BMW vs. Audi: great billboard ad

BMW responds to an Audi billboard with their own, click here to see this great marketing move…

Tags: BMW, Audi, great marketing

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Most dependable cars: Buick and Jaguar

J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study says that these are the highest ranked for 2008.

1. Buick and Jaguar (122 problems per 100 vehicles)
2. Lexus (126)
3. Toyota (129)
4. Mercury (134)
5. Infiniti (142)
6. Acura (146)
7. Lincoln (147)
8. Cadillac and Honda (148)
9. Porsche (150)
10. Audi and Ford (159)
11. Hyundai (161)
12. Subaru (162)
13. Chrysler (165)
14. BMW (166)

The industry average for problems per 100 vehicles is 170. Subaru had the lowest score at 263.

Notable sub-par results: Mercedes Benz (184), Volvo (186), Hummer (221) and VW (260).

Tags: Buick, Jaguar, Lexus, Toyota, Mercury, Infiniti, Acura, Lincoln, Cadillac, Honda, Porsche, Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Subaru, Chrysler, BMW, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, J.D. Power

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Winners and losers in global market share: forecast

According to Global Insight, a leading American market intelligence specialist, these are the automakers that will grow the most in global market share over the next five years:

1. Tata (India): will grow 0.6 percent (current market share: 0.6 percent, 2013 forecast: 1.2 percent)
2. Chery (China): will grow 0.4 percent (0.6, 1.0 percent)
3. Renault (France): will grow 0.3 percent (3.1, 3.4 percent)

Other brands that will gain market share: Maruti (India), Nissan, BMW, Audi, Mitsubishi, Skoda and Wuling (China). All will increase 0.1 percent.

Brands that will stay the same: Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Dodge.

Carmakers that will lose global market share:

1. Ford: will lose 0.7 percent (current market share 7.1, 2013 forecast: 6.4 percent)
2. Peugeot: will lose 0.4 percent (2.9, 2.5 percent)
3. Daihatsu: will lose 0.3 percent (1.2, 0.9 percent)
4. Lada (Russia): will lose 0.2 percent (1.1, 0.9 percent)

Other automakers that will lose global market share: Toyota, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Kia, Hyundai, Fiat, Suzuki, Mazda and Opel.

Tags: auto industry

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VW is #3

VW has taken the number three spot from Ford, and now sits closely behind Toyota (#1) and GM (#2).

"We are delighted that the Volkswagen Group has made it to the global automobile industry’s top three for the first time. This shows that we are on the right track with our ever-stronger international presence and, above all, our product program. We will systematically push ahead with our growth course even in the present difficult market environment," said Volkswagen’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn.

VW sold 3.31 million units in the first half of 2008, a little ahead of Ford (3.22 million).

Tags: Ford, VW, Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry

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VW plant in USA

Volkswagen will build a $1 billion in the U.S. (in the state of Tennessee). The plant will begin output in 2011 and will produce 150,000 units per year (and thus reach sales of 800,000 per year) including a new mid-size sedan destined for the North American market.

"The U.S. market is an important part of our volume strategy, and we are now very resolutely accessing that market," said Martin Winterkorn, VW’s CEO.

Tags: VW, Volkswagen, VW USA, Martin Winterkorn, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry

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China plans: Audi

Audi is doing very well in China, having sold over 100,000 units in 2007 (after Germany, China is now Audi’s second largest market). Audi’s success in China is based on their higher-end cars, most notably the A6.

Audi’s big announcement at the China Auto Show in Beijing was the new Audi Q5 SUV, which is being introduced to compete against the BMW X3.

Autoweek reports that the Q5 will be Audi’s first hybrid model, and will be based on the latest lithium-ion-battery technology. The Q5 hybrid version will be available in early 2010. Gas and diesel versions will go on sale, in the U.S., in early 2009.

Tags: Audi, Audi China, Audi Q5, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry, hybrids

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2008 World Car of the Year: Mazda

The 2008 World Car of the Year is the Mazda2/Mazda Demio.

The Ford Mondeo placed second, with the Mercedes-Benz C-Class third.

To be eligible for a World Car award, the contender had to be in production, and sold, on at least two continents during 2008. The winner of the overall World Car of the Year Award must excel in a broad range of attributes.

The 2008 World Performance car of the Year is the Audi R8.

The BMW M3 came in second, and the Audi S5 Coupe third.

The World Performance Car award must demonstrate "a specific and overt sports/performance orientation while satisfying the same availability criteria as for the overall World Car of the Year award."

The World Car of the Year is a non-profit program. Vehicles are selected and voted on by an international jury panel comprised of forty-seven (47) top-level automotive journalists from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States. The award itself has no affiliation with any auto show, publication, automaker or other commercial enterprise.

Tags: automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, World Car of the Year, Ford, Ford Mondeo, Mazda, Mazda 2, Mazda Demio, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi, Audi R8, Audi S5, BMW, BMW M3

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VW big small plans for U.S.

VW wants to make inroads in the U.S. and has several parallel initiatives, as announced by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn:

• Introduce a small car, along the lines of the European Polo, to appeal to American new-found taste for fuel economy and compete against the likes of the Honda Fit.
• Lower price of the Passat and Jetta models by $5,000 each, by moving manufacturing to VW’s Puebla plant (Jetta) and a new facility to be built in either Georgia, North Carolina, or South Carolina.
• Maybe retry with the beautiful Phaeton luxury sedan, that unfortunately misfired the first time around.
• An improved Touareg SUV.
• A midsize pickup truck around the end of the decade.

Tags: VW, Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, VW Polo, VW Touareg, VW Phaeton, VW Passat, VW Jetta

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Top cars in China

J.D. Power has a performance survey in China, where they measure what "excites and delights owners about their new vehicle’s performance and design during the first two to six months of ownership".

An interesting conclusion from the study: "Higher-priced vehicles display higher appeal on average in the competitive Chinese market".

Here are the winners of the 2007 China Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study are each segment measured:

• Compact car: FAW Tianjin Xiali
• Premium compact car: FAW Tianjin Vela
• Entry midsize car: Nissan Tiida
• Midsize car: Nissan Sylphy
• Lower premium midsize car: Volkswagen Sagitar
• Upper premium midsize car: Toyota Camry
• MPV segment: Buick GL8 (*)

(*) If you’re wondering what MPV stands for: multi-purpose vehicle.

Tags: automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry, JD Power, Dongfeng Nissan, Guangzhou Toyota, Nissan Sylphy, Nissan Tiida, Tianjin, Tianjin FAW, FAW, Tianjin Vela, Tianjin Xiali, Toyota, Toyota Camry, VW, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Sagitar, Buick GL8

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LA Auto Show preview

The 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show is coming up, and we’ve just received some interesting preview information that I’d like to share.

The event will be held November 16 through 25, and will include some 14 world debuts and 30 North American debuts.

A few manufacturers have already announced their intentions:

• Hyundai will world premiere a new sports car concept
• Nissan will showcase an all-new, mid-size Murano crossover
• Volkswagen will show a new mini-car concept design. 

Several manufactuers will be highlighting vehicles that are making their first appearance in the U.S.:

• The new Jaguar XF luxury performance sedan
• The new BMW 1 Series coupe
• Mitsubishi’s tenth generation Lancer Evolution
• Subaru’s all-new WRX STI
• Nissan’s GT-R supercar

In addition, these are the luxury cars making their debut in the U.S.:

• The $1.4 million Lamborghini Reventon
• Ferrari’s new lightweight 430 Scuderia
• Bentley’s new Continental GT Speed
• Porsche’s most powerful 911, the new GT2

The show will also have a special award for their "Green Car of the Year".

Tags: LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai, Nissan, Nissan Murano, Volkswagen, Jaguar XF, BMW 1 Series, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Subaru WRX STI, Nissan GT-R, Lamborghini, Lamborghini Reventon, Ferrari, Ferrari 430 Scuderia, Bentley, Bentley Continental GT, Porsche, Porsche 911 GT2, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry

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