Automotive News - January 7, 2008 - (Page 32)

32 • JANUARY 7, 2008 CLASSIFIEDS 800-388-1800 313-446-6065 DEALER SERVICES Lexus SUV luxury will grow on you LX 570 packs on 4 inches and 400 hp, stays at 12 mpg/city Mark Rechtin mrechtin@crain.com Warranty Claims Payment Services Processing and Consulting Randy Shepard & Associates, Inc. 1-877-656-8900 Peace of Mind TM Ser ving Dealers Since 1979 view the RS&A operation in action out @ www.randyshepard.com our video ACCOUNTING PERSONNEL ISSUES? FINANCIAL STATEMENT ISSUES? Do you need training for office personnel? Do you need an interim controller or office manager? Do you need help with warranties, factory claims or reconciliations? Seek help from a CPA/MBA with over eighteen years of accounting and dealership experience to help with these and other managerial and financial challenges. Please contact Lisa McDonall @ 336-926-3115 or cfosolutions@triad.rr.com INCREASE CSI & PROFITS by using PLASTACISE Paint Protection (Recognized by GM). Our new comprehensive program includes keeping your inventory clean & removal of scratches & swirls. PLASTACISE, INC. 800-292-2515. NC ATTORNEY - Over 30 years experience in automotive dealer services, specializing in the acquisition and/or sale of dealerships, negotiations with manufacturers or distributors, consulting or brokerage services available. Fees and references furnished upon request. James B. Rivenbark, Wilmington, NC 28403 - E-mail address: jbrivenbark@bellsouth.net - 910-452-0700. AUTO RAPTOR The Ultimate Automotive CRM & DeskTool Calculate leases, finance, and cash deals within Auto Raptor’s CRM www.autoraptor.com BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES $19K PROFIT MY 1st MONTH working from home in less than 25 hrs per week! $1K-$8K profit per sale. This is Not MLM! FREE Training & Support Provided. Call 1-888-880-1317 * 24 hrs TIRED OF THE CAR BUSINESS? Make $3k to $5K per week. Join our team today. It’s time for a change. www.daily-freedom.com COMPUTER SOFTWARE FOR SALE WINDOWS F&I SYST. Lease & Loan Master & BHPH Inventory, Forms, Contracts, Stickers. F&I Menu Selling Web Credit Reports, Contact Manager, LA&H, Qbooks. From $299. L-master.com - 800 701-6686 - 818-591-0631 COMPUTER HARDWARE FOR SALE COMPLETE REYNOLDS DMS SYSTEM: Purchase a complete Advantage SC ERA system to computerize your entire dealership or purchase spare parts to augment your existing Reynolds system. Call: 508-868-3527. REAL ESTATE EASTERN PA - Turnkey Modern 15,000 SF dealership located on RT 309 Quakertown, PA. Real Estate only. 3.5 acres, 6 car showroom, 15 service bays, sprinklered, well maintained, 7 years young. Adjacent to Lowe’s. 37,000 traffic count. Former General Motors (Buick) dealership. Contact Ed Ginn - Equity Retail Brokers - 484-417-2201. TRUCKS FOR SALE RAWLS AUTO AUCTION DEALERS ONLY BellSouth - COCA-COLA GSA SCHEDULED SALE DATES LEESVILLE SC SAN DIEGO — Just when you thought luxury SUVs couldn’t get any bigger, Lexus has increased the length of the redesigned LX 570 by 4 inches and widened it by more than an inch. Evidently, when you buy a luxury SUV that tops $80,000 fully optioned, added size and weight don’t matter. It helps that the LX 570, despite the 405 pounds of added bulk and 115 more horsepower under the hood, gets the same claimed fuel economy as the LX 470 it replaces: 12 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway. The SUV goes on sale this month. The basics: It’s big — 196.5 inches long — though still 6 inches shorter than a Cadillac Escalade. The LX 570 shares many of its underpinnings with the new Toyota Land Cruiser body-on-frame platform. That includes the 5.7-liter engine, front independent suspension and rear solid axles. The larger engine and new sixspeed automatic transmission can propel the three-ton LX 570 to 60 mph in seven seconds. More impressively, the LX 570 has best-in-class towing capacity: 8,500 pounds. Putting the brakes on all this weight are 13-inch ventilated disc rotors at all four wheels. Notable features: Lexus upgraded the off-road capability of the LX 570. It features “crawl control” for more precise low-speed maneuvering down hills as steep as 45 degrees. The crawl control can be adjusted to 0.6, 2 or 3.2 mph in either forward or reverse gear. In addition to full-time four-wheel drive, the LX 570 comes with active traction control and a Torsen limitedslip center differential. Adaptive variable suspension and variable rideheight controls are also part of the package. The antilock brakes adjust if they sense the vehicle is driving off-pavement. You may never see it on dirt, but the redesigned Lexus LX 570 has the muscle to handle off-roading. Inside, all three rows of seats are powered. Second-row seats are heated and have 4 inches of slide travel. The front and rear blind spots are covered with cameras that display images on the navigation screen. Standard features include 20-inch wheels, four-zone climate control, adaptive front lighting, 10 airbags, power rear tailgate window and SmartAccess key fob. The Yoshiwara, Japan, assembly plant where the Lexus 570 is built is plenty fussy. One stop on the line has four sensors to test the sound of the doors being closed. Toyota wants to assure an ear-pleasing thunk. What Lexus says: “The line between four-wheel-drive super chassis and plush, luxurious sedan has been blurred more than ever before,” Lexus Division boss Mark Templin said at the media introduction in San Diego. Compromises and shortcomings: The crawl control actuators are bolted to the master cylinder assembly, The big get bigger 2008 LX 570 2007 LX 470 Wheelbase Length Width Height Base engine Horsepower Torque, in lbs.-ft. Curb weight Base price* * Includes shipping 112.2 in. 196.5 in. 77.6 in. 75.6 in. 5.7-liter V-8 383 @ 5,600 rpm 403 @ 3,600 rpm 5,995 lbs. $74,565 112.2 in. 192.5 in. 76.4 in. 72.8 in. 4.7-liter V-8 268 @ 5,400 rpm 328 @ 3,400 rpm 5,590 lbs. $68,150 which is bolted to the firewall. As a result, there is a tremendous clattering in the cabin whenever the crawl control is working. Also, the rear tailgate is unhelpfully split, rather than being a one-piece design. The market: Lexus needs the LX 570 to turn around its premium-SUV sales. In 2006, Lexus sold 5,595 LX 470s, and sales are down 54.0 percent through November in its sell-down year. Templin hopes to sell about 8,500 units of the new model. Lexus says current LX owners have had household incomes of $380,000, double that of their competitors. The marketing campaign will use the slogan, “The Driver Empowered.” The skinny: If any of these vehicles ever sets foot on dirt, I’ll eat my hat. Too bad, because the Lexus is a very competent off-roader. But it’s the opulent interior that really wins the prize. c CALL FOR MORE INFO - 803-657-5111 CARS FOR SALE INVENTORY FOR SALE - WHOLESALE PRICES Great condition. Large quantities avail. across the USA. Dealers, independents & wholesalers welcome. John Marion - 918-669-2661 - www.MyInventoryGuy.com dealership group. SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT MARKET ASSOCIATION — Tim Dietz to chairman-elect of the association’s wheel and tire council. He becomes chairman of the council in fall 2008. Dietz is manager of accounts at Standards Testing Laboratories Inc., of Massillon, Ohio. SEMA, of Diamond Bar, Calif., represents aftermarket companies. The association’s wheel and tire council includes manufacturers, distributors, retailers, installers, service providers and publications. E-mail personnel news to: autonews@crain.com Or send it to: Deputy Managing Editor Automotive News 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 Please include the employee’s birthdate, new title, most recent title and the full name and location of company. CARS WANTED MINI OF SAN FRANCISCO We NEED your extra . . . . . . NEW MINI inventory . . . . . and Allocations . . . . Contact: Jason 415-293-7025 jmecchi@minisf.com AUTOMOTIVE TRADE POLICY COUNCIL — Raphael Goodstein, 27, to manager of trade and legislative affairs. He had been regional field director for the Arizona Democratic Party. The Automotive Trade Policy Council is a Washington nonprofit association that represents the Detroit 3 on trade issues. 5SQUARE SYSTEMS CORP. — Jonathan Feduniec, 50, to vice president of sales and marketing of its 5Square.com Web-based dealership management system. He had been vice president of sales and marketing at ReckonUp, a customer relationship management business. 5Square Systems, of Westlake Village, Calif., provides dealer sales Goodstein Feduniec Johnson Dietz management software. JM FAMILY ENTERPRISES INC. — Carmen Johnson, 45, to vice president of human resources and total rewards. She had been at Akerman Senterfitt, a law firm. JM Family Enterprises is in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Its principal businesses are vehicle distribution and processing, financial services, finance and insurance products, retail sales and dealer technology products and services. KIA MOTORS AMERICA INC. — John Crowe, 54, to vice president of service. He had been assistant vice president of parts and accessories at Yamaha Motor Corp. SONIC AUTOMOTIVE INC. — Heath Byrd, 41, to vice president and chief information officer. He had been vice president of operations at Gevity HR Inc., of Bradenton, Fla., a human resources outsourcing company. Wesley Pandoff, 49, to senior vice president and corporate controller. He had been CFO of the commercial truck investment group of Greenbriar Equity Group. Sonic Automotive, of Charlotte, N.C., is the nation’s third-largest To respond to a CONFIDENTIAL BOX: anboxreply@crain.com Or fax to 313-446-8030 Questions? Call 800-388-1800 or 313-446-6065 Please include Box # in subject line http://www.randyshepard.com http://www.autoraptor.com http://www.autoraptor.com http://www.daily-freedom.com http://L-master.com http://www.MyInventoryGuy.com http://5Square.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - January 7, 2008

Caddy V-8 is endangered species An industry turns green -- let's talk JAPAN TRIUMPHANT Ford, Microsoft to offer 911 service in Sync GPS will track fuel price Brose buys Siemens motor unit as step toward N.A. growth Expanding Meridian sees bright future Federal-Mogul CEO to stay Harbour Consulting sold Soft market threatens Tundra sales goal Ford dumps volume targets for dealer bonuses How HCCI engines work Visteon: 'We're leaner and smaller' Ford doubles regional promo money Gasoline-diesel combo moves closer to reality Rethinking retail: A hot topic at World Congress Denso expands hybrid plant CAFE fines may yield meager grants Some pay raise: To $8.3 million from $1 New Chrysler purchasing chief looks to Asia BMW adds jobs to boost S.C. output Continental layoffs follow production cuts at Chrysler Study: Indirect loan delinquencies soar No more peekaboo for Camaro Saturn's Lajdziak: GM is 'where I wanted to be' LETTER TO THE EDITOR Why buy Japanese? Here's an answer CAFE will put new entrees on auto show menu What an exciting way to start 2008 LETTER TO THE EDITOR 84-month financing is nothing new LETTER TO THE EDITOR GM ad policy shift is good for dealers JAMES B. TREECE Detroit show gets back on a global track LETTER TO THE EDITOR Too many dealers: Blame greed LETTER TO THE EDITOR Why not learn from Toyota? LETTER TO THE EDITOR A hot news item? Nah; it's 9 years old Suppliers to the 2008 Saturn Vue Supplier personnel Haldex farms out brake work The theme: Green and mean Dodge Ram gets interior upgrade BMW's 1-series coupe gets a soft-top counterpart Chrysler eye candy includes green jelly bean Chinese automakers increase their presence Concept offers a peek at Explorer's likely successor Ford goes global in styling its B-cars Forum concept is a clubhouse on wheels Dealers Simple safety: Green, amber, red Lexus SUV luxury will grow on you Personnel Gas prices boost Nissan car sales as trucks tank This year's U.S. sales forecast: Gloomy Ford: Tata is lead bidder for 2 brands Ex-Toyota manager goes to Audi Hyundai has new N.A. chief TRW buys Delphi brake assets Who's No. 1? Time for an official review Waning interest Solstice outguns Miata - again Once more into the legal fray? Lifan is the latest Chinese wannabe Things are looking up (and down) for MG Who has 1st Mustang - and what's it worth?

Automotive News - January 7, 2008

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