Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - (Page 50) 50 • SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 final assembly comment Milwaukee road trip: No old pals, but 1 new lesson I Choice of Odell seen as Ford vote of confidence in Volvo T he soap opera continues: Will Ford dump Volvo? It seems there’s always another tea leaf to read. Here’s the latest: The choice of one of Ford’s top executives in Europe as the Swedish company’s new CEO was widely interpreted as a sign that Volvo will stay with Ford . . . for now. Ford already has disposed of Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin, and speculation about Volvo has run hot and cold since Alan Mulally became Ford’s CEO two years ago. Ford’s financial troubles this summer renewed speculation that the brand was on the block. Now Stephen Odell, Ford of Europe’s COO, will replace Fredrik Arp as president and CEO of Volvo. The consensus among analysts last week was that the appointment means Ford plans to fix Volvo’s problems rather than sell it. Odell, 53, will report to Lewis Booth, chairman of Ford of Europe and Volvo. Booth, who will continue to oversee Volvo’s strategic direction, told reporters last week that Volvo isn’t for sale. Odell, a native of London who joined Ford of Britain in 1980, has worked at other brands in the Ford orbit before. He held senior positions at Mazda and Jaguar North America. He is the first non-Swede to head Volvo. had expected to run into familiar faces while knocking around greater Milwaukee over the Labor Day weekend. It was Harley-Davidson’s 105th anniversary bash, and since many car guys and dealers also ride Harleys, I had hoped to see some I knew among the million or so bikers who were there. No such luck. Maybe we passed on the road and didn’t recognize each other wearing biker gear. EDWARD LAPHAM Harley does IS EXECUTIVE these EDITOR OF anniversary AUTOMOTIVE marketing NEWS. extravaganzas every five years. For the local economy, it’s the equivalent of having a Super Bowl every five years because Harley owners from all over the world come “home” to spend money. Lots of it. The locals understand that, too. Most businesses have signs saying “Welcome, bikers,” and nearly every freeway overpass has people enthusiastically waving hello. It was a great time. Although a Harley anniversary in Milwaukee is a good chance to spend a few days bonding with buddies, brats, burgers, beer, bands and your bike, the highlight of the weekend was visiting the new Harley-Davidson museum. It was the main reason I rode back this time, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a great facility with lots of old bikes, plus displays about marketing, parts, service and engines. While there I learned: No one at the museum is allowed to jump-start a dead battery. No one at the Harley Owners Group’s roadside assistance is allowed to jump-start a dead battery. Roadside assistance will pick up your bike at the museum then take it and you to a Harley dealership, which will sell you a new battery so you can get back on the road. Even when you’re in the hot sun and very excited to finally get someplace special, it’s best to take your key out of the ignition and not leave your headlight on for hours, draining your battery. I probably won’t ride back to Milwaukee for the 110th anniversary bash in 2013. But I will go back to the museum sometime, even if it’s winter and I’m driving a car. Edward Lapham writes commentaries each week for autonews.com. Read them at autonews.com/edwardlapham. Video from the Transformers 2 set: Good hype for the new hybrid Odell: The first non-Swede to head Volvo Dana sort of wins an award Lights, camera . . . Volt? Internet abuzz last T heimages ofwas production week at what may be the first video the version of the Chevrolet Volt hybrid. The video was shot on the set of the movie Transformers 2, and it shows several of what Chevrolet spokesman Terry Rhadigan described as concepts. One vehicle shows what appears to be a coupe version of the Pontiac Solstice but with a split rear window, a la the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette. Also seen are the 2010 Camaro SS and two very small Chevy cars. But the last few seconds of the video are most intriguing. Workers are seen peeling the cover off a swoopy purple sedan with the Volt’s stylized logo on its rear. “If folks liked what they saw, just wait until they see the real deal,” Rhadigan said. He said the images are not part of some viral marketing campaign designed to build excitement for future Chevrolets. GM, Rhadigan said, had nothing to do with the release of the images. To view the video, go to: http://transformers.moviechro nicles.com/2008-08/footage-ofpurple-chevy-volt/ T he bad news: Your company had to go through the Chapter 11 meat grinder. The good news: It handled the angst in an award-winning way. The bad news: Somebody else got the award. Dana Holding emerged from Chapter 11 reorganization in February, after lining up a $2 billion exit-financing line of credit and $790 million in new equity investment. That performance led the Turnaround Management Association to cite Dana as the International Company Turnaround of the Year. So what does the company get for its stellar performance? Well … nothing. The honor actually goes to the management association’s own members — the consultants and lawyers who helped with (and earned hefty fees from) the turnaround effort. Who were they? Well, you can read about them in their trade publication. A Lagonda from the 1970s: A sports car for all seasons? Lagonda brand will be back is reviving its Automotive ALagondanew markets.effort to Janette Green toldluxury sports News brand in an Europe. Aston Martin’s cars expand into ston Martin “The Lagonda brand would allow us to develop cars which can have a different character than a sports car,” CEO Ulrich Bez said last week. “Lagonda will have its own niche with luxurious and truly versatile products.” Lagonda models could go on sale by 2012. The vehicles could be used year round in markets, such as Russia, where some specialized sports cars such as Aston Martins can be used for only three or four months each year, spokeswoman now are sold in 32 markets. The company wants to expand into more than 100. In its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, Lagonda was associated with sumptuous luxury cars. The most recent Lagonda model, the V8, was a sleek, dramatically styled four-door sedan that was launched in 1976, a time of soaring oil prices. It was a big success with wealthy Middle Eastern buyers and was sold until the late 1980s. In case the roads get too quiet . . . L otus thinks it has a way to keep those quiet hybrid vehicles and future electric cars from sneaking up on cyclists and blind pedestrians: a speaker next to the car’s radiator that is calibrated in pitch and frequency to help identify the vehicle’s proximity and speed. A University of California study found that blindfolded volunteers could hear a gasolineor diesel-powered car from about 30 feet away but generally didn’t hear a Toyota Prius until it was about 6.5 feet away. The system, which Lotus has tested on a Prius but has not put The Insight rides again The Honda Insight is back. Honda has revived the model name for a dedicated hybrid that will take on the Toyota Prius. Like the Prius, the new Insight will be a five-door, five-passenger hatchback. A concept version, below, will debut at the Paris auto show in October, and the real thing is due in U.S. showrooms in April. The first-generation Insight hybrid had just two seats, and Honda sold only 17,001 from 1999 until production ended in 2006. on the market, would operate all the time in electric cars. In hybrids, it would turn on only when the car is using electric power. Lotus plans to benefit if government regulation heads in a direction nobody would have predicted just a few years ago: mandatory minimum noise levels for vehicles. Said Group Lotus CEO Mike Kimberley: “We hope that legislators introduce minimum noise requirements for vehicles to encourage the adoption of technologies, such as ours, which will ultimately increase pedestrian safety.” http://transformers.moviechronicles.com/2008-08/footage-of-purple-chevy-volt/ http://transformers.moviechronicles.com/2008-08/footage-of-purple-chevy-volt/ http://transformers.moviechronicles.com/2008-08/footage-of-purple-chevy-volt/ http://autonews.com http://autonews.com/edwardlapham
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - September 8, 2008 Chrysler Financial hikes dealer floorplan fees Back in business? Detroit's best bets for cash: Feds, UAW Document fee suits swamp Missouri dealers Honda's family squabble Used truck prices rebound Ford mulls Lincoln compact Toyota delays RAV4 plan Proposed flex-fuel mandate roils industry Chrysler sues consultant over sourcing Cobalt transaction prices are up $775 since April Nissan looks to Mexico for engineering aid To retain truck buyers, Nissan offers more stuff Press: Chrysler is pushing forward on electric cars Leasing falls to 4-year low GM: Currency shift stalled Astra Dealers say they can sell the Republican ticket Industry loans clash with GOP climate Grand Cherokee will get axles from new plant Makers must resist urge to backslide as gas price dips Times are tough outside the U.S., too Chevrolet does tout its small cars Let natural gas power the fuel cell A crash course in collaboration Dodge wouldn't rush the RamBox Plastics are losing cost advantage Suppliers expect to benefit from tougher CO2 rules 'People just want Ford to go' For now, Honda will skip electric vehicles Toyota, Subaru enter race to market electric vehicles China exports squeezed Study: 15% of wrecked autos got washed titles Mercedes megadealer is bullish on luxury Sheehy: 'We are not in business for nostalgia' Automakers use driving schools as marketing tools Dodge smoothes Ram's rough edges â a little Honda touts leasing while others fall back Alysha Webb Study: Nonprime car loans get longer Dealer CPA group picks leader BMW, Edmunds team up on loan site for consumers Va. Honda dealership loses protest bid Judge throws out deceptive-ads lawsuit against Toyota in Arkansas Mo. dealership's protest gets go-ahead Pa. court throws out suit against Ford, dealership Dealers Ross' interiors company pushes into China, India More than a game Nissan's Tavares: Green conference keynoter Quality group seeks to set consulting standards Personnel Dana to shift HQ by Sept. '09 Tenneco to supply Volvo XC60 BMW gets Siemens conveyors IAC to cut 280 jobs in Sweden Polytec to acquire Peguform Metaldyne to sell Italy operation Federal-Mogul to build India plant Beck, Delphi make pact TRW to supply Chinese sedan Auto profits rise in Russia Black Book expands data Hayes Lemmerz cuts losses Ford: Buyouts are a tough sell GM's party plans include production Volt An ice-cold August for auto sales Big drop in Aug. output Lights, camera . . . Volt? In case the roads get too quiet . . . The Insight rides again Lagonda brand will be back Milwaukee road trip: No old pals, but 1 new lesson Choice of Odell seen as Ford vote of confidence in Volvo Dana sort of wins an award Automotive News - September 8, 2008 Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - (Page Introducti) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Detroit's best bets for cash: Feds, UAW (Page 1) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Detroit's best bets for cash: Feds, UAW (Page 2) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Toyota delays RAV4 plan (Page 3) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Cobalt transaction prices are up $775 since April (Page 4) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Cobalt transaction prices are up $775 since April (Page 5) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - GM: Currency shift stalled Astra (Page 6) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - GM: Currency shift stalled Astra (Page 7) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Grand Cherokee will get axles from new plant (Page 8) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Grand Cherokee will get axles from new plant (Page 9) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Grand Cherokee will get axles from new plant (Page 10) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Grand Cherokee will get axles from new plant (Page 11) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Let natural gas power the fuel cell (Page 12) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Let natural gas power the fuel cell (Page 13) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Plastics are losing cost advantage (Page 14) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Plastics are losing cost advantage (Page 15) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Suppliers expect to benefit from tougher CO2 rules (Page 16) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - 'People just want Ford to go' (Page 16A) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Toyota, Subaru enter race to market electric vehicles (Page 16B) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Toyota, Subaru enter race to market electric vehicles (Page 16C) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Toyota, Subaru enter race to market electric vehicles (Page 16D) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - For now, Honda will skip electric vehicles (Page 17) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - For now, Honda will skip electric vehicles (Page 18) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - For now, Honda will skip electric vehicles (Page 19) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Study: 15% of wrecked autos got washed titles (Page 20) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Study: 15% of wrecked autos got washed titles (Page 21) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Mercedes megadealer is bullish on luxury (Page 22) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Mercedes megadealer is bullish on luxury (Page 23) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Sheehy: 'We are not in business for nostalgia' (Page 24) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Sheehy: 'We are not in business for nostalgia' (Page 25) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Sheehy: 'We are not in business for nostalgia' (Page 26) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Sheehy: 'We are not in business for nostalgia' (Page 27) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Automakers use driving schools as marketing tools (Page 28) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Dodge smoothes Ram's rough edges â a little (Page 29) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - BMW, Edmunds team up on loan site for consumers (Page 30) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - BMW, Edmunds team up on loan site for consumers (Page 31) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Judge throws out deceptive-ads lawsuit against Toyota in Arkansas (Page 32) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Pa. court throws out suit against Ford, dealership (Page 33) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Dealers (Page 34) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - More than a game (Page 35) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Personnel (Page 36) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - TRW to supply Chinese sedan (Page 37) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - TRW to supply Chinese sedan (Page 38) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 39) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 40) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 41) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 42) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 43) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Auto profits rise in Russia (Page 44) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - GM's party plans include production Volt (Page 45) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - GM's party plans include production Volt (Page 46) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - An ice-cold August for auto sales (Page 47) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - An ice-cold August for auto sales (Page 48) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Big drop in Aug. output (Page 49) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Dana sort of wins an award (Page 50) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Dana sort of wins an award (Page 51) Automotive News - September 8, 2008 - Dana sort of wins an award (Page 52)
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.