One size no longer fits all as automakers scramble to design models for every niche
The days of the mass-market car are fading further in the automotive industry's rear-view mirror with each new model year. 01/09/05
Daniel Howes
Old-line industry needs new-age speed
Dell Inc. does it with its computers, delivering broadly customized machines within days of receiving the orders. 01/09/05
Focused research
Carmakers delve into buyers' minds
ATLANTA -- Exhibit Hall B-1 at the Georgia World Congress Center was mostly empty on Dec. 8 except for two curtained-off rooms. 01/09/05
Understanding buyers
Ford creates Jen, David; designs cars to suit them
DEARBORN -- Jennifer and David are not real people. They are products of Ford Motor Co.'s collective imagination. Any resemblance to real persons is purely intentional. 01/09/05
U.S. auto market splinters
01/09/05
Minority market
Hispanics wield increasing clout with automakers
McALLEN, Texas -- Tall and blond, with a quarterback's physique and a wide smile, Charlie Clark is the very picture of an all-American guy. So it's a little startling to hear him greet customers at his south Texas Nissan dealership in perfectly accented Spanish. 01/09/05
New buyers enter market seeking value, practicality
ATLANTA -- Ask Bob Benson how tough it is to sell a new car or truck to demanding, PDA-tethered, Internet-literate young professionals in their 20s and his bright blue eyes widen, his neck tightens, his face reddens, and he starts jabbing his index finger at his desktop computer. 01/09/05
Parents and kids
Carmakers zero in on families
LAS VEGAS - When automakers want to understand the driving needs of a full house, they look to Las Vegas. 01/09/05
Gays and lesbians
Inclusive message motivates buyers
Matthew Miller expects to shop for a new vehicle this year, and when he does, he'll be scrutinizing automotive advertising to see which companies are "socially progressive." 01/09/05
Highbrow buyers
Well-off boomers hold key to profits
NAPLES, Fla. -- As the sun set on the Gulf of Mexico, the lights flicked on over the clay courts at the Wyndemere Country Club. The temperature was a balmy 75 degrees, perfect for a Thursday night of tennis in mid-December. 01/09/05
Mobility challenges
Ford engineers age quickly in bid to woo older buyers
DEARBORN - Engineers working on the redesigned Ford Freestar minivan in 2003 didn't realize how difficult the third row would be to fold flat until they put on a strange-looking suit called "the Third Age." 01/09/05
Tuner trends
Automakers mine ultimate makeovers
As the U.S. auto market splinters into smaller niches, some automakers are looking to the booming accessories market and major parts suppliers to craft cars for every consumer taste. The prize: a piece of the $38 billion Americans spend on parts and accessories to further customize, restore or personalize sports sedans or wagons. 01/09/05
Selling speed
Power, performance mean profits
For automakers, the fast and furious crowd is a gold mine. 01/09/05
Marketing lust
Buyers' primal urges can trump reason
Shoppers scanning specs in a showroom may not realize it, but it's their lusty inner gecko that decides what they'll buy. 01/09/05
Urban vehicles
New minicars sprout for city life
Big vehicles like the F-Series pickup generate the big bucks for Ford Motor Co. But its executives are turning their attention to smaller cars after stumbling across a tantalizing statistic: By the end of the decade, more than half of the world's population will live in cities. 01/09/05
New technology
Hybrids shift from a fad to mainstream
WASHINGTON -- For years, energy-conscious consumers have had few options when it comes to buying vehicles powered by thrifty engines or alternative fuels. The electric car came and went. Diesel is staging only a small comeback in the United States. And affordable fuel cell-powered vehicles are years away. 01/09/05
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2005 Auto Show
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Voices
"I want all the amenities in my car; but appearance is No. 1. When we decide to do something, we do it."
Heidi Walton, 40,
Naples, Fla. who bought a $34,000 red Mercedes-Benz C230 sedan on the spot
"I wanted something that would be a little bit more fun to drive, something sporty. I didn't necessarily want to stand out."
Jenu Mathews,
an information technology specialist from Sterling Heights who spent $23,000 on a Saturn Ion Red Line
"Most important to me is child safety and a
very, very comfortable ride."
Michael Brown, 26,
Suwanee, Ga., who wants to swap his VW Passat for the bigger VW Touareg SUV
"We're looking to accommodate our family. The car has to have room for three car seats and lots
of storage."
Lori Adams,
a 27-year old nurse from Fayetteville, Ga.
She and her husband, Ashley ,
a firefighter, have two small children and another on the way.
"I viewed each trip to the pump as a partial
beheading for myself, my
country and the Americans who make a career out of defending the United States."
David Miller,
a 32-year-old real estate manager in San Francisco who traded in a Jeep Grand Cherokee for a Ford Escape hybrid that gets 35 mpg.
Special Reports Archive
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