Archived Auto News and Events for August 2007

GM Cuts Job at Ontario Plant
As auto sales continue to slump in response to the tighter credit market, General Motors announced plans to slash 1,100 jobs at its Oshawa truck plant in Ontario.

Toyota Firm in U.S. Sales Goals
Toyota Motor Corp. seems set to exceed the automotive market in overall performance for August in spite of growing concerns over the tightening of the credit market in the United States.

Bentley Names Two to Head U.S. Operations
Rather than fill its empty CEO position, Bentley Motors Inc. has named two of its European executives to oversee the company's North American business interests.

Toyota Parts Suppliers Moving Into Mississippi
Kiyoshi Furuta, chairman of Toyota Boshoku American announced today that a new plant will be built in Itawamba County, Mississippi to supply seats, door panels and carpets for Toyota Highlander crossover vehicles that will be produced at a Tupelo, MS plant scheduled to be opened in 2010.

Credit Crunch Beginning to Effect Auto Loans
Car buyers, in particular those with poor credit ratings, are feeling the effects of the collapse of the home mortgage market when seeking automobile financing.

New MGs Take to the Road in China
In the next move in Nanjing Automobile's revival of the once great British name, MGs will be offered for sale in China in September in a price range of approximately $23,000 to $40,000.

Ford Introduces Verve Concept Car
Today Ford took the wraps off its concept replacement for the Fiesta compact, offering what the company calls a "significant hint" to the appearance of its new world-wide family of small cars.

Toyota Sets Ambitious 2009 Sales Goal
Toyota, already at the top of global car sales, has set a goal of moving 10.4 million units on the world market in 2009.

Business daily Nikkei reported that Toyota , buoyed by growing North American demand and increased sales in China, is set to push its production and sales numbers even farther.

September Designated Child Passenger Safety Month
During the month of September, car dealerships across the United States will offer free inspections of child safety seats as part of Child Passenger Safety Month.

Mexico's Port of Veracruz Braces for Hurricane Dean
While a worker's strike was averted at the Volkswagen plant in Mexico, a strike of another sort - the landfall of Hurricane Dean - may impact the port of Veracruz, about 186 miles from the VW plant, and the main automobile shipping and receiving site in Mexico.

VW Workers in Puebla, Mexico Threaten Strike
Unless wage talks with management produce results favorable to union workers, officials at the Volkswagen AG assembly plant in Puebla, Mexico plan to call a Saturday morning strike.

Meyer Named Chrysler Marketing VP
As Chrysler , now controlled by Cerberus Capital Management LP, continues its long climb back to profitability, the company has named Deborah Wahl Meyer as its vice president and chief marketing officer.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Shows Improvements for Detroit
A recently released University of Michigan study on customer satisfaction revealed big improvements for the Detroit Three.

The National Quality Research Center headquarter at the university annually produces an American Customer Satisfaction index rating participant-owned vehicles on a 100 point scale.

Hyundai Mobis Set to Expand Alabama Facility
Hyundai Mobis, the largest auto parts supplier in Korea, is expanding its American operations with an announced upgrade to its existing Montgomery, Alabama plant.

Mercedes Lowers R Class Price, Adds 2WD Model
In a bid to court more buyers, Mercedes-Benz will further lower the price of the R class crossover and add a two-wheel drive edition.

The 2008 model year will see the addition of the R320, a two-wheel drive offering with a base price of $42,675, about $2,500 cheaper than existing models.

Ford Thinking Outside the Technological Box
Speaking at the Management Briefing Seminars held in Traverse City, Michigan, Barb Samardzich, Ford's head of powertrain product development, described the company's move to reach beyond traditional lines of supply.

Analysts Don't Fear UAW Strike, Industry Lockout
Leading industry analysts say that neither a strike nor a lockout are likely to occur when the current contract between automakers and the United Auto Workers expires in September.

Mercedes-Benz Announces New GLK Class
Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that its new compact SUV will be labeled the GLK class, suggestive of a smaller vehicle than the GL series.

The GLK will be launched in the European market some time in 2008 and in the United States in the first quarter of 2009.

Ford Trains Dealers on Sync System
Ford has announced a program of additional training for its dealers and technical support staff preparatory to the launch of its new Sync communication system.

Chrysler Names Nardelli to Head Company
In an announcement made late yesterday, Bob Nardelli, one-time Home Depot chief, has been named as the chair and CEO of Chrysler LLC in place of Tom LaSorda.

Toyota Quarterly Earnings Up 32 Percent
Steady sales in Europe and North America gave Toyota an impressive 32 percent profit bump in its quarterly numbers, sending the automaker on its way to a seventh year of record earnings.

O'Driscoll Replaces Boerio at Jaguar
In a decision announced yesterday, Jaguar Cars Ltd. named Mike O'Driscoll, president of Jaguar Land Rover North America, to replace Managing Director Bibiana Boerio.

Predictions for July Auto Sales Glum
Announcements of highly improved second quarter earnings by both Ford and GM will not be able to offset continued poor sales of new cars in July.

Industry analysts are expecting the adjusted annual sales rate to total approximately 16.1 million units.