Automotive News articles from June 2009

Automotive News archives from June 2009

Chrysler's Fiat makeover won't come cheap.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Richard Truett Fiat's grand plan to convert Chrysler plants for production of Fiat-derived cars won't be easy, quick or cheap. Manufacturing experts put the cost of redoing a Chrysler LLC plant for Fiat models at $200 million...

Fewer dealerships.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... GM wants to trim its dealership count from 5,969 on May 15 to 3,600 by the end of next year. To do so, GM will Not renew franchise agreements with the owners of 1,124 stores when the agreements expire on Oct. 31, 2010 Inform...

Slump shows who's flexible, who's not; Japanese manufacturers can soften the economic blows with their ability to add and subtract models in days rather than months. Now the Detroit 3 are primed to do the same.
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell and Richard Truett When fuel prices went through the roof a year ago, most automakers were caught dangerously out of position. They weren't building anything like the mix of fuel-efficient vehicles that customers...

Jack the Dealer won't go quietly.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Edward Lapham Jack Fitzgerald is an honest, outspoken man, which is probably why Greta van Susteren likes to interview him for her Fox News program, "On the Record. Van Susteren calls Fitzgerald "Jack the Dealer you know, like...

SBA will guarantee floorplan loans.(Small Business Administration)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Donna Harris When the Small Business Administration last week broadened its loan guarantee program to include dealership floorplans, it was a victory for dealers but a limited one. The guarantees apply to 75 percent of loan...

When price goes up, will pickup buyers go away?(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The cost of pickups is bound to rise thousands of dollars as automakers add direct injection, turbochargers and more aluminum to meet the new fuel economy standards of the Obama administration, says Himanshu Patel, an analyst for JPMorgan. ...

Bad fit: Fiat's quality lags - like Chrysler's.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Rick Kranz Chrysler is betting its future on Fiat's vehicle expertise, but there's a problem: Fiat's quality is below average in Europe, according to a series of studies. The quality issue is one more challenge facing Chrysler...

Fiat will sell 500 at Chrysler dealerships.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Rick Kranz Fiat will market the Fiat 500 at Chrysler dealerships in about 11/2 years, a Fiat spokesman says. "The Fiat 500 we see that, like the Mini, as a sort of boutique car that we think we can sell in good numbers on the...

Service tips.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... To boost service revenue, a Muskegon, Mich., dealership Provides free loaners to all service customers who ask Conducts a 21-point inspection on every vehicle Assigns oil changes to highly skilled technicians

Faulty Fiat.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Fiat finished 20th of 25 brands in J.D. Power's 2008 Customer Satisfaction Index Study in France. A sampling of brand rankings and scores 1. BMW (top score): 815 6. Toyota: 803 12. Ford: 792 Industry average: 791 20....

Service staff misses TVs, but not big picture; Work targets boost business, teamwork.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Arlena Sawyers In March and again in April, Scott Campbell set challenging work targets for his parts and service department. The reward: Each staffer would win a 50-inch plasma TV valued at about $1,125. The 24 service...

Globe-trotter.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... GM's Fritz Henderson has tackled problems around the world. 1997-2000: Managing director, GM do Brasil 2000-02: President, GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East 2002-04: President, GM Asia Pacific 2004-06: Chairman, GM...

With IS duo, Lexus joins small luxury convertible fray.
June 1, 2009... Byline: Kathy Jackson Tired of watching competitors BMW and Mercedes dominate the entry-level convertible segment, Lexus has come out with its own. The IS 250C and 350C, derived from the IS sedan, go on sale this month. The hard-top...

Chrysler store survives on service as surrounding Calif. stores shut.
June 1, 2009... Byline: Kathy Jackson Ziad Alhassen is frustrated by the dearth of customers in his new-car showroom at Clippinger Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in suburban Los Angeles. But he smiles when he walks to the back. There, in the service area,...

Ford to orphaned Chrysler owners: More cash for you; S. Carolina dealer gets help with "customers ... left out in the cold'.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is helping John Isgett keep his Chrysler customers. Isgett owns a Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge store in Hartsville, S.C., that Chrysler LLC has targeted to close. But he also owns a Ford store in neighboring...

Transit Connect aims to connect with cabbies.(2010 Transit Connect )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Ford calls the Transit Connect a game-changer. But will U.S. cabbies embrace a compact front-drive van, assembled in Turkey, as the spiritual successor to the big Crown Victoria sedan? "That is what we are assessing right now, says...

Saturn bidder taps Chrysler brainpower.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... The future Saturn could look a bit like Chrysler-in-exile. Four alumni of Chrysler's very successful period in the 1990s have turned up as advisers for Telesto Ventures, which is bidding on General Motors' soon-to-be offloaded brand. ...

Open a dealership ... now? So far, so good, says new Calif. Honda retailer.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Mark Rechtin At a time when car dealers across the country are fighting for their existence and maybe wondering why they became dealers in the first place, Don Palombi has just spent $14 million to open a 70,000-square-foot Honda...

Folsom Lake Honda.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Opened: March Location: Rancho Cordova, Calif. (near Sacramento) Partners: Don Palombi, Roberto Santos Zamora Size: 70,000 square feet Cost: $14 million (land and building) Employees: About 50

Chrysler store closings: Dead Ames; With 2 stores cut, automaker will be out of Iowa town.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Bradford Wernle The Benson and Willey families in Ames, Iowa, have enjoyed a friendly rivalry for decades. Benson Motors has sold Dodge for about 30 years, while the Willey family has sold Jeep in the area since 1981. They are...

Manufacturing summit: Industry execs to meet in Ala.(NEWS)(Conference news)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... With one or more U.S. automakers in bankruptcy and the North American supply chain in turmoil, managing the production flow is more complicated than ever. Several of the industry's top manufacturing executives will discuss that topic at...

Chrysler closings put holes in warranty repair network.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Arlena Sawyers If all goes as planned, on June 9 Island Dodge, the only store selling Chrysler LLC vehicles on the island of Maui, will be renamed Island Auto Center and will sell only used cars. And it won't offer warranty repairs...

In a warranty fix.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Where will customers go for warranty service in markets that Chrysler is abandoning? Chrysler says it will unveil appropriate service solutions. At least one dealer was told by his local Chrysler representative that Chrysler will...

Rejected Chrysler dealers opt for fire sales.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Arlena Sawyers and Donna Harris Bill Colter, owner of Performance Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Phoenix, says he had 300 new vehicles in stock at the beginning of May before learning that his store will be dropped as a Chrysler LLC...

For Mahindra, feathers still flying from chicken-tax war.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Assembly of complete knockdown kits, or CKDs, is a rarity in North American vehicle manufacturing, although Volvo once did it. Before it was acquired by Ford Motor Co., Volvo made a few thousand sedans a year...

Moving the metal.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles, followed by a collapse in the market, has led several carmakers to revamp their manufacturing strategy in the past year. Here are the key moves.

A brand new chapter in auto history.(NEWS)(Column)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Keith Crain As I write this, it seems certain that General Motors will be in bankruptcy court this week. I'm not sure that Billy Durant or Alfred Sloan could ever envision what has happened to GM. These are amazing days for...

Colliver charts a new course - and a golf course.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... After four decades of selling Hondas, Acuras, Mazdas and various General Motors and Chrysler vehicles, Dick Colliver says he hopes in retirement to "find my lost golf game. But just weeks after retiring from American Honda Motor Co. in...

Ballmer and Mulally in Sync again.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Ford sells its 1 millionth vehicle equipped with Sync technology, and who buys it but Steve Ballmer himself? What a coincidence. The Microsoft CEO took delivery of a 2010 Fusion Hybrid from Ford CEO Alan Mulally in Seattle last week. ...

Discarded: How dealers deal with rejection; From bitterness to a broken heart to a stunned determination to hang on, termination letters brought a range of reactions from 3 retailers. Here are their stories.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Jamie LaReau Many General Motors dealers who received termination letters two weeks ago are appealing the decision. But few hold out hope for a successful appeal, especially with a GM bankruptcy looming. Some are moving on with...

GM closings go slower, softer.(General Motors)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Jamie LaReau As of our deadline, General Motors was expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, June 1. For the latest on GM's turnaround plan and courtroom maneuvers, visit autonews.com. While bankruptcy...

Canton passes its flexibility stress test - at least so far.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Nissan's assembly plant in Canton, Miss., was built to be flexible, but industry turmoil has tested the plant's adaptability in ways company officials could not have imagined. In fact, Canton's star-crossed...

Bill Taylor led Mercedes through a decade of shifts in Alabama; "Some people told us we were trying too many new things at once'.(NEWS)(Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc.)(Interview)
June 1, 2009... Bill Taylor was a Ford career man in Canada in the 1980s before joining Toyota to help launch a Corolla plant in Cambridge, Ontario. The Corolla plant's record for high productivity and low defects in the early 1990s caught the attention of...

At Spartanburg, flexibility means looking overseas.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko When the U.S. auto market crashed last year, BMW quickly shifted gears at its factory in Spartanburg, S.C. But instead of cutting production, it found new customers. Much of the plant's output was shifted to...

Rapid response: Ford converted its Louisville plant in only seven weeks - just the beginning of a major transformation of its North American factories.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Amy Wilson As Ford hustles to convert three North American truck plants to small-car production by 2011, the company also is making major advances in factory flexibility. Are Ford's speed and adaptability up to Japanese levels?...

Nissan in Mississippi.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Where: Canton Since: 2003 Products: Altima, Titan, Quest, Armada, Infiniti QX56; light-commercial vehicles in 2010 Annual capacity: 400,000 Top manager: Dan Bednarzyk, vice president of manufacturing, Canton

Kia's go-to guy runs new Ga. plant and a lot more; For someone who seems to be everywhere, Ahn has kept a low profile.(NEWS)(Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group's Byung Mo Ahn)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Byung Mo Ahn, the top executive at Kia's first U.S. assembly plant, has been a kind of special assignment executive at Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group during the past decade and an inconspicuous one, at that. ...

Kia's suppliers: Up close and personal.(NEWS)(Kia Motors Corp.)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Visitors quickly notice three things about the plant Kia Motors Corp. is constructing here. It's very big, very white and very remote. It feels like the middle of nowhere as you drive along the plant's...

Joe Hinrichs: Ford's true believer in flexibility.(NEWS)(Ford Motor Co. )(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Amy Wilson Joe Hinrichs knows that Ford Motor Co. must do better. Ford has improved the ability of its assembly plants to make multiple vehicles, but experts say the company still lags its Japanese competitors in manufacturing...

Bill Taylor.(NEWS)(Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc.)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Title: Retiring CEO, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Vance, Ala. Age: 59 Place of birth: London, Ontario First jobs: Newspaper delivery boy, bowling alley worker College degrees: Bachelor's from Fanshawe College in Ontario...

If Mitsubishi's plant has a future, agility will be the key.(NEWS)(Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc.)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Rumors of Mitsubishi's demise as a U.S. manufacturer have been around for years. But the company has passed up every opportunity to close its 21-year-old plant in Normal, Ill. If the plant does survive, it may...

Honda in Alabama.(NEWS)
June 1, 2009... Where: Lincoln Since: 2001 Products: Honda Ridgeline, Pilot, Odyssey, Accord V-6 (starting in July) Annual capacity: 300,000, plus 300,000 engines Top manager: Chuck Ernst, senior vice president

Obituaries.(NEWS)(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Joseph O'Brien OTTAWA, Ill. Longtime auto dealer Joseph O'Brien died here on April 24. He was 84. From 1950 to 1958, he was a partner in O'Brien Bros. Dodge-Plymouth here. Starting in 1958, O'Brien owned and operated J.D. O'Brien...

AUTO NEWS digest.(NEWS)(Saab Automobile AB)(General Motors Corp.)(Fiat S.p.A.)(Chrysler L.L.C.)(Park Corp. (Cleveland, Ohio))(Q3 Industries Inc.)(Tokyo Toyota Forklift Co.)
June 1, 2009... Saab wins time as 3 suitors are named STOCKHOLM A Swedish court last week granted Saab an extension to its protection from creditors as a local newspaper named three potential buyers for the General Motors unit, Reuters reported. Saab...

Penske: Hands-on, with just the right touch.(NEWS)(Penske Corp. Penske Automotive Group)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Donna Harris Roger Penske probably runs more businesses than can be listed in this brief column. Yet he's mulling taking on another enterprise: Saturn. If negotiations pan out, Penske may win the right to distribute...

Obituaries.(NEWS)(Martin Caserio from Martin Caserio )(automobile dealer Bob Graue )(Obituary)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Martin Caserio DETROIT Martin Caserio, a General Motors executive for several decades, died May 16. He was 92. He began his GM career as a metallurgical engineer with AC Spark Plug in 1937. He served as general manager of several GM...

VW's plan for Chattanooga: A fast and flexible launch.(NEWS)(Volkswagen AG)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell After two decades of trying to serve the U.S. market from a low-cost production base in Puebla, Mexico, Volkswagen is returning to the United States with an entirely new strategy. The German company is...

How the industry crisis forced Toyota to rethink flexibility; San Antonio builds just one vehicle, the Tundra. So what to do when pickup sales collapse?(NEWS)(Toyota Motor Corp.)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Planning and executing a change in the daily line speed known in manufacturing circles as changing the "takt time is akin to directing the choreography of a Broadway musical. A decade ago, Toyota was famed...

Inaba's task: Get Toyota's manufacturing and sales operations on same page.(NEWS)(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Yoshi Inaba)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell How rare is this in the no-nonsense world of Japanese executives? You are handed a business card from a senior executive featuring a cartoon caricature of the bearer. But that sort of nontraditional flair may...

Briefs.(General Motors Corp.)(United Automobile Workers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2009... UAW OKs GM concessions, gets small-car work in U.S. DETROIT - General Motors UAW workers approved contract concessions in advance of GM's probable bankruptcy filing. The GM rank and file voted 74 percent in favor of the contract, the...

NADA chief: Don't release GM dealer death list; McEleney asks automakers for cost data on closings.(NEWS)(National Automobile Dealers Association's John McEleney)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Neil Roland A dealer leader says General Motors should not give Congress a list of dealerships to be closed, but he does want to see the analysis of savings that GM and Chrysler LLC expect their store terminations to generate. ...

GM: Pact trumps franchise law; Dealers face signor-scram deadline; legal battle looms.(NEWS)(General Motors Corp.)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors, which already has told more than 1,300 dealerships they will be dropped, is pressuring survivors to sign a contract that gives up rights spelled out for dealerships in state franchise laws. To...

Subaru: Legacy now has right stuff for the tough mid-sized segment.(NEWS)(Subaru of America Inc.)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Subaru says its redesigned Legacy, with a more spacious interior and a starting price under $21,000, finally can compete in the tough mid-sized sedan segment. "Legacy is now a proper-sized mid-sized sedan, and...

Honda helps dealers win body work.(NEWS)(American Honda Motor Company Inc.)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Mark Rechtin With car sales in the tank, dealerships are relying more on service operations to drive revenue. With a program launched last week, American Honda Motor Co. is trying to drive service business to its dealerships and...

"Kramer vs. Kramer' sequel: Lexus vs. Lexus.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... At Audi, they pleaded not guilty and appropriately refrained from gloating. But there were plenty of guffaws around the water cooler. After all, how often do you get a superstar like Dustin Hoffman to reinforce your ad message, diss the...

The feds must save us from the feds.(NEWS)(General Motors Corp.)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Keith Crain If we're not careful, the domestic ownership of Government Motors, aka General Motors, is going to become a quagmire. The White House, as I understand it, isn't interested in running GM. But so far it has fired Rick...

Not too late for the G8? GM ponders rebranding.(NEWS)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Pontiac is toast at the end of the 2010 model year. But the Pontiac G8 sedan might survive with another GM badge, says Tom Stephens, General Motors' vice chairman of global product development. "I know there's still discussions on it, says...

Opinion.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Chrysler and GM need help, not interference President Barack Obama says he is a reluctant shareholder in General Motors and doesn't want to run it. He says he just wants to recoup the taxpayers' money and get out as quickly as possible. ...

GMAC: Business as usual - almost.(GMAC Financial Services)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: David Sedgwick Now that it has an adequate source of capital, GMAC Financial Services is making more loans to General Motors' retail customers and offering wholesale financing to Chrysler LLC dealers and might even return to the...

Ratan Tata plans to start selling the Nano in the United States in about two years.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Ratan Tata plans to start selling the Nano in the United States in about two years. What isn't clear is how he plans to sell it.

Mike Olson currently duals the Dodge vehicles in his Yakima, Wash., showroom with hunting trophies.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: STEPHEN K. WOLFE Mike Olson currently duals the Dodge vehicles in his Yakima, Wash., showroom with hunting trophies. But he expects to acquire Chrysler and Jeep franchises in Yakima now that two nearby stores are closing.

AN has new Washington reporter.(Automotive News)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Neil Roland, a journalist with 28 years of reporting experience, has joined Automotive News' Washington bureau as a staff reporter. Roland will cover Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies, the Treasury Department and environmental...

Nano coming; where will it sell? Lindsay Chappell.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... The world's cheapest car is coming to America. The question is, how? Last week, Indian billionaire Ratan Tata told a New York audience that he plans to bring his recently introduced Tata Nano a no-frills car starting at less than $2,500...

Boch: Detroit 3 will come back at 32-35% share.(Interview)
June 8, 2009... Business is down about 20 percent at his big Honda and Toyota dealerships, but the flamboyant Ernie Boch Jr. still is having fun and believes he has the best brands to lead the recovery. Boch, 51, president of Boch Automotive in Norwood,...

Repos are rising, but used-car prices hold up.(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Vehicle repossessions are rising as the result of lenient lending practices before the economic downturn. But those additional vehicles re-entering the marketplace are not dragging down used-vehicle prices,...

Honda's American Journey.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Fifty years ago, Honda started selling small motorcycles in the U.S. from a storefront in Los Angeles. Today, Honda is in full stride as a top U.S. automaker. A special section, which begins after Page 16, explores 25 major turning points...

Daunting challenges await pared-down Chrysler.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Peter Brown The new Chrysler Group LLC that will take over the good assets of the old Chrysler LLC will be more different in reality than in name. A new CEO, Fiat's Sergio Marchionne, 56, will command a Chrysler with lower...

Lexus gives entry-luxury crowd its first taste of the hybrid life.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Kathy Jackson The HS 250h sedan is Lexus' first model available only as a hybrid and the only entry-level hybrid offered by a luxury brand. The new sedan, which goes on sale in August, is the first Lexus powered by a...

As Chrysler plans to restart, challenges go beyond model delays.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Dave Guilford and Bradford Wernle Even if Chrysler moves quickly after bankruptcy to restart idle assembly plants, the company will have to delay some 2011 and 2012 models. And Chrysler executives have given suppliers no...

Chrysler struggles to rebuild.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... As Chrysler worked to emerge from bankruptcy last week, surviving dealerships sought new business and Fiat took stock of the future. * Some dealerships plan to add franchises, service bays. PAGE 3 * Supplies of the Jeep Wrangler, left,...

Corrections.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... * A story on Page 1 and a table on Page 23 of the June 1 issue gave the wrong amount that a rejected Chrysler LLC dealer would be out of pocket in a sale of a vehicle to a surviving dealer. The correct amount is just $350 in destination charges...

Out with the old.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... * Name: Chrysler LLC * Sales: 1,453,122 units in U.S. (2008) * Financial results (2008)* Revenue: $48.4 billion Net loss: $16.8 billion * Market share: 10.2% (through May) * U.S. dealerships: 3,200* * Chairman...

Dealers.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Milestones * Bob Hook Jr. of Bob Hook Chevrolet in Louisville, Ky., received a 25-year award for Chevrolet from General Motors. Transitions * Beth Chandler was named vice president and general counsel of Asbury Automotive Group in...

Saturn dealer catches break, awaits Penske.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Edward Lapham Stuart Lasser has won the right to sell Kias in one of his Saturn dealerships at least for a while. It's a small victory that may help keep his Saturn dealerships in business until a white knight arrives to save the...

Look at that odd engine in the 1975 Honda Civic; CVCC engine cements Honda's reputation for technological savvy.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Richard Truett A unique cylinder head made the clean-running 1975 Honda Civic CVCC an engineering marvel. But good old-fashioned marketing and a catchy tag line did just as much to elevate the car and Honda's image for...

Honda's dirty secret of bribes finally came to light; Company faced messy cleanup after 2 dozen managers, dealers and vendors were indicted.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Just to show how screwed-up a good thing can get when greed and dishonesty get in the way, consider three of Honda's brightest lights in 1986: Jack Billmyer, Rick Hendrick and Frank Borman. Jack Billmyer, a...

Predicting profits.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Turning point: As sales collapsed last fall, Honda returned to its roots. The company cut extras and intensified its commitment to small, efficient cars. When: Now Significance: With competitors swimming in red ink during the...

Surprise hit.(Honda Motor Company Ltd)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Turning point: Months after American Honda's launch, mechanical failures forced it to recall every one of its motorcycle models except the tiny Honda 50 scooter which became a surprise hit, laying a foundation for Honda's U.S. success. ...

The Honda Way is unpredictable, contrarian - and successful; Automaker's go-it-alone attitude serves it well.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Lindsay Chappell The U.S. auto industry has the usual way of doing things. And the Honda Way.It is not a corporate mission statement or prescribed set of company rules. It is more like a reminder floating in the corporate culture...

Forgettable first car.(NEWS)(Brief article)
June 8, 2009... Turning point: Honda sells its first car in the United States, the N600. When: 1969 Significance: The first Honda sold here had a tiny engine, inadequate brakes and no heater. But it got Honda into the market with a small,...

N600 was a really small first step; "Every outing is an adventure,' one reviewer wrote of an early 36-hp Honda sold in the United States.(American Honda Motor Company Inc)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Rick Kranz The first car Honda sold in the United States, the N600, was small and boxy. It had two doors, four seats and no heater.But it was a start. The N600 demonstrated that the Japanese automaker, best known as a motorcycle...

Sales chief steered clear of trucks; Tom Elliott's focus on passenger cars during the light-truck boom helped lift Honda's new-vehicle market share to 10% last year.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Richard Johnson These days, Tom Elliott tours the United States in a gigantic motor home he bought just before he retired in 2005."It's a 40-foot Monaco Dynasty with a diesel engine, said the 67-year-old car aficionado, who ran...

Honda and ad agency grew together; Rubin Postaer never lost sight of the product.(NEWS)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Kathy Jackson The birth of Honda's long-standing advertising agency started with an acquisition. In 1986, Gerry Rubin and Larry Postaer, team members on the Honda account at the Needham Harper agency, were told that Needham had...

From Job 1, Accord was a winner; It was built for U.S. buyers, and U.S. buyers loved it.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Rick Kranz Few automakers hit a home run in the first inning.Henry Ford did it with the Model T right car, right price, right time. Americans embraced it for a generation. The Accord did the same for Honda. In a car...