Wednesday, December 16, 1998

AAA Predicts Biggest Holiday Travel Period Ever

A record 45.2 million people expect to travel 100 miles or more from home this Christmas-New Year's, the greatest number of travelers for any holiday period, according to AAA. ... Continue reading

Alamo Rent-A-Car Continues To Aggressively Expand

Alamo Rent-A-Car, Inc. has entered into a franchise agreement with ADA Rent A Car located in San Jose, Costa Rica. Under terms of the agreement, all eight ADA locations throughout the country will be converted to Alamo by January 1999. ... Continue reading

Auto Executives to Share Best Practices at KPMG-'IndustryWeek'

At the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), KPMG and "IndustryWeek" magazine will present an "America's Best Plants" conference on "Driving Auto Industry Excellence throughout the Value Chain." ... Continue reading

Bayer Receive QS-9000 Certification

Bayer Inc. has received QS-9000 certification from Quality Systems Registrars Inc. for the company's NBR plant in Sarnia, Canada and its associated support services in Akron, Ohio provided by Bayer Corporation. ... Continue reading

Bikes: Gast Looking for Third Championship Aboard Suziki GSXR

Bikes: Gast Looking for Third Championship Aboard Suziki GSXR ... Continue reading

BMW Shatters Previous Year-End Sales Records

With demand for its vehicles higher than ever, BMW of North America, Inc. has surpassed all previous U.S. sales figures. ... Continue reading

Capital Automotive REIT Declares Fourth Quarter 1998 Dividend

Capital Automotive REIT announced that its Board of Trustees has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.32 per share for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 1998. ... Continue reading

DaimlerChrysler Supervisory Board Constituted

The DaimlerChrysler Supervisory Board came together for its constituent meeting in Stuttgart. According to German Co- determination Law, the Supervisory Board consists of ten shareholder and ten employee representatives. ... Continue reading

Dana Acquires Delphi's U.K. Filtration Manufacturing Operation

In a strategic move to strengthen its presence in the European marketplace, Dana Corporation announced that it has acquired the filtration manufacturing operation of Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems U.K. Overseas Corp. ... Continue reading

Exhibit Works Builds Largest Exhibit Ever

What is made up of 200 tons of structural steel, has a 90 foot diameter theater, a bridge as long as a football field, a pond, two elevators and an escalator? Why it's the Ford exhibit at this year's 1999 North American International Auto Show. ... Continue reading

Exhibit Works Creates International Look for Ford Motor Company

Replacing synthetic material with European beech -- laminate with leather covered panels -- represents just one of the 180 degree turns that will greet visitors to the 1999 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Ford Motor Company exhibit. ... Continue reading

Federal-Mogul Appoints Rocco Petrilli

Frank Tomes, executive vice president, General Products Group, Federal-Mogul Corporation, announces the appointment of Rocco Petrilli to the position of managing director, Sintered Products, America, effective immediately. ... Continue reading

Ford Focus Rallycar Flies in First Snow Tests

Ford Focus Rallycar Flies in First Snow Tests ... Continue reading

Ford Statement on Safety Issue: Emergency Trunk Release

Another automaker has announced plans to retrofit vehicles with an emergency release latch to help prevent tragedies resulting from adults or children being trapped inside the trunk. ... Continue reading

Gas Gets Cheaper as Oil Glut Persists, says AAA Survey

Santa can fill up for less when passing through Northern California, where gas prices are 23 cents less than one year ago, AAA reported. ... Continue reading

GM'S Walkowicz Rejoins USCAR as Executive Director

Don Walkowicz of General Motors has been appointed as the next executive director of the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). ... Continue reading

Hayes Lemmerz International Receives Five Contracts

Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. announced that its European Aluminum Wheel division received five contracts from Fiat for aluminum wheels. ... Continue reading

HOT ROD Magazine Charges Forward With Agreement

HOT ROD Magazine has joined forces with Interstate(R) Batteries to create a line of performance automotive batteries, which are scheduled to debut in March '99. ... Continue reading

Insilco Holding Co. Announces Extension of Exchange Offer

Insilco Holding Co. announced that it has extended the exchange period for its 14% Senior Discount Notes due 2008. ... Continue reading

Intermet Announces Key Executive Appointment for European Operations

Intermet Corporation Chairman and CEO John Doddridge announced the appointment of Laurence Vine-Chatterton as President of Intermet Europe, effective January 1, 1999, with responsibility for all of Intermet's European operations. ... Continue reading

International Auto Dealer's Assn.: 1998 Auto Industry Year in Review

1998 will likely go down in history as a year of wide swings in automotive retailing. AIADA's Showroom Magazine offers a look at the significant events which shaped this landmark year in the auto industry ... Continue reading

IRL: Hewitt Wants Another Drink from Pep Boys IRL Fountain of Youth

IRL: Hewitt Wants Another Drink from Pep Boys IRL Fountain of Youth ... Continue reading

Isuzu Wins Top National Award for Rodeo Campaign

American Isuzu Motors Inc. and M/S Database Marketing LLC received the 1998 National Center for Database Marketing (NCDM) Excellence Award for the "1998 Isuzu Rodeo" direct marketing campaign. ... Continue reading

Larsen Named CWC Castings President - Kelly Retires

Textron Automotive Company (TAC) announced that effective January 1, 1999, Jed A. Larsen has been appointed President of TAC's CWC Castings Division headquartered in Muskegon, Michigan. ... Continue reading

Lawrence K. Fish Named to Textron's Board of Directors

Textron Inc. announced that Lawrence K. Fish has been elected to the company's fifteen-member Board of Directors. Fish will assume his role upon James F. Hardymon's retirement from the Board on January 31, 1998. ... Continue reading

Littelfuse Plans to Close Watseka Facility

Littelfuse, Inc. announced plans to discontinue operations in its Watseka, Ill. facility by the middle of 1999. The closure will affect approximately 110 employees, who will be offered extended benefits as well as a severance package. ... Continue reading

Mazda's New 'Crossover' Concept Wagon and Special B-Series Truck

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) announced that it will unveil the Protege All-Sport Concept Wagon and the Troy Lee Edition B-Series Truck at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show on Tuesday, December 29. ... Continue reading

McClendon Named to New Goodyear Diversity Position

Goodyear has established a new position designed to strengthen and broaden the company's communications concerning diversity issues. ... Continue reading

Mobile America Corp. Makes Announcement

During the last several months the company has conducted discussions with various companies interested in merging with or acquiring the company. ... Continue reading

NASCAR BGN: Brewco Motorsports Adds Third NASCAR Busch Series Team to Roster

NASCAR BGN: Brewco Motorsports Adds Third NASCAR Busch Series Team to Roster ... Continue reading

NASCAR Night At The Smithsonian

NASCAR Night At The Smithsonian ... Continue reading

NASCAR Trucks: Hornaday Takes the Cash at Banquet

NASCAR Trucks: Hornaday 'Cleans Up' at Banquet ... Continue reading

Oxford Automotive Signs Agreement to Acquire Major French Stamper

Oxford Automotive, Inc. announced it has signed an agreement to purchase the Cofimeta Group, the third largest stamping and metalforming company in France, from Groupe Valfond. ... Continue reading

Penske Auto Centers Sign Exclusive TRANSTECH Deal

MotorVac Technologies Inc. announced that Penske Auto Centers has signed an exclusive agreement to use the company's TRANSTECH automatic transmission fluid exchanger. ... Continue reading

Progressive Reduces Auto Insurance Rates in Indiana by 8%

Progressive, one of the state's largest auto insurers, is reducing its rates in Indiana by an average of eight percent, announced Richard Hutchinson, Progressive's general manager for Indiana. ... Continue reading

Schneider Takes Leadership Role In Y2K Readiness

The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Y2K Technology Problems recently invited testimony from Chris Lofgren, chief technology officer at Schneider National, Inc., regarding Year 2000 (Y2K) readiness within the transportation and logistics industry. ... Continue reading

Selas Declares Cash Dividend

The Board of Directors of Selas Corporation of America, at its meeting , declared a cash dividend of $.045 per share. The dividend will be payable on March 31, 1999 to shareholders of record on March 15, 1999. ... Continue reading

Siemens Automotive Sets Education as Next Benchmark

As the need for highly-skilled engineers and technicians persists throughout the nation, Siemens is going to the "heart of the matter" and launching a proactive campaign on education and professional development. ... Continue reading

SIGMA Condemns EPA Lax Enforcement

In a rare twist, The Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), an industry trade association, announced that it is outraged that EPA has decided to laxly enforce its own environmental protection regulations. ... Continue reading

Sonic Automotive, Inc. Announces Acquisitions

Sonic Automotive, Inc. announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire the Newsome Dealership Group with dealerships located in Columbia, South Carolina and Florence, South Carolina, and Global Imports. ... Continue reading

Southern California Gas Price Average Climbs Two Cents in a Month

The average price of regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in Southern California rose two cents to $1.20 from $1.18 during the past month, according to the third Automobile Club of Southern California Fuel Gauge Report. ... Continue reading

Special Devices Inc. Completes Merger

Special Devices Inc., designer and manufacturer pyrotechnic devices for the automotive and aerospace industries, announced that the merger with an affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Co., a New York-based private equity fund, has been completed. ... Continue reading

Standard Motor Products Announces Acquisition

Standard Motor Products, Inc. announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire, 85% of the stock of Webcon UK Ltd. and Webcon's affiliate Injection Correction UK Ltd. ... Continue reading

Systran and Aerotech Announce Extended Line of Carrier Boards

Systran Corp., developer of the I/O Solutions(TM) line of IP Modules and carriers and Aerotech World Trade Ltd., exclusive distributor of Systran's I/O Solutions announced several new additions to the I/O Solutions line of IP Module carrierboards. ... Continue reading

Tenneco Automotive Receives Chrysler Role Model Award

Tenneco Automotive has been awarded the prestigious Chrysler Technology Role Model Award in the technology category for the 1998 model year. ... Continue reading

Textron Elects Joe T. Ford to Board

Textron Inc. announced that Joe T. Ford has been elected to the company's fifteen-member Board of Directors. ... Continue reading

The Crown Group Reports Significant Gains in Earnings for Q2

Crown Group, Inc. announced sharply higher revenues and earnings for the second quarter and first half of its 1999 fiscal year. ... Continue reading

Thor Board Authorizes Purchase of Up to 500,000 Shares

Thor Industries, Inc. announced that its Board of Directors approved the purchase of up to 500,000 Thor shares. ... Continue reading

Top Source Stockholders Approve Sale of Automotive Subsidiary

Top Source Technologies, Inc. announced that at its Annual Meeting, stockholders approved the sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company's subsidiary, Top Source Automotive, Inc., to NCT Audio Products, a subsidiary of the NCT Group,Inc. ... Continue reading

Toyota's New-Concept 'Echo' Designed for Youth Appeal

Its name is "ECHO," and it will take a road less traveled to appeal to the unique demands of young new-car buyers when it arrives in Toyota dealerships next fall. ... Continue reading

TRW and Kansei Corporation Sign Joint Venture

TRW Inc. and Kansei Corporation announced the formation of a joint venture to manufacture automotive electronics components. ... Continue reading

Winnebago Industries Receives Quality Circle Award

For the third consecutive year, Winnebago Industries, Inc. was awarded the Recreation Vehicle Dealer Association's (RVDA) prestigious Quality Circle Award at the annual RVIA National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, December 1 - 3. ... Continue reading