ManufacturingTesla plans Model S battery swap as fast refueling option 3:29 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Tesla Motors, already adding a network of fast-charging stations for its luxury electric cars, is readying a service to rapidly swap a car's battery with a charged pack for added convenience.... Read More »
GM: Labor costs must be cut to save Australia plants 3:34 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  GM's Holden unit and its labor unions will begin talks to reduce costs enough to keep its Australian plants viable, a month after Ford said it will stop making cars locally.... Read More »
American Axle hopes demolition of Detroit complex will spark interest in property 12:21 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  American Axle & Manufacturing's historic Detroit Manufacturing Complex is set for demolition as the supplier pushes forward with a new plan to unload the shuttered property.... Read More »
Suzuki airbag warning lights probed by NHTSA 10:28 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Federal safety regulators say they have opened an investigation into problems on two models of Suzuki vehicles for potentially malfunctioning warning lights for front passenger seats.... Read More »
Rolls-Royce picks veteran BMW engineer to lead manufacturingJune 18, 2013 06:01 CET  Rolls-Royce has named Frank Ludwig, 42, as its manufacturing director. The German national has been with Rolls' parent, BMW Group, since 2002 and has held manufacturing jobs at the Mini and BMW brands.... Read More »
Toyota uses Twitter to show how Auris hybrid is madeJune 18, 2013 09:26 CET  Toyota will use Twitter to show how it builds the Auris hybrid at its UK factory. The company aims to reach new customers in what it says is a world-first social media project.... Read More »
Volvo said to be poised to begin China output at Chengdu plantJune 18, 2013 14:47 CET  Volvo will start building a stretched variant of the S60 at its first China manufacturing plant in Chengdu in the second half of this year, according to a Chinese media report.... Read More »
Output soars to 16M, with high-profit twist 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Vehicle production in North America is back near record levels, with output forecast to surpass 16 million units this year for the first time in more than a decade. But even though the numbers look similar to the days when Detroit used sky-high incentives to grapple with bloated inventories, the industry is in a much different place this time around.... Read More »
JCI turns to private equity to sell auto electronics unit, report says 6:40 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Johnson Controls is speaking to private equity firms about selling its roughly $1 billion automotive electronics unit, after buyout interest from several rival auto parts suppliers faltered, according to several people familiar with the matter.... Read More »
GM's new head of N.A. manufacturing takes up busy launch schedule 1:28 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  GM has named a longtime labor relations and manufacturing executive to run its North American factories during one of its busiest-ever vehicle launch periods. Gerald Johnson, now executive director of global program quality and launch, will become GM's new vice president of North America manufacturing, effective July 1. Johnson, 51, will oversee 74,000 employees across 56 plants.... Read More »
Ford adding knobs, buttons to MyFord Touch 12:07 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Ford plans to revert to more traditional knobs and buttons in its MyFord Touch infotainment and control system. The system has hurt Ford's ratings in several quality surveys. Customers have complained the system is bulky, distracting and overly complicated to use. Ford has issued several software upgrades.... Read More »
GM goes dark on output stats, causes stir 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  General Motors' decision to stop publicly disclosing monthly production numbers has touched off concern among industry analysts and economists, as well as suppliers that rely on the data for their production plans.... Read More »
JESSE SNYDER Why GM can only get hurt keeping data secret 9:52 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  GM has decided to stop publicly disclosing monthly production numbers. That’s instantly alarming to economists, analysts and GM’s suppliers. Number crunchers rely on the GM data for their own forecasts, and suppliers for their business and production plans.... Read More »
HANS GREIMEL Honda's little radiation-proof robot does nuke duty 8:58 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  In the highly radioactive crucible of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, there are simply some areas too hot and hazardous for humans to venture for cleanup. Now, Honda is parlaying its expertise in robotics into a helping hand.... Read More »
Apple's bid to crack the center stack 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Last week Apple executive Eddy Cue said 12 car brands will let motorists link iPhones to center consoles to make calls, send text messages, use maps and issue voice commands. So Apple is poised to invade the cockpit and take over the center stack, right?... Read More »
GM extends summer production shutdown at Russian plant as market coolsJune 17, 2013 14:22 CET  General Motors will extend the summer shutdown at its factory in St. Petersburg, Russia, as the country's car market growth slows down. The Russian market is expected to decline by 5 percent in 2013.... Read More »
Toyota's U.S. aces now run the Americas 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  North America and South America are radically different markets. But Toyota Motor Corp. has installed two familiar names from the United States to lead them.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE Peugeot, Seat, Ford push LED headlamps into European mass marketJune 17, 2013 06:01 CET  When Peugeot launches its new 308 at the Frankfurt auto show in September it will become the first automaker in Europe to offer full-LED headlamps as standard in the majority of the compact's trim lines. This is a big leap for the technology, which for years was only available on high-end models such as the Audi R8 and Mercedes-Benz CLS because of it costs about three times as much as comparable xenon lights.... Read More »
SiriusXM offers trial to service customers 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 SiriusXM Radio is launching a program this summer that allows dealers to offer a complimentary two-month SiriusXM subscription to qualifying service customers.... Read More »
Voice controls: Just another distraction? 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Car companies are moving full steam ahead on voice controls and are unlikely to be slowed by the note of caution AAA sounded last week, automakers and suppliers say. The influential consumer group, which has more than 53 million members in North America, released research last week that showed voice-to-text systems can cause as much mental distraction as talking on a hand-held cellphone.... Read More »
Pop the clutch? Not with Bosch system 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Any parent who has taught a kid to drive a stick knows the problem: When the clutch comes up too slowly, the engine stalls; too fast and there's lurching, angst and potential whiplash. Bosch thinks it has a solution.... Read More »
With Polk deal, IHS expands auto data empire 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  One of the best-known and longstanding names in automotive data, R.L. Polk, is being absorbed into one of the fastest-growing research firms, IHS Automotive.... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE CONGRESS Audi sales boss calls for car-to-car data standard 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  The auto industry needs a standard for car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure data communication in order to keep a leading role in providing services to motorists, says Luca de Meo, Audi board member for sales and marketing.... Read More »
Dealers reap more Internet leads 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 Dealerships are seeing a surge of traffic on their Web sites and a greater willingness by shoppers to leave their crucial contact information, said data consultant Dataium. The brightening auto-selling climate combined with dealership Web-site improvements are prompting more Internet leads than a year ago.... Read More »
Toyota limits online warranties 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Until a month ago, Acton Toyota of Littleton had a nice little side business for five years selling Toyota-sponsored extended service contracts over the Internet. Toyota Financial Services, though, pulled the plug on the business in May, prohibiting Acton Toyota and a handful of other dealerships from selling the contracts nationally online.... Read More »
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Special Report
 Dealer O.C. Welch's big-truck turnaroundAfter Mercury's demise, South Carolina Ford-Lincoln dealer O.C. Welch had to find a way to replace lost revenue. He decided to load up on Super Duty pickups – and sell them online. Mon., June 17» Watch the Video |
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Don Davis Dealerships, Inc. -- Lake Jackson, Texas, United States - Service Manager
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