NADA Make MeetingsNissan urges dealers to stay on track amid product blitz 5:19 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  After setting a brand sales record in 2012 and two years of record dealer profitability, Nissan urged retailers at its make meeting to stay focused on the strategy of the past three years. Nissan is midway through a plan to introduce five key model redesigns in 15 months.... Read More »
Acura to give each dealer 2 RLX sedans ahead of launch 2:33 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  Acura plans to give each of its 265 dealers two 2014 RLX flagship sedans on Friday, a month before the car goes on sale March 15.... Read More »
Mitsubishi to double marketing spend this year, return to prime-time network TV 3:39 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  Mitsubishi Motors North America executives told dealers at a standing-room-only make meeting here today that it will double its marketing spend this year and return to prime-time network TV after a long absence.... Read More »
Hyundai aims to increase owner loyalty 12:53 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 11, 2013  Hyundai Motor America hopes that the third shift added in September at its Alabama plant will help the company boost 2013 sales 4 percent, to 730,000 units.... Read More »
Chevy expects 7% gain in U.S. sales from new, refreshed models 7:26 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  With 13 new or refreshed models on tap, Chevrolet is telling dealers to expect a 7 percent gain in U.S. sales this year. That projected sales gain would be in line with the industrywide pace if U.S. sales hit 15.5 million units, the high end of the 2013 sales forecast that GM set at the start of the year, dealers were told Sunday at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
BMW pledges to work toward making its dealers most profitable 6:42 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 BMW of North America will do "everything possible" -- including having enough vehicles in the right mix -- to ensure its dealers are among the most profitable in the United States, CEO Ludwig Willisch pledged at the brand's make meeting. It also means the new facilities program that BMW will introduce in the second quarter won't be a major strain on dealers, he said.... Read More »
For Land Rover dealers, tight supply helps profitability 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 Land Rover dealers in most of the country are sold out of the new-generation Range Rover SUV through early summer. The 2013 Range Rover went on sale in December, replacing a 10-year-old model. "We are one or two truckloads short -- which also creates a situation where it helps profitability," said Michael Levitan, head of the newly formed 12-member Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Cabinet and COO of Long Island Automotive Group, which owns three Land Rover stores in New York.... Read More »
Cadillac targets 35% retail sales gain this year 5:40 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Cadillac is targeting a retail sales jump of about 35 percent this year and plans an autumn rollout of the next-generation CTS sedan, General Motors executives told dealers today during their make meeting here at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
New-generation Mini Cooper hardtop to be unveiled next week 2:55 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013  Mini dealers will get a glimpse of the new-generation Cooper hardtop next week at a worldwide dealer meeting in Helsinki, Finland. The hardtop is scheduled to go on sale in March 2014 and is the first vehicle to be built on a BMW platform that will spawn 10 to 12 compact Mini and BMW front-wheel-drive models.... Read More »
Supplies are tight for redesigned Range Rover 4:24 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 9, 2013  Land Rover dealers in most of the country are sold out of the new-generation Range Rover SUV through early summer.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS VW raises output for U.S., seeks more sales per store 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Volkswagen plans to crank up production specifically for the United States 50 percent this year, executives told dealers at the make meeting. VW brand aims to boost U.S. sales about 45 percent, or by about 150,000 vehicles, in 2012, dealers at the meeting said. Last year VW brand's U.S. sales rose 26 percent to 324,402.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Volvo forms finance arm; dealers cheer 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Volvo Cars of North America delighted dealers by announcing at the make meeting the launch of a captive finance arm with services beginning this year. A captive will increase sales, boost leasing rates and improve customer retention, Volvo executives say.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Toyota refilling dealer stocks 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 After months of inventory shortages triggered by last year's earthquake, Toyota dealers should return to full volumes within a few weeks. Carl Swope, chairman of the Toyota National Dealer Advisory Council, said competitors have "misread" Toyota capacity levels stemming from parts shortages.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Suzuki plans to refresh its lineup 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Suzuki dealers need a refreshed product lineup and consistent supplies if they are to hit the automaker's goals of increasing sales in the United States by 20 percent in 2012, dealers were told during their make meeting. Nearly a third of Suzuki's approximately 250 dealerships in the United States sold zero vehicles in December, said James Morrell, chairman of the Suzuki Dealer Advisory Board and owner of Advantage Suzuki in Albany, N.Y.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Subaru boosts output, will target Sun Belt 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012  Subaru inventories will be high enough to meet or exceed the brand's U.S. sales goal of 320,000 vehicles, executives told dealers at the make meeting. Subaru is increasing production. Initially it will target allocation of vehicles to dealers in the Sun Belt states, where the automaker would like to boost sales, said Tom Doll, Subaru of America Inc.'s COO.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Saab parts flow is top priority, dealers told 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Tim Colbeck, president of Saab Cars North America, told about 25 dealers at the make meeting that the automaker will not contest a move by dealers to force it into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. "We're not going to fight the bankruptcy," Colbeck said. "Our No. 1 priority right now is insuring the flow of parts to North America."... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Porsche will review store capacity 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Porsche Cars North America starts a four-city tour this month to talk with dealers about how they'll handle the coming wave of new products and whether they need to expand and modernize. Beginning Feb. 20, Porsche executives will visit dealers for one-on-one sessions to discuss store targets and facility plans, said COO Michael Bartsch.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Nissan goal for 2012: 1.1 million 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Nissan was the only major Japanese automaker whose U.S. sales were not hurt significantly by the March 11 earthquake. Now it is looking to add to its 2011 momentum with a 16 percent increase to 1.1 million units for the brand this year, executives told dealers at the make meeting. Nissan Division last broke the million-unit mark in 2006.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS More cars for Hyundai stores in '12 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Three factors could bring more vehicles to hungry U.S. Hyundai dealers in 2012: new and redesigned models, manufacturing efficiency and a soft European market. "It appears to me for the most part they're maxed out, and they're very cautious to make sure that with whatever we get, the quality is there," Rick DeSilva, a New Jersey Hyundai dealer, said after the Hyundai make meeting.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Mitsubishi predicts 100,000 sales by 2014 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Mitsubishi Motors North America executives laid out plans to increase sales to 100,000 by 2014, said dealers who attended the make meeting. In an interview after the meeting, Yoichi Yokozawa, president of the North American unit, said the company also is on target to introduce its plug-in hybrid SUV in 2013, but said the vehicle's name has not been decided.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Mazda will boost marketing 25% 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012  Mazda North American Operations will use the launch of its Skyactiv powertrain technology and the arrival of the new CX-5 crossover as the impetus to boost its marketing spending by 25 percent this year, executives told dealers at the make meeting. The CX-5 also will be used as a way to retain Mazda3 owners who previously would have left the franchise because the Mazda6 is not good enough.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Lincoln's product show won't snub small stores 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Lincoln will invite all its dealers to a Lincoln product show in Detroit in November, executives told dealers at the make meeting. That will be in sharp contrast to a meeting last month, to which only the owners of the roughly 325 Lincoln dealerships in the top 130 luxury markets were invited.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Kia dealers expect 100,000 more units 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Kia pledged to get its U.S. dealers 100,000 more units this year than last year to keep up the brand's momentum. An extra 100,000 sales would be about a 20 percent gain for Kia in 2012. The brand sold 485,492 vehicles in 2011, up 36 percent over the previous year.... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Jaguar dealers applaud new U.S. ads, better Web site 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012  Jaguar's new marketing campaign and U.S. Web site are driving more customers into showrooms, dealers said after their meeting. "Everybody recognizes that over the years there has been a lack of attention to the brand. The new ownership is addressing it. They made a large commitment to Tier 1 advertising," said Jeff Davis, chairman of the Jaguar Business Operations Council. "... Read More »
NADA MAKE MEETINGS Infiniti bumps ad budget, offers local-area choices 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 13, 2012 Infiniti will spend more on advertising and give dealers a new menu of TV commercials for local markets, dealers were told at the make meeting. Also, the brand will broadcast numerous commercials for its new JX crossover during the NCAA basketball tournament in March.... Read More »
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