Automotive News articles from July 2005

Automotive News archives from July 2005

Grim earnings are out; Delphi digs in.(Suppliers)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Now that Delphi Corp. has restated its earnings as part of an internal accounting scandal, the company's new management team must turn its attention to other pressing problems. Those problems include: *...

Letters to the Editor.(Letter to the Editor)
July 4, 2005... GM discount plan brutal for sales staff The writer sent this letter to General Motors. General Motors, leave the retailing of cars and trucks to our dealers. Continue to manufacture high-quality vehicles. And retain our salespople. ...

Online auctions wrangle over patents.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The nation's largest vehicle auction company is swapping charges of patent infringement with an online auction service. In a federal lawsuit filed last month, Manheim accuses Auction Management Solutions of...

Webb joins staff of Automotive News.(News)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... To expand coverage of China's fast-growing auto industry, Automotive News has hired veteran journalist Alysha Webb as a full-time staff reporter based in Beijing. Since 2001, Webb has worked for Automotive News as a freelance writer. ...

New 'hires' give GM a killer month; Employee discount sends sales up 46.9%.(Sales)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein General Motors had way more employees last month than even GM expected. Thanks to a promotion that allowed customers to buy cars and trucks at the employee price, GM enjoyed a blockbuster month in June. Sales...

Dealers.(People)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Transitions * Anthony Troiano purchased Hilltop Motors in Colchester, Conn., from the estate of Frank Collins and renamed the dealership Troiano Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge. * Kenneth Fichtner has become dealer principal at Fichtner Chevrolet...

Mazda will beef up its U.S. lineup.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Mark Rechtin Within three years, Mazda plans to replace the MPV minivan with a new vehicle specifically for North America. One possibility is a larger seven-seat car-based sport wagon, say company sources. In another segment,...

Late News.
July 4, 2005... Toyota raises Camry, RAV4, Prius prices LOS ANGELES - Toyota will raise prices on its 2006 Camry lineup when it arrives in showrooms this month. It also made midyear price increases on the RAV4 SUV and Prius sedan. Those increases will take...

GM shops for Saturn software; New dealer system could spread to all brands.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel General Motors is asking software vendors to create a more flexible computer dealer management system for its Saturn dealerships. Ultimately, GM could recommend the system to all of its 8,000 U.S. dealerships. GM...

A sassier Civic.(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Can the Civic be hip? Honda executives hope the sleek styling of the redesigned 2006 Civic coupe will make the car cool again. Honda executives acknowledge that the current design doesn't have much emotional appeal. A design highlight of this...

Bank group won't fund Collins & Aikman.(Suppliers)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Terry Kosdrosky tkosdrosky@crain.com Supplier Collins & Aikman Corp. is surviving solely on customer loans after its main lending agent pulled out of a financing deal. In an unusual move, a bank group led by JPMorgan Chase & Co....

Isuzu pickups get under way.(Production)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Debi Domby * General Motors began building the Isuzu i-280 and i-350 pickups at its Shreveport, La., plant the week that ended June 25. The plant also produces the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups and the Hummer H3 SUV....

Lexus keeps J.D. Power dependability crown.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian For the 11th straight year, Lexus is the top brand for long-term quality, a J.D. Power and Associates study concludes. According to Power's 2005 Vehicle Dependability Study, owners of 2002 model Lexus cars and...

Saturn plant prepares for makeover.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell General Motors will move ahead with a major reconstruction of its Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tenn., as it ponders what vehicles to build there. Industry sources said late last month that GM is considering...

Toyota heats up small SUV segment; New Ontario plant will raise RAV4 output.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Toyota Motor Corp. last week stoked an already hot market segment: entry-level sport wagons. Toyota says it will spend $650 million to construct an assembly plant in Woodstock, Ontario, to produce 100,000 RAV4...

Miller must take dramatic actions to stabilize Delphi.(Opinion)
July 4, 2005... It is appropriate that Delphi Corp. founding CEO J.T. Battenberg III and Visteon Corp. CEO Peter Pestillo retired within weeks of each other. Both companies are at a crossroads and require a dramatic change in direction. Delphi was...

Accord's restyled rear.(News)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... The rear of the Honda Accord sedan will be restyled for 2006, as can be seen on this prototype. The rear fenders, fascia, trunk lid and taillights are new. Gone are the wide, horizontal taillights that spread across the trunk lid, separated by...

Audi catches a thief and 500,000 consumers.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... No, it wasn't Col. Mustard in the conservatory with the candlestick. But after three months, Audi wound up its online mystery game, "The Art of the Heist,'' last week. The game promoted the A3 hatchback to young buyers. The game's...

Auto News briefly.(Briefs)
July 4, 2005... Buy the car, get the track Here's a deal for the not-so-average car buyer: Purchase a vehicle, become a test driver. Buyers of the $1.8 million, 6.2-liter, 800-hp Ferrari FXX get to be test drivers in track events that Ferrari will...

GM takes interior work in-house; Plan will hurt Lear, other seat makers.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Greg Bowens, David Sedgwick General Motors is backing away from its policy of allowing seat makers to handle the design of complete vehicle interiors. Over the past four years, the automaker had assigned that job to Lear Corp.,...

And thus the pain begins . . .(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Heads up, Visteon Corp. employees: Cuts in white-collar health care benefits for future retirees probably won't be the last. The reductions, announced last week to employees in an e-mail, call for white-collar workers who retire after June...

Ferrari mystique fuels N.A. sales, profits.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Maurizio Parlato strode into the Ferrari showroom in Manhattan carrying a large red briefcase that contrasted with his pale yellow leather pants. The tall, lean, blond CEO of Ferrari of North America scanned the...

A first: A fuel cell for the family.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Fuel cell vehicles have been the automotive equivalent of lab rats - closely watched under tightly controlled circumstances. Now a Southern California family has joined the rat race. American Honda Motor Co. has leased an FCX fuel cell...

DCX settles loan lawsuits.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... DaimlerChrysler will settle lawsuits in Chicago and New Jersey challenging the interest rates on auto loans for minorities. In the Chicago case, the automaker's financing arm will spend more than $1 million on finance-education and...

Minority dealers get $1 billion in loans.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Wachovia Corp. says it will lend minority dealers as much as $1 billion over five years. Dealers must belong to the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, or NAMAD, to qualify. David Stevens,...

An Expedition and a Suburban-stalker.(News)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Snapped during testing are the re-engineered and restyled 2007 Ford Expedition, right, and what insiders are calling the Expedition Max, left. With the demise of the big Ford Excursion at the end of the 2005 model year, the automaker plans to...

Infiniti plans entry-level sport wagon.(News)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Infiniti dealers will get a new entry-level sport wagon. Sources inside and outside the company say the vehicle will arrive in 2007 as a 2008 model. It will come in two versions, the CX25 and CX35. Guido...

Renamed Mazda Miata seeks original flavor.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Mark Rechtin Mazda Motor Corp. has redesigned its seminal Miata convertible to be more refined yet retain the charm of the original roadster. To retain the car's essence, Mazda brought the original Miata's program manager out...

Reacting slowly, DCX misses chances in China.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb In June, Mercedes finally received permission to assemble cars from kits in Beijing. But it was a mixed blessing. In March, the Chinese government decreed that cars assembled from kits would be taxed at the same...

Toyota names VP for hybrid vehicles.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Toyota Motor Corp. takes hybrid and fuel cell vehicles so seriously it has created an executive vice presidency to handle them. Masatami Takimoto, 59, was named executive vice president for powertrains and...

Still left in the dust, GM and Ford can't solve minivan puzzle.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. General Motors and Ford Motor Co. do many things well, but selling minivans is not one of them. Even new product doesn't help. Ford's Freestar arrived in the 2004 model year, and the Buick Terraza, Chevrolet...

Fill 'er up - once.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Hey, why think small? In his first public appearance last week, new Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe decided to give his engineers something to keep them on their toes: Develop a car that could travel across the United States on one tank...

Battle brews over bones of MG Rover.(Saic)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham There's an old saying about peasants being so frugal they use every part of the pig except the squeal. But Chinese industrialists seem even more efficient when it comes to squeezing economic utility out of a Western...

Lobby group courts Hyundai, Nissan; New members are goal for AAM chief Webber.(Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Fred Webber says he won't change things much now that he is the permanent head of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. But there's one notable exception. Webber says he will step up efforts to expand the...

Honda stirs sticker stew.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... The decision to put government crash-test and rollover ratings on window stickers of 2006 Hondas and Acuras was a no-brainer, Honda Vice President John Mendel said last week in announcing the move. But the Alliance of Automobile...

Gilman: An F series is like a C cup.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... When it comes to brand loyalty, truck buyers are almost No. 1, says Kenneth Gilman, CEO of Asbury Automotive Group. "Perhaps with the sole exception being a woman and her bra.'' Gilman has some basis for comparison: He spent 25 years at...

If at first you don't succeed . . .(News)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly, Amy Wilson, Jason Stein For 20 years, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. have wrestled with how to respond to top dog Chrysler in the minivan wars. Their latest attempts have fared poorly - not only against...

Front drive vs. rear: Does it matter?(Column)(Brief Article)
July 4, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN About 20 years ago, there was a big push toward front-wheel drive in the United States. Today, there seems to be a strong push to rear-wheel drive. Does it really matter? Renault was one of the first...

Diesels stall; Ford will recall; Campaign covers 180,000 trucks.(News)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Ford Motor Co. is recalling 180,000 trucks with 6.0-liter diesel engines for electrical repairs aimed at ending a stalling problem. Affected vehicles are 2004-05 Ford Excursions, E-350 and E-450 vans, and F-250...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 4, 2005... * In a table on Page 12 of the Automotive News 2005 Market Data Book, published May 23, some numbers were transposed. Here are the correct figures.

Grousing on VW Internet site brings response from the boss; Hunt doesn't want to be just another `faceless corporate suit'.(News)(Column)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel One day last month, Volkswagen of America boss Len Hunt was monitoring a highly charged Internet discussion about why some VW owners are leaving the brand. As he read the opinions on VWvortex.com, an independent...

It's a no-brainer; Forced to choose, Jersey dealer picks Toyota, sends Ford packing.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson One of the East Coast's biggest auto dealers is giving up his Ford franchise to make room for his burgeoning Toyota business. Donald Toresco, who sold Fords for 23 years, was wrapping up a Ford clearance sale last...

Calendar.(Calendar)
July 4, 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...

Retailer on prowl for talent.(Wages for automobile dealers)
July 4, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Dealerships are waging "a war for talent," especially general managers, says Kenneth Gilman, CEO of Asbury Automotive Group. "The general manager is the most critical individual in the dealership," Gilman told...

Honda ships vehicles from China to Europe, aims for more markets.(Honda Automobile (China) Co. Ltd. )
July 4, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb Dragon dancers celebrated the departure for Europe on June 24 of the first batch of Honda-brand cars made in China. The number of cars was small - just 146 - but Honda has big hopes for exporting more from China in...

Supply line.(Briefs)(Pontiac Solstice)
July 11, 2005... Metaldyne wins Ford contract DETROIT - Metaldyne Corp. will supply Ford Motor Co. with overdrive and center support modules for a new six-speed automatic transmission. The modules will be used in rear-wheel-drive cars, light trucks and...

Blowout sale was brilliant, but GM must be farsighted.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... The brilliant GM Employee Discount for Everyone marketing campaign has triggered one of the great summer blowout sales of all time. The concept's simplicity cut through the clutter. Now Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group must follow...

Toyota transfers high standards to Czech factory; Venture with PSA uses Japanese carmaker's efficient methods.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Anna Kochan autonews@crain.com Toyota Motor Corp. designed a plant for its joint venture with PSA/Peugeot-Citroen here that matches or even exceeds the high standards the Japanese carmaker has set at other plants. The new...

Toyota-PSA plant gives suppliers a boost.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Lyle Frink autonews@crain.com Opening the Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobile factory here dramatically expanded the Czech supplier base. Although many existing Czech suppliers to local automaker Skoda won work for the joint...

GM Powertrain Europe will stay in Turin.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri lciferri@crain.com.de General Motors Powertrain Europe is keeping its headquarters here because it is just the right distance from its chief customers. "Working from Turin permits us to serve all our brands - Opel,...

SAIC will build Rover car in 2006.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. will begin producing a sedan based on the Rover 75 lower-premium model in China in late 2006, says a Shanghai Automotive manager. The sedan likely will be sold with the Shanghai...

PSA outspent BMW on shared engine.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners jmeiners@craincom.de PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA financed 80 percent of the $520 million investment for a new gasoline engine family that it will share with BMW AG. Included is $400 million for a new assembly building...

Audi aims to be world's leading premium brand; Improved quality, sales organization will help, chairman says.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Pia Krix, Franz W. Rother autonews@crain.com.de Audi AG wants to be the leading premium brand worldwide by 2010. To achieve that ambitious goal, Chairman Martin Winterkorn aims to halve the faults in new Audi models and improve...

Audi offers ceramic brakes on the A8; Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche also have the technology.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners jmeiners@craincom.de Audi AG will offer carbon ceramic brakes on the A8 sedan starting this month. That makes Audi the fourth automaker after Porsche AG, Ferrari and Mercedes to offer the high-performance option. ...

Make no mistake, trucks rule U.S. sales.(Sales)
July 11, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Need further proof that America is becoming a nation of truck drivers? General Motors' sales bonanza last month consisted of 69.1 percent trucks and only 30.9 percent cars. Truck sales were up a rousing 75.7...

For Mitsubishi, drabber digs.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... In its drive to cut costs, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. is on the move - literally. It will return to its former headquarters building in an out-of-the-way section of Tokyo in December 2006. In April 2003, the carmaker moved to a glitzy new...

High steel price will subsidize recycling in Europe.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Richard Feast autonews@crain.com Global steel shortages have provided unexpected help for automakers as they prepare to meet new European Union laws that will govern vehicle recycling starting Jan. 1, 2007. The present high...

Will BMW have to pay for scrapping Rover-badged cars?(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Richard Feast autonews@crain.com BMW AG may have to cover the cost of scrapping old Rover-badged cars. The European Union's end-of-life vehicle directive will make automakers legally responsible for recycling cars manufactured...

Study: Moving European production east lowers overall wage costs.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Arjen Bongard abongard@craincom.de Automakers that are aggressively moving production to central and eastern Europe should expect a decline in wage costs, a study says. A study by forecasters CSM Worldwide shows that European...

Daimler returns to Jaguar showrooms.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink autonews@crain.com Daimler, Jaguar's ultraluxury subbrand, will return to the European market after a three-year absence. A long-wheelbase version of the XJ will wear the Daimler badge. It will have a price...

Jaguar hopes diesel will boost XJ sales.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink autonews@crain.com Jaguar wants to win new customers for the XJ by showcasing the car's green credentials. The brand will be telling potential customers "about our environmental friendliness in the luxury...

So what's next? Give away the garage, too?(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Last month, General Motors discovered how to sell more cars and light trucks: Give the darned things away. Well, not quite. But GM came closer to freebies than any other company has ever come. You've...

Suzuki will build small sport wagon.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Suzuki Motor Corp. will add a small sport wagon to its U.S. lineup in late 2006. The vehicle will be smaller than the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, two popular entries in the expanding sport wagon segment, the...

Automaker wants more stores.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi As it expands its U.S. product lineup, Suzuki Motor Corp. also wants to add dealerships. It plans to expand the number of U.S. dealerships to 600 in 2007. It started this year with 543 U.S. stores. "Our...

Union local sets Visteon contract vote.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Visteon Corp. has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract with hourly workers at one of its largest factories - the Connersville, Ind., Visteon Systems plant. The Van Buren Township, Mich., supplier will...

Love Lido or leave him.(Final assembly)
July 11, 2005... One thing you can say about Lee Iacocca - he gets strong reactions from people. Here are edited versions of what some autonews.com readers had to say, via e-mail, about Iacocca appearing in new TV commercials for the Chrysler group: * "It...

Subaru wants to add 27 stores.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko With a new sport wagon and ambitions to boost U.S. sales, Subaru of America Inc. wants to increase its dealership network by 5 percent by the end of 2006. Subaru will grow to 608 franchises from the 581 it had...

Toyota, Honda tout their hybrids; Campaigns focus on technology, not the cars.(News)(Honda Motor Company Ltd)(Toyota Motor Corp)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau Toyota and Honda divisions will launch dueling hybrid marketing campaigns this fall. Each company plans to use its campaign to promote its hybrid technology more than individual vehicles. The Toyota Prius accounted...

Toyota poised to raise N.A. production; New president also is pushing for more locally made parts.(News)
July 11, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece Toyota Motor Corp.'s new president will hasten the approval process for new assembly plants in North America. He's also pushing to use more North American-made parts. Two weeks ago, Toyota said it would build a...

Led by GM, Canada enjoys vigorous June sales.(Sales)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Canadians didn't get the GM Employee Discount for Everyone last month, but General Motors' sales still jumped a hefty 19.2 percent. GM's spike helped prompt a 7.2 percent increase in Canadian sales of light...

Employee programs for all.(Incentives)
July 11, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. For those who've been hiding under a rock, the Big 3 made the big news in incentives last week. General Motors extended its GM Employee Discount for Everyone until Aug. 1. Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler...

An incentive and a whole lot more.(Column)
July 11, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Last month General Motors hit a home run with its employee pricing for everyone on almost all its 2005 cars and trucks. It was a great success, and anyone who thought that the market had dried up was mistaken. Like...

VW does some summer cleaning.(Final assembly)(Volkswagen)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Bribery and fraud charges are swirling through Volkswagen. A former Skoda executive and the union official who heads VW's employee-management council have quit. Is this big trouble for VW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrieder? No, the chairman...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)
July 11, 2005... GM, British Leyland: Similarities abound To the Editor: I applaud Peter Brown's June 27 column, "Toyota vs. GM: Not angels vs. Satan.'' Finally, Automotive News is upset about something and writing with passion. Although Brown...

GM pushes accessories with customized HHRs.(News)(General Motors Corp. Heritage High Roof)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Seeking to generate marketing buzz, Chevrolet will take four customized HHRs on a national tour. The retro wagon is scheduled to go on sale this month. The company commissioned four extreme makeovers, from a...

Personnel.(Appointments)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... AUCTION BROADCASTING CO. - Robert Rauschenberg to president. He had been vice president of sales and marketing. BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON - Laura Sue D'Annunzio to vice president, specializing in the auto industry. She had been vice president at...

C&A gets a new CEO.(Final assembly)(Collins and Aikman Corp. appointed Frank Macher as Chief Executive Officer)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Frank Macher last month declined an offer to preside over the clearance sale of 24 former Visteon Corp. plants for Ford Motor Co. Instead, he'll try to save a financially troubled auto supplier. Last week, Macher was named CEO of Collins &...

It's hip to be square.(Final assembly)(Scion xB )(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Wanna be cool in the eyes of the neighborhood teenagers? Just pull up in a Scion, Volkswagen, Jeep, Mini or Porsche. But don't expect much respect from the teens if you're behind the wheel of a Buick, Lincoln or Mercury. Those brands are at...

GM discount drains supply.(News)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko In one month using its GM Employee Discount for Everyone promotion, General Motors reduced its excess supply while other automakers strained from their loads. GM reduced its supply to 48 days on July 1 from 73...

A shot of inspiration; Steve Hill got lots of friends and family members into GM cars and trucks by using his employee discount. Wouldn't it be great if he could offer that deal to everyone?
July 11, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau Steve Hill was always pretty sure he knew the best way to get people into General Motors vehicles - whip out his GM employee ID card and give them the discount. The 22-year GM marketing veteran had long been...

Bitter is ready to build.(Final assembly)(Bitter CD)(Brief Article)
July 11, 2005... Malcolm Bricklin isn't the only entrepreneur looking to get back into the car business. German exotic carmaker Erich Bitter says he has found two private investors to fund production of the Bitter CD. Production is set to start in November,...

Personnel.
July 11, 2005... ARVINMERITOR INC. - Brian Casey, 50, to lead investor relations. He is also vice president and treasurer. ArvinMeritor of Troy, Mich., supplies emission technologies, aperture, undercarriage systems, drivetrains, braking and suspension...

Blue-ribbon panels.(News)
July 11, 2005... In the last three years, automotive stylists have begun to pay more attention to interiors, especially instrument panels. That makes sense because car buyers probably spend more time looking at their instrument panels than any other part of the...

Thomas wants more 'reach' in Ford design.(Freeman Thomas; Ford Motor Co.)
July 11, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co.'s newest design leader says the flagship Ford brand is like "wearing cotton.'' "It's as pure as a white T-shirt and a pair of blue Levis,'' said Freeman Thomas, 47, who joined Ford as director of...