Automobile Industry Southern California

Southern California's long history as an auto manufacturing center ended Thursday morning when a flame-red Chevrolet Camaro rolled off the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Van Nuys, the last of 6.3 million vehicles built there over 45 years. The GM plant once symbolized the region's manufacturing might, and it helped foster development in surrounding San Fernando Valley communities.

Automotive businesses accounted for $60 billion in sales by retailers and manufacturers in the five counties of the Greater Los Angeles region in 1997, making the car business a critical part of the area's economy, according to a new report by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that it will move the U.S. headquarters of its foreign and domestic luxury lines to Irvine, creating 225 jobs and cementing Orange County as the hub of Southern California's burgeoning automotive industry. The long-expected relocation from New Jersey of Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo--to join Lincoln in Ford's Premier Automotive Group--is the latest of what industry analysts see as a continuing migration of automotive-related companies to the region.

Ford Motor Co. will announce today that it has agreed to buy the prestigious Land Rover sport-utility unit from Germany's BMW Group for $2.8 billion and plans to relocate the division's North American headquarters to Orange County. The deal is a further nod to Southern California's fast-emerging reputation as a hub for luxury automobile makers and gives Ford another coveted nameplate to add to its portfolio of world-recognized luxury brands, consisting of Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo and Aston Martin.

If you think buying a new car is a hassle, try selling one in Southern California. As the Southland muddles through the 11th month of a generally mild recession, new-car dealers in the region are sinking into the muck left by nearly two years of lousy business in their trade. Cautious lenders, changes in tax laws and the Gulf War have also taken their toll on dealers' fortunes.

Republic Industries Inc. has agreed to buy three franchise car dealership groups in Southern California, including the region's largest sellers of Mercedes-Benz and Jeep vehicles. The deals, among six separate transactions announced Friday, would make Republic one of the largest car retailers in Southern California. With the acquisitions, Republic's local holdings will increase to 11 franchises and 50 locations, said Jim Donahue, vice president of communications for Republic.

"Don't vote for the Jap," Mark Masaoka's opponent in a union election told auto workers seven years ago. Masaoka, a Japanese-American electrician at General Motors' Van Nuys assembly plant, lost that race, although he says a job transfer was the major reason for his defeat. But Masaoka kept running for offices, and today he is unit chairman of United Auto Workers Local 645 and one of the few Asian-American UAW officials in the country.

General Motors Corp. isn't saying what it plans to do with its Van Nuys assembly plant after it stops producing cars there next summer. But if the auto maker tries to sell the 100-acre site, could it find a buyer? With the beleaguered U.S. auto industry continuing to downsize, other American auto makers are out as potential buyers. And since the 44-year-old plant, with 2.

Ford Motor Co.'s recent groundbreaking decision to move its Lincoln Mercury division headquarters to Southern California was the first in a series of "tactical moves" that should lead to a greatly increased Ford presence in the state, a top company official said Tuesday. "If the move of Lincoln Mercury were the only step we had in mind, I'm not sure it would have made much sense," said Jacques Nasser, the division's president.

Lincoln Mercury told its dealers this week that it will stop retail production of the slow-selling Mercury Mystique compact at the end of the year. The Irvine-based unit of Ford Motor Co. dropped the Mercury Tracer subcompact last year and retains just five models in the Mercury line--the Cougar sports coupe, Sable mid-size sedan, Grand Marquis luxury sedan, Villager minivan and Mountaineer sport-utility. Jim Hall, a Detroit-based industry analyst with AutoPacific Inc.

Ending months of speculation, Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that it will move the U.S. headquarters of its foreign and domestic luxury lines to Irvine, cementing Southern California's reputation as a key automotive industry center. The long-expected relocation from New Jersey of Aston Martin, Jaguar and Volvo--to join Lincoln in Ford's Premier Automotive Group--is just the latest of what industry analysts see as a continuing migration of automotive-related companies to the region.

Lincoln Mercury told its dealers this week that it will stop retail production of the slow-selling Mercury Mystique compact at the end of the year. The Irvine-based unit of Ford Motor Co. dropped the Mercury Tracer subcompact last year and retains just five models in the Mercury line--the Cougar sports coupe, Sable mid-size sedan, Grand Marquis luxury sedan, Villager minivan and Mountaineer sport-utility. Jim Hall, a Detroit-based industry analyst with AutoPacific Inc.

Porsche has joined the California crowd. The German performance car maker has opened its first U.S. automotive design studio in Huntington Beach--part of its Porsche Engineering Services unit. But the new studio won't be responsible for designing Porsches, at least not yet. Its mission is to pick up design work for outside clients--work that previously had to go through the company's already overloaded studio in Germany.

Bidding to boost Southern California sales while adding an environmental feather to its cap, Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday that it will begin giving $1,000 credits to Southern Californians who agree to scrap their pre-1990 automobiles. The credits will be good for down payments on new or late-model used vehicles at area Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships.

Republic Industries Inc. has agreed to buy three franchise car dealership groups in Southern California, including the region's largest sellers of Mercedes-Benz and Jeep vehicles. The deals, among six separate transactions announced Friday, would make Republic one of the largest car retailers in Southern California. With the acquisitions, Republic's local holdings will increase to 11 franchises and 50 locations, said Jim Donahue, vice president of communications for Republic.

Making an unprecedented move to jump-start its flagging U.S. operation, Nissan Corp. said Monday that it has shifted design responsibility for future American market cars to its studio in La Jolla. The move makes Nissan the first Japanese car maker to give its U.S. design studio so much autonomy. It also further increases California's considerable influence in automotive design.

Making an unprecedented move to jump-start its flagging U.S. operation, Nissan Corp. said Monday that it has shifted design responsibility for future American market cars to its studio in La Jolla. The move makes Nissan the first Japanese car maker to give its U.S. design studio so much autonomy. It also further increases California's considerable influence in automotive design.

The Lincoln Mercury move is a great public relations coup for Orange County's business development types. Any time a $16-billion-a-year (sales) corporation decides to move into your neighborhood, it gives you bragging rights that you can use to help lure other companies, said Orange County Business Council Director Stan Oftelie. But it also has won applause from local Lincoln Mercury dealers, who say the company has suffered from the lack of a style it can call its own.

Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Mercury division formally opened its new world headquarters in Irvine on Tuesday, the first time since World War II that a domestic auto maker has moved out of Detroit's sphere of influence. The division will occupy leased offices at 19 Technology Drive until sometime next year when a custom-built facility will be ready nearby.