Automotive News Europe articles from December 2005

Automotive News Europe archives from December 2005

Opel finances are better, Forster says; Europe works for GM, Ford: US carmakers' North American units are in crisis, but their volume brands are headed toward 2006 profits on this side of the Atlantic.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein After six years of losses, General Motors Europe's Opel volume brand is on the brink of breaking even in 2005. Now Carl-Peter Forster, one of the chief architects of the turnaround, will now try to push GM Europe into...

Smart must make tough choices; Will DaimlerChrysler's low-end brand go to US, get new models?
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners Eight loss-making years after it was created, Smart has not found a successful niche in the market. The quirky brand - and parent company DaimlerChrysler - must make strategic decisions on Smart's geographical...

Spain's Seat is in trouble; VW's [euro]700 million investment is not enough, say analysts.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Volkswagen group's pledge to invest an additional [euro]700 million in its Spanish subsidiary Seat over the next three years is a stopgap, not a solution to the brand's problems, say analysts. VW's planned new...

Pendragon raises bid for Vardy.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Richard Feast Pendragon, the UK's biggest dealer group, increased its takeover offer for rival Reg Vardy last week, but investors are betting a bidding war will continue. The board of Reg Vardy recommended accepting Pendragon's...

Astra closes Golf sales gap.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Opel's Astra has jumped to No. 2 in western Europe's lower-medium segment and the car is closing the sales gap with the Volkswagen Golf. Through 10 months, the Astra has halved the Golf's sales lead in the segment...

Ghosn expands internal task forces; Bright young minds charged with finding breakthroughs.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn will expand to 12 the number of internal teams looking at fresh ways of improving the French carmaker's profitability. At a recent press briefing here, Ghosn said he will add...

Renault wants sales success in premium segments.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn will make success in selling upscale cars a key part of a three-year action plan he will announce February 9. "Renault is the only carmaker able to make profits on small cars....

The revolving door to Detroit.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Fritz Henderson, newly appointed CFO of General Motors, is just the latest in a string of executives who have seen success in Europe result in promotion back to Detroit. Europe has long been a career-boosting way station for Ford and GM...

You like it? It's probably too boring.
December 12, 2005... Byline: KEITH CRAIN More than a few years ago, Henry Ford II told me a story about walking through the Ford Motor design center and happening upon a clay model of what appeared to be some new car. "Boy," he said. "I'm sure glad we're...

Why BMW wears the crown.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Richard Feast We are only halfway through the first decade of the new century and the auto industry already looks different than it did in 2000. At some point during the past five years Mercedes-Benz lost its reputation as the...

Van Gerwen is Toyota UK's goal keeper.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Olive Keogh In 2003 Hein Van Gerwen left the security of a 24-year career with NedCar to become deputy managing director of Toyota's manufacturing operations in the UK. Eighteen months later he was named managing director. Van...

Ford Europe is profitable; Europe works for GM, Ford: US carmakers' North American units are in crisis, but their volume brands are headed toward 2006 profits on this side of the Atlantic.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Ford Europe is a bright spot in an otherwise dismal global picture for struggling Ford Motor Co. Despite higher raw materials costs and increasing competition from Asian brands, Ford Europe looks set to post a...

5 years ago.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... The top stories from Automotive News Europe's December 4, 2000, issue - and how they developed. Hall of Fame opens The European Automotive Hall of Fame will induct its first class. Among the 13 charter members are Robert Bosch,...

Confidential.
December 12, 2005... Poland's torrent of tires When Poland joined the EU, its government had to end a ban on the import of second-hand vehicles from western Europe. A flood of used cars followed - 1.6 million in 2004 and 2005, many [euro]200 "bargains." ...

Industry by number.(News)
December 12, 2005... 20,000: Annual sales target for the Citroen C6 28.4%: Decline in Mercedes E-class sales in w. Europe in the first 10 months 50: Countries in Toyota Motor Europe's region 20: Years supplier SKF has been researching by-wire...

Makers try varying compression ratios; But a critic says the technology is too much work for too little gain.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink European automakers are trying to wring every possible fuel-economy advance from gasoline engines to meet upcoming, tougher European Union CO2 emission levels. The effort has already revived gasoline...

Suppliers skeptical of new Ford, VW plans; Automakers are aiming to repair broken relationships.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle, Tony Lewin Ford, Volkswagen and other automakers will have to work hard to convince a skeptical partsmaking industry that carmakers really want to begin a kinder, gentler era of cooperation with their suppliers. ...

Ford buyers will get rewards for improving supplier relations.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Amy Wilson Ford Motor is so serious about treating suppliers better that it will tie its buyers' compensation to that goal. Ford's buyers historically have been rewarded primarily for cutting prices. Now Ford global purchasing...

Sasaki wants to build more Toyotas in Europe.(Talk From The Top)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Right now, new Toyota Motor Europe CEO Shinichi Sasaki's biggest responsibility is to get the company to reach 1.2 million sales in Europe by 2010. But his job may get even more challenging: a company source says...

Bill Ford: Company is in crisis, not chaos.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Peter Brown, Amy Wilson Ford's North American business is in crisis, CEO Bill Ford says, and that means the rest of the Ford world including Europe, must be concerned. The head of the family-controlled automaker has put two...

Core Mercedes models stall in Europe; Competing vehicles from Audi, BMW are ahead of C, E class.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jens Meiners The Mercedes E class once ruled the medium-premium segment in Europe. Not anymore. Plagued by well-publicized quality problems, E class sales dropped 28.4 percent this year compared with 2004, dropping the model to...

Opel workers plan global campaign; German officials want US allies to fight cost cutting.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Harald Hamprecht Automobilwoche Trade unions at General Motors' Opel subsidiary in Germany will discuss joint action with their US counterparts to fight cost cutting moves. Opel workers' representatives also are demanding that...

Zilina key to Kia push in Europe; Slovak plant to build both car and SUV by mid-2007.(Sport utility vehicles)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Kia will add SUV production at its new assembly plant in Zilina, Slovakia. Eight months after the December 2006 production startup of a new European car code-named ED, the Korean automaker will start building...

Chrysler readies European product offensive.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz The Chrysler group is overhauling its operations in western Europe as part of a product offensive in its biggest export market. In January, Chrysler will open a sales, service and support office at parent...

Jeep will boost lineup in Europe.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Rick Kranz Chrysler group's Jeep brand will start a European sales offensive next year with its Commander large SUV. "The Commander is the first part of our big Jeep product offensive," said Thomas Hausch, Chrysler's executive...

Suppliers to the new Citroen C6.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Alex Graham Japanese suspension specialist Kayaba delivers hydropneumatic shock absorbers to the new Citroen C6. The shocks, which use compressed air as well as hydraulic fluid, offer features usually found on premium models such...

Citroen takes few chances with C6; French carmaker focuses on quality, sets low sales goal.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine Citroen has taken numerous steps to ensure that the launch of its first new large-segment car in the 21st century is a success. The steps include: * Setting conservative sales targets *...

Rennes plant goes on a diet.(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Sylviane de Saint-Seine To further enhance the build quality of the cars produced at its plant in Rennes, France, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen is investing in its most important asset: its people. PSA is improving the factory's work...

Great Wall plans to launch SUV, pickup; Chinese automaker may face safety criticism.(Great Wall Automobile will sell Sport utility vehicles)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Great Wall Automobile says it will sell SUVs and pickups in Italy and Spain starting next year. The Chinese automaker claims it could be selling 10,000 to 12,000 units annually in Italy within three years. ...

Fiat Oltre.(Iveco Oltre concept cars)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Fiat, the brand best known for small cars, showed it can think big with the Oltre. The concept is a giant SUV with proportions similar to or bigger than the US-built Hummer H1 and H2. For instance, at 2200mm the Oltre is as wide as the H1. The...

Citroen C-AirPlay.(C2 cars design )(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Citroen offered a hint of what its C2 small car will look like with the C-AirPlay design study. The 3300mm-long concept offers two seats for adults in the front and two rear seats for children. The C-AirPlay is the third C-concept after the...

Fiat hopes its SUV will appeal to families.(Sport utility vehicles)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Fiat wants its medium SUV - the Sedici - to be a hit with people who typically buy lower-medium hatchbacks. "We think the car will appeal to families rather than off-road enthusiasts," Fiat Brand Director Luca De...

Nanjing asks MG Rover dealers to stay loyal; Chinese carmaker pleads for patience.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Tony Lewin China's Nanjing Automobile is asking former MG Rover dealers in Europe to be patient until the company begins producing new vehicles in Longbridge, England. In a letter to dealers and importers, leaked to Automotive...

Plastics sector is consolidating; IAC, Plastal purchases alter the competitive landscape.(idle air control motor)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Bradford Wernle Cost pressure from high raw material prices is driving consolidation in Europe's automotive plastics industry. Automakers are likely to get lower prices as surviving suppliers gain economies of scale. Two...

Hyundai boosts production in India.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Norman Thorpe Hyundai is making India a significant base for small-car production. The Korean automaker exports its Atos minicar to Europe from India. Hyundai is investing about $600 million (nearly [euro]510 million) to...

GM will close 8 plants, cut 30,000 jobs in North America; Cost reductions in US and Canada are more radical than expected.(General Motors)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jamie LaReau, Dale Jewett To reduce costs in North America, General Motors plans to cut 30,000 jobs, close eight plants and trim production at several other factories by the end of 2008, CEO Rick Wagoner said. The shutdowns,...

Civic's platform has a broad future.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Wim Oude Weernink Honda's latest lower-medium platform, which debuts on the new Europe-only Civic hatchback, will underpin more cars in the Japanese automaker's lineup and possibly even an all-new global model. "This platform...

GME tries to calm its Opel dealers; US financial problems do not affect business in Europe, it says.(General Motors Europe)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Jason Stein Less than a month ago, General Motors Europe gathered 40 of its most influential dealers in a conference room at the five-star Dorint Hotel in Wiesbaden, Germany, to reassure them. The message to the European Opel...

Lada adds the Kalina in w. Europe.(international marketing)(Brief Article)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Paulo Soares de Oliveira Lada will sell its new small-segment car, the Kalina, in western Europe starting early next year. Over the next two years the Russian brand also will replace its aging Lada 110, 111 and 112 family of...

BMW revives steam power to save fuel; Auxiliary hot-fluid system harnesses exhaust-gas heat.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Felix Bauer Automobilwoche BMW is reviving steam-engine principles in an auxiliary drive that it says can boost both power and fuel efficiency in ordinary piston-driven cars. The automaker is testing a two-stage device called...

GM enters Russia through the Ukraine; Automaker gets ZAZ to build Korean kits to avoid tariffs.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Lyle Frink As its partnership with Russia's largest automaker, AvtoVAZ, cools, General Motors has found another way to get its cars into the country. Ukrainian automaker AvtoZAZ builds the Chevrolet Lanos from kits and ships...

Toyota wants better quality in Europe; Automaker adds worker training to reduce repairs.(News)
December 12, 2005... Byline: Luca Ciferri Toyota Motor Europe is re-emphasizing the importance of quality on the assembly line to reduce post-production inspections and repairs. Next year Toyota will open a so-called Global Production Center in the UK to...

Volkswagen to oust Renault as top brand.
December 12, 2005... Byline: Richard Feast Volkswagen appears certain to reclaim the title of western Europe's best selling brand from Renault this year, with few selling days left. Volkswagen outsold Renault by almost 10,000 units in October, extending...

Corrections.(Correction)(Correction Notice)
December 12, 2005... On November 11, Horst Neumann was appointed the successor to Volkswagen group personnel chief Peter Hartz. A timeline that appeared on Page 24 of the November 28 edition misstated the month of the appointment and had an incorrect photo of...