Continue reading Veteran journalist Gillies takes job as VW product and technology communications manager

Veteran journalist Gillies takes job as VW product and technology communications manager originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If just about any part breaks on your 1971 Volkswagen Beetle, you could probably get a replacement from a hundred different outlets. If the black box goes out on your 1996 Lincoln Mark VIII, your car becomes little more than a giant paperweight. With the profusion of different cars and the electrical components that go in them, automakers would face an inventory nightmare if they tried to stockpile all of the necessary replacement parts. So in order to avoid that scenario, once the warranty runs out, they simply stop making the parts.

Ted Field, Sr. found out the hard way when the black box went out on his Mark VIII. Ford doesn't make the part any more -- and doesn't have to, since the warranty is finished and "the part is obsolete" -- and no aftermarket company has reverse-engineered it. That means that an 11-year-old car with 66,000 miles on it ... is also obsolete. As a customer, Field has no idea how popular -- or not -- the Mark VIII would be, and couldn't have had any idea when he bought the state-of-the-art car that he'd be scrounging for parts just a few years later (relatively speaking). We often consider the price of technology on the front end -- say, how much more will a car equipped with ABS cost? But as cars become more and more computerized, and the obsolescence of computer technology occurs in faster cycles, it will be interesting to see what kind of price we have to pay on the back end as well.

Thanks for the tip, Stedwoo!

[Source: LA Times]

Are electronics making cars obsolete faster? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2007 10:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In all of recorded employment history, it has never been a good thing when the boss "requests" that employees talk up the company, especially when non-employees know that those workers are operating under orders. Nevertheless, that is exactly the road Ford appears to have taken as part of the "Way Forward," asking each employee to become a "walking advertisement" for the blue oval.

Ford's Executive Director of Automotive Communications, Ray Day, petitioned employees in a webcast earlier this week, and that was followed by an e-mail to managers from Mark Fields, president of Ford's Americas group. The mission, should they choose to accept it, is to say good things about the company to absolutely everyone. Fields wrote, "An improving reputation leads to higher purchase consideration among our customers and, ultimately, more vehicle sales. . . . We need to take this role very seriously as we speak with our co-workers, our neighbors and everyone with whom we associate." He even went so far as to urge employees to speak with "a more confident tone of voice."

While we can understand the intent, we haven't yet heard of employees who enjoy being told to be cheerful. Such a step would also seem unnecessary: Ford's vehicles and future look more promising than they did just a few months ago. And let's face it, considering the situation he parachuted into, we are still in the infancy of Mulally's turnaround plan. But surely Mulally was hired (and paid like Croesus) to shepherd the development of models that speak for themselves, not to lead a team of employees that have to be commanded to speak in spite of them.

[Source: Detroit News]

Ford wants workers to 'become walking advertisements' originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 14 Apr 2007 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hyundai's product line-up has been both steadily improving and moving up-market, first with the launch of the Veracruz luxury SUV and now with the announcement of the upcoming Genesis RWD V8 luxury sedan. The emergence of the premium Hyundais has lead to industry speculation that the burgeoning Korean carmaker could be considering the launch of a separate premium brand to compete with its Japanese rivals.

Although they've far from confirmed any such decision, Hyundai execs have suggested it could be in the cards. Product planning VP John Krafcik was quoted as saying, "We haven't decided that as of yet. Genesis will be sold through our Hyundai dealers as a Hyundai, but we're still in the midst of discussions as to whether or not we should have an alternative distribution channel with a new name. It's still a possibility."

Like Toyota did with Lexus, Nissan with Infiniti and Honda with Acura, a premium marque from Hyundai would give the Korean carmaker the prestige and justification for the higher prices that inevitably come with producing up-market products. While Japan remains on alert from nuclear weapons from North Korea, the real bomb seems to be coming in automotive form from South Korea.

[Source: Winding Road]

Watch out, Lexus: Hyundai considering premium brand originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.