Management Briefing Seminars

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Management Briefing Seminars

Makers Eye More Efficient, Less Costly Next-Gen Batteries
Aug 7, 2009 3:15 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
Already, costs have come down by a factor of 14 in the past 15 years, says Compact Power CEO Prabhakar Patil. “They will come down more, but not as fast.”

Mascoma Does Not Really Need Private Equity Funding Anymore, Chief Says
Aug 7, 2009 2:32 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Jamerson says Mascoma soon will announce a partnership with an oil company that will take a by-product it generates using wood pulp to create cellulosic ethanol and make an “unusual product.”

Want Out of Automotive? Here’s Help
Aug 7, 2009 12:15 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The federal Manufacturing Extension Partnership helped a Michigan automotive gear supplier find new opportunities producing parts for prosthetic limbs.

Reporter’s Notebook: Striking a Blow for Fashion Solidarity
Aug 7, 2009 11:47 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Ward’s writers pass along the buzz at this week’s Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI.

Task Force Mum on Local Content
Aug 7, 2009 10:39 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
Car czar Ron Bloom talks about protectionist policies, CAFE standards, UAW favoritism and the fate of Opel in a wide-ranging media roundtable.

McKinsey: Technology Can Cut Carbon Emissions 7%
Aug 6, 2009 7:05 PM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
If the industry were to simply settle for technology “frozen” at the 2007 level, CO2 emissions would rise 20% by 2020, consultant Stefan Knupfer says.

EDF Plugs Waxman-Markey Climate Bill
Aug 6, 2009 6:36 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
David Yarnold of the Environmental Defense Fund says the Waxman-Markey legislation sets modest carbon-reduction targets on the transportation sector.

Industry Might Not Meet Obama’s Plug-in Hybrid Goals
Aug 6, 2009 6:26 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Retrofitted plug-ins have failed to live up to the hype, a Toyota executive says, averaging less than 55 mpg, not the 100 mpg often claimed.

Conti Exec Grew Up With Turmoil
Aug 6, 2009 6:21 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
Continental’s North American CEO left Iraq with his family when he was 17 at a time when the war-torn nation was sinking into political chaos.

Ford Reaping Benefits of Avoiding Bankruptcy, CFO Says
Aug 6, 2009 5:39 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
“In the last few months, there is enough data to suggest we’ve improved customer consideration of the Ford brand because we are in a different position from our competition,” Lewis Booth says.

Cap and Trade to Impact Auto Industry
Aug 6, 2009 5:36 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
“Our industry will be an important element” of the national effort to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, says Ford’s environmental chief Sue Cischke.

Buick Gets Plug-In CUV in 2011
Aug 6, 2009 4:14 PM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
New hybrid-electric vehicle has the potential to double the mileage of a comparably sized CUV on short trips in primarily city driving.

Granholm Makes Plea to White House to Help Loosen Credit for Suppliers
Aug 6, 2009 4:07 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
“I don’t want to say redlining, but the financial industry has been extremely conservative with respect to the auto industry overall,” Michigan’s governor says.

Nissan Has One Shot to Get Leaf Right; Infiniti EV Studied, Dominique Says
Aug 6, 2009 3:53 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Nissan’s Larry Dominique wants 10% of auto maker’s U.S. product portfolio to be EVs by 2016-2020.

Detroit 3 Smack-Down Led to Greater Government Understanding of Auto Industry
Aug 6, 2009 12:28 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Dave McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, believes “Congress as a whole” now is more aware of how the industry functions.

Funky Scion xB Lost Edge in Redo, Lentz Admits; Prius Capacity Restrained
Aug 6, 2009 11:31 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
The youth brand's funky box-mobile isn't as fun-to-drive in its second iteration, a product of not enough American influence.

Lifetime Connectivity Coming in 2012
Aug 6, 2009 8:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
ATX President Steve Millstein foresees the day when automotive components will be designed to be incorporated in onboard communication systems to track their performance.

Supplier Downsizing ‘Needs to Happen,’ Bloom Says
Aug 5, 2009 7:09 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The car czar considers the government’s steps to usher GM and Chrysler through rapid bankruptcies as an indirect way to shore up struggling suppliers.

Toyota U.S. Policy Maker Doesn’t Believe White House Hands-Off Promise
Aug 5, 2009 6:06 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Cooper says Toyota recently fought a last-minute provision inserted in an Energy and Water Appropriations Bill that specified Detroit Three models be purchased.

Automotive Outlook ‘Improved Dramatically’
Aug 5, 2009 5:25 PM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
Slimmed-down General Motors may turn a profit by 2011 and Ford could generate an operating profit by late this year, says Deutsche Bank analyst Rod Lache.

More Auto Suppliers to Start Failing in Next 45 Days Without Federal Aid
Aug 5, 2009 4:33 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
“Production ramp-up is sure to create a huge issue for the supply base and more than likely trigger another wave of bankruptcies,” says OESA Chair Linda Hasenfratz.

Analyst Predicts U.S. Policy Makers Will Favor GM, Chrysler
Aug 5, 2009 4:21 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
Had the two auto makers simply disappeared, a lot of the lost production might have been replaced by other companies, CAR’s Sean McAlinden says, “but we’re not sure how or when.”

Ford Launching Paint Process Globally
Aug 5, 2009 3:28 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The new Compact Painting Process debuted in Avon Lake, OH, and is bound for Ford plants in Mexico, China, India, Romania and Michigan.

U.S. Industry Restructuring Far From Over
Aug 5, 2009 3:16 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
Suppliers with a strong balance sheet and good execution “will do unbelievably well.”

Reporter’s Notebook: A Little Pro Bono Goes Long Way
Aug 5, 2009 2:27 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Ward’s Staff
Ward’s writers pass along the buzz at this week’s Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI.

Sports Car Could Be Scion or Toyota, Lentz Says
Aug 5, 2009 12:39 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
If the new model were to be branded a Toyota, there likely would be some market cannibalization from the Scion tC, U.S. chief Jim Lentz says.

Lexus LF-A Coming, Affordable Sports Car, Too, Toyoda Says
Aug 5, 2009 9:14 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
In his first appearance on U.S. soil since becoming Toyota CEO, Akio Toyoda cites strong optimism for the future of the U.S. new-vehicle market.

American Product Innovation Lags Other Countries
Aug 5, 2009 8:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Often, companies are their own worst enemies, Jeff Disher says, citing poor execution, too many projects under development and lack of funding as key reasons for declining innovation in the U.S.

How Automotive Technology Helps Other Industries
Aug 4, 2009 6:13 PM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
Among the auto industry’s pioneering developments subsequently adopted in other areas are tooling and processes, especially industrial robotics.

Womack Praises Ford, Uncertain About GM, Chrysler
Aug 4, 2009 5:55 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The lean-manufacturing expert says Ford’s product- and process-development system is “not trying to clone Toyota but do a clean-sheet” approach.

Innovation Takes Back Seat to Bureaucracy
Aug 4, 2009 5:38 PM, WardsAuto.com, By David C. Smith
It takes five times as long to convince bigger automotive manufacturers of the advantages of new technology, Australian supplier says.

Magna Rolling Along in Asia
Aug 4, 2009 5:11 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
The Canadian-based supplier has seen growth in China from year-ago, with 5,000 now employed there.

Aftermarket to Play Key Part in Getting Intelligent Transportation Rolling
Aug 4, 2009 4:54 PM, WardsAuto.com, By William Diem
While the OEMs remain key participants in the future of connected vehicles, in the early stages of implementation, the aftermarket probably will be more important, a panel of experts says.

Intelligent Vehicle Technology Needed Now, Says MDOT Official
Aug 4, 2009 3:45 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Christie Schweinsberg
Industry officials want to see NHTSA mandate intelligent-vehicle technology as safety technology.

BMW Paint Shop Breaks New Ground
Aug 4, 2009 2:51 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
The South Carolina plant is getting an advanced new paint shop as part of an expansion project that takes annual capacity from 150,000 to 200,000 units.

On Road to MBS, Hybrid Beats Diesel in Fuel Race
Aug 4, 2009 1:10 PM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy and Christie Schweinsberg
Ward’s editors driving to northern Michigan for the annual automotive Management Briefing Seminars selected the ’10 Toyota Prius and ’09 VW Jetta TDI SportWagen for fuel-economy comparisons.

Government’s Role Takes Center Stage at MBS
Aug 3, 2009 8:00 AM, WardsAuto.com, By Tom Murphy
Attendees at past Traverse City automotive conferences have discussed the government’s role in the auto industry, but purely from an academic or theoretical viewpoint.