Tag Archives: apa

NADA Chairman Says Automakers Use Unfair Business Practices

Posted on 23 October 2012 by Ken Zino

The new chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, Bill Underriner, said today that automakers need to stop intruding into dealerships. After noting the Tigers are back in the World Series at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, he said there’s “good energy here. The auto industry is doing its part to lead the economic recovery. But we still have a long way to go – not just here but all around the country. Auto sales are up, but financial pressures are too…especially on dealerships.” Continue reading →

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Owners Report Quality Improvements at Most Automakers

Posted on 21 June 2012 by Ken Zino

A growing problem area is lumped under the “audio, entertainment, and navigation” category where reported problems have increased by 8% from 2011. This continues a negative trend, with problems in this category increasing by 45% since 2006, while other categories have improved by 24% on average. Buyers aged 35 and under, who grew up with myriad consumer electronic devices are particularly vocal about the design failures of automotive electronics. This is a growing problem for the product development departments of automakers that are largely managed by older, white males. Continue reading →

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Finalists in for 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year

Posted on 15 December 2011 by Ken Zino

Cars selected were the 2012 Ford Focus, 2012 Hyundai Elantra and the 2012 Volkswagen Passat. Last year the Chevrolet Volt was the car winner. In the misleadingly named ‘truck’ category, the 2012 BMW X3, 2012 Honda CR-V and the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque made the final cut. Continue reading →

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GM Plans Four World Debuts at NAIAS. Where is Bob Lutz?

Posted on 2 December 2011 by Ken Zino

“ATS enters the biggest market segment in the global luxury car industry, both in terms of volume and importance,” said Barra.

No kidding. ATS better be good when it appears next fall.

But when I asked what GM consultant Bob Lutz was doing these days, Barra said she was trading e-mails with him about getting Lutz to drive a new Chevy Sonic, which has been on sale globally for a couple of years. While Barra called Lutz an “automotive rock star,” there was no hint in her brief response that she was spending any time with Lutz. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Up, GM Sideways, Ford Down in Consumer Reports Annual Reliability Survey Revealed Today at APA in Detroit

Posted on 25 October 2011 by Ken Zino

Chrysler staged a quality comeback of sorts. General Motors did not sustain last year’s trend of improvement. Ford slipped badly in the 2011 Consumer Reports Reliability Survey revealed today at APA. Japanese brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports survey’s best rankings. Japanese brands took the top nine spots. They were led by Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota. Continue reading →

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