bill Ford's call for federal action to help the U.S.-based auto industry cope with energy issues. Ford's plan is not doomed because it came from a...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)
December 5, 2005... Dealer solidly nixes fixed-price selling To the Editor: I read Keith Crain's Nov. 14 column on fixed-price selling as the "next big idea,'' and not knowing his background in the auto business, other than this publication, I would...

You like it? It's probably too boring.
December 5, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN More than a few years ago, Henry Ford II told me a story about walking through the Ford Motor design center and happening upon a clay model of what appeared to be some new car. "Boy,'' he said. "I'm sure glad we're...

Automakers battle carbon dioxide rules on many fronts.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Automakers and dealers are mounting a full-court press against states that seek to adopt California's rules aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. New York, Oregon and Vermont are the targets of the latest...

Fearing a UAW strike, GM jumps into Delphi fray.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: David Barkholz General Motors made no small contribution last week to Delphi relief. Analysts peg the cost of GM's decision to forgo temporarily a scheduled 2006 price cut from Delphi Corp. at about $420 million on an...

Hyundai raises production capacity in India.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe Hyundai Motor Co. is making India a significant base for small-car production. The Korean automaker is investing about $600 million to build a second Indian plant. When it comes online in the second quarter of...

What's that smell? Decay ... or money?(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... When Wall Street looks at the auto supplier segment these days, it sees a money pit. But Wilbur Ross smells money. The New York investor's growing love affair with the auto supply business kicked into full gear last week with word of his...

Delphi: $12.50 looks OK to us.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... In an effort to justify proposed cuts in employee wages and benefits, Delphi last month produced a report that compared its hourly pay rates for new hires with those at eight unionized and nonunion U.S. auto suppliers. And it thinks it has a...

Porsche shopping spree?(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Porsche bought nearly 20 percent of fellow German automaker Volkswagen this year, and it may be doing some more shopping. At the company's annual meeting in January, the agenda includes a proposal to change corporate bylaws to allow Porsche...

Sprinter's on the move.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Pack up the vans - the Sprinter is moving. Last week DaimlerChrysler said that it will move assembly of the Sprinter van about 350 miles from Gaffney, S.C., to a Freightliner plant in Ladson, S.C. The switch will be made late next year,...

Institute ranks 10 safest cars.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Baffled by the plethora of vehicle safety ratings? Help is here. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is offering its first rankings of the 10 safest cars. The Ford Five Hundred, Saab 9-3, Subaru Legacy and...

Many German carmakers rush to hybrids; Strong consumer demand in U.S. is reason for shift.
December 5, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko After years of pooh-poohing hybrid technology, key German automakers are doing an about-face. BMW AG and DaimlerChrysler AG have joined General Motors in an alliance to develop a two-mode hybrid drive. Audi,...

Ex-manager set to acquire castings plant.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin An investor group is in final negotiations to buy a Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. automotive casting plant following a pledge of assistance from the state of Michigan. Prospective buyer Dan Minor is set to...

Nissan, Toyota study diesel trucks.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Nissan Motor Co. is likely to offer a diesel engine in its Titan pickup. Toyota Motor Corp. also is studying diesels for large pickups and SUVs. "Diesels make sense on the large pickups and large SUVs,...

Auto execs fear Chinese tech piracy.(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... By sending cutting-edge technology to China, would automakers and suppliers sow the seeds of their own decline as global players? Apparently many executives around the world think so - and the Chinese aren't happy about it. Chinese...

Suzuki adds crossover; Aerio sedan, wagon will be killed after SX4 debuts.(News)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson American Suzuki Motor Corp. will drop the Aerio sedan and wagon after it introduces a small crossover to the United States next summer. Called the SX4, the five-door vehicle will be powered by a 2.0-liter...

Katrina sales buoy sagging market; Inventories are thin in hard-hit Gulf region.(News)
December 5, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian, Greg Migliore Hurricane Katrina is propping up an otherwise lackluster U.S. market. In the Gulf Coast region afflicted by the hurricane, November vehicle sales for some automakers rose as much as 43 percent. ...

GM did it right.(General Motors )(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... General Motors has taken heat for its unsatisfying five-year alliance with Fiat and its failure to find synergies with Fuji Heavy Industries. But GM is doing a first-rate job of managing its Daewoo subsidiary in Korea. GM took over Daewoo...

Eye candy.(Specialty Equipment Market Association show)(Brief Article)
December 5, 2005... The Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas each year is a visual feast. It's a chance for carmakers and aftermarket suppliers to stretch their design imaginations and take accessorizing to a new level. Check out the next three...

Production.
December 5, 2005... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy.

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 5, 2005... AUTO SHOWS - 2005 Dec. 3-11 - Bologna Motor Show, Bologna Exhibition Centre, Bologna, Italy, 39-051-645-1011, www.motorshow.it Dec. 9-11 - Austin American Statesman Auto Show, Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas, 512-479-0425,...

Production.
December 12, 2005... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy.

Calendar.(Calendar)
December 12, 2005... AUTO SHOWS - 2005 Dec. 12-16 - Middle East International Motor Show, Dubai International Conventon & Exhibition Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 971-4-308-6056, www.dubaimotorshow.com Dec. 26-Jan. 1 - Indianapolis Auto Show,...

Auto News briefly.(Ralph Gilles)(Mercedes-Benz S-class holiday catalog )(Nissan Motor Co Scratch Guard Coat)
December 12, 2005... Designer makes Black Enterprise list of hotties It's no secret that Ralph Gilles, the man who headed the design team for the Chrysler 300 sedan, is one of the hottest designers in the industry. Now the rest of America is finding out about...

Chrysler reshuffles execs, offices in Europe.(operations in western Europe )(appointments)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz The Chrysler group has overhauled its operations in western Europe as it prepares to launch several models there starting in 2006. A new sales, service and support office is being set up in Stuttgart to coordinate...

Prius supplies will remain thin.(Toyota Prius)
December 12, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece The hot-selling Toyota Prius, which established Toyota Motor Corp. as the hybrid leader, will continue in short supply in 2006. Toyota CEO Katsuaki Watanabe promises to deliver more hybrids to North America next...

New law in Mexico lures elderly used cars from U.S.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Theresa Braine Until October, many Mexicans seeking an inexpensive used car or light truck smuggled it in from the United States. A Mexican law banned imported used vehicles. But thanks to a decree by President Vicente Fox,...

Vehicle tax credits get slow start.(advanced-technology vehicles tax )
December 12, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Federal tax credits that take effect Jan. 1 aim to boost consumer purchases of a range of advanced-technology vehicles. But the new program will fall short of that goal, at least initially. None of the light-duty...

GM, Ford cars aren't getting it done.(General Motors)
December 12, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Time flies. It's December, which means that this is my last Sales Tales column of the year. Time to wrap up a few things, some of which probably will earn me a clout on the ear from those whose toes get mashed....

Owners are angry over Power Stroke problems.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett Retired nurse Penny Schrader sounds like a veteran mechanic when she talks about her troubles with the Power Stroke engine. Schrader and her husband James bought their 2004 Ford F-250 pickup so that they could...

Nissan N.A.'s trend spotters will stay put in California.(analyzes market trends and develops )(New location)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Most headquarters employees of Nissan North America Inc. will be asked to leave here for Nashville, Tenn., next year - but not the trend spotters. The advanced planning group, which analyzes market trends and...

JCI uses new sensors to aid interior assembly.(Johnson Controls Inc)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Johnson Controls Inc. makes interiors for the 2006 Honda Civic in black, ivory and gray. And a new generation of sensors that smooth the assembly process could save plenty of green for the auto supplier. Johnson...