Autoblog

Autoextremist offers up unvarnished Brand Image Meter

Jeff Sabatini — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Humor

"Hot. Cold. Neutral. Pathetic." Those are the four brand descriptors professional Detroit auto industry provocateur Peter De Lorenzo applies to 40 major automotive brands in his latest Autoextremist rant.

If you've been reading De Lorenzo's stuff for any length of time, you've probably heard all this before, many, many times. But the column still has its share of nuggets, like, "Alfa Romeo: The brand that for the most part exists as a figment of Sergio Marchionne's considerable imagination," and "There's absolutely no reason in the world for this vehicle to exist other than to assuage Henrik Fisker's considerable ego."

De Lorenzo's ire isn't reserved just for executives, as he ridicules Ferrari for being "frickin' greedy," calls Lexus the "Eddie Haskell of the luxury auto space" for its vanilla approach, ridicules Mazda for its "nonsensical and flat-out dumb" Skyactiv branding campaign, and tags Volvo as "the brand for people who question why the even bother to own a car anymore."

While the column doesn't actually rank all the brands, it does quite predictably say that Porsche and BMW sit at the top of the heap, with Jeep and every other successful luxury marque making up the second tier. At the bottom of the pile? Well, that's a crowded place in the mind of the Autoextremist, but that crowning achievement of failure can only be awarded to Smart. Indeed, De Lorenzo forgot to even include that brand on his list.

Autoextremist offers up unvarnished Brand Image Meter originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 Jun 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peter De Lorenzo takes on auto industry in 140 characters or less

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:03:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Humor

The Autoextremist, Peter De Lorenzo, has done his best for "the minions, the gamers, the coddled and the entitled" who want an update on the auto industry but don't want to bother actually reading about it. You know the folks - the ones who write "summarize plz" or "Cliffs Notes?" in a comment thread because they can't be bothered taking the time to figure out what happened.

Done something like Abrose Bierce's Devil's Dictionary but in the space of a tweet - that being no more than 140 characters, and 32 tweets in total - De Lorenzo covers just about every major carmaker and a few other subjects to boot. General Motors' marketing, but not the company itself, gets two tweets, and electric cars also get a double-dip. Not one for restraint, tweets include "Electric Cars: A niche wrapped in an enigma in search of decent batteries and a sustainable infrastructure. Other than that, it's all good." Click the link for more... Hat tip to Chris

[Source: Autoextremist]

Peter De Lorenzo takes on auto industry in 140 characters or less originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will Chrysler make Ram its fourth brand?

Chris Shunk — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Chrysler, Dodge

2009 Dodge Ram - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Over the past dozen years, the domestic auto industry has worked hard to shrink its brands to more reasonable levels. Gone are Eagle, Plymouth, Pontiac and Oldsmobile and some would speculate that Mercury should have joined the extinction club long ago. Of course, Ford has sold off Jaguar, Land Rover and Austin Martin, while GM is in the process of jettisoning Saab, Hummer, Saturn, and Opel.

However, if Autoextremist's Peter DeLorenzo is to be believed, the Chrysler portfolio could grow instead of shrink. DeLorenzo says he's hearing rumblings around Motown that Chrysler could break off the Ram from the Dodge, with the truck line becoming a dedicated brand. Doing so would make Dodge a car outlet, while the Ram brand would be all trucks, all the time, including the Dakota.

We don't get how this could possibly be a good idea, considering Chrysler's financial position and struggling sales. Why spend money marketing a new brand, while asking battle-weary dealers to invest in more signage and differentiated floor space? At this point, its just speculation and we're hoping it stays that way.

Gallery: Review: 2009 Dodge Ram

[Source: Auto Extremist]

Will Chrysler make Ram its fourth brand? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Jul 2009 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoextremist welcomes Alan to the fold

Damon Lavrinc — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Ford

The major news media is awash in pundits and "experts" who have argued every conceivable angle of the Ford/Mulally CEO switcheroo. Most seem to have little to substantiate their opinions, while others just seem to enjoy some seat time under the newsroom lighting. Thankfully, more sources are available beyond the realm of "traditional media" and Peter M. DeLorenzo decided the best way to address the future of Ford was to write an open letter to its newest helmsman.

We're only two days into this, and even we are getting tired of the speculation and conjecture, but DeLorenzo's take is easy to digest. By breaking down what issues need addressing and how Mulally should go about setting up shop (practically telling him the proper placement of his letter opener), the Autoextremist's focus is set squarely on the near future.

The daunting task is to begin with Mulally dumping the "amicable boss routine" and jump in with tempered ruthlessness. A benevolent dictatorship may not be the most P.C. operation, but it gets things done and done right. After that it's all about product. Revive Lincoln to its former glory (please!), unleash the pent-up talent laying at your disposal, bring Ford back to the main stage by getting your hands dirty in motorsport at a level that rivals the company's achievements in the 60's. Kick ass, take names and bring the pain.

We want it. The public wants it. And the U.S.needs it.

BTW, for a counter to DeLorenzo's assertion that the aerospace and automotive biz are mutually exclusive entities, check out Jalopnik's retort.

Autoextremist welcomes Alan to the fold originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Sep 2006 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM heading for Black Tuesday next week?

Stuart Waterman — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM, Earnings/Financials

There seems to be a growing groundswell of rumors centering around a possible restructuring of GM's worldwide engineering staff. Reuters reports GM Europe as denying Thursday that it would announce engineering job reductions next week, apparently responding to this article in the Detroit Free Press, which forecasts a "Black Tuesday" next week for GM engineers in its North American operations.

According to the Free Press article, engineers at the GM's Tech Center in Warren, Michigan, believe that their jobs will be cut next Tuesday, and the evidence is pretty clear that something's going on. An unnamed GM executive calls it a "right-sizing" of engineering groups in both the U.S. and Europe.

Industry insider Peter DeLorenzo reports that engineering staff reductions will impact GM's central engineering operations in Warren, Milford and Pontiac, Michigan. DeLorenzo calls the layoffs "inevitable," as GM evolves from a predominantly U.S.-centric company to a more global operation.

[Sources: Reuters, The Detroit Free Press, AutoExtremist.com]

GM heading for Black Tuesday next week? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Mar 2006 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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