BLOG: York was passionate and energized, and then he was gone

Posted 1:17 pm U.S. ET, March 18

Jason Stein is editor of Automotive News

Seven days ago, Jerry York sat across from two of us at lunch and was plotting his next move.
He had just bought 2,000 shares of Toyota -- 'they'll be back,' he said, 'at least I bet they will be.'
He was betting on a better General Motors.
He was impressed with the progress at Ford.
He was afraid about what he was seeing at Chrysler.
"It looks like a mess," he told me and my co ...
     Continue reading "BLOG: York was passionate and energized, and then he was gone" » Mar 18 1:17 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Chasing no longer -- Chase rules the lending roost

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 17

Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News.

Chase Auto Finance last year became the nation's biggest auto lender, excluding leases.
That's impressive, particularly since the company cut back in states hit hard by the housing crisis -- including huge markets like California and Florida. To be fair, Chase wasn't alone.
Now the company is easing its way back into those markets and plans to open some new offices in other parts of the coun ...
     Continue reading "Chasing no longer -- Chase rules the lending roost" » Mar 17 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

With slow sales, Chrysler conserves cash to live to fight another day

Posted 9:53 am U.S. ET, March 16

Peter Brown is publisher of Automotive News

Yes, Chrysler sales are down this year, even though the U.S. market is up 10 percent from the miserable start of 2009.
And no, Sergio Marchionne doesn't care.
Well, I suppose he cares, kind of. But the Fiat/Chrysler CEO is not running any sales races. Like a hibernating bear, he is conserving body fat -- in Chrysler's case, money.
"We're not burning cash," Marchionne repeated last night i ...
     Continue reading "With slow sales, Chrysler conserves cash to live to fight another day " » Mar 16 9:53 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Surprise: Toyota troubles not hammering certified sales

Posted 11:49 am U.S. ET, March 11

Arlena Sawyers covers remarketing for Automotive News

Considering all the trouble Toyota had in February -- accusations of unintended acceleration, predictions of falling resale values and the suspension of sales of recalled vehicles -- had the brand's certified used vehicle sales suffered, I wouldn't have been surprised.
And Toyota division certified sales were down 7.2 percent when compared to February 2009 sales, according Autodata Corp. But fa ...
     Continue reading "Surprise: Toyota troubles not hammering certified sales" » Mar 11 11:49 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Search for extra revenue might require extra training

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 10

Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News.

Everybody is multitasking. It's what happens when times are tough.
So practices that were once only seen in F&I departments are beginning to leach into other areas of a dealership.
Everybody in the dealership, for example, needs to be aware of the federal Red Flags Rule and the care that must be taken to protect customer data from identity thieves.
Then there's the service department.
...
     Continue reading "Search for extra revenue might require extra training" » Mar 10 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

What's Japanese for Schadenfreude?

Posted 10:05 am U.S. ET, March 3

Paul McVeigh is Managing Editor of Automotive News Europe.

The Germans have a word for taking pleasure in others' misfortune – Schadenfreude. But at the Geneva auto show German auto executives were careful to avoid any mention of it when talking about rival Toyota.
When asked if Toyota's safety recall issues would lead to Mercedes-Benz and BMW trying to grab sales from luxury rival Lexus in the United States, both carmakers showed no enthu ...
     Continue reading "What's Japanese for Schadenfreude?" » Mar 3 10:05 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Pop star Timberlake makes Geneva debut for Audi

Posted 3:05 am U.S. ET, March 3

James Franey is a special correspondent for Automotive News Europe

Going green and small cars are the big buzzwords of this year's Geneva auto show ... so much so that now even platinum-selling pop stars are getting in on the act and downsizing to more fuel-efficient models.
Audi pulled off a marketing coup when it signed up U.S. singer Justin Timberlake as its brand ambassador for the new A1 subcompact.
“It's a cool car. It fits in perfectly with the ...
     Continue reading "Pop star Timberlake makes Geneva debut for Audi" » Mar 3 3:05 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Chinese try again in Europe

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 3

Douglas A. Bolduc is News Editor of Automotive News Europe.

When BYD's auto export boss Henry Li told the Geneva auto show Tuesday that the fast-growing Chinese automaker will launch two cars – a full-electric and plug-in hybrid – in Europe next year thoughts of Landwind and Brilliance started to appear in my head.
Those two Chinese brands stumbled in Europe because their models performed poorly in crash tests. Brilliance also was hurt by th ...
     Continue reading "Chinese try again in Europe" » Mar 3 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

F&I -- it's magic

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 3

Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News.

I'm adding my welcome to our new F&I newsletter and my perspective on the crucial importance of the whole F&I space, which was newly reinforced at the NADA convention in Orlando.
By my count, there were at least 74 vendors at the NADA Expo that identified themselves as F&I-related. I also encountered several late arrivals who didn't make the earlier roster.
What they all have in common is wh ...
     Continue reading "F&I -- it's magic" » Mar 3 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

'Two jobs' Zetsche says Bernhard isn't his new deputy

Posted 7:10 am U.S. ET, March 3

Paul McVeigh is Managing Editor of Automotive News Europe.

Wolfgang Bernhard is not the crown prince at Daimler, according to Dieter Zetsche. Since Bernhard was promoted to Daimler's management board last month, there has been a lot of speculation that Bernhard will soon become Zetsche's right-hand man – just like he was when Zetsche was head of Chrysler.
Bernhard, 49, also will eventually succeed Zetsche as head of the automaker, according to m ...
     Continue reading "'Two jobs' Zetsche says Bernhard isn't his new deputy" » Mar 3 7:10 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Introducing the Toyota Tiguan, ah, I mean RAV4

Posted 4:49 am U.S. ET, March 2

Douglas A. Bolduc is News Editor of Automotive News Europe.

Back before problem pedals and balky brakes brought Toyota's president to tears, we in Europe started to see signs that the giant automaker was losing its edge.
Toyota basically owned the SUV segment in Europe during the last decade because no one could offer a serious challenge to the RAV4.
That all changed when the Volkswagen Tiguan arrived in 2007.
Toyota's leadership in the segment e ...
     Continue reading "Introducing the Toyota Tiguan, ah, I mean RAV4" » Mar 2 4:49 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Volvo CEO mum on his future with Geely

Posted 11:39 am U.S. ET, March 2

Diana Kuylko covers various import brands headquartered in the New York area for Automotive News.

Stephen Odell, CEO of Volvo Car Corp. says it's going to be a tough year again, but "it just may be more fun" than 2009.
That means a market that will react in "fits and starts," says Odell.
Whether his career will follow the same path, Odell, isn't saying. It's unclear whether he's part of the package in the pending sale of Volvo to China's Geely.
He only says that part of the deal in ...
     Continue reading "Volvo CEO mum on his future with Geely" » Mar 2 11:39 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Ford soars, Toyota slips: Who'd've thunk it?

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 2

Jesse Snyder is a senior writer for Automotive News

February's U.S. sales results are full of surprises. Who'd've thunk …
… That recall-plagued Toyota only lost 9 percent?
… That Chrysler lined up with the winners?
… That hot-hot Hyundai had the fifth-best percentage gain of the Big Seven?
… That a Detroit 3 company would win in a runaway?
Of course, sales race results make more sense when you kno ...
     Continue reading "Ford soars, Toyota slips: Who'd've thunk it?" » Mar 2 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Porsche's green surprise

Posted 9:03 am U.S. ET, March 2

Diana Kuylko covers various import brands headquartered in the New York area for Automotive News.

GENEVA -- The Volkswagen Group welcomed Porsche as the newest member of its growing collection of brands by rolling out a surprise plug-in electric hybrid concept sports car.
At the VW Group event on the evening prior to the Geneva motor show, Porsche showed the two-seat 918 Spyder concept powered by a 500-hp V-8 and three electric motors that provide an additional 218-hp. Each of VW's nine br ...
     Continue reading "Porsche's green surprise" » Mar 2 9:03 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---

Welcome to the family, Porsche

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, March 2

Jason Stein is editor of Automotive News.

No one was quite sure if Porsche was going to show up Monday night at the Volkswagen Group event. Its logo wasn't included with the other nine VW brands on display.
But, one hour into the two-hour presentation, a roaring grey Porsche 918 hybrid concept made its appearance with Porsche AG CEO Michael Macht behind the wheel.
Porsche joined the ranks of Seat, Skoda, Bentley and Bugatti.
And ...
     Continue reading "Welcome to the family, Porsche" » Mar 2 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

---