Automotive News Table of Contents

For the Week of Nov. 16, 2009




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AutoNation goes on offense

A profitable, healthier AutoNation is injecting millions into its operations and acquiring dealerships as the industry emerges from the depths of a depression. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

GMAC aims to be lender of choice

Alvaro de Molina, CEO of GMAC Financial Services, has a big vision for transforming GMAC into a bank. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Struggling to stay afloat

Surrounded by paperwork in an office of the dealership he just closed, Jesse Greathouse reminisces about what it was like when he acquired Cross Road Chrysler-Jeep in Oklahoma City 16 years ago. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Daimler sets deadline for C-class shift to Ala.

Daimler AG will decide by January whether to shift some production of its best-selling sedan, the C class, to its U.S. factory in Vance, Ala. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Pricey is dicey: Hard times hit exotic brands

The sharp drop this year in sales of ultraexpensive brands such as Bentley, Aston Martin and Lamborghini has led to some major casualties among exotic-car dealerships. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Saab will dump 81 stores

Saab's new owner will reject 81 of Saab's 218 U.S. dealerships, General Motors Co. said. GM said in a letter to dealers that Saab's buyer, Swedish sports car maker Koenigsegg, selected the surviving stores. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Toyota's chief tester? The boss

Akio Toyoda believes firmly in the value of genchi genbutsu, the Toyota Motor Corp. doctrine of going on site to see for yourself. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

Trio to guide congress session on new industry ventures

The ways in which a new generation of entrepreneurs is changing the auto market will be the subject of a special session at the 2010 Automotive News World Congress. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

VW to buy Potamkin store

Volkswagen Group of America has agreed to buy the Potamkin family's flagship dealership in Manhattan and convert it into VW and Audi stores. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Chrysler wants brand 'salons' in showrooms

Chrysler Group is talking with dealers this week about a proposal to divide showrooms into "salons" featuring each of the company's four vehicle brands: Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram truck. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Dealer seeks to keep Saturn's spirit

Jay Cimino wants to keep his Saturn sales, and the brand's low-key sales approach, going for as long as possible. The CEO of Phil Long Dealerships Corp. is a strong believer in Saturn's "a different kind of car company" marketing approach. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Hummer plans while it waits

The to-do list of Hummer CEO Jim Taylor is 340 items long -- all due by Dec. 1. That's when he hopes General Motors Co. can close a deal to sell Hummer to China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Ltd. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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BMW delays X3's U.S. launch to push custom orders

BMW is delaying the U.S. introduction of the redesigned X3 to launch a system designed to encourage buyers to custom order the crossover to their specifications, says Jim O'Donnell, president of BMW of North America. The delay could put the X3 in U. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GM will promote new Regal's performance

General Motors Co. plans to tout performance when the turbocharged four-banger Buick Regal goes on sale next year -- part of an effort to bring down the average age of Buick's buyers. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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M-B unveils Hughes telematics

Starting today, Nov. 16, Mercedes-Benz USA will offer owners of its vehicles a telematics service that includes applications they can access from popular smart phones. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Progress is made on inventory control

In a depressed and volatile U.S. market, automakers have struggled to control inventory, but they're making progress. At the end of October, U.S. inventory of unsold light vehicles totaled 1.88 million. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

California sales lag the rest of the country

Auto sales in California continue to plunge faster than the national average. Sales fell 25 percent for the third quarter, according to the California New Car Dealers Association, compared with a 10 percent decline nationwide. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Dealers oppose health bill; automakers are mum

As the Senate moves to consider the $1.1 trillion health care bill passed by the House, lobbyists for car dealers and those for auto workers are lining up on opposite sides while automakers sit out the debate for now. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

OPINION

Chrysler must be more than a Fiat knockoff

In the short term, Fiatization is the Chrysler Group's only shot at survival. But for Chrysler to thrive as an American car company, it cannot lean on Fiat forever. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Don't confuse tire programs

Thanks for the recent article regarding the Texas-based, uninsured Tires for Life program marketed by Millennium Protection Group Inc. ("Tire plan is a blowout; dealers, drivers stuck," Nov. 2). [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

OPINION

Help wanted on GM pay

The Obama administration should pay attention to General Motors Chairman Ed Whitacre's plea for flexibility in executive pay caps. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Styling is what it's all about

Regarding the Nov. 9 interview with Ford Motor Co. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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COMMENTARY: KEITH CRAIN

This year the math adds up to 110%

Two weeks ago, Chrysler held a marathon press event orchestrated by the management of Fiat, which controls Chrysler these days. It was too bad it lasted so long. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Who needs fog lights? I do

I agree with most of Mark Rechtin's list of unnecessary accessories, but he is wrong about fog lights ("The tech Hall of Shame: Who needs this stuff?" autonews.com, Nov. 2). By improving lighting, they improve safety. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Asian Goliaths loom over North American Davids

Billions of dollars in U.S. government aid is being funneled to manufacturers of the next generation of batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. Most of those companies are still building their first factories. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Battery battle: Asian firms have early edge

American, European and Asian automakers have signed agreements with Asian battery makers. The links range from joint development work and supply contracts to joint ventures that will manufacture batteries. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

GREEN CAR

BMW plans carbon parts for city car

BMW AG has set up a joint venture with carbon-fiber specialist SGL Group to build lightweight components for BMW's Meg-acity electric vehicle. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

COMMENT: $/100 miles: Electric era's new mpg

Nissan North America says the Nissan Leaf all-electric car will get 367 mpg. No, it won't. General Motors Co. says the plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt will get 230 mpg. No, it can't. The Leaf's miles-per-gallon rating will be zero, nada, zilch. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

CTS will provide accelerator pedals for Japanese car

CTS Corp. will make electronic throttle control accelerator pedals for the Asian production of "a popular global small-car platform" made by a major Japanese automaker, the company said. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Energy Innovation supplies Tata

Energy Innovation Group Ltd. will supply lithium ion polymer batteries for the electric version of Tata Motors' Indica hatchback. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Experts urge new technologies be stirred into CAFE scores

Many new fuel-saving technologies that are in development or on the road don't register in the government's measures of miles per gallon, used to compute automakers' corporate average fuel economy scores. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

GREEN CAR

Faurecia, with Emcon buy, will be top exhaust supplier

French auto supplier Faurecia SA plans to acquire Emcon Technologies to create the world's largest exhaust systems supplier, with $7.7 billion in annual revenue. Faurecia plans to combine Emcon, which reported 2008 revenue of about $3. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Fed money is available, but little is being lent

In June, the first federal loans to develop electric and other high-technology vehicles were awarded with much hoopla to Ford Motor Co., Nissan North America Inc. and Tesla Motors. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

GM plans to share Volt's technology, but not its name

As General Motors Co. expands its lineup of rechargeable vehicles beyond the Volt, it will not brand them to be identified with the plug-in Chevrolet launching next year, a senior GM executive says. That approach sets GM apart from Toyota Motor Corp. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Government weighs new approaches to CAFE

The federal government is taking public comments on proposed changes to the long-standing corporate average fuel economy mandate. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Green powertrains drive BorgWarner's forecast

BorgWarner Inc. forecasts about $1.8 billion in new powertrain business in the next three years as automakers revamp their engines and transmissions to meet stricter government mandates on emissions and fuel efficiency. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Jury's still out on ethanol, biofuels

Whatever happened to ethanol? With all the buzz about hybrids, full electrics and plug-ins, the industry doesn't seem to talk a lot about biofuels these days. But research is continuing. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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GREEN CAR

Leaf forces Nissan to hire, explore new technologies

Nissan Motor Co.'s plan to launch the mass-market electric Nissan Leaf late next year is forcing the company to hire engineers, address new technologies and confront issues it didn't face when it built only internal combustion engines. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

GREEN CAR

Spring Hill still a green scene despite Saturn's demise

It could be seen as bitter irony. Barely 30 days before it was scheduled to cease production in November, General Motors Co.' [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Supplier personnel

Companies in this report: Preh Inc., DuPont Performance Coatings, STMicroelectronics and SB Limotive. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Suppliers to the 2009 Acura TL

Suppliers to the 2009 Acura TL include Novelis, Autoliv, UGN, Gentex, Takata, Guilford, Sika, Magna, Guardian, Pilkington, IAC, Nissan Brake Ohio, Toyoda Gosei, TS Tech, AKsys USA, Dura, Yorozu Automotive, Continental, ArvinMeritor, BorgWarner,... 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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TALK FROM THE TOP -- CARLOS GHOSN

Nissan sees electrics, entry-level cars in future

CEO Carlos Ghosn has put Nissan Motor Co. back on track to return to an operating profit in the fiscal year that ends March 31, following a big loss in 2008. Now his focus is the future. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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TALK FROM THE TOP -- TAKASHI YAMANOUCHI

Mazda's independent, but Ford ties are strong

Takashi Yamanouchi took over as CEO of Mazda Motor Corp. a year ago this month and was immediately confronted by some of the biggest challenges in Mazda's history. U.S. sales plunged. Ford Motor Co. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Canada sales fall 1% in October

New-vehicle sales in Canada haven't quite turned the corner, but they're getting close. Sales in Canada fell 1 percent in October from a year earlier, to 121,577. It was the smallest decline of any month this year. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Dealers

Dealerships in this report: Bob Frensley Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Madison, Tenn.; Arlington Heights Ford in Arlington Heights, Ill.; Phil Smart Mercedes-Benz in Seattle; Mistlin Honda in Modesto, Calif.; Mike Davidson Ford in Jacksonville, Fla. 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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Personnel

Company in this report: Manheim. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Neumann heads back to VW

Former Continental AG CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann will return to Volkswagen AG in the newly created job of group chief officer for electric traction. He will report to VW CEO Martin Winterkorn. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

New look for GM report

General Motors Co. will release preliminary third-quarter earnings results today, Nov. 16, but the format won't comply with generally accepted accounting principles, GM spokeswoman Julie Gibson said. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Shift to GMAC leaves some Chrysler dealers in limbo

Swift Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Davis, Calif., was Chrysler's Dealer of the Year in the multistate western region in 2007. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

Some rejected dealers get GM invitation

General Motors Co. plans to open a number of dealerships around the country and has been inviting some rejected dealers in those areas to apply. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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FINAL ASSEMBLY

Camaro: Car of the Century Man

When the new Chevrolet Camaro hit the streets last spring, Virgil Coffman, age 101, decided he had to have one. His choice? A bright yellow, 426-hp, 6.2-liter, V-8-powered Transformers Special Edition. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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COMMENTARY: FINAL ASSEMBLY

COMMENT: Paying to play with Fritz, Mulally: Guess who costs more?

Even when it comes to charity, there is an element of competition among automakers -- and their executives. Just ask General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Dealer loses lawsuit, then loses $57 million to his lawyer

Auto magnate Ed Morse, who owns 14 dealerships in Florida and Alabama, thought he was collecting a big judgment in a lawsuit. Instead, his lawyer took him for a $57 million ride, The Miami Herald reports. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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FINAL ASSEMBLY

Forster: Ta-ta, for now; Tata for later?

As he prepared to step down as president of General Motors Europe this month, Carl-Peter Forster made clear that he would remain in the auto industry. Now we've got a pretty good idea of where he might be headed. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Make Opel global? GM has been there, done that

General Motors Co. CEO Fritz Henderson got a surprising response last week when he told a German audience that he didn't want to turn Opel into a global brand. Some seemed to take offense. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16

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FINAL ASSEMBLY

Tiwi tracks trucks, teens

Can't be there to nag your teen to wear her seat belt? Or yell at drivers in your company's truck fleet for going too fast? Tiwi can do it for you. [SUB] 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16