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GM Considers More Specialty Silverado Trucks

cbzadmin — Wed, 29 May 2013 18:44:15 +0000

GM’s latest specialty truck, the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado High Country, won’t go on sale until this summer, but already GM is looking into adding more specialty versions of the Silverado.

Other automakers like Ford and Chrysler have had success with specialty trucks like the F-150 Harley Davidson and the Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn, and GM hopes to see similar success with the Silverado High Country. Industry insiders have noted, however, that these specialty trucks can be a double-edged sword. The right combination can bring in new customers as Ford did with the Harley Davidson F-150, but if an idea is too niche, it will not sell and could possibly alienate loyal brand customers.

Pricing has not been announced yet for the Silverado High Country, but GM’s manager of creative design for full-size pickup trucks did hint that it is “for someone who wants to know he has the money,” so a high price tag is expected.

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Europe Starts an Auto Industry Revival

cbzadmin — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:28:58 +0000

European auto sales have not risen in over a year and a half, but the tide might finally be turning now that the April numbers are in.

Compared to the recent U.S. auto sales, which have been driving the U.S. economy for the past year, Europe’s sales numbers don’t seem all that encouraging. Four-month sales were still down 7 percent. Ford, PSA Peugeot Citroen was down 10 percent, and BMW was down 3 percent. The European market is struggling through a 20-year low point with analysts hoping that “the worst is over.”

Still, there are plenty of bright spots including a 10 percent increase in Volkswagen registrations as well as an 11 percent increase in car sales for Daimler AG. Most importantly, registrations in the United Kingdom were up 15 percent, and Germany, after five months of falling auto sales, finally saw a 4 percent gain in auto sales.

The industry is hoping to hold onto these gains and build on them in the coming months, and the European Central Bank is helping by slashing interest rates. As of May 2, the benchmark interest rate is 0.5 percent. Not that long ago, easing credit restrictions and offering more subprime credit options revived the auto industry in the United States, so it is perfectly possible that the same will happen in Europe.

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Image courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Survey: Consumers Expect Apple, Google to Improve Auto Safety

cbzadmin — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:36:12 +0000

When you hear the words “auto safety,” what pops into your mind? It seems like people would associate automakers with auto safety, but a new survey shows that more consumers are thinking of Apple and Google.

The survey conducted by CarSafetyRules.com asked 1,000 new car buyers in the United Kingdom which brands they expected to improve auto safety. Out of the respondents, 26 percent of women chose Apple, and 23 percent of men chose Google. Volvo was tied with Google amongst men, and it was only 1 of 2 automakers named in the survey. Volvo scored 17 percent of the women surveyed, and 20 percent of men and 14 percent of women responded Mercedes.

It isn’t all that surprising that Google ranks so high in the survey. There has been a lot of talk in the past year about Google working on a self-driving car, so it is only natural that people are associating Google with auto safety technology. It is surprising, though, that Apple is ranking so high. I can only imagine that people believe Apple can do anything, including making cars safer. Considering Apple’s distinctive look, I could picture them making the transition to auto design and technology.

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Is 2013 the Year of the Pickup?

cbzadmin — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:50:21 +0000

It might still be too early to tell, but so far, 2013 is looking like the year of the pickup.

In April, pickup trucks saw double-digit sales gains with Ram pickups seeing 49 percent gains, Ford’s F-series getting 24 percent gains, and GM getting 23 percent gains. The surge in pickup sales has been so significant that Ford and other automakers are upping their truck production to keep up with demand. Ford and Chrysler have both announced that they will be adding shifts at their plants in response to the April sales.

Chrysler’s April sales, however, were more than just a sign that the public loves pickup trucks. Ram’s commercial pickup trucks just underwent a redesign, and April sales would be an indication of how the public feels about the new look. Now that April is done, it looks like Chrysler should have nothing to worry about.

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Summer Discounts on Select 2013 Nissan Models

cbzadmin — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:53:39 +0000

As of last Friday, Nissan has slashed prices on seven of its models including several 2013 models in hopes of attracting more price-conscious car shoppers.

The price cuts run from $580 to $4,400 and went into effect on May 3. According to Edmunds, the seven models make up more that 65 percent of Nissan’s U.S. sales volume, so these models are already in high demand.

Discounts are as follows:

2013 Nissan Altima (2.5 S and 2.5 SV only) – $580 price cut
2013 Nissan Sentra – $730 price cut
2013 Nissan Juke – $1,290 price cut
2013 Nissan Murano – $1,460 – $2,410 price cut
2013 Nissan Maxima – $2,270 – $3,030 price cut
2013 Nissan Rogue – $2,300 price cut
2013 Nissan Armada – $4,400 price cut

In a written statement, Nissan said they hoped the discounts will make car shoppers take a second look at Nissan’s line-up and “accelerate Altima’s strong sales growth moving into the summer selling season in the hotly contested midsize sedan segment.”

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Mercedes Announces Diesel for 2015 Mercedes C-Class

cbzadmin — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:17:56 +0000

As demand for diesels is growing in the United States, Mercedes is jumping in with a turbo-diesel engine in their 2015 Mercedes C-Class.

The new Mercedes C-Class will come with a 2.1-liter turbo-diesel engine, and Mercedes is already promising that the new engine will have somewhere between 20 percent and 30 percent improved fuel economy that. The new GLK250 BlueTec crossover will also be equipped with the 2.1-liter engine and will most likely replace the 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine option available now for the E-Class.

Right now, there are no other diesel options currently in the compact luxury segment. BMW premiered the 328d at the New York Auto Show, but the 328d won’t be available until later this year. Audi has also hinted that they will be adding diesel models as well, but it isn’t confirmed yet. With these announcements, however, it is clear that there will be many more diesel options for compact luxury auto buyers in the next few years.

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More Diesel, Hybrid Vehicles Registered in United States

cbzadmin — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:02:49 +0000

When it comes to diesel, American drivers have never quite shown the same interest as European drivers, but new stats are showing that trend is changing.

New data from R. L. Polk and Company shows that clean diesel registrations went up almost 25 percent from 2010 to 2012, hitting 796,794 in 2012. Texas, California, and Florida had the most diesel registrations during that time, and in the United States, there are currently 6.65 million registered diesel vehicles. During that same period, hybrid vehicle registrations also soared with over a 25 percent increase, coming out to 2,290,903 hybrid vehicles.

Car makers have offered more diesel and hybrid versions of their popular models in recent years, so there is a “chicken-or-the-egg” question of whether automakers are going with a trend or if buyers are responding to more availability of diesel and hybrid vehicles.

We want to hear from you, our readers. If automakers started making a diesel or hybrid version of your favorite vehicle, would you head out to a dealership for a test drive? Leave a comment below and sound off!

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Image courtesy of supakitmod / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Automakers Confront the Changing Face of Carbuyers

cbzadmin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 07:16:05 +0000

How do you make sure that vehicles match the ideals of those wanting to buy? It’s a difficult question, one that’s troubled the auto industry forever. How do you consistently make sure that your buyer base, both older and newer, are getting what they want so they will purchase from you?

Many of the top automotive executives are meeting in Detroit at the SAE 2013 World Congress to address that very question. Demographics have been changing quickly with a widening global market and fuel standards being made even stricter. Car manufacturers are having to constantly keep up with designing new cars.

“You can’t use traditional research methods to ask a customer ‘do you like this or do you like that,” said Mike O’Brien, President of corporate planning and product strategy for Hyundai.

Ralph Gilles, the senior VP of design for Chrysler, sees this same problem. The millennials, those born between 1980 and 2000, are some of the toughest to address. What they want in a car is very different than that of the generation before them.

Gilles doesn’t seem this as a problem though. He said “Everyone says they don’t like cars. Maybe. But I don’t buy that. They just don’t need cars right now.”

He also doesn’t believe that larger cars are the answer to what America is looking for, quite the opposite in fact. “I think small is the next big thing. I think small cars are finally here.” The numbers back him up. Small and compact cars had their sales increase by 27% in 2012 as opposed to the 13% for the overall industry.

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