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The Fiat Chrysler WarrenTruck Assembly Plant has beenawarded bronze status for its ef-forts in implementing WorldClass Manufacturing (WCM).It becomes the 20th North
American facility to reach themilestone and brings to seventhe number of plants that havebeen designated bronze in 2016,said Fiat Chrysler spokeswomanJodi Tinson.The 78-year-old suburban De-
troit truck plant earned bronzeafter receiving a minimum of 50points in 10 technical and 10
managerial pillars following atwo-day independent audit heldOct. 24 and 25, Tinson said.The plant demonstrated clear
WCM know-how and competencethrough employee-conducted pil-lar presentations and a review ofprojects implemented across theshop floor. The designation rec-ognizes the long-term commit-ment of a workforce to makingsignificant changes that can se-cure the future of a facility.“Reaching bronze is a signifi-
®Detroit AutoScene®
“F IRST IN THE HEAR T OF DETROIT”
VOL. 84 NO. 42 OCTOBER 31, 2016
View This Week’s Edition at http://DetroitAutoScene.com
FCA Warren Truck AssemblyGranted WCM Bronze Status
Warren Assembly employees work on a 2016 Ram 1500 engine.
by Jim Stickford
Consumer Reports’ latest relia-bility study results have beenreleased – and the big winner isBuick.The results were announced to
the Automotive Press Associa-tion at the Detroit Athletic ClubOct. 24.Jake Fisher, director of Auto-
motive Testing for Consumer Re-ports, said the Buick brand hasbecome the first domestic brandin more than three decades toearn a place in the top threemost reliable brands survey con-ducted by Consumer Reports.Lexus and Toyota were No. 1 andNo. 2, respectively.He also noted that Honda’s
popular Civic model earned a“much-worse-than-average” relia-bility rating.“Buick’s achievement is com-
mendable and sure to be a wake-up call to other manufacturers,”Fisher said.“One reason why the brand
has been able to leapfrog othersin the General Motors stable hasbeen its limited vehicle lineup –with none of the pickups andtruck-based SUVs that have nega-tively impacted Cadillac andChevrolet.”Fisher said Chevrolet saw
gains, moving up five spots since2015.“The brand was helped in par-
ticular by the stellar reliability ofthe redesigned 2016 Cruze,which topped all compact cars,and the Corvette, which movedup to average,” Fisher said.“Cadillac has two models with
below-average reliability, the Es-calade and the small ATS sedan.While the CTS and XTS sedanswere average or better. GMCdropped, hurt by its versions ofthe same large SUVs and pickuptrucks that haunt Chevrolet.”Big trucks and SUVs tended to
do poorly, Fisher said. The rea-son is that transmissions withmore ratios and advanced drive-trains continue to be a challengefor a number of brands, he said.While the Acura and Jeep
Cherokee have seen improve-
ments in the reliability of theirnine-speed automatics, he said,earlier models are still problem-atic. And, he added, Ford’s dual-clutch automatic transmissioncontinues to afflict the Fiesta andFocus, which is one reason theyare among the lowest-scoringmodels.Fisher noted that Fiat Chrysler
has some troubles, but that theChrysler 300, Dodge Grand Cara-van and Jeep Patriot managed tohave an average or better score.He said Consumer Reports gath-
ered information from its sub-scribers who have collectivelyowned or leased over half-a-million vehicles from model
Buick Gets Domestics’ Reliability Nod
2016 Buick LaCrosse
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
by TOM KRISHERAP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) – General Mo-tors doesn’t seem too worriedabout slowing U.S. auto sales oreconomic troubles in Europe. Ifthird-quarter numbers are anyindication, the company hasnumbers to back that up.The Detroit automaker report-
ed a record profit on Oct. 25 thatdoubled results in the thirdquarter a year ago. And the au-tomaker put a little more swag-ger behind its full-year guidance,predicting pretax earnings at thehigh end of previous forecasts of$5.50 to $6 per share.GM earned $2.77 billion, or
$1.76 per share, compared with$1.36 billion, or 84 cents pershare a year ago. Revenue hit arecord $42.8 billion.The performance is largely be-
cause the company shunnedlow-profit sales to rental carcompanies in the U.S., keepingprices and profits high. GM alsomade $500 million off its Chinesejoint venture and reduced lossesby about $100 million each in Eu-rope and South America.“Very much on track to deliver
the performance that we prom-ised at the beginning of the year,which is higher profit, highermargins,” Chief Financial OfficerChuck Stevens said. “In essence,another record year.”The numbers came despite
sales falling 4 percent through
GMProfits DoubleFrom Last Year
by COLLEEN BARRYAP Business Writer
MILAN (AP) – Fiat ChryslerAutomobiles on Oct. 24 in-creased its 2016 earnings fore-cast for the second time thisyear after strong results inNorth America helped it returnto a profit in the third quar-ter.The company reported an
adjusted net profit of 606 millioneuros ($659 million), comparedwith a loss of 387 million eurosin the same period last year.Revenues were flat at 26.8
billion euros, with deliveriesdown marginally to 1.12 millionunits.The group raised its profit
forecasts for this year to above2.3 billion euros from above 2 bil-lion euros, while confirming netrevenues of above 112 billioneuros.North America accounted for
two-thirds of revenues and 85percent of the profit in the thirdquarter, notwithstanding an 8percent decrease in shipmentsas the carmaker realigns itsproduct offer in favor of Jeepand Ram.Shipments in the United states
were down 45,000 units, mostlyreflecting reductions to produc-tion of the Chrysler 200 andDodge Dart.CEO Sergio Marchionne told
an analyst conference call thatthe production lulls wouldn't be
FIAT CHRYSLERNet Profits UpTo $659 Million
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) –Troubles in Ford Motor Co.’shome market – including a mas-sive recall and the difficultlaunch of new heavy-duty pick-ups – are hurting the company’sbottom line.Ford said Oct. 27 its net in-
come plunged 56 percent to $957million in the third quarter,down from $2.2 billion in theJuly-September period a yearago.The earnings, of 24 cents per
share, compared to earnings of55 cents per share in the July-September period a year ago.Adjusted earnings of 26 centsper share – which exclude one-time items – beat Wall Street’sforecast of 20 cents, according toanalysts polled by FactSet.North America, with its
record-setting U.S. sales and loveaffair with profitable SUVs andpickups, has been Ford’s cashcow in recent years. But as U.S.sales peak, Ford is feeling the ef-fects. Ford’s North Americansales were down 11 percent inthe quarter, and revenuedropped 8 percent. The compa-ny has already announced tem-porary closures of four NorthAmerican plants this month tobring production in line with de-mand.“What’s happening to the com-
pany is really about what’s hap-pening in North America,” FordChief Financial Officer BobShanks said.
FORDIncome 56 PercentLess Than 2015
Dignitaries and soldiers inspect prototype of new Stryker Carrier.
ESTABLISHED 1933 AS NEW CENTER NEWS AND 1983 AS OAKLAND TECH NEWS
by Jim Stickford
The first prototype of the newU.S. Army Stryker Infantry Carri-er military vehicle was rolled outat General Dynamics’ Land Sys-tems headquarters in SterlingHeights Oct. 27.“Not only does this provide im-
proved firepower, it also en-hances vehicle survivabilitywhile providing stand-off againstpotential threat weapons,” saidMaj. Gen. David G. Bassett, theArmy’s program executive officerfor Ground Combat Systems.“This symbolic event illustratesthe Army’s commitment to meet-ing the needs of our soldiers inharm’s way – ahead of scheduleand on budget.”The vehicle is outfitted with a
30mm cannon for increasedlethality, said Col. Glenn Dean,Stryker project manager. This isthe first of eight prototype vehi-cles upgraded with significant
lethality capabilities to addressan emerging capability gap in theEuropean theater of operations.Last July, the Army approved a
Directed Requirement to in-crease lethality for 81 Stryker ve-hicles for the 2nd Cavalry Regi-ment to provide Stryker BrigadeCombat Teams (SBCTs) with di-rect fire support to its mountedand dismounted infantry, Deansaid.This led to an accelerated ac-
quisition effort to integrate anunmanned turret with a 30mmcannon on to a Stryker InfantryCarrier Vehicle. The Army ex-pects this vehicle to be in thefield by 2018.“Future operations will take
place concurrently in the air andon the ground, increasingly inurban settings, integrating capa-bilities from the domains of sea,space and cyberspace,” said
New Stryker Carrier to GiveSoldiers Unfair Advantage
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 CONTINUED ON PAGE 5CONTINUED ON PAGE 5CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
3Q Earnings Mixed for Detroit 3
by Jim Stickford
GM unveiled a solar project atits Warren Transmission siteOct. 28 that’s good for the envi-ronment. The GM Foundationalso presented grants that aregood for the surrounding com-munity.The solar project is part of a
larger effort by GM and DTE En-ergy to increase the use of renew-able energy.Solar panels are placed on GM
property and the energy pro-duced is fed into the largerDTE electrical grid, said FrankNiscoromni, DTE program man-ager for Renewable Energy.GM and DTE already have
placed solar panels at GM’sHamtramck and Orion assemblyplants.“These projects are part of a
pilot program DTE initiated in2009,” Niscoromni said.“Here at Warren Transmission
and those two other GM sites, welease the property where thepanels are placed from GM.“One reason we picked the
Warren facility is because it’snear our Mound power grid dis-tribution site.“The power generated at War-
ren Transmission is sent to theMound junction and feeds thesurrounding area.”Niscoromni said that the ener-
gy generated at Warren Trans-mission should be enough topower about 155 normal-sizedhomes and is GM’s largest solararray in Michigan.“We are bullish on renewable
energy because it reduces costsand reduces the impact on theenvironment,” said Rob Threl-
keld, GM global manager ofRenewable Energy.“I also want to say that this fa-
cility is landfill-free.“So think about it. When you
take a bag of trash to the curb tobe picked up, you are puttingmore trash in a landfill than theentire Warren Transmission facil-ity.“We owe it to not only our gen-
eration, but to future generationsto fight climate change. This siteis a part of that effort.”And GM is working toward
meeting the electricity needs ofall its global operations with 100percent renewable energy by theyear 2050, Threlkeld said.“This goal is part of the compa-
ny’s overall approach tostrengthening its business,improving communities andaddressing its impact on theclimate,” Threlkeld said.GM also took the opportunity
to present $100,000 in grants to
support 10 Warren-area nonprofitorganizations.Jackie Parker, president of the
General Motors Foundation, pre-sented the grants. She said the$100,000 given to Warren-areagroups is just part of a largereffort by the foundation to helpthe communities in which GMoperates.
“This year, the GM communityGrants program will providenearly $2 million in fundingto hundreds of organizationsin 47 communities where GMemployees live and work,” Park-er said.“Through these community
grants, the GM Foundation isbuilding stronger communitiesand enriching the lives of itsneighbors.”The 10 groups receiving grants
were:• Family Youth Interventions;• Winning Futures;• Big Brother/Big Sisters of
Metropolitan Detroit;• Macomb Science Olympiad;• The Judson Center;• The Clinton River Watershed
Council;• The Detroit Downriver A.
Philip Randolph Institute;• The Urban League of Detroit
and Southeast Michigan;• The Motor City Symphony
Orchestra (formerly known asthe Warren Symphony Orches-tra);• Advancing Macomb.
PAGE 2 OCTOBER 31, 2016DETROIT AUTO SCENE
Detroit AutoScene®
31201 Chicago Road SouthWarren, Michigan 48093
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Contact us:[email protected]
Deadline: Thursday 5:00 p.m.for the next edition of Monday
William Springer II, publisherLisa A. Torretta, operationsJim Stickford, newsDetroit Auto Scene is a registeredtrademark of Springer Publishing Co.
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This year what happens inVegas won’t have to stay inVegas.The upcoming Specialty
Equipment Market Association(SEMA) show in Las Vegas givesautomakers the chance to showtheir stuff by offering consumersthe ability to really customizetheir vehicles – and Fiat Chryslerisn’t passing on that opportunitythis year.The annual Mopar press event
is a tradition at SEMA, saidFiat Chrysler spokesman ArielGavilan.It will take place at its usual
7:26 p.m. EST on Tuesday,Nov. 1. A live webcast of thepress event will be available athttps://livestream.com/FCALive-/MoparSEMA2016.“With the show coming up, it
means it’s time for Mopar to un-leash teaser sketches of thebrand’s modified SEMA rideswaiting to be displayed at theLas Vegas Convention Center onNovember 1-4,” said Gavilan.“Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and
Ram vehicles, re-imagined withMopar production and conceptparts and accessories, will sharethe stage with hundreds ofMopar products on display atthe premier automotive special-ty products trade show.”A total of 14 Fiat Chrysler vehi-
cles will spread out over the15,345-square-foot Mopar exhib-it, Gavilan said.That includes Mopar-modified
vehicles created especially forSEMA.
Mopar’s SEMAShow Uses
Internet Tech
DETROIT (AP) – The govern-ment’s highway safety agencysays automakers should makecybersecurity part of their prod-uct development process by as-sessing risks and designing inprotections.Companies also should identi-
fy safety critical systems such asengine control computers andlimit their exposure to attacks,under best practice guidelinesreleased Oct. 24 by the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Adminis-tration.The agency also wants auto-
makers to limit access to carowners’ personal data.The guidelines aren’t require-
ments but will go into effect aftera 30-day public comment period.“Our intention with today’s
guidance is to provide best prac-tices to help protect againstbreaches and other security fail-ures,’’ said Transportation Secre-tary Anthony Foxx, who over-sees NHTSA.Many of the recommendations
focus on computer softwarewritten to get engines to per-form. The agency suggests thatcompanies control who has ac-cess to firmware, the softwarethat runs car computers, andlimit the ability to modify it tothwart malware.
Feds ProposingNew Automotive
Cyber Regs
GM’s Warren Transmission site is now home to an array of solar panels.
DETROIT (AP) – Pickup truckheadlights performed poorly innew tests by the insurance in-dustry.The Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety tests measuredhow far light carries from thetrucks’ high beams and lowbeams, both on straight roadsand curves. They also measuredthe amount of glare that could af-fect oncoming drivers. The re-sults were released last week.Seven of the 11 small and full-
size pickups tested earned thelowest score of “poor.’’ If thetrucks offered multiple headlightcombinations, the institute’s rat-ings were based on the bestavailable headlight system.All of the pickups tested were
from the 2016 or 2017 modelyears.Excessive glare was a problem
on nearly every model that wastested, the institute said.Only one large pickup, the
2017 Honda Ridgeline, earnedthe highest rating for the head-lights on its most expensivemodels. The Ridgeline’s head-lights provided good visibility onmost roads.Among full-size pickups, the
GMC Sierra earned the second-highest rating of “acceptable,”while the Nissan Titan and Ram1500 earned “marginal” ratings.The Ford F-150, Chevrolet Sil-
verado and Toyota Tundra full-size pickups also earned “poor”ratings.Both the low-beams and the
high-beams on the F-150 – thebest-selling full-size pickup in theU.S. – provided inadequate visi-bility, even with optional LEDlights added, the institute said.
Pickup Headlights Are Poor
Warren Transmission, DTE Go Green with Solar Panels
®Detroit AutoScene®
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years 2000 to 2016, with a smat-tering of 2017s. This survey cov-ered more than 300 models. Vehi-cle reports had to have enoughof a history to measure, so newvehicles like the Chrysler Pacifi-ca weren’t rated.One of the trends discovered,
Fisher said, was that vehicleswith new, complicated transmis-sions proved less reliable. Thatwas a major reason he cited forthe decline in the Honda Civic.“It takes time for the bugs
to be ironed out when talkingabout new technology suchas the more sophisticated trans-missions that car companiesare putting in vehicles,” Fishersaid.The same holds true for info-
tainment systems and in-car elec-tronics, he said.“We’re seeing more problems
with these sophisticated sys-tems,” Fisher said. “But theOEMs are learning. The days ofseeing 20 percent problem ratesare going down to 5 percent. Butso many vehicles are in-fleet withthese systems, so we’re seeing alot more electronics, whichmeans more problems.”When asked how problems
were rated, Fisher said they doweight problems so an engineproblem was rated in a more seri-ous way than a problem with aUSB port.He added that Consumer
Reports didn’t factor in recallissues unless a respondent’s
vehicle actually experienced thevehicle’s recall problem.Overall, Fisher said, the Buick
brand was in the highest catego-ry of “more reliable,” while Fordand Chevrolet were rated to themiddle category of “reliable.”Buick brand spokesman Stuart
Fowle said, “We didn’t have an in-dication of where Buick wouldland. I think the results show thatBuick provides great qualityacross the board. When we sur-vey customers, they cite qualityconsistently as one of the topthree reasons they buy a Buick.”Fowle also said the survey
shows that Buick doesn’t have amodel that is head-and-shouldersabove the rest of Buick’s outputbecause all the models are highquality.Nick Richards, a GM spokesman,
said Cruze topping its category isthe result of talking with cus-tomers and finding ways for peo-ple to improve their product.Fisher said the success of the
Cruze shows that when Detroitputs its mind to something it canmake great vehicles. He said thatthe Cruze is not unprecedented.“The Cruze is not the first time
Detroit made a vehicle more reli-able than the Japanese,” Fishersaid.“When you think of small cars,
you think of the Japanese, butthe previous version of the FordFocus used to beat the ToyotaCamry and Honda Accord. Thisquality can be done if car compa-nies bring in technology in a me-thodical way and try not toamaze people by overloading ve-hicles with new technology.”
Buick Tops Domestics in Reliability Survey
Jake Fisher of Consumer Reports relates survey results at D.A.C.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
cant achievement as it confirmsthe workforce’s understanding ofthe WCM methodology and itsdedication to implementing bestpractices that will make our facil-ities the best in the world,” saidBrian Harlow, vice president –Manufacturing, FCA North Amer-ica.“At Warren Truck and across
our global manufacturing foot-print, our employees now havethe tools and resources to elimi-nate waste by improvingprocesses, increasing productivi-ty, and improving quality andsafety, while at the same timeputting dignity into the work-place.“Our Warren Truck workforce
is to be commended for embrac-ing WCM as a way of life,” saidHarlow. “Together with the sup-port and involvement of ourUAW partners, we will ensurethat the company meets its long-term business goals and pro-vides a secure future for all em-ployees.”WCM was first implemented
by Fiat in 2006 and introduced toChrysler Group as part of the al-liance between the two compa-nies in June 2009. The methodol-ogy engages the employees toprovide and implement sugges-tions on how to improve theirjobs and their plants, promotinga strong sense of ownership.
Plants awarded for their ef-forts also have a role in acceler-ating the implementation ofWCM throughout the organiza-tion as coaches and mentors.During an audit, zero to five
points are awarded for each ofthe 10 technical pillars, which in-clude safety, workplace organiza-tion, logistics and the environ-ment, and for each of the 10 man-agerial pillars, such as manage-ment commitment, clarity of ob-jectives, allocation of people,motivation of operators andcommitment of the organization.A score of 85 would indicateWorld Class.Currently, there are three
North American plants at a silverstatus, having been elevatedfrom bronze after receiving aminimum of 60 points during anaudit.Silver is awarded to plants that
have taken a preventative ap-proach to implementing theWCM methodology throughoutthe facility.The silver plants are Windsor
(Ont.) Assembly awarded inMarch 2014; Dundee (Mich.)Engine recognized in May 2015;and Toledo (Ohio) AssemblyComplex designated in May 2016.According to Fiat Chrysler,
Warren Truck Assembly – locat-ed on Mound Road, takes up 86.6acres and employs 4,463 people.It manufactures the Ram 1500Quad and Crew Cab.
FCA Warren Truck AssemblyGranted WCM Bronze StatusCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Human error, according to theNational Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration, accounts formore than 94 percent of vehicleaccidents.
And, said Ford spokesman DanJones, collisions can be causednot just by distracted driving,but, increasingly, distractedwalking. Every eight minutes, apedestrian is injured in a motorvehicle crash, according to a re-cent report from NHTSA. Thisrise is linked to a global influx of“petextrians” – people walkingwhile texting.
Ford’s new Pre-Collision Assistwith Pedestrian Detection canpredict the movement of pedes-trians to help reduce the severityof – and, in some cases, eliminate– frontal collisions altogether.
Debuting in North America asan available technology for the2017 Ford Fusion, the system hasbeen developed to help recog-nize pedestrians using more than240 terabytes of test data – equalto 20.4 trillion books, or 600Libraries of Congress with 34million books each.
“Since we are trying to avoid acollision that hasn’t happenedyet, prediction of the future is aninherent part of the puzzle,” saidScott Lindstrom, Ford driverassist technologies manager.“Having a huge cache of data –based on real-world driving con-ditions – helps our system besmart enough to determine whatmay happen in a second that hasnot yet even occurred.”
Cities around the world aretackling the increasing problemof “petextrians” and distractedwalking. A theme park inChongqing, China, painted smart-phone lanes on 30 meters of side-walk in an effort to combat theproblem. And officials in Seoulplan to expand similar signageacross South Korea next year.Pedestrians crossing the tramtracks in Augsburg, Germany, arenow warned by a strip of blinkingred LED lights mounted on theground. The tiny town ofRexburg, Idaho, took a differentapproach, passing a law in 2011against texting while crossing thestreet and slapping a $50 fine onanyone who does.
Ford Pre-Collision Assist withPedestrian Detection uses com-bined radar and camera technol-ogy to scan the roadway aheadfor collision risks. If one is de-tected, the initial response fromthe vehicle is to provide a visualand audible warning to the driverand temporarily mute the audiosystem. If the driver doesn’t re-act to the warning, the technolo-gy can automatically apply up tothe vehicle’s full braking force tohelp reduce the severity of, oreven eliminate, a frontal colli-sion.
Aaron Mills, Ford safety engi-neer, says the more test data wasgathered and then used to devel-op the vehicle’s algorithm tohelp it recognize a wide varietyof human sizes and shapes. “Wewere startled to see how oblivi-
ous people could be of a 4,000-pound car coming toward them,”he said. “It was a real eye-openerto how distracted people aretoday.”
Working in daylight and clearweather conditions at speeds upto 50 mph, Ford’s systemprocesses information collectedfrom a windshield-mounted cam-era, which has been taught toclassify different vehicle andpedestrian scenarios, along withradar near the bumper to pick upshape reflections.
The technology then combinesboth data streams using a uniqueFord algorithm that calculatesthe risk of a collision. While thesystem may be especially helpfulin unexpected situations, it doesnot replace the driver.
Ford is testing advanced fea-tures for future vehicles thatcould allow the system to oper-ate at night, in low and harshlighting conditions, and whenvehicles and cyclists move in dif-ferent directions.
Using 12 vehicles, Ford con-ducted 500,000-plus miles of de-velopment testing in Europe,China and the United States,racking up more than one year –473 days – of data logging.
In just 15 weeks in North Amer-ica alone, the technology record-ed more than 3 million scans ofroadside objects, vehicles andpedestrians across roughly 70percent non-highway and 30 per-cent highway miles.
Other driver-assist technolo-gies available for Fusion includelane-keeping assist, Blind Spot In-formation System with cross-traf-fic alert, adaptive cruise control,and hands-free parallel and per-pendicular parking.
PAGE 4 OCTOBER 31, 2016DETROIT AUTO SCENE
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Ford Taking Human Error Out of Driving
PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) – Busi-nessman and Hockey Hall ofFame member Peter Karmanos ishoping to boost efforts to revivedowntown Pontiac with new in-vestments.
The Detroit Free Press reportsthe chairman and co-founder ofMadDog Technology announcedOct. 27, along with co-founderMark Hillman, that they’re mov-ing three of their companies tothe historic Riker Building in theMichigan city.
Karmanos said that they “seePontiac emerging as a technolo-gy center in southeast Michi-gan.”
The newspaper said the com-panies will occupy a 15,000-square-foot space and plan tohire more than 100 professionalsto work there over the next threeyears.
Karmanos co-founded soft-ware development companyCompuware and in 2003 helpedbolster Detroit’s revival effortsby moving the company’s head-quarters into a new building indowntown Detroit.
Karmanos also owns the NHL’sCarolina Hurricanes.
Karmanos InvestsIn Pontiac Plan toRevive Downtown
As consumers look for newways to tap into the ever-growingdigital world, the number of peo-ple using multiple digital deviceson a regular basis has grown.
In response, Ford has re-designed the interior of its 2017Ford Fusion to offer drivers andpassengers more storage, in-creased connectivity, and anopen, airier feel throughout, saidFord spokesman Dan Jones.
“People love the look and feelof Fusion, but there are alwaysthings we can do to make it bet-ter,” said Kelly Whetstone, Fordvehicle architecture supervisorfor Fusion. “So we looked at cus-tomer feedback, and then wehoned in on the storage capabili-ty of the car.”
Roughly one in three Ameri-cans, Jones said, own a smart-phone, a computer and a tablet –a 140 percent increase over thelast three years, according toPew Research Center.
Among U.S. adults today, 68percent have a smartphone, upfrom 35 percent in 2011, whiletablet computer ownership hasedged up from 3 percent to 45percent. Research also findssome 14 percent own a portablegaming device, while around 19percent have e-book readers.
To accommodate all of thesedevices, Jones said Ford engi-neered 59 percent more storageinto the Fusion console, addingeasy-to-reach bins throughout,including a new phone pocketand area for coins. To provide a4-liter increase to the main con-sole storage area, the armresthas been lengthened about 3inches, and a clamshell designhas been incorporated for theupper compartment to make thespace more accessible and userfriendly.
The revamped media bin atthe front of the console, underthe 8-inch touch screen, sees theaddition of a lighted USB port forincreased connectivity on theforward wall. A narrow new stor-age slot behind it is perfect for acellphone and other small items,Jones said.
The rearrangement providesroom for more efficiently de-signed cord storage space, socords don’t tangle, droop orsnag. The new USB port allowsfor easier phone connection,so customers can enjoy the fullfunctionality of SYNC 3 andAppLink.
A sleek rotary gear shift dialreplaces the traditional shifterfound in previous models. Thenew shifter serves both form andfunction, says Hani Badawi, FordFusion ergonomics engineer. Notonly is its less intrusive form aes-thetically pleasing, the designfrees up valuable real estate onthe console.
“Without the larger base of thetraditional shifter, there wasmuch more room for us to addfeatures that are important tothe Fusion customer, like storageand connections,” says Badawi.
“We were able to shufflearound the driver-assist controlsto the base of the shifter, alongwith the electronic brake, for amore intuitive arrangement forthe customer, as well as provid-ing a longer armrest for signifi-cantly improved elbow comfortfor drivers.”
The change in size and place-ment of the shifter also allowedthe cupholders to be reposi-tioned, Whetstone said. Previ-ously side by side in the middleof the console, they now sit foreand aft – closer to the passengerside.
New 2017 Ford Fusion’sDesign is Tech-Friendly
OCTOBER 31, 2016 PAGE 5DETROIT AUTO SCENE
fully offset by a transition toSUVs and trucks until 2018.Results in Europe and Asia
and for luxury brand Maseratishowed improvements.The launch of the Maserati
Levante SUV helped boost theluxury brand's profits to 103 mil-lion euros from just 12 millioneuros in the same quarter lastyear.The profit margin rose from
2.3 percent to 11.8 percent in theperiod.Fiat Chrysler shipped 5,000
Levantes in the third quarterand has taken 18,000 ordersworldwide, Chief FinancialOfficer Richard Palmer toldanalysts.In Europe, volumes rose 18
percent to 295,000 vehicles,boosting revenues 10 percent toover 5 billion euros.Group sales in Asia were up 27
percent to 61,000 units, giving a2 percent nudge to revenues of861 million euros.Latin America continued to
be penalized by a weak marketin Brazil, with a 17 percentdrop in sales volumes leadingto a 2 percent decline in revenue,to 1.5 billion euros.
Fiat ChryslerNet Profits Up
To $659 Million
And it’s likely to keep happen-ing.
Ford has said it still expectsa full-year pretax profit of $10.2billion, but that’s down fromits initial forecast of $10.8 billionbecause of the recall.Ford has said its profits will
likely fall next year before re-bounding in 2018.Dearborn-based Ford had
some big one-time costs in thethird quarter.The company spent $600 mil-
lion – $40 million less than it ini-tially projected – to replacefaulty door latches on 2.4 millioncars and trucks.It is also launching its first
all-new Super Duty pickup in18 years, with all-aluminumsides that required a completerevamp of its Kentucky truckplant.Ford’s overall revenue fell 6
percent to $35.9 billion. Automo-tive revenue was $33.3 billion,which matched Wall Street’s ex-pectations.Worldwide sales fell 4 percent
to 1.5 million vehicles world-wide.They were down in every mar-
ket except Asia.That’s down from its previous
forecast of $10.8 billion becauseof the recall.It’s also down from Ford’s
record-setting profit of $10.8 bil-lion in 2015.Ford’s North American pretax
profit declined 55 percent to $1.3billion.The company also lost $295
million in South America and$152 million in the Middle Eastand Africa.Europe eked out a $138 million
profit, its best third quartersince 2007.But Shanks warned that Ford
faces a $600 million charge in theregion in 2017 because of theBrexit vote.The vote will cost Ford $200
million this year.Ford also earned $131 million
in its Asia Pacific region, whereits sales and market share grew.Ford’s operating cash flow
was negative $2 billion for thequarter; Shanks said it would bepositive again in the fourth quar-ter.
Ford Income FallsTo 56 PercentLess Than 2015CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
PAGE 6 OCTOBER 31, 2016DETROIT AUTO SCENE
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There’s fast and then there’sNürburgring Nordschleife fast,and the 2017 Camaro ZL1 hasproven just how fast it is.Chevrolet unleashed a time-
attack video of the 2017 CamaroZL1 lapping Germany’s Nürbur-gring Nordschleife in a fast7:29.6 on Oct. 24.According to the Nürburgring
Nordschleife Web site listing oftop 100 lap times, the Camaro’stime is 30th, just behind thetime of the Porsche CarreraGT’s 7:28.71 and ahead of theMercedes SLS AMG GT’s time of7:30.0.The new ZL1’s lap time is
11.67 seconds quicker than theprevious ZL1’s fast lap, said GMspokesman Ron Kiino.“To be almost 12 seconds
quicker than the 5th-GenerationZL1 is a testament to the ad-vanced design and technologyof the new ZL1,” said Al Oppen-heiser, Camaro chief engineer.“From the improved aerody-namics, mass reduction and650-horsepower LT4 to the Mag-netic Ride Control, electroniclimited-slip differential and Cus-tom Launch Control, the ZL1was designed to take on theworld’s most challenging track,making it right at home on anytrack, road or drag strip any-where.”The only changes made to the
ZL1 were the installation of dataacquisition equipment, a rollhoop and Sparco racing seatswith six-point harnesses.Otherwise, the car was pro-
duction stock and included thefollowing:• New 10R90 10-speed auto-
matic transmission (set toTrack mode to enable Perform-ance Algorithm Shift calibra-tion, providing optimal gear se-lection without the need tomanually select gears duringdriving).
• Brembo brakes with front15.4-inch rotors and six-pistoncalipers and rear 14.4-inch ro-tors and four-piston calipers.• 6.2-liter supercharged LT4
V8 making 650 horsepower and650 lb.-ft. of torque.
• FE4 Suspension with Mag-netic Ride Control.• Performance Traction Man-
agement.• Forged 20-inch wheels with
Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3tires.• Lift-reducing front fascia el-
ements with cooling ducts andChevrolet “flowtie.”
• Full underbody shielding.• ZL1-specific rear spoiler
and diffuser.• 11 heat exchangers.“Many fast laps around the
Nordschleife are dramatic, withlots of oversteer and steering in-put,” said Drew Cattell, Camaroride and handling engineer anddriver of the hot lap. “Not sowith the ZL1, which is extremelyplanted and stable, almost calm.With Magnetic Ride and greatoverall chassis balance, the ZL1is all about being inch-perfect atevery turn and carrying a lot ofspeed.”
Camaro Blazes New European Track Time
2017 Camaro ZL1 laps Nürburgring Nordschleife road course in 7:29.60.
by DEE-ANN DURBIN and TOMKRISHERAP Auto Writers
DETROIT (AP) – Self-drivingcars hold the promise of savingthousands of lives each year onU.S. roads. But does pointing outflaws with the technology effec-tively put people in danger?That claim was put forth Oct.
20 by Tesla Motors CEO ElonMusk, who criticized the mediafor harping on the relatively fewcrashes involving Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving systemcalled Autopilot, while saying lit-tle about the 1.2 million peoplewho die worldwide each year inhuman-driven vehicles.“If, in writing some article
that’s negative, you effectivelydissuade people from using au-tonomous vehicles, you’re killingpeople,” said Musk, who expectshis self-driving technology to beat least twice as safe as cars driv-en by humans.The comments came as Musk
announced that all new Tesla ve-hicles – including the lower-costModel 3 – will have the hardwareneeded to drive themselves. Thetalk is bold but experts say it’spremature until self-driving carsprove they’re better drivers thanhumans under any circum-stances.“Over time, after the technolo-
gy has established itself, onewould expect there would be adecrease in fatalities,” says RajRajkumar, a computer engineer-ing professor at Carnegie MellonUniversity who leads its autono-mous vehicle research. “But thisis too premature to make thisclaim. Tesla’s technology isknown to be imperfect.”In May, an Ohio man using
Autopilot died when his TeslaModel S failed to spot a tractor-trailer crossing a divided high-way. Neither the car nor the driv-er braked, and the Model Scrashed into the side of the trail-er. Federal investigators are look-ing into Autopilot’s role in thecrash.There is evidence, however,
that one day Musk could beproven to be right. While cur-rently there is little data showingthat fully autonomous carswould reduce deaths, there arestudies that show computer con-trols can cut fatalities. The Insur-
ance Institute for Highway Safetysaid it determined from 2016 po-lice data that forward collisionwarning alone reduced front-into-rear crashes by 27 percent.Automatic braking cut the rearcrashes in half and reduced in-juries by almost 60 percent.Tesla’s Autopilot, introduced
last year, can maintain a setspeed and distance and keep thecar in its lane. But the technolo-gy works mainly on highwaysand must be monitored by thedriver. Autopilot will turn itselfoff if drivers have their hands offthe wheel for too long.Musk says Autopilot has al-
ready shown itself to be saferthan humans. He tweeted earlierthis month that Tesla vehicleshave been driven 222 millionmiles in Autopilot mode, withone confirmed driver death. Bycomparison, the U.S. fatality ratein 2014 was 2.16 deaths per 200million miles traveled, accordingto government data.The new autonomous system
has been in testing for more thana year, and Musk said last week itcould cut worldwide deaths inhalf if all cars used it.Rajkumar was skeptical and
called the Tesla announcement“marketing hype.” He said peopleshould be skeptical of Tesla’sclaims because of the Floridacrash. Self-driving technology“still needs to prove itself,” hesaid, adding that it has troubleoperating in dense urban trafficand inclement weather.
Consumer Reports magazinealso is concerned about semi-autonomous systems such asthose that allow a car to steer it-self. The magazine believes auto-makers like Tesla “should takestronger steps to ensure that ve-hicles with these systems aredesigned, deployed, and market-ed safely,” it said in a statement.One criticism of Autopilot is
that the system gives drivers afalse sense of security, causingthem to be distracted and unpre-pared to take control in an emer-gency. The German governmenthas told Tesla to stop using theAutopilot name because it im-plies that cars can drive them-selves.Musk disagrees, saying the
term has been used in aviation todescribe a system that assistspilots.
Questions Arise Over NewSelf-Driving Technology
GM Enjoys Strong Quarter
OCTOBER 31, 2016 PAGE 7DETROIT AUTO SCENE
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Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, the Army’svice chief of staff.“This environment will place a
premium on unmanned systems,lethal technologies, and rapidmaneuver capabilities that thisStryker system exemplifies.”The new Stryker is a refit of
the older Stryker ECP. It will begetting a 450 hp engine, im-proved power pack thermalmanagement, suspension up-grades and improved lethalitywith the addition of a 30 mmgun, Dean said, while still main-taining the ability to transport anine-man squad.Additionally, the base vehicle
and weapons systems can easilybe upgraded to include addi-tional capabilities.The refitting process, Dean
said, will begin at the Army’sAnniston, Ala., facility.The refurbishing and refitting is
part of a joint government/Gen-eral Dynamics project. The Stryk-ers will be stripped and thensent to the Army’s Joint SystemsManufacturing Center in Lima,Ohio.Once there, they will be refit-
ted and sent to the GDLS facilityin Sterling Heights, where em-ployees will add the wheels,suspension system, new turretsand gun.The whole process should be
completed no later than Dec. 31of this year, Dean said.Once all that work is done,
the vehicles will be tested andfinally sent to Europe wherethey will be manned by theArmy’s Second Calvary Regi-ment in Germany.Overall, more than 4,000
Strykers will be refitted and im-proved, Dean said.Bassett said the development
of the new Stryker was done ina very short period of time.The call for a new vehicle
went out in July of 2015 and thefirst prototype was unveiled onOct. 27.“This is not a sport for the
faint of heart,” Bassett said.“This work was done by profes-sional engineers who broughttheir A game every day.”
Gary L. Whited, presidentof General Dynamics LandSystems, said getting thenew Stryker project done soquickly was like bending steeland was a miracle of military ac-quisition.Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, vice
chief of staff for the U.S. Army,said that the Army has 180,000soldiers based around theworld in 140 locations.“We are a busy army that
must maintain a relentlesspace,” Allyn said. “We in theU.S. Army have thought longand hard about the future.“The battlefield of tomorrow
will be complex and often in anurban setting. Fighting in suchan environment will requireleaders of character capable ofbeing agile. A premium will beplaced on unmanned systemsand rapid maneuver.”That’s where the new Stryker
comes in, Allyn said.It will still be able to move
troops around while providingexcellent firepower to backthem up.The new Stryker, Allyn said,
was in response to a review ofArmy needs after the Russiansinvaded the Ukraine.He said that while the U.S.
was occupied in Iraq andAfghanistan, the Russians up-graded their capabilities, andtheir military actions in theUkraine showed just what theycould do.One of the Army’s responses
was to order a new Stryker vehi-cle for its soldiers.“This upgrade to support dis-
mounted troops without hurt-ing the maneuverability of thevehicle is quite an accomplish-ment,” Allyn said. “It was donethrough leadership and team-work. And it was delivered innear record time.”He said the United States
Army never wants to get into afair fight, and the new Stryker ishelping them maintain that ob-jective.Among the guests at the un-
veiling were Michigan SenatorDebbie Stabenow and U.S. Con-gressman Sander Levin, whosedistrict is home to GDLS.
New Stryker Carrier to GiveSoldiers Unfair AdvantageCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
September in the U.S., GM’s mostlucrative market, and marketshare dropping almost a full per-centage point year-over-year to16.9 percent. And it came despiteworries about increased compe-tition in the U.S. with automakersfighting over a slightly smallerpie.Sales have hit a post-recession
plateau after last year’s record of17.5 million.But at GM, revenue rose 10
percent over a year ago largelybecause it’s getting strongerprices for cars and trucks inNorth America. Pickup sales arestill healthy, and the companyrolled out strong new vehiclessuch as the Chevrolet Malibumidsize car and the Cadillac XT5SUV, Stevens said.Although overall sales dropped,
Stevens said GM raised its U.S.share of the more profitable retailsales to individual buyers by 0.5percentage points. He expectspickup sales to remain strong butsays the company will balancesupply and demand.It all fueled a record North
American pretax profit of $3.5 bil-lion, giving the region an 11.2percent profit margin. The mar-gin is the percent of revenue thatthe company gets to keep.Stevens said prospects are
good, too, because GM is rollingout important new vehicles.“We’re entering the heart of our
product launch cadence,” hesaid, adding that within the next18 months, GM will replace itscompact and midsize crossoverSUVs in the hottest part of theU.S. market.Excluding a 4-cent benefit from
an unspecified ignition-switch re-call recovery, GM earned $1.72per share. That soundly beatWall Street estimates of $1.46 pershare.
Jefferies analyst Philippe Hou-chois said he’s concerned thatthe company pulled fourth-quar-ter sales forward. He has a“Hold” rating on the stock with a$33 one-year price target on con-cerns that sales have peaked inNorth America.GM also said it completed a $5
billion stock buyback a quarterearly during the July-through-September period. Stevens saidthe company will start on its sec-ond tranche of buybacks worth$4 billion in the fourth quarter.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“...on track todeliver higherprofit, highermargins.”
–Chuck Stevens,GM CFO
PAGE 8 OCTOBER 31, 2016DETROIT AUTO SCENE
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*All prices and payments include GM rebates. Pictures may not represent actual vehicle. Pricing subject to change per GM incentives. Prices and payments are inclusive of active GM employee discount (unless otherwise stated). All leases are 10,000 miles per year with approvedS Tier credit. Acadia, Terrain, Regal, Verano and Encore are 24 months leases. Yukon and Envision are 36 month leases. Cascada and Lacrosse are 39 month leases. All Vehicles shown are $999 down. Deposition Fee may be required at vehicle turn in. Must have lease loyalty and/orclosing competitive lease. Prices and payments are plus tax, title, plate fee w/ acquisition fee up front, refundable security deposit required on certain vehicles – to be determined by lender. Pricing is subject to select model vehicles- while supplies last. **$3,500 trade in is valid on2003 or newer vehicles w/ under 115k miles in drivable condition, no branded titles, reconditioning determined by appraiser. Certain restrictions may apply, see dealer for complete details. **Due to advertsing deadlines prices and programs are subject to change.
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With EachMajor Repair
DETROIT (AP) – Electric carmaker Tesla Motors posted itsfirst quarterly profit in threeyears on Oct. 26, giving investorsreason to cheer after months ofdoubt.Tesla’s shares have fallen
since the summer as some in-vestors questioned the compa-ny’s proposed merger with solarpanel maker SolarCity Corp.Goldman Sachs recently down-graded Tesla’s shares from “buy”to “neutral” and lowered itsprice target, saying the potentialmerger could delay the releaseof Tesla’s much-anticipatedModel 3.But Tesla CEO Elon Musk said
in a letter to investors that thethird quarter showed Teslacould meet its goals while keep-ing one eye on opportunities forfuture growth.Musk also reiterated that Tesla
shouldn’t need to raise cash tosupport the Model 3, anddoesn’t expect a capital raisethrough the first quarter of nextyear.There had been some ques-
tions about the company’sability to proceed withoutraising more money, but Teslaended the quarter withpositive free cash flow of $176million.“Things are looking good,”
Musk said in a conference callwith analysts and media. “It’s notto say there could be some dark-ness ahead . . . (but) it’s overalllooking quite promising.”Tesla reported net income of
$21.9 million, or 14 cents pershare, up from a loss of $229.9million in last year’s July-Sep-tember period.Revenue more than doubled to
$2.3 billion. That included $149.7million in non-automotive rev-enue – up 78 percent from lastyear – in part because of growthin Tesla’s energy-storage busi-ness.Tesla, which went public in
2010, has had only one otherprofitable quarter – the firstquarter of 2013. But the compa-ny said it expects to report netincome in the fourth quarter ofthis year.Tesla delivered 24,821 vehicles
during the quarter, an increaseof 72 percent over the same peri-od last year.The Palo Alto, Calif.-based
company said it still expects todeliver just under 80,000 vehi-cles worldwide this year.That sales number is up from
the 50,500 delivered in the year2015.
Tesla SurprisesWorld by
Making Profit
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) –Suburban Detroit officials saythey rejected a $384 million offerin June to buy the Palace ofAuburn Hills.Oakland County said in a
statement Oct. 24 to The DetroitNews it was “acting in a fiscallyresponsible manner on behalf oftaxpayers” when it rejected theproposal.If Oakland County had decided
to make the purchase, it wouldhave allowed the home of theDetroit Pistons to be leased backto the team.County Executive L. Brooks
Patterson told WWJ-AM he was“not real happy” with the risk ofowning a stadium “and not own-ing the team.”The Palace and Pistons are
both owned by Tom Gores’ Plat-inum Equity group.There has been talk for some
time about the possibility ofthe Pistons moving fromAuburn Hills to downtownDetroit.
Oakland CountyDeclines PalacePurchase Plan
