qualityLETTERS TO THE EDITOR Bravo to Chrysler's quality chief 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013 The Q&A with Chrysler's Doug Betts was interesting, but what caught my attention was his citing a "roughly 60 percent improvement in warranty rates."... Read More »
Q&A: DOUG BETTS Chrysler quality chief: 'We're still working' 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 27, 2013  Doug Betts has spearheaded Chrysler Group's effort to improve product quality since he joined the company from Nissan North America in 2007. Betts, 49, who earlier worked at units of Toyota Motor and Michelin Group, says Chrysler quality is now close to that of Toyota.... Read More »
Chrysler quality chief: Little difference now with Toyota 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013 The quality gap between Chrysler Group's vehicles and those of Japanese automakers has become so small that it no longer should matter to consumers, Chrysler's quality chief says.... Read More »
Infiniti: Raise quality, sales will follow 12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013  Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen, poached last summer from Audi, aims to push into new segments, restore profitability to Nissan's luxury marque and fix lackluster quality rankings. Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has ordered de Nysschen to make the brand a top-tier premium player and boost global sales to 500,000 by 2016 from just 170,000 last year.... Read More »
Domestic brands score well in owner-perception survey 8:00 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 Volkswagen Group and Ford fared well among automakers in an annual study released today measuring quality and how deeply consumers feel about a new car or light-truck purchase after several months of ownership.... Read More »
Toyota's Carter: Industry's dubious claims hurt consumer trust 4:15 pm U.S. ET | March 26, 2013  In the wake of bad publicity from inaccurate fuel-mileage ratings and other misleading marketing claims, the automotive industry has a trust problem with American consumers a top Toyota official said today.... Read More »
Lurching at launch is nothing new at Ford 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 25, 2013 The quality glitches that have plagued the 2013 Lincoln MKZ launch are not isolated. Ford Motor Co. has had a recurring problem with recent vehicle launches.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Can today's diesels erase Olds memories? 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 23, 2013  I've been wondering lately just how long it takes sustained execution to erase previous experience. Or put another way: What's the statute of limitations on reputation?... Read More »
NHTSA app aims to ease consumers' access to safety info 4:15 pm U.S. ET | March 21, 2013  Federal regulators are offering a free app for iPhones and iPods that provides the latest vehicle safety information to consumers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's SaferCar.gov Web site.... Read More »
Lincoln MKZ inspection backlog nearly eliminated, Ford says 11:35 am U.S. ET | March 21, 2013  Ford Motor Co. has stopped routing redesigned Lincoln MKZ sedans from their Mexico assembly plant to a Michigan factory for quality inspections and repairs.... Read More »
CHINA VW China recall may cost more than $600 millionMarch 20, 2013 10:00 CET  VW Group's recall in China to fix defective gearboxes may cost it more than $600 million. The recall affects 384,181 vehicles including the VW Golf Audi A3, China's quality inspector said. While VW declined to comment on the financial toll, research firm LMC Automotive estimated the replacements will cost between 3,000 yuan ($483) to 10,000 yuan per vehicle.... Read More »
Nissan recalls five 2013 models on passenger airbag concerns 10:16 am U.S. ET | March 13, 2013  Nissan is recalling five 2013 model year vehicles, including top sellers Altima and Sentra, because the front passenger airbag may not deploy in a crash, the automaker told U.S. regulators. The models in the recall are Nissan's Altima, Sentra, Pathfinder and Leaf as well as Infiniti JX35, it said today.... Read More »
GENEVA AUTO SHOW U.S. execs lead VW's quality quest in N.A. 12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013  This winter, when Volkswagen Group of America discovered that diesel versions of the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat were having trouble in Canada's cold climate, executives in the United States didn't need permission from Germany to fix the problem.... Read More »
Japanese brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports' rankings 12:45 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 26, 2013  Japanese brands, led by Lexus, Subaru and Mazda, continue to dominate Consumer Reports' rankings of the best light vehicles on the market, claiming “top pick” honors in seven out of 10 product segments and capturing the top seven spots for overall brand reliability and performance. The brands that scored best on the magazine's report cards for 2013 were Lexus, with a score of 79 out of 100, followed by Subaru and Mazda, which both scored a 76.... Read More »
Fiat Polish plant wins automaker's first gold efficiency awardDec. 5, 2012 13:30 CET  A Fiat engine plant in Poland has become the first manufacturing facility to receive a gold award under the company's World Class Manufacturing system for factory efficiency.... Read More »
Toyota is tops, Ford drops in reliability ratings 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 5, 2012  Toyota Motor Corp. is back on top, followed by a wave of Japanese brands, in reliability ratings by Consumer Reports magazine. And Ford Motor Co. tumbled in the rankings.... Read More »
Lexus tops J.D. Power's China vehicle quality studyNov. 1, 2012 14:09 CET  International luxury brands continued to dominate J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study for China this year. Lexus earned the top ranking with only 54 problems reported per 100 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, BMW AG and Audi AG ranked second, third and fourth.... Read More »
The end of premium vs. non premium 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 25, 2012  There are no premium brands any more, just rivals. That's the view of Ford of Europe's newly appointed head of quality, Gunnar Herrmann, who is working to try to close the gap against Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. "Take BMW. In the near term, they will have nine entries in the compact segment. This is basically our heartland," he said.... Read More »
Chinese automakers' Europe, U.S. export plans clouded by recalls in AustraliaAug. 21, 2012 13:13 CET  Plans by Chinese automakers to grow exports to Europe and the U.S. may have been damaged after the country's two biggest car exporters Chery and Great Wall were forced to recall vehicles in Australia that were found to contain potential cancer-producing asbestos parts.... Read More »
Johnson Controls' joint venture shares top rank in seating quality survey, J.D. Power saysAug. 17, 2012 06:01 CET For the third year in a row, Avanzar Interior Technologies earned a top spot in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Seat Supplier Quality Rankings. Avanzar, a joint venture between Johnson Controls and SAT Auto Technologies, tied with TS Tech for the top rating, the firm reported Thursday.... Read More »
Johnson Controls' joint venture shares top rank in seating quality survey, J.D. Power says 4:15 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 16, 2012 For the third year in a row, Avanzar Interior Technologies earned a top spot in the JD Power and Associates 2012 Seat Supplier Quality Rankings. Avanzar, a joint venture between Johnson Controls and SAT Auto Technologies, tied with TS Tech for the top rating, the firm reported today.... Read More »
2012 MANAGEMENT BRIEFING SEMINARS Why auto quality ratings don't mean as much 4:44 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 8, 2012 Telling a good car from a bad one is not as easy as it used to be. But that does not mean each one is necessarily as good as the rest. “None of them are really awful anymore,” Jim Hall, managing director of the consulting firm 2953 Analytics, said here at the 2012 Management Briefing Seminars on Wednesday. “It's not like you're going to get it and the fender's going to fall off in a year.”... Read More »
Three Chevys capture top ratings in J.D. Power study 10:00 am U.S. ET | July 25, 2012  Three Chevrolet models captured top rankings in their segment, the most of any brand in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study released today. The study named three Chevys best in segment in Power's 21 categories: the Sonic for subcompact cars, Volt for compact cars and Avalanche for large pickup.... Read More »
JESSE SNYDER Diving deep into Power’s soft data 3:36 pm U.S. ET | July 25, 2012  J.D. Power and Associates’ annual Initial Quality Study always gets more attention than the APEAL Study, even though the data are drawn from the same massive pool of respondents. But I like ’em both, especially when the unexpected pops up.... Read More »
VW gains share in France with deals PSA, Renault can't matchJuly 22, 2012 06:01 CET  VW has been able to borrow at cheaper interest rates than many of its rivals. That advantage has translated into better deals for French consumers. French buyers pay as little as 1.9 percent annual interest on 10,000 euros in financing from Volkswagen, the company says. From Peugeot, the same loan would cost around 11.6 percent annually, according to the automaker's Web site. Renault says it charges 5.9 percent.... Read More »
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 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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