Ghosn’s Alliance Overtures to Ford Growing Louder
From Detroit Free Press As the world turns in the automotive industry, could Renault-Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn still be the white knight for Ford Motor Co. after all? In a thinly disguised threat, Ghosn intimated to the world’s largest automaker that he would take his visions for a North American automotive partner to
Mulally Hire Lets Ford Get Back to Big Picture
With new chief executive Alan Mulally at the helm of the ailing Ford Motor Co., Chairman Bill Ford can return to the automotive tasks he treasures: inspiring the workers and fans of the company founded by his great-grandfather 103 years ago and envisioning how it can find its way through a second century.
Tenneco Freezes Defined-Benefit Payments
Tenneco Inc. said Wednesday it is freezing its defined benefit pension plans for nearly all of its U.S. workers, joining a trend in the automotive industry. Tenneco will instead offer workers a defined contribution plan, which typically takes the form of a 401(k).
Detroit Free Press Tom Walsh Column: Detroit Way is Going Out of Style
Is the Detroit Way of doing business on its final lap? Yes, almost certainly, if the General Motors Corp. board of directors, which meets today, ultimately decides to cast its lot with billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian and the daring automotive superstar of the moment, Carlos Ghosn, by steering GM into a sprawling global alliance with Nissan Motor Co. of Japan and French automaker Renault.
Detroit Free Press Tom Walsh column: Detroit Way is Going Out of Style
Is the Detroit Way of doing business on its final lap? Yes, almost certainly, if the General Motors Corp. board of directors, which meets today, ultimately decides to cast its lot with billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian and the daring automotive superstar of the moment, Carlos Ghosn, by steering GM into a sprawling global alliance with Nissan Motor Co. of Japan and French automaker Renault.
Nissan Endorses Talks on Buying GM Stake
The board of Nissan Motor, the Japanese carmaker, voted Monday to explore a proposal to form an alliance with Renault and General Motors to create a new global auto giant. The vote came hours before the board of Renault, the French car company that owns a controlling 44 percent stake of Nissan, was scheduled to discuss the same proposal, put forward by a group of GM shareholders led by the American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.
PART II — The Collapse of American Remanufacturers Inc: An In-depth Look at ARI’s Fall into Bankruptcy
There were certainly many internal factors that lead to the collapse of ARI. Indeed, troubled mergers and internal accounting problems are not new in business. But for the industry at large, ARI’s story poses broader questions about foreign competition and the market’s ability to adapt to today’s rapidly changing global dynamics.
PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE: Membership Has Its Privileges
You can point to many industry influences, but none can hold a candle to the importance of programmed distribution. Its evolution within this market has been the single-most influential phenomenon our industry has ever seen. Nobody sells more automotive products (combined) today than NAPA, the industry’s very first group. With some 6,000 participating outlets, no other entity (program group or retailer) can match their overall reach. From the time they started some 80 years ago, they’ve repeatedly set new standards of performance excellence across many distribution and store functions. You could argue that no program group concept, in any market or industry, has come close to the level of success and brand recognition than NAPA. While they are quite an impressive bunch, the success of programmed distribution does not end with them.
AMN Top Ten Week: The Top 10 Newsmakers of 2005
Now in its second year, aftermarketNews, together with its sister publication Counterman magazine, present the Top 10 Newsmakers list. While it is difficult to whittle down the number of influential leaders who are making an impact on this industry today, our editorial team has carefully compiled a list of individuals whom we believe to have left a distinct impression on the marketplace in 2005, and perhaps for years to come.
R. L. Polk & Co.’s Ask the Industry: Are We Doing Enough to Attract the Next Generation?
For this edition of Ask the Industry, we asked executives representing a number of market segments including manufacturing, service and training: Are we doing enough to attract bright young professionals to this industry? If not, what more needs to be done? And, what are the dealerships doing that we can’t or haven’t?