Category Archives: marketing

Ford EU July Sales off 12%, Lowest Since 1995. Lags Industry

Posted on 16 August 2012 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor Company sales in its traditional 19 European markets decreased in July to 83,100 vehicles, -12.3% lower than July 2011 in an industry with heavy discounting that was off 7.6% overall. Year-to-date, Ford sales were 700,200 units, down 11% during the same period last year compared to an industry decline of 7%. Both results were the lowest sales for Ford in the EU since 1995 as the Eurozone crisis continues unabated. Continue reading →

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Jaguar Land Rover Begins 24 Hour Shifts at Halewood

Posted on 14 August 2012 by Ken Zino

Jaguar Land Rover at its Halewood plant is now running around the clock production, the first time the factory has run flat out in its 50-year history. The new night shift, which began at 21.30 last evening required the hiring of 1,000 production workers. Continue reading →

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Ford China Sales up 32% in July to 43,000

Posted on 9 August 2012 by Ken Zino

Ford China sales in July totaled 42,560 up 32%. Most of the increase was due to the joint venture Changan Ford Mazda, which sold 26,306 Ford-brand cars, an increase of 44% from July of 2011. Sales of the old and new Focus dominated the results. Total Ford brand car sales including the imported Edge and Explorer were 27,498. Continue reading →

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BMW Group Records Record Sales in July

Posted on 7 August 2012 by Ken Zino

BMW group today in Munich posted its best sales result for any July. With 135,537 (2011 – 129,102) BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand vehicles delivered worldwide last month, the company increased its sales by 5.0% compared to the previous year.

It was also the first time in the company’s history that more one million vehicles had been delivered in the first seven months. From January to July deliveries rose 7.6% to 1,036,088 vehicles (962,493). Continue reading →

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General Motors Sales in China Set All Time July and CYTD Record

Posted on 7 August 2012 by Ken Zino

General Motors and its joint ventures sold 199,503 vehicles in China, in July, a 15.1% increase from last year’s previous record high for the month. SAIC-GM-Wuling’s sales reached 98,694 units, an all-time high for July and an increase of 26.6% year on year. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Group Sales Up 13% in July, Best in Five Years

Posted on 1 August 2012 by Ken Zino

Chrysler Group today reported U.S. sales of 126,089 units, a 13% increase compared with sales in July 2011 (112,026 units), and the group’s best July sales since 2007. All of the brands contributed to the positive results, the 28th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains in the slowly recovering U.S. auto business. Until final results from all makers are available late today, it is unclear whether Chrysler is still outperforming the market. Continue reading →

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Lexus Debuts New LS Flagship Sedan Tonight in San Francisco

Posted on 30 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The original Lexus full-size sedan – the 1990 model LS 400 – caught the Germans by surprise with its combination of high quality, silky smooth ride, and a price that undercut competing Mercedes-Benz and BMW sedans by $10,000 or more.

Initially dismissed by the Europeans, the success of Lexus ultimately forced improvements in quality and a lowering of prices by Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. The Japanese brand’s success has also prompted an expanding list of joint ventures with BMW. Continue reading →

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GM Marketing Head Ewanick Resigns as GM Lags in Sales Growth

Posted on 30 July 2012 by Ken Zino

In an unusual Sunday statement, General Motors tersely said yesterday that Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick resigned, effective immediately. The resignation comes just days before GM will release Q2 financial results, which will be negatively impacted by product launch and marketing costs, as well as the ongoing struggles of Opel, which is mired in the Eurozone crisis. Continue reading →

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First 118 MPGe Honda Fit EV Delivered in California

Posted on 23 July 2012 by Ken Zino

American Honda initially will lease Fit in some California and Oregon markets. Some East Coast locations will be added next year. The EV is lease-only with a price of $389 per month for three-years, which computes to a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $36,625. Collision coverage, maintenance costs and roadside assistance service included in lease. Gasoline versions of the Fit sell in the $16,200 to $21,000 range. Continue reading →

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Mustang GT with V8 Priced at $69,000 in Philippines Debut

Posted on 18 July 2012 by Ken Zino

The new Ford Mustang today debuted in the Philippines with a $69,100 price for the 5-liter V8 powered GT. This adds another meaning to muscle car – as in having the strength to lift a wallet that large. The 3.7-liter V6 Mustang is priced at almost $60,000 in Manila. Customer deliveries start in September. The descendants of the original pony car come from the AutoAlliance International Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan. Ford has had a spotty history in the Philippines and pulled out of the market in the early 1980s only to return in 1998. Japanese makes not surprisingly dominate the market. Continue reading →

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EU Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicles Sales Down Again

Posted on 17 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Thus far the European auto industry has done little to reduce its capacity, which is now widely discordant with constantly falling demand. GM is planning to close its Opel Zafira plant in Bochum, Germany after the run-out of the current Zafira in 2015, but that is not enough to return Opel to profitability after decades of losses totaling hundreds of billions dollars. Opel employs 20,800 people across Germany and more than 40,000 across Europe. The head of GM Europe was ousted earlier this month over the continuing losses and the lack of progress. Continue reading →

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2013 Lexus ES 350 Starts at $36,995, Hybrid at $2,750 Premium

Posted on 16 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Both of the new ES models are based on – and use the same gas and hybrid powertrains – as the 2013 Toyota Avalon, which seems an unusually strong car from both technical and design viewpoints. Avalon will not only give Ford Taurus, Buick La Crosse and Chevrolet Impala strong competition next year in a full-size car segment once dominated by the Detroit Three, but it will challenge the new Lexus ES as well. Continue reading →

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June Auto Sales Soar with Mixed Results for Detroit Three

Posted on 3 July 2012 by Ken Zino

Sales of new cars and light trucks in June increased 22% from the same period a year ago, as the auto industry delivered almost 1.3 million vehicles for the month. On a seasonally adjusted annual basis or SAAR, this meant that the industry-selling rate continues to be more than 14 million units for five of the six months of 2012, resulting in sales of more than 7.2 million vehicles year-to-date. The slowly recovering auto market presented mixed but arguably positive results for the Detroit Three. Continue reading →

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Consideration of European Cars Up in China. Japanese Down

Posted on 29 June 2012 by Ken Zino

The percentage of customers in China who intend to purchase a new European vehicle has increased notably to 35% in 2012 from 25 percent in 2009, in a new study just released. In contrast, the so-called consideration rate of Japanese models decreased to 24% in 2012 from 32% in 2009. Continue reading →

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Aston Martin has Web Darling in Vanquish. Sales to Follow?

Posted on 27 June 2012 by Ken Zino

A week after its internet debut, the new Aston Martin Vanquish is breaking viewing records at the British automaker’s site. The end of last week saw the three highest traffic days ever recorded on Aston Martin’s global website – www.astonmartin.com – as car fans around the world clicked to find out more about a new V12-engined touring car. Whether web interest actually translates to sales to punters with the minimum of £189,995 when the Vanquish goes into production late this year remains to be proved. Continue reading →

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