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The biggest news: Incentives, falling Big 3 share.

Article Excerpt
The Big 3 moved the iron with incentives but lost market share.

That story - the top story of 2003, as chosen by Automotive News reporters and editors - illustrates the challenges facing domestic automakers. But that wasn't the only story showing that things aren't getting any easier for the Big 3. Nissan's new Titan pickup - the subject of the No. 9 story - is aimed at the heart of U.S. carmakers' profits. SUVs, another profit center, came under U.S. safety regulators' increased scrutiny (the No. 5 story).

Other big stories: Ford Motor Co. celebrated 100 years but was outsold globally by Toyota Motor Corp. in the six months ended Sept. 30. The UAW signed a contract with givebacks. The Big 3 kept the pressure on suppliers. General Motors bought Daewoo.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. faced perhaps more chaos than the Big 3. Its U.S. sales troubles led to a management shakeup, among other changes.

Some of the best news came from the opposite side of the planet. Booming sales in China were a reminder that sales and profits both can be up at the same time. Just not in America, it seems.

Here is a closer look at the biggest stories of 2003.

1. Higher spiffs, lower Big 3 share

GM CEO Rick Wagoner kicked off the year by issuing a challenge.

Speaking to an industry audience on Jan. 31, Wagoner teed off on critics who said that GM's aggressive incentives were wrecking the industry.

"I say it's time to stop whining and play the game,'' he said. "What I know is that GM's strategy is working very...

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