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August 1998

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Wednesday, August 5, 1998

AmeriCredit Corp. Announces Q4 and Fiscal 1998 Operating Results

AmeriCredit Corp. Announces Q4 and Fiscal 1998 Operating Results

AMERICREDIT CORP. announced record net income of $17,670,000, or $0.53 per share, for its fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 1998, versus earnings of $11,303,000, or $0.36 per share, for the quarter ended June 30, 1997. ... Continue reading

ARA Racefacts Bulletin 8/2/98

ARA Racefacts Bulletin 8/2/98

Auto Racing Analysis' Racefacts Bulletin, recapping the week through August 2, 1998. ... Continue reading

ATC Distribution Group to Sell MiraChem Environmentally Compliant Products

ATC Distribution Group to Sell MiraChem Environmentally Compliant Products

The ATC Distribution Group announced that it will begin distributing MiraChem(R) environmentally friendly cleaners, degreasers and parts washers. ... Continue reading

Automakers Endorse U.S. Government's Renewed Call for Economic Reform in Japan

Automakers Endorse U.S. Government's Renewed Call for Economic Reform in Japan

The following is a statement by Andrew H. Card, Jr., President & CEO of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA), in reaction to comments by the Clinton Administration urging economic reform in Japan: ... Continue reading

Automotive Outsourcing Sparks Growth at ERIM International

Automotive Outsourcing Sparks Growth at ERIM International

Outsourcing of automotive research and product development work has generated double-digit growth rates at ERIM International (EI) in Ann Arbor, Mich. ... Continue reading

Batman Races to NASCAR With Themed Car Unveiling

Batman Races to NASCAR With Themed Car Unveiling

Action Performance Companies Inc.(TM), DC Comics and Robert Yates Racing announced that the companies will officially unveil a Batman-themed race car for NASCAR's Dale Jarrett on Aug. 22 in Bristol, Tenn. at the Goody's Headache Powder 500. ... Continue reading

BMW Reports July Sales

BMW Reports July Sales

BMW of North America, Inc., reported July retail sales of 11,139 automobiles, an increase of 3.4 percent and year-to-date sales of 78,008, a 7 percent increase, as BMW continues to set U.S. sales records. ... Continue reading

Brazilian Racing News: Emmo and Piquet to Manage Jacarepagua

Brazilian Racing News: Emmo and Piquet to Manage Jacarepagua

Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet got the rights to manage the Jacarepagua Circuit for the next ten years from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro. ... Continue reading

Briggs & Stratton Declares Dividend

Briggs & Stratton Declares Dividend

Briggs & Stratton Corporation: At the regular quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors of Briggs & Stratton Corporation, a quarterly dividend of Twenty-nine cents ($0.29) per share was declared on the common stock of the Corporation. ... Continue reading

Burnham Declares Dividend and Reports Six Months Earnings

Burnham Declares Dividend and Reports Six Months Earnings

Burnham Corporation, a major manufacturer of boilers, furnaces, radiators and related equipment for domestic and international residential, commercial and industrial markets, today reported earnings for the six months and quarter ended June 30, 1998. ... Continue reading

Cars 'n Stars: L.A. Street Race Won't Include Vintage but NASCAR's Martin, Schrader, Little will Make Appearances; Villenueve Switches Teams

Cars 'n Stars: L.A. Street Race Won't Include Vintage but NASCAR's Martin, Schrader, Little will Make Appearances; Villenueve Switches Teams

Bill Maloney on the second L.A. Street Race, Formula One, Toyota, NASCAR Winston Cup, CART, IRL, Indy Lights, and Pebble Beach Concours ... Continue reading

Cooper Board Authorizes $500 Million Stock Repurchase Program

Cooper Board Authorizes $500 Million Stock Repurchase Program

Cooper Industries, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors has authorized several actions in preparation for the company's exit from the automotive products business. ... Continue reading

Crown Group Increases Its Stake In PAACO Automotive Group To 65%

Crown Group Increases Its Stake In PAACO Automotive Group To 65%

Crown Group, Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of an additional 12% equity interest from the founders and management of PAACO Automotive Group, Inc. for 375,000 shares of Crown common stock. ... Continue reading

DCR Maintains General Motors and GMAC Ratings at 'A-'

DCR Maintains General Motors and GMAC Ratings at 'A-'

Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. has maintained the debt ratings of GM and its financial subsidiary, General Motors Acceptance Corp., after GM announced that its directors approved a spin or split-off of GM's Delphi Automotive Systems components group. ... Continue reading

Dealers, Auto Makers Team for Media Seminars on Auto Retailing

Dealers, Auto Makers Team for Media Seminars on Auto Retailing

An unprecedented industry-wide coalition of dealer associations and auto makers was introduced to the media as the group announced plans for a series of media seminars focusing on dramatic changes reshaping the retail automotive industry. ... Continue reading

Defiance, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results

Defiance, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year Results

Defiance, Inc. reported net earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter ended June 30, 1998 reached $1,709,000, or $0.28 per share, up from $1,363,000, or $0.21 per share, for the same period last year. ... Continue reading

Detroit Ford Dealers NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day

Detroit Ford Dealers NASCAR Fan Appreciation Day

The heat is on for NASCAR racing fans in Detroit! The inaugural Metro Detroit Ford Dealers' "Ford Fan Appreciation Day" is set for August 12, 1998, at the Michigan State Fair Grounds. ... Continue reading

Donnelly Corporation Produces Electrochromic Mirror Cells in Asia

Donnelly Corporation Produces Electrochromic Mirror Cells in Asia

Donnelly Corp has begun producing electrochromic mirror cells in Asia. With the production startup, Donnelly is now the only automotive supplier with electrochromic manufacturing or assembly capabilities in North America, Europe and Asia. ... Continue reading

Dressel Named to Head Chrysler Museum

Dressel Named to Head Chrysler Museum

Barry Dressel, the former director of the Turks and Caicos National Museum in the British West Indies and the former Director of the Detroit Historical Department, has been named Manager of the Chrysler Historical Museum. ... Continue reading

Drivers: Jim Shifflett Injured in Pool Diving Accident

Drivers: Jim Shifflett Injured in Pool Diving Accident

Drivers: Jim Shifflett Injured in Pool Diving Accident ... Continue reading

Ford Credit Australia CP Rated 'F1' by Fitch IBCA

Ford Credit Australia CP Rated 'F1' by Fitch IBCA

Fitch IBCA assigns its 'F1' rating to the commercial paper program of Ford Credit Australia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Credit Co. of Dearborn, MI. ... Continue reading

Ford's July U.S. Sales Off 4% From Last Year's Record

Ford's July U.S. Sales Off 4% From Last Year's Record

U.S. customers purchased or leased 343,183 cars and trucks from Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, and Jaguar dealers in July, down 4.3% from last year's record sales month. Lower sales to daily rental and other fleet customers more than account for the decline. ... Continue reading

Hertz Announces On-Line Enrollment for Its Expedited #1 Club Gold Service

Hertz Announces On-Line Enrollment for Its Expedited #1 Club Gold Service

The Hertz Corporation, the world's largest car rental company, announced that customers can now enroll for its longstanding expedited car rental service, Hertz #1 Club Gold through its website located at http://www.hertz.com. ... Continue reading

Houston World Energy Congress to Showcase FutureCar Competition Winners

Houston World Energy Congress to Showcase FutureCar Competition Winners

The winners of the 1998 U.S. Department of Energy FutureCar Competition are Virginia Tech and the University of Wisconsin, which tied for first place, and Lawrence Tech, which placed third. ... Continue reading

Hyundai Reports July Sales Increase 12.6%

Hyundai Reports July Sales Increase 12.6%

Hyundai Motor America announced sales of 8,822 vehicles for the month of July. The sales represented a 12.6% increase over Hyundai's sales of 7,834 in June, 1998. ... Continue reading

Ingersoll-Rand Declares Quarterly Dividend

Ingersoll-Rand Declares Quarterly Dividend

Ingersoll-Rand Company's board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 15 cents per common share, payable September 1 to shareowners of record on August 18, 1998. ... Continue reading

IRL: Loaded Field Ready to Roll at Pikes Peak

IRL: Loaded Field Ready to Roll at Pikes Peak

IRL: Loaded Field Ready to Roll at Pikes Peak ... Continue reading

IRL: Pep Boys Indy Racing League Will Not Return to NHIS in '99

IRL: Pep Boys Indy Racing League Will Not Return to NHIS in '99

IRL: Pep Boys Indy Racing League Will Not Return to NHIS in '99 ... Continue reading

Jaguar U.S. Sales Up in July and for the Year

Jaguar U.S. Sales Up in July and for the Year

Jaguar Cars announced July U.S. sales of 1,867 cars, up 24 percent compared with July 1997. Year-to-date U.S. sales for Jaguar are 12,556, up 18 percent compared with the first seven months of 1997. ... Continue reading

Keystone Automotive Reports Higher First Quarter Results

Keystone Automotive Reports Higher First Quarter Results

Keystone Automotive Industries, Inc. reported first quarter net income for the period ended June 26, 1998 of $3,860,000, or $0.26 per share, on net sales of $69,872,000, on 14,917,000 average weighted shares outstanding. ... Continue reading

Laforza Automobiles, Inc. to Be Featured At 1998 `Concours Italiano'

Laforza Automobiles, Inc. to Be Featured At 1998 `Concours Italiano'

Laforza Automobiles, Inc. announced that they will be featuring two 1998 Laforza Sport Utility vehicles at this years Concours. ... Continue reading

Letter from Europe: of Rolls Royce, Rover, and a new Volvo

Letter from Europe: of Rolls Royce, Rover, and a new Volvo

Andrew Frankl ponders the demise of Rolls Royce and his Rover. ... Continue reading

LSB Industries Intends to Spin-Off Automotive Product Business

LSB Industries Intends to Spin-Off Automotive Product Business

LSB Industries, Inc. announced that it intends, subject to satisfactory completion of certain conditions, to spin-off its Automotive Products Business to its shareholders as a dividend. ... Continue reading

LucasVarity Reorganises Automotive Activities to Improve Customer Focus

LucasVarity Reorganises Automotive Activities to Improve Customer Focus

Since its creation in 1996, LucasVarity has made major progress in securing operational improvements, reducing its cost base and winning new business. ... Continue reading

LucasVarity to Sell Its Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems Business

LucasVarity to Sell Its Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems Business

LucasVarity plc announced its intention to sell its Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems (HVBS) business. ... Continue reading

Mazda Reports Month-End July Sales

Mazda Reports Month-End July Sales

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) reported month-end July sales of 24,700. ... Continue reading

Midgets: Sportsman Midget Race Results

Midgets: Sportsman Midget Race Results

Midgets: Sportsman Midget Race Results ... Continue reading

Mobil Announces Plans for Increasing Equatorial Guinea Production

Mobil Announces Plans for Increasing Equatorial Guinea Production

Mobil Corp. announced its plans for increasing production from the company's operations in Block B offshore Equatorial Guinea. ... Continue reading

Mobil Enters Into Definitive Agreement with Arco

Mobil Enters Into Definitive Agreement with Arco

Mobil Corp. announced its domestic exploration and production business unit, Mobil Exploration & Producing U.S. Inc., and Atlantic Richfield Co., have reached a definitive agreement on an exchange of assets that would transfer Mobil's interests. ... Continue reading

Monaco Coach Corp Reports Record Setting Wholesale Orders

Monaco Coach Corp Reports Record Setting Wholesale Orders

Monaco Coach Corp announced that its Holiday Rambler Division received a record 1,231 wholesale orders at its annual Dealer Congress. At the event, Holiday Rambler retail dealers were given an opportunity to preview the 1999 model line and order. ... Continue reading

Motorists Can Get Burned by the Heat

Motorists Can Get Burned by the Heat

Sizzling summer temperatures can be tough on vehicles, and can create dangerous situations for motorists, according to AAA in Northern California. ... Continue reading

NASCAR GDS: Time Warner Cable 100 Preview

NASCAR GDS: Time Warner Cable 100 Preview

NASCAR GDS: Time Warner Cable 100 Preview ... Continue reading

NASCAR WCUP: Shepherd Ignites New Flame

NASCAR WCUP: Shepherd Ignites New Flame

NASCAR WCUP: Shepherd Ignites New Flame ... Continue reading

National Auto Credit Establishes Relationship With Buyer's Choice's, Inc.

National Auto Credit Establishes Relationship With Buyer's Choice's, Inc.

National Auto Credit, Inc. and Buyer's Choice, Inc., announced a new agreement that will allow NAC's more than 2,500 member dealers to begin offering The Buyer's Choice Product Warranty to consumers financing vehicle purchases with the sub-prime lender. ... Continue reading

NEMA Releases Revisions of ANSI Z535 Safety Sign and Color Standards

NEMA Releases Revisions of ANSI Z535 Safety Sign and Color Standards

NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and Global Engineering Documents has announced the release of the ANSI Z535, Safety Sign and Color series. ... Continue reading

NHRA: Driver Standings through August 4, 1998

NHRA: Driver Standings through August 4, 1998

NHRA: Driver Standings through August 4, 1998 ... Continue reading

NHTSA Publishes List of June Recalls

NHTSA Publishes List of June Recalls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a list of auto safety recalls announced in June and urged consumers to have the problems fixed promptly. ... Continue reading

Nissan and Infiniti Announce July Sales

Nissan and Infiniti Announce July Sales

The following is being issued by Nissan Motor Corporation: ... Continue reading

Penn Engineering Announces Management Restructuring

Penn Engineering Announces Management Restructuring

Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp. has reorganized its management structure. ... Continue reading

Prestolite Electric Reports Second Quarter Results

Prestolite Electric Reports Second Quarter Results

Prestolite Electric Inc. and its parent, PEI Holding, Inc., announced that consolidated second quarter net sales of $72.8 million had generated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $8.4 million. ... Continue reading

PSCR: Panoz Motorsports Technical Center Opens

PSCR: Panoz Motorsports Technical Center Opens

PSCR: Panoz Motorsports Technical Center Opens ... Continue reading

PSCR: Steve Knapp Tests with Panoz Motorsports

PSCR: Steve Knapp Tests with Panoz Motorsports

PSCR: Steve Knapp Tests with Panoz Motorsports ... Continue reading

SatCon Receives $323,000 Contract for Quiet Motor Drive System

SatCon Receives $323,000 Contract for Quiet Motor Drive System

SatCon Technology Corp announced that it received a $323,000 contract from the Navy's Office of Naval Research to develop and implement an innovative electric motor drive system for Navy ships. ... Continue reading

SDRC Lands $1 Million I-DEAS Order

SDRC Lands $1 Million I-DEAS Order

Structural Dynamics Research Corp announced that it has received a $1 million order for its I-DEAS(TM) software and services from Victaulic(R) Company of America. ... Continue reading

SmarTire Systems Retains KCSA Worldwide for Investor Relations

SmarTire Systems Retains KCSA Worldwide for Investor Relations

SmarTire Systems, Inc. announced that it has retained KCSA Worldwide, a New York-based investor and public relations firm, to support the Company in its efforts to create greater awareness about SmarTire and its investment potential. ... Continue reading

SmarTire Systems Retains KCSA Worldwide for Investor Relations

SmarTire Systems Retains KCSA Worldwide for Investor Relations

SmarTire Systems Inc. announced that it has retained KCSA Worldwide, a New York-based investor and public relations firm, to support the company in its efforts to create greater awareness about SmarTire and its investment potential. ... Continue reading

Sonex Awarded Navy SBIR Phase I Contract

Sonex Awarded Navy SBIR Phase I Contract

Sonex Research, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a six-month, $68,500 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program contract by the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). ... Continue reading

S&P Rates AutoZone's $200M Debs A-; Outlook Stable

S&P Rates AutoZone's $200M Debs A-; Outlook Stable

Standard & Poor's assigned its single-'A'-minus rating to AutoZone Inc.'s $200 million 6.5% debentures due 2008 and its 'A-2' rating to the company's commercial paper. ... Continue reading

SPX Corporation Acquires Toledo Trans-Kit

SPX Corporation Acquires Toledo Trans-Kit

SPX Corporation announced it has acquired Toledo Trans-Kit for an undisclosed amount. Toledo Trans-Kit, more commonly known as TTK, is located in Toledo, Ohio. ... Continue reading

Standard & Poor's Rates AutoZone's $200 Million Debentures A-

Standard & Poor's Rates AutoZone's $200 Million Debentures A-

Standard & Poor's assigned its single-'A'-minus rating to AutoZone Inc.'s $200 million 6.5% debentures due 2008 and its 'A-2' rating to the company's commercial paper. ... Continue reading

Sterling Commerce Announces Alliance with Bar Code Solutions

Sterling Commerce Announces Alliance with Bar Code Solutions

Sterling Commerce, a worldwide provider of electronic commerce (EC) value-added services and software, announced an alliance agreement with Bar Code Solutions, a producer of integrated bar coded inventory tracking software for the auto industry. ... Continue reading

Summer's Here and Kia Sales are Sizzlin'

Summer's Here and Kia Sales are Sizzlin'

The weather is hot and so are Kia sales. July proved to be another record sales month for Kia Motors America. The company announced today that 10,095 vehicles were sold during the month, making July 1998 Kia's biggest sales month ever. ... Continue reading

Suppliers Team with Chrysler for $2.1 Billion in Cost Savings

Suppliers Team with Chrysler for $2.1 Billion in Cost Savings

Chrysler Corporation announced that it achieved $2.1 billion in cost savings through its 1998 SCORE campaign, up $900 million from last year's $1.2 billion total. ... Continue reading

Thrifty Car Rental Opens at Palm Beach International Airport

Thrifty Car Rental Opens at Palm Beach International Airport

With the recent opening of a location at Palm Beach Intl. Airport, Thrifty Car Rental has established a presence at each of the major South Florida airports since it reentered the nation's third-largest car rental market in June 1997. ... Continue reading

Tracks: Humphrey & Burns top Bloomington Speedway Points

Tracks: Humphrey & Burns top Bloomington Speedway Points

Tracks: Humphrey & Burns top Bloomington Speedway Points ... Continue reading

Tracks: Late Model Thunder at Bloomington

Tracks: Late Model Thunder at Bloomington

Tracks: Late Model Thunder at Bloomington ... Continue reading

Visteon Automotive Systems To Continue Expanding

Visteon Automotive Systems To Continue Expanding

Visteon Automotive Systems announced that it will continue to expand its world-class technological capabilities with the acquisition of Zexel Corporation's navigation systems business. ... Continue reading

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Expands Sales of Goodyear Tires

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Expands Sales of Goodyear Tires

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced that mega retailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has chosen to make Goodyear-branded tires available to consumers through its various retail formats. ... Continue reading

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