Automotive News articles from September 2005

Automotive News archives from September 2005

Production.
September 5, 2005... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy.

Calendar.
September 5, 2005... AUTO SHOWS - 2005 Sept. 15-25 - Frankfurt International Motor Show, Frankfurt/Main Fairgrounds, Frankfurt, (press days: Sept. 13 and 14), 49-69-975-070, www.iaa.de Sept. 15-25 - Oklahoma State Fair Auto Show, State Fair Park, Oklahoma...

High hopes in Frankfurt: Part 2 of 2; Nervous launches for Mercedes S class, Jaguar XK, Fiat Punto.(News)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Automotive News Europe staff MAZDA The Sassou three-door hatchback concept hints at Mazda's plans for replacing the M2 small car with something more exciting. The concept was designed by Mazda's Frankfurt studio. The name...

NHTSA roof rule comes under attack; Critics: Agency uses wrong method to test strength.(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Retired engineer William Chu offers this response to the government's plan to strengthen vehicle roofs against collapse in rollover crashes: "Not only does it not do the job, it probably makes it worse.'' Chu,...

Can the new XK coupe jump-start Jaguar?(Jaguar Cars Ltd.brings its remodelled XK coupe expecting much more sales )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Struggling Jaguar Cars Ltd. brings the redesigned XK coupe flagship to the Frankfurt auto show next week, hoping its halo will jump-start sales. Most of Jaguar's major models have fallen far short of sales...

The new Ford Escort?(Ford Motor Co. will fire 400 white-collar workers )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Ford Motor Co. will fire roughly 400 white-collar workers in North America this year - but there's no guarantee that will be the end of involuntary departures. Ford COO Jim Padilla told employees in an Aug. 19 e-mail that "there is no easy...

Chevy HHR stars in offbeat TV ads; Division also will push HHR, Impala on Web, in print.(News)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Laura Clark Geist Chevrolet is taking product placement to new lengths in its advertising launches of the new HHR and re-engineered Impala. To launch the 2006 HHR small wagon, the brand is sponsoring a contest that invites...

GM will build 7,000 Solstices this year; Pontiac has 13,000 orders; Del. plant will speed up line.(Pontiac Solstice)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau Nearly half of the customers who have ordered the new Pontiac Solstice won't get the roadster until next year. General Motors expects to build 7,000 units this year, Lori Queen, GM's vehicle line executive for...

Can the Honda Civic be cool again? Automaker plans to spend big to attract youthful buyers.(News)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson Honda is offering the usual goodies on the redesigned Civic - more power, a fancier stereo system and side curtain airbags. But what the automaker really wants to add to the car is youthful image. "We're...

AIADA not needed, will wreak havoc; Who deserves dealer campaign cash?(American International Automobile Dealers Association)(Editorial)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Jack Taylor Your Aug. 15 article headlined "Dealer groups spar over campaign cash'' begins by saying that "a tense behind-the-scenes battle is under way for control of millions of dollars that dealers contribute to political...

Carmakers boost online video use.(Marketing)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Grant W. Repsher autonews@crain.com Auto marketers are using more video content on their Web sites and in online advertisements. Online video technology allows automakers to maximize their investment in TV commercials by...

AIADA wants to aid small businesses; Who deserves dealer campaign cash?(American International Automobile Dealers Association)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Don Hicks Several statements in your Aug. 15 story, "Dealer groups spar over campaign costs,'' imply that the American International Automobile Dealers Association is acting outside federal election laws in examining the issue. ...

Dieter didn't take the bait in Dearborn.(Dieter Zetsche)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Forbes magazine says that in the spring of 2003, Ford Motor Co. CEO Bill Ford tried to talk Dieter Zetsche, CEO of the Chrysler group, into moving across town and taking the reins in Dearborn. Zetsche reportedly turned down the offer, even...

Market shifts to thrifty cars; Even before fuel price spike, consumers turned away from gas-guzzlers.
September 5, 2005... Byline: John K. Teahen Jr. Even before the humongous gasoline price hikes triggered by Hurricane Katrina, Americans were turning away from gas-swilling pickups and SUVs last month and were buying - of all things - cars. The situation...

Metaldyne posts improved 2nd quarter.
September 5, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Successful product launches and a good customer mix helped Metaldyne Corp. offset high steel prices to post substantially improved second-quarter results. The Plymouth, Mich., supplier of powertrain and...

Auto News briefly.(Briefs)
September 5, 2005... Paying big yen for prestige Pricing in Japan is "unlike any other market,'' says Hans Tempel, CEO of DaimlerChrysler Japan. He cites a recent anecdote that shows Japanese consumers' desire to pay for prestige. A shopper came in to a...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 5, 2005... Lee and 'gangsta' just don't do it To the Editor: Maybe it's me, but I don't get it, and apparently numerous customers feel the same way. How does a barely intelligible exchange between an automobile icon like Lee Iacocca and a...

2 Jeep entry-level concepts debut.(Chrysler Corp. introducing a jeep automobile Patriot and Compass)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz The Patriot and Compass concepts show the new direction of the Jeep brand - entry-level. The two car-based concepts are expected to debut as production vehicles for the 2007 model year. The small SUVs, which...

Kerkorian buys more GM stock.(Kirk Kerkorian)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Kirk Kerkorian has raised his stake in General Motors. The Las Vegas billionaire's companies - Tracinda Corp. and 250 Rodeo Drive, both of Beverly Hills, Calif. - now hold 9.53 percent of GM common stock, or almost 54 million shares. That...

Suzuki mulls Grand Vitara hybrid for U.S.(Suzuki Motor Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Yuzo Yamaguchi Suzuki Motor Corp. may introduce a hybrid version of the Grand Vitara SUV to the United States by 2010. Suzuki hasn't decided which model should have a hybrid powertrain - a gasoline engine plus electric motor....

Fuel costs raise doubts for GM SUVs.(General Motors Corp.)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Fill 'er up? Maybe not. In some U.S. cities last week, regular unleaded gasoline was selling for $3.49 a gallon. That means filling a three-quarter-ton Chevrolet Suburban's 37.5-gallon tank cost a wallet-whopping...

Adaptive cruise control stars at Frankfurt; Suppliers prepare to introduce a variety of advanced technology.(News)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle The latest adaptive cruise control systems will take the technology where it has never been before - into stop-and-go city traffic. Robert Bosch GmbH, Continental AG, Delphi Corp., Siemens VDO Automotive and TRW...

Maybe not everybody should buy a new car.(Final assembly)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham If you think value pricing is the wave of the future, you'll appreciate the findings of a survey in which 62 percent of new-vehicle shoppers said they prefer a single, set price. Not having to dicker with the...

Late News.(Collins and Aikman Corp., Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Collins & Aikman seeks extension DETROIT - Collins & Aikman Corp. of Troy, Mich., has asked a federal bankruptcy judge to give the company a five-month extension to complete its Chapter 11 reorganization plan. The company sought...

Corrections.(Correction)
September 5, 2005... * A late news item about Metaldyne Corp. on Page 3 of the Aug. 29 issue omitted the following information: Metaldyne has been updating accounting procedures in response to weaknesses cited by accounting firm KPMG at companies that Metaldyne had...

High stakes in Frankfurt.(Daimler-Benz AG, Jaguar Cars Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Jaguar's redesigned XK, below, is one of three crucial vehicles debuting at the Frankfurt auto show next week. Ailing Jaguar needs a hit. Likewise, Mercedes-Benz seeks to restore its technological luster with the S class. The Frankfurt show...

Overhaul means a slimmer Delphi.(Steve Miller )
September 5, 2005... Byline: Robert Sherefkin CEO Steve Miller's looming overhaul of Delphi Corp. could leave the giant supplier 20 percent smaller, or about $5 billion less than it has today. Assuming that Delphi sells or closes the 11 North American...

Mosingo: New Venture needs fast growth; C&A is targeted by new rival.(Jerry Mosingo)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Greg Bowens, Rhoda Miel Jerry Mosingo, the new CEO of an interiors company created from the remnants of Venture Holdings Co. LLC, believes the company can grow quickly. Mosingo, 54, left as COO of ASC Inc. of Southgate, Mich.,...

Damaged cars could get 'washed' titles.(News)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Arlena Sawyers Hurricane Katrina's high winds and heavy flooding have damaged 250,000 to 500,000 vehicles in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Carfax Inc. estimates. That total includes new and used vehicles on dealership...

It's time for the UAW to change.(Column)(United Automobile Workers)(Column)
September 5, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN A couple of weeks ago, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger met with some of his predecessors at the union's headquarters in Detroit. Doug Fraser, who headed the UAW from 1977 to 1983, said this is the toughest time the...

Dealers.(Jim Hudson of Jim Hudson Automotive Group opened many businesses)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Beginnings * Jim Hudson of Jim Hudson Automotive Group opened Jim Hudson Toyota-Scion in Irmo, S.C. Hudson also owns Jim Hudson Pontiac-GMC, Jim Hudson Lexus and Jim Hudson Mitsubishi in Columbia, S.C., and Jim Hudson Lexus in Augusta, Ga....

GM to Solstice buyers: Stay cool.(General Motors Corp. delaying the delivery of Solstice to the buyers)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Pontiac's new Solstice is sure getting a lot of buzz. Mostly, it's good buzz, but not all. After Solstice buyers openly complained on General Motors' FastLane Internet blog about slow shipments of their convertibles, GM responded. In...

I say DAME-ler, you say DIME-ler.(Jaguar introducing a car named as Jaguar Daimler Super Eight )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... For more than 100 years British monarchs and royalty around the world have been chauffeured in Daimlers. At the Frankfurt auto show this month, Jaguar is reviving its Daimler ultraluxury sub-brand after a three-year absence with the launch of...

NHTSA hits brakes on offset crash test.(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Regulators are scrapping plans to add a high-speed offset crash test to the government's vehicle safety standards anytime soon. Adrian Lund, COO of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, calls that decision...

Court rejects captive's bid for tax credit on loan losses.(Legal File)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Eric Freedman Lenders that finance vehicle transactions aren't entitled to a credit or refund for the sales taxes on the deficiencies they absorb after customers default, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled. In a defeat for...

Supply line.(Audi of America Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Intier Automotive Inc.)
September 5, 2005... BorgWarner wins Audi Q7 contract DETROIT- BorgWarner Inc. will make the all-wheel-drive transfer case for the Audi Q7. The case will aid handling and fuel efficiency for the luxury SUV, which goes on sale next year. The system will be...

Employee pricing revives Ford dealer profits.(Ford Motor Co.)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson After six months of severe profit declines, employee pricing helped Ford Division dealers set a July record for dealer profits. Lincoln-Mercury dealer profits also rebounded in July, though they are still down...

Suzuki buys TV time for new Grand Vitara.(Suzuki Motor Company Ltd.)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Kathy Jackson American Suzuki is going on broadcast network TV for the first time to tout the redesigned Grand Vitara SUV. The Japanese company, most commonly known for small, fuel efficient vehicles, wants to create a rugged,...

Sales in China warm up in July.(light weight vehicles sale grow)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Alysha Webb Light-vehicle sales in China were brisk in July, suggesting healthy growth has returned to the market after last year's slump. July sales rose 48.2 percent to 265,257, compared with July 2004, according to...

GM pickups, SUVs need brake repair.(General Motors Corp., sport utility vehicles)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer General Motors is recalling about 800,000 pickups and SUVs in 14 states for a repair intended to keep the trucks' antilock brakes from malfunctioning. These vehicles from the 1999-2002 model years are affected:...

Toyota creates roundtables to gain supplier feedback.(Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc.)(Brief Article)(Panel Discussion)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc. is holding roundtables with groups of 10 to 15 suppliers as it tries to take the pulse of the supplier industry. The roundtables, which began this year, are sounding...

Editor's expertise is beyond price; Reporter, statistician, commentator, friend. After 50 years, Jack still shapes our paper.(Jack Teahan)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Edward Lapham Lee Iacocca isn't the only 80-year-old still going strong in the auto industry. While Chrysler's former CEO appears in a few commercials from time to time, Automotive News Senior Editor John K. Teahen Jr. remains...

GM will tout fuel economy.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors will make fuel efficiency a key marketing theme, company executives say. "We need to go on the offensive,'' says Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis. "The...

New price paths must be fair to dealer, sales staff.(no haggle stickers and value pricing)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... The auto industry is struggling toward a new pricing model as Ford and General Motors attempt to merge two pricing philosophies: no-haggle stickers and value pricing. It won't be easy, but change is inevitable because customers want it....

Mitsubishi sales rise 2 pct.; first gain in 2 years.(Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... For the first time in more than two years, the people at Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America could cheer instead of cringe as they reported their monthly sales numbers. August sales were 2.1 percent higher than in the year-ago month. ...

Some publishers succumb to integrating editorial, ads.(car companies are getting advertisement addictive)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Nat Ives, Jean Halliday Marketing executives at Hummer, a frequent advertiser in the culture magazine Black Book, said they wanted exposure outside traditional ad pages. In the magazine's spring/summer issue they got it. Black...

GM moves quickly to realign brands.(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein General Motors is moving quickly to realign its Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail channel, GM's top marketing executive says. Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing in North America, last...

IBM joins effort to warn of warranty woes.(International Business Machines Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Ralph Kisiel IBM Corp. has begun selling new software to help automakers and suppliers collect and analyze large quantities of data - including handwritten notes from mechanics - to more quickly identify problems that could lead to...

Devastated dealers face rough road ahead.(by Hurricane Katrina)(challenges that are to be faced by dealers)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett Florida dealers who are still coping with the aftermath of four hurricanes last year know the obstacles their Gulf Coast counterparts face amid Hurricane Katrina's destruction. Among the challenges they cite: ...

Dealerships become tourist attractions.(Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati dealership)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Larry Edsall autonews@crain.com It's every dealer's dream: people lined up more than 20 deep to get into the showroom. But it happens every day at the new Penske-Wynn Ferrari-Maserati dealership on the strip here. The...

High hopes in Frankfurt: Part 1 of 2; Nervous launches for Mercedes S class, Jaguar XK, Fiat Punto.(Frankfurt auto show)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Automotive News Europe staff Executives at Jaguar, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz are likely holding their breath. They need a strong positive response to their unveilings this month at the Frankfurt auto show. The redesigned...

Saturn will offer less-expensive hybrid model.(Saturn Corp. Vue Greenline gasoline-electric hybrid )(Brief Article)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett The new Saturn Vue Greenline gasoline-electric hybrid coming next summer will add a twist to the hybrid equation: a more affordable price. Value, along with better fuel economy and lower emissions, will be the...

Katrina's wrath; Hurricane shatters dealerships, scatters employees.(automobile industry suffered a lot)(gave donations for hurricane relief)
September 5, 2005... Byline: Gail Kachadourian Tony Gullo has two Toyota dealerships near New Orleans, one of the areas Hurricane Katrina ravaged most mercilessly. As of late last week, he learned the stores were still standing, but little else. About 250...

Late News.(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... VW execs swap jobs DETROIT - Volkswagen has reassigned its U.S. brand chief, Len Hunt, to run sales and marketing for Bentley Motors Group in England. Bentley's current sales and marketing chief, Adrian Hallmark, will replace Hunt in the...

Health care can become a profitmaker; First, GM must buy insurer firm and cover own workers.(Opinion)(General Motors Corp.)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Robert M. Wallach General Motors' health care crisis can be solved. The cure won't come from a confrontation that would poison all facets of GM's relationship with the UAW while yielding givebacks that are less than insurance...

Hurricane Katrina doesn't scare Kia.(Final assembly)(Kia Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Kia Motors Corp. apparently isn't letting Hurricane Katrina's Gulf-area destruction and chaos scare it away from building a plant in Mississippi. Last week, a company spokesman in Seoul told Reuters that Kia CEO Chung Eui Sun said...

Carmakers' supply grows.(News)(supply days)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Light-vehicle stocks have grown. Rising gasoline prices and the diminishing impact of employee pricing schemes by the Big 3 have affected sales - and with them, inventories. Also affected is the number of days...

Big week for recalls: Almost 5 million.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... The U.S. auto industry recalled more cars than it sold last week: Ford recalled 3.8 million pickups and SUVs, and Toyota called back 978,000 pickups and SUVs. Ford's recall involved 1994-2002 Ford F-150 pickups and Expedition and Bronco...

Zeta returns as rwd option for GM.(News)(General Motors Corp.)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Six months after General Motors halted plans to use its Zeta rear-wheel-drive car architecture in North America, the company has revived the program. In an interview with Automotive News last week, Jim Queen, GM's...

Henrik Fisker starts from scratch; Danish designer ditches corporate life to launch his own coachbuilder.(Special Report)(Fisker Coachbuild LLC)(Interview)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Mark Rechtin Two days before Christmas last year Henrik Fisker walked away from one of the most envied design jobs in the auto industry. Fisker, head of design for Aston Martin - the man who penned the Aston Martin DB9 and BMW...

VW begins production of Bugatti Veyron; Automaker may build a second model.(News)(Volkswagen AG)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Many doubted the day would ever come. But six years after its auto show debut and two years after a humiliating racetrack crash, the Bugatti Veyron is finally rolling off the assembly line. Volkswagen AG...

What makes some designs work while others fail? By keeping a few of the basic rules in mind, designers can avoid a plethora of creative pitfalls.(Special Report)(Column)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Larry Edsall Admit it, as children many of us spent way too many hours drawing cars. Talk about exotic designs. Chances are our drawings had swoopy lines, oversized tires, extended fins, maybe even a rocket engine. But there was no...

M-B changes product development.(News)(Mercedes-Benz )
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners jmeiners@crain.com Mercedes-Benz has changed the way it develops products in an effort to improve quality and reduce costs. The goal is to share more parts across model lines. Instead of vehicle program...

Behind the badge.(Special Report)(logos)
September 12, 2005... Talk to a designer and you're likely to hear how important brand heritage and design DNA are. But a logo says a lot about a car company, too. As proof, consider the millions of dollars that automakers spend to plaster their logos on the sides...

Employee-discount party isn't over . . . but they're starting to fold up the chairs.(Final assembly)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Detroit automakers' enthusiasm for employee-pricing discounts is dimming. Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, joined the Chrysler group and General Motors in extending the discounts. But Ford cut the list of eligible vehicles. GM...

Analysts: A strike by the CAW is unlikely.(News)(Canadian Auto Workers)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Dan Westell The Canadian Auto Workers union named Ford Motor Co. as its bargaining target last week. The strategy is designed in part to help reach a deal with struggling General Motors, an industry analyst says. Dennis...

Visteon turns focus to Europe; Supplier will further cut its reliance on ex-parent Ford.(Suppliers)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Tony Lewin Visteon Corp. is looking outside North America and past Ford Motor Co. for growth. This year, for the first time since being spun off by Ford, Visteon will do more business with Ford's competitors than with its...

GM: Global plan means big savings.(General Motors Corp.)(Interview)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein General Motors executives say the reorganization of the company's product development is saving money. GM is consolidating the development of global vehicle programs under six different executives. The automaker...

Ford fast-tracks Fields to fix North America; Ex-PAG chief will have to close plants, fire workers.
September 12, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Mark Fields, the fourth head of Ford Motor Co.'s Americas operations in four years, is coming to Dearborn to do the dirty work - overhaul Ford's failed turnaround plan. The 44-year-old golden boy led Mazda's...

Edgy design tough to do for mass market; Big 3 designers realize success means taking risks.(Special Report)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jean Halliday jhalliday@crain.com Pity Detroit's auto designers. They walk a fine line between trying to be edgy without turning off mainstream America, not to mention winning approval from their own top executives. Get it right,...

GM worries about its tooling at C&A; Automaker wants equipment back if finance plan fails.(News)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Greg Bowens General Motors has asked for court permission to pull its equipment from Collins & Aikman Corp. factories if the supplier, which is in Chapter 11, refuses a purchase order or is unable to find more financing by Sept....

GM's last shot at global failed.(News)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein The last time General Motors tried to go global, the horn didn't work. A decade ago, during the first incarnation of GM's Delta fwd small-car program, the automaker didn't understand the nuances of different...

Slipping Big 3 get traction in D.C. Automakers make gains in legislation, fuel economy plan.(News)(Washington D.C.)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Critics scoffed when the Big 3 sent lawmakers and federal officials a glossy brochure this year that touted the importance of "the U.S. Auto Industry'' to the nation's economy. Today's industry amounts to much...

Obituaries.(Obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
September 12, 2005... J. Curtis Lewis Jr. SAVANNAH, Ga. - J. Curtis Lewis Jr., president of J.C. Lewis Motor Co. Inc. here, died Aug. 20. He was 79. Milt Nielsen SAINT PETER, Minn. - Milt Nielsen, retired owner of Nielsen Chevrolet here, died July 31....

Dealership expansions bring growing pains.(News)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Jenny King Auto dealers who want to expand their stores need two things: cash and patience. Building showrooms or carving out more space at an existing site almost always involves growing pains, say dealers who have experienced...

Ford makes electricity from paint fumes.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Greg Migliore Ford Motor Co. plans to use one of an auto plant's nastiest byproducts - paint fumes - to make electricity at its Michigan Truck plant in Wayne, Mich. Starting this month, equipment at the plant will turn...

Personnel.(People)(Bowling Green appoints Robert Huey)(Nick Stanage joins Dana Corp.)(David Wajsgras joins Lear Corp.)
September 12, 2005... COOPER-STANDARD AUTOMOTIVE - Jiri Gajdosik, 49, to manager of the fluid systems plant in Zdar, Czech Republic. He was manager at the Delphi Packard Electric plant in Lipa, Czech Republic. Robert Huey, 49, to plant manager of the Bowling...

Ford joins Fiat to replace Ka.(News)(Ford of Europe Inc. and Fiat Auto (Belgio) S.A.)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri lciferri@craincom.de Ford of Europe will rely on Fiat Auto to replace the Ka minicar. The new car will be a reskinned version of a Fiat minicar due in late 2007. The Ford car is due in 2008. Fiat will build...

Court: Odometer law claims must relate to mileage.(Legal File)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Eric Freedman Consumers can't rely on the federal odometer law and its triple-damages provision to sue dealerships over fraud claims unrelated to mileage, a unanimous appeals court panel has ruled. The court said Congress meant...

Feds investigate breaking Scion glass.(News)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Harry Stoffer Toyota has launched and sold 200,000 units of three Scion vehicles in just over two years without a safety recall. But that achievement may be in jeopardy. Federal safety officials said last week that they are...

GM Daewoo flexes its styling muscles; Key designer creates for global market.(Special Report)(GM Daewoo Auto and Technology Company Ltd.)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe Jeon Byung Kwon can vividly remember when he became fascinated with the automobile. Jeon was in the sixth grade, about 1978, and his family lived in the Korean countryside. He was 13, and he had never seen a car....

Mixing politics and autos.(Column)(Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung)
September 12, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN One of the largest automobile shows in the world opens this week in Frankfurt. The show is called Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, which translates to International Motor Show, but it's known as just IAA. What...

Suppliers to the 2006 Hyundai Sonata.(Suppliers)(Brief Article)
September 12, 2005... Hyundai's best-selling sedan has been redesigned for 2006. The new Sonata gains 2 inches in length and height and has a 1-inch longer wheelbase than the previous version. The seating position also is an inch higher. The 2006 Sonata has two...

Callum: Too many opinions bring mediocrity.(Special Report)(Interview)
September 12, 2005... Byline: Richard Truett As Jaguar introduces the XK sports car this week at the Frankfurt auto show, the Ian Callum era at the automaker officially begins. The car is the first production vehicle Callum, who joined Jaguar in 1999, has...