Automotive News articles from October 2008

Automotive News archives from October 2008

Mini follows BMW's lead.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... By keeping demand ahead of production and developing small vehicles with the performance and equipment that qualify them as premium, BMW has made Mini the "I told you we could do it'' brand. Product cadence is also important. Mini variants...

250-mph Bugatti boosts the excitement.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko How can you measure the success of a brand? Here's one way: This year the first Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport off the line sold for $3.19 million. The car was auctioned at the Pebble Beach Concours in...

Mazda Kiyora.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Vehicle type: Small coupe Engine: 1.3-liter, direct-injection inline-4 gasoline Who designed it: Jo Stenuit, chief designer; Mickael Loyer, exterior; Gregory Vera, interior What's cool: Filtration system collects roof water and...

High-tech mirrors are poised to make big gains.(B)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Lawrence J. Speer PARIS Within a decade, half of all new cars in Europe may have high-tech, anti-glare rearview mirrors. Industry experts tell Automotive News Europe that the shift from conventional, prismatic mirrors to...

Mahle CEO: Most engines will be smaller by 2012.(B)(Heinz Junker chief executive officer explains the company's growth)(Interview)
October 6, 2008... Mahle GmbH, a global market leader in pistons and other engine components, is moving to offset the effects of the fast-growing trend toward smaller powerplants. Smaller engines mean automakers will need fewer core components a negative...

GM begins streamlining purchasing.(B)
October 6, 2008... By standardizing its parts, General Motors aims to streamline purchasing. The result will be more business for a smaller number of suppliers. That is one of the changes Bo Andersson, GM's group vice president of global purchasing, is...

Audi longs to join luxury big-leaguers in U.S.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Audi is on a mission to join the ranks of what it calls the Big 3 of luxury cars in the United States. The company wants to be as prestigious as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus. But first, Audi has to get on more...

Smart ambitions, like car, remain small.(A)(Penske Corp. Penske Automotive Group's sales and production growth)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Smart ambitions, like car, remain small The two-passenger Smart ForTwo has a niche following. Through August, Penske Automotive Group sold 18,156 of the diminutive cars. Penske is the U.S. distributor of Smart, which went on sale here...

Rolls-Royce goal: Add customers.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko With global sales of 1,010 cars last year, Rolls-Royce is clearly the winner in the ultraluxury car class. That's quite an accomplishment, considering Rolls-Royce models start at around $350,000. By...

Maybach adds.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... open-top 62S Landaulet The Maybach luxury range continues on the old Mercedes-Benz S-class platform. Two models are offered: the 57 and the stretched-wheelbase 62. The only change is the addition of the 62S Landaulet open-top car,...

Peapod: Innovator's little big idea.(A)(Chrysler L.L.C.'s electric vehicles)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... So what does a chief innovation officer do, anyway? That's what some asked when Peter Arnell, a New York marketing and idea guy, was given that title at Chrysler last year. The answer, or at least the first tangible result of Arnell's...

Engineers call for common electric car standards.(B)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Appleton Top engineers from Daimler AG and BMW AG say automakers should cooperate to develop common standards for electric cars. Thomas Weber, head of r&d at Daimler and its Mercedes-Benz Cars subsidiary, says the auto...

VW-Porsche feud risks growth plans.(A)(Volkswagen AG plans to be biggest)
October 6, 2008... Byline: John Revill As Volkswagen group's Ferdinand Piech and Porsche's Wendelin Wiedeking compete to be No. 1 at Volkswagen group, the question is: How will their infighting affect Europe's biggest carmaker? Observers and company...

Renault's U.S. ally of choice? Probably not Chrysler.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... When Cerberus began talking about buying Daimler's remaining 19.9 percent of Chrysler, the speculation began: Who might then buy Chrysler from Cerberus? One oft-mentioned name was Renault. But a top Renault executive surely doesn't talk as...

FOR SALE: Heard condos, mansion, jet.(A)(Bill Heard Enterprises Inc. starts layoffs due to bankruptcy)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Auto dealerships aren't the only things Bill Heard Enterprises Inc. is looking to unload. Attorneys for the bankrupt Chevrolet dealership group told an Alabama judge last week they also were preparing to sell the family-owned group's...

Toyota, Audi mull tiny cars for U.S.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Richard Johnson PARIS More than one European carmaker is on the verge of doing something it wouldn't have considered a few months ago. They're thinking of selling very small and fuel-efficient cars to Americans cars designed...

Volvo plans diesel hybrid by 2012.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin PARIS Volvo Car Corp. will introduce a diesel hybrid in 2012 if not sooner, while start-stop technology will arrive in 2009, company executives said here at the auto show. The hybrids will be sold in Europe and...

Amid a U.S. stall, Europeans think small.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Amid a soft U.S. economy, Europe's automakers are adding small cars and super-luxury sedans to their U.S. portfolios. Even Mercedes is going down-market with a small, entry-level car. This week, we highlight Europe's product plans for the...

Creditors aim to sell 8 Heard stores by Oct. 14.(A)
October 6, 2008... Creditors aim to sell 8 Heard stores by Oct. 14 Creditors are moving swiftly to sell the dealerships owned by bankrupt Bill Heard Enterprises Inc. They aim to complete the sales of 8 stores by Oct. 14. | PAGE 4 |

Auto News igest.(A)(Ford Motor Co. launches technology programs)(CarMax Inc. plans layoffs due to loss)(Jaguar Land Rover North America LLC joins Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers)
October 6, 2008... WASHINGTON The Bush administration says it needs more time to finish a long-awaited rewrite of the government's vehicle roof strength rule. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said last week she had notified Congress of the need for...

Ford stops buying nonessential factory supplies.(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... DETROIT With vehicle sales and cash falling, Ford Motor Co. has frozen the purchase of nonessential factory supplies. Ford manufacturing chief Joe Hinrichs announced the freeze to North American plant managers and controllers in a Sept. 23...

Audi to decide next year on U.S. production.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Richard Johnson PARIS Audi will decide next year whether to build vehicles in the United States. "Our main competitors are producing in the U.S., so this is something we are analyzing very, very carefully,'' said Peter...

Toyota battles Detroit 3 with cheap loans.(A)(Company overview)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Hans Greimel As consumers struggled with tight credit, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. last week started offering no-interest loans on 11 models. The incentives are a direct challenge to the financially struggling Detroit 3, which...

Fuel frenzy.(A)
October 6, 2008... At the Paris show last week, automakers offered a dozen ways to stretch a gallon of fuel. And for those who want to avoid gasoline altogether, automakers pitched electrics. * Electric cars gain momentum Page 3 * Volvo to produce...

Chrysler exec to outline EV strategy at green conference.(A)(Conference news)
October 6, 2008... Electric vehicles will be front and center at the Automotive News Green Car Conference/Exhibition on Nov. 13 in suburban Detroit. ENVI President Lou Rhodes will update attendees on Chrysler LLC's progress toward electric vehicles. ENVI, a...

THE GREAT COLLAPSE; September was awful, and 2009 looks ugly.(A)(Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. sales predictions)(Financial report)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Richard Truett For the auto industry, September could be the start of a really bad stretch. Last month, U.S. light-vehicle sales declined 26.6 percent, and industry executives glumly predict that a turnaround won't occur until...

Many dealers floored by floorplan limits, costs.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Donna Harris The credit crisis which has made lenders reluctant to finance dealerships' vehicle inventories is helping force hundreds of dealers out of business. The National Automobile Dealers Association projects that as...

$25 billion: How'd they do that?(A)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... It was overshadowed by the $700 billion U.S. financial rescue proposals, but President Bush signed a bill last week providing $25 billion in direct low-interest federal loans to automakers and suppliers for plant retooling. Now that the...

Suppliers cut staff, output to cope with downturn.(B)(automotive industry workers to be layoff due to industry loss)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Douglas A. Bolduc Suppliers cut staff, output to cope with downturn Supplier executives face difficult times as auto production slows in Europe and North America, raw material prices continue to rise and automakers ask for...

Europe: Still very different from us.(A)
October 6, 2008... We watched gasoline prices rise to more than $4 a gallon in the United States in a very short time earlier this year. The simple solution for an automaker would have been to scrap everything it makes in the United States and bring over all...

Jaguar regains its focus on low volume, high end.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin Free of Ford Motor Co.'s volume aspirations, Jaguar is returning to an earlier mission: building low-volume, high-end luxury cars. At least that's what Jaguar is asking of its new owner, Tata Motors Ltd. Gone...

Ferrari: Recession-proof and turning ... green?(Ferrari California)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Luca Ciferri High gasoline prices. A melting credit market. Ferrari owners don't care. Ferraris sent to the United States are sold before they even arrive. Once sold, most models appreciate wildly. But Ferrari is adjusting...

Chrysler boosts 2009 vehicle prices.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Bradford Wernle Chrysler boosts 2009 vehicle prices DETROIT Chrysler LLC is raising prices on all 2009 model vehicles by an average of $500. Steven Landry, executive vice president for North America sales, broke the news...

Let's get clunkers off the road and spur the economy.
October 6, 2008... Let's get clunkers off the road and spur the economy Now that Washington is throwing hundreds of billions of tax dollars at financial and economic problems, there is one more program with proven benefits that Congress ought to fund: a...

Under new owner, Aston Martin back in the race.(appointment of Ulrich Bez in Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin What once was the plaything of British centimillionaires has become a serious entry in the automotive world. Under the leadership of CEO Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin's transition from Ford Motor Co. to Prodrive...

PERSONNEL.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... EATON CORP. Gary Klasen, 55, to vice president of external communications. He had been director of external communications. Eaton, of Cleveland, supplies superchargers, valves, valvetrain components, cylinder heads and transmission...

Uncertainty surrounds Volvo's product plan.
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin Not long ago, Volvo was the darling of Ford Motor Co.'s luxury brands. But as the euro soared against the dollar, profits evaporated and the product plan has suffered. What's more, rumors that Volvo is for sale...

2010 redesign planned for Bentley flagship.(Bentley Motors Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Bentley's flagship, the Arnage, will be redesigned in 2010. To develop the next Arnage, Bentley has access to all the technology of the Volkswagen group, Bentley's parent company. Continental GT: No major changes scheduled. Flying...

Land Rover aims to boost the fuel economy of its SUVs.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin India's Tata Motors Ltd. is the new owner, but Land Rover will have ties to Ford Motor Co. well into the next decade. Two SUVs will share Ford's EUCD global vehicle platform. Ford engines will be under the hood of...

Mercedes returns to the luxury suite.(Daimler-Benz AG)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko The grande dame of European luxury has regained her stature. No longer distracted by Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz is climbing back up the quality charts. New products such as the C class have set a sales record. And...

Sales soft, but Europeans plan to expand lineups.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Rick Kranz First, it was the strong euro that slammed U.S. sales of Europe's automakers. Next, the steep jump in petroleum prices. Today, it's a battered economy triggered by the collapse of some of Wall Street's icons....

VW seeks excitement with Routan, CC, Rabbit.(Volkswagen AG)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Ambitious. That sums up the Volkswagen group's plans to sell 1 million vehicles a year in the United States by 2018. The VW brand is expected to sell 800,000 of those units. Talk about a challenge last...

BMW plans more variants beyond sedans, wagons.
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Since CEO Norbert Reithofer took charge two years ago, BMW has been quick and decisive about new products. This summer, BMW killed a large-SUV project because of changing U.S. buyer tastes. The most...

Alfa beyond Competizione.(A)(Alfa Romeo S.p.A. plans for competition)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Luca Ciferri Alfa Romeo is committed to returning to the United States. While the automaker is targeting late 2009 or early 2010, Alfa has not disclosed plans. It exited the United States in 1995, its reputation shattered by...

Saab gets a crossover in 2009; everything else is on hold.(Saab Automobile AB)(General Motors Corp.)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Jamie LaReau Saab might be born from jets, but General Motors is struggling to get the brand's sales off the ground. One way GM plans to revive sales is through new products, including a crossover and compact hatchback. ...

Chrysler offers service contracts on certified vehicles.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Owners of certified Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep used cars and trucks now can buy lifetime service contracts that cover mechanical components. Chrysler LLC is charging dealers $520 to $2,100 for the contracts,...

Economic winds batter Sept. sales.
October 6, 2008... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. So what would you expect of auto sales with $4-a-gallon gasoline, the Wall Street flameout and the real estate disaster? And oh, yes the credit crisis. If you can't get a loan, you can't buy a car. Soon,...

Government's a player in Europe, too.
October 6, 2008... Byline: Arjen Bongard The three U.S. automakers Ford Motor Co., General Motors and Chrysler LLC successfully petitioned their government to back a $25 billon loan program to help them and other auto companies solve their...

Personnel.(Midway Group)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... AUTOMOTIVE EVENTS Erich Gail, 37, to executive vice president. He had been executive vice president of the Midway Group, of Los Angeles, a provider of vehicle acquisition, supply and transportation services. Jeff Emerine, 40, to executive...

Dealers give mixed reactions to Chrysler incentive program.(Chrysler L.L.C. plans for compensating its dealers)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Bradford Wernle Dealers give mixed reactions to Chrysler incentive program DETROIT In a campaign to coax hard-pressed auto dealers to order more vehicles, Chrysler LLC last week introduced a monthly incentive that rewards...

Versical, Nussel take new Automotive News posts.(appointment of Dave Versical and Philip Nussel)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Automotive News has appointed Dave Versical editor of its online edition, and Philip Nussel has been named managing editor. Versical returns to the publication to oversee a range of autonews.com products, including news, video, Webinars and...

Chevy, Mazda execs to speak at congress.(A)(Brief article)(Conference notes)
October 6, 2008... Ed Peper, North American vice president of Chevrolet, and Jim O'Sullivan, CEO of Mazda North American Operations, will be featured speakers at the 33rd Automotive News World Congress in Detroit. Peper will speak Tuesday morning, Jan. 20,...

GMAC is out of leasing - at least for now.(General Motors Acceptance Corp.)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Alysha Webb and Jesse Snyder GMAC Financial Services, the nation's largest auto lessor as recently as midyear, virtually has stopped writing leases in the United States. In September, leases accounted for less than 2 percent of...

Study: Dealers gain on independent shops.(Survey)
October 6, 2008... Franchised dealerships are earning better marks from service customers, a new study by J.D. Power and Associates concludes. As a result, the study suggests, dealerships are more likely to keep service customers after their vehicles' factory...

Lenders move fast to liquidate Heard's stores.(Bill Heard Enterprises Inc.)(General Motors Acceptance Corp.)
October 6, 2008... Byline: April Wortham Bill Heard's empire is headed for a quick breakup. Hours after Bill Heard Enterprises Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in an Alabama court last week, the company signed an agreement with GMAC Financial...

VW: Next New Beetle will be "more mature'.(Volkswagen AG)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Volkswagen says it's time for the New Beetle to grow up. "The future New Beetle should look less toyish and become a much more mature product,'' Walter de' Silva, VW group design director, told Automotive News Europe. De' Silva wants...

A bad time for subprime.(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... If you're trying to sell a car to a customer with a shaky credit rating forget it. In September, automotive lenders approved only 20 percent of subprime consumer loan applications, according to CNW Marketing Research. That's a sharp drop from...

Suzuki seeks floorplan credit partner for dealers.(A)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Kathy Jackson As lenders cut back on floorplan credit, American Suzuki Motor Corp. is making an urgent priority of helping its dealers get financing for their vehicle inventories. Suzuki's 480 U.S. dealers now must arrange...

Late News.(briefs)
October 6, 2008... GM to shut Ohio SUV plant 2 years ahead of plan DETROIT General Motors is ending production of its slow-selling mid-sized SUVs on Dec. 23, two years earlier than announced in June. GM is pulling ahead the closure of its Moraine, Ohio,...

Is film a flash in the pan? Ford hopes so.(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)(Column)
October 6, 2008... Unfortunately, I didn't get to see either Flash of Genius or An American Carol when they opened last weekend. Flash of Genius is the story of inventor Robert Kearns and his patent-infringement fight with Ford, Chrysler and other automakers...

Panamera: Can Porsche defy skeptics again?
October 6, 2008... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Analysts and enthusiasts said it couldn't be done. Porsche management is probably blowing the German equivalent of raspberries to the pessimists who said they could not sell an SUV. The Cayenne has been a big...

Lagonda's forte: Luxurious sedans that go very fast.(Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin Aston Martin is reviving the Lagonda luxury-car brand and will back it up with a pair of cars. The Lagonda models will share Aston's VH platform, but the ride will be softened. Basically, Aston Martins will...

Maserati: Sporty gets even sportier.(Officine Alfieri Maserati S.p.A.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Luca Ciferri As if Maserati isn't sporty enough, the proud Italian automaker is adding two S models as in sport and a bigger V-8 to its GranTurismo and Quattroporte lines. The 4.7-liter V-8 had been created for the...

Couped-up? Lamborghini considers a sedan.(Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Mark Rechtin Lamborghini has rarely ventured onto new turf. In the late 1980s, it created the monstrous LM002 SUV, a Hummer-stomper before Hummer even existed. But for the most part, Lamborghini has stayed well within the coupe...

Automakers are high on electrics.
October 6, 2008... Byline: Dave Guilford Although overshadowed by the flood of hybrids, electric vehicles are winning converts at the world's automakers. No gasoline backup engine. No on-board generator. And, their advocates add, no emissions. At...

U.S. may get more diesel Jettas.(Volkswagen United States Inc.)(Brief article)
October 6, 2008... Volkswagen's U.S. dealers are sold out of this year's allocation of about 1,300 diesel-powered Jetta sedans and wagons. But the automaker probably will get a bigger allotment to sell, said Stefan Jacoby, CEO of the Volkswagen Group of America...

IAC will open first India plant.(B)
October 6, 2008... PUNE, India International Automotive Components Group will supply interior components and systems starting in 2010 from its new plant in Chakan in the state of Maharashtra. The plant, IAC's first in India, will manufacture cockpits and...

TL stretches factory's flexibility; New materials require Honda plant to make drastic changes.(American Honda Motor Company Inc. Acura)
October 6, 2008... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Acura customers may not notice the weight-saving aluminum hood on the redesigned 2009 Acura TL sedan, but employees at the Marysville Auto Plant sure did. The use of aluminum, hot-stamped steel and other new...

Is Ford's MyKey really for My Kid?(NEWS)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... As the father of three grown sons, I'm familiar with the parental anxiety of having a newly licensed teenage driver behind the wheel of the family car doing who-knows-what with who-knows-whom who-knows-where. I'm certain that each of them...

Supply LINE.(NEWS)(Autoliv Inc's development of new anti-sliding airbag)(restructure of Citation Corp.)(GKN Driveline's contract with Mitsubishi Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... GKN supplies driveline parts for Lancer Evo Tochigi, Japan GKN Driveline Torque Technology K.K. will supply driveline components, including power transfer units, for the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution RS GKN Driveline, of Tochigi,...

Nissan will add 1 mpg to Versa; Infiniti G series will get 2 mpg boost.(NEWS)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Nissan will squeeze one more mile per gallon from the Mexican-built Versa small car by retuning its continuously variable transmission. That's not much, but it goes to the heart of Nissan's problem with the...

Small cars from Europe? Don't belittle the idea.(NEWS)(Paris auto show)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Several automakers say they might export small European cars to the United States cars so diminutive, the companies admit they wouldn't have dreamed of selling them here just a few months ago. Audi may bring over its little A1, and Toyota...

F-series sales: Steep descent to below 500,000?(NEWS)(Financial report)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Jamie LaReau How the mighty F has fallen. Though still America's top-selling vehicle, Ford's F-series pickup is tracking at below 500,000 sales for the full year. It even could finish at less than half its 2004 peak of 939,463. ...

AUTO NEWS digest.(NEWS)(Toyota Motor Corp. opened its second campus)(Honda Motor Co. opened new plant)(Hyundai Motor America)
October 13, 2008... Toyota expands tech center YORK TOWNSHIP, Mich. Toyota Motor Corp. last week opened its second campus for the Toyota Technical Center. The $187 million complex here expands the center where employees engineer Toyota's U.S. vehicles. The...

Honda's Ohio engine plant expands to serve Indiana.(NEWS)(Honda of America Manufacturing Inc.)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Honda has expanded its giant Anna Engine Plant here to supply the company's new assembly plant in nearby Greensburg, Ind. Already Honda's largest automobile engine plant, Anna has begun making parts previously...

On the Web.(NEWS)
October 13, 2008... This week at www.autonews.com: * Tuesday: Johnson Controls will Webcast its 2009 outlook at 8 a.m. EDT. * Wednesday: J.D. Power hosts its annual forecasting fall conference at 8 a.m. EDT. * Wednesday: Automotive News hosts a...

STRATEGY 2009: ROB STRASBERG.(NEWS)
October 13, 2008... What's the last stuff you loaded on your iPod? I have two kids under 3, so it was Raffi. But I get a download of 20 to 25 songs every few weeks from the music guy at Doner so I can be relevant.

AUTO NEWS digest.(NEWS)(automobile dealers suffering automobile sales)(Volkswagen AG's Mexican subsidiary's vehicles production)(used-car sales down)
October 13, 2008... NADA's Sykora: Bailout must be activated quickly DETROIT u Auto dealers hope the federal government's $700 billion bailout package will thaw credit markets so they can finance floorplans and consumer purchases, the chairman of the National...

Cruze may get hatch, wagon, other variants.(NEWS)(General Motors Corp's Chevrolet Cruze )(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Amy Wilson The compact Chevrolet Cruze will start its life as a sedan but is likely to spawn several variants. Other Cruze body styles could include hatchbacks and station wagons, said Hans Demant, managing director of Opel,...

Mazda: Dealers will get floorplans.(NEWS)(Mazda Motor of America Inc.)(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Donna Harris Despite a virtual freeze on credit, Mazda North American Operations is confident that nearly all of the 92 U.S. Mazda dealers who must find new sources of inventory financing by year end will do so. This week,...

Michael Gillespie.(NEWS)
October 13, 2008... Age: 38 Dealerships: Gillespie Chevrolet-Pontiac, Freedom Auto Depot (used cars), Chicago; Gillespie Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep, Midlothian, Ill. 2007 unit sales: 1,550 new, 848 used at Gillespie Chevrolet-Pontiac; 1,952 used at Freedom Auto...

Toyota Financial tests loyalty-discount plan.(NEWS)(Toyota Financial Services)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Alysha Webb Toyota Financial Services is offering some owners of Toyota cars and trucks as much as $1,000 to return to their dealerships for new models. To be eligible, the owners must finance their vehicles through Toyota...

Nightmare on Wall St.(NEWS)(General Motors Corp. released statement on bankruptcy protection )(Brief article)
October 13, 2008... Is it Halloween yet? It's scary out there. With global stock markets in free fall, General Motors was forced to issue a statement Friday that "bankruptcy protection is not an option GM is considering. Bankruptcy would not be in the...

Dealer generates Web leads - and a new business.(NEWS)
October 13, 2008... Byline: Bradford Wernle Michael Gillespie needed to figure out how to get customers from more upscale areas to drive past other dealerships to his stores in one of the highest crime areas on the South Side of Chicago. So Gillespie, 38,...