NADA Make Meetings

MAKE MEETINGS

Lincoln is looking for elusive sales repeat

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Lincoln executives told dealers that the brand is in position to achieve something it hasn't done since the 1990s: Increase sales for two consecutive years. After a 16 percent sales gain for Lincoln in 2014, the message to dealers at the make meeting was that the brand is only at the start of the gains it can make.... Read More »

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Buick-GMC planting seeds for market-share growth

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

A boost in production of the hot-selling Encore crossover should help Buick achieve a second straight year of market share gains, dealers were told at the Buick-GMC make meeting in San Francisco. GMC also is looking to gain share, as General Motors' truck brand enters the year with an overhauled lineup of pickups and SUVs, eased production constraints and the tailwind of $2 gasoline.... Read More »

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Ford goes after share, profits with an F series

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Ford division's market share slipped a full point in 2014, but its dealers generated record earnings for a third consecutive year, executives said. For 2015, the company aims to recoup that lost share and help dealers become even more profitable, but without major changes in strategy.... Read More »

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Hyundai has 'concrete' growth plan

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski gave dealers at the make meeting last week more details of his plan to get Hyundai back on the growth track after a slowdown in 2014. The plan hinges on a more consistent marketing message.... Read More »

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Chevy looks to end market share slide

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Chevrolet executives believe that the Trax small crossover and other lineup additions, along with a friendly environment for its revitalized truck portfolio, will help snap a three-year skid in U.S. market share. The Trax joins the Colorado midsize pickup and City Express cargo van as potentially high-volume entries that could provide a tailwind for Chevy's year-over-year sales.... Read More »

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Infiniti puts focus on marketing, profitability

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

As Infiniti dealers hunker down for a year without new products, the factory is vowing to throw more support into helping them cope. Company officials told dealers at the make meeting that they will allocate more money to marketing this year, although they did not say how much the increase would be.... Read More »

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VW execs confirm U.S. sales goal but soften on deadline

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

After two years of declining U.S. sales for Volkswagen, brand executives meeting with dealers at the NADA convention reaffirmed the company's goal of selling 800,000 vehicles a year in the U.S. But they said hitting the target by 2018 is less important than improving dealership profitability in the short term.... Read More »

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Mitsubishi promises U.S. marketing support

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Mitsubishi pledges full marketing support for the stream of new models scheduled to begin coming to showrooms this summer. The automaker told dealers last week at their make meeting during the NADA convention that marketing activity will begin stirring in April at the New York auto show.... Read More »

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BMW will keep improving buyer satisfaction

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

BMW's top North American executive is asking the brand's dealers to continue improving their customers' dealership experience in 2015. "We can go further," said Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America, referring to progress made in 2014.... Read More »

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Subaru execs want to increase U.S. throughput, not dealer total

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Subaru of America won't add dealers because it wants throughput per dealer to grow to 1,000 units annually. That's one of the most important messages delivered during the make meeting in San Francisco, dealers said.... Read More »

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Acura: Redesigns and leasing to lift volume

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Acura dealers should prepare for an uptick in U.S. sales and service orders this year, executives told dealers at the NADA convention. Dealers expect to benefit from redesigns of the ILX entry-level sedan and RDX compact crossover, as well as a restructuring of Acura's leasing program to compete with German luxury automakers.... Read More »

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M-B pushes dealers to lift customer experience

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon says the brand plans to prod dealers to improve sales processes even though Mercedes scored the top luxury-brand ranking on J.D. Power and Associates' Sales Satisfaction Index Study last year. "We're pushing hard, and we're not about to stop," Cannon said after the make meeting last week at the NADA convention.... Read More »

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U.S. Porsche execs eager to get more Macans to dealers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Porsche is working to get more Macan midsize crossovers to U.S. dealers in 2015. Wait times for Macan buyers have been six months or more since it went on sale last May. U.S. dealers are looking forward to getting more Macans this year and getting them into the hands of buyers more quickly.... Read More »

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Volvo dealers will get product details in March

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Volvo will detail the seven new products it will launch through 2017 at a March dealer meeting in Vail, Colo., dealers were told at their make meeting. The newest vehicle, the redesigned XC90 crossover, will go on sale in the second quarter.... Read More »

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Mazda's message: Service is profit key

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Mazda executives conveyed a simple message to the Japanese brand's dealers last week at the NADA convention: We need to work on fundamentals. Mazda executives told dealers during the brand's make meeting that they expect an 11 percent jump in U.S. sales this year.... Read More »

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Mini optimistic for a sales rebound in 2015

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Executives of Mini of the Americas told its U.S. dealers that sales should return to at least 2013 levels this year after a delayed launch of the Cooper Hardtop knocked Mini sales down 16 percent for 2014. In 2013, the brand sold 66,502 vehicles in the United States. The nation's 122 Mini dealers are expecting a redesigned Clubman and convertible this year.... Read More »

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Kia restructures as No. 2 sales exec departs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Kia has restructured its U.S. sales organization by splitting the country into two regions instead of four, with Percy Vaughn leading the Eastern region and Phil Kelley leading the Western region, the Korean automaker told dealers at the NADA convention. That shuffle, combined with the departure of Kia's No. 2 U.S. sales executive, marks the second major shake-up in the course of a year.... Read More »

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Honda: New trucks will boost sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Honda Division expects to beat last year's 1 percent U.S. sales increase as it breathes new life into its truck lineup in 2015. The brand is introducing several new and restyled models this year, prompting executives to call 2015 "the year of Honda."... Read More »

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Nissan wants to grow brand, customer satisfaction

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Nissan will push its dealers toward better customer satisfaction results this year, continuing their gains from 2013 and 2014. The automaker will launch the Quality Growth Plan to improve Nissan's standing in customer sales experiences in J.D. Power's Sales Satisfaction Index from the current level of "average," the automaker told dealers at their make meeting.... Read More »

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'Off script,' Caddy boss clears the air

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Last month, Cadillac President Johan de Nysschen said he has never had a bad make meeting at an NADA convention. His streak remains intact, by many accounts, despite ample dealer unease and some anger heading into the Jan. 24 gathering in San Francisco.... Read More »

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Toyota: 3 brands' 2015 U.S. sales to top 2.4 million

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Toyota Motor Sales expects to top 2.4 million in U.S. sales this year with several new and freshened models across its Toyota, Lexus and Scion divisions, up from just under that mark last year, executives said. Some of that extra volume will come when the redesigned 2016 Tacoma pickup reaches showrooms during the fourth quarter.... Read More »

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FCA US: Retail sales to rise 10%

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

FCA US is targeting 10 percent growth in its U.S. retail sales for 2015 as new vehicles arrive in segments in which the automaker has no offerings. The Jeep Renegade, Ram ProMaster City and Fiat 500X, all assembled in Europe, are due in showrooms in volume in the first half of the year.... Read More »

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Audi bullish about another record year

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2015

Despite few major vehicle launches coming up, Audi of America CEO Scott Keogh says the brand will post record U.S. sales for the sixth-straight year in 2015. The gains will be fueled by greater availability of the hot-selling Q5 and Q3 crossovers.... Read More »

DAVE GUILFORD

Volvo and the 'sweet hereafter'

12:59 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 30, 2015

Excruciatingly long product lead times have always challenged automakers, who have to figure out what will sell four or five years hence. But they’re tough on dealers, too, who face lengthy product droughts while hearing -- literally for years -- about the really sweet stuff that’s on the way.... Read More »

Porsche works to deliver more Macans to U.S. dealerships

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015

Porsche is working to increase supplies of the new Macan midsize crossover to US dealers in 2015. Wait times for Macan buyers have been six months or more since it went on sale last May.... Read More »

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