Automotive News - February 4, 2008 - (Page 85) FEBRUARY 4, 2008 • 85 Picture this BMW MANUFACTURING CORP. — Carsten Regent to vice president for total vehicle quality management and engineering in Spartanburg, S.C. He replaces Peter Gilliam, who has moved to the Dingolfing Regent plant in Germany. Regent had managed special projects for the Spartanburg plant. BMW’s Spartanburg plant is the exclusive producer of X5 crossovers and Z4 roadsters and coupes for the worldwide market. MERCEDES-BENZ USA — Ralph Fisher, 53, to general manager of the customer assistance center in Montvale, N.J. He replaces Paul Juron, who becomes usedvehicle manager in the southern Fisher region in Jacksonville, Fla. Fisher had been general manager of Mercedes-Benz Manhattan, the only corporately owned U.S. MercedesBenz dealership. You and your industry colleagues have just hung out at a party, raised a truckload of cash for charity or fired your best rounds of golf. Share your snapshots with us. When the celebration is over, e-mail your high-resolution photos, IDs and a brief description of the event to autonews@crain.com. Dodge Avenger comes to China Lan Lan lanlan@autonewschina.com ■ Texas-sized benefit Nearly 1,000 people strutted their stuff at Texas Tux/Texas Chic, the Houston Auto Show gala preview Jan. 25 in Houston’s Reliant Center. The annual bash benefits the Houston Automobile Dealers Association’s scholarship program. Each year the event raises funds for 125 $2,000 scholarships for HADA dealership employees and their dependents, and participants in Automotive Youth Education Systems, a training program for automotive techs. Shown at the gala are, from left, Donnie Buckalew of Buckalew Chevrolet in Conroe, Texas; Arlene Catania of Southern Ford-Suzuki in Manvel, Texas; Houston Auto Show Chairman Tony Gullo Sr. of Gullo Auto Group in Conroe; and HADA President Walter Wainwright. BEIJING — Chrysler LLC has started selling the imported Dodge Avenger sedan in China. Chrysler expects the sporty sedan to attract China’s business elites who want an expressive car. Two versions of the Avenger are available, both with 2.4-liter engines. The base model starts at $38,501. The price is similar to the locally built Volkswagen Passat, Buick LaCrosse and Honda Accord. John Zeng, an analyst for Shanghaibased Global Insight Inc., questions whether the Avenger will appeal to a broad audience in China. “Pure American-style models with bold outlines and high (gasoline) consumption won’t cater to Chinese customers’ tastes,” Zeng says. “GM and Ford redesigned most of their models when introducing them to China, and Chrysler should learn from that.” This spring in China, Chrysler plans to launch the locally made Sebring and imported Jeep Rubicon. The Sebring’s sticker price starts at $24,957. In China, Chrysler assembles the Chrysler 300C sedan with Beijing Automotive Industry Corp. and the Dodge Caravan minivan with Soueast (Fujian) Motor Co. In 2007, Chrysler sold 7,743 units of the 300C in China and 1,216 Town & Country minivans. c http://www.mudd.com http://www.mudd.com http://www.yourchevyagency.com
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.