Automotive News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 40)

40 • JULY 14, 2008 CLASSIFIEDS DEALERSHIPS AVAILABLE • I’m also a former dealer & fully understand your business. • Factory franchise disputes • Lender Liability • Out of Trust • Audits • All Dealer Cases • Automobile Dealership Business Broker 800-388-1800 or 313-446-6065 LEGAL NOTICE FORECLOSURE AUCTION. At 10 a.m. on 8/5/08 Clark Hill PLC of 500 Woodward, 35 Flr, Detroit, MI 48226 will hold a UCC Article 9 sale of the following Polar Molecular Corp patents and trademarks, which concern fuel additive technology designed to control combustion chamber deposits and reduce octane requirements of gasoline engines. Patents: US 6,488,723; Australia 660,608B; Brazil PI9106137; Canada 1,331,093, 2,077,666; Israel 78742, 79662; Japan 2966927; Mex 168875; S Afr 86/5501; S Kor 34765, 151409; Taiwan 42057; Venez 49691, 49761. Patent Appl’ns: US 10/709861-63, 10/709866, 10/709868, 10/709872-73. Trademarks: US 1,966,891 (“DURALT”), 1,966,866, 1,972,823; Can 330,690; France 1,355,576; Germ 1,131,163; Ital 475,056, 600,326; Japan 2,032,111; Peru 043153; UK 1,266,770, 1,300,476; Venez 135012. Trademark Appl’ns: Indonesia HC.01-01-1090; Mex 250,071. They will be sold as a single unit without warranty of title, possession, quiet enjoyment or any other warranty. Minimum bid increment will be $25k until $1 million is bid and then $50k. The foreclosing creditor may credit bid up to about $1.25 million. The high bidder must wire transfer the first $500,000 of its bid at the conclusion of the auction and any balance within two business days. Failure to complete payment will cause forfeiture of amount paid and permit, but not require, sale to the next highest bidder with a credit up to the forfeited amount. Auction may be adjourned by notice at the sale. Contact Peter Jackson at the above address or 313-965-8300 with RSVP, with questions and for wire instructions. th LAWYERS FOR DEALERS William Wheeler & Associates 215-988-9320 Toyota’s Lentz: Don’t panic over collapse; market will stabilize LOS ANGELES — It used to be that when the market was up, Toyota sales were up. And when the market was down, Toyota sales were still up. Not so this year. Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. is down into the mire with the rest of the industry. Through June, Toyota, Lexus and Scion sales combined were off 6.8 percent. Like everyone else, Toyota is struggling to sell big trucks and SUVs. But Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales, isn’t hitting the panic button. In an interview with Automotive News Staff Reporter Mark Rechtin about the power of demographics, Lentz said medium- and long-term prospects for the market are pretty good. You have to admit things look pretty bad right now. Year-to-date car sales are on a SAAR of 7.8 million units, whereas last year it was 7.9, so that’s basically flat. But light-truck sales were 8.4 million units, and they are down to 6.9 year-to-date, with a June rate of 5.9 million. There’s knee-jerk reaction from the loss of value in homes, fear of inflation and the economy, and gas prices. But the markets will moderate. They may not get where they were, but they won’t be at the run rates they are now. It feeds upon itself. Just look at the used-truck market. If you weren’t upside-down two months ago, you are today. When a dealer already has a bunch of trucks and can’t take yours to the auction, that leads to malaise in the market. That will work its way through. That’s why we started having APR programs on our certified Tundras. We wanted to have some pull into used Tundras to make room on dealer lots. At some point these prices will hit a level where even at 18 mpg, it’s still a great deal. That will start to turn the overall market. What are plans for the Princeton, Ind., and San Antonio truck plants, which are running so far under capacity? We are still building Tundras in both places and are making adjustments in takt time (which measures the seconds it takes to perform each production function) and nonproduction days. We have to react to the market like everyone else. Right now we are studying where we think the long-term frame-based vehicle market is going to be. It’s fairly expensive to move a truck-based vehicle line to make something car-based, so we are studying other markets that have demographics for these types of buyers. Might you build Camrys alongside the Sienna minivan in Indiana? You did it in Georgetown, Ky. It’s possible. But if you look at lighttruck sales, the small passenger van was up slightly. Sienna is late in its life cycle. As people move out of full-size SUVs — and we’re talking about people using them as people movers and not towing boats — at some point there may be resurgence in the smallvan market. And you have to ask where that SUV outflow is going. If the ORLANDO, FL - 8 ACRES +/- . . Current auto facility. Two miles south of major shopping center. Minutes from major attractions. Premium location. Reply in confidence to Box #5181. OREGON. Two (2) separate acquisition opportunities in the state. One is in the Portland area. Offered for sale exclusively through National Business Brokers at 949-770-7451, and facilitated by Jason Stopnitzky and Brady Schmidt. SUZUKI STORE IN MIDWEST FOR SALE - Located in a great market. Terms available. Buy or lease property. Building is Suzuki squared. Possible terms on blue sky and parts. Dealer in a must sell situation. 816-260-3050. questionanswer Jim Lentz: Despite the “knee-jerk reaction” to bad economy, “the markets will moderate.” SUV is primarily for moving passengers, they have to go into other configurations. Sienna is based on a passenger car. Theoretically, we could build similar vehicles on that line. What is the easiest way to crank up Corolla production: make changes at either the NUMMI plant in California or the Cambridge, Ontario, plant, or bring over more units from Japan? In the case of NUMMI, there is a certain flexibility of Corolla and Tacoma. Our annual sales plan gets adjusted a couple times a year. We can change our production request for a few less Tacomas and more Corollas. Same with Canada. (Editor’s note: Toyota said last week that it is increasing Tacoma pickup output in Tijuana, Baja California. It’s unclear whether that will allow Toyota to increase Corolla production at NUMMI.) In Japan, they have to look at what countries are served by the plant that makes Corolla. If we ask for more and other countries ask for less, then we get more. If you do it at a couple thousand units at a crack, you can get 20,000 or 30,000 more units over the course of a year. But if you go way over your annual plan, which is used for suppliers, that can get complicated. In the case of Prius, there is so much demand globally and so much lead time for components that it is too difficult to raise production over a short time. Why are you bullish in the medium term when so many people are worried about a long-term recession? We are adding 32 million people in the U.S. by 2020. That’s like adding the population of Canada. Part of that is immigration and part is birthrate. Add the growing affluence of growing populations, boomers hitting retirement and the kids inheriting trillions of dollars. The fundamentals are there, so the market is being driven by overall demographics. But what about gasoline prices? In 2002, gas was $1.50. If, over time, over seven years, it had gradually moved up to $4, we wouldn’t have this problem. It’s not the price, it’s the rate of change of the price. You budget for that based on what you make. If gas stays at this price for a period of time, people will adjust their budgets. So we all can’t kneejerk and say trucks are dead and gone, that no one is buying SUVs anymore. There are still families with three kids who need three-row SUVs who can’t fit into a Prius. c DEALERSHIPS WANTED DEALER SERVICES ProQuotes Data System Conversions Data Extractions - Custom Lists www.proquotes.net 800 456-5178 DEALERSHIP VALUATION / Succession Planning / BuySell Consulting / Profit Improvement / Litigation Support/ Internal Control Review / Tax Strategies. The DeValk Associates, Ltd., CPAs & Consultants. 847-255-1887. 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 SUNNY SOUTHWEST Cadillac, Chev Store in a beautiful area. Four gentle season. 100,000 trade area. Dealer anxious. Priced right. Lease or Purchase Real Estate. One of the Northeast’s Largest Auto Dealers Is looking to acquire Tier 1 and Tier 2 IMPORTS in NY, NJ. and PA. Funds and Factory approval assured. All replies in strict CONFIDENCE! Call principal direct 516-903-6971 or Reply to Box #5178 INTERNATIONAL BUYER WITH OVER $400 MIL. to spend and a deadline offers a fast smooth discreet transition. Get top $ for your dealership. .813-854-4022. Dee Dee Zack 732-821-8836 deezack@gordonpage.net FLORIDA SPACE COAST - Dealership wanted. Would like to purchase new vehicle franchise and property in the Florida Space Coast area. Please contact jbruno0071@aol.com or 917-743-4782. Call Ron Carpenter - Broker 915-494-6666 GM FRANCHISE FOR SALE. Over 600 units sold in 2007! Up-to-date facility with huge growth potential. Located in Southern Oklahoma. Priced to sell @ 1.28 Mil - buys franchise, real estate, parts and all assets. Must have GM approval. Contact txbuy07@aol.com NEW YORK - LONG ISLAND. Just listed. Domestic brands. Lease the property. Exclusively through National Business Brokers at 949-770-7451, Gershon Rosenzweig at 212-840-1375 and DeVere Boyd at 616-844-6247. DEALER SERVICES DEALER PRINCIPALS / GM’S Start earning $750 per sale on a revolutionary time tested product that will elim http://www.proquotes.net http://www.mars4u.com http://www.leasemaker.com http://www.randyshepard http://www.hamiltonautogroup.com/GMACdiscriminates.pdf http://www.excarguy.com/apply http://www.autonews.com/GM100 http://L-master.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - July 14, 2008

Small-car boom misses Chrysler Ford's large rwd car plan is iffy Suppliers: Inflation is looming Hummer H3T price: $31,495 VW may build next Passat in U.S. plant Glut of trucks pulls Prius to U.S. Ford sues U.S. over taxes Restyled Ridgeline Volvo will tighten U.S. dealer network As BMW's chief in N.A., Purves got biggest thrill out of Mini Despite pricey fuel, Jetta diesel in demand Everybody's a critic: How dealers cope with online reviews Hyundai goes big on Genesis lease The shift to automatic: A transmission transition Jaguar-Land Rover dealer: Stand-alone would bankrupt me Chevy christens compact Cruze Fiat, BMW will team up on platforms, parts Revision: Bosch still tops Auto News supplier list GM to build Volts in U.S. for Europe GM ads will push mpg for 90 days A missed opportunity 2008 sales forecast? 14,652,757 Suzuki cuts U.S. work force 8% CAFE standards: Stop whining and get to work Uncertainty is the name of the game Honda dealer rubs salt in a wound Careless driver was to blame for crash Unsafe driving wasn't Ford's fault For doomsayers, business is booming again Best ad slogans have staying power Bird Dog Club creator hunts dealer poachers Dealers How to design a Lamborghini? Passion for speed certainly helps Dressed to kill Check for children Delinquency rate on indirect loans skyrockets Group promotes payment assurance Ford has big plans for small vehicles in North America Mulally pushes Ford toward fuel efficiency Ford brand will draw on European lineup With no new vehicles planned, Mercury's future is bleak Engines promise power plus fuel economy Horbury: We'll keep our vehicle designs fresh Ford aims to move Lincoln upscale Toyota's Lentz: Don't panic over collapse; market will stabilize Personnel Chrysler's car sales sag in June — even more than trucks PG sells majority of auto glass business to private-equity firm Chrysler's Campi makes nice Suit against Ford is reinstated BMW reassesses Mini demand JCI plant cuts shift, work force CAW board endorses local president Purves: Thumbs-up for BMW innovations Current trend in Europe: Electric cars Solid reviews for Ford's new Flex Philosopher has insight for ailing U.S. auto industry The 'B' word brings media deathwatch at GM Chrysler to dealers: Don't panic

Automotive News - July 14, 2008

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