Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Mercedes adjusting GLK model mix, options list to kickstart sales?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/mercedes-adjusting-glk-model-mix-options-list-to-kickstart-sale/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/mercedes-adjusting-glk-model-mix-options-list-to-kickstart-sale/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/13/mercedes-adjusting-glk-model-mix-options-list-to-kickstart-sale/#commentsFiled under: , ,


2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK - Click above for a high-res gallery of images

Mercedes-Benz plotted the sales course of its distinctively-styled GLK crossover last summer, back when there were still a lot of people ordering their new rides with all available options. With that in mind, they shipped over boatloads of optioned-up GLKs whose MSRPs were north of $40,000, well above the model's $34,775 base price. Fast forward to January of 2009, and people want their new cars with fewer add-ons, maybe even just one or two frills. That has translated into optioned-out GLK models sitting around around on lots.

According to AutoWeek, in order to redress the issue, Mercedes has created new option arrays that give the consumer more choices for less money. Instead of having to order the Premium 1 Package to get a sunroof, for example, buyers will now be able to buy the sunroof separately and keep their bottom line lower by $1,700. Navigation will now also be available as a standalone $1,800 option instead of being bundled with the Multimedia Package, saving $1,550. As a nice touch, those who already purchased their GLK in the last two months are eligible for a $2,000 refund.


Gallery: 2010 Mercedes-Benz GLK 350


[Source: AutoWeek]

Mercedes adjusting GLK model mix, options list to kickstart sales? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car buyingCarBuyingcrossovercuvglkmercedesmercedes-benzmercedes-benz glkMercedes-benzGlkoptionsrebaterefundMon, 13 Apr 2009 18:29:00 EST<![CDATA[Automakers limiting options to reduce costs]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/automakers-limiting-options-to-reduce-costs/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/automakers-limiting-options-to-reduce-costs/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/02/16/automakers-limiting-options-to-reduce-costs/#commentsFiled under: , ,

With sales at a 26-year low, the Detroit 3 are trying almost anything to reduce costs and make more money from the cars they are selling. One of the biggest changes coming apes what some of the more successful Japanese makers have done all along: offering fewer configurations of their models. If you want leather, you option up for the higher-spec model and get the sunroof, two-zone climate control, larger wheels, and steering-wheel-controlled MP3 stereo system too. Soon, you'll see a similarly simplified menu in domestic showrooms.

According to the Detroit Free Press, offering fewer combinations allows automakers to cut engineering, design and marketing costs, which are frequently larger than even the manufacturing costs for a vehicle. One example is the 2010 Ford Fusion. The 2008 Fusion offered no fewer than 2,600 combinations between the different trim levels, option packages and stand-alone options. That number will be slashed to just 104 for someone shopping the 2010 model. To put that in perspective, someone looking at a 2009 Honda Accord can pick from about 20 versions. It's basically coupe or sedan, automatic or stick, LX or EX trim levels, with the EX available with leather and/or navigation, and either the four-cylinder or the 3.5L V6. That's it. Compared to a typical Chrysler, which might have had as many as 10,000 combinations in the past, the new system will keep things simple in an attempt to streamline the domestics' offerings.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Automakers limiting options to reduce costs originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car buyingcar buying trendsCarBuyingCarBuyingTrendscombinationsconfigurationsdetroit 3detroit threeDetroit3DetroitThreeoptionsMon, 16 Feb 2009 18:34:00 EST<![CDATA[2010 Toyota Corolla, Matrix get standard stability and traction control]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/2010-toyota-corolla-matrix-get-standard-stability-and-traction/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/2010-toyota-corolla-matrix-get-standard-stability-and-traction/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/01/24/2010-toyota-corolla-matrix-get-standard-stability-and-traction/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

It's not every day that you get more for the same money. Yet that's what Toyota is offering with the 2010 Corolla, which will come with traction control and vehicle stability control and no price increase over the outgoing model. The MSRP of that car remains $15,350 for the base model 5-speed sedan. The Matrix also adds the two features as standard, but the price on the CUV goes up by $201, to $21,960. Both cars will arrive in dealer showrooms at the end of February, and for more pricing info you can check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading 2010 Toyota Corolla, Matrix get standard stability and traction control

2010 Toyota Corolla, Matrix get standard stability and traction control originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car buyingCarBuyingcorollacrossovercuveconomyfeatureshatchbackmatrixoptionssedanstability controlStabilityControltoyotatoyota corollatoyota matrixToyotaCorollaToyotaMatrixtraction controlTractionControlvehicle stability controlVehicleStabilityControlSat, 24 Jan 2009 11:04:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford slashing F-150 customization by 90 percent]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/18/ford-slashing-f-150-customization-by-90-percent/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/18/ford-slashing-f-150-customization-by-90-percent/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/18/ford-slashing-f-150-customization-by-90-percent/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,


Click on the pic above for our high-res 2009 Ford F-150 gallery

As staggering as it may seem, the 2008 Ford F-150 pickup can be ordered in billions of different combinations. That's all going to change for 2009. In an effort to reduce complexity and cut spiraling costs in the process, Ford will be slashing the number of possible F-150 configurations by 90 percent. The automaker isn't leaving the rest of the lineup alone either. The Ford Expedition goes from 250,000 combos down to fewer than 10,000. The 2009 Lincoln MKS debuts with about 300 combinations, and the 2010 Ford Focus will offer only about 150, which is 95 percent fewer than the current model. Are you in the market for a 2009 Ford F-150 and worried that you won't be able to get it exactly the way you want? Don't fret, Ford will still offer more than 9 million combinations for next year's model, including a brown one we presume.

Gallery: 2009 Ford F-150


[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Ford slashing F-150 customization by 90 percent originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009 F-1502009F-150configurationscustomizationF-150FordFord ExpeditionFord FocusFordExpeditionFordFocusLincoln MKSLincolnMksoptionsreduce optionsReduceOptionsMon, 18 Aug 2008 13:33:00 EST<![CDATA[Carmakers reducing options, saving money]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/carmakers-reducing-options-saving-money/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/carmakers-reducing-options-saving-money/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/31/carmakers-reducing-options-saving-money/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



If you're in the market for a Focus sedan, the question is, exactly what kind of Focus will you buy? According to Ford's option sheets, there are 100,000 different combinations you can create. Eighty percent of Focus sedan sales, however, are comprises of just 4,000 of those combos. This glut of choice has increasingly become an issue that translates into lost money, unhappy customers and overwhelmed dealers for the Big Three, and now they're going to trim the options tree.

Ford's new marketing chief Jim Farley has said, "Coming from Toyota, I can tell you that the opportunity is there to reduce the complexity of our line-up." Toyota cars are not known for an obscene wealth of choice, although Nissan has found itself with too many choices on the Maxima and Altima, and has cut them down recently. Meanwhile, the domestics are working to figure out how to rationalize the choices they offer -- and the money they spend on them -- with the need to give people want they want.

Ford is doing it by shrinking the number of "buildable combinations of the 2008 Focus by 99 percent." Chrysler has reduced its own complexity by a claimed 93-percent over the last two years by jettisoning options. And GM's global platform strategy aims to severely curtail the expense of developing and building a car. Said marketer John Tulloch, the manufacturers can win this fight "if the savings are used to improve remaining models and reduce sticker prices." We can only hope.

[Source: Yahoo]

Carmakers reducing options, saving money originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>car buyingCarBuyingdealer optionsDealerOptionsdealersoptionsoptions listOptionsListMon, 31 Mar 2008 18:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford nixes "equipment combinations" on 2009 models]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/18/ford-nixes-equipment-combinations-on-2009-models/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/18/ford-nixes-equipment-combinations-on-2009-models/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/18/ford-nixes-equipment-combinations-on-2009-models/#commentsFiled under: ,

Part of Ford's revised business strategy is to make it easier for both dealers and consumers to get a hold of the vehicles they want. As such, Ford is implementing a plan that will reduce the number of options on its models so buyers aren't overwhelmed with choices and dealerships can stock up on the most popular models packing the most sought after equipment.

The plan is make more of the optional equipment standard and Ford is looking into what buyers want so it can outfit the vehicles accordingly. Aside from giving customers the options they desire, it means that dealers won't have stale product collecting dust on the lot. Mark Fields cited one of the most egregious offenders, the Lincoln LS (discontinued in '06), as being available in some 50,000 different configurations -- unfortunately, none of which involved a manual and a V8.

The move seemed to get a fair amount of support from dealers when it was announced at the NADA conference and Ford hopes to keep pace with other automakers that have been doing this for decades. The simplified options list will make its debut later this year on Ford's 2009 models sold in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Ford nixes "equipment combinations" on 2009 models originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Feb 2008 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2009fordford optionsFordOptionsoptionsMon, 18 Feb 2008 07:34:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford tries simply offering what people want]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/30/ford-tries-simply-offering-what-people-want/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/30/ford-tries-simply-offering-what-people-want/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/30/ford-tries-simply-offering-what-people-want/#commentsFiled under: , ,



At the prodding of Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Co. is relenting and giving its customers what they want. At least most of them. What Ford's up to is reducing the number of options for buyers to choose from and rolling all that goodness into the standard package. By reducing the number of possible variations on the general theme, production costs decrease. With fewer configurations, things move more smoothly at the assembly level, and engineering and management costs decrease, as well. The effort has already kicked off, and it will snowball from model to model, making it easier for customers to get what they want, and increasing the odds that dealers will have the cars customers want on their lots. The simplification effort is a step that can be enacted quickly; a lot faster than bringing over a platform from somewhere else. It's all part of an effort to chip away at the losses and return black ink to the ledger. More stuff, packaged the way we like it? Sounds like a win.

[Source: Auto News - sub req.]

Ford tries simply offering what people want originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>alan mulallyAlanMulallyequipmentfordoptionspackagingreductionsalessimplificationsimplifystandardTue, 30 Oct 2007 10:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Time Waster of the Day: Maserati GranTurismo configurator]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/23/time-waster-of-the-day-maserati-granturismo-configurator/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/23/time-waster-of-the-day-maserati-granturismo-configurator/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/23/time-waster-of-the-day-maserati-granturismo-configurator/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


This is how this writer would take his GranTurismo... how would you like yours?

Oh, how these fancy online car configurators are fun. And time-sapping. The Veyron's, as you may recall, is stylish and serene, but even with the new options coming out there's still not a lot to chose from, two-tone paint schemes notwithstanding. Maseratis, meanwhile, are decidedly nowhere near as exclusive as Bugattis. The MC12 might have come close, but that supercar was offered in one color scheme and with little to no options whatsoever. The Trident marque's more "mainstream" models, meanwhile, offer buyers a seemingly endless array of color choices.

The configurator for the new GranTurismo recently went online. Head over to GranTurismo.Maserati.com and you can fantasize you're a customer spec'ing out your own GT, choosing from a seemingly endless spectrum of colors for every detail big and small, both outside and in, including the paint, brake calipers and wheel finish on the exterior, and just about every swath of leather and trim inside. Then check out your selection from every angle. All that's missing is a changeable backdrop of the marina, golf course and five-star hotel to see how it'd look in its element.

[Source: Maserati]

Time Waster of the Day: Maserati GranTurismo configurator originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>colorcolourconfiguratorgrangtmaserationlineoptionsspecificationsturismoMon, 23 Jul 2007 20:03:00 EST<![CDATA[Pretty Colors: Bugatti offers new rims n' trims for Veyron]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/08/pretty-colors-bugatti-offers-new-rims-n-trims-for-veyron/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/08/pretty-colors-bugatti-offers-new-rims-n-trims-for-veyron/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/08/pretty-colors-bugatti-offers-new-rims-n-trims-for-veyron/#commentsFiled under: ,

Let's admit it: playing around with the customizing tools for cars you never intend to buy is fun. Although the Veyron's is one of the nicer ones we've tinkered around with, the lack of choices gets boring pretty quick, two-tone paint schemes notwithstanding. Fortunately the good folks at Bugatti - those same good folks who brought us the 1000hp ultra-mega-über-super-car - have decided to bestow upon us a few more criteria to tinker with. Alright, maybe it's more for the actual customers, but since there won't be another Bugatti model coming anytime soon, as we sorrowfully reported several months back, we'll take what we can get.

Future buyers ponying up the million clams it takes to put a Veyron in their (undoubtedly immaculately paved) driveways will now be offered several new choices: a few new color combinations, some new leather trim options for the interior, and colored wheels. The latter will likely please individualistic buyers the most, as a 250-mph supercar can't take just any wheels the aftermarket has to offer.

Reports also suggest that Bugatti is working on a revised exhaust system following client feedback that the exhaust note was not sufficiently impressive, muffled as it were by the four turbochargers (!) and whatnot.

If anyone needs us, we'll be spending the next little while sorting out our new preferred Veyron specs.

Gallery: Bugatti at Geneva 07



[Source: Spiegel Online via German Car Blog and Motor Authority]

Pretty Colors: Bugatti offers new rims n' trims for Veyron originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bugattichoicecolorconfiguratorcustomizeoptionswheelsSun, 08 Jul 2007 15:03:00 EST