Daddy-O

After Passing Chrysler, Toyota is Gaining on Ford
Toyota Motor Corp., after topping DaimlerChrysler AG's U.S. unit in
sales for the first time last month, may dethrone Ford Motor Co. as the
world's second-biggest automaker within two years. Toyota is gaining as
it adds plants in Texas and Mexico, while Ford plans capacity cuts. In
this year's first half, Toyota trailed Ford in global sales by 100,000
autos, down from 250,000 units in the same period of 2002. The gap
shrank as Toyota's U.S. sales surged 4.8 percent this year and Europe's
rose 3 percent. Toyota's U.S. sales grew 11 percent in August alone,
jumping ahead of Chrysler for the first time. "Toyota's August
performance wasn't a fluke," said George Magliano, director of auto
research for market forecaster Global Insight in Waltham, Massachusetts.
"In North America, while Toyota is expanding, Ford is closing plants and
losing half a million units of capacity. Do the arithmetic." Non-U.S.
automakers, led by Toyota, have gained market share since the 1970s, in
part by improving the quality of the vehicles they make. That's
reflected in higher customer satisfaction ratings and fewer defects.
(Source: Bloomberg News)


UAW, DaimlerChrysler Reach Tentative Contract Agreements
The United Auto Workers union said today it reached a tentative,
four-year contract agreement with DaimlerChrysler AG and will continue
to negotiate with General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. Details of the
tentative agreement weren't released, but UAW President Ron Gettelfinger
said the DaimlerChrysler agreement contains what the union hopes to see
from the other contracts. "This is the framework for the pattern
agreement," Gettelfinger said during a news briefing. Ford and GM
employees will report to work as usual while negotiations continue,
Gettelfinger said. The UAW had hoped to reach simultaneous pacts with
the Big Three automakers. "We're proud of this agreement and are
satisfied that it's a good agreement that addresses the needs of our
membership — active and retired — and accomplishes our collective
bargaining goals," Gettelfinger said.
The UAW and the Big Three have been meeting at times late into the night
since mid-July. They negotiated on issues such as wages, jobs, health
care and pensions that affect 300,000 workers and nearly a half-million
retirees and their spouses.
(Source: USA Today)


SUV Arson Suspect Arrested
Federal agents arrested a 25-year-old member of a co-op dedicated to
peace and environmentalism in connection with arson $1 million in damage
to a Hummer dealership. Joshua Thomas Connole, of Pomona, Calif., was
arrested at home Friday, said Cpl. Rudy Lopez, a West Covina, Calif.,
police spokesman. He was booked for investigation of felony arson and
vandalism and jailed. The fires Aug. 22 gutted a parts warehouse and
destroyed 20 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicles at a West Covina
dealership. Another 20 Hummers and several Chevrolet Tahoe SUVs were
badly damaged by fire and spray paint. Three other dealerships and at
least four privately owned vehicles in the area also were damaged during
the vandalism spree. Words such as "ELF," (Earth Liberation Front) "Fat,
Lazy Americans" and "I (heart) pollution" were painted on the SUVs. In a
phone interview from jail with the Los Angeles Times, Connole denied
involvement in the vandalism. Lopez said the FBI and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were continuing an investigation of
possible federal crimes.
(Source: The Associated Press)


People With Diverse Backgrounds are Leaving Their Professions to Take a
Spin in Auto Sales
High unemployment in other industries from the recession and ripple
effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks have sent a tide of people to new
car dealerships looking for work. Although most job ads for car salesmen
either demand auto selling experience or term it "desirable," many
dealers are finding that the newcomers are some of their best
performers. Some experts wonder, though, whether many of the new
entrants will leave as the economy improves and opportunities open
elsewhere. Yet, the need for skilled sales professionals has never been
higher. As the design, performance and the reliability of cars have
improved, experts say, consumers' choices increasingly hinge on how they
perceive their treatment at the dealerships, during the sales process
and after the sale in the service department. Growth in vehicle sales
has created opportunities for sales staffs: Record annual sales of new
cars and trucks that topped 17 million for the first time in 2000 and
2001 increased the need for sales professionals, although the industry
stumbled during the recent recession. "The sheer volume of sales really
has created just an enormous need for new personnel," says Mark
Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers
Association. Qualified technicians, he says, also are in short supply.
Nationally, the number of auto sales professionals has increased by
almost 12 percent since 1996, according to the National Automobile
Dealers Association, a trade group based in Virginia. Much of the growth
has been at stores handling emerging nameplates such as Hyundai, Kia and
Mitsubishi, says Paul Taylor, the group's chief economist. America's
changing racial and ethnic makeup is yet another factor driving change
and creating opportunities for salesmen who speak more than one
language. "Dealerships are in desperate demand for people who represent
the types of communities they service," Schienberg says.
(Source: Newsday, NY)