Automotive News articles from September 2007

Automotive News archives from September 2007

Personnel.(People)(Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. appointed Mark Del Rosso)(Resource Automotive Group. appointed John England)(Resource Dealer Group appointed Tom Murray)
September 3, 2007... RESOURCE AUTOMOTIVE GROUP - John England to president and COO, responsible for Resource Dealer Group, First Extended Services Corp. and Resource Training/Consulting. He had been executive vice president of Resource Dealer Group. Tom Murray...

Microsoft won't rush new system to market.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Microsoft Corp. says it is ready to begin testing its much-anticipated dealership management system at dealership groups and with automakers. A year after Microsoft said it would sell a dealership management...

Smart ForTwo sales start in '08.(Future Products)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Mercedes-Benz has turned over U.S. distribution of its Smart minicars to Penske Automotive Group. Sales of the two-seater begin in early 2008. ForTwo: Three trim levels are planned. The entry-level model,...

Rolls plans to fill gap with smaller model.(Future Products)(Rolls-Royce )
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko With a second model scheduled to launch in 2010, Rolls-Royce expects to double its annual worldwide output to 1,600 cars. The ultraluxury brand wants to fill the gap between the Rolls-Royce Phantom and the BMW...

With products, image set, Audi now wants U.S. sales.(Future Products)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Audi has prestige, a sterling reputation and is beating Mercedes-Benz and BMW in German magazine surveys. It also is winning the sales race in some segments in Europe. But U.S. sales are struggling. Audi...

1 series: BMW's entry level gets smaller.(Future Products)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko The BMW 1 series is finally coming to the United States. European sales began in 2004. The big question is whether a small premium-priced car without the heritage and quirky styling of the Mini can succeed...

Mini aims to maximize with new models.(Future Products)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Since its U.S. launch in 2002, Mini has surprised the market with the success of its retro-styled Cooper models. Sales are expected to grow from about 39,000 last year to 56,000 in 2009, say Mini sources. Most...

BMW's mighty, muscular M3 now has a V-8.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko BMW redefined the muscle car with its first M3 nearly 20 years ago, packing lots of power into a small package that used a four-cylinder engine. That was yesterday - a 215-hp German pocket rocket. The 2009 M3...

China plans big Detroit splash.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... China's presence at the Detroit auto show will be noticeably larger in 2008. Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which puts on the Detroit show, told the Detroit Free Press last week that five Chinese...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Bankruptcy reorganization at Dura Automotive Systems Inc.)(labor relations of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc.)(politicians opinion on Corporate average fuel economy)
September 3, 2007... Chevy prices 2008 Malibu DETROIT - Chevrolet has priced its restyled, re-engineered 2008 Malibu sedan, starting at $19,995 for the base LS version. A hybrid version starts at $22,790. Both prices include shipping. All Malibus come with...

Continental to streamline units; 3-division setup to go into effect after VDO deal is completed.(Suppliers)
September 3, 2007... Byline: April Wortham Continental AG will streamline its automotive business operations after acquiring Siemens VDO. Plans call for organizing the combined company around three divisions in which Continental expects the most growth:...

Chrysler splits from GM, Ford on UAW health care.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: David Barkholz Unlike Ford Motor Co. and General Motors, Chrysler LLC isn't pushing hard to shift its retiree health care burden into a union-administered trust. A source close to the company says Chrysler's savings from a...

Will M-B absorb Maybach?(Future Products)(Mercedes-Benz)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Mercedes-Benz executives say it doesn't cost much to keep Maybach on the market. But that's not heartening news to the 70-plus U.S. dealers who each invested more than $500,000 to create what the automaker...

Saab looks to expand lineup.(Future Products)(Saab Cars USA Inc.)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau With U.S. sales of just 36,349 last year, Saab remains a niche brand. But it still plans to play like a big-leaguer, with a range of new and updated vehicles. Saab's plans for 2007 to 2010: 9-3: The 2008...

Volvo to drop S40; new S60 gets dual role.(Future Products)(Volvo of America Corp.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Rechtin Of all the Ford Motor Co. luxury brands for sale, Volvo may be the most integrated with the Blue Oval. Both of Volvo's key platforms are used by other Ford Motor brands. Separation from Ford could throw Volvo's...

Europeans plan new wave of diesels.(Future Products)
September 3, 2007... Automakers have faced a tough business case for diesel engines in the United States since early this decade. Because of California's stringent air quality rules - which also were adopted in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine and seven...

Outside forces direct Europe's future car lines.(Future Product)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Rick Kranz You know the world is changing when you learn that one of the most respected sports car makers is gearing up for a hybrid model. Porsche will offer hybrid technology in a future Cayenne SUV and the upcoming Panamera...

Bertsch takes top IT spot at Chrysler; Unger to retire.(People)(appointment of Jan Bertsch at Chrysler LLC)(Sue Unger)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Ralph Kisiel Jan Bertsch is the new chief information officer at Chrysler LLC. Bertsch, 50, replaces Sue Unger, who was chief information officer and a senior vice president for DaimlerChrysler AG. Unger, 57, has chosen to...

Dearth of product, death of Mercury? Dealers, analysts see ominous trend.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Amy Wilson, Donna Harris With little new product in the pipeline, Mercury faces extinction in a few years, industry analysts predict and many dealers fear. Ford Motor Co.'s only known new product for Mercury after the 2008...

Production.
September 3, 2007... 3 tables: Scheduled plant overtime * Plant closings * North America car and truck production: see print copy. CAPTION(S): Chrysler LLC will begin producing the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country, above, and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans on...

Tower exits Chap. 11 without GM business.(Suppliers)(contracts of Tower Automotive Inc. and General Motors Corp.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Robert Sherefkin Tower Automotive Inc.'s new CEO, Mark Malcolm, has his work cut out for him. Tower recently emerged from 21/2 years of bankruptcy protection, but it must replace more than $360 million in General Motors...

Vendors: Ford still needs work; 2 years in, supplier plan shows meager results.(Ford Motor Co.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Amy Wilson Nearly two years after Ford Motor Co. said it would shift business to preferred suppliers, even the winners are questioning the program's benefits. Ford purchasing chief Tony Brown launched the Aligned Business...

Fit to be tied, VWoA resizes strategy.(Future Products)(Volkswagen of America)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Volkswagen of America's new management team is deserting the company's strategy of straddling model segments, blaming it for failing to boost sales. Today, the Jetta and Passat are between compact and mid-sized...

Porsche raises more eyebrows.(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko In recent years, Porsche has bucked the advice of enthusiasts. It joined the SUV ranks and later transformed the Boxster roadster into a stylish coupe with its own name, Cayman. Now Porsche is preparing to launch a...

Edsel designer Roy Brown: Car is still nifty at 50.(News.)(Interview)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Richard Truett Just as Roy Brown was going to dinner to celebrate his 90th birthday last October, he heard a car horn beeping loudly in his driveway. Brown, the designer of Ford's infamous 1958-60 Edsel, looked outside and saw...

Mitsubishi dealers go begging for Lancer's upmarket GTS trim.(News)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Kathy Jackson Mitsubishi's redesigned Lancer is off to a strong start, but the news isn't all good. Dealers can't get enough of the sedan's most expensive trim line, the GTS. Mitsubishi had expected the midlevel ES version to...

Meet Chrysler's recovery czar; Fuel cell specialist, weekend pilot guides revival.(News)(Andreas Schell )(Interview)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Bradford Wernle In 2004, Andreas Schell led a crack team of DaimlerChrysler engineers that patented a process for generating hydrogen gas for use in fuel cells. But the brainy young German's career has taken a sharp turn since...

GM eyes entry-level Saab for next decade.(News)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors' Saab brand is considering an entry-level vehicle that is smaller and less expensive than the 9-3 sedan. It's targeted for early in the next decade. "It might be the most dramatically styled,'' Steve...

Body-shop conference offers seminars for women.(Service & Parts)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris Women own or co-own more than a third of the nation's 40,000 body shops. In response, the collision repair industry's largest annual conference will offer its first seminars for women this year. The...

To succeed in China, think Chinese; It's a different culture; Western ways won't cut it.(Viewpoint essay)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Phil Martens As North American companies expand in China, we must change the way we think, the way we act and the way we do business if we are to be successful. We are working in an automotive world that is increasingly...

German automakers frown on Chinese clones.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... It's one thing for Chinese companies to copy auto parts, such as mufflers and brake pads. But whole cars? Mercedes-Benz, which produces the Smart minicar, says it will take legal action if the Shuanghuan Noble, which looks like the Smart...

Toyota not rushing lithium ion batteries into hybrids.(News)(Toyota Motor Corp.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Hans Greimel Toyota Motor Corp. says that lithium ion batteries are still too hazardous to put in hybrid cars and that it won't hurry development just to beat General Motors. "In the past, a lot of companies have failed with...

Ford: It's the color, stupid.(Final assembly)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Ford Motor Co. says that vehicles with popular colors, such as the pearl white Lincoln MKX, sit on dealership lots far fewer days. "Today, color is king,'' says Susan Lampinen, Ford's group chief designer for color and materials. "It draws...

Cadillac rocks out for CTS.(News)(General Motors Corp. Cadillac Motor Car Div.)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mary Connelly Cadillac is using rock 'n' roll's chief chronicle to reach younger, affluent consumers - the target buyers for the restyled 2008 CTS sedan. Cadillac will promote the CTS this week during Rolling Stone's 40th...

Toyota ally JCI gets a competitor: Toyota.(News)(contracts of Toyota Motor Corp. with Johnson Controls Inc. and Toyota Boshoku America Inc.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Lindsay Chappell Johnson Controls Inc. is a long-trusted supplier to Toyota Motor Corp. in North America. But the interiors and seats maker has some new competition - Toyota itself. Toyota plans to rely increasingly on a newly...

German makers step forward at Frankfurt: Part 1 of 2; New models debut along with latest green technology.(Special Report)
September 3, 2007... German automakers will take the spotlight at their home show with new vehicles and green technology during press days Sept. 11-12 at the Frankfurt auto show: * Audi rolls out its A4 compact - and what it says is the world's cleanest diesel...

German makers step forward at Frankfurt: Part 2 of 2; New models debut along with latest green technology.(Special Report)
September 3, 2007... MINI BMW aims to make its Mini brand even more successful with the launch of the Clubman station wagon. The Clubman is the Mini's third body style after the hatchback and convertible. Industry insiders say BMW plans to add an SUV-style...

Toyota: U.S. mortgage mess likely to hurt sales.(News)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Hans Greimel Toyota Motor Corp. expects the subprime-mortgage problem to cut U.S. auto sales, but the company still sees itself outperforming the overall U.S. market. "We can't say there won't be any impact,'' President...

Ford begins latest recall for switches.(News)(Ford Motor Co.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Harry Stoffer Ford Motor Co. began sending recall notices last month to owners of 3.6 million vehicles with a type of cruise control switch that has been linked to hundreds of vehicle and garage fires. The notices represent...

Mexico dealers take aim at used-car imports; Government urged to help cut prices for subcompacts.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Stephen Downer Mexico's new-car dealers, hit by a wave of government-sanctioned used-car imports from the United States, are urging the government to help reactivate the subcompact market. Sales of subcompacts, traditionally...

EPA on right track with its program to cut emissions.(Opinion)(Environmental Protection Agency)
September 3, 2007... The EPA should be applauded for its work to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. This should end any ill-advised proposals for state-by-state regulations, which are little more than backdoor attempts to usurp the federal...

Mercedes-Benz builds momentum.(Future Products)(Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc.)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Mercedes-Benz is on a roll. Quality has improved, and last year's S class and the newly released CL coupe have been hits. With a dramatically different-looking C class engineered to woo luxury and driving...

Jaguar: A lot rides on next year's XF.(Future Products)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Rechtin No matter who owns Jaguar, the XF sedan coming next spring is a key to the automaker's financial stability. Ford Motor Co. wants to sell Jaguar and Land Rover by the end of this month. Sales of the flagship XJ...

Land Rover 'for sale' sign may delay key redesigns.(Future Products)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Rechtin Land Rover's product plans are complicated by the fact that the brand is on the block. Ford Motor Co. is trying to sell Land Rover and Jaguar this month. Heavy costs loom for the new owner. Even though the new...

Aston, with Bez, ready for road beyond Ford.(Future Products)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mark Rechtin Aston Martin's product plan looks stable, even though Ford Motor Co. sold the English luxury brand in March to a private equity group led by Prodrive chief David Richards. The key? Ulrich Bez remains CEO. And it...

New model, transmission boost Maserati's appeal.(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko, Luca Ciferri The arrival of an automatic transmission in the Maserati Quattroporte and the addition of the GranTurismo coupe are expected to boost Maserati's worldwide sales to 7,600 cars this year from 5,600 last...

Alfa Romeo prepares for relaunch in U.S.(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko, Luca Ciferri Maserati dealers in the United States may relaunch the Alfa Romeo brand in 2009, says James Selwa, CEO of Maserati North America. Selwa is in charge of overseeing Alfa's return to the United...

Is an SUV in Lamborghini's future?(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko, Luca Ciferri Lamborghini remains a two-car range, but there are continued rumblings that a third vehicle - perhaps an SUV - is likely in the coming years. None of this is possible, though, until Lamborghini makes...

Automakers 'putting their dollars behind' HD radio.(Marketing)(High-definition radio )(Interview)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Laura Clark Geist High-definition radio is the next weapon in traditional radio stations' battle with satellite radio and other technologies for listeners, including vehicle owners. Within the next two years, an estimated 55...

The finance charge: A sex discount.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... And now, a different kind of F&I controversy. Gene Wilson, who owns a used-car lot in McMinnville, Tenn., faces a court hearing next month on a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution. Police say Wilson, 68, offered to cut the...

Lincoln will kill Mark LT pickup.(News)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Amy Wilson Lincoln's second pickup is another strikeout. Lincoln plans to drop the Mark LT after the 2008 model year - less than three years after it went on sale, several dealer, supplier and industry sources say. With a...

AutoNation enhances online service scheduling.(Service & Parts)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris AutoNation Inc. is rolling out a new online process for scheduling service appointments at its more than 250 dealerships. The nation's largest dealership group compares the process to booking airline tickets and hotel...

More moves at Chrysler: 5 execs take new jobs.(People)(Cynthia Sidoti, Robert Seabolt, Melissa Holobach )(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... CEO Bob Nardelli's personnel shake-up has begun at Chrysler LLC. Besides the announcement last week that Andreas Schell has been appointed director of its recovery and transformation plan and business strategy, Chrysler named: *...

Bentley names 2 to head N.A.(People)(Bentley Motors Inc. appointed Christophe Georges, Geoff Dowding)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Bentley Motors Inc.'s North American unit won't fill the CEO position that was vacated nearly eight months ago. But it is appointing two men to run operations in North America. Christophe Georges, 40, has been...

Will the ponies run free in the Old Country?(Final assembly)(Editorial)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Edward Lapham Face it: Most North American cars and trucks just don't appeal to Europeans. Whether it's prompted by cultural differences in size, styling, fuel economy and horsepower - or simply chauvinism - Europeans...

LOOTED? Dealership says CFO's misdeeds cost $20 million and forced sale of store.(Brandow Auto Group )
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jack Herman The family-owned Brandow Auto Group in suburban Philadelphia prides itself on treating its employees like kin. David Wexler, whose father-in-law was a friend of the group's founder, gained the family's trust and...

Late News.(BMW to move Z4 line to Germany)(Kia Motors Corp. Georgia plant on schedule)(Delphi settles shareholder suits)
September 3, 2007... Delphi settles shareholder suits Delphi Corp. on Friday said it has settled shareholder and bondholder class-action lawsuits arising from the restatement of its earnings and cash flows from March 2000 to March 2005. Delphi's employee...

Blogs flog Edwards' SUV stance.(Final assembly)(John Edwards a wealthy trial lawyer)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... When you're running a distant third in a big field of candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, you've got to do something to make an impression. This probably wasn't it. John Edwards, a wealthy trial lawyer, former U.S....

GM borrows incentive strategy from Japanese.(News)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors is taking a lesson from the Japanese carmakers in a new incentive strategy to stay ahead of an inventory glut rather than react with a big blowout sale. Toyota "never really got a ton of inventory on...

Suzuki's Gene Brown: A take-charge guy on either coast.(News)(Interview)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Kathy Jackson As a young man, Gene Brown headed west. After college in Massachusetts, he started his auto career in 1990 as a field rep in American Honda's Denver region. Brown then got an MBA in Chicago and interned for Ford...

Suzuki adds SX4 sedan to attract young men.(News)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Kathy Jackson Suzuki is taking back more control of its product lineup in the United States, and its dealers like that a lot. The SX4 Sport sedan that will be introduced in October was designed and built by Suzuki Motor Co. in...

Auto News digest.(Briefs)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... 'Sunvertible' market booms SAN JOSE, Calif. - The worldwide market for convertible tops, sunroofs, floor mats and seat covers is projected to reach $2.2 billion by 2009, a new study by the research firm Global Industry Analysts Inc....

Nissan kicks off college football promotions; Campaign includes advertising, tour and Internet events.(Marketing)(Southeastern Conference football )
September 3, 2007... Byline: Mary Connelly To promote its 2008 pickups and crossovers, especially in Southern states, Nissan Division is expanding marketing tie-ins with college football. When the new season kicked off last weekend, Nissan became the...

Soul searching.(News)
September 3, 2007... This Kia Soul prototype was spotted last month out West. Kia wants to attract the Xbox generation with the small, five-passenger vehicle, targeted at Toyota's Scion youth brand. Sales begin in 2009. CAPTION(S): photo

If we lose credit, we lose the business.(Column)
September 3, 2007... Byline: KEITH CRAIN The U.S. automobile business runs on credit. Wholesale and retail credit enables the industry to sell the millions of units it moves every year. But no one - no manufacturer and no retailer or chain of retailers -...

Letters to the Editor.(Letters)
September 3, 2007... Don't use Five Stars to hurt Chrysler To the Editor: I am a past national dealer council chairman for Chrysler-Jeep, and I was opposed to the Internet arrangement for Five Star dealers then and am still ("Dodge: No 5 stars, no Web...

Bugatti may produce a less-expensive car.(Future Product)(Bugatti Automobili S.p.A.)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko, Luca Ciferri Volkswagen AG bought Bugatti in 1998 when former CEO Ferdinand Piech was on a buying spree, gobbling up Lamborghini and Bentley as well. Since then, VW has been on a spending diet, and there is no...

High prices are no hindrance to Bentley sales.(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko Sales of Bentley's smallest, lowest-priced models are still going strong. The Continental GT, Flying Spur and GTC convertible hit the right price point with wealthy buyers: $174,000 to $200,000. But the...

Ferrari's future cars: Mega horsepower still, but lighter with smaller engines.(Future Product)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Diana T. Kurylko, Luca Ciferri Ferrari's cars are sold before they even land in U.S. showrooms, and then most models appreciate wildly. But even Ferrari is changing as it tries to become an environmentally aware automaker....

Production rises 26.4%, sales dip in Mexico in July.(Sales)(DaimlerChrysler AG)(Nissan Motor Company Ltd.)(Volkswagen AG)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Stephen Downer A total of 154,616 passenger cars and light trucks were assembled in July in Mexico, 26.4 percent more than in the same month last year. But in the first seven months of 2007, production totaled 1,142,838 units,...

A computer crash in the public interest.(Final assembly)(Brief article)
September 3, 2007... Capitalizing on growing public interest in online video, two prominent critics of the auto industry are teaming up to raise car buyers' awareness of safety crash tests. Consumer Reports is posting crash test videos from the Insurance...

Mercedes-Benz captive offers instant credit.(Finance & insurance)(Mercedes-Benz Financial )(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Donna Harris Starting next month, sales and service customers at Mercedes-Benz dealerships will be able to get approved immediately for a credit card from the automaker's captive finance company. With the instant-credit...

Under new managers, German supplier Kiekert focuses on Asia.(Suppliers)(Karl Krause)(Interview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Tom Armitage The CEO of German locking systems supplier Kiekert AG says he plans to focus on Asia to steer out of a financial crisis. Karl Krause, a former Visteon Corp. manager, joined Kiekert in June as management changed...

Ford aims to keep hard-earned lead in Russia.(News)(Henrik Nenzen of Ford of Europe )(Interview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Anna Smolchenko Automotive News Europe Russia's recent new-car sales boom took everyone by surprise, says Henrik Nenzen, who stepped down Aug. 31 after seven years as managing director of Ford of Russia. During his tenure, sales...

Delays may mean Dow will miss filter boom.(Suppliers)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Dow Automotive may miss its opportunity to win big from the predicted boom in particulate filters. Diesel particulate filters, or DPFs, are devices in vehicle exhaust systems that trap tiny particles of ash...

Reskinned 9-3 is 'a critical product' for Saab.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors' Saab brand has struggled with the quality of its 9-3 sedan, but the reskinned 2008 model gives Saab executives hope that those problems are past. "The 9-3 is a critical product for us,'' Steve...

Plastic glazing makes inroads on auto glass; Suppliers tout lighter weight, design flexibility; skeptics cite cost.(Suppliers)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink The power of plastic to cut weight and boost design flexibility has some suppliers touting the material as a clear alternative to automotive glass. Specially coated polycarbonate already is used for headlight...

Race is on to launch diesel hybrids.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Tony Lewin European automakers and suppliers are racing to be the first to launch a diesel hybrid vehicle. Robert Bosch GmbH is bidding to supply its technology for the diesel hybrid version of Peugeot's new 308 hatchback. That...

CEO keeps Audi's sights on becoming luxury leader.(News)(Rupert Stadler )(Interview)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Pia Krix Automobilwoche CEO Rupert Stadler wants Audi to become the world's No. 1 luxury carmaker by 2015. That means Audi must boost annual sales by at least 50 percent from current levels of about 1 million cars. At Audi...

Personnel.(People)(Asahi Tec Corp. appointed Logan Robinson)(Concept Industries Co. appointed Joe Stefanovsky)(Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. appointed Mark Krivoruchka)
September 10, 2007... ASAHI TEC CORP. - Logan Robinson to executive vice president, general counsel and government relations. He also will be corporate secretary on the board of directors. Robinson continues as executive vice president, general counsel and...

Torque technology adds agility to large vehicles; Consumers may not see benefit of costly option.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Tony Lewin The BMW X6 crossover, which debuts this week at the Frankfurt auto show, may have an innovation some see as the next big thing in vehicle dynamics: torque vectoring. The X6 is the first mainstream vehicle from a...

OnStar adds 2 features.(News)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Jamie LaReau General Motors' OnStar subsidiary is introducing two features to help market the telematics service and boost renewal rates. The first is Service Line Videos, video links now attached to subscribers' monthly...

Bridgestone mulls new run-flat design.(Suppliers)(Bridgestone Corp.)(Brief article)
September 10, 2007... Bridgestone Corp. is working on a tire design that could lead to run-flats for SUVs and similar vehicles. The key to the design is Bridgestone's "cooling fin'' technology, which includes protrusions on the tire sidewall that generate...

VW chases Toyota productivity, profit with 10-year plan.(News)
September 10, 2007... Byline: Tom Armitage The Volkswagen group is working on a 10-year strategic plan that aims to narrow the productivity and profit gap with Toyota. CEO Martin Winterkorn is establishing sales goals and financial targets as he seeks to...