Automotive News articles from May 2003

Automotive News archives from May 2003

Many cooks are behind DaimlerChrysler's new engine recipe.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell DaimlerChrysler will take the idea of production partnerships to a new level in 2005 when it begins building its global, four-cylinder engines in Dundee, Mich. The heart of the plan is cooperation among three...

Ford looks to buy more parts made in Canada.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Richard Truett Ford Motor Co. is going on a Canadian buying spree. The automaker plans to increase spending among Canadian suppliers 56 percent, from about $3.1 billion annually, equivalent to $4.5 billion Canadian, to about...

GM Daewoo ships more than 1,600 vehicles to Europe.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Chang General Motors Daewoo Auto & Technology Co. says it shipped 570 Nubira compact sedans to Spain, Italy and Switzerland in late April as it has begun reviving the shrunken European network of the former Daewoo Motor Co....

A different route.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Hyundai will take a different path from other New American automakers to launch manufacturing in North America. * Japanese automakers started here with relatively little local content when they began their plants in the 1980s. Hyundai will...

Suppliers are linchpin of Hyundai plant; Hyundai Mobis will supply parts, manufacturing.(Special Report)(U.S. assembly plant)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell When Hyundai Motor Co. opens its U.S. assembly plant here in 2005, the Korean automaker will rely more than ever on key suppliers - outsourcing more assembly work and entrusting more components to fewer suppliers...

Canada builds 3,000 Corollas.(Production)(briefs)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Debi Domby * Production of the Toyota Corolla surpassed 3,000 units last week at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.'s Cambridge, Ontario, plant for the first time since the week that ended Sept. 29, 2001, when 3,020 units were...

Pirelli breaks the tire mold for U.S. customers.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Problem: BMW and other luxury makes would like to put high-end Pirelli-brand tires on some of the vehicles they sell in North America. But no one likes to import tires, and Pirelli, of Italy, doesn't have the U.S....

Toyota's expansion keeps UGN hopping; Supplier of sound-deadening material wins new business with combination of technology, quick turnaround.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell ***** Correction: A story on Page 6-N in some editions of the May 5 issue misspelled the name of auto supplier Rieter Automotive Systems. ***** The name of the game for suppliers to Toyota Motor Corp....

Newcomers get a fighting chance at Nissan.(Special Report)(suppliers)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell When Lextron Corp. CEO Charles Doty discusses his company's "opportunity,'' he is talking on more than one level. Walking through his nearly finished factory here, where his joint venture with Visteon Corp. -...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)
May 5, 2003... Web lead provider changes name FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - AutoNation Inc. is changing the name of its Internet lead-referral business from AutoVantage to AutoUSA. The change will not affect the 3,400 dealer franchises using the service, a...

It's tougher to improve traffic safety.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer Light-truck critics found fresh ammunition in new highway fatality statistics from the federal government, but the numbers tell a more complex story. At the heart of the debate: Gains in traffic safety are getting...

NHTSA warning raises questions.(News)(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer A federal decision to include warnings about head injury risks in vehicles that the government crash tests is creating potentially confusing safety information for consumers. Late last week the National Highway...

At BMW, fast cars get parts faster.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Ford Motor Co., General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota talk about shortening the time between when a customer orders a car and the factory delivers it. But ask a manufacturing or sales executive what automaker is...

Toyota eyes Mexico for vehicle assembly.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Mark Rechtin Barely two months after announcing plans to build a 150,000-unit truck plant in Texas, Toyota Motor Corp. says it is considering a pickup-bed factory under construction in Mexico for full-scale vehicle production. ...

April sales highlights.
May 5, 2003... * U.S. market falls 2.4 percent * Honda trucks outsell Jeep * Each of Big 3 shed market share Complete sales data Pages 53-55

Henry Faulkner III.(Obituary)
May 5, 2003... Auto dealer Henry Faulkner III died April 28. He was 53. Faulkner was co-owner of the Faulkner Organization of Trevose, Pa., which ranked 27th on the Automotive News list of the Top 100 dealership groups in the United States based on 2002...

Toyota tries another national campaign.(News)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Donna Harris Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. has dropped discussion of a national service brand but has continued to plug parts and service in national advertising. Although other auto manufacturers have brands for parts and...

GM's Ritter takes Toyota ad post.(News)(Kurt Ritter)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Mark Rechtin, Dave Guilford Kurt Ritter, a veteran General Motors truck marketer and a main figure behind Chevy Truck's "Like A Rock'' campaign, jumped ship last week to join Saatchi & Saatchi in Los Angeles as head of the agency's...

Denso reports record income of $1.3 billion.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Denso Corp. said its worldwide operating income rose 20 percent to a record [yen]159.9 billion yen, or $1.3 billion at current exchange rates, on a 3 percent drop in revenue in the fiscal year that ended March 31. Net income jumped 53.5...

Lincoln Plant 2: A Honda schedule.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Where: Lincoln, Ala. Project announcement: July 2002 Construction permit issued: Oct. 18, 2002 Construction begins: Oct. 19, 2002 Scheduled building completion: November 2003 Commercial production: March 2004 Planned...

Car sales slump in April.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Charles Child Is the sedan dead? Not yet. But the latest sales report from General Motors makes you wonder. GM's car sales plunged 18.5 percent in April, while Big 3 light-truck sales, led by GM, rose 1.3 percent. "I...

GM, Chrysler try combat trucks; Automakers want to supply vehicle lighter than Humvee.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Robert Sherefkin General Motors and the Chrysler group are trying to break into the market for combat vehicles by producing a lighter, more fuel efficient truck than the Army's Humvee. The Big 3 sold $200 million worth of...

Personnel.(People)(appointments, various companies)
May 5, 2003... Byline: K.C. Crain ***** Correction: A personnel item that appeared on Page 31-N in some editions of the May 5 issue incorrectly described the location of Clarion Technologies Inc. and its work. Clarion, of Grand Rapids, Mich., is a...

M-B, Nissan keep tabs on suppliers.(Special Report)(Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc.)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Bold supply chain changes don't just happen. The chiefs at two New American Manufacturers are acutely aware of this as they prepare for enormous expansions of their U.S. operations. Both executives have...

Hall of Fame names new inductees.(News)(Automotive Hall of Fame)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... The Automotive Hall of Fame has announced seven inductees for 2003. They are: Andy Granatelli, Max Hoffman, Alec Issigonis, Henry Joy, Edward Lundy, Harry Miller and Louis Renault. Granatelli, 80, is known as a race promoter and...

Turning 35 in style.(News)
May 5, 2003... Several of Europe's top automotive designers attended the 35th anniversary celebration of Italdesign, one of Italy's best-known design houses, which was founded in 1968 by Giorgetto Giugiaro and two partners. The festivities, held on April 27...

For China, it's just a matter of time.(vehicle exporting)(Column)
May 5, 2003... Byline: KEITH CRAIN We're hearing a lot about China these days but, unfortunately, most of the news is about severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The spread of SARS may affect the Chinese economy, but it won't do much more than...

At GM, the secret to success is flexibility.(Talk From The Top)(Gary Cowger)(Interview)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Brown, Dave Guilford Gary Cowger, president of GM North America, must continue to freshen General Motors' product lineup. At the same time, he must slash costs to fund the product offensive. And GM, like Ford Motor Co. and...

N.A. chiefs eye luxury growth.(more luxury and near-luxury vehicles are being introduced)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Luxury sales are getting stronger. Luxury and near-luxury vehicles accounted for 9.2 percent of U.S. light-vehicle sales in the first four months of the year, up from 8.7 percent in the corresponding period last year, according to the...

Ford mulls Atlanta supplier park; New plant could build Mazda6 variant.(Ford Motor Co.)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. is considering building one or more of its new Mazda6-based vehicles in Georgia, and it is scouting locations outside Atlanta that would offer space for a stamping plant and supplier park. One possible...

Reaching out for new partners; Once carved in stone, supplier relationships at the New American Manufacturers undergo change.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Nothing in the auto industry is cast in stone. Not even the vaunted relationships between the New American Manufacturers and their traditional Asian or European suppliers. Especially lately. With Japanese,...

China is No. 1 for Volkswagen.(News)(Volkswagen brand sales in China surpasses sales in Germany)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Bradford Wernle Volkswagen brand sales in China surpassed sales in Germany for the first time in the first quarter of 2003. VW-branded vehicles, made in China by two joint-venture companies, recorded sales of 149,500 units...

Assembly overhaul.(Ford Motor Co.'s North American assembly strategy)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Elements of Ford Motor Co.'s North American assembly strategy * Remove nearly 1 million units of installed capacity * Close assembly plants in Edison, N.J.; St. Louis; and Oakville, Ontario * Add supplier parks where feasible ...

Ford's new design structure.(News)(executive structure)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Responsibilities of the 2 design directors reporting to J Mays Pat Schiavone * Body-on-frame cars: Ford Crown Victoria; Mercury Grand Marquis; Lincoln LS, Town Car * SUVs: Includes vehicles such as the Ford Escape, Explorer,...

Honda bucks trend for black-box components.(Special Report)(Honda Motor Co. builds its Honda Elesys Company Ltd. unit)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell While other automakers shed parts businesses to become more efficient, Honda Motor Co. - already one of the industry's most nimble automakers - bought one. Last year, Honda quietly acquired the automotive...

Chrysler, Dodge will be more different; Bernhard: Even minivans will get distinct identities.(News)(Chrysler group COO Wolfgang Bernhard plans to make Dodge and Chrysler more different)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Mary Connelly Chrysler group COO Wolfgang Bernhard says he will ban look-alike minivans at Dodge and Chrysler. The next-generation minivans "will be vastly different. It's going to be sheet metal. It's going to be interior,''...

Motor home shipments rise in March.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Shipments of motor homes in March were up 1.8 percent compared with March 2002. The slight uptick was driven by a 2.6 percent increase in Class A motor homes, which made up the majority of shipments. ...

Cadillac adds high performance with V series.(News)(Cadillac prepares its upcoming 2004 CTS-V)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Rick Kranz Cadillac is betting that the 2004 CTS-V, with a stick shift and a modified Corvette V-8, can help the automaker shake its stodgy image. The car, due early next year, will be the first in a series of high-performance,...

Canadian content.(News)(includes listing of five Canadian auto suppliers)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Ford of Canada's biggest suppliers and their products * Magna International: Seats, stampings, door latches, bumpers, window systems * Lear Corp.: Seats, carpeting, plastic trim parts * Nemak SA: Aluminum engine castings, cylinder...

Ford realigns design staffs once again.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Rick Kranz Ford Motor Co. has given up on its strategy of having a separate design operation for Lincoln and Mercury, effectively folding those brands back into a North American organization dominated by the Ford brand. Ford...

Honda trims Ala. plant construction time; Lessons learned from first plant squeeze 3 months from schedule.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell In Honda Motor Co.'s bid for speed, anyone who can help things move faster becomes a strategic partner. At the moment, one of Honda's most critical partners is carrying a 3-inch thick binder and a hardhat,...

Supply line.(Briefs)(includes multiple contracting briefs)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: K.C. Crain Continental Temic to supply Mercedes-Benz DETROIT - DaimlerChrysler AG has selected Continental Temic to supply electric fans for 2004 model year Mercedes-Benz SUVs. Mercedes builds SUVs at its plant in Vance, Ala....

Factors in seeking new relationships.(Special Report)(industry open to new suppliers)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... * Japanese automakers (especially Nissan) don't want to be limited to traditional keiretsu suppliers. * New American automakers are trying new segments and new factory techniques and are open to new suppliers. * North American...

Texas Saturn dealers drop conflict.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Donna Harris A federal appeals court has told the owners of two Houston Saturn dealerships they will have to arbitrate their dispute over whether Saturn Corp. should have sold them three more Saturn stores. But Fernando Somoza...

PT Cruiser offers new turbo model; Current model is too expensive for young buyers.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Mary Connelly In August, the Chrysler group will try to boost sales of the PT Cruiser by offering a cheaper turbocharged model. The current Chrysler PT Turbo is too pricey for young buyers seeking a powerful engine, says Gary...

Marketing experts will converge on L.A.(News)(for Automotive News Marketing Seminar)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... In an era of brutal pricing competition, which is more effective: Print and TV advertising or nontraditional media? It is a broad question with expensive consequences. And it is one that automotive marketing experts will tackle at the...

Henry II: 'There are no crown princes'.(News)(a historical look at Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... After mortality tapped him on the shoulder in the form of his first angina attack in November 1975, Henry Ford II began to think about the question of succession. Early in 1977, he said he would name a successor by year end and then...

Key facts.(News)
May 5, 2003... What: Automotive News Marketing Seminar When: May 15 Where: Century Plaza Hotel, Century City, Calif. Includes: Cocktail reception, lunch Cost: $175 per person, $1,500 for a table of 10 Information: Call 313-446-0485;...

Toyota pushes for Prius acceptance in Europe.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink, Mark Rechtin Toyota's gasoline-electric hybrid, the Prius, will be replaced this year by a larger, faster and greener model. The Japanese automaker hopes those attributes will help Prius make some inroads...

Mission impossible?(News)
May 5, 2003... The Army's National Automotive Center wants to develop a battlefield truck that is * Durable * Fuel efficient * Cheap

Honda ad generates global buzz.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Emma Hall More performance art than car commercial, Honda of the U.K. Manufacturing Ltd.'s new two-minute "Cog'' spot via Wieden & Kennedy of London is dazzling the ad world's creative community as awards season approaches. ...

Ford hails products' starring roles in TV shows; Kaline says accountability is crucial.(News)(Ford Motor Co. )
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lisa Sanders A top Ford Motor Co. executive has issued another call to the marketing industry to accept that branded entertainment is key to its future. But Mark Kaline, global media manager coordinating media across Ford...

eBay offers dealers tips.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Chaz Osburn Selling homes is all about location. Selling cars on eBay Motors' Web site is all about information. That's one of the messages dealers are hearing at eBay University for Motors, traveling training sessions being...

Canton community.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... 3 suppliers are integrated into Nissan's assembly plant site in Canton, Miss. 1. Lextron/Visteon makes front-end modules, cockpits. 2. T&WA makes wheel and tire assemblies. 3. CalsonicKansei makes front-end modules and exhaust...

TABC: Toyota's parts making secret weapon.(Special Report)(Toyota Motor Corp.'s TABC Inc. is discussed)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell For the past 20 years, when Toyota Motor Corp. has talked about entering new North American markets, it has had a secret weapon: a small, little-known supplier unit to storm the beach. The history of TABC Inc....

A metal foursome.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Mercedes-Benz's new supply chain for stamped metal parts Drive Automotive (Magna International), Spartanburg, S.C.: doors, hoods, liftgates ISE, Tuscaloosa, Ala.: front end modules Ogihara America Corp., Birmingham, Ala.: side...

Ups and downs.(News)
May 5, 2003... Highway deaths in 2002 rose * 1.7% overall * 3.0% for motorcyclists * 4.3% for light-truck occupants * 4.7% for intoxicated drivers * 4.9% for occupants in rollover crashes And they fell * 0.4% for car occupants...

New TABC missions.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... The Toyota parts unit simultaneously is launching 2 efforts for the parent company. 1. TABC will set up Toyota as a Mexican automaker for the first time. 2. It will begin U.S. manufacturing for Toyota's Hino commercial truck unit....

Late News.(briefs)
May 5, 2003... Swift takes over as Covisint CEO DETROIT - Bruce Swift has been promoted to CEO of Covisint LLC after Harold Kutner's retirement. Swift has been president and managed the daily business of Covisint since the departure of former CEO...

Market Data Book offers new feature.(News)
May 5, 2003... The 2003 Automotive News Market Data Book will include a new feature: wholesale used vehicle prices. The price data, based on ADESA Analytical Services data, show that the average wholesale price per used truck last year was about $2,500...

GM recalls 500,000 trucks to disable devices.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer General Motors is recalling more than 500,000 light trucks so dealers can disable features that were not permitted in the vehicles under federal safety regulations. The trucks have devices, called mechanical...

A new metal chain for Mercedes; Growth of Alabama plant's mission requires automaker to forge new relationship with metal suppliers.(Special Report)(Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc.)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Things were easier six years ago when Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. started building its first SUVs here. There was one model - the ML320. There was no metal stamping - it was all outsourced. ...

Bentley comes out from under (silver) shadow.(Talk From The Top)(Alasdair Stewart)(Interview)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko It has been four months since Bentley Motors was separated from its sibling, Rolls-Royce. Under terms of an earlier agreement between BMW AG and Volkswagen AG, Rolls-Royce went to BMW on Jan. 1 while Bentley...

Toyota eases into Mexican supply chain.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Look for a new level of sourcing activity by Toyota Motor Corp. in Mexico now that the automaker has a growing need for Mexican parts content. In the next three years, Toyota will begin building its first...

Korean suppliers drawn to U.S. by Big 3; Automakers want local production, lower costs.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell With Hyundai Motor Co. establishing a manufacturing foothold in Montgomery, Ala., industry observers wonder whether the automaker's first U.S. auto plant will lure a wave of Korean parts competitors to North...

Mitsubishi to suppliers: Give it to me straight; Input from parts makers plays key role in Ill. plant turnaround.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Jim Barry found himself in an improbable situation in March that speaks loads about factory-supplier relations at Mitsubishi Motors North America these days. Barry, president of National Materials LP, an Elk...

Different from other factories.(Special Report)
May 5, 2003... 3 features of BMW's Spartanburg, S.C., plant 1. Sequencing center: The automated 200,000-square-foot receiving wing of the factory uses computer parts tracking and robotic part picking to supply components to the assembly line as workers...

Carmakers put test drives on the racetrack.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Jean Halliday Those high-performance shots in TV spots of cars careening around corners - complete with warnings that they were performed by race drivers on a closed course -now can be experienced by potential purchasers. ...

Profits fall for most public dealership groups.(News)(financial results for UnitedAuto Group Inc., AutoNation Inc., Sonic Automotive Inc.)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Donna Harris Five of the six largest public auto retailers posted lower net earnings in the first quarter of 2003. Sonic Automotive Inc., in Charlotte, N.C., the nation's third largest dealership group, even cut 784 jobs, or...

Ups and downs in the Mitsubishi supply chain.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... 1999: Mitsubishi scales back production in wake of a decade of financial losses; new management team empowered to make changes to restore profitability. 2000: Mitsubishi reveals multivehicle, multiyear Project America program; company...

Siemens chief: Turnaround plan is working.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Edmund Chew Siemens VDO Automotive is on track to rebound from a $261 million loss two years ago to achieve a 5 percent operating margin this year, CEO Wolfgang Dehen says. The turnaround plan adopted after Siemens Automotive...

Auto News briefly.(Briefs)
May 5, 2003... EPA rule: No SUVs, Cadillacs Don't expect to see Christie Whitman, head of the EPA, tooling around in an SUV or to see one in her motorcade. The Associated Press obtained a list of do's and don'ts for agents on Whitman's security detail....

Dealer watches service program take off.(News )(Marin Honda's incentive program)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Ralph Kisiel As service manager at Marin Honda near San Francisco, Bruce Heise wanted an unusual incentive to replace traditional service discounts. Heise bought a packet of 30,000 frequent flier miles from Dealer Miles LLC of...

GM, BMW sweeten deals for certified used vehicles.(News )(buy-now, pay-later deals)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Arlena Sawyers General Motors and BMW of North America LLC are using buy-now, pay-later deals to help sell certified used vehicles. Buyers of GM Certified used Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Oldsmobile and Pontiac vehicles in 10...

Dealers.(People)(Earnhardt Auto Centers opens new dealership)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Transitions * Earnhardt Auto Centers has opened Earnhardt Lincoln-Mercury in Tempe, Ariz. Michael Frame is the general sales manager. Earnhardt Auto Centers of Gilbert, Ariz., is 36th on the Automotive News list of the top 100 dealership...

Industry: Platinum plentiful for fuel cells.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Harry Stoffer The precious metal platinum will be available in sufficient quantities and at reasonable prices for fuel cells to power millions of vehicles, the platinum industry says. Some automotive engineers and analysts...

It's NHTSA's job to make sure SUVs are safer.(Opinion)( National Highway Traffic Safety Administration )(Brief Article)(Column)
May 5, 2003... It is outrageous that the death toll on our nation's highways is increasing. And it is perplexing that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is unable - or unwilling - to confront all of the causes seriously. NHTSA reported...

Carlyle makes deal for UIS.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Buyout firm Carlyle Group has reached a deal to buy auto parts maker UIS Inc. for about $800 million, expanding its portfolio of companies in the sector, people familiar with the situation say. UIS, with an estimated $1 billion of sales...

SARS threatens China growth.(News)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Alysha Webb, Wim Oude Weernink Several European automakers are at risk if China's booming new-car market is held back by the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. Volkswagen AG, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen SA, Fiat Auto...

A supply chain takes shape.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Hyundai's first 5 suppliers arrive in Alabama 1. Hyundai Mobis, Montgomery, Ala.: cockpits, front and rear modules, instrument panels, 430 employees 2. Shin Young Metal Ind. Co. Ltd., Luverne, Ala.: metal stampings, 300 employees ...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 5, 2003... How to attract the young buyer To the Editor: I have to laugh at how the suits at the auto manufacturers think ("A younger but well-seasoned buyer,'' April 21). The reason people between 20 and 30 years of age aren't buying new cars...

Component sharing makes sense at DCX.(Talk From The Top)(Wolfgang Bernhard talks about DaimlerChrysler)(Interview)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Peter Brown, Mary Connelly Wolfgang Bernhard, COO of the Chrysler group, says component sharing by Chrysler, Mercedes, Mitsu-bishi and Hyundai is a fact of life at DaimlerChrysler. He was interviewed April 2 in Auburn Hills, Mich.,...

Toyota signs get new look.(News)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Stacey Robinson Toyota dealerships across North America will replace their store brand signs this year, switching from a horizontal to vertical design. The move is not only to update the store signs but to improve energy...

Name game, GM style.(Opinion)(General Motors to introduce next-generation minivan in 2005)
May 5, 2003... Soccer moms are uncool. At least, General Motors thinks so. When GM introduces its next-generation minivan in 2005, the automaker will call it a "crossover sport van.'' GM also plans to make it look more like an SUV and less like a...