RetailLARRY P. VELLEQUETTE So who won the Chrysler-NHTSA recall fight? 6:01 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Now that Chrysler Group has agreed to inspect and modify as many as 1.56 million older-model Jeep SUVs at the request of federal regulators, one inevitable question remains. Who won?... Read More »
Enhanced 2014 Buick LaCrosse starts at $34,060 4:06 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  The refreshed 2014 Buick LaCrosse will be priced starting at $34,060, with shipping, or $610 higher than the outgoing 2013 model, GM said today.... Read More »
Jaguar Land Rover targets 1 million sales in long term 3:39 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Jaguar Land Rover is targeting global sales of 750,000 units by the end of the decade, with an eventual target of 1 million units, a top executive said today.... Read More »
Tesla plans Model S battery swap as fast refueling option 3:29 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Tesla Motors, already adding a network of fast-charging stations for its luxury electric cars, is readying a service to rapidly swap a car's battery with a charged pack for added convenience.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE Pickup.com shootout is a salvo in ongoing pickup battle 12:07 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  If you'll forgive the metaphor, the shootout described this week by the editors at pickuptrucks.com may say more about the automaker/gunslingers themselves than the effectiveness of their chosen hardware.... Read More »
GABE NELSON Range anxiety, hydrogen style 3:08 pm U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Honda's hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the FCX Clarity, has been known to travel thousands of miles without refueling. But only while sitting on the back of a truck.... Read More »
Suzuki airbag warning lights probed by NHTSA 10:28 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2013  Federal safety regulators say they have opened an investigation into problems on two models of Suzuki vehicles for potentially malfunctioning warning lights for front passenger seats.... Read More »
Daimler-BYD JV says big China dealer group may sell Denza EV brandJune 18, 2013 13:46 CET  Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology, a 50-50 JV between Daimler and BYD, may sell its Denza-brand electric cars at Zhongsheng Group Holdings' dealerships, the partnership said.... Read More »
Toyota uses Twitter to show how Auris hybrid is madeJune 18, 2013 09:26 CET  Toyota will use Twitter to show how it builds the Auris hybrid at its UK factory. The company aims to reach new customers in what it says is a world-first social media project.... Read More »
New subcompact to lead MG's European expansionJune 18, 2013 13:16 CET  MG Motor, owned by China's SAIC Motor, will start production of the MG3 in England later this summer. The subcompact will lead MG Motor's expansion into other European markets.... Read More »
European car sales sink to 20-year low in MayJune 18, 2013 11:15 CET  European car sales fell to a 20-year low in May as rising joblessness caused by a recession in the euro region reduced demand. Registrations dropped 6 percent to 1.08 million vehicles with all volume automakers reporting sales declines.... Read More »
500 too small? Larger 500L to the rescue 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Since returning to America in 2011, Fiat and its struggling dealers have been getting by on just the 500. But the cars that rolled off a transport ship from Europe in June promise to change that. The four-door 2014 Fiat 500L, going on sale this month in Fiat's 205 dealerships in the United States, shares most of its name with the smaller 500 coupe, but that's about all it shares.... Read More »
Nissan price cuts, weaker yen raise fear of U.S. discount war 2:25 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Nissan's take-no-prisoners approach to gaining U.S. market share has the auto industry worried that a price war is brewing that will erode the profit progress made since the recession ravaged auto sales.... Read More »
Campbell Ewald CEO Bill Ludwig to leave agency, report says 3:39 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Bill Ludwig, CEO at longtime Detroit ad agency Campbell Ewald, is stepping down after more than 30 years at the company, executives familiar with the matter said. The agency is expected to tap an internal successor in a matter of weeks.... Read More »
Chrysler helps Doner rebuild after loss of Mazda ad account 3:38 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Advertising agency Doner has regrouped since losing a $150 million Mazda account in June 2010 to a consortium of WPP Group agencies in California. Revenue lost from the Mazda business has been more than replaced with money from other clients, including retail dealer campaigns and individual brand work for Chrysler Group.... Read More »
Automakers pressed to sell no-emission cars to reluctant buyers 2:48 pm U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Automakers are coming under increasing pressure to sell zero-emission vehicles to consumers in the United States who haven't shown much interest in them, with more states following California's lead in setting sales targets.... Read More »
BEST PRACTICES Austin dealer is the biggest show in town 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Since instituting one-price selling, First Texas Honda has jumped from 380th among Honda dealerships in terms of sales volume to the top 30, and from selling 200 new and used vehicles a month to 450.... Read More »
Dealer O.C. Welch's big-truck turnaround 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  After Mercury's demise, South Carolina Ford-Lincoln dealer O.C. Welch had to find a way to replace lost revenue. He decided to load up on Super Duty pickups – and sell them online. It was a wise bet for this lifelong Ford guy, whose 80-hour workweeks allow him to reveal plenty of trademark traits. Among them, keeping an office on the sales floor, personally selling hundreds of vehicles a year, crusading for America and, lately, stamping out crime.... Read More »
Ford pushes new models over rental sales in Europe revivalJune 17, 2013 10:34 CET  Ford is counting on new models such as the EcoSport small SUV to help reduce reliance on low-margin sales to rental-car companies in Europe in the battle to stem losses in the region.... Read More »
Apple's bid to crack the center stack 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Last week Apple executive Eddy Cue said 12 car brands will let motorists link iPhones to center consoles to make calls, send text messages, use maps and issue voice commands. So Apple is poised to invade the cockpit and take over the center stack, right?... Read More »
Mitsubishi ad campaign takes on 2 vital missions 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  Mitsubishi's new ad campaign to launch its redesigned 2014 Outlander crossover -- built around the tag line "Find your own lane" -- also will have to help the brand find a route back to relevance in the U.S. market. The campaign includes national cable TV, a return to network prime time for the first time since 2005, and the brand's largest-ever digital advertising expenditure, says Francine Harsini, director of advertising for Mitsubishi Motors North America.... Read More »
Toyota's U.S. aces now run the Americas 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  North America and South America are radically different markets. But Toyota Motor Corp. has installed two familiar names from the United States to lead them.... Read More »
Jaguar's global sales rose 63% in MayJune 17, 2013 13:42 CET  Global sales of Jaguar cars rose 63 percent to 7,061 last month, helping to offset a 6 percent fall in Land Rover deliveries. Boosted by the success of the new Jaguar F-Type, combined sales at the Jaguar Land Rover unit rose 4 percent, Tata said.... Read More »
NICK GIBBS Batteries pose tough transport challenges 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  The fragility -- and dangers -- of lithium ion batteries for electric cars came up again at our recent Congress in Paris when DHL's head of automotive logistics pointed out the difficulties of transporting them.... Read More »
KEITH CRAIN Big Brother is watching 12:01 am U.S. ET | June 17, 2013  I am constantly amazed by how much bureaucracy dealers face running what used to be called small businesses.... Read More »
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