Automotive News articles from October 2006

Automotive News archives from October 2006

Calendar.(Calendar)
October 2, 2006... AUTO SHOWS Sept. 30-Oct. 15 - Paris International Motor Show, ParisExpo - Porte de Versailles, Paris, 33-1-56-88-2240, www.mondial-automobile.com Oct. 4-8 - Orange County Auto Show, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif.,...

Honda's elegant way to clean diesels; Advanced converter neutralizes pollution, but questions remain.(Honda Motor Co. )
October 2, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett It looks like Honda Motor Co. has done it again, this time with diesels. Using advanced engine controls and a new type of catalytic converter, the Japanese automaker says it has developed a 2.2-liter diesel...

Tundra launch is Farley's full-sized challenge.(Marketing)(interview with Jim Farley )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin Jim Farley is a rising star at Toyota. After spending his early career in strategic and product planning in the United States and Europe, Farley got the keys to the launch of Toyota's Scion youth brand. With that...

Dealerships pump up their sales with tire promotions.(Service & Parts)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Donna Harris Automakers are using tire promotions to attract customers to their dealerships. In June and July, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. gave $50 gasoline cards to customers at its 950 dealership tire centers who bought a...

Even if it's no deal, GM can learn from Renault, Nissan.(Opinion)
October 2, 2006... General Motors executives can learn plenty by studying the way Renault and Nissan work together - even if GM decides not to form an alliance with the French and Japanese partners. GM has a poor track record when it comes to alliances. So...

Court upholds dealership's award in franchise dispute with GM.(Legal File)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Eric Freedman The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a multimillion-dollar award against General Motors for breaching an oral contract to give a dealership the first right to acquire a local GMC truck franchise. After eight...

Engine alliance rolls out bonus plan for workers.(News)(Compensations for workers)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz, Bradford Wernle The Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance is departing again from traditional labor practices with the UAW. The engine maker in southeast Michigan plans this month to institute separate...

Chevy launches star-spangled Silverado ads.(Marketing)(Chevrolet Motor Co)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Erin Robinson Chevrolet is marketing its restyled Silverado pickup with a big dose of red, white and blue. The theme of the Silverado advertising campaign, which began over the weekend, is "Our Country. Our Truck.'' TV...

Marketers turn off TV, connect with consumers.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mary Connelly Find consumers where they live - that's the tough job facing marketers, automotive executives tell Automotive News. Increasingly, they say, that job means less emphasis on broadcast TV commercials and more on...

Pontiac moves entire G5 ad campaign online.(Marketing)(General Motors Corp. Pontiac Div)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jean Halliday Pontiac is devoting its entire marketing budget for launching the G5 coupe to online advertising. Like other car companies, Pontiac is making a transition from traditional advertising to interactive and direct...

Answering the call; Having managers field phone inquiries boosts Infiniti store's sales, profits.(Insight)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Donna Harris Arthur Drozd had a big idea 21/2 years ago: Require managers at Infiniti of Marin, where he is general manager, to answer all telephone calls to the sales department. At first, employees at the suburban San...

Ford U.S. may turn to Europe for small cars.(News)(product development of small cars)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Kathy Jackson Ford of Europe executives are talking to their U.S. counterparts about small cars they can develop jointly for both markets. Mark Fields, Ford Motor Co.'s president of the Americas, said recently that the company...

Timing is perfect for Nissan's redesigned Sentra.(News)(Nissan North America Inc)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell For a Japanese automaker with a history of small, fuel-efficient cars, market conditions couldn't be more opportune: * Consumers have become more fuel conscious. * Economic trembles have some buyers more...

Cylinder deactivation reactivated; GM seeks mpg without leaving engine in lurch.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett Imagine being General Motors engineer Chris Meagher. In 1979, one of his first assignments after getting out of school was Cadillac's V8-6-4 cylinder deactivation system, a device that turned out to be one of the...

Here's an alliance partner that would fit Ford perfectly.(News)(alliance between Ford Motor Co. and Nissan or General Motors)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Sedgwick Never mind all the talk about an alliance between Ford Motor Co. and Nissan or General Motors. Another partner would make much more sense. I think Ford should negotiate an alliance with... Ford of Europe. Think...

Volvo plans offbeat Mini-style marketing for C30; 3-door hatchback debuts at Paris show.(News)(Volvo Cars of North America Inc)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Rick Kranz Can Volvo be cool? The Swedish automaker is known for its conservative vehicles and a traditional approach to marketing. But to launch its 2008 C30, Volvo will borrow a chapter from the unconventional Mini Cooper...

Can men love the Quest?(News)(Nissan North America Inc.)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell As Nissan North America Inc. ponders how to pump life into its Quest minivan, the question is: Does it need to be a standard minivan? Larry Dominique, Nissan vice president for product planning, says the...

Marketing 24-hour service is a challenge.(Insight)(interview with Peter Detor )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Rosland B. Gammon When Courtesy Ford in Syracuse, N.Y., found itself short of service bays with no room to build more, it added technicians and began using its existing bays around the clock. With the expanded hours, service orders...

Night shift; When this New York dealership began servicing vehicles around the clock, its repair business boomed.(Courtesy Ford)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Rosland B. Gammon Seven years ago, Courtesy Ford in Syracuse, N.Y., outgrew its service area. The dealership's 18 service bays were constantly filled, and some customers had to wait three days or more for appointments. But...

Manager was raised in Russia, but aimed to be an entrepreneur.(Insight)(interview with Arthur Drozd)(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Donna Harris Arthur Drozd, general manager of Infiniti of Marin in San Rafael, Calif., emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1991, right after the Soviet Union disintegrated. Although raised in a communist society,...

Honda plans new fuel cell vehicles in '08.(Final assembly)(Honda Research and Development Company Ltd)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Honda plans to market improved fuel cell vehicles in the United States and Japan in 2008. The car will use a new design that places fuel cell membranes in the car's center tunnel down the middle of the car. Honda will put more than 100...

Do U.S. automakers deserve a break from lawsuits? YES: 'Jackpot justice' costs the auto industry dearly.(Opinion)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Vahe Tazian More than 16 million lawsuits are filed annually in state courts - about one every two seconds. That is approximately the same rate at which cars and trucks are built each year in North America. The count of 16...

Tesla proving electric vehicles can burn rubber; $89,000 roadster has juice to keep up with Ferrari.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin Martin Eberhard aims to resurrect the electric car by shifting its persona from golf cart to sports car. Eberhard's Tesla roadster is a heavily reworked Lotus Elise sports car. The Tesla's Taiwanese-built batteries...

Product revival for Volvo.(News)(Volvo Car Corp.)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin Despite the cash crunch at parent Ford Motor Co., Volvo Car Corp. is launching seven new or redesigned products within four years. Volvo CEO Fredrik Arp said the products will reverse a volume skid this year,...

Next Opel Corsa to be sold in U.S.(General Motors Corp)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Sedgwick In a startling affirmation of America's embrace of small cars, General Motors has decided to sell the next-generation Opel Corsa in the United States. The small car "will very definitely go to the United...

Mining for gold; Dealer Lorne Brett wanted better relationships with his customers. So he and a partner created software that culls store data to boost contacts. They call the system DealerMine.(Insight)
October 2, 2006... Byline: John Couretas Lorne Brett's journey from dealer principal to software maven began in the most unlikely fashion. In the late 1990s, Brett was refurbishing his Chevrolet-Cadillac store in Saint John, New Brunswick. But Brett...

'We're really not in the software business'.(Insight)(interview with Lorne Brett )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: John Couretas When Lorne Brett began developing the software that would become the DealerMine system for enhancing customer relationships, he began attracting the attention of fellow dealers. They were intrigued by the ability...

Out of print; Chevy store creates an interactive Web site to promote its vehicles - and does away with newspaper advertising.(Chevrolet)(Folsom Chevrolet Inc.)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mary Connelly Folsom Chevrolet Inc. has gone off newspaper advertising cold turkey - and has cut way back on TV commercials, too. In December, the dealership near Sacramento, Calif., switched to radio advertising and the...

Toyota Auris.(News)
October 2, 2006... Type: Compact 5-door hatchback What's cool: The Auris looks like a cross between a Volkswagen Golf and Fiat Stilo. Interior components feel luxurious for a small car. Production possibility: This is a mildly disguised replacement for...

Lotus beefs up lineup.(News)(Lotus Cars Ltd)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett It didn't take long for Michael Kimberley to revamp product plans for Group Lotus, the tiny British maker of high-performance sports cars. Kimberley, 68, who came out of retirement in May to run Lotus, says the...

A baby Roller is on the way.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... During the summer, baby skylarks dwell in nests on the grassy roof of the Rolls-Royce factory in rural Goodwood, England. Soon boxes will be installed for families of bats to take up residence. Oh, and a baby Rolls-Royce is in gestation. ...

Mazda is guarded about new plant.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin Mazda Motor Corp.'s rapid growth in several major markets has stretched production capacity to its limit. The company may need a new assembly plant, possibly in North America. Still, many Mazda executives,...

Nissan wants more parts from low-cost countries.(News)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece General Motors and Ford Motor Co. got a lot of attention for setting billion-dollar targets for purchases from China. Now Nissan Motor Co. and its alliance partner, Renault SA, are looking to China and other...

Nissan targets N.A. for sales of light-commercial trucks.(News)(Nissan Motor Company Ltd)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Nissan Motor Co. already has pushed into the full-sized pickup market. Now it is preparing to challenge the Detroit 3's dominance of a related field. It wants to sell light-commercial trucks, such as those used...

Push comes to shove in Paris; No one in the proposed GM-Renault alliance deal wants to come off as weak.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Against the congenial backdrop of the Paris auto show, a French opera of industry movers and shakers last week took turns shoving each other back. The drama: The proposed GM-Renault-Nissan alliance is...

S-Type will drop Jaguar's heritage design.(News)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin The re-engineered Jaguar S-Type coming in 2008 will abandon the heritage design of Jaguar's current lineup for a contemporary look, executives said at the show here. Both the V-6 and V-8 engines will be replaced....

A ton of trouble; A sharp rise in steel prices is about to hammer U.S. automakers and suppliers.
October 2, 2006... Byline: Robert Sherefkin General Motors, traditionally a tough negotiator with its steel suppliers, is facing price increases as high as 11 percent for its 2007 contracts. Two sources familiar with the negotiations say GM is facing...

LaSorda: Chrysler's pickup, SUV inventory will fall.(sports utility vehicle)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Bradford Wernle Chrysler group CEO Tom LaSorda says the company's bloated inventory of pickups and SUVs will be in balance by year end. But he acknowledged the company may take further "structural'' steps to return to...

Zetsche: It will take time to fix truck-heavy mix; Rising fuel prices beat up truck sales.(Dieter Zetsche )
October 2, 2006... Byline: Peter Brown DaimlerChrysler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche said the Chrysler group will move its vehicle mix more toward cars, but it can't be done in a hurry. Zetsche acknowledged that Chrysler's truck-heavy lineup took a beating when...

In the U.S., Volvo C30 gets a turbo-5.(News)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mark Rechtin The U.S. version of the Volvo C30 hatchback will be launched only with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine, executives said last week at the auto show here. The car will be offered in front drive only, despite its 218...

At Volvo, safety starts at sites of accidents.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Rick Kranz On a sunny day, a family of three is traveling on the freeway in a new 2006 Volvo V70 wagon, heading toward Stockholm. Suddenly, traffic ahead stops, and the V70's driver swerves to the shoulder to avoid hitting the...

Ford's 'Bold Moves' are bigger than TV spots.(Marketing)(George Rogers CEO of JWT Detroit)(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist Automotive marketers and their advertising agencies need to shed old ad strategies, including a reliance on TV commercials, if they expect to engage consumers. So says George Rogers, CEO of JWT Detroit, which...

Heat rises from industry climate battles.(News)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Harry Stoffer Win one. Lose one. That's how automakers and auto dealers fared last week in their battles to keep California from imposing strict limits on greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicles sold there. A federal...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(marketing budget of Chrysler Corp increases)(Johnson Controls Inc downsizes its automotive interiors business)(Mitsubishi launches clean diesel engine)
October 2, 2006... Chrysler will boost ad spend DETROIT - The struggling Chrysler group's advertising spending "is going up dramatically'' in the last part of this year, CEO Tom LaSorda says. Chrysler will more than double spending for "certain months''...

Mercedes will use urea system in U.S. diesels.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Richard Truett Mercedes-Benz plans to sell three diesel-powered vehicles in 2008 that use a controversial urea-injection system to control emissions. Mercedes said last week that the three vehicles - the M, R and GL-class SUVs...

Automakers focus on events in urban areas.(Marketing)(Translation Consultation & Branding Imaging)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Marcus Amick Automakers continue to increase event marketing in urban areas. The object is to attract young trendsetting consumers who typically might not consider their brands. For example, Volkswagen of America Inc. sponsored...

Rich media make Internet advertising more interactive; A mouse can roar with sights, sounds.(Marketing)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Grant W. Repsher Automakers are loading their online advertising with so-called "rich media'' to make the ads more interactive and provide greater product content. Streaming audio and video are examples of rich media. Other...

Dodge Avenger.(News)(Chrysler Corp develops Avenger muscle car)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Type: Front-drive muscle-car sedan What's cool: Rolling this dream cruiser out in Paris illustrates Chrysler's determination to make Dodge a global brand with a boldly American personality. C-pillar and rear fender lines echo the Charger;...

Hyundai develops luxury sedan as it considers luxury-brand launch.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: James B. Treece Hyundai Motor Co. is still doing a feasibility study on whether to launch a luxury brand in the United States, a top executive said at the show here. Meanwhile, it is preparing a luxury-end car. "We understand...

Zetsche: No U.S. Mercedes plant - but don't rule out Mexico.(News)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Harald Hamprecht, Bradford Wernle Mercedes-Benz could build vehicles in Mexico in the future but will not add factories in the United States, says Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler AG chairman. "If we were to establish a new...

Powerbrokers in Paris.
October 2, 2006... Talk of hot new products and brave new alliances swirled last week at the Paris auto show: See our show coverage on Pages 8, 58, 59. * Rick Wagoner claims GM doesn't need a partner; Carlos Ghosn and Kirk Kerkorian think otherwise. Page 8...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Ford likely to trim ad budget DETROIT - Ford Motor Co. is likely to trim its advertising budget for the rest of 2006, industry analysts predict. The company is cutting North American vehicle production in the third and fourth quarters....

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 2, 2006... Remember Fisher's Craftsman's Guild? To the Editor: I read with interest and concurrence Rick Kranz's Sept. 18 column, "Bring back model cars, a prime sales tool.'' I still have many of the model cars I collected during my school...

Power lunch: Ford and Nasser meet in Dearborn.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Guess who Bill Ford was spotted with in Dearborn? The Ford Motor Co.'s executive chairman met with former Ford Motor CEO Jacques Nasser at the Ritz-Carlton on Sept. 21, creating a buzz among those who witnessed their arrivals. A source...

Fields: Ford has the right team chemistry.(Final assembly)(Ford Motor Co chief executive officer Alan Mulally about his executive team)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... New Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally has told his executive team that he doesn't plan to bring in his own recruits, says Ford's president of the Americas, Mark Fields. "He's very happy with the team he has,'' Fields said last week at the State...

Texas talk: New pickups perk up segment.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Amy Wilson The biggest shooters in the U.S. pickup market are counting on new entries to stabilize the sagging segment in 2007. Full-sized trucks have taken a hit in 2006. Sales are down 13.7 percent through August largely...

2 in 3 Delphi workers take buyouts, early retirements.(Suppliers)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz Nearly a year after filing for Chapter 11 reorganization, Delphi Corp. says almost two-thirds of its U.S. hourly work force has agreed to buyouts or early retirement. Delphi announced last week that 13,800 hourly...

Dealers.(People)
October 2, 2006... Milestones * Mike Mihalic and Marc Jacobson of Jay Honda in Bedford, Ohio, received a 35-year award for Honda from American Honda Motor Co. * Bob Hagan and Bob Petrarca of Bald Hill Dodge in Warwick, R.I., received a 25-year award for...

Supply line.(Briefs)(Visteon Corp opens new facility)(Honda Motor Co invested more than $5 million in Canesta Inc)(Saint Jean Industries Inc acquires Superior Industries International Inc suspension components business)
October 2, 2006... Visteon opens center in India Chennai, India - Visteon Corp. opened a $10 million technical center here on Monday, Sept. 25. The 110,000-square-foot operation is expected to employ about 950 people. The tech center will develop and...

Visteon may get more Ford work.(Suppliers)
October 2, 2006... Byline: David Barkholz Visteon Corp. could gain more business with Ford Motor Co. as the automaker casts off its unprofitable parts operations. Ford is speeding up the process of dumping former operations of Visteon that went back to...

Playing catch-up.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Hyundai/Kia is by far the price bottom feeder among the nine major groups in the U.S. But its transaction prices are also the fastest-rising this year, boosted by Hyundai's new Azera sedan and Entourage minivan. Toyota Motor's average...

Ford logistics exec: Forecasting is key to controlling costs.(News)(interview with Frederiek Toney )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Philip Nussel Frederiek Toney was named executive director of material planning and logistics at Ford Motor Co. in March. He is charged with making sure parts and raw materials move efficiently at all ends of Ford's manufacturing...

Job alert: Hot seat opening.(Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... The hunt is on again for the right person to be the out-front face and leading voice of automakers in Washington. But the search for a president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers won't get serious until after the Nov. 7 election,...

Late News.(Kirk Kerkorian to ask General Motors board of directors to hire an independent committee to study an alliance with Nissan-Renault.)(Delphi Corp. narrowed its loss in August.)
October 2, 2006... Kerkorian pushes for alliance study DETROIT - General Motors shareholder Kirk Kerkorian, frustrated with CEO Rick Wagoner's lack of enthusiasm for an alliance with Nissan-Renault, will ask the board of directors to hire an independent...

How Chris Fannin tripled floor traffic; Kentucky dealership buys big-box store to make room for shark tank, car museum, cafe.(Insight)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jenny King Chris Fannin knew it was time to move the family business. He had been eyeing a big-box store outside Ashland, Ky., that once housed a Lowe's home-improvement store. Moving from a cobbled-together, 47,000-square-foot...

Dealership uses Web ad site as research tool.(Insight)(interview with David Shirley )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mary Connelly Last December, Folsom Chevrolet Inc. in Folsom, Calif., began relying on its new dedicated advertising Web site to sell new and used vehicles. The site replaced newspaper advertising. General Manager David Shirley...

Move gave customers 'different attitude'.(Insight)(interview with Chris Fannin )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jenny King One year ago, Chris Fannin moved Fannin Lincoln-Mercury-Toyota-Scion from a landlocked, 47,000-square-foot dealership in northern Kentucky into 140,000 square feet of space surrounded by 10 acres of blacktop. ...

Dealer: Potential for text messages is 'really huge'.(Insight)(interview with David Wilson)(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Dan Westell This fall, Preston Automotive Group in Preston, Md., plans to start sending cell-phone text messages to customers about car repairs, incentives and other items. David Wilson, president of the group, explained the plan...

Motor coach brings shift in ad costs.(Insight)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist Steven Ewing has been a dealer since 1989. He purchased Wade Ford in 2002. Last year, Ewing purchased a customized motor coach for his dealership. The bus acts as a moving billboard in his community. Ewing spoke...

Techies help dealership close elusive sales.(Insight)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jenny King Greg Aloia is a veteran new-car dealer. Yuri Pikover is a computer geek. Over the past three years, they have learned about each other's professions and have, as business partners, blended them at Aloia's Folsom Lake...

Ford makes leap from bad boy to family friend.(Marketing)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Ira Teinowitz Barely a year after landing on the Parents Television Council's list of the nation's worst advertisers on TV, Ford Motor Co. is on the same organization's list of the nation's best advertisers. The council...

Do U.S. automakers deserve a break from lawsuits? NO: The little guy has the right to seek justice.(Opinion)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Tab Turner Does the auto industry deserve a break from lawsuits? I say no. I speak as someone who has witnessed the tragic consequences of highway crashes and also has witnessed automotive industry design decisions - in...

Hyundai hits skating rink to tailor SUV to consumers.(Marketing)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Jean Halliday Hyundai Motor America assigned a team of engineers, designers and planners to create a vehicle that is "assertive yet graceful.'' So 16 team members headed for a skating rink and scooted onto the ice in their shoes....

Chrysler weighs more plant closings.(News)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Dave Guilford Chrysler group COO Eric Ridenour says the company is weighing tougher restructuring steps as it cuts production to reduce inventories. Chrysler announced the production cuts last month after it predicted a $1.52...

Cadillac: 'To take the next step, you gotta change'.(Marketing)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist, Mary Connelly Cadillac has a new advertising agency, Modernista, and a new campaign aimed at owners of luxury imports. The General Motors luxury brand also has a new global marketing director: Liz Vanzura, who...

It's quite a collection of auto greats.(Column)(celebration in automotive industry)
October 2, 2006... Byline: KEITH CRAIN On Tuesday night in Detroit, there is a black-tie dinner at which a few gentlemen will be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. People are supposed to be retired for five years before they qualify, and a few...

Magic bus; Georgia dealer's motor coach is both a community outreach tool and a sales tool.(Insight)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist After three years as the proprietor of Wade Ford in Smyrna, Ga., Steven Ewing was tired of the same old advertising opportunities. Write a check, and find your dealership logo buried in the back of a program....

Mini Cooper, Cooper S.(News)
October 2, 2006... Type: Subcompact Seats: 4 Base engine: 1.6-liter 4-cylinder, 120 hp On sale: 2nd quarter 2007 Base price: $22,000 (est.) What's cool: The 2nd-generation Mini gets bigger, and the quality of materials is improved. ...

Audi aims for top with R8.(News)(Audi transportation equipment industry)(R8 midengine two-seater sports car)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Audi has spent years improving vehicle quality and moving its product line upstream. Now it is launching a sports car aimed at pushing Audi into the upper echelons of European luxury brands. The R8 midengine...

Chinese: Eager in Europe, cautious in U.S.(News)(Jiangling Motors Import and Export Co)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Two Chinese automakers preparing for vehicle sales in Europe say they're not coming to the United States - at least not yet. The U.S. market is too competitive, and meeting federal safety and emission standards...

2007 GM pickups start up.(Production)(General Motors develops 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra)(BMW Manufacturing Corp develops 2007 X5 crossover and BMW Z4)(Honda of America develops 2007 Honda CR-V, Civic and Element)(Brief article)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Debi Domby * General Motors begins building 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups today, Oct. 2, at its truck plant in Oshawa, Ontario. The plant was down last month for a changeover. * BMW Manufacturing Corp. began...

Professor wrote the book on auto service.(Service & Parts)(interview of Ronald Garner )(Interview)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Arlena Sawyers At 17, Ronald Garner was a mechanic's helper at an independent shop that serviced Rolls-Royce cars. At 40, Garner is a professor in the Advanced Automotive Technology Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology in...

VW wants twice as many owners to stick with brand.(Marketing)(Volkswagen AG wants to increase their capacity)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Laura Clark Geist Volkswagen wants to double the percentage of its owners who stay with the brand for their next vehicle purchase. The Volkswagen brand's 29.3 percent loyalty rate for 2005 was well below the 49.6 percent rate...

Fresh ideas; How some very smart dealers got results by thinking outside the box.(dealers offering experience)
October 2, 2006... Byline: Mary Connelly Create a unique customer experience that sets your dealership apart from the crowd and you'll almost certainly sell more cars and trucks. That's a common lesson from 10 dealers who offer striking examples of...