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How GM and Nissan avoided a UAW thorn

Posted 3:15 pm U.S. ET, May 15
blogs Lindsay Chappell is the Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.
 
A labor taboo still exists in the North American auto industry, and Nissan and General Motors sidestepped it this week.
GM revealed that it will buy Nissan's compact commercial v ...
     Continue reading "How GM and Nissan avoided a UAW thorn" » May 15, 2013 3:15 pm U.S. ET
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The auto boom -- without new jobs

Posted 2:49 pm U.S. ET, May 14
NASHVILLE -- Bill Strauss has some very good news for the American auto industry. Or he has some very bad news. You can take your pick.
Strauss, a Federal Reserve Board senior economist and economic adviser for 30 years, has spent the past few years examining what's going on in auto manufacturing. He concludes, in a nutshell, ...
     Continue reading "The auto boom -- without new jobs" » May 14, 2013 2:49 pm U.S. ET
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Slow and steady wins at Subaru

Posted 10:32 am U.S. ET, May 9
Score one for the tortoise.
Subaru's plan to invest $400 million to expand its U.S. auto factory is evidence that a long-term business outlook and a steady commitment to growth are worth more than neon headlines and Wall Street drooling.
Even in the car business.
...
     Continue reading "Slow and steady wins at Subaru" » May 9, 2013 10:32 am U.S. ET
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The past is no indication of Japanese trade barriers

Posted 7:21 pm U.S. ET, April 12
The free-trade proposal that’s on the table between Japan and the United States and other countries has been a flash point because Japan’s critics have grave doubts that the Japanese government will allow American cars to sell there unencumbered.
If only the Japanese government would stop making it difficult to im ...
     Continue reading "The past is no indication of Japanese trade barriers" » Apr 12, 2013 7:21 pm U.S. ET
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Hybrid wave raises marketing questions

Posted 2:23 pm U.S. ET, March 28
The wraps came off of the 2014 Infiniti QX60 Hybrid Wednesday afternoon in New York, and the model signals a clear new path for the luxury brand. There will be hybrid powertrain options for almost every new model Infiniti introduces.
But there will also be new marketing challenges -- not just for Infiniti, or for the rest of ...
     Continue reading "Hybrid wave raises marketing questions" » Mar 28, 2013 2:23 pm U.S. ET
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How Mark Hogan came full circle to aid Toyota

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 7
The news that General Motors alum Mark Hogan will take an unprecedented director's seat on the board at Toyota Motor Corp. evokes all sorts of historical observations.
But don't forget this one: Hogan has come full circle to Toyota's aide.
Presumably, based on his rich global experience ins ...
     Continue reading "How Mark Hogan came full circle to aid Toyota" » Mar 7, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
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The big star drops into the mass market

Posted 3:22 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 25
One thing that stands out on the new Mercedes-Benz CLA four-door coupe, which goes on sale in September, is that big Mercedes star on its grille.
You can see it from down the block.
That's going to count for something when Mercedes attempts what it says it will attempt in September -- takin ...
     Continue reading "The big star drops into the mass market" » Feb 25, 2013 3:22 pm U.S. ET
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This year’s buzz: Dealer apps

Posted 10:13 am U.S. ET, Feb. 10
ORLANDO -- Was it all of three or four years ago that the buzz at the auto retailers convention was all about dealer Web sites? Who was doing them well? Who was missing the boat? Who was making sure they met standards, and what bright new promise did they held for the auto industry?
And suddenly last year the buzz shifted to ...
     Continue reading "This year’s buzz: Dealer apps" » Feb 10, 2013 10:13 am U.S. ET
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Gross memories of 2009

Posted 2:26 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 8
ORLANDO -- Before we get around to cheering for the growth in vehicle sales, let us wax nostalgic for the good old days of 2009 and 2010.
Even though it was cataclysmic on most counts, it wasn’t too shabby on at least one point. Dealership gross profits were better then.
Since the mon ...
     Continue reading "Gross memories of 2009" » Feb 8, 2013 2:26 pm U.S. ET
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On the mpg front, 2012 had some fizzle

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Dec. 28
This was supposed to be a big year in the push for better auto fuel economy. Electric vehicles and hybrids were supposed to make giant strides in 2012.
It turned out to be a little spotty.
Cases in point:
• Consumer Reports and others claim the ...
     Continue reading "On the mpg front, 2012 had some fizzle" » Dec 28, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET
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They slip by fast, but not all TV spots are so simple

Posted 3:36 pm U.S. ET, Dec. 6
The old rule of thumb in design is the KISS principle: "Keep It Simple Stupid." Or, as some people write it, "Keep it simple, Stupid." Either way.
The advertising business long ago adopted the adage. The newspaper business tries to adhere to it as well.
But we're living in complicated t ...
     Continue reading "They slip by fast, but not all TV spots are so simple" » Dec 6, 2012 3:36 pm U.S. ET
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Mexico, Mexico, Mexico… or maybe not

Posted 10:58 am U.S. ET, Nov. 20
Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn reveals that, even as his company is building new North American factory capacity, it will run out of room again by 2017 and will need to build still another plant here.
By itself, that shouldn't come as a surprise given the sales momentum generated by Nissan dealers the past few years.
Continue reading "Mexico, Mexico, Mexico… or maybe not" » Nov 20, 2012 10:58 am U.S. ET
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Plentiful oil? A V-8, anyone?

Posted 11:28 am U.S. ET, Nov. 15
Four years after the auto industry started trembling at the real prospect of a global fuel shortage, painful pump prices and consumers clamoring for vehicles that can deliver 50 mpg, this news arrives from the International Energy Agency in France: There’s way more oil under America than we realized.
Oops.
Continue reading "Plentiful oil? A V-8, anyone?" » Nov 15, 2012 11:28 am U.S. ET
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A little too much sales contact?

Posted 6:28 pm U.S. ET, Oct. 11
Here’s a cautionary case study for car dealers everywhere. And it features me.
The lease on one of my family cars is coming to an end. In December I’ll need to hand over the keys after 36 months. I’ve really enjoyed the car more than I expected. I’ve even been toying with the idea of buying out the l ...
     Continue reading "A little too much sales contact?" » Oct 11, 2012 6:28 pm U.S. ET
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Ah, the good old days in France

Posted 3:51 pm U.S. ET, Sept. 26
NASHVILLE -- The past is a foreign country, a writer once said -- they do things differently there.
Ditto for France.
As the Paris auto show takes off this week, one thing that probably won't get talked about much in English is the recent news that the French government has informed top ...
     Continue reading "Ah, the good old days in France" » Sep 26, 2012 3:51 pm U.S. ET
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Let’s all design a car together

Posted 10:07 am U.S. ET, Aug. 30
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. recently invited me to make design suggestions for the next Camry. Not because I’m qualified to do so, but because I happen to be a Camry-owning household.
I and a million or so people just like me, who no doubt received the same survey.
“Toyota nee ...
     Continue reading "Let’s all design a car together" » Aug 30, 2012 10:07 am U.S. ET
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Warning to U.S. plants: Consider Korean unrest

Posted 10:04 pm U.S. ET, Aug. 28
Autoworkers in South Korea have been striking on and off this summer for various reasons, and there were threats of an industry shutdown there.
Hyundai, in particular, could have suffered for it, but the company has reached a tentative settlement with the union, Continue reading "Warning to U.S. plants: Consider Korean unrest" » Aug 28, 2012 10:04 pm U.S. ET
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GM interfered with Saab? Where to begin…

Posted 9:53 am U.S. ET, Aug. 7
Whether or not General Motors injured Saab last year by interfering with a proposal to bring in Chinese investors is an allegation that will have to be sorted out by the U.S. courts. The charge has been leveled in a lawsuit by Saab’s would-be savior, Victor Muller, whose Dutch sports car company bought Saab Automobile from GM in 2010.
Continue reading "GM interfered with Saab? Where to begin…" » Aug 7, 2012 9:53 am U.S. ET
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Moving old Altimas will take some quick footwork

Posted 4:59 pm U.S. ET, July 9
NASHVILLE -- The next couple of weeks will be tense ones for Nissan retailers, owing to the expected appeal of the 2013 Altima. The nervousness will be over whether Nissan engineers and planners did too good a job redesigning the car.
Nissan is eager to clear out the remaining inventory of 2012 Altimas to make way ...
     Continue reading "Moving old Altimas will take some quick footwork" » Jul 9, 2012 4:59 pm U.S. ET
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Sentra comes back to America ... but still no Infiniti G

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, July 1
Nissan dealers are sure to be pleased that the automaker is bringing the Sentra back into U.S. production later this year, in time for the compact's ambitious redesign. The Sentra has been sourced out of Mexico since 2006 -- and it will continue to be manufactured there. But now, it is returning to a convenient U.S. factory, in Canton, Miss., in hopes of compet ...
     Continue reading "Sentra comes back to America ... but still no Infiniti G" » Jul 1, 2012 12:01 am U.S. ET
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Why UAW organizers might make waves at Nissan

Posted 2:25 pm U.S. ET, June 5
NASHVILLE -- To the casual observer, it looks like Nissan Motor Co. is back in the cross hairs of UAW organizers. The union held a worker rally over the weekend near Nissan’s big assembly plant in Canton, Miss., hoping to draw support to unionize the 3,300-worker factory.
In the past 30 years, the UAW has called for o ...
     Continue reading "Why UAW organizers might make waves at Nissan" » Jun 5, 2012 2:25 pm U.S. ET
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