United States

CFO says GM streamlining is 'on its way'

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
As a banking adviser to General Motors when he was at Morgan Stanley, Dan Ammann got an upfront view of GM's spiral into bankruptcy in 2009 and subsequent restructuring. Now, more than two years into his job as CFO, Ammann acknowledges that he had only a faint idea at the time of how complex GM is.... Read More »

 

Obituaries

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Information about James Lawrence, former publisher at NADA Used Car Guide, and A.B. Shuman, a product spokesman for Mercedes-Benz of North America Inc.... Read More »

 

2 SCREENS BETTER THAN 1

Auto marketers want TV viewers to reach for another device

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
TV promotions still reach the biggest audiences, but auto marketers say the greatest untapped potential lies with consumers poised to use other devices to respond quickly to what they see on screen.... Read More »

 

A tech triumph for the S class?

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
With a technology-rich S-class redesign arriving this fall and several derivatives to be added by 2015, Mercedes-Benz aims to boost stalled sales of its flagship.... Read More »

 

M-B redesigned S class with China in mind

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
The redesigned Mercedes-Benz S class made its world debut last week in Hamburg, Germany, but Shanghai might have been more appropriate. Why? China accounted for 49 percent of all 2010-12 S-class sales.... Read More »

 

GM's Cruze diesel ghostbuster

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
No one on Mike Siegrist's engineering team talks about the failed Oldsmobile diesel V-8 from the 1980s. But it's there, a 745-pound cast-iron ghost. Siegrist leads the 50-member engineering team that is equipping the first GM car in North America with a diesel since 1986.... Read More »

 

Infiniti to add new halo car, more crossovers

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti marque plans to add a halo nameplate above its Q70 flagship sedan and expand its crossover offerings, President Johan de Nysschen said.... Read More »

 

Expert advice to improve your operation

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Dealership finance and insurance experts will offer tips and counsel during Automotive News F&I Week, a free online conference of six Webinars on June 11-13.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

U.S. tweaks boost Leaf's mpg score

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
U.S. production of Nissan's Leaf electric vehicle has resulted in improved EPA fuel economy numbers for the car. The production move from Japan to Nissan's plant in Smyrna, Tenn., this year gave the automaker a chance to make a small number of midcycle engineering changes.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Sporty Bentley models in the works

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Bentley plans to launch a 650-hp Continental Supersports as early as 2014, featuring carbon-fiber panels and a stiffer chassis, sources told Autoweek.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Honda to return to F1 racing

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Honda will return to Formula One as an engine supplier after exiting the racing series in 2008. The Japanese automaker will provide engines to its former F1 racing partner McLaren starting in 2015.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

NSX's electric motors will help handling

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Technical details on the Acura NSX coming in 2015 are scarce, but large-project leader Ted Klaus offered a few nuggets last week as Honda officials announced that the sports car will be built in Ohio.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Sources: Chrysler plans high-hp Hellcat V-8

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Chrysler Group is developing a supercharged Hemi V-8 with power approaching the 640 hp of the SRT Viper's V-10.... Read More »

 

KEITH CRAIN

You can't mandate human behavior

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
They are at it again in California. The mandates for zero-emission vehicles mean that to sell any volume there, you will need to have some sort of electric car for that market. Some car companies may decide to get out of the California market because it doesn't make sense Keith Crain is editor-in-chief of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

GM, Chrysler are still working on supplier relations

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Are General Motors and Chrysler Group playing hardball with suppliers again? The latest automaker-supplier relations study by the consultant firm Planning Perspectives Inc. was troubling... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Women do well as service advisers

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
I wholeheartedly agree with the assessment of Roger Pipher, fixed operations director of Coleman Buick-GMC-Cadillac in Lawrenceville, N.J., about women as service advisers.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Most F&I managers aren't forgers

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Only a small number of F&I managers, automotive professionals or Americans in general would ever consider signing a name other than their own or committing forgery.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In F&I, honesty is still the best policy

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Thank you for the April 17 interview with F&I trainer George Angus, "Payment packing is deception -- it's not OK" (Finance & Insurance newsletter). I agree that a lot of dealerships still pack payments.... Read More »

 

DAVE GUILFORD

Price is next hurdle for Tesla growth

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Tesla has had one hell of a run lately. It reported its first quarterly profit. It's brainstorming self-guided cars with Google. The stock is sizzling. Let's just take a deep breath. Amid all the buzz, it's important to realize what Tesla has and hasn't accomplished Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Shaq: No grease needed to slide into his LaCrosse

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Can Shaquille O'Neal really fit into a Buick LaCrosse? During a recent episode of the "Inside the NBA" postgame show on the TNT network, analyst Charles Barkley kidded the 7-foot-1-inch Shaq about his LaCrosse ads by saying O'Neal had to be rubbed down with Gold Bond Lotion to slide in.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Tesla's soaring stock price buries short sellers

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
The recent rocket ride of Tesla stock has put the hurt on holders of "shorts" -- those gambling that the price of the stock will fall.... Read More »

 

Used-hybrid prices down from '12

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
A more crowded market of electrified and efficient gasoline-powered vehicles is pushing down prices of used hybrids. Moderating gasoline prices are hurting, too.... Read More »

 

BEST PRACTICES

Old-school Rizza roars into the digital age

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
In an age when auto dealers are plunging into digital tools for marketing, store management and customer retention, Chicago's Rizza Cars has become a star practitioner. The six-store retailer is a case study of a traditional dealership group transforming in a new era of operating technologies.... Read More »

 

Smart: Battery rental will ease consumers' EV anxiety

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
Smart USA says it can ease consumer jitters about EVs by offering customers who buy or lease the electric-powered ForTwo that went on sale last week the option of renting the car's lithium ion battery.... Read More »

 

Industry: EU trade deal would lift exports

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
U.S. auto exports to Europe could quadruple within 15 years if regulators get rid of tariffs and adopt standard vehicle-safety rules, automaker associations say.... Read More »