editorials
VIDEO
 | |||
|
| |||
Columnists
Letters to the Editor
| Dealers are victims of Axle strike >> |
| Federal oversight? Good heavens, no >> |
| 'Have you lost your mind?' >> |
| Geoff Polites: A salute >> |
| Think of Buick as part of B-P-G >> |
Service contracts: Federal oversight is needed
A service contract, sold through a dealership or directly to a vehicle owner, can offer useful extended protection when a factory warranty expires. But when third-party vendors use abusive -- or illegal -- tactics to market their contracts, both the industry and consumers have a right to expect tougher regulation by government. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 21
EDITORIAL
Delphi mess drags on
Delphi was supposed to be liberated from Chapter 11 bankruptcy this month. But because a key investor pulled out, it didn't happen. Now more months will pass before the supplier emerges from bankruptcy. The only folks rejoicing over that prospect are the bankruptcy lawyers and consultants who are milking Delphi for $150 million a year. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 21
EDITORIAL
Chrysler got it right
Chrysler LLC's decision to reduce the amount of money it requires dealers to spend to upgrade their stores is sensible. This is the wrong time to force dealers to overextend. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 14
EDITORIAL
Honda must revisit online dealer sales of service pacts
American Honda Motor Co. must rethink its objections to letting its dealers aggressively sell factory service contracts online. Restricting how dealers can sell Honda Care and Acura Care extended warranties may be justifiable under the dealer franchise agreement, but it is only delaying the inevitable. It also puts the factory perilously close to aiding and abetting anti-competitive price gouging by some dealers. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 14
OPINION
Calif. board can't force its will on auto market
California got it wrong again. When the California Air Resources Board ruled that automakers must sell at least 66,000 plug-in hybrids from 2012 through 2014, the board really mandated that Californians must buy 66,000 plug-ins. Specifying the amount of hybridization in the market is beyond the competence of state regulators. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | April 7
OPINION
Dauch sends wrong signals as Axle strike drags
Richard E. Dauch is one of most respected executives in the automotive supply chain. He has always worked with his stakeholders to make the company he co-founded -- American Axle & Manufacturing -- an exemplary supplier. That's why it is hard to understand his company's strategy one month into the bitter strike by the UAW that has shut down five American Axle plants and brought General Motors' truck production to a near standstill in the United States. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 31
OPINION
Future bright for Tata brands
Ford Motor Co.'s sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to India's Tata Motors Ltd. for $2.3 billion should be a fresh beginning for the two storied automotive brands. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 31
EDITORIAL
Autos did the job after 9/11; don't bet on that now
Here's some cautionary advice to those in Washington who are looking for an economic miracle: Don't automatically expect the auto industry to save the economy again this time. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 24
EDITORIAL
Ford must close stores but remain open to diversity
The Ford Motor Co. plan that offers a one-time buyout to the 81 members of its dealer development program is a two-edged sword that the company must wield with care. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 17
EDITORIAL
The small print
As a matter of public policy, we don't want to clog the courts with lawsuits over dealer-customer disputes. That would be the effect of a bill before Congress that would ban mandatory arbitration of such disputes. A better approach would be to require dealers to inform customers explicitly during the F&I process that the sales or lease contracts include a binding-arbitration clause and to have customers sign off on it. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 17
EDITORIAL
Fresh ideas are fine, but Chrysler must be wary
When Cerberus Capital Management LP took over Chrysler last summer, the new private owners touted their ability to move quickly and nimbly as one of their major advantages over their publicly owned competition. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 10
EDITORIAL
Don't let Calif. impose fuel rules on the nation
For years, the auto industry has called California's effort to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide from automobiles little more than a backdoor attempt to impose its own stringent fuel economy standards. And for years, the California Air Resources Board has denied the charge -- because under a federal law enacted in 1975, states cannot set mpg standards. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 3
EDITORIAL
Well done, Doug
The passing of Doug Fraser marks the end of an era for the auto industry. Fraser, who died late last month at age 91, was the last of the generation of early UAW leaders who brought economic order to the fledgling auto industry through collective bargaining. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 3
OPINION
Chrysler, Plastech now have chance to work together
When U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Phillip Shefferly ruled that Chrysler LLC could not take production tooling away from Plastech Engineering Products Inc., he created an opportunity for the automaker and supplier to work out their differences. They must take advantage of it. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25
OPINION
Do it the NADA way
It is encouraging that three consumer groups have discovered that title washing is a threat to consumer safety. But filing a lawsuit to force the federal government to create a national database of vehicle titles is the wrong approach. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25
OPINION
Face it, Detroit: Trimming dealers will be expensive
The Detroit 3 are eager to right-size their retail networks, matching their declining U.S. market shares with dealer bodies that are smaller and more profitable. That's a suitable strategy, but it won't happen by itself. The automakers must steer the process by spending some money. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18
OPINION
Get real, Kia, Hyundai
The chronic management churn at Kia and Hyundai in the United States only harms the two Korean brands. The corporate cousins need stable leadership if they want to attract top talent. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18
OPINION
Factory-dealer relations are better, but not ideal
The latest Automotive News survey of dealer attitudes finds encouraging improvements in how dealers perceive their relationships with automakers. But work remains to be done to repair and rebuild factory-dealer relations on several fronts. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 11
OPINION
This generation's man on the moon: Green technology
In his final State of the Union address, President Bush called for more federal research into advanced batteries and renewable fuels to power vehicles of the future. But what's really needed is the equivalent of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb in the 1940s or the technology race that put a man on the moon in the 1960s. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 4
EDITORIAL
Everyone benefits from GM-Toyota race to be greenest
Competition between General Motors and Toyota Motor Corp. for environmental bragging rights could be just what the industry needs to turbocharge its green progress. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28
OPINION
Help GM dealers consolidate
GM's vision for retail megastores that sell all or most of its brands in metropolitan markets makes some sense. Having fewer dealerships would mean that GM dealerships could compete with other brands and not just among themselves. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28
OPINION
Chrysler's Campi has right ideas
John Campi gets it -- or so it appears. Chrysler's glib new purchasing boss says all the right things when talking about the need for less contentious relations between suppliers and the Detroit 3. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 28
OPINION
Incentives war isn't the answer to sales downturn
Cooler heads must prevail. It is in the best interest of the factories and their dealers to avoid another incentives war. Self-restraint and a little pain this year will be worth it in 2009, when sales rebound as the economy perks up. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21
OPINION
Detroit 3 move to help dealers; it's a good start
Kudos to General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC for taking steps to make their dealers healthier and more profitable. The trick for the Detroit 3 will be to maintain the momentum with sound business practices. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14
OPINION
CAFE will put new entrees on auto show menu
Big auto shows are changing -- and the corporate average fuel economy legislation signed last month by President Bush will speed the transformation. The evolution of auto shows toward displays of more practical and fuel-efficient vehicles should be obvious at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 7
