Auto advertisers were back in force in the 2013 Super Bowl with commercials that were funny and touching — with a few that just fell flat. Social media promotions ahead of the game played a bigger role than ever this year as automakers sought to maximize the bang for their Super Bowl buck. Some of […]
AutoNation Inc.’s move to put its corporate name on most of its stores signals the next wave for a dealership business model that has moved from exclusively mom-and-pop stores in a short period of time. Some other large dealership groups — Sonic Automotive Inc., for one — are mulling their own branding efforts, and industry […]
Per legislation passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year to temporarily sidestep the “fiscal cliff†spending cuts and tax increases, the tax advantage for business that purchase new equipment was not only extended through the end of the year, but it increased the amount that could be written off of […]
What are the right qualifications for a technician at a fleet or shop? CCJ sister site Truck Parts and Service delves into that very subject — and much more — in its “Technical fouls: Finding, paying, training and keeping techs†story published earlier this week. Some in the article says technicians should at minimum have a CDL to become […]
Rolf Group has sold a further 18% of its Rolf Import business to Mitsubishi in a move it said would strengthen its distribution business for the Japanese carmaker in Russia. Rolf Import is Mitsubishi’s exclusive distributor in Russia, and the move now gives the carmaker and its parent company a controlling stake in the company. […]
Volkswagen has said it will start making the Golf hatchback at its Puebla facility in Mexico in the first quarter of next year for distribution to the North and South American market. Sales of the Golf in the US last year were just more than 38,000 met by exports the model from Germany, where it […]
In nearly 24 years of existence, the Infiniti luxury brand has been less than a stellar performer. Parent Nissan had a volume-rules mentality when it came to Infiniti sales, says Nissan Executive Vice President Andy Palmer, and little attention was paid to developing the type of products that have made the German brands so desirable.
Exports accounted for only a few hundred of the more than 14,000 Corvettes Chevrolet sold in 2012. But, says John B. Fitzpatrick, marketing manager-performance cars, “We have much higher expectations for the 2014 Stingray.†He predicts a boost in Corvette exports to Europe, Asia (especially China) and the Middle East. Exports to Europe collapsed earlier […]
DETROIT – The decision to drop the price of its Leaf electric vehicle by $6,400 in the U.S. almost overshadowed Nissan’s other news at the 2013 North American International Auto Show last week. After falling far short of the 20,000 units the Japanese auto maker aimed to sell to Americans annually, the price cut was […]
