Posts Tagged ‘American’
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American cars: How to keep winning
Posted on June 6th, 2011 by admin
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Here’s what the experts think Detroit automakers need to do to keep the turn-around going in the right direction.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — All three domestic automakers are growing sales, adding jobs and, for the first time in years, they’re profitable.
The question now is, can they keep it going? American carmakers have changed their ways before, only to return to their bad habits.
Here are three things experts think Detroit automakers need to do to keep their wheels on the road.
Don’t take your eye off the product: No, General Motors, people don’t care about catchy marketing. They’re coming into your showrooms because you’ve got competitive products.
“The consumer now isn’t Detroit-centric,” said David Champion, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports magazine. “They’ll buy the best cars they can from anywhere.”
And it’s not just the Japanese anymore. South Korea’s Hyundai and Kia are gulping market share from everybody.
General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) in particular, is where there are concerns about continued product focus.
There’s no question that GM’s current product line-up is the …CNN
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American cars: Pricier than ever
Posted on May 13th, 2011 by admin
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The average price paid for a Chrysler Town & Country has risen 32% in 5 years. The van has improved and competitors have dropped out, but Chrysler has also learned to combine features buyers want, said sales executive Steven Beahm.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Good news… American cars are better than they’ve been in years. The bad news … if you want one, be prepared to pay up.
The old days of gigantic rebates and deep dealer discounts on Ford (F, Fortune 500), Chrysler and General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) products are over.
Today, domestic cars are selling closer to full sticker price, even after rebates and other incentives are factored in, than they were in 2006, according to Edmunds.com.
It’s not just lower discounts, either. Prices paid for American cars, after rebates and negotiations, are just plain higher as b …CNN
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A brace of Audis makes a play for American hearts and wallets
Posted on April 10th, 2011 by admin
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Audi’s A4 and A6 exemplify the automaker’s best qualities: sophisticated design, excellent craftsmanship, and superb road manners. But the company has some catching up to do if it wants to win more American customers.
A pair of Audis showed up on my test drive schedule as winter morphed into spring in the Northeast. They weren’t the newest models in the line — the 2011 A6 is being replaced by the redesigned 2012 model as this is written, and the all-new A7 arrives this month. But they reminded me why I like Audis so much — and helped me to gauge how close Audi has come to reaching top tier status in the U.S.
2011 Audi A4
Audi is the late arrival to the American market compared with Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and has been trying hard to catch up. So far this year, import luxury car sales have trailed the overall market, but Audi has been outperforming its German rivals, as well as Lexus. It takes more than velocity to compete in this arena, as we shall see.
Revamped a year ago, the compact A4 remains the core of the Audi lineup. Along with its sportier sibling, the S4, it accounts for nearly half of Audi’s car sales. Audi has had less success establishing the larger A6 as a second core model; Audi sells only a quarter as …CNN
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Toyota to suspend N. American plants
Posted on April 9th, 2011 by admin
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Toyota’s temporary shutdowns will affect 25,000 workers, but there will be no layoffs, the world’s No. 1 automaker said.LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it will suspend production at its North American plants in a series of one-day shutdowns this month as a result of parts shortages caused by the earthquake that hit Japan.
The temporary shutdowns will affect 25,000 workers, but there will be no layoffs, the world’s No. 1 automaker said. A March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged auto parts plants in northeastern Japan, causing shortages.
All 13 of its North American plants will have down time, though the duration may vary at a few plants, Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said. For most plants, the one-day shu …MSNBC
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Toyota: N. American plant closures likely in April
Posted on April 4th, 2011 by admin
div class=”txt timestamp” content=”2011-04-04T19:16:14″>updated less than 1 minute ago 2011-04-04T19:16:14
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday that it’s inevitable the company will be forced to shut down all of its North American factories because of parts shortages due to the earthquake that hit Japan.
The temporary shutdowns are likely to take place later this month, affecting 25,000 workers, but no layoffs are expected, spokesman Mike Goss said.
Just how long the shutdowns last or whether all 13 of Toyota’s factories will be affected at the same is unknown and depends on when parts production can restart in Japan, Goss said.
So far the North American plants have been using parts in their inventory or relying on those that were shipped before the earthquake, Goss said. But those supplies are running low.
“We’re going to get to a point this month where that gap in the pipeline starts to show up. So we’ll have to suspend production for a while,” he said.
A March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged auto parts plants in Northeastern Japan, causing shortages that idled most of the nation’s car production. Japan’s daily auto output has fallen by more than 500,000 vehicles since the disaster, says Scotiabank Senior E …MSNBC