Toyota Corolla is the car with some of the best sales figures in Australia. So what does the company do, when they are on top, but still need to spend some money on advertising ? A very daring commercial with a kitten that thinks it “deserves” everything… Very good cinematography, but would something like that get you to buy the next Toyota Corolla ?
Friday, November 7, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
AUDI and the competition
With its new marketing strategy, Audi uses a card allowed on American soil: openly mocking competition to promote its product. The firm has imagined and created a mini series of Internet advertising called "Meet the Beckers."
If you haven't met the Beckers, you should now. In late September, a three minute video gave a look inside the life of the Becker family, preparing for their annual Thanksgiving tradition. Initiated by Audi, the family features several stereotype car drivers. Daddy drives a Mercedes, brother a convertible BMW and so on, all pretty dysfunctional, except for the Audi guy. It's a fun and interesting concept, recognised by Youtube that featured the first episode on it's comedy channel worldwide. The Beckers mini serie now continues with the just released second episode.
If you haven't met the Beckers, you should now. In late September, a three minute video gave a look inside the life of the Becker family, preparing for their annual Thanksgiving tradition. Initiated by Audi, the family features several stereotype car drivers. Daddy drives a Mercedes, brother a convertible BMW and so on, all pretty dysfunctional, except for the Audi guy. It's a fun and interesting concept, recognised by Youtube that featured the first episode on it's comedy channel worldwide. The Beckers mini serie now continues with the just released second episode.
GM to nearly double Russian capacity on high expectations
General Motors believes Russia will become its biggest market in Europe next year.
GM will almost double its car producing capacity in the Russian market when it opens its new $300 million factory in St. Petersburg on Friday.
The plant will add 70,000 units of capacity to the 100,000 already available to GM at joint venture and partner facilities in the country.
It will initially build the Opel Antara and Chevrolet Captiva SUVs. The Chevrolet Cruze lower-medium car will follow at the end of 2009. It will also build the next generation Astra lower-medium car.
"We are fully committed to our Russia growth strategy," said Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, in a statement.
"Russia is poised to become Europe's No. 1 car market for GM as early as 2009. We are the leading non-Russian manufacturer. That's a position we aim to keep."
GM said its sales in Russia increased by 44 percent in the first nine months of 2008, outpacing industry growth of 23 percent and reaching a record total of 256,765 units.
GM's market share has reached a new high of 10.9 percent in Russia, the company said.
In the first nine months of the year, Chevrolet maintained its position as Russia's biggest selling non-domestic brand with sales up 33.5 percent to a total of 175,800 units.
In the same period, Opel was the fastest growing brand in the country with sales up 73 percent to more than 78,000 units.
The new plant, located in Shushary on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, will employ 1700 people.
GM will almost double its car producing capacity in the Russian market when it opens its new $300 million factory in St. Petersburg on Friday.
The plant will add 70,000 units of capacity to the 100,000 already available to GM at joint venture and partner facilities in the country.
It will initially build the Opel Antara and Chevrolet Captiva SUVs. The Chevrolet Cruze lower-medium car will follow at the end of 2009. It will also build the next generation Astra lower-medium car.
"We are fully committed to our Russia growth strategy," said Carl-Peter Forster, president of General Motors Europe, in a statement.
"Russia is poised to become Europe's No. 1 car market for GM as early as 2009. We are the leading non-Russian manufacturer. That's a position we aim to keep."
GM said its sales in Russia increased by 44 percent in the first nine months of 2008, outpacing industry growth of 23 percent and reaching a record total of 256,765 units.
GM's market share has reached a new high of 10.9 percent in Russia, the company said.
In the first nine months of the year, Chevrolet maintained its position as Russia's biggest selling non-domestic brand with sales up 33.5 percent to a total of 175,800 units.
In the same period, Opel was the fastest growing brand in the country with sales up 73 percent to more than 78,000 units.
The new plant, located in Shushary on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, will employ 1700 people.
What Do Moms Want in a Vehicle?
WSJ - David Patton and Mathew Passy talk with MotherProof.com's Senior Editor and Chief Mom Kristin Varela about her site and a discussion of why it's so hard to find consumer friendly auto reviews.
Podcast Link Here
Podcast Link Here
German car sales sink in October
The number of newly registered cars hitting German roads sank 8 percent in October as the financial crisis prompted customers to hold off major purchases, the country's main auto industry group said Tuesday.
The VDA group said new car registrations last month declined to 258,800 from an "already weak" result in the same month last year. The group said it was cutting an "already cautious" full-year forecast from 3.2 million to 3.1 million at most.
It said consumers' increasing uncertainty in the face of the global financial crisis, high fuel prices and a lack of clarity over future car taxes and emissions regulations all contributed to holding back sales.
VDA said in a statement that orders for new cars in Germany — Europe's biggest economy — dropped 12 percent in October. It did not give an exact figure for orders.
German producers' exports declined 10 percent last month to 336,600, with U.S. and western European markets in particular suffering from the crisis. Orders from foreign customers sank 24 percent.
VDA chairman Matthias Wissmann said the industry is unlikely to reach last year's total of 4.3 million cars exported — with the German auto industry instead facing the prospect of its first decline in exports since 2003.
Germany is home to car makers such as Daimler AG, Porsche SE, Volkswagen AG and BMW AG.
The VDA group said new car registrations last month declined to 258,800 from an "already weak" result in the same month last year. The group said it was cutting an "already cautious" full-year forecast from 3.2 million to 3.1 million at most.
It said consumers' increasing uncertainty in the face of the global financial crisis, high fuel prices and a lack of clarity over future car taxes and emissions regulations all contributed to holding back sales.
VDA said in a statement that orders for new cars in Germany — Europe's biggest economy — dropped 12 percent in October. It did not give an exact figure for orders.
German producers' exports declined 10 percent last month to 336,600, with U.S. and western European markets in particular suffering from the crisis. Orders from foreign customers sank 24 percent.
VDA chairman Matthias Wissmann said the industry is unlikely to reach last year's total of 4.3 million cars exported — with the German auto industry instead facing the prospect of its first decline in exports since 2003.
Germany is home to car makers such as Daimler AG, Porsche SE, Volkswagen AG and BMW AG.
Toyota slashes annual profit forecast
Toyota Motor slashed its annual profit forecast by more than half on Thursday, in a sign of how the global economic slowdown has slowed the Japanese auto juggernaut.
Japan's largest automaker also reported net profit in the three months ended Sept. 30 dropped by more than two-thirds, hurt by slowing demand, a tightening of car loans amid the global credit crunch and a stronger Japanese currency.
The steep declines, larger than those forecast by most analysts, threaten eight straight years of annual profit growth at Toyota, once the envy of the world car industry. It also cast into stark relief how America's economic contagion has infected automakers around the globe, hurting sales even in once fast-growing markets like India and China.
Toyota said it now expects net profits of ¥550 billion, or $5.5 billion, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, down 56 percent from its earlier forecast of ¥1.25 trillion. It also cut its annual sales forecast by ¥2 trillion to ¥23 trillion.
Toyota said net profit in the July- September quarter fell 69 percent to ¥139.8 billion.
"Frankly, it's very difficult to judge when the environment will stabilize," a Toyota executive vice president, Mitsu Kinoshita, told reporters.
The grim earnings report came just days after Toyota announced that October sales in the critical United States market had fallen 23 percent from last year. The slowdown has hit American rivals even harder, with General Motors reporting a 45 percent decline in the same month.
The global slowdown has struck Toyota just as it finishes rolling out a full lineup of vehicles, including larger eight-cylinder models like its Tundra pickup truck, in a bid to overtake GM as the world's largest automaker.
Thursday's results suggested the slowdown was hurting sales of Toyota's entire lineup, including popular, fuel-efficient models like its hybrid Prius and Camry sedan.
Analysts expect Toyota to react to the slowdown by relentlessly cutting costs and shifting more production and parts sourcing to local markets. The global slowdown has already forced the carmaker to put new factories on hold, layoff workers and offer ever sweeter incentives to entice buyers back into showrooms.
Japan's largest automaker also reported net profit in the three months ended Sept. 30 dropped by more than two-thirds, hurt by slowing demand, a tightening of car loans amid the global credit crunch and a stronger Japanese currency.
The steep declines, larger than those forecast by most analysts, threaten eight straight years of annual profit growth at Toyota, once the envy of the world car industry. It also cast into stark relief how America's economic contagion has infected automakers around the globe, hurting sales even in once fast-growing markets like India and China.
Toyota said it now expects net profits of ¥550 billion, or $5.5 billion, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, down 56 percent from its earlier forecast of ¥1.25 trillion. It also cut its annual sales forecast by ¥2 trillion to ¥23 trillion.
Toyota said net profit in the July- September quarter fell 69 percent to ¥139.8 billion.
"Frankly, it's very difficult to judge when the environment will stabilize," a Toyota executive vice president, Mitsu Kinoshita, told reporters.
The grim earnings report came just days after Toyota announced that October sales in the critical United States market had fallen 23 percent from last year. The slowdown has hit American rivals even harder, with General Motors reporting a 45 percent decline in the same month.
The global slowdown has struck Toyota just as it finishes rolling out a full lineup of vehicles, including larger eight-cylinder models like its Tundra pickup truck, in a bid to overtake GM as the world's largest automaker.
Thursday's results suggested the slowdown was hurting sales of Toyota's entire lineup, including popular, fuel-efficient models like its hybrid Prius and Camry sedan.
Analysts expect Toyota to react to the slowdown by relentlessly cutting costs and shifting more production and parts sourcing to local markets. The global slowdown has already forced the carmaker to put new factories on hold, layoff workers and offer ever sweeter incentives to entice buyers back into showrooms.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Citroën gets into leather
Over the weekend, the brand unveiled a new collaboration with Hermès (which must have been pleased with its Bugatti Veyron). The four-door Citroën 2CV par Hermès might lack the Bugatti's raw sex appeal, but it's pretty impressive in its own right: Think leather everything (steering wheel, dashboard, the gear knob) complemented by gray-beige cotton canvas (used to upholster the seats). And sure, now might not seem like the best time to introduce a car collaboration with Hermès, but it's not like you could've afforded this thing when times were good anyway. (Or so we think: Price is TBA.)
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