| SURGICAL MARKETING STRIKES
The digital age has spawned effective ways for auto marketers to swipe customers from competitors. By monitoring the online shopping habits of millions of consumers, marketers can place online ads in front of shoppers quickly and precisely.
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The cult of personality surrounding Tesla Motors founder and CEO Elon Musk has wowed the investment community. Operating on the edge of the U.S.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Krishnan Anantharaman has joined Automotive News as an assigning editor at the paper's headquarters.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Automakers in North America failed to make progress in improving relations with suppliers over the past year, an annual study says.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Retired Texas auto dealer Sterling McCall surprised fellow dealers in April when he testified in favor of Tesla Motors Inc.'s bid to carve out an exemption to state franchise law.
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With a recent petition, Toyota has intensified the pressure on safety regulators to approve new headlights currently forbidden on U.S. roads.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Dakkota Systems' instrument panel factory is joined at the hip to Chrysler's Windsor minivan assembly plant.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| BEST PRACTICES
A Chrysler Group dealer in Michigan has turned a 30-second routine into a better way to demonstrate his technology-laden vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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In March, luxury maker Land Rover proudly told an audience at the Geneva auto show that it would soon bring to market the industry's first nine-speed transmission. One month later, Ford Motor Co.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| CARS & CONCEPTS
Alfonso Albaisa, the Cuban-American designer who has led Nissan's worldwide passenger car design strategy for a year, has been named global design chief for Infiniti.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| CARS & CONCEPTS
The redesigned Audi Q7 that debuts next summer in Europe will weigh about 800 pounds less than the current model, company insiders tell German sibling publication Automobilwoche.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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CARS & CONCEPTS
The early-2014 rollout of General Motors' next generation of full-sized SUVs will come about three months later than the company had planned.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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CARS & CONCEPTS
Based on documents submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Jaguar may name the all-wheel-drive compact crossover it has in the works the XQ, and call a new compact sedan the Q-Type, according to news reports.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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| CARS & CONCEPTS
Desperate for new models to bolster their limited lineup, Mitsubishi dealers recently got a glimmer of hope with news that an entry-level sedan may arrive stateside in 2015.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| CARS & CONCEPTS
The redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla that debuts here on June 6 will have a continuously variable transmission and will be offered with a choice of two engines, company officials have told dealers.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Lincoln is studying the habits of luxury shoppers at Shanghai's luxury malls for new ideas in customer service that eventually could find their way back to U.S. dealerships.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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A remix of the Bob Marley song "Three Little Birds" will be the soundtrack for TV spots in a campaign touting the package of safety and maintenance services included with Hyundai's Blue Link telematics system.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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After Japan's devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Mazda Motor Corp. CEO Takashi Yamanouchi needed someone to sort out and reinforce the carmaker's shattered supply chain and production system.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Audi AG brought more than 100 supplier executives to Mexico in early May, wooing them with a ride through the countryside that left their matching white Q5 crossovers splotched with mud.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Ford-brand marketers face an interesting challenge.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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EDITORIAL
Dealers have long feared that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would find a way to wreak havoc in dealership F&I offices, even though it has no direct jurisdiction over dealerships except buy-here, pay-here stores.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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| JAMES B. TREECE
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda wants to take personal responsibility for injecting design and performance pizazz into the Lexus brand.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| COMMENTARY: KEITH CRAIN
More dealership groups are expanding outside the United States and Canada. That's because there is no one better than the U.S.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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EDITORIAL
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration needs to review its process for allowing automakers to introduce advances in lighting technology.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Cadillac is again offering a bumper-to-bumper warranty on its certified used vehicles, a move the luxury brand says makes it more competitive with rivals' programs.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Nissan Motor Co. thinks a spin around a racetrack will attract shoppers better than traditional advertising to its new Nismo performance models.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| MARKETING EXECUTIVE Q&A: ALEX LEIKIKH
Alex Leikikh, the son of Russian immigrants to Minnesota, had key posts at agencies Leo Burnett and Fallon -- working at Fallon on the BMW account -- before being named president of Mullen's headquarters office in Boston.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| MARKETING EXECUTIVE Q&A: OLIVIER FRANCOIS
Olivier Francois, chief marketing officer for Fiat and Chrysler, has helped rehabilitate Chrysler Group's image since its 2009 bankruptcy. Chrysler has racked up 37 consecutive months of year-over-year U.S.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| MARKETING EXECUTIVE Q&A: CHRIS PERRY
This year, Chevrolet is rolling out 13 new or redesigned vehicles, including some of its most important nameplates, such as the Silverado full-sized pickup, Impala large sedan and the seventh-generation Corvette.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| MARKETING EXECUTIVE Q&A: TOBY BARLOW
Toby Barlow, chief creative officer of the Team Detroit ad agency, has the job of telling the Ford brand story. Barlow and Team Detroit have relied heavily on customer testimonials.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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ADESA, the nation's second-largest used-vehicle auction company, expects an uptick in sales of off-lease vehicles, especially in the second half of the year, said the top executive at its parent company.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Used-vehicle prices have peaked for 2013 and are expected to stabilize lower than in 2011 and 2012, but higher than before the recession, analysts say. They also say that strong demand for full-sized pickups will buoy prices in that segment.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| FINANCE & INSURANCE Q&A: TOM DUNDON
Chrysler Capital, the private-label arrangement between Santander Consumer USA and Chrysler Group, began operating in the United States May 1 as the preferred lender for Chrysler Group.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| FINANCE & INSURANCE
General Motors is rolling out branded F&I products, starting this month with a pilot at its 200 or so dealerships in Ohio and going nationwide by year end.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Nissan North America is stepping up manufacturing cost reduction efforts as it expands its footprint in the hemisphere. The cornerstone of the drive will be to bring down costs at Nissan's Canton, Miss., assembly plant.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Toyota Motor Corp. expects North America to be its fastest-growing market this fiscal year, driving the company to its highest profits since the global financial crisis.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Chevrolet packs more power and torque, better fuel economy and a much improved interior into the first redesign of its Silverado full-sized pickup in seven years.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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General Motors and Chevrolet's ad agency, Commonwealth of Detroit, are plotting an ambitious marketing strategy for the 2014 Corvette Stingray, one of GM's biggest launches of the year.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Dealerships in this report: Nabors Toyota in Clarksdale, Miss.; Avery Greene Honda in Vallejo, Calif.; Haron Jaguar in Fresno, Calif.; Long Hyundai in Chattanooga; and the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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A 67 percent increase in fleet sales helped Hyundai-Kia Automotive end a two-month streak of declining U.S. sales in April, making up for a 6 percent decline in retail volume.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Subaru said last week that it will invest $400 million to expand capacity at its Indiana assembly plant and start building the Impreza compact there. Impreza production will begin in 2016.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen continues to shift decision-making for the luxury brand onto managers who are focused solely on Infiniti.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Jaguar is rolling out a plan to refurbish its U.S. dealerships in preparation for a wave of new products. Regional Jaguar teams are going "door-to-door" to discuss the new corporate identity standards, starting with about 50 older stores.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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Porsche Cars North America is bringing in Joe Lawrence, CEO of Canadian operations, to be its No. 2 executive in the United States, the company's largest market.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Elon Musk has two weeks to convince Texas legislators that he deserves an exemption to current state law that would allow him to sell his Tesla electric vehicles directly to consumers. It will be a long shot.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Volvo's new brand awareness campaign pokes fun at German competitors, touting Volvos as less flashy and more sensible.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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A Chrysler Group dealership in central New Jersey has filed a lawsuit to stop the automaker from terminating the dealership's franchises.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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For five years, a rising yen undermined Japanese automakers' profits. Now the currency's sudden weakening has delivered dramatic gains, especially in the January-March quarter.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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North American car and truck production in April rose 14 percent from the year-earlier month to 1,474,599 units, the highest for any April since 2002.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan and Renault, said the companies are unlikely to reach their goal of selling a combined 1.5 million electric vehicles by 2016. Nissan has sold just 62,000 Leafs since the EV's debut in late 2010, he said.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
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| FINAL ASSEMBLY
AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson's employment contract with the country's largest dealership group is up in September. Jackson will turn 65 next February, but he has no intention of walking out the door any time soon.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE
I love wordplay, so when photos arrived of the big blue Pacific crashing against a floundering Ram heavy-duty pickup during a beach photo shoot gone wrong, my mind just raced Larry P. Vellequette covers Chrysler Group for Automotive News.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| FINAL ASSEMBLY
It looks like the popular AMC series "Mad Men," about a fictional New York advertising agency in the late 1960s, is trading in its Jaguar business for a Chevrolet Vega.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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| FINAL ASSEMBLY
At the groundbreaking for the Q5 plant in San Jose Chiapa, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler offered another explanation for deciding not to locate in the United States: The European Union slaps a 10 percent tariff on U.S.-built vehicles.
12:01 am U.S. ET | May 13, 2013 |
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