05/08/2008

AutoNation moves Bankston Chevrolet to new LBJ site

NATALIE CAUDILL/DMN

Bankston Chevrolet has moved to a site on LBJ Freeway that once belonged to W.O. Bankston Lincoln Mercury.

In a show of support for General Motors Corp., AutoNation Inc. has moved Bankston Chevrolet from its 45-year-old facility on Northwest Highway to a newer, better site on LBJ Freeway. The move runs counter to a trend among some big dealership groups that want to divest their Detroit Three dealerships as they continue to lose market share.

05/05/2008

Dallas-Fort Worth auto dealers face tough road for 2Q sales

JUAN GARCIA/DMN

This Prius helped push Dallas' Sport City Toyota to a record first quarter.

Soaring fuel and food prices, tight credit, an unstable economy and the uncertainties of a presidential race are rattling consumer confidence in ways most dealers have not seen in years. No one seems sure what to expect.

05/08/2008

Second shift goes back to work next week at Arlington GM plant
With demand down for the full-size SUVs that Arlington builds, GM first closed the plant for three weeks and then scheduled only the first shift to work this week.

05/04/2008

Park Place Motorcars to hold annual Mercedes exhibition
Here's a way to blow off yard work next Saturday and still feel good about yourself.

05/01/2008

Ford, GM see double-digit U.S. sales declines
Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales dropped 12 percent in April as high gas prices accelerated the trend away from trucks and sport utility vehicles.

04/30/2008

Strike, weak sales push GM to $3.3B loss
The loss reported Wednesday for the January-March period amounted to $5.74 per share and also reflected one-time charges. Without the charges, it appeared GM's adjusted results beat Wall Street expectations.

GM plant in Arlington to lay off 2nd shift next week
The second shift of workers at the General Motors Assembly Plant in Arlington will be laid off next week as demand for full-size SUVs remains weak.

04/27/2008

See British, European cars
In spring, those dark clouds on the horizon don't always herald tornadoes and hail the size of Buick Electras.

04/23/2008

Toyota takes 1Q world sales lead from GM
GM said Wednesday its sales dropped across the globe by less than 1 percent, but Toyota says its sales were up 2.7 percent during the January-through-March period.

04/22/2008

Government fuel economy plan targets 31.6 mpg by 2015
Transportation Department Secretary Mary Peters outlined the plan on Earth Day, setting a schedule that was more aggressive than initially expected by industry officials.

04/21/2008

GM holds on to share of market
Despite the tough American economy, General Motors Corp. has started the year off right – holding its share of the retail market in the first three months with a stable of strong new products such as the Chevy Malibu, Buick Enclave and Cadillac CTS.

04/20/2008

'35 Ford wins hot rod title
California may be sinking slowly into a rising sea boiled by global warming, but the People's Republic still knows a thing or two about hot rods.

04/18/2008

Dallas-Fort Worth auto sales fall 6.9%

Bloomberg News

New vehicle sales nationally declined even more, dropping 8.6 percent in the first quarter.

New car and truck sales in the Dallas-Fort Worth area fell 6.9 percent in the first quarter, but the drop surprised few in the auto business. High fuel prices, a depressed housing market and an uncertain economy have battered sales.

Dallas' Park Place Dealerships is expanding to California

Rex C. Curry/Special

The men behind Park Place Dealerships: Ken Schnitzer (front), chairman; Neil Grossman (left), president of Park Place Motorcars; and Jordan Case, president of Park Place Lexus.

As he enters his 21st year in the business, Ken Schnitzer, chairman of Park Place Dealerships, remains a hands-on, detail-oriented chief executive — and restless as ever. At a time when some dealers with 10 profitable luxury brands might be considering early retirement, Mr. Schnitzer is expanding.

Car dealerships swamped with calls as buyers look for hail-damage deals

RON BASELICE/DMN

Golf ball- and baseball-sized hail pummeled scores of vehicles Thursday night as strong winds, intense rain and at least one tornado swept through North Texas.
Weather: Forecasts and radar
Download: Desktop weather
Alerts: Get wireless updates

04/16/2008

Hyundai recalling Sonatas because of air-bag issues
The automaker said the recall affects 2006-2008 Sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The system disables the front passenger seat's front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or a small child in the seat.

04/13/2008

Collector auctions 75 cars in Southlake

RM Auctions

A 1957 Dual-Ghia was one of the cars listed for an auction Saturday.

After a lifetime of collecting cars, Wayne Davis of Southlake is downsizing. Mr. Davis, an entrepreneur and the former president of Regency Conversions, was scheduled to sell about 75 of his cars along with 50 items of automobile memorabilia at an auction Saturday.

Early Ford Club of America's All Ford Picnic is Saturday
Also on Saturday, the Dallas chapter of the Early Ford Club of America will hold its All Ford Picnic at Sandy Lake Park in Carrollton.

04/10/2008

Toyota recalling Corolla, Matrix cars because of power windows
Toyota said Wednesday it had received reports of 143 cases in which the bolts at the bottom of the power window assembly became loose, caused the window to rattle or led to the window breaking.