Is a dollar penny-ante stuff? Not to feds

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 19

Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News

To the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, even $1 a month is too much if it's the cost of discrimination in auto lending. Even if that discrimination is completely unintentional.
Some in the industry think there should be some wriggle room, some leeway if there's just a smidgen of a difference between the rate charged one ...
     Continue reading "Is a dollar penny-ante stuff? Not to feds" » Jun 19, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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In F&I, man beats machine every time

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 19
Retail auto sales are built on human relationships.
Whether the rapport is between the salesperson and customer or between the F&I manager and customer, the relationship is built on human-to-human interaction with trust as its foundation.
And that's something no piece of technology or m ...
     Continue reading "In F&I, man beats machine every time" » Jun 19, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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Mad Men's auto characters are fiction, but loosely based on reality

Posted 4:28 pm U.S. ET, June 19
Maybe some auto executive or dealer really ticked-off a writer on Mad Men at some point and now that writer or producer is exacting revenge.
That's how it seems when the series repeatedly bashes folks in the auto industry, often taking misguided stereotypes to an extreme.
Sunday it ...
     Continue reading "Mad Men's auto characters are fiction, but loosely based on reality" » Jun 19, 2013 4:28 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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Why Sierra holds the key to GM denting Ford's premium-pickup reign

Posted 3:29 pm U.S. ET, June 19
DETROIT -- When General Motors unveiled its next-generation Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra in December, journalists were offered separate, symbolic lunch buffets: bratwursts and baked beans at ...
     Continue reading "Why Sierra holds the key to GM denting Ford's premium-pickup reign" » Jun 19, 2013 3:29 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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So who won the Chrysler-NHTSA recall fight?

Posted 6:01 pm U.S. ET, June 18
DETROIT -- Now that Chrysler Group has agreed to inspect and modify as many as 1.56 million older-model Jeep SUVs at the request of federal regulators, one inevitable question remains.
Who won?
Did the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration win? It did get Chrysler to agree to act a ...
     Continue reading "So who won the Chrysler-NHTSA recall fight?" » Jun 18, 2013 6:01 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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Pickup.com shootout is a salvo in ongoing pickup battle

Posted 12:07 pm U.S. ET, June 18
If you'll forgive the metaphor, the shootout described this week by the editors at pickuptrucks.com may say more about the automaker/gunslingers themselves than the effectiveness ...
     Continue reading "Pickup.com shootout is a salvo in ongoing pickup battle" » Jun 18, 2013 12:07 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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Range anxiety, hydrogen style

Posted 3:08 pm U.S. ET, June 18
WASHINGTON -- Honda's hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the FCX Clarity, has been known to travel thousands of miles without refueling.
But only while sitting on the back of a truck.
There are so few hydrogen fueling stations in the United States that Honda often must ship the car from C ...
     Continue reading "Range anxiety, hydrogen style" » Jun 18, 2013 3:08 pm U.S. ET Post Comment  |  Permalink

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Why GM can only get hurt keeping data secret

Posted 9:52 am U.S. ET, June 17
General Motors won’t release production data?
Red alert! Like when the “Check engine” light pops on, the immediate question is “How bad is it?” You hope it’s a $20 fan belt but fear a cracked engine block.
As Automotive News Continue reading "Why GM can only get hurt keeping data secret" » Jun 17, 2013 9:52 am U.S. ET

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Honda's little radiation-proof robot does nuke duty

Posted 8:58 am U.S. ET, June 17
TOKYO -- In the highly radioactive crucible of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, there are simply some areas too hot and hazardous for humans to venture for cleanup.
Now, Honda Motor Co. is parlaying its expertise in robotics into a helping hand -- quite literally a telescoping, cancer-impervious surveying arm t ...
     Continue reading "Honda's little radiation-proof robot does nuke duty" » Jun 17, 2013 8:58 am U.S. ET

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Batteries pose tough transport challenges

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 17
The fragility -- and dangers -- of lithium ion batteries for electric cars came up again at our recent Congress in Paris when DHL's head of automotive logistics pointed out the difficulties of transporting them.
Not only are they heavy, they also are classified as "dangerous goods" when flown, Fathi Tlatli told us last week.< ...
     Continue reading "Batteries pose tough transport challenges" » Jun 17, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Why Europe is a proving ground for rising star executives

Posted 3:33 pm U.S. ET, June 14
"It's the hottest fires that make the hardest steel."
That quote, from Chrysler's "Made in Detroit" commercial, certainly applies to automotive executives. Consider this year's list of Europe's Rising St ...
     Continue reading "Why Europe is a proving ground for rising star executives" » Jun 14, 2013 3:33 pm U.S. ET

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Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 14
SHANGHAI -- In China's auto industry it is common to see joint ventures between global brands and state-owned Chinese companies.
But now a new type of partnership -- between big state-owned automakers and small private domestic companies -- is emerging.
This is occurring because the Chinese ...
     Continue reading "Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China" » Jun 14, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 14
SHANGHAI -- In China's auto industry it is common to see joint ventures between global brands and state-owned Chinese companies.
But now a new type of partnership -- between big state-owned automakers and small private domestic companies -- is emerging.
This is occurring because the Chinese ...
     Continue reading "Foreign competition leads to new partnerships in China" » Jun 14, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Why some F&I time should be spent in the box

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 12
Most F&I insiders agree that customers dread the idea of spending time in the F&I office, also known as “the box.” But the F&I office has its supporters, too.
Certainly, there’s been a lot of discussion lately about keeping the customer’s time spent there to a minimum. And F&I managers ...
     Continue reading "Why some F&I time should be spent in the box" » Jun 12, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Lincoln's maintenance cutbacks offer F&I opportunity

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 12
Some Lincoln dealers see opportunity in Lincoln's plan to trim its complimentary maintenance program from 4 years/50,000 miles to 2 years/24,000 miles starting with 2014 models.
They say the change presents an opportunity to pitch other aftermarket products that would enhance the shorter plans, thus boosting F&I sales. Or ...
     Continue reading "Lincoln's maintenance cutbacks offer F&I opportunity" » Jun 12, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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More dealership employees = more sales?

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 12
Japanese-brand auto dealerships added 11,894 employees in the United States last year, according to a recent report from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association in Washington.
JAMA's numbers are sometimes called into question -- such as when auto dealership workers are included in total U.S. employment figures for Japa ...
     Continue reading "More dealership employees = more sales?" » Jun 12, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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BMW X5 footprint grows, first rwd variant planned

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 11
BMW is putting more space between its flagship crossover and the rest of its expanding crossover lineup.
The redesigned X5 crossover, coming in the fourth quarter, is slightly longer than the current model, gets a new front end and will be available with several new safety and communications features.
...
     Continue reading "BMW X5 footprint grows, first rwd variant planned" » Jun 11, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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The EV taxation debate comes to Michigan

Posted 11:04 am U.S. ET, June 11
LANSING, Mich. -- Can a road tell the difference if an electric vehicle or a gas guzzler is driving over it?
No, but lawmakers around the country tasked with coming up with a new revenue stream to pay for the upkeep of those roads sure can. And they are looking for the owners of those vehicles that guzzle so little gas to pay ...
     Continue reading "The EV taxation debate comes to Michigan" » Jun 11, 2013 11:04 am U.S. ET

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So NHTSA, where's the old Cherokee?

Posted 5:11 pm U.S. ET, June 7
Several of my colleagues and I have spent most of this week researching, writing and talking about Chrysler Group's decision to fight the recall of the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee ...
     Continue reading "So NHTSA, where's the old Cherokee?" » Jun 7, 2013 5:11 pm U.S. ET

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Resurgent economy bolsters foreign car sales in Japan

Posted 10:36 am U.S. ET, June 7
TOKYO -- For months, U.S. and European automakers have been fretting about the impact of the tumbling yen on local sales.
Without doubt, the shrinking yen makes Japanese exports more profitable and increases their allure in overseas markets.
But here's the flip side they don't complain abou ...
     Continue reading "Resurgent economy bolsters foreign car sales in Japan" » Jun 7, 2013 10:36 am U.S. ET

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Ford dealers’ time to shine is during a recall

Posted 2:49 pm U.S. ET, June 6
A vehicle recall can be good for dealers.
If handled right, a recall often helps boost a dealership’s customer retention rate and increase service revenues, an industry observer says.
Ford Motor Co. issued a Continue reading "Ford dealers’ time to shine is during a recall" » Jun 6, 2013 2:49 pm U.S. ET

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Lenders must be locally flexible

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 5
Centralization has its limits.
Several large dealership groups and lenders have centralized functions at headquarters or set standard nationwide procedures. But sometimes consumers and their incomes don’t fit the usual profile.
Consider:
• Some Las Vegas ...
     Continue reading "Lenders must be locally flexible" » Jun 5, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Why Chrysler decided to fight NHTSA

Posted 10:07 am U.S. ET, June 5
Chrysler Group's decision to reject a recall request for 2.7 million aging Jeep SUVs caught the automotive industry -- and the media -- by surprise Tuesday.
It's a rare event when an automaker says no to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well it should be.
But lost amid ...
     Continue reading "Why Chrysler decided to fight NHTSA" » Jun 5, 2013 10:07 am U.S. ET

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Ford Ka faces uncertain future

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, June 5
The future of the Ford Ka appears uncertain after a senior marketing executive said that the minicar has been left out of a new, brandwide advertising campaign.
"For quite a long time we have not produced new advertising" for the Ka, Elena Cortesi, Ford of Europe's director of social media, told Automotive News Europe. "It is ...
     Continue reading "Ford Ka faces uncertain future" » Jun 5, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET

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Lutz: GM nice-guy Wagoner fell victim to bad timing, bad luck

Posted 1:45 pm U.S. ET, June 4
Bob Lutz put a chapter about his old boss, Rick Wagoner, in his new book, which has the word "idiots" in the title.
But Wagoner is no idiot, Lutz writes. He was just too passive, too data-focused and "too nice" to lead General Motors through the toughest period in its history.
"Rick trusted ...
     Continue reading "Lutz: GM nice-guy Wagoner fell victim to bad timing, bad luck" » Jun 4, 2013 1:45 pm U.S. ET

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