Automotive News articles from June 2007

Automotive News archives from June 2007

Underlying the CAFE battle: What's a car, what's a truck?(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Harry Stoffer To critics of the federal fuel economy program, the Chrysler PT Cruiser is a symbol of the regulations' loopholes and the ability of automakers to exploit them. But under a little-noticed rule change, the Chrysler...

Valeo CEO: Profit margin will hit 6% by 2010.(Suppliers)(Thierry Morin )
June 4, 2007... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Thierry Morin has survived the toughest challenge to his leadership since taking over as Valeo CEO six years ago, but trouble still looms. Valeo shareholders gave Morin and the eight people he proposed...

GM improves supplier ties; Ford falls; Toyota and Honda top annual survey.(Suppliers)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Ford Motor Co. has replaced General Motors as the North American automaker with the worst vendor relations, according to a respected annual supplier survey being released today, June 4. Toyota Motor Corp. and...

Marketing chief Murphy leaves Chrysler.(People)(George Murphy )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Mary Connelly George Murphy joined the Chrysler group in the early days of then-CEO Dieter Zetsche's tenure. Murphy's assignment: focus and spice up the company's marketing. Murphy, 51, resigned last week as senior vice...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2007... BMW clarifies quote on build-to-order To the Editor: The quote from BMW Manufacturing Co. Vice President Doug Bartow in a May 21 story about young buyers was his reply to a question about how to achieve perfection in the supply chain...

Chrysler transaction prices take a dip.(News)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Not only are Chrysler group sales off this year, so are transaction prices. That's a reversal of trend. The average retail price for the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands combined had been rising steadily since 2003, according to the Power...

Kia's quest: Tattoo status.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Kia is enjoying steady U.S. sales increases. But Len Hunt, COO of Kia Motors America, isn't satisfied. At an Automotive News marketing conference in Los Angeles last week, Hunt said not enough people are shouting, "I want a Kia.'' Most of...

Labor on China: `We must get together - and get moving'.(Final assembly)(Conference notes)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Edward Lapham Like everybody else who has been to China recently, Teamsters President James Hoffa was blown away by the energy of the Chinese economy. And he said so last week in a speech at the Mackinac Policy Conference, an...

Wanted: A few innovative dealers.(News)(Editorial)
June 4, 2007... 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...

Black-owned retailer sets revenue mark.(News)(Prestige Automotive Group )(Statistical data)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Prestige Automotive Group is the first black-owned U.S. dealership group to reach $1.5 billion in yearly revenue, a new survey says. The suburban Detroit company is the largest black-owned auto retailer in the...

Ramaciotti is new Fiat design czar.(People)(Lorenzo Ramaciotti )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat has lured longtime Pininfarina design boss Lorenzo Ramaciotti out of retirement to head the Italian group's styling activities. Ramaciotti, 59, will oversee design at six Fiat group brands: Fiat, Alfa Romeo,...

Calendar.(Calendar)
June 4, 2007... AUTO SHOWS June 9-17 - Barcelona International Motor Show, (press days: June 7 and 8), Barcelona Fair, Barcelona, Spain, 34-932-33-3555, www.salonautomovil.com July 26-29 - Expo Auto & Moto Brazil, TransAmerica Expo Center, Sao Paulo,...

Autoliv plan: Fewer suppliers, more low-cost sourcing.(News)(Jan Carlson)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Douglas A. Bolduc Automotive News Europe When Swedish supplier Autoliv needed a new CEO, it chose the man who led the division that generates nearly half of the company's revenues. On April 1, former Autoliv Europe President Jan...

Marelli CEO: Automakers stress parts, not just price.(News)(Magneti Marelli CEO Eugenio Razelli )(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Luca Ciferri Automotive News Europe CEO Eugenio Razelli says Magneti Marelli refuses automakers' demands to make abrupt price reductions, which partly explains why he characterizes relations between the two sides as tense. But he...

Toyota tops wish list of ZF's Haerter; CEO wants more business from Asia, `new players'.(News)(Hans-Georg Haerter of ZF Friedrichshafen AG )(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Arjen Bongard, Douglas A. Bolduc Automotive News Europe Hans-Georg Haerter has seen many changes at ZF Friedrichshafen AG since he joined the German supplier in 1973. Since January, Haerter has been the one deciding the direction in...

Mazda's Davis has racing in his blood.(News)(Robert Davis)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Mark Rechtin Robert Davis, Mazda's product honcho in North America, spends most weekends tearing up tracks in his RX-8 in the Sports Car Club of America's Touring 3 races. Davis and his wife, Bonnie, even camp at the tracks on race...

LaNeve to Chevy: Fix the car ads.
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors marketing chief Mark LaNeve is sending a blunt message to Chevrolet's long-time ad agency, Campbell-Ewald: Fix Chevy's car ads. That puts pressure on Bill Ludwig, the ad agency's chief creative...

Will BMW buy Volvo? Not likely.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... German news media reported last week that BMW might be interested in buying Volvo from struggling Ford. BMW and Ford poured cold water on the rumor, and history adds a few more buckets. "There are no synergies between Volvo and BMW,'' said...

Why is this man smiling?(Final assembly)(Tom LaSorda CEO Chrysler group)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Why has Tom LaSorda been grinning like a Cheshire cat lately? Well, he's getting to run his very own company now that DaimlerChrysler is selling Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management. But the Chrysler group CEO might be smiling for...

Study will focus on vehicle communications.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Tim Moran The German government and several global automakers and suppliers are conducting a four-year test of cutting-edge auto communication technologies. Peter Rieth, director of technology and future development for...

Combo stores are top priority of new Buick, Pontiac, GMC bosses.(News)(Jim Bunnell)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau The new managers of Buick, Pontiac and GMC will move aggressively to eliminate stand-alone dealerships and combine the three brands under one roof. They also want to slash Pontiac's fleet sales, which regularly...

GM to boost ad spending for Cadillac DTS, STS.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors has bolstered its budget to aggressively market the slumping Cadillac DTS and STS sedans in the second half of the year. Although the luxury sedan segment as a whole is down, GM is not happy with DTS...

Cerberus exec: 'Due diligence is done' on Chrysler.(News)(Cerberus Capital Management)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Bradford Wernle Cerberus Capital Management, soon to be taking ownership of 80.1 percent of Chrysler, has completed its inspection of Chrysler. All that's left is the paperwork leading to final signatures. "Due diligence is...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 4, 2007... * A story on Page 45 of the May 28 issue gave the wrong time frame for the recent increase in DaimlerChrysler AG's stock price. By late May, the stock price had increased by 35.1 percent since the Feb. 14 announcement that the Chrysler group...

Report: New Prius' battery won't be lithium ion; Newspaper says Toyota suppliers were told of safety concerns.(News)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: James B. Treece Reversing an earlier decision, Toyota Motor Corp. will not use lithium ion batteries in the redesigned Prius hybrid car due in late 2008, according to a Japanese newspaper. Toyota suppliers were told in May that...

This must be the place.(Final assembly)
June 4, 2007... Bo Andersson, General Motors' purchasing czar, was in China last month to talk with prospective suppliers. But finding him was a bit tricky for suppliers invited to a Shanghai office suite, because building managers hadn't gotten around to...

Credit cards increase service business; DCX dealers get bounce from branded plastic.(Service & Parts)(DaimlerChrysler Financial Services )
June 4, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is using branded credit cards to drive customers back to Chrysler group and Mercedes-Benz dealerships for service, parts and accessories. About 300,000 owners of Chrysler, Dodge,...

Super Duty tops Ford's sales hopes.(News)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett Three highly profitable versions of the redesigned 2008 F-series Super Duty pickups are exceeding Ford Motor Co.'s sales projections. Buyers are snapping up fully optioned F-350s, such as the Lariat and King...

Court: Car ownership transfers when buyer applies for title.(Legal File)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Eric Freedman A dealership's liability as the owner of a motor vehicle ends the moment a purchaser signs the title application, a divided Michigan Supreme Court has ruled. It doesn't matter whether the title application has...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(General Motors Corp. in Licensing agreements with Insignia Group LLC)(NASCAR in Licensing agreements with Universal Technical Institute Inc.)
June 4, 2007... GM, Insignia reach agreement on licensing CHARLOTTE, N.C. - General Motors has signed a licensing agreement with Insignia Group LLC, which produces online accessory catalogs for dealers. The 10-year agreement authorizes Insignia to include...

Dealers.(People)
June 4, 2007... Milestones * R.C. Alexander of Alexander Toyota in Franklin, Tenn., received a 25-year award for Toyota from Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. * Jack Helfman of River Oaks Chrysler-Jeep in Houston received a 35-year award for Chrysler...

Kia ads: Join the cool crowd; New campaign aims at getting rid of low-price image.(Marketing)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Mary Connelly The cool kids are doing it - and you can, too. That's the thrust of the new advertising campaign from Kia Motors America. The Korean brand wants to throw off its geeky low-price image. It seeks to join the...

NADA: Revenue from parts, service fall in '06.(Service & Parts)(National Automobile Dealers Association)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris Service and parts revenue at franchised U.S. dealerships fell for a second straight year in 2006. Dealerships reported $80.45 billion in service and parts sales last year, down 5.5 percent from 2005, according to...

Marketers' target practice can be very perplexing.(Marketing)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Laura Clark Geist So just who is the target buyer for Jeep's new Patriot SUV? A media planning document from the Chrysler group identifies the Patriot's ideal customer: a 45-year-old man whose household earns $65,000 a year....

Feds must deny states' CO2 waiver, set national plan.(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2007... The EPA must deny a waiver to the 12 states that want to set and enforce their own rules for CO2 emissions. Instead, the Bush administration and Congress must develop a comprehensive national plan to reduce petroleum consumption and, therefore,...

Magna eyes more vehicle assembly; Hogan: N. America has potential.(Suppliers)(Mark Hogan of Magna International Inc.)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Despite word that Magna International Inc. would lose production of the BMW X3 SUV in Europe, Magna President Mark Hogan wants to pursue a vehicle assembly site in North America. "Do we see potential for a...

Faurecia's priority: Stop losses in North America.(Suppliers)(Yann Delabriere)(Interview)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Yann Delabriere, Faurecia's new CEO, is making a priority of stemming the French supplier's losses in North America. Delabriere, who became CEO in February, said the company lost 80 million euros ($107.6...

9-3's new face.(News)
June 4, 2007... The 2008 Saab 9-3 adopts fascia, grille and surfacing themes first seen on the Aero X concept. The model marks the return of Saab's clamshell hood design, first seen in the iconic 1967 Saab 99. Saab also plans enhancements in performance and...

True North goes south in Kansas.(News)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: David Barkholz General Motors' True North march to labor savings has stalled in Kansas. The UAW local at GM's Fairfax assembly plant hasn't met with the automaker in the month since negotiations broke down over work rule...

The MG returns, with a boost from Chinese.(Final assembly)(MG Rover )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The MG is back, with a dose of Chinese cash and technology. The first MG sports cars in more than two years was built last week at the famous Longbridge plant in England. The cars are modified TF two-seaters that will be sold in England...

Chrysler needs a small car, but not from Chery.(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2007... Byline: James B. Treece Chery Automobile Co. has resumed talks with the Chrysler group about building a small car in China for sale under the U.S. carmaker's badge. Talks had been suspended during DaimlerChrysler AG's sale of the Chrysler...

BMW to the purists: This 1's for you.(News)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Rick Kranz BMW wants the upcoming 1 series to lure enthusiasts back into the fold. The automaker identifies this group as former BMW owners who abandoned the brand because the 3 series got too big and too luxurious over the...

Toyota wins the May crown; Brand beats Chevy, Ford to lead U.S.(Sales)(Statistical data)
June 4, 2007... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. There's a new automotive sales leader in the United States. No one should be surprised that Toyota was at the top of the heap in May. Toyota Motor Corp. bested General Motors, including Saab, in the first...

Minivan launch tests Chrysler's marketing; '08 products arrive at a crucial time.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Mary Connelly Chrysler group dealers start ordering the company's 2008 minivans this week, and Chrysler's promotion of the vehicles raises several major marketing questions. For instance: In an era of crossovers and strong...

Mooney takes GM global integration job.(People)(Denny Mooney )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jack Herman General Motors has appointed Denny Mooney to the newly created position of vice president, global vehicle systems and integration, effective Aug. 1. Mooney, 50, will oversee the execution of best practices for GM's...

Ailing Buick has much riding on Enclave; Crossover's quiet luxury aims at women in 40s.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors is counting on the Enclave crossover to get younger customers into Buick showrooms. It has been a bad year for Buick. The 30.9 percent sales decline through April is the biggest drop of any brand...

Mexico sales down for April, year to date.(Sales)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Jack Herman Vehicle sales in Mexico dropped 3.8 percent in April, with two of the top three sellers reporting losses. A total of 75,022 cars and light trucks were sold in April. For the first four months of the year, 355,240...

Lindsey Halstead.(former chairman of Ford)(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Lindsey Halstead, former chairman of Ford of Europe and the man who brought Jaguar into the Ford family, died May 26. He was 76. Halstead, a 41-year Ford employee, was named to the top job in Europe in 1989. That year he led negotiations...

A milestone for U.S. trucks.(Production)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Debi Domby * U.S. truck production reached 3 million on Thursday, May 31, six days later than in 2006. * General Motors' North America truck production reached 1 million on Monday, May 28, 10 days later than in 2006. *...

Small cars stand tall in May sales.(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett Gasoline prices reached record highs in May, so sales of fuel-efficient vehicles went through the roof, right? You betcha. Hybrids, crossovers and small cars were scorching hot last month. And most trucks and...

The profit isn't always in money; New technologies may pay off in the long term.(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Dave Guilford A documentary filmmaker stirred things up last year by asking Who killed the electric car? The answer, at least regarding the EV1 that was the focus of the film, is General Motors. GM killed the EV1 just as it...

Toyota's Yaris effort has a hip-hop beat.(Marketing)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Marcus Amick Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. is using hip-hop music to market its Yaris small car to young black consumers. A monthlong series of events that begins Thursday, June 7, in Houston will feature hip-hop disc jockeys,...

Bois will be . . . Buick owners?(Final assembly)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Unlike hip-hop star Big Boi, your average grandmother might not watch Jerry Springer, breed pit bulls or host a burlesque show in the Boom Boom Room at the Body Tap, a club in Atlanta. But the two may have something in common. That's...

Harbour: Detroit 3 boost productivity.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: David Barkholz The Detroit 3 have almost caught their Japanese counterparts in factory productivity. And the small gap that remains could narrow further next year as General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler group cut...

Toyota sues; this Lexus chassis isn't very classy.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Toyota, always the savvy marketer, has trademarked the prestigious Lexus name for use on pens, binoculars, clocks, shirts - even stuffed animals. But it wasn't counting on Lexus Cash, the would-be porn star. And that led to a federal...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. appointed Bill Fay, Randy Pflughaupt)(Valeo Cos. to acquire Visteon Corp.)(Tata Autocomp Systems Corp. to acquire Lear Corp.)
June 4, 2007... Toyota moves more executives LOS ANGELES - After appointing new Toyota and Lexus general managers in April, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. has made several sales and marketing changes. Bill Fay, 51, has been named vice president of...

Late News.(Ford raises Edge sales forecast)(DaimlerChrysler AG. Chrysler Group plans Mexico engine plant)(Volvo Cars of North America Inc. appointed Doug Speck )
June 4, 2007... Ford raises Edge sales forecast DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. last week raised its 2007 sales forecast for the Edge crossover to 120,000 units, from 100,000. Edge sales totaled 12,701 in May, the highest monthly total since it was launched...

Industry wrongly fights CAFE boost.(Corporate average fuel economy)(Column)
June 4, 2007... Byline: KEITH CRAIN The federal government isn't even close to having a bill that would put some real numbers on revised corporate average fuel economy standards, and the industry already is putting up roadblocks. The Alliance of...

After losing out at Valeo, Pardus may go after Delphi.(Suppliers)(Pardus Capital Management LP )
June 4, 2007... Byline: David Barkholz Karim Samii is not easily deterred. The founder of Pardus Capital Management LP is considering an investment in Delphi Corp., fresh off losing a proxy fight for board control of Valeo SA. Samii won't talk...

Ranger's in danger: Is Ford out? Small-truck segment sags; company weighs its options.
June 4, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett The clock is ticking on Ford Motor Co.'s ancient Ranger compact pickup, the plant where it is built and maybe the entire compact pickup segment. Next year, Ford will close the St. Paul, Minn., plant where the...

All-wet paint plan will cut factory's equipment, costs.(News)
June 4, 2007... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Imagine the mess you would get if a paint shop in an auto assembly plant applied the base coat when the primer was still wet, and then applied the clear coat on top of the wet base coat. Sounds like paint robots gone...

U.S. Steel may be buyout target.(Late News)(Volkswagen AG adds Mexican workers)(Shares of U.S. Steel Corp. rose)(Saturn Corp. marketing through test drives)
June 11, 2007... DETROIT - Shares of U.S. Steel Corp., a key producer of automotive steel, climbed nearly 8 percent Friday afternoon after reports that German steel maker ThyssenKrupp may be interested in buying the company. ThyssenKrupp AG, based in...

NUMMI starts building 2008s.(Production)(New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. )(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Debi Domby * Last week, New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. in Fremont, Calif., began building the 2008 Toyota Corolla and Pontiac Vibe. * In May, 1,447,782 units were produced in North America, down 2.8 percent from May 2006....

A weird week, many questions.(Final assembly)(Ford Motor Co. receive the Platinum Plant Quality Award from J.D. Power and Associates)(Daimler-Benz AG ranked low on quality management)(Toyota Motor Corp. to not use lithium batteries )
June 11, 2007... Byline: Edward Lapham Some weeks there are too many strange questions in the auto industry. For example: * Did anyone say "I told you so''? One week after Ford closed its Wixom, Mich., assembly plant, it became the first...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Navistar International Corp. sued Ford Motor Co.)(Toyota's hybrid sales top 1 million)(Autoliv Inc. to build airbag plant )
June 11, 2007... Toyota's hybrid sales top 1 million LOS ANGELES - Toyota Motor Corp. said last week that it has sold more than 1 million hybrid vehicles since 2000, more than half of them in the United States. And the pace is picking up. "We...

A snoozer annual meeting story is good news for General Motors.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau If the walls of the historic and beautiful Hotel du Pont could talk, oh the stories they might tell - except for last week when General Motors held its 99th annual shareholders meeting there. The hotel walls instead...

Personnel.(People)(Crowe Chizek appointed Ron Sompels)(eBay Motors appointed Rob Chesney)(Jumpstart Automotive Media appointed Brian Ledoux)
June 11, 2007... CROWE CHIZEK AND CO. LLC - Ron Sompels, 50, to executive-in-charge of retail dealership services. He had been an executive of retail dealership services. Crow Chizek, of Oakbrook, Ill., is a public accounting and consulting firm. EBAY...

Ford's new little guy.(News)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Ford Motor Co. will begin marketing a small front-drive car in North America in 2009 or 2010. A four-door sedan will be sold in North America; three-door (pictured here) and five-door models will be sold in other markets, but it's not clear if...

Porsche will be a no-show at Detroit show.(News)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Porsche is pulling out of the Detroit auto show to focus on shows in regions where it has more customers. "It was purely a business decision,'' says Tony Fouladpour, a spokesman for Porsche Cars North America...

U.S. Bank links dealers with customers online.(Finance & insurance)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris A new automotive shopping Web site run by U.S. Bank allows dealers to promote their vehicles to the bank's customers. U.S. Bank is advertising the site, www.bankcars.biz, to its 13 million customers through its...

Capital One offers program to speed up auto financing.(Finance & insurance)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris Capital One Auto Finance is revamping its business model to serve a broader client base, from the riskiest customers to those with the best credit. The initiative, called the One Program, also is strengthening...

Brisk car sales help lower supplies.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Ralph Kisiel A sign of the times: Car inventories are starting to dwindle to an uncomfortably low level. The auto industry entered June with a 56-day supply of cars and trucks as the prime selling season helps clear inventory....

Volt battery pacts awarded.(Special Report)(General Motors; Compact Power Inc.; Continental Automotive Systems )(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Jack Herman General Motors has awarded two development contracts for the lithium ion battery that will be used in the E-Flex propulsion system in the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Compact Power Inc. and Continental Automotive...

Ford hopes to restore the luster to Taurus; Nameplate returns as a large sedan with new engine, top safety ratings.(News)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett Later this summer, Ford Motor Co. will know whether a Five Hundred by any other name will sell the same. Ford is betting that a new name - Taurus - and major revisions to its big front-drive sedan will ignite...

Sources: Ford's PAG brands are on the block; Fiat pursued Jaguar, Land Rover, then broke off talks.(Statistical data)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Luca Ciferri Ford Motor Co. is actively seeking buyers for its European luxury brands. A possible sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Fiat was on the table for months, say sources familiar with the talks. The two automakers...

They came from the sea.(Final assembly)(Chronology)
June 11, 2007... U.S. sales of Japanese-brand vehicles are growing so fast that Japanese automakers have to ship more from their homeland. Here is how the "made in Japan'' share, as a percentage of total U.S. light-vehicle sales, has trended over the past...

Hyundai sued in fatal crash.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Investigators in California are looking for a former employee of Hyundai Motor America who has been charged in the 2005 death of a motorcyclist and is believed to have fled to South Korea. According to a civil suit filed last month against...

Fiat may sell sporty minicar in the United States.(News)(Brief article)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat may export a sporty version of its new 500 minicar to the United States after 2010. "We cannot exclude that our new 500 would go in some form to the U.S. market,'' Fiat Group CEO Sergio Marchionne told...

Even with hydrogen, we're going to need nukes.(Spezial)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Peter Brown In the future, we'll all be driving nukes. Americans just aren't going to give up enough space and power in their vehicles to make a huge difference in our breakneck consumption of fossil fuel. So we'll all be...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)
June 11, 2007... AmeriCredit rating upgraded NEW YORK - Moody's Investors Service has upgraded its credit rating of AmeriCredit Corp. to Ba2 from Ba3. Although the auto finance company's rating remains speculative-grade, Moody's cited AmeriCredit's...

Predicting used hybrids' residuals can be tricky.(Spezial)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Predicting used-vehicle residual values is difficult. It's even harder for hybrid vehicles. Skimpy data about the reliability of the technologies, consumer demand and resale values have prevented the Automotive...

Chevy car ads make the grade.(Final assembly)(Editorial)
June 11, 2007... Chevrolet's truck ads have struck a chord with Silverado buyers, but what about the brand's car ads? Last week, we posted five car ads online for viewing, and 198 readers graded them. The ads got favorable reviews. The most popular was the...

Hyundai lengthens used-car powertrain warranty.(News)(Hyundai Motor America )
June 11, 2007... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Hyundai Motor America is lengthening the powertrain warranty on its certified used vehicles in an effort to boost sluggish sales. The limited warranty extends powertrain coverage to 10 years or 100,000 miles from...

Ford Edge plug-in is smooth and efficient.(Special Report)
June 11, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett With the plug-in hybrid Ford Edge test vehicle, Ford Motor Co. engineers hope they can find a combination of futuristic powertrain components that could one day replace the gasoline engine. The special Edge uses...