Staff Columns

BRADFORD WERNLE

Fusion wagon? In Europe, yes, but not here

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 23, 2012
A reader wrote us a hopeful note last week, saying he recently had spotted what appeared to be a station wagon version of the 2013 Ford Fusion being driven in suburban Detroit. He wondered whether Ford would sell a wagon version of the Fusion in America. The answer is a firm "No" Bradford Wernle covers Ford Motor Co. for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

JAMIE LaREAU

Selling a car to a vet? Start with 'Thanks'

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 16, 2012
As thousands of troops return home from Afghanistan and Iraq, they create a potential customer base for dealers. But many dealers might not know how to best serve these buyers Jamie LaReau is an Automotive News staff reporter.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Pioneer's work fuels today's innovations

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 9, 2012
It's tempting to assume that development of high-performance cars -- not to mention race cars -- is contrary to automotive sustainability. Mark James, director of Lotus Engineering, begs to differ Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Green tech: Breakthroughs, breakdowns

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 12, 2012
Two recent events vividly illustrate the highs and lows that await investors in green automotive technology. Interestingly, both involve General Motors' tech fund, GM Ventures Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

BRADFORD WERNLE

Kuzak: A quiet man whose achievements speak for him

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 20, 2012
You could call Derrick Kuzak the anti-Bob Lutz. Kuzak, Ford Motor Co.'s product development chief, is soft-spoken, reserved and self-effacing. But you could argue that his impact on his company's product lineup has been equal to that of his higher-decibel GM counterpart Bradford Wernle covers Ford Motor Co. for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Retrofitters plug into EV fleet niche

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012
Automakers are having a hard time selling electric vehicles in volume. But retrofitters aiming for tiny niches are proliferating. With business models geared to selling small batches of electrified vehicles to utilities, governmental units and the like, you might say that retrofitters are playing small ball. But they see a steadily growing market of customers who are motivated to make their fleets green Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

LINDSAY CHAPPELL

Why so many Mexican plants? Do the math

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 6, 2012
Mexico's star is ascending these days. Nissan just revealed plans to spend $2 billion on a new factory in Aguascalientes. Honda is also investing in Mexico, and so is Mazda. The Detroit 3 have been there forever. Parts suppliers are investing there. Mexico is booming and beckoning. And Mexico has a lot going for it. But it is hard to attribute the new investment wave to much more than labor rates Lindsay Chappell is Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Public charging sites take small steps forward

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 9, 2012
Jeff Doyle likens creation of a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles to climbing a mountain: It's misleading to judge progress after the first few steps. Doyle, director of public-private partnerships for the Washington state transportation department, acknowledges that installing a national network of chargers will be a long trek. But he and others around the country are taking the first steps Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

JAMES B. TREECE

Japan should let U.S. in on clunker plan this time

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 26, 2011
The Japanese government has proposed throwing a lifeline to its auto industry by reinstating a cash-for-clunkers program that successfully boosted sales in 2009-10. It remains to be seen whether U.S.-brand vehicles will be shut out of the new program, as they were before Industry Editor James B. Treece lived in Japan for 22 years and was Automotive News’ Asia editor in Tokyo from 1995 to 2007.... Read More »

 

LINDSAY CHAPPELL

After tough year, Honda cranks up a comeback plan

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 12, 2011
If you want to see determination in action, watch Honda this month. April was the last month this year that the brand sold 100,000 vehicles in the United States. Honda's field sales force is now assuring dealers that December sales will hit 100,000, and that the factory has put incentives on its high-volume models to get the job done Lindsay Chappell is Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

'Bleeding edge' problems are part of the process

12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 12, 2011
Quite by chance, as the Chevrolet Volt battery-fire reports surged this month, I attended a brainstorming session on automotive innovation. The meeting gathered a couple of dozen automotive executives charged with fostering innovation.... Read More »

 

JAMIE LAREAU

GM dealer finds a sociable way to save money

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 28, 2011
Dealer Kirk Carroll wants General Motors dealers to like his Facebook page. Specifically, he wants a lot of GM dealers to click "like" on a reserved Facebook page he created called: "GM Facility Image." Carroll owns Carroll's Auto Sales in Presque Isle, Maine, which sells about 200 new Chevys, Buicks and GMCs a year. Yet, like other GM dealers, he expects to spend a hefty sum on facility changes as part of GM's Essential Brand Elements program.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

Musk steals the spotlight in EV film

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 21, 2011
A few years ago, filmmaker Chris Paine was persona non grata at General Motors. Paine had skewered GM for, as his earlier film's title put it, killing the electric car. But on Nov. 11, Paine was the honored guest at a GM-sponsored showing of his new film, Revenge of the Electric Car, at a suburban Detroit theater.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Partisan wars slow federal tech loans

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 14, 2011
A number of alternative-vehicle startups have to be wondering about their lifeline. The U.S. Department of Energy's loan program for advanced vehicle technology has pumped money into companies such as Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive. Other alt-fuel entrepreneurs have said that getting federal loan money is crucial if they are to get vehicles into production. But between federal budget-cutting negotiations and presidential politics, the program has come under attack.... Read More »

 

PHILIP NUSSEL

Supplier scandal is lawyers' dream (but automakers don't need help)

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 31, 2011
If you're an auto industry litigator, especially in the Detroit area, congratulations on your good fortune in securing perhaps years of top-billing legal work. As Crain's Detroit Business has reported, the $29 billion-a-year wire harness segment of the supply chain has been the subject of a comprehensive global price-fixing probe. Two Furukawa Electric Co.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Battery-saver mode unlikely for U.S. Volt

12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 17, 2011
Chevrolet Europe brand boss Wayne Brannon was talking about the Volt plug-in hybrid when he mentioned an intriguing feature. Brannon said he goes through most weekdays without using gasoline. But on weekend trips, he said at last month's Frankfurt auto show, "I just switch it into extended range mode, and I drive on fuel until I get there. When I drive in the little villages and towns, I drive in electric mode." Wait.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Tiny i3 offers BMW's view of tomorrow's car

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 12, 2011
The future of the automobile can seem murky. But if you want a glimpse ahead, pay attention to what BMW rolls out this week at the Frankfurt auto show. BMW will show its i3 small electric vehicle in concept form -- and at this point, you're probably saying, "So what? Everybody's got a little EV in the works." Which is true. But in my mind BMW's four-year drive to develop its i subbrand merits serious attention Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

JAMES B. TREECE

Why this year's UAW-Detroit 3 talks don't matter

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 5, 2011
Here's what you need to know about the current UAW contract talks with the Detroit 3: They don't really matter. Oh, sure, agreements must be reached and contracts signed. But some commentators would have you believe the Detroit 3's future competitiveness hinges on their ability to stand up to the UAW in this year's negotiations. Baloney James B. Treece is industry editor.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Make better use of higher-octane fuel, stop-start

12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 15, 2011
As the industry pushes for better fuel economy, it's strange that two known mileage boosters -- higher-octane gasoline and stop-start technology -- aren't being exploited to their full potential. There are obstacles to getting the full benefit from either, but those obstacles should be surmountable Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

JAMES B. TREECE

Once arrogant, then humbled, the General should just try harder

5:00 pm U.S. ET | July 28, 2011
Toyota's passing GM to become the world's largest carmaker was a good thing for GM. It should have popped the GM arrogance balloon and forced execs to ask: What happened? Where did we go wrong? Because GM has been going wrong for decades.... Read More »

 

GREEN SHOOTS

Why Hyundai's not wild about hybrids, EVs

12:01 am U.S. ET | July 18, 2011
When it comes to vehicle electrification, automakers shake out into three groups. Leading-edge companies such as Nissan and General Motors have launched new-tech vehicles. Fast followers will roll out EVs and plug-ins in the next few years. Then you have the "call me when it's ready for prime time" approach. The main example is Hyundai, which has a single hybrid and no imminent plans for much beyond that in the way of electric drive Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

JAMES B. TREECE

'Electrifying 100' couldn't have been done just 5 years ago

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 20, 2011
Last week Automotive News saluted the Electrifying 100. At a reception at the Henry Ford museum, 47 of the award winners were honored. Could we have put together a list of 100 leaders in electrifying vehicles five years ago? Maybe, but I doubt it James B. Treece is industry editor for Automotive News.... Read More »

 

LINDSAY CHAPPELL

Zero isn't zero? Then let's redo all the math

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 6, 2011
Don Runkle spoke last month at a New York technical conference on emerging transportation technologies. At one point the audience squirmed when he noted that zero-emission electric cars aren't really zero-emission. Runkle spent most of his career at General Motors and Delphi mastering everything GM asked him to master. He's now CEO of EcoMotors, a promising venture that hopes to make internal combustion engines more efficient.... Read More »

 

JESSE SNYDER

Bumps on the good-times road

11:16 am U.S. ET | April 26, 2011
Sigh. Just when the auto industry was poised for a breakout year, the start of a boom even, we get soaring fuel prices and parts shortages shutting assembly plants. Outside the quake zone -- and let’s recognize that for the people, ports and auto plants in northeastern Japan, the earthquake/tsunami/radiation combo is about as bad as it gets -- these problems are manageable. Jesse Snyder is senior writer at Automotive News.... Read More »