Pop-up headlamps are definetly one of the things we need back from the 1980’s.
Ever since 2004 there hasn’t been a car with pop-up headlamps. I don’t know about you but for me, they are one of the most awesome stuff ever fitted into a car.
Even if it says 80’s in the first sentence up there, pop-ups were introduced by Cord in 1936, on the Cord 810. If you don’t know about Cord, don’t worry, your grandpa does. In the 80’s, pop-ups were all the craze in car design. Chevrolet had been using them ever since they released the Corvette C2 in 1963. Ferrari had them in the Berlinetta Boxer and Lamborghini had them in the Countach. Even Toyota had a go in it, and I’m sure you all remember the resulting AE86.
Pop-up headlamps add style to a car. Take for instance the Volvo 480. With this car, Volvo made something that was radically different that their usual “sensible box on wheels” standard. The resulting hatchback looks the part even today. The pop-ups are only there to add the final touch to the mix. As a final example, even the daddy of all sports cars, the Porsche 911, was improved with pop-ups in the form of the 930 Slantnose. These are very rare and highly expensive nowadays, partly because they are hand-built but mostly because of how awesome they look.
Sadly, modern safety regulations made the incorporation of pop-ups pretty much impossible. When the Lotus Esprit and the Corvette C5 were canceled and replaced respectively in 2004, the chapter of pop-up headlamps in automobiles drew to a close.
Today Audi unveiled the changes made to it’s LMP1 chassis, formerly known as the R15.
The design of the new R15+ is a response to late regulation changes made by the ACO in late November 2009 (after protests by Peugeot Sport and Aston Martin), rendering the (at the time) aero-design ineligible to compete in future races.
Image courtesy of Speedtv.com
The R15+ features a split-front nose design even more radical than the first iteration of the car. The sidewalls (previously in a partially open form) have now been closed.
The V10 TDi engine has been optimised for smaller restrictors and reduced supercharging pressure (something which caused Audi during the 2009, LM24 event), and the headlight system has now been further improved.
While Audi will be testing at Sebring following the 12H race, they will not compete. Instead the R15+ will turn it’s first competitive laps at the Paul Ricard circuit at the opening round of the 2010 LMS season.
The 2010 Audi A1 adds more zest to a driver’s main course than the actual steak sauce. This three-door hatchback is derived from the 2007 Quattro design study, which the company states is more compact, but will still provide space for four passengers and their accompanied luggage. The new A1 standard features include alloy wheels, air conditioning, and single CD audio system with MP3 compatibility, ESP with latest differential lock system.
A1’s three-engine option promises impressive mpg and low CO2 emissions results. The 1.2L TFSI petrol engine delivers 86PS (63kW/85hp), 160Nm, 55.4mpg, and CO2 119g/km. The slightly larger 1.4 TFSI petrol engine offers 122PS (89kW/120hp), 200Nm, 55.4mpg, CO2 119g/km (with optional S tronic transmission), while the 1.6 TDI diesel provides 105PS (77kW/103hp), 250Nm, 72.4mpg, and CO2 102g/km. All engine options are supported by the latest generation ESP system with electronic differential, which initiates brief, controlled braking of the inside front wheel and transfers the excess torque to the outside wheel, which can apply more power to the road, minimizing understeer and improving traction.
Audi’s more familiar 1.4L TFSI engine has a standard six-speed manual gearbox or the optional seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission. Equipped with S tronic it takes the A1 to 62mph in 9.1 seconds, and to a top speed of 124mph.The 1.6L diesel has a five-speed manual gearbox and can power to 62mph in 10.8 seconds and with116mph top speed. Let Audi’s Head of Design Stefan Sielaff give you a tour of the A1.
I know this ad isn’t new but I just came across it today.
Usually, I find a lack of humor regarding “go green” commercials. They often take it too seriously, and miss the ” wow that is a cool commercial”-effect. Saying that, of course I understand that protecting the environment is a serious affair and is vital for the entire humanity.
I, personally, think that humor can be a great way to communicate important issues, if accurately used.
This commercial might not make you stop wasting water or switch to paper grocery bags, but it might change the vision you can have of a “green” car.
I didn’t watch the Superbowl this year. I haven’t watched the Superbowl since 2004 – which as you may recall is the year Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction that happen to coincide with Justin Timberlake singing the words “gonna have you naked by the end of this song.” But I digress.
I’ve heard from most people that the ads were pretty lame and I’ll admit I’ve only seen a few in recaps (although CareerBuilder.com and Dockers? Why so many hairy man legs? Why? Ugh) but my favorite thus far is the Audi Green Police commercial in which they poke major fun at the seriousness of the environmental movement all while positioning themselves as leaders within it. I know not everyone loved this commercial and I’m sure those afraid that environmental regulations = big brother controlling every move you make were only egged on by it.
I personally appreciated the attempt at poking fun and thought it was pretty hilarious. Enjoy:
Conservatives seem to be split between whether they liked Audi’s “green” ad during the superbowl, or thought it was creepy or offensive.
Frankly, I liked it, and here’s why: It made fun of the Liberal Fascist mindset many in the environmental community seem to have (i.e. the attitude that causes them to claim you need to live your lifestyle according to their beliefs), and secondly, clean diesel is cool technology that doesn’t require government subsidization. If Audi can get environmentalists to buy their cars, more power to them – unlike most hybrids, clean diesel doesn’t need my money subsidizing it in order to succeed. And as long as my taxes aren’t paying for it, people can buy whatever they want.
And heck, I might go for a clean diesel myself one of these days – but more because I like the technology than because of environmental concerns.
We chose a Diesel engine for our Clubman because of its green appeal and the superior performance – at least when compared to the fuel-powered Cooper version. But some don’t get that choice. The Cooper Diesel it not available in the US and so are many other manufacturers’ diesel versions.
Why is that? Well, because of two things I guess.
Historically, because of the lack of demand for diesel powered cars in the US.
And then because of strict environmental and emission laws. Still only a hand-full of the latest diesel engines are conforming to these.
German car manufacturer Audi has achieved full greenness with their TDI engines and once again proofed “Vorsprung durch Technik” is not just a marketing claim.
And now they are trying to hammer this into the US consumers and generate demand for their diesel version with this Super Bowl ad:
Would you buy a MINI Diesel or what would it need for you to buy one? Maybe the upcoming Cooper S Diesel? Let me know in the comments.
Every year for the Super Bowl I’m drawn to the TV. I like watching the game however I’m drawn to watch what commercials that will make me laugh or spark my interests. Here are some of my favorites for this year.
Snickers.com :: Super Bowl XLIV
Kool & The Gang’s Honda Accord Crosstour Super Bowl Ad 2010 Funky Stuff Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiOFbGcgFso
Coke for the Super Bowl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnUKurl7Fog
Gatorade Super Bowl Commercial 2010 – “The Journey”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6
Audi 2010 Green Car Super Bowl Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq58zS4_jvM
Whale of a Tale – Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Super Bowl Career Builder Contest Ad 2010 Commercial
The U.S. auto market in January continued its recent strengthening trend, with overall sales just shy of 700,000 vehicles (698,456 vehicles) for the month rising by nearly 7 percent compared with 654,757 vehicles in a very weak January 2009. The seasonally adjusted light-vehicle sales rate ticked up to about 10.76 million units versus last year’s 9.59 million - and roughly in line with the firming picture of recent months.
Toyota was clearly the biggest loser in January due to its recalls and stop-sales order on eight of its bestsellers. Yet, January’s results varied widely for its top competitors that may have tried to take advantage of Toyota’s problems with special incentives meant to lure disaffected Toyota customers in particular.
Toyota’s January sales “were 23 percent below our internal target,” Robert Carter, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.’s group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division, said in a conference call Tuesday. That number insinuated that more than 20,000 lost sales were attributable to the recall and sales stoppage in just the last few days of January.
Toyota only escaped greater damage in January because it didn’t halt sales until January 26, when only four sales days were left in the month. And the toll on the Toyota brand, especially, has been heavy nonetheless: Sales were down more than 47 percent compared with December, and January sales ranked as the worst month for Toyota since January 1999.
“Toyota was clearly the biggest loser of the month,” said Jessica Caldwell, director of U.S. sales analysis for Edmunds.com. As long as the sales suspension continues, predicted Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Ray Zhou, Toyota-brand sales will drop by about 75 percent overall as long as the stop-selling order remains in affect.
As for Toyota’s competitors, results were mixed.
Ford continued its surge of recent months by reporting a 24-percent sales increase for January. The company credited its increasingly robust product portfolio, but Ford also dangled $1,000 rebates to current owners of Toyota models and of products by Honda, which is facing its own significant safety recall.
Hyundai, which launched a similar incentive program, saw its January sales rise by 24 percent over last year as well. Recently, Ford and Hyundai clearly have been the two hottest companies of the Big Seven of U.S. auto sales.
Meanwhile, General Motors – which first introduced a Toyota-targeting incentive – reported a 14-percent sales increase in January compared with a year earlier.
“What we responded to last week was feedback from our dealers who were hearing from Toyota owners who wanted to get into a new vehicle,” explained Susan Docherty, GM’s North American vice president of sales and marketing. “Our January go-to-market plan had been to focus on our loyal owners. So we needed to adjust our incentives” after Toyota’s troubles deepened, opening an opportunity for rivals.
Honda’s January sales, however, dropped 5 percent. It did nothing special to target Toyota owners. Meantime, Honda also had to cope with the fallout from its own announcement of a recall of 646,000 Fit/Jazz and City models, including 140,000 in the United States, because of a faulty window switch.
Overall, Edmunds.com’s Caldwell said, January was a rather tepid month. Strong incentive campaigns in December had “pulled forward quite a few” retail sales from January, she said. And the return of a relatively normal market for fleet sales in January helped comparisons of this year versus January 2009, when overall fleet sales were abysmal.
“The next big shopping weekend,” Caldwell said, “will be Presidents’ Day” in mid-February. “We should see month-to-month sales growth” for February from January, she said.
GM: Regaining Its Footing
Robust fleet business helped GM post a 14-percent overall sales increase in January compared with a year ago, to 146,316 units. Such is GM’s rising confidence that the company firmed up its official forecast of total U.S. light-vehicle sales for 2010, to a range of 11.2 million to 11.7 million units from the previous range of 10.7 million to 11.7 million units.
“The economic news continues to be mixed in the U.S., but there are increasingly positive signs of recovery,” said Michael DiGiovanni, GM’s executive director of global industry and market analysis.
But GM’s retail sales fell by 10 percent during the month as the company continued to cope with the nearly complete disappearance, by now, of its Pontiac, Hummer, Saturn and Saab brands from the marketplace.
“We were only selling four brands” in January versus eight a year ago, Docherty noted. The abandoned brands represented less than 2 percent of January sales and now account for less than 1 percent of dealer vehicle inventories. “We’re 10 months ahead of schedule on the wind-down of Pontiac and Saturn brands,” she said.
Meanwhile, fleet sales burgeoned in January. A year ago, GM sold only 13,000 vehicles to fleets; in part that was because the nation’s economy was in crisis, in part it was because the company had chosen to pull ahead about 25,000 fleet sales to December 2008 that had been scheduled for completion in January.
This January, fleet sales rebounded to about 42,000 units, comprising about 29 percent of GM’s overall sales for the month. That was above the 26 percent of sales that has been the average for the company over the last three years.
Still, the GM executives touted the relative progress they’ve been making in retail sales over the last several months, in large part due to strong consumer response to all-new or completely revamped models including the Chevrolet Equinox, Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Cadillac SRX and GMC Terrain.
“Our conquest rates are up” overall, Docherty said, “particularly in large products.” Moreover, she said, GM’s average incentive spending continues to decline while the industry’s continues to rise.
Ford: Sales Jump – Thanks To Fleets
January’s overall sales hike of 24.1 percent for Ford Motor Co. looks sensational, but an outsized increase in fleet sales ran interference for stunted retail sales, which dipped about 5 percent, Ford officials said.
Nonetheless, sales were up for all Ford brands (including a hefty 41-percent spike at Volvo) – and every Ford model posted a sales gain in January. The Lincoln division hiked sales by 16 percent and even the Mercury unit improved sales by 6 percent.
And Ford sales officials crowed that market share improved to 16 percent for the month, perhaps as much as 2.5 points better than January 2009’s figure.
But one has to look no further down the sales sheet than to the pre-Cambrian Ford Crown Victoria’s 91-percent sales jump, or the Ranger’s 47.3-percent climb, to know fleet buyers are back in the game after delaying purchases throughout a shaky 2009.
Fleet sales accounted for a hefty 37 percent of Ford’s 116,277 total sales in January – a figure double last year’s 18 percent but a ratio more closely aligning to what chief of U.S. industry analysis George Pipas says will be a “pretty normal” industry-wide fleet-mix average of around 22 to 24 percent in 2010.
Ford’s fleet-heavy sales mix did not go unacknowledged by Ken Czubay, vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service, underscoring the industry’s relatively meek month that seems to have palpably deflated hopes of putting together a consumer-rallying streak.
“January retail sales to (individual) customers were below our expectations,” Czubay said flatly. The current consumer mindset is all about the perception of there being good deals in the market, he added. In an unexpectedly strong December, Czubay said, buyers responded to what they believed were showrooms rich with attractive deals.
But January’s incentives were lower – at Ford and across the industry – so perhaps consumer perception about dissipating deals was “fueled a little bit by reality,” Pipas conceded. According to Edmunds.com’s proprietary True Cost of Incentives metric, Ford’s average incentive of $3,095 in January was up $55 compared with December, but the industry’s January TCI of $2,382 was notably lower than December’s $2,542, meaning an average of almost $200 less going to consumers.
In addition to the Crown Victoria and the Ranger, Ford’s top performers in January included the Fusion, gaining 49.3 percent, the Mustang, with a 61.2-percent improvement (possibly also fleet-driven) and the Focus, which climbed 33.7 percent.
Ford’s crossovers and trucks all gained, too, led by the Escape’s 28.6-percent increase, a 25.5-percent hike for the Edge and a 9.5-percent gain for the F-Series pickup. The old-school Explorer and Expedition even generated increases, 15.2 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively.
Although the Lincoln unit’s overall sales improved compared with January, 2009, the MKS and MKZ sedans were off by a troubling 16.6 percent and 14.2 percent, with the flagship MKS finding just 1,280 buyers. The MKX crossover rose 26.7 percent, though, and the Navigator somehow improved by 9.7 percent to 726 sales.
Mercury’s gain was driven by the 111.9-percent boost for the Grand Marquis (yes, grandma Mable, they still make it), a 12.1-percent improvement from the Milan sedan and 0.3-percent increase for the Mariner compact crossover. The rest of Mercury’s lineup consists of the Sable (nine units sold in Jan.) and the Mountaineer (-44.3 percent)
Toyota’s Not-So-Excellent January Adventure
Everyone knows the bad news for Toyota. The good news: it probably could have been worse.
Thanks, perhaps, to how late in the month the company’s recall of eight high-volume models came, Toyota’s January sales decline of 15.8 percent seems practically tolerable. Still, it was the company’s single worst sales month in 11 years.
Robert Carter, Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.’s group vice president and general manager, Toyota division, said the final tally of 98,796 sales was about “23 percent below our internal target.”
Since he also added that sales of the other 11 Toyota-badged model lines not affected by the recall tracked roughly as the company projected, almost all of the decline from last January’s 117,287 sales total seemingly can be attributed to customers turning away from the Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Tundra, Matrix, Avalon, Highlander and Sequoia.
The recall didn’t stop the RAV4 from posting a 6.4-percent increase for the month, but it was the only recalled model to break for positive ground. The Camry, 2009’s best-selling model, dropped 17.7 percent, the Corolla, along with RAV4 also in the U.S.’s top-10 best-selling models, declined 3.6 percent; the Matrix, based on the Corolla, already is out of production. Avalon plunged 51.7 percent to a mere 944 sales.
Of the recalled truck models, the usually consistent Highlander slid 15.7 percent in January, Sequoia dove 56.2 percent and the Tundra was off 40.2 percent.
Other trouble spots included the Scion unit, with each of the brand’s three models dropping by double digits, and the small-car swoon was augmented by a 10.3-percent decline for the Yaris.
Toyota’s bright spot for the month was the Lexus premium division: sales were up 14.2 percent, bucking a lengthy slide for the luxury unit. The improvement was fueled by the addition of the HS hybrid, which contributed an incremental 1,247 units to the Lexus’ 15,517 January sales. The ES midsize sedan (+6.6 percent) and the LS flagship’s 30.9-percent turnaround performance made the two the only Lexus passenger cars to post a gain, however.
On the truck side, Lexus’ GX stepped out with an enormous 163.8-percent increase, countered by a 5.5-percent drop from the always-strong RX crossover.
It all added to a market share of 14.1 percent, according to analysts at Edmunds.com, Toyota’s lowest share inat least four years.
Carter insisted that, for now, Toyota’s not concerned with the sales charts. Fixing the 2.3 million recalled vehicles is the company’s first and only concern at the moment, he said.
First, Toyota’s taking care of the customers who own the affected vehicles, “then we’ll get back in the sales business,” Carter said. “We have the best dealers in the country, and they’re going to prove it,” by doing the best job possible to attend to the recall, he added.
Honda Hangs In
Regardless of economic conditions, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. rarely has had to struggle to connect with customers, but the market seems to be insistent on making Honda work harder to monetize its historically enviable brand image.
January was another month that left Honda essentially treading water. Not that many automakers wouldn’t happily take Honda’s 67,479 sales, but the total left Honda down 5 percent compared with last January. And with a few exceptions, performance from individual models was underwhelming.
Sure, the Accord broke out to a fine 35.6-percent gain that amounted to 20,759 units sold. The Civic held its ground with a 12.1-percent improvement, too.
But Honda has to be wondering what’s going on with the once-hot Fit subcompact, sales of which have waned in recent months and dipped a fearsome 38.4 percent in January. The month is not known as one of the industry’s strongest, but even in that context, the Fit’s decline must be causing furrowed brows from Ohio to California to Tokyo.
The same can be inferred for the Insight hybrid; in January Honda moved just 1,307 of a vehicle initially projected to easily sell in the 7,500-per-month range. Unless gasoline prices balloon again sometime this year, the unloved Insight may have trouble hitting a quarter of the sales volume Honda envisioned.
The truck side of the business did not begin the year auspiciously, either. Every Honda-brand light truck was down for the month, led by the 33.4-percent slide for the Ridgeline, to a barely-breathing 738 units. The hoary Element trailed Ridgeline by two sales in January, a 30.8-percent slide. And even the dependable CR-V dropped a meddlesome 20.3 percent, while the blocky Pilot dropped 21.1 percent to sales of 4,865.
At the Acura upscale division, each of the brand’s three cars declined in January, led by the RL’s drop of 42.7 percent to an infinitesimal 110 units. Worryingly, perhaps, the midsize TL’s 1,986 sales outpaced Acura’s usual best-seller, the entry-level TSX, with just 1,806 sold in January, a drop of 18.7 percent compared with last year.
Acura’s MDX crossover was January’s saving grace, pushing to a 20.3-percent gain, while the RDX also had one of its better recent months, declining just 5.3 percent. Meanwhile, the all-new ZDX cross-whatever’s contribution of 172 sales can’t have too many Honda executives wondering what they’ll do with all the bonus money tied to Acura volume increases.
Nissan: Nose to the Grindstone
Nissan posted a 16-percent increase in sales in January, to 62,572 units compared with 53,884 units a year earlier. The results continued recent monthly gains for Nissan and moved the company at least temporarily into sixth place in overall U.S. auto sales, ahead of fast-dropping Chrysler .
At the same time, Nissan’s spending on incentives in January rose by an average of 14 percent per vehicle, according to Edmunds.com’s proprietary True Cost of Incentives formula. It rose about $200 to $2,455 from December 2009 to January, meaning that the company was still trying hard to “buy” sales in an overall January market that saw incentive spending ease.
“Nissan had a true sales increase,” noted Edmunds.com’s Caldwell, “but they had high incentive spending.”
The company’s gains were led by a 19-percent increase in sales of its Nissan brand. Sales of the Versa subcompact, for example, rose by 18 percent compared with a year earlier, to 5,914 units – setting a record for the month of January.
Other Nissan vehicles recording double-digit sales increases in January compared with a year ago were Armada, Maxima, Sentra, Altima and Frontier.
The Infiniti luxury marque struggled, however, with overall sales for January down by about 6 percent compared with a year ago in a U.S. luxury market that remains depressed. Sales of Infiniti’s M, EX and FX models plunged by high double-digit percentages compared with a year earlier.
Chrysler: Searching for a Platform
Chrysler is going to advertise its poor-selling Dodge Charger during the Super Bowl telecast on Sunday, the first time in several years that any of the company’s products or brands have made an appearance. But the modest buzz around Chrysler’s re-entry into the Big Game is about the only thing the company is doing these days that could be construed as good news.
January sales brought more dismal results. Chrysler Group reported total U.S. sales for the month of 57,143 units, a decline of 8 percent compared with a year earlier. For a month in which other major competitors posted sales increases, Chrysler’s poor showing plunged it to sixth place overall among the U.S. auto market’s Big Seven – now, behind Nissan and ahead of only Hyundai.
What’s more, Chrysler only tread water with the help of a big boost in fleet sales in January. “Chrysler is not getting a lot of retail interest in its vehicles right now, period,” said Edmunds.com’s Caldwell. “So until they get their new products out, or something to talk about, we can’t expect to see any positive results coming out of Chrysler – even with heavy incentives on their vehicles.”
The best highlight that Chrysler was able to muster was that its Dodge Journey crossover posted year-over-year sales gains in January for the third consecutive month. Also, the Jeep brand saw half of its lineup improve sales year-over-year, Chrysler said. And the Town & Country minivan saw sales jump by 6 percent while its Dodge Caravan counterpart saw sales rise 34 percent.
Meanwhile, sales of Chrysler’s once-stalwart 300 sedan plunged by 26 percent from a weak January 2009, and sales of its Charger and Dodge Challenger muscle cars declined by 47 percent and 39 percent, respectively.
“The company continues to make positive strides each month and that trend continued in January,” said Fred Diaz, president and chief executive officer of the Ram brand and lead executive for Chrysler’s overall sales organization. Diaz also pointed to Chrysler’s plans for “refreshed products and all-new models hitting the marketplace this year.”
Obviously, for Chrysler, they can’t come fast enough.
Hyundai: Bolts For The Front
With January sales of 52,626, the Hyundai Group (the Hyundai and Kia brands combined) is putting together a run that soon may take it past sputtering Chrysler Group LLC and bring it within sight of Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
Chrysler – the nation’s No. 6 seller – sold less than 5,000 units more than Hyundai in January. Nissan, despite its own 16.1-percent sales increase, sold less than 10,000 units more than Hyundai last month. Hyundai, with a string of new models in the pipeline, could give both traditionally larger rivals a genuine run this year.
After all, Hyundai has rarely been shy about incentives, but in January, its incentive levels, measured by Emdunds.com’s True Cost of Incentives index, averaged $2,096 per vehicle - almost $1,000 less than Chrysler’s ($3,061) and even markedly less than Nissan’s $2,455.
Hyundai’s potential surge is highlighted by the solid January breakout of the all-new 2010 Tucson, which bolted to 2,216 sales in an early-launch month. The number was a 128-percent increase over the old Tucson’s sales last January, Hyundai said.
Meanwhile, the Elantra compact car more than doubled sales, from 3,307 last January to 7,690 this year. The Accent subcompact also gained by a healthy 62 percent. The Genesis flagship improved by 58 percent. On the passenger-car side, only the building-out, current-generation Sonata lost ground, losing 62 percent.
Hyundai’s Santa Fe crossover gained by 43 percent, although the fullsize Veracruz dropped 66 percent to a paltry 401 sales.
In all, Hyundai sold 30,503 vehicles in January, while Kia kicked in with 22,123 sales.
Kia was led by a blistering performance from the new ‘11 Sorento crossover, which found 7,398 buyers in January, more than Toyota’s Highlander (4,478), double Nissan’s Murano (3,648), and more than Ford’s Edge (6,243).
Incremental gains for Kia in January’s flat performance include 3,732 sales of the compact Forte and 2,145 units of the Soul hatchback.
VW/Audi: Running a Strong, But Distant No. 8
As the Big 7 automakers jockey for position, Volkswagen-Audi ranks as the No. 8 manufacturer selling vehicles in the U.S., albeit a distant No. 8. Combined, the brands sold 24,529 vehicles in January, up 40 percent from 17,466 in January a year ago. That gives them 3.5 percent market share.
Volkswagen contributed the bulk of those sales: 18,019 vehicles for a 41-percent increase. January 2010 marked Volkswagen’s seventh consecutive sales month of growth.
“We are pleased by the strong start to 2010,” said Mark Barnes, Volkswagen of America chief operating officer. “It’s encouraging to see so many of Volkswagen’s newest models continuing to gain momentum in the marketplace — namely the CC, Tiguan, Golf and GTI.”
Of Volkswagen’s total, Jetta stood as the sales leader with 8,893 vehicles sold. CC sales soared 76 percent to 1,891 units. Tiguan sales skyrocketed 87 percent to 1,424 vehicles. The Routan minivan, made by Chrysler, had a 6 percent increase. Even the old New Beetle had a shopping 173 percent increase in sales that totaled 2,167 vehicles. The new Golf and GTI are just hitting the market. Passat sales, however dropped by a third. Volkswagen sold 2,447 diesels in the month.
Audi sold 6,510 vehicles for a 38-percent increase over a year ago, giving the Germany luxury brand added momentum after a strong December.
“Having ended 2009 on such a high note, it was important to ensure that our success was substantive and enduring,” said Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. “January sales figures reinforce the notion that our momentum is the byproduct of relentless innovation years in the making.”
Audi A3 sales jumped 106 percent, largely due to the availability of the A3 TDI clean diesel model. Audi had a strong month for diesels: half of A3 sales were diesels, 48 percent of Q7 sales were TDI. Audi said that level of demand far exceeds original expectations for TDI sales when Audi introduced the two models last year.
Sales of the Audi A4 sedan, the brand’s bestseller, rose 60 percent. Other A4 variants rose 34 percent. Audi A5 sales were up 74 percent to 1,051 vehicles; Q5 sales rose from last year’s 31, when it was just introduced, to 1,050 vehicles.
Audi still has its laggards. It sold a scant 52 units of the soon-to-be-replaced A8 for a 45-percent drop, only 43 R8s for a 60-percent decline, and 103 TTs for a 34-percent drop. A6 sales declined 35 percent to 507 units.
Mazda Holds Its Ground
Mazda North American Operations posted an essentially flat January, with sales up 1.8 percent to 15,694 vehicles. Mazda held 2.2 percent market share
The brand’s Mazda3 compact car was the volume seller at 7,368 units, but the number represented a 3.7-percent drop compared with January 2009.
Mazda’s top gainer in January was the CX-7 crossover, which increased 39.3 percent to 1,622 sales. The Mazda5 mini-minivan rose 21.4 percent and the Mazda6 sedan rounded out the brand’s improving sellers with a 14-percent gain.
Sales dropped a heavy 41 percent for the RX-8 sportscar to a demoralizing 92 total units, while winter was slightly kinder to the evergreen MX-5 roadster, which declined 15 percent. The Tribute compact crossover slid 42.1 percent and the fullsize CX-9 crossover dropped 12.8 percent.
Subaru: Records Shattered – Again
After a gravity-defying performance in 2009, Subaru continued to shatter its own records and sped past other makes by reporting a 28-percent sales increase over January 2009. Subaru sold 15,611 vehicles in January 2010, compared with 12,194 units sold in January 2009. That pushed Subaru’s market share to 2.2 percent, up from last January’s 1.9 percent.
January’s surge also allowed Subaru to clinch the No. 9 sales spot in the U.S., speeding past Daimler brands’ Mercedes and smart as well as BMW and Mini combined. In 2009, Subaru handily whipped Mercedes-Benz in sales but the BMW brand still sold more vehicles than Subaru. In 2010, Subaru outpaced both BMW Group and Daimler.
Leading the charge were Subaru’s newly redesigned Outback and Legacy, which posted their best January sales ever. At 5,467 sold in January, the Outbacked doubled sales from 2009. Likewise, Subaru sold 2,448 Legacy models, also double what it sold a year ago.
Forester sales retreated slightly – 4 percent – from its 2009 blistering pace. Impreza sales were off 15 percent; Tribeca sales fell 38 percent to a mere 256 units sold.
Daimler: Mercedes Gets No Help from Smart
Daimler AG eked out a narrow lead over rival BMW with Mercedes-Benz and smart sales totaling 15,436 vehicles, a 26-percent climb from a year ago that gave the company 2.2 percent of the U.S. market.
But smart was no help. The relative newcomer to the U.S. sold a scant 278 fortwo vehicles in January, an 84-percent plummet from the 1,776 sold in the year-ago January.
In contrast, Mercedes-Benz saw sales soar 45 percent to 15,158 vehicles. The C-Class returned as Mercedes’ volume seller – 4,028 sold for a 33 percent rise from a year ago. The new E-Class wasn’t far behind, knocking in 3,824 units for a 166-percent hike.
Also posting beefy double-digit increases were: S-Class; SL-Class; M-Class; G-Class; GL-Class; and GLK-Class. And Mercedes sold 436 Sprinter cargo vans, which previously was sold by Dodge but is no longer due to the split of Daimler and Chrysler.
Posting equally hefty double-digit declines were the CL-Class, CLK-Class, SLK-Class, CLS-Class and R-Class.
BMW Group: BMW, Mini Off to Good Start
The BMW Group, including the BMW and Mini brands, sold 15,410 vehicles in January, a nearly 8-percent increase from a year ago. That gave the BMW group a 2.2 percent market share.
In contrast to Daimler’s smart, Mini, which had its own struggles in 2009, came out of the doldrums, posting sales of 2,247 vehicles, up 8 percent from a year ago.
BMW sales rose nearly 8 percent to 13,163 vehicles. BMW car sales rose 15 percent. The new 7-Series chipped in 1,300 sales. Still, car sales were offset by 12-percent decline in SUV sales.
“Traffic in our showrooms was a bit sporadic this month, but combined with a strong December we are delighted to see a positive January gain,” said President of BMW North America Jim O’Donnell.
Mitsubishi Slides
Mitsubishi sold 4,170 vehicles in January, a slight decrease fro last year’s 4,730 vehicles. It’s market stood at 0.6 percent.
Mitsubishi said Galant sales rose 22 percent from a year ago, Endeavor sales were up 128 percent from then and Outlander sales were about even with a year ago.
Jaguar/Land Rover Sales Dip
Jaguar Land Rover North America was one of the few manufacturers to report lower sales this January than last. The company sold 2,589 vehicles, down 3 percent last January. The brands combined hold 0.4 percent market share.
The drop was caused by lower Jaguar sales. The automaker sold only 631 Jaguars, down 19 percent from 781 sold in January 2009. The Jaguar XK bucked the marque’s trend with sales up 41 percent to 138 units. Still the XF and XJ, which is being wound down, dropped.
Land Rover sold 1,958 vehicles, up 4 percent from a year ago. Ranger Rover Sport, for the second consecutive month, had a sales increase – 46 percent to 823 units. LR4 sales were up 12 percent. Range Rover and LR2 sales were down double digits.
Suzuki Plunges 44 Percent
Despite gains of 5 percent for the Grand Vitara crossover, 12 percent for the SX4 lineup and even a 97-percent jump for the Equator pickup, American Suzuki Motor Corp.’s total sales still dropped 44 percent compared with last January. Suzuki sold a total of 2,040 units last month for a 0.3 percent market share.
The tiny brand couldn’t overcome the 978 sales lost from the discontinuation of the Forenza/Reno line or the 1,000 units-plus gone with the XL-7 crossover.
Those losses could not be made up by the meager 197 sales for the all-new, recently launched Kizashi sedan, a performance that cannot be encouraging for Suzuki or its enthusiasts. The Kizashi went on sale in early December last year and sold 71 units in its first month on the market, so January’s 197 sales did represent a 270-percent month-over-month gain.
Panamera Sales Move Porsche Forward
After a rough 2009, Porsche sales edged higher in January compared with a year ago.
The sports car maker sold 1,768 vehicles in the U.S. for an 8-percent increase and a 0.3 percent market share.
The rise came on the strength of the new Panamera. Porsche sold 534 of them. Sales of the rest of Porsche’s models were down significantly.
“In this environment, we are very pleased with the sales performance of our new Panamera, which continues to build up market share,” said Detlev von Platen, Porsche Cars North America’s president and CEO. “Even though we see a small ray of sunshine in consumer confidence, the luxury car segment remains challenging, especially for sports cars.”
Once again this year the asking price for a Super Bowl 30 second spot is in the stratosphere. While down slightly from last year’s average of $3 million, this years average of between $2.6 – $2.8 million is still the most expensive advertising on television. A far cry from Super Bowl I in 1967 when the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Green Bay Packers and the cost of a 30 second commercial was just $37,500. The claim by CBS that a Super Bowl spot captures a larger audience than 250 regular TV commercials must be a good selling point, because inventory is almost sold out with beer giant Anheuser- Busch buying the most, at a five full minutes worth.
Long the playing field of only big auto, insurance and beverage marketers, a surprising entry onto this year’s roster is a spot from Dr. James Dobson’s Focus On The Family. Some controversy surrounding a spot from Audi has been filling the social media space and there is always speculation as to which ad will be the funniest or capture the most water cooler conversation on Monday.
Here is the ad schedule so far and a list of spending and audience stats from the first to most recent Super Bowl.
Anheuser-Busch InBev
Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Light
Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Stranded
Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Book Club
Bud Light Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Voice Box
Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Bridge
Budweiser Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Payment
Michelob ULTRA Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Little Bumps (Lance Armstrong)
SELECT 55 Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Ice Bottle
Audi Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Boost Mobile Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercials 2010
Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Whale of a Tale
Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Your Tires or Your Life
CareerBuilder Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Census Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Coca-Cola Super Bowl Commercials 2010
Coke Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Hard Times (The Simpsons)
Coke Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Sleepwalker
Denny’s Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Diamond Foods Pop Secret Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Dodge Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Doritos Super Bowl Commercials 2010
Dove Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Dr Pepper Super Bowl Commercial 2010
EA Super Bowl Commercial 2010
E-Trade Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Flo TV Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Focus On The Family Super Bowl Commercial 2010
GoDaddy Super Bowl Commercial 2010
HomeAway Super Bowl Commercial 2010
HP Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Intel Super Bowl Commercial 2010
kgb Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Kia Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Miller High Life Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Monster Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Motorola Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Snickers Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Teleflora Super Bowl Commercial 2010
tru TV Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Universal Orlando Harry Potter Super Bowl Commercial 2010
Getgoglasgow, which is the design collective of the two Masters courses at the Glasgow school of art (Design Innovation and European design) won the Audi Sustain our Nation competition and £10000 for the community we worked with.
We’ve been working with an area in Maryhill Glasgow called Wyndford to develop a sustainable social enterprise for their community. The project has been tough, with some great highs, and almighty lows.
For the group, it was a challenging project. This demanded a new role of the designer away from the solo author to the co-creator. We made it really clear at the beginning of the project to work with people rather than for them.
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The winning project was Green Gorillaz, a way to bring back community spirit and the community voice, using offline and online message boards, linked up by residents. We created some seed groups which will house events and see knowledge transferred across generations. It stems from the closure of their primary schools last year, and a real loss of community. They had come together to fight the decision, so we knew there were passionate local champs. We wanted to harness this and turn that energy into something positive.
But credit should go to everyone involved in the project, there were three projects developed from the same process. We held co-creation workshops with residents and stakeholders to generate ideas to take forward, but made sure at all points we were transparent and open about our process, returning to the community regularly to work with them again and develop proposals.
If design education should learn anything from this, is that building relationships takes time, and if projects like this are to be handed to students, proper training in community work, sustainable thinking and an understanding of ethics should be taught. We’ve struggled with the competition and institute deadlines. For example, after handing in the first three projects, we had to wait to see whether any had made it through to the regional finals. At this point, we decided as a collective to carry all of them on anyway, even though none might be taken forward.
Anyway, we’re down at the RSA on the 17th February to represent a ‘developed’ concept (we’re working to make it real and it starts tomorrow with a football pitch party at 10am where we’ll be feeding back to the community), and hopefully we can win another £10000 for Wyndford.
In the words of John Gray yesterday,
“bloody good for u……bunnets in the air !……mon the weegies “
Achtung! Be sure to move over when seeing this in your rear view mirror
The guys from Ingolstadt have been working very hard the past couple of years to ensure an unparalleled product for the Audi enthusiast. It’s no surprise then that the new S3 Sportback is nothing short of astonishing. Few cars hold a reputation as menacing as the Audi S3, with its alluring proportions and its hallmark Quattro system. The S3’s new design – DRL headlights on its front-end, rounded off by a bold, black front grill – gives it an unmistakeable road presence. These trademark features culminate in a malevolent glare that strikes fear into other road-users.
It employs the same 2-litre FSI motor found in the GTI but its been equipped with an array of upgraded components that guarantees a power output of 195kW and 350Nm, encouraging the S3 to obliterate the 0-100km/h mark in 5.8 seconds.
But it’s not just the impressive credentials that makes it a desired chunk of sheet metal, its the S-line exclusivity of owning a vehicle that comes in at a base price of R400 500.
Is that an Avant? The four doors and larger backside make it an ideal family carrier
Having an S3 is a like having your own personal Cobra rollercoaster – it handles like it’s on rails, it churns your stomach and makes you grind your teeth and, best of all, you get to ride it everyday.
In the world of branding, transmedia has still only played a relatively small part, though with huge potential. The foremost question that has to be put forward to brand managers is whether their brand has a story to tell. In current times though, however big the power of storytelling might be, brand managers are just not inclined to the idea of storytelling for their brands. Nor are they willing to take the risk of putting the baton in the hands of the consumer. They are more interested in selling their product rather than selling the concept of the product. Nevertheless, whenever a brand has a great story to tell, transmedia integration can really add value and radically change the ROI dynamics of the campaign
The best example of transmedia storytelling to date has been the art of the heist for the launch of the Audi A3. In 2006, Audi came up with a revolutionary ad campaign to promote its latest model in the A series. Call it alternate reality, call it transmedia storytelling but the Art of the Heist is termed as the biggest experiential marketing campaign in history. 45mn impressions and more than 500,000 consumers added their version of the story to make a gigantic plot for the original narrative.
A night before the biggest autoshow in America, where the Audi A3 was supposed to make its first appearance, the car gets stolen from the event. Security cameras showed the burglars break a window and drive the car away. This was the start of a 3 month campaign which led consumers to follow bits and pieces of the puzzle in various mediums, none of them totally giving it away. The story was littered with sub plots and random leakages of information led to an infinite combination of solutions that a consumer could reach depending on the mediums they had come in contact with. The events happened in real time so not only could the audience watch the myriad of information related to the heist flowing in, they could also influence it in the smallest possible way. The whole campaign felt like an online movie, where the audience could choose their level of involvement.
From a famous and wanted Art collector, to a renowned game developer to a master thief, the characters added depth to the campaign. The attention to detail was meticulous and hence people kept guessing whether this was a game or for real. Careful attention was given to the authenticity of the information being seeded into the campaign. The hard core audience who were running background checks or delving deeper to find more info to solve the mystery always met with information backed by authentic data. The companies being mentioned in blogs and discussed in communities actually existed. Those companies already existed in the yellow pages with complete legitimate addresses and phone numbers. Ads for those companies had already been posted in magazines and newspapers well before the start of the campaign to build realness for the campaign. Backdated emails, photos, documents, maps and plans of the heist, telephone conversations, text messages and video logs were being revealed at opportune times through the mediums most suitable for their delivery and as the campaign progressed, the complex web of information made sure that the audience had several if not infinite possibilities to choose from.
Even though movies, tv series and narratives have been using the services of transmedia to both broaden the horizon and make use of the long tail to extend the effectiveness, Art of the Heist was the first time a brand had taken leverage from this unique concept. More recently the TV series Heroes has taken the idea to a new level. The nbc microsite is the center point or the aggregator of all information related to Heroes. So its not the TV series which is in the middle of it all or leading the story, even though it is still the most powerful way to further the narrative, but it’s the microsite which amalgamates the various parallel stories. Several characters from the movie run live blogs about micro details in the story which don’t have enough place in the 1 hour episode on TV. Meanwhile, elements from the story have a parallel life of their own. For example, the TV series follows a comic book artist who can draw the future and one of the characters figures out his future through the comic book. On the microsite though, the comic book becomes bigger than what it is on TV. Back dated issues of the comic complete the puzzle as to what led to the current issue of the comic revealing the future of the hero. Audiences are pulled into the experience by getting involved and taking the story forward in the comic books. Alternate endings or connecting the thread in the comics to the story on TV are what helps build a community where the story keeps growing and becomes more intricate with every new user added to the mix. There are multiple other parallel plots and sub plots taking place in the form of webisodes which people can forward to their friends. Biographies, history and conspiracy theories related to the characters being revealed only in special radio episodes. Often new characters are added to the mix which never find their way into TV but twist the story in all kinds of tangents on parallel mediums.
in part 3 of this article i will be talking about the Pakistani perspective on transmedia and some pitfalls which need to be avoided if transmedia storytelling has to work for brands
The U.S. auto market in January continued its recent strengthening trend, with overall sales just shy of 700,000 vehicles (698,456 vehicles) for the month rising by nearly 7 percent compared with 654,757 vehicles in a very weak January 2009. The seasonally adjusted light-vehicle sales rate ticked up to about 10.76 million units versus last year’s 9.59 million - and roughly in line with the firming picture of recent months.
GM: Regaining Its Footing
“The economic news continues to be mixed in the U.S., but there are increasingly positive signs of recovery,” said Michael DiGiovanni, GM’s executive director of global industry and market analysis.
Ford: Sales Jump – Thanks To Fleets
In addition to the Crown Victoria and the Ranger, Ford’s top performers in January included the Fusion, gaining 49.3 percent, the Mustang, with a 61.2-percent improvement (possibly also fleet-driven) and the Focus, which climbed 33.7 percent.
Toyota’s Not-So-Excellent January Adventure
The recall didn’t stop the RAV4 from posting a 6.4-percent increase for the month, but it was the only recalled model to break for positive ground. The Camry, 2009’s best-selling model, dropped 17.7 percent, the Corolla, along with RAV4 also in the U.S.’s top-10 best-selling models, declined 3.6 percent; the Matrix, based on the Corolla, already is out of production. Avalon plunged 51.7 percent to a mere 944 sales.
Honda Hangs In
But Honda has to be wondering what’s going on with the once-hot Fit subcompact, sales of which have waned in recent months and dipped a fearsome 38.4 percent in January. The month is not known as one of the industry’s strongest, but even in that context, the Fit’s decline must be causing furrowed brows from Ohio to California to Tokyo.
Nissan: Nose to the Grindstone
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Chrysler: Searching for a Platform
What’s more, Chrysler only tread water with the help of a big boost in fleet sales in January. “Chrysler is not getting a lot of retail interest in its vehicles right now, period,” said Edmunds.com’s Caldwell. “So until they get their new products out, or something to talk about, we can’t expect to see any positive results coming out of Chrysler – even with heavy incentives on their vehicles.”
Hyundai: Bolts For The Front
After all, Hyundai has rarely been shy about incentives, but in January, its incentive levels, measured by Emdunds.com’s True Cost of Incentives index, averaged $2,096 per vehicle - almost $1,000 less than Chrysler’s ($3,061) and even markedly less than Nissan’s $2,455.
Audi sold 6,510 vehicles for a 38-percent increase over a year ago, giving the Germany luxury brand added momentum after a strong December.
After a gravity-defying performance in 2009, Subaru continued to shatter its own records and sped past other makes by reporting a 28-percent sales increase over January 2009. Subaru sold 15,611 vehicles in January 2010, compared with 12,194 units sold in January 2009. That pushed Subaru’s market share to 2.2 percent, up from last January’s 1.9 percent.
last year’s average of $3 million, this years average of between $2.6 – $2.8 million is still the most expensive advertising on television. A far cry from Super Bowl I in 1967 when the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Green Bay Packers and the cost of a 30 second commercial was just $37,500. The claim by CBS that a Super Bowl spot captures a larger audience than 250 regular TV commercials must be a good selling point, because inventory is almost sold out with beer giant Anheuser- Busch buying the most, at a five full minutes worth.
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