Automotive

Chrysler's crash course cuts waste

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Dakkota Systems' instrument panel factory is joined at the hip to Chrysler's Windsor minivan assembly plant. So as Chrysler works to wring costs out of its entire manufacturing operations, it's only natural for the company to examine its key suppliers. And the Dakkota plant here is the first guinea pig in a major experiment.... 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 »

 

Michigan couple appeal sentence in GM trade-secret case

6:07 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
A Michigan couple sentenced to prison for stealing General Motors hybrid-car technology trade secrets filed appeals Friday with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.... Read More »

 

Schaeffler to end Continental accord as merger project wanes

May 13, 2013 21:46 CET
Schaeffler, the largest investor in tire and components supplier Continental, plans to end an agreement between the two German companies as it continues to dismantle a plan for a gradual merger.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Why Wednesday hearing could be connected cars' moment of truth

4:12 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
In the software industry, people talk about vaporware -- products that are heavily promoted but never seem to go on sale. Automakers are at the point that they must prove that connected cars, which talk to each other over Wi-Fi to stay out of fender-benders, are more than just vaporware.... Read More »

 

Schaeffler to end Continental accord as merger project wanes

3:46 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Schaeffler, the largest investor in tire and components supplier Continental, plans to end an agreement between the two German companies as it continues to dismantle a plan for a gradual merger.... Read More »

 

Toyota puts high beams on headlight regulation

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
With a recent petition, Toyota has intensified the pressure on safety regulators to approve new headlights currently forbidden on U.S. roads. The headlights use cameras to detect other cars and automatically dim the portions of the high beam that would shine in other drivers' eyes.... Read More »

 

GM says new data centers will improve vehicles, margins

1:35 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
General Motors said it is investing $546 million in two new Michigan data centers in hopes it will free up millions of dollars to boost vehicle quality more quickly.... Read More »

 

Akerson sees GM profits streaming from in-vehicle connections

12:33 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
One of the first things Dan Akerson did as CEO of General Motos in 2010 was dive into the automaker’s telecommunications business to get more profit from that in-car connection.... Read More »

 

Progress in supplier relations stalls

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Automakers in North America failed to make progress in improving relations with suppliers over the past year, an annual study says.... Read More »

 

FINANCE & INSURANCE

GM's F&I products will carry vehicle brand names

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
General Motors is rolling out branded F&I products, starting this month with a pilot at its 200 or so dealerships in Ohio and going nationwide by year end.... Read More »

 

FINANCE & INSURANCE Q&A: TOM DUNDON

Chrysler Group seeks an edge with Chrysler Capital

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Chrysler Capital, the private-label arrangement between Santander Consumer USA and Chrysler Group, began operating in the United States May 1 as the preferred lender for Chrysler Group. Chrysler Capital will offer prime and subprime retail loans and leasing through Chrysler dealers, as well as floorplanning and construction loans to dealers.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Audi Q7 will shed weight

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The redesigned Audi Q7 that debuts next summer in Europe will weigh about 800 pounds less than the current model, company insiders tell German sibling publication Automobilwoche.... Read More »

 

New needs, more speeds

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
In March, luxury maker Land Rover proudly told an audience at the Geneva auto show that it would soon bring to market the industry's first nine-speed transmission. One month later, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors announced that they would jointly develop 10-speeds. Can 12-speeds really be that far behind? And why not a 24-speed?... Read More »

 

N.A. April output up 14%

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
North American car and truck production in April rose 14 percent from the year-earlier month to 1,474,599 units, the highest for any April since 2002.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Next Corolla gets CVT, 2 engine choices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla that debuts here on June 6 will have a continuously variable transmission and will be offered with a choice of two engines, company officials have told dealers.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

GM delayed SUV rollouts to focus on pickups

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The early-2014 rollout of General Motors' next generation of full-sized SUVs will come about three months later than the company had planned. GM North America President Mark Reuss confirmed that the timeline was pushed back to ensure a "flawless" launch of GM's next-generation full-sized pickups.... Read More »

 

CARS & CONCEPTS

Albaisa leads Infiniti design

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Alfonso Albaisa, the Cuban-American designer who has led Nissan's worldwide passenger car design strategy for a year, has been named global design chief for Infiniti.... Read More »

 

Audi to suppliers: Come to Mexico

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Audi AG brought more than 100 supplier executives to Mexico in early May, wooing them with a ride through the countryside that left their matching white Q5 crossovers splotched with mud. And the courtship came with a firm message: If you want to supply the next Q5, consider setting up shop in Mexico.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

NHTSA must see the light on safety updates

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration needs to review its process for allowing automakers to introduce advances in lighting technology.... Read More »

 

EDITORIAL

Are F&I products next?

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Dealers have long feared that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would find a way to wreak havoc in dealership F&I offices, even though it has no direct jurisdiction over dealerships except buy-here, pay-here stores.... Read More »

 

'14 Silverado: More brawn, quieter ride

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Chevrolet packs more power and torque, better fuel economy and a much improved interior into the first redesign of its Silverado full-sized pickup in seven years.... Read More »

 

Subaru's Ind. expansion includes Impreza output

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Subaru said last week that it will invest $400 million to expand capacity at its Indiana assembly plant and start building the Impreza compact there. Impreza production will begin in 2016.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Tariff played a role in Mexico winning Audi plant

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
At the groundbreaking for the Q5 plant in San Jose Chiapa, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler offered another explanation for deciding not to locate in the United States: The European Union slaps a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-built vehicles.... Read More »

 

NLRB likely to certify UAW to represent Flex-N-Gate workers at Texas plant

3:48 pm U.S. ET | May 10, 2013
The National Labor Relations Board likely will issue a certification today confirming the UAW as bargaining representative for hourly workers at a Flex-N-Gate Corp. plant in Arlington, Texas.... Read More »