Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - (Page 18) 18 • JULY 7, 2008 Picture this 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. E-mail high-resolution photos, IDs and a brief description of the event to autonews@crain.com. ■ Dream job Sometimes dreams come true. A few weeks after youngsters in the Chicago suburb of Maywood, Ill., drew pictures of their dream playground, a colorful space based on those drawings sprang up in just one day. More than 200 volunteers — including some from Chicago area Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships — assembled equipment, mixed concrete and hauled mulch. Ed Henning, a sales staffer at Feeny Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Elgin, Ill., put together a globe-shaped climbing frame, and Evan Bettenhausen, 5, checks out his work. JAPAN Automakers aim to take the weight off continued from Page 3 by the mid-2010s with an eye toward improving overall fuel efficiency 3 percent, according to Japan’s Nikkei business daily. The goal: lop off at least 220 pounds from cars coming in at more than 2,200 pounds, the paper said. Similar sentiment prevails at Nissan. “Generation by generation, we usually have to add more weight because of new safety regulations or emissions matters,” says Mitsuhiko Yamashita, head of Nissan r&d. “But our philosophy is not to increase vehicle weight. That’s why I’m proposing the 15 percent reduction.” Lightweight materials will help achieve the goal. Nissan already uses aluminum doors on most vehicles and plastic rear gates on the majority of its hatchbacks, Yamashita says. Use of compression-molded and injection-molded plastic cuts the weight of the back hatch on Nissan’s Murano crossover 17 percent, compared with steel, Yamashita says. In the future, he expects to use more high-tensile steel, magnesium and even carbon fiber. Nissan also is slimming vehicles by re-engineering parts and systems. Body panels have been the main targets so far, but trim, seats and air-conditioning units are the next focus, Yamashita says. But one of the most effective ways of reducing weight is simply to make cars a little bit smaller and downsize parts and components, Yamashita says. Cost constraints Honda President Takeo Fukui balks at numerical targets for weight reduction. But he says making lighter cars is key to achieving Honda’s internal goals for fuel economy. Cost is the main constraint. Aluminum, magnesium and carbon fiber are far pricier than steel. But spiraling steel costs are whittling away the metal’s price advantage. Aluminum fetches around $3,000 a ton, nearly triple the price of steel in Japan. But the price of steel soared 39.5 percent from January to April, and few expect it to taper off soon. “Originally, aluminum was introduced to components like the trunk lid, door handle or fender, but now it’s being introduced to more important areas like parts of the suspension,” Fukui says. Mazda aims to re-engineer new vehicles to be at least 220 pounds lighter as part of a goal to improve its fleet’s fuel efficiency 30 percent by 2015. “We’re going to focus on weight reduction that has the best cost performance,” says Seita Kanai, Mazda’s r&d director. That means less use of fancy new materials and better use of steel and better platform designs. “If you use high-tensile steel wisely, it doesn’t need to be more expensive,” Kanai says. High-tensile steel is pricier than mild steel but can allow for weight reductions of 10 percent because it permits parts to be thinner. Recycling often helps offset the added cost. For example, after Toyota is done stamping out the window openings in door panels, it uses the punched-out metal for other parts, Takimoto says. But Honda’s experience with the Fit shows how daunting it is to cut weight and costs. The redesigned Fit, which arrives in the United States in October, still weighs about 88 pounds more than its predecessor. But considering that the revamped model is longer, wider and has a more powerful drivetrain, every ounce mattered. Hitomi says the new Japanese version delivers 9 percent better fuel economy.c BRAKE ENGINEERING THAT STOPS A SPEEDING BULLET Japan’s Shinkansen 300 km/h N700 Series “Bullet Trains” depend on Akebono brakes. Akebono ultra-quality manufacturing standards result in unprecedented braking performance. If we can stop a speeding bullet, what’s stopping you from choosing Akebono? www.akebonobrakes.com World Leader of Advanced Brake Friction Technology http://www.hiousa.com http://www.hiousa.com http://www.actionIM.com http://www.guidepointsystems.com http://www.akebonobrakes.com http://www.akebonobrakes.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Turnaround trouble: Mitsubishi back on the skids It's a panic — but don't panic CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED Japan's new diet plan: Slim down, ounce by ounce Amid sale rumors, Volvo has upmarket plans Reynolds sues dealer over computer upgrade Chrysler and dealers to improve Internet marketing strategies Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts Nissan: Despite a truck glut, Titan gets no more incentives American Axle cuts staff; boosts India business, CEO bonus Bosch sees N.A. red ink this year Bill Mitchell's designs blew away the past Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder GM Europe exec: Curbing CO2 is 'around the clock' effort Supplier input varies in Nissan's tech plans Great Wall becomes Chrysler's 2nd Chinese partner Steel prices nudge up Nano's costs Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund Automakers create opportunities for Mexican molders Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs Researchers test capturing CO2 before it leaves the car Some execs win even when their companies lose Tata's personal touch Show me the money Obituaries Study: Dealership service shops extend their hours New Web tool promotes GM service Fiat CEO Marchionne is Industry Leader of Year Jim O'Sullivan Johan de Nysschen Sergio Marchionne Ratan Tata Dick Colliver Fritz Henderson Martin Thall Jim Farley Jack Stavana Roger Penske Walter de' Silva Mike Stanton Tim Manganello David Friedman Jim Hallett Larry Jutte Kim Kosak Ron Gettelfinger Tom Stephens Bob Lutz Tom Shoupe Jay Amestoy June caps a dismal first half Personnel Auto roof rule due by Oct. 1 Mitsubishi dumps 9 ad associations Small-car transaction prices rise in June Turbo taboo may end for BMW M's The mpg fracas: Pick your favorite fairy tale Great news? Analysts shun the Kool-Aid at Chrysler And now, from Wall Street, a short tale of terror VW tells builders: Plan for Southeast plant Dodging a bullet: Half-off deal busts dealer's Ram jam To run the train, should you be an engineer? Automotive News - July 7, 2008 Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED (Page 1) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - CAUGHT FLAT-FOOTED (Page 2) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Amid sale rumors, Volvo has upmarket plans (Page 3) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts (Page 4) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Seat strategy: Lear aims to make more profits by producing more parts (Page 5) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder (Page 6) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Hyundai Santa Fe to get a 4-cylinder (Page 7) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund (Page 8) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Analyst: GM could tap UAW benefits fund (Page 9) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs (Page 10) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Chrysler pitches gas savings on hybrid SUVs (Page 11) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 12) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 13) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 14) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Show me the money (Page 15) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 16) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 17) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18A) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18B) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18C) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18D) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18E) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18F) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18G) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18H) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18I) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18J) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18K) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Obituaries (Page 18L) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - New Web tool promotes GM service (Page 19) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Dick Colliver (Page 20) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Walter de' Silva (Page 21) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Larry Jutte (Page 22) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 23) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 24) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 25) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 26) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 27) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Jay Amestoy (Page 28) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - June caps a dismal first half (Page 29) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Personnel (Page 30) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Mitsubishi dumps 9 ad associations (Page 31) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Small-car transaction prices rise in June (Page 32) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - Small-car transaction prices rise in June (Page 33) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 34) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 35) Automotive News - July 7, 2008 - To run the train, should you be an engineer? (Page 36)
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