Retail
Ford raises F-150 prices, dealers begin ordering 2015 models 11:36 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Dealers today began ordering 2015 Ford F-150 pickup trucks, which are lighter than earlier models, priced higher and include additional standard features, the company said. The base, or non-luxury, models -- the XL work truck and the most popular version the XLT -- will see prices rise $395 over F-150 pickups currently on sale....Read More »
CLASS WARFARE
Ford, Ram quarrel over heavy-duty pickup towing title 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Ford Motor Co. is threatening legal action if Ram keeps claiming that its pickups offer "best-in-class" towing. Ram's response? In so many words, it's telling Ford to go pound sand....Read More »
YANG JIAN
VW, Ford, Nissan eye China's entry-level market 4:35 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Global automakers have long been reluctant to sell cheaper vehicles in China as they seek to protect their healthy profit margins. But now foreign automakers are moving into China's entry-level segment in a quest for market share....Read More »
Asbury to double pace of acquisitions 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Asbury Automotive Group Inc. aims to double its acquisition pace during the next 18 months....Read More »
Sonic 'delighted' with rollout of new retail plan 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Three weeks into Sonic Automotive Inc.'s customer experience initiative, customers at the pilot store aren't yet getting the promised iPad-enabled transaction with a single salesperson....Read More »
SHAREHOLDER VALUE
Lithia's big DCH deal was a boon for shareholders 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Lithia Motors' big acquisition last month fueled a strong second quarter for the publicly traded retailer in terms of shareholder value return....Read More »
Targeted digital ads start with car color 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
New York digital marketing company Eyeview is betting that its color-morphing capabilities will trigger an emotional reaction from consumers who spent time researching a vehicle and likely visualized themselves in it. And research shows that vehicle color is a crucial part of the shopping experience....Read More »
Happy Birthday, boss! Let's open some stores 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Sonic Automotive President Scott Smith will get a special birthday present when he turns 47 on Oct. 20....Read More »
Honda pushes dealers for buyers' signatures on airbag liability 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
"I understand that if this used car I'm buying is in a crash, the airbag could kill me." That's the gist of a document that American Honda Motor Co. wants its dealers to require buyers of certain 2001-11 used Honda and Acura vehicles to sign....Read More »
Hot hybrid 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Honda Motor Co. engineers are trying to figure out why an Acura NSX undergoing high-speed testing at Germany's Nurburgring last week caught fire and burned to the ground....Read More »
AutoTrader, Manheim rebrand under 1 entity 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Manheim and AutoTrader Group, a collection of digital automotive marketing and software companies, are now part of Cox Automotive, according to signage and employees representing the various properties at a recent trade show in Florida. Sandy Schwartz, president of Manheim and AutoTrader Group, leads the new entity....Read More »
Auction Broadcasting sites get makeovers 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Auction Broadcasting Co., expecting to increase its sales at least 20 percent in 2015, will improve seven of its eight auction sites in various ways by year end. Jason Hockett, president of the Indianapolis auction company, says the improvements include drive-thru photo booths and new or expanded reconditioning centers and body shops....Read More »
Certified-used sales fall in June, expected to rise for year 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
Sales of certified used vehicles slipped in June for the first time in a year and a half. But analysts still predict certified sales will rise overall this year. Sales dipped 2 percent in June from a year earlier to 181,112, but still posted an 8 percent gain for the first half, to 1,133,588....Read More »
BEST PRACTICES
'Middle of nowhere' site limits store's costs 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 28, 2014
the rural location of Volkswagen of Salem County in Monroeville, N.J., helps the family contain its real estate costs. That freed time and money to focus on building the store's sales to roughly 28 new and 43 used vehicles per month from the 8 to 15 mostly new vehicles per month that the previous owners sold....Read More »
5 YEARS LATER
'Cash for clunkers opened up the floodgates' 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 27, 2014
The Car Allowance Rebate System, also known as cash for clunkers, was a lifeline at a desperate time for the U.S. auto industry. Nearly 700,000 vehicles were traded in through the nearly $3 billion program, which provided consumers as much as $4,500 each to trade in an old gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient new model....Read More »
Millennials drawn to car-sharing services, but eventually, they buy 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 26, 2014
Car- and ride-sharing programs are changing the way city dwellers get around and the way millennials think about car ownership. Automakers have noticed and are experimenting with ways to adapt -- creating partnerships with car-sharing services or offering their own transportation services....Read More »
Volkswagen marketing chief quitsJuly 25, 2014 22:20 CET
Volkswagen's global marketing head, Simon Thomas, will leave the post after about a year in the job. Thomas, a former top Nissan Europe executive, said he is leaving VW at his own request....Read More »
Jaguar Land Rover cuts prices on 3 models in China in response to government probe 7:40 pm U.S. ET | July 25, 2014
Jaguar Land Rover will cut prices on 3 models by an average of $32,300 starting August 1, after the National Development and Reform Commission, China's state planner, launched an investigation into monopolistic prices in the auto industry, the company said in a statement on Friday....Read More »
JAMES B. TREECE
GM, Manheim kiss and make up 3:15 pm U.S. ET | July 25, 2014
About four years after a spat strained their business relations, GM and auction company Manheim are starting to kiss and make up....Read More »
Strong retail demand to push U.S. sales higher in July, forecasts show 2:44 pm U.S. ET | July 25, 2014
The pace of auto sales has slowed slightly after hitting an eight-year high in June, but July's results are still shaping up to be at least 9 percent better than a year ago, according to four forecasts. The seasonally adjusted, annualized selling rate is expected to hit 16.6 million to 16.8 million, projections show....Read More »
VW may open planning center in Brazil to revive salesJuly 25, 2014 10:07 CET
VW Group is mulling a planning center in Brazil. It would be part of the automaker's 3.6 billion euro ($4.85 billion) investment in new models, plants and technology for the country through 2018, sources said....Read More »
Citroen DS upscale line off to a slow start as a stand-alone brandJuly 25, 2014 06:01 CET
Vehicle sales at Citroen's upscale DS line, which became a stand-alone brand on June 1, fell during the first half, hit by an aging product lineup and tougher competition from refreshed rivals such as Mini....Read More »
Audi, BMW and Mercedes pressure Ford, GM as UK market boomsJuly 25, 2014 06:01 CET
Germany's premium automakers are benefiting most from the UK car market boom. Audi, BMW and Mercedes are winning customers from mass-market brands such as Ford and Vauxhall....Read More »
Audi, BMW and Mercedes pressure Ford, GM as UK market booms 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 25, 2014
Germany's premium automakers are benefiting most from the UK car market boom. Audi, BMW and Mercedes are winning customers from mass-market brands such as Ford and Vauxhall....Read More »
GM remains bullish on Chevrolet-Manchester United sponsorship dealJuly 25, 2014 06:01 CET
One bad season for Manchester United has not shaken GM's belief in its sponsorship deal with the English soccer club. Chevrolet's logo appeared on players' jerseys for the first time when United beat the Los Angeles Galaxy team in a friendly match in Pasadena, California....Read More »
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