Automotive News articles from May 2004

Automotive News archives from May 2004

Survey: VW is most trusted marque in Germany.(News)(Volkswagen)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Alex Ricciuti Volkswagen has overtaken Mercedes-Benz as the most trusted brand in Europe's No.1 market, Germany, a Europewide survey shows. VW's improving brand image in its home market is good news for the automaker, which has...

Visteon plans China tech center.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Rhoda Miel Visteon Corp. is boosting its presence in China, with a manufacturing plant in operation and a technical center set to open in 2005. "Asia continues to play a major role in our growth plans," said Visteon COO Mike...

Utility is at the heart of XUV.(Suppliers)(Envoy XUV )(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... The 2004 GMC Envoy XUV is all about utility. It features General Motors' Midgate, a door between the cargo bed and the second row of seats. With the second row of seats folded flat, it's possible to slide in a 4x8 sheet of plywood. Also,...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 3, 2004... AUTO SHOWS April 30-May 9 - Lisbon International Motor Show, Feira Internacional do Porto, Lisbon, Portugal, 351-21-303-53-00, www.acap.pt May 21-30 - Madrid International Motor Show, Juan Carlos I Exhibition Centre, Madrid, Spain,...

Cool it on election.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Let's stop the election-year automotive mudslinging before it really gets started. An April 23 press release from the American International Automobile Dealers Association accused candidate John Kerry of "pandering to special interests''...

Union complains about foreign workers; M-B, Hyundai say they are within the law at plant sites.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Sheet metal workers in Michigan and Alabama say two automakers are using low-wage foreign labor to build their Alabama auto plants. The International Association of Sheet Metal Workers says contractors for...

German investment council courts N.A. suppliers.(News)(North America, Industrial Investment Council)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Germany's Industrial Investment Council is talking with 50 companies, including many in North America, that are interested in setting up business in eastern Germany. The council has been helping foreign businesses establish themselves in...

BMW sees its strong sales continuing in Germany.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Wolfgang Eschment Automobilwoche BMW AG expects sales in Germany to stay ahead of general market growth, but the company will not reveal numbers. Sales chief Ludwig Willisch said that in March, BMW and Mini sold 25,498 units in...

Corrections.(Correction)
May 3, 2004... * A story on Page 40 of the March 29 issue misquoted attorney Kirk Borchardt on the legal exposure of dealerships that are members of, and own stock in, risk retention groups such as the failed National Warranty Insurance Co. Borchardt said...

JoeAuto seeks creditor protection; Online service pioneer once had Ford as an investor.(News)(Company Profile)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Ralph Kisiel A Web-based auto repair service that counted Ford Motor Co. among its early investors has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. JoeAuto Inc., a Texas company that was among the first in the nation to let...

Personnel.(People)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... ROBERT BOSCH CORP. - Charles Visconti to president of Mexico operations. He was senior vice president of central sales. Sheryl Hyman to vice president of original equipment sales for Asian, European and heavy-duty customers. She was vice...

Low wages had lured suppliers to 5 countries already.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Edmund Chew Automotive News Europe Suppliers are too busy expanding operations in central Europe to pay attention to the 10 countries that have joined the European Union. The EU accession ceremony on Saturday, May 1, does "not...

BMW rides high with rash of new products.(Talk From The Top)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko BMW of North America's U.S. sales of BMW and Mini models were a record 276,869 units in 2003, and CEO Tom Purves says sales will rise again this year. New vehicles will lead the growth, says Purves, who has...

Supplier r&d centers are on rise in China.(Suppliers)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Alysha Webb A growing number of auto parts makers are building r&d centers in China. One reason is that Chinese engineers are paid much less than their Western counterparts. But the Chinese centers also will become part of...

Automakers seek targeted TiVo ads; Extended sales pitch would be offered as option.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Jason Stein TiVo, the largest maker of digital video recorders, or DVRs, has disrupted automakers' advertising strategies by allowing millions of TV viewers to fast-forward through commercials when they watch recorded shows. ...

Dealers.(People)
May 3, 2004... Citizenship * Charles Ribakoff of Harr on Gold Star (Ford-Dodge-Toyota-Scion) in Worcester, Mass., has given Worcester Vocational High School a gift of cash and equipment for its technician training center. The school is scheduled to open...

Late News.(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Visteon hammers out UAW details DETROIT - Visteon Corp. continues to negotiate the details of a two-tier wage structure with the UAW. The company announced last week that it has a tentative seven-year agreement with the union to pay...

Bernhard falls - but who pulled the trigger?(DaimlerChrysler's Wolfgang Bernhard is removed)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Wolfgang Bernhard's career at DaimlerChrysler was torpedoed last week, but it's not clear who fired the shots - Juergen Hubbert or Juergen Schrempp. Some say Bernhard lost his chance to run Mercedes-Benz...

Cowger says spring sales look healthy.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford GM North America President Gary Cowger says U.S. new-vehicle sales are strengthening as the industry heads into its spring selling season, bolstered by 4.2 percent first-quarter growth in gross domestic product. ...

Isuzu faces gloomy future in the U.S. Dealers fear they might not get promised SUV.(News)(Sport Utility Vehicle )
May 3, 2004... Byline: Kathy Jackson Isuzu may be on its last legs in the United States. Sales are plummeting, dealers are losing their best-selling models, and a new SUV they have been promised might never arrive. Massive incentives slapped on...

LaSorda: Chrysler will reuse more parts.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mary Connelly Taking a lesson from top Japanese automakers, the Chrysler group wants to reuse more parts in future vehicles, said the company's new COO. Reusing components boosts quality and productivity and cuts costs, said...

]]]]Online this week.(News)(Calendar)
May 3, 2004... Today, May 3: U.S. car and light-truck sales for April by manufacturer Find the Automotive News Guide to Automakers in China in PDF format at autonews.com/chinaguide Find J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality Study data at...

Scions are co-stars at Tribeca film fest.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Jean Halliday Advertising Age Toyota's Scion brand has a featured role in a movie entered in New York's Tribeca Film Festival this month. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. is the presenting sponsor of the 22-minute movie On the...

Boxy Nissan Cube may come to U.S.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Nissan Motor Co. is expected to sell the next generation of its tiny Cube and the high-performance Skyline GT-R sports car in the United States. The Cube could become Nissan's youth-targeted Toyota...

Land Rover, Jaguar separate sales and marketing jobs.(Appointments)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin Land Rover and Jaguar have split executive sales and marketing jobs in the United States. Connell O'Donnell has been named executive vice president of marketing and sales for Jaguar Cars North America effective May...

Italian suspension supplier cranks up business in U.S.(News)(Interview)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Luca Ciferri Emanuele Bosio, like most of his fellow supplier CEOs, thinks a lot about rising materials costs and automakers' demands for lower prices. But Bosio, who heads Italy's Sogefi, a suspension components and filter...

The questions are just beginning in the EU.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Jesse Snyder Automotive News Europe The European Union's expansion on Saturday, May 1, from 15 member states to 25 was the EU's largest ever addition. Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia,...

Automakers jump into fast lane of expansion.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Chris Wright Automotive News Europe Three assembly plants that will build 800,000 cars annually are getting attention in central Europe, but the region is already a production hub. When the plants open in 2005 or 2006, a...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
May 3, 2004... Crain recognizes potential of diesels To the Editor: I just read Keith Crain's column "Let's rethink our engine types'' (April 19). I am happy that he liked the 70-mpg Smart. We will do everything to make this vehicle available to...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
May 3, 2004... Robert Bichan HAMLER, Ohio - Retired auto dealer Robert Bichan died April 2. He was 71. He owned Bichan Chevrolet here until 1998. Reed Draper SAGINAW, Mich. - Auto dealer Reed Draper died April 22. He was 75. He was chairman of...

Chrysler's outlook is positive for 2004; Automaker expects gains from cuts, new products.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mary Connelly The Chrysler group says it will deliver "considerable positive earnings'' this year, propelled by cost cutting and a richer product mix. Last week, Chrysler reported operating profits totaling $366 million in the...

Automakers to get steel mill in South.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Two steel makers are poised to build a mill to supply a growing number of assembly plants in the southern United States. Arcelor of Luxembourg and Dofasco Inc. of Canada are looking at potential sites for a...

GM works on long-term quality; Carmaker looks beyond its improved initial quality ratings.(News)(General Motors Corp.)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford As competition in initial vehicle quality tightens, General Motors is increasing its efforts in long-term and perceived quality. Kevin Williams, GM North America vice president for quality, says those areas offer...

Auto News Briefly.(Briefs)
May 3, 2004... A sad ending: Dead Mustang, mashed potatoes With this being the 40th anniversary of the Ford Mustang, Edsel Ford II took time to relate how his best Mustang memory led to his worst. Lucky enough to turn 16 in 1964, Ford received an...

Kia forges ahead with Slovak plant.(News)(Kia Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Chris Wright Automotive News Europe Kia Motor Corp.'s push to open a $1.54 billion assembly plant here by 2006 is so strong that plans are proceeding despite uncertainties. Senior Kia executives and Slovakian government...

Spain, Portugal want to join forces.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Paulo Soares de Oliveira Automotive News Europe Spain and Portugal are trying to combine their automotive sectors to offer the industry an alternative to the emerging economies of eastern Europe. Spanish and Portuguese...

Recalls irk GM but don't hurt sales.(News)(General Motors Corp.)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors' wave of first-quarter recalls has generated bad publicity and irked senior management. But GM dealers say the 19 recalls since Jan.1, affecting 7.5 million vehicles, haven't hurt sales. "We have...

Schrempp dumps Mitsubishi; should Chrysler worry?(Opinion)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Now that Stuttgart has pulled the rug out from under the Chrysler group's car plans, Chrysler executives must get busy planning a future in which they may have to go it alone. In the near term, product collaborations between Chrysler and...

Hyundai, Kia recall vehicles for fuel fixes.(News)(Hyundai Motor America)(Kia Motors America Inc)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Harry Stoffer Hyundai Motor America is recalling about 264,000 cars built for the 2002 and 2003 model years to repair a valve that is designed to keep gasoline from spilling in a rollover crash. The affected models are the...

Chrysler COO's next lesson: Product creation.(Talk From The Top)(Interview)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Brown, Charles Child, Mary Connelly Manufacturing expert Tom LaSorda, 49, became COO of the Chrysler group last week. This year, he must introduce nine new or redesigned vehicles and help establish a new relationship with...

Huizenga craves challenge of startup ventures; AutoNation founder says it's good time to leave.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Donna Harris Success has not dulled Wayne Huizenga's entrepreneurial instincts. On May 12, Huizenga will step down from the board of AutoNation, the nation's largest dealership group. Huizenga remains a major shareholder and...

Why Schrempp's big plan went bust; Grand visions go nowhere without execution.(Opinion)(DaimlerChrysler's failure to create a global conglomerate)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Peter Brown Please, spare us from big visions in the auto industry. In the same week that DaimlerChrysler AG beat a humiliating retreat from Mitsubishi Motors Corp., thus admitting the failure of DaimlerChrysler Chairman Juergen...

GM does more computer crash tests, saving time and money.(News)(General Motors)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford As General Motors pushed an aggressive schedule of product launches, it bumped up against its limited capability to do crash testing. The solution? GM bought a supercomputer that gives it capability approaching...

Hello Pilot, goodbye Oldsmobile.(Production)(Honda Pilot )(Oldsmobile Alero)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Debi Domby * The first U.S.-built Honda Pilot was produced during the week ending Saturday, May 1, at Honda's Lincoln, Ala., plant. The Honda Odyssey also is built there. * The last Oldsmobile Alero was assembled Thursday,...

DaimlerChrysler sees Russia as key to E. Europe.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Gerhard Mauerer DaimlerChrysler will target its eastern European expansion efforts on Russia. DaimlerChrysler sees less potential in the new European Union members such as Poland, Hungary and Slovakia because they already have...

Mitsubishi faces doubts about future; U.S. managers kept in the dark; dealers, engineers fear the worst.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Kathy Jackson DaimlerChrysler AG's decision to abandon ailing Mitsubishi Motors has stunned Mitsubishi's U.S. sales executives, angered dealers and caused engineers in this country to dust off their resumes. The company's 4,000...

Auto News Digest.(Briefs)(Cars.com )
May 3, 2004... McGovern back at Land Rover LONDON - Gerry McGovern has returned to Land Rover as director of advanced design. He led the Land Rover Freelander design team in the mid-1990s. McGovern left Land Rover in 1999 to become design director at...

Companies get $350 million in first phase of fuel-cell plan.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford Automakers will put more fuel cell test vehicles on the streets under programs funded by $350 million in U.S. Department of Energy grants. Speaking at an event here last week, Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham...

Honda relies on trucks to increase N.A. profits.(News)(North American)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Honda Motor Co. is counting on higher U.S. light-truck sales to help it boost sagging North American profits. Honda expects light-truck sales to rise by more than 7 percent in the fiscal year that began April 1,...

Life has changed; it's the Internet.(Column)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: KEITH CRAIN No one I know ever seems interested in knowing the wholesale price of a suit he's buying. I've never heard of anyone walking into a restaurant with a couple of eggs in his pocket and asking the cook to deliver them...

Ford plans mid-sized hybrid sedan for '07.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. will start selling its third hybrid vehicle, a mid-sized sedan, in 2007. COO Jim Padilla revealed the timing of the sedan hybrid to Ford employees on April 22. It was the first time Ford has...

Magazine auto ads fall in 1st quarter.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Marty Bernstein Auto advertising in U.S. consumer magazines, measured in pages, slid 9.8 percent in the first three months of 2004 from the year-ago period, TNS Media Intelligence/CMR reports. Magazine revenue from auto ads...

The last Olds.(Transportation equipment industry)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... On Thursday, April 29, General Motors built the last Oldsmobile, a 2004 Alero GLS that rolled off the line in Lansing, Mich. Dealer George Nahas, president of the Oldsmobile Dealer Council, rides in the front passenger seat. GM announced its...

For Hyundai, time to crow; Ads will tout stunning rise in quality survey.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin After its dramatic surge in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality Study, Hyundai Motor America is scrambling to create a newspaper, magazine and brochure advertising campaign to herald the results. Ad...

Cayenne gives Porsche black eye in survey.(Porsche Cars North America Inc.)(Porsche Cayenne (Sport-utility vehicle))
May 3, 2004... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko The Porsche Cayenne has been on the market barely a year, but it has dragged the company to the bottom rungs of the industry's most important quality survey. The high-priced German brand showed 159 problems per...

Toyota CEO: A $100,000 Lexus is coming.(Inteview)(Interview)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin Like his predecessors, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. CEO Yuki Funo spent time in America before taking his current job. He was assigned to Toyota's U.S. sales arm from 1997 to 2000. Before rejoining Toyota Motor Sales...

Financier steers Key turnaround; Airbag maker cuts payroll, expands into China.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Robert Sherefkin The man who helped halt what he calls a "death spiral'' at the world's fourth-largest safety systems supplier says he did so by resisting automakers' demands for price cuts. Financier B. Edward Ewing, whose...

Siemens' plan: Injecting simplicity; Modular design, commodity approach aims at No. 1 spot in fuel-injector sector.(Suppliers)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Siemens VDO Automotive, the German fuel system and electronics conglomerate, is launching a bid for the world's No. 1 market position in gasoline fuel injectors. But to get to the slot held by fellow German...

Chevy pickup owner must arbitrate warranty claim.(Legal File)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Eric Freedman Customers who buy vehicles through a manufacturer's employee purchase plan can be forced into binding arbitration of warranty and lemon law disputes, the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled. The federal consumer...

Toyota hopes cheaper model will boost Camry's margins.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin Toyota Motor Corp. will introduce a lower priced version of the Camry this month in an effort to improve dealership profit margins for the mid-sized sedan. The Camry is America's best-selling car, but dealers have...

Japan's March export gain is first of 2004.(News)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Strong demand from the United States and Europe drove Japan's auto exports upward in March for the first time this year. Exports totaled 425,489 units, a 7.8 percent gain over March 2003. U.S.-bound shipments...

Sonic chief resigns, seeks challenge.(Resignations; Sonic Automotive Inc.)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Donna Harris Theodore Wright says he misses the aggressive growth of Sonic Automotive Inc. in the late 1990s. Wright agrees with the plans of the third-largest U.S. dealership group to scale back its acquisitions, but he says...

Ford, GM plan Cinco de Mayo ads.(News)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Marty Bernstein Ford Motor Co. and General Motors plan U.S. marketing promotions this week tied to the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo - a measure of the growing importance of Hispanic consumers to automakers. The Wednesday, May...

Valeo sells blind-spot sensor in U.S. Supplier says it has contract with one of Big 3.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Dale Jewett Sensors that warn drivers of obstructions in the blind spots near a vehicle's rear corners will be available to U.S. drivers in 2006. The technology will come from Valeo Raytheon Systems of Auburn Hills, Mich., a...

Honda adds N.A. capacity; New Ala. assembly line provides elbow room.(Buildings and facilities)(Brief Article)
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lindsay Chappell When Honda Motor Co. cuts the ribbon on its newest North American factory line this week in Alabama, it will find itself in an unfamiliar situation: It will have elbow room in its factory capacity while its U.S....

'Do I deserve' $36 million? CEO hears cheers and jeers.(News)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Frank Stronach made $36.2 million last year, but it didn't cause him a dime's worth of difficulty at Magna International Inc.'s annual meeting last week. "Do you think I deserve the monies I make?'' the...

Kia joins resistance to increasing TV ad prices.(Marketing)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Mark Rechtin So much for "must-see TV.'' Saying he is disgusted with the poor return on investment in TV advertising, Kia Motors America Inc. CEO Peter Butterfield is looking to other media venues to market his company's...

DCX: Will stability follow chaos?(Column)(DaimlerChrysler Ag (stock symbol))
May 10, 2004... Byline: KEITH CRAIN Make no mistake, the right guy is running Mercedes-Benz: Juergen Hubbert. He has the experience, style and character that one of the great icons of the automobile industry deserves in its leader. Sadly, his...

Crash course in safety.(News)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Here's how some auto companies are using racing to improve safety in passenger vehicles. * Ford and Delphi supply data recorders to race series. Information is later studied to see how crash forces affect the neck and head. * Ford used...

Contract clash.(News)
May 10, 2004... Issue: Bankrupt Illinois used-car dealership and corporate president dispute liability for floorplan financing debt. Where it stands: Federal judge finds contract against dealership enforceable. The president's individual liability is...

Autobytel Inc.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Headquarters: Irvine, Calif. Launched: 1995 Business model: Online lead referrals and dealership software Summary: Autobytel, as a public company, provides a rare glimpse into the financial strength of a survivor of the Internet...

Yahoo! Autos.(News)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif. Launched: 1997 Business model: Online automotive portal Summary: The Yahoo! Autos section of yahoo.com was launched as a classified advertising platform for used cars. It went from an aggregator of...

AutoTrader.com.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Headquarters: Atlanta Launched: 1998 Business model: Online auto classifieds Summary: AutoTrader has gone from listing 600,000 vehicles in its first year to 2.5 million today. About 40,000 franchised and independent dealers as...

GM's Hot Button generates few sales.(News)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Dave Guilford General Motors' Hot Button giveaway promotion did little to generate sales, GM North America President Gary Cowger says. "Hot Button drove a lot of traffic,'' Cowger says. "I think we had 2 million-plus pushes on...

Ford offers dealers cash to push F-150.(News)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Amy Wilson Aiming for an F-series sales record this year, Ford Motor Co. is paying dealers as much as $1,500 per F-150 pickup sold in May. The dealer cash program began April 30 and runs through June 1. Dealerships can...

Upward bound.(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Ford Motor Co.'s management shakeup put two 40-something executives on the inside track to rise to senior corporate ranks. Mark Fields: Led Mazda's revitalization effort. He must do the same at Ford of Europe. Phil Martens: Bill Ford...

AutoUSA Dealer Network.(Special Report)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Headquarters: Houston Launched: 1988 (as AutoVantage) Business model: Online lead referrals Summary: AutoUSA can trace its roots to AutoVantage, a car-care and ownership program. But the business model changed with the debut of its...

Ford mulls minivan price cuts; Carmaker pressured to match rivals' lower stickers.(News)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor Co. may cut prices on its Ford Freestar and Mercury Monterey minivans, even though they were introduced just last fall. Prices of key competitors' minivans have dropped, forcing Ford to consider following...

Tundra spearheads Toyota's ad push in '04.(Marketing)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Jean Halliday Toyota Division will keep on trucking in 2004. "The real thrust of our advertising this year will be the Tundra'' full-sized pickup, at least through June, says James Lentz, vice president of marketing for the...

Syndicated TV shows make gains with automakers.(Marketing)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Marty Bernstein Syndicated TV - an amalgam of reruns of popular network series, talk shows, game shows and entertainment gossip programs - is an increasingly popular venue for auto advertisers. Local TV stations generally...

A market for parts.(News)
May 10, 2004... Scion says the typical Scion buyer * Has luxury-car aspirations on a subcompact budget * Prefers word-of-mouth testimonials to hard-sell advertising * Tends to pick accessories online before going to the dealership

]]]]Online this week.(News)
May 10, 2004... In our Data Center Friday, May 14: * 2003 top global automotive manufacturers (ranked by total unit sales) * Inventories and sales per dealership as of May 1 * Canada car and light-truck sales for April ]]]]Coming up May...

Hyundai brand plans 6-model blitz in 3 years.(News)(Brief Article)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Rick Kranz The Hyundai brand's product blitz of six new or redesigned vehicles in the next three years begins this fall. Hyundai will emphasize safety, quality and value in the new models. For example, six airbags, including...

Why TV commercials are so costly.(Marketing)
May 10, 2004... Byline: Marty Bernstein Car commercials cost more to make than commercials for any other product, the American Association of Advertising Agencies says. A new association survey of 2002 data - the most recent available - calculated the...