Automotive News articles from June 2005

Automotive News archives from June 2005

Nissan courts aftermarket suppliers, innovations; Vendor fair tries to raise automaker's profile.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Nissan North America Inc. is courting aftermarket suppliers in search of new parts and ideas for the automaker's growing U.S. business. Nissan last month invited 100 people from aftermarket companies to...

Wanted: Innovative dealers.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Have you created a showroom that shoppers can't resist? Discovered a recipe for loyal salespeople? Found a way to put some fun into F&I? If you are a franchised new-car dealer and have pioneered any winning strategy in any part of your...

GM will change pay plan for ad agencies.(Marketing)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Laura Clark Geist General Motors will link the performance bonuses it pays its advertising agencies more closely to corporate profits and divisional sales, GM's marketing chief says. "The baseline is going to change,'' says...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 6, 2005... June 4-9 - Czech Republic International Auto Show, Exhibition Centre Brno, Brno, Czech Republic, 420-541-152-994, (press day: June 2), www.bvv.cz June 17-26 - Buenos Aires International Motor Show, Centro de Exposiciones la Rural, Buenos...

Toyota tops Harbour's efficiency list; GM Ontario plant uses fewest labor hours per vehicle.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Dale Jewett Toyota has passed Nissan as the most efficient producer of vehicles in North America, according to the annual Harbour Report released last week. Each of the Big 3 boosted productivity and are approaching Honda in...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
June 6, 2005... A column on Page 14 of the May 30 issue mischaracterized the engines in two Acura Integras. They were 16-valve engines.

Kelley Blue Book may dig deep into its online data.(News)(kbb.com)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Through its Web site, kbb.com, Kelley Blue Book can tell automakers what car shoppers are buying, what options they prefer and what they are paying. The 10-year-old Web site, which was established in the early...

Fiat and GM untangle their powertrain operations.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri General Motors has walked away from its five years as Fiat Auto's powertrain partner with something it badly needed: a 1.3-liter common-rail diesel engine. "Without this engine, GM would have completely missed...

Honda ends Accord output at East Liberty.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Honda Motor Co. has halted Accord production at its East Liberty, Ohio, plant - just a few months after it began building the car there. Production ended in March. The automaker had previously said it would stop...

Dealers.(People)
June 6, 2005... Transitions * Steven Kreisman and Jory Hite purchased 21 Bell Subaru in Phoenix from Robert Pitre and renamed the dealership Steven Jory Subaru. CAPTION(S): Silver dealer. Buck Baumann, right, of Al Baumann Chevrolet-Buick in...

It's lights out for M-B brake idea.(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Sometimes the roles get reversed. Automakers want to add safety devices. Regulators object. Mercedes-Benz sought to equip its vehicles with brake lights that would rapidly flash on and off when a driver stopped...

He created Korea's motor industry.(Chung Se Yung)(Biography)
June 6, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN I'm not sure when I met the late Chairman Chung of Hyundai. I think my friend Max Jamiesson introduced us in the late 1980s when Jamiesson was running Hyundai in the United States. Chung Se Yung was his name, but...

Hyundai names its new van the Entourage.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Hyundai Motor America has named its upcoming full-sized minivan the Entourage, says CEO Bob Cosmai. The minivan will arrive next spring as a 2007 model. Cosmai revealed the name at the Automotive News Marketing Seminar in Los Angeles last...

Toyota's sponsorship of reality boxing show packs little punch.(Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Claire Atkinson Toyota got burned by the low ratings of the reality TV series "The Contender,'' advertising and TV executives say. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. had a $16 million deal to advertise and promote its vehicles on...

No teaching job? So try for an 'A' in efficiency; Chrysler labor chief seeks a smarter, leaner system.(News)(John Franciosi, Chrysler Corp.)(Interview)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Mary Connelly John Franciosi planned to be a teacher. But he became a self-described "manufacturing rat'' who is helping to overhaul the Chrysler group's labor relations. In 1977, teaching jobs were few. Franciosi wound up...

Diesel could delay Saab SUV.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein General Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. are trying to fit a diesel engine into the Saab 9-6X SUV, an effort that is likely to delay production, industry sources say. The 9-6X is based on the same platform as...

Despite 8% decline, our sales guru says May sales were relatively merry.(Sales)
June 6, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. New-vehicle sales in the United States fell 8.0 percent in May. So why does Automotive News' veteran sales analyst, Senior Editor John K. Teahen Jr., think it was such a good month? We asked Teahen some pointed...

Late News.(automobile industry)(News Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Chevy Malibu, Audi A4 score with insurers WASHINGTON - The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu with an optional airbag package earned a good rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the latest round of side-impact crash tests. The...

A jab from Jed.(News)
June 6, 2005... Nissan North America boss Jed Connelly, second from left, is glad his Titan pickup and 350Z roadster got free exposure on ABC's "Desperate Housewives.'' But he had a jab for rival Buick, which also showed up on an episode. "I can't picture...

Lexus to make big fuss over customers; New general manager says free coffee is not enough.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Mark Rechtin Bob Carter realizes that free espresso ain't what it used to be. The new Lexus Division general manager knows that his dealerships' once-special touches now have plenty of imitators. For Lexus to hang on to the...

Letters.
June 6, 2005... Don't mess with success To the Editor: It was announced recently that the Chrysler group is going to discontinue its 7-year/70,000-mile standard powertrain warranty but continue to offer its 3-year/36,000-mile standard bumper-to-bumper...

Forecast: GM still tops in '10; Despite Toyota's gains, prediction is that GM will make more vehicles.(News)(General Motors)
June 6, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece General Motors still will be building more cars and trucks than Toyota Motor Corp. in 2010, according to a forecast by Global Insight Inc. The prediction disputes the widely held view that a rapidly surging...

SUV slide begins to hit luxury models.(sport utility vehicles)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson Affluent consumers appear to be growing weary of truck-based luxury SUVs. U.S. sales of traditional body-on-frame SUVs from luxury brands dropped 24.2 percent in May. Sales of the Lincoln Navigator, for...

Court: No need to reveal dealer markup.(Legal File)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Eric Freedman Lenders aren't required to disclose to retail vehicle loan customers the difference between the annual percentage rate they offer dealerships, known as the buy rate, and the interest rate that dealerships quote to...

Buyers show little brand loyalty.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Nearly half of serious car and truck shoppers are shopping for neither the vehicle they now own nor other models of the same brand, a new study concludes. Compete Inc., a Boston Internet research firm that studies...

GM extends employee spiff to all buyers.(Incentives)(General Motors)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. General Motors believes in equality in all human endeavors - including incentives on cars and light trucks. So until July 5, the company is extending its employee discount to all customers. The regular retail...

GM exec leads quest for Hispanic buyers.(Marketing)(General Motors)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Jean Halliday Like the orchid she brought to Detroit four years ago from Florida, Sonia Green is thriving. Green directs General Motors' diversity marketing and Hispanic sales. "You need to be a pit bull,'' the native of Puerto...

Need some surgery? Buy a Chevy first.(Final assembly)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham Most people, including competitors, probably hope General Motors' new employee-discount incentive is a smashing success, especially if it's an intermediate step away from cash-on-the-hood incentives. Nearly four...

Dana keeps Wrangler axle business.(Suppliers)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Dana Corp. beat back rivals to retain its signature axle-supply business for the Jeep Wrangler, which it has supplied continuously since World War II. Dana will begin production next year to supply the front...

Delphi OKs deal in hopes of averting a parts interruption.(Suppliers)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin An 11th-hour agreement appears to have defused a pricing dispute between Delphi Corp. and a key supplier that threatened to interrupt production at auto assembly plants. Delphi was so concerned last month that...

Bricklin scorecard: Still 0.(Final assembly)(Tasca Automotive Group Inc)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... In case you're keeping track, here's how many dealers entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin has signed up to sell Chinese cars in the United States in 2007: Zero. That's a bit behind Bricklin's projection of several weeks ago, when he told an...

Ghosn will go slow at Renault; New CEO says alliance with Nissan won't change radically.(News)(Carlos Ghosn)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Arjen Bongard As the man running both Renault and Nissan, Carlos Ghosn envisions making adjustments rather than radical change. Just weeks after adding the Renault CEO duties to his role as Nissan CEO, Ghosn played down...

Mitsubishi's Australian boss echoes Iacocca.(Marketing)(Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd.)
June 6, 2005... Byline: James B. Treece "If you can find a better-built, better-backed car, buy it.'' The tag line sounds like vintage Lee Iacocca. But it's from Mitsubishi TV commercials that have aired this year in Australia. "I shamelessly...

Jeep cashes in on WWII glory; Brand sponsors military air shows featuring vintage B-17 bomber.(Marketing)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Today's Jeeps are far removed from the pioneering little military trucks that symbolized America's can-do attitude in World War II. But that doesn't keep Jeep from tapping the brand's wartime roots periodically...

Movie Minis are theme park stars; Roller coaster recreates film car chase.(Marketing)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lillie Guyer A trio of Mini Cooper convertibles - one red, one white, one blue - starred in the 2003 movie The Italian Job. Now they are the featured attractions of a new roller coaster ride. The Italian Job: Stunt Track opened...

Black dealer group hits $1B revenue mark.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Prestige Automotive Group is the first black-owned dealership group to reach $1 billion in annual revenue, a new survey reports. Prestige was the nation's largest black-owned dealership group for the second...

Goofy's off the hook; Ford is new target; Anti-gay group launches boycott.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Just days after ending a nine-year boycott of Mickey Mouse and friends, a conservative Christian group has turned its sights on Ford Motor Co. Accusing the automaker of promoting a "homosexual agenda,'' the American Family Association of...

Diesel demand: GM doesn't believe in ghosts; Automaker focuses on technology's future, not the past.(Opinion)(General Motors )
June 6, 2005... Byline: Charles Freese Many critics in the auto industry have attempted to link the entire U.S. diesel market demand and customers' negative perceptions of diesels to the 5.7-liter V-8 and 4.3-liter V-6 Oldsmobile diesel engines built in...

Gaudette, Bolte to speak.(News)( Automotive News Manufacturing Conference )(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Two executives who came to the automotive world from other industries will speak June 14 at the Automotive News Manufacturing Conference in Birmingham, Ala. Dan Gaudette is senior vice president for North American Manufacturing and Quality...

Saturn's new Aura.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... This production-ready 2007 Saturn Aura is based on the concept car displayed in January at the Detroit auto show, although several body lines have been softened. It is built on a long-wheelbase version of the Epsilon front-drive architecture...

3 car brands create big buzz in study.(Marketing)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Donna Harris Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Toyota get the best word-of-mouth of all global brands, not just automakers, a new study concludes. The NOP World consulting company of New York surveyed consumers in 31 countries, including...

Autobytel's big oops: $3.1 million.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Accounting errors understated cumulative Autobytel Inc. losses by $3.1 million from Jan. 1, 2002, through June 30, 2004, the company said last week. The errors, which an internal audit began to unravel in October, cost Jeffrey Schwartz his...

Nissan goal: 50,000 U.S. hybrid sales.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Nissan Motor Co. aims to sell 50,000 Altima hybrids a year in the United States, starting next year with U.S. production of the car. "That's the number we're looking at,'' says Tadao Takahashi, Nissan's executive...

Move to U.S. is too risky for some suppliers.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe The decision to establish a plant in the United States doesn't come without risk. Some companies that Hyundai Motor Corp. invited to Alabama to supply its new U.S. assembly plant declined to go, says industry...

11/2 cheers for Mitsubishi.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Break out the champagne and the tiny sake cups. But fill the glasses only half full. Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s sales in Japan in May rose, on a year-over-year basis, for the first time in 17 months. It was a welcome bit of good news...

Mitsubishi drops Montero; 2006 model year will be SUV's last.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Mitsubishi's seven-seat Montero SUV will be dropped from the U.S. lineup after the 2006 model year. Rich Gilligan, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., says volume does not justify the cost of updating the...

Lousy relations with suppliers penalize Big 3.(Opinion)
June 6, 2005... There's nothing new about surveys showing that suppliers would rather work with Japan's three big automakers than America's Big 3. But a just-released survey from Planning Perspectives Inc. adds a twist. According to conventional wisdom,...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
June 6, 2005... Wendy Kent Churchill DALLAS - Auto dealer Wendy Kent Churchill died May 26. She was 57. She owned Frank Kent Cadillac and Frank Kent GMC-Pontiac-Buick-Honda-Hummer, both in Fort Worth, Texas. C.E. Webster CODY, Wyo. - C.E. "Bud''...

Supply Line.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Valeo opens China plant Valeo SA will begin producing automotive security systems at a new plant in Wuxi, China, in September. The systems will consist of items such as steering column locks, remote controls and keyless entry systems....

Hesterberg to get $1 million bonus; Hefty 1st anniversary gift for Group 1 CEO.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Earl Hesterberg, the new CEO of Group 1 Automotive Inc., will collect a $1 million bonus in April if he's still working for the public dealership group. According to a Group 1 proxy statement, Hesterberg, 51,...

Auto News Digest.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Visteon names industry outsider general counsel DETROIT - Visteon Corp. has named John Donofrio, 43, as senior vice president and general counsel, effective Monday, June 13. He will report to Visteon CEO Michael Johnston. Donofrio...

Dodge sponsors Western miniseries.(Marketing)(Dodge)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Dodge is the exclusive automotive sponsor of a six-week miniseries on Turner Network Television, "Into the West.'' Dodge will use its sponsorship of the show, which premieres this week, to promote the new Charger....

Hyundai pulls 'Bama bosses back home; Sonata plant ramps up slower than projected.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Less than two weeks after celebrating the opening of its first U.S. auto plant, Hyundai Motor Co. has replaced three of the venture's top executives. The president, executive vice president of administration...

GM Certified ads promise 'No worries'.(Marketing)(General Motors )
June 6, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers The tag line of a new marketing campaign for certified used General Motors vehicles promises: "No worries.'' The print and Internet campaign for the GM Certified brand begins June 13. It focuses on unpleasant...

Mediation date is set for Primus case.(News)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Donna Harris A landmark racial bias case against Primus Financial Services Inc., a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., is scheduled to go to a mediator July 19. A federal judge in Nashville, Tenn., sent the case to mediation after...

Visteon's evacuees: Where are they now?(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Thomas Burke is the latest exec to leave struggling Visteon Corp. The former vice president for North American manufacturing departed last month for Modine Manufacturing Co. of Racine, Wis. Burke will head Modine's automotive, commercial,...

Sizzlin' grilles; Big, bold front ends are the latest design trend showing up in America.(News)
June 6, 2005... No, it's not your imagination: The grilles on many vehicles today are big. The trend is apparent in Europe, where European Union safety regulations designed to reduce pedestrian deaths have led stylists to develop bigger and more vertical front...

Former Federal-Mogul chief plays clean-up position again; Ford Motor hires Frank Macher to unload Visteon units.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Dale Jewett Frank Macher is a master of the thankless task. Ford Motor Co. hired him late last month to sell nearly two dozen cast-off units from Visteon Corp. Previously he had spent three years trying to fix Federal-Mogul...

Korean suppliers have big plans for the U.S. Influx puts pressure on domestic companies.(Suppliers)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe Korean suppliers now entering the United States in force say they aim to do far more than just make parts for Hyundai Motor Co. in Alabama. Nearly a dozen Korean companies have made large investments in Alabama...

Pope's old car is topic of VW ads.(Marketing)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau A new ad campaign by Volkswagen of America Inc. emphasizes the competitive pricing of its Golf car. The "nonpapal'' version, that is. In April, a 1999 Golf that is said to have belonged to Pope Benedict XVI sold...

IT vendors grapple with their GM bids.(News)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel With $15 billion worth of General Motors' information technology business up for grabs, EDS Corp., IBM Corp. and the nation's largest computer integrators are dedicating hundreds of employees to their bids. EDS of...

Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
June 6, 2005... A penny here, a penny there Even the smallest cost-cutting ideas are getting the attention of top Ford Motor Co. executives. Among the moves praised by Greg Smith, Ford's president of the Americas, in a May employee newsletter: cutting...

Ford Taurus reaches a milestone.(Production)(Brief Article)
June 6, 2005... Byline: Debi Domby * The 7 millionth Ford Taurus was produced on May 23. Production of the Taurus began in 1985. The Taurus is built in Atlanta. Until April 2004, it was assembled in Chicago as well. In March, Ford will end Taurus...

GM and Ford slash supplies.(News)(General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Cuts in production at General Motors and Ford Motor Co. have reduced both automakers' supplies, but they are still above ideal levels. GM slashed its supply to 73 days on June 1 from 87 days a month earlier....

Zap gets zip from Smart.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Smart says it won't do business with would-be U.S. importer Zap now or in the future - apparently putting an end to confusion generated by Zap's recent announcement that it had ordered $1 billion in cars from...

Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
June 13, 2005... Coming: Battle of the robots Asimo, Honda Motor Co.'s humanoid robot, is getting some competition. Toyota Motor Corp. has created a division to make Toyota a powerhouse in the business of robots for work around the house and office, says...

Ex-GM engineer designs a pickup the Honda way; Ridgeline's body structure shows how existing products help create new ones.(News)(Gary Flint)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett When Gary Flint approached his bosses at Honda Motor Co. with a plan for a pickup, they were all for it. But they told Flint he couldn't have the traditional mainstays of many Big 3 pickups: a V-8 engine, a...

Will Kerkorian raise the stakes?(Final assembly)(Kirk Kerkorian)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Will Las Vegas casino mogul Kirk Kerkorian throw some more chips on the table? Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. concluded its tender offer for General Motors stock on Tuesday, June 7. And the meager results were "somewhat surprising,'' in the...

Late News.(automotive industry)(Executive Changes)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... AIADA's Evans will resign WASHINGTON - AutoNation Inc. executive James Evans Jr. is leaving the country's largest dealership group in mid-August. Consequently, he also must step down as chairman of the American International Automobile...

Data provider acquires lead generator.(News)(First American Corp., Bar None Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore First American Corp., which provides credit reports, has acquired Bar None Inc., which supplies dealerships with leads on customers with risky credit. Terms were not disclosed. Bar None of Pleasanton, Calif., will...

Escape output hits 1 million.(Production)(Ford Escape)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Debi Domby * Ford Motor Co. built its 1 millionth Ford Escape last week. Production began in January 2000 on the SUV, which is built in Kansas City, Mo. * BMW built its 500,000th X5 at its Spartanburg, S.C., plant last week....

A new wave of suppliers pursues transplant work.(Special Report)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Mark Van Linden knows he needs some business with a Japanese automaker. And he knows that if there were ever a time to snag some, it's now, with sales and factory production rising steadily among the Japanese...

Seat belt pioneer: New belts, airbags on horizon.(News)(Juichiro Takada)(Interview)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett Juichiro Takada, president of Japan's Takata Corp., the industry's leading supplier of seat belts, came to the United States this month to meet with suppliers and automakers in Detroit and receive a leadership award...

Test could bring more stability control systems.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Federal safety researchers say they have found a reliable way to test the effectiveness of electronic stability control systems. Some safety experts believe the test could lead to a government mandate requiring...

Eliminate rebates? Perish the thought! Without them, the U.S. market would collapse.(Opinion)
June 13, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. You've heard the talk. You've seen the stories. "Incentives have lost their zing.'' "Incentives don't sell cars today.'' "People pay less and less attention to incentives.'' And so on, ad infinitum. What...

Wanted: Innovative dealers.(News)
June 13, 2005... Have you created a showroom that shoppers can't resist? Discovered a recipe for loyal salespeople? Found a way to put some fun into F&I? If you are a franchised new-car dealer and have pioneered any winning strategy in any part of your...

Here come the Brits.(Final assembly)(AC Cars of England)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... While the industry waits for the next Japanese auto plant to materialize here, AC Cars Ltd. of England has formed a U.S. manufacturing unit to build its AC MK VI sports car in Connecticut. AC, formed in 1901, now uses a factory on the...

K.C. Crain moves to AutoWeek.(News)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Automotive News Staff Reporter K.C. Crain has moved to sister publication AutoWeek as an advertising sales representative. Crain, 25, joined Automotive News in September 2002 to cover suppliers and manufacturing. Since August 2003, he has...

GM's price plan: Lower stickers, fewer rebates.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau, Jason Stein General Motors, which dropped sticker prices in February on 22 mid-sized SUVs, is about to extend that strategy. GM will cut base sticker prices for some Chevrolet, Pontiac and Saturn nameplates, say...

Personnel.(People)(automotive parts industry)(Executive Changes)
June 13, 2005... ARVINMERITOR - Ivor Evans to the board of directors. Evans, 62, is an operating partner for the Washington private equity investment firm Thayer Capital Partners. He was vice chairman of Union Pacific Railroad from January 2004 to March...

Fuel cell challenge: Cold start.(News)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Honda Motor Co. engineers have achieved one fuel cell milestone: The Honda FCX fuel cell car operates below the freezing temperature of water - minus 4 F to be precise. So the engineers have set a new goal: A...

Judge could ban markups on interest rates in bias case.(Finance and insurance)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Donna Harris A federal judge hints she will outlaw interest rate markups of vehicle loans if mediation fails to resolve a racial bias case that involves auto lending practices. U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger of Nashville,...

Kongsberg buys maker of headrests.(Suppliers)(Kongsberg Automotive A/S, Milan Seating Systems)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Kongsberg Automotive, a Norwegian company specializing in seat equipment, has purchased Milan Seating Systems from Intier Automotive Seating of America Inc. Terms were not disclosed. Milan Seating of Milan,...

Dealers.(People)(Gary Barbera's No.1 Jeepland, Philadelphia)(Brief Article)
June 13, 2005... Beginnings * Gary Barbera opened Gary Barbera's #1 Jeepland in Philadelphia. He also owns Chrysler and Dodge dealerships in Philadelphia. CAPTION(S): 50 with Ford: Sandra Simmons and Gene Simmons, right, of Simmons Ford in...