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[REPORT: Fiat surprised by Chrysler's condition, new business plan coming in November]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/17/fiat-surprised-by-chryslers-condition-new-business-plan-coming/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/17/fiat-surprised-by-chryslers-condition-new-business-plan-coming/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/17/fiat-surprised-by-chryslers-condition-new-business-plan-coming/#commentsFiled under: ,



Bad news travels fast. That old adage was first coined hundreds of years before the Internet, and we'd say the phrase holds more true than ever in the age of Twitter, Facebook and, well, Autoblog. We're but one of many car sites that have mentioned the dearth of new product coming out of Auburn Hills, Michigan over the next couple years, but someone forgot to tell Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. The Pentastar's new chief executive reportedly told reporters in Frankfurt this week that he was "surprised" at how little was going on over at Chrysler the past 24 months. Surprised? Really? Did Marchionne actually ask Chrysler brass which new products were hitting the streets in 2010 and 2011?

As a result of the dearth of product, Marchionne and his team are going back to work on Chrysler's business plan, with a new plan to be announced sometime in November. Marchionne told Automotive News that the management team had to be "absolutely clear about what we want to do with Chrysler and where the organization is going to be in five years."

Car Concepts Automotive analyst Todd Turner told CNN that he too had a hard time believing that Marchionne was blissfully unaware of Chrysler's plight, adding that Marchionne is using the extra time to announce drastic actions to right the Pentastar ship. Turner went as far as to say that Chrysler could pull the plug on the slow-selling Chrysler brand all together within the next five years or perhaps simply rebadge Fiat models as Chrysler products. That would leave Fiat's Detroit operations with the Dodge and Jeep brands.

Chrysler's newest beast master paid precisely zero dollars (or Euros or Lira or gold cougerans) for its pet project, and Marchionne reiterated that Fiat intended to keep it that way. Marchionne added that he didn't plan any outside investments for Chrysler but added that if total sales in the U.S. market don't hit about 11 million units in 2010, Chrysler may have to close more plants. We're just hoping Chrysler can make it through the next couple of years to actually get to the point where it is selling rebadged Fiats.

[Source: CNN Money | Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty]

REPORT: Fiat surprised by Chrysler's condition, new business plan coming in November originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chryslerchrysler productChryslerProductdodgefiatjeepproductsergio marchionneSergioMarchionneThu, 17 Sep 2009 11:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Porsche studio wins iF Product Design Award]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/31/porsche-studio-wins-if-product-design-award/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/31/porsche-studio-wins-if-product-design-award/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/31/porsche-studio-wins-if-product-design-award/#commentsFiled under: ,

Porsche fanatics recognize the German sportscars for their engineering, less so for their design, which changes very little from one successive model to another. The company's merchandising design studio, however, is being recognized for its design prowess with another iF Product Design Award.

The product for which Porsche Design is being honored is the Worldtime P'6750 on which we reported earlier. The watch features an innovative movement, enclosed in a very Porsche-like minimalist case, that uses two windows to display the time in a second time zone and which time zone is being displayed, which can be switched at the push of a button.

This isn't the first time Porsche Design is winning the award, having taken home the prize seven times before. The citation is awarded by the International Forum Design and will be awarded this coming March at the CeBit Information Technology show, which is taking place concurrently with the Geneva auto show in nearby Hanover, Germany.

[Source: TimeZone.com and Porsche Design]

Porsche studio wins iF Product Design Award originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>awarddesigniFporscheproductwatchworldtimerMon, 31 Dec 2007 16:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Autoblog Podcast #74]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/16/autoblog-podcast-74/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/16/autoblog-podcast-74/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/16/autoblog-podcast-74/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

We've managed to get some sense of a normal schedule back for the podcasts, and here's number 74. Within, we discuss Ford Sync's newly announced price tag, whether it's worth it and what type of "Easter egg" features may be lurking. In other news, JD Power recently announced that Buick had tied Lexus for the top spot in the 2007 dependability ratings. It looks like a 3 year old Buick is a better investment than ever - also filling out the top 5 were Cadillac and Mercury.

Setting aside our pride over the domestic US manufacturers seeing actual results, we turn our attention to a beleaguered Brit - Jaguar. The XF was snagged without camo, and the rear view the shots afforded was encouraging, and answered some questions. It also raised a few more, and our most nagging question is what's underneath. Moving on, and staying foreign, we touch on VW's tasteful product placement in the Bourne Ultimatum, and the rumors surrounding a Toyota/Fuji lash-up for a revival of an AE-86 style car. Coming home again, if in brand alone, we wrap up with the Chevy Aveo 5 and its extra-full plate of hideous. The 'cast will only take up 40 minutes of your time, so come back next week for seconds!

SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
LISTEN to the show now
ADD the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator

Autoblog Podcast #74 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ae86autoblogbournebuickcadillaccamodependabilityelectronicsfordjaguarjd powerJdPowermercuryplacementpodcastproductspysubarusynctoyotavolkswagenThu, 16 Aug 2007 09:32:00 ESTAutoblog Podcast #74Dan Roth39:35aveo, chevy, toyota, subaru, fuji, ae86, bourne, product placement, volkswagen,jaguar, xf, buick, lexus, jd power, dependability, ford, sync<![CDATA[With marketing like this: Jeep paid $3 million for placement in the film "Sahara" - yeah, "Sahara"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/22/with-marketing-like-this-jeep-paid-3-million-for-placement-in/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/22/with-marketing-like-this-jeep-paid-3-million-for-placement-in/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/22/with-marketing-like-this-jeep-paid-3-million-for-placement-in/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Making feature films is an imprecise business. Marketing is an imprecise science. Put the two together, and you get things like Chrysler paying $3 million to get the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited showcased in the 2005 film Sahara.

The big budget blockbuster opened at number one, but turned into a big dusty flop that lost $78 million. If Jeep didn't get any positive halo association from the film, it can be happy that it's Wrangler wasn't seen getting stuck in or cut from the film altogether. As one producer who wrote to the film's execs put it, "You can't have the truck get almost stuck. I would bet that Jeep will have a heart attack when they see that. They want to show how well the Jeep handles and responds -- not that it will get stuck in a tough situation." At another point, the same producer told the director he couldn't cut a scene he was having a problem with, saying simply "Can't cut. Jeep to pay 3 million."

Chrysler's other movie partnerships have included Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life (Jeep), and Firewall (Chrysler 300C), none of which burned up the box office. Still, if you're a fan of Sahara and want to help Jeep recoup its money, you might still be able to order a special edition Wrangler at the Jeep Sahara site.

[Source: Detroit News]

With marketing like this: Jeep paid $3 million for placement in the film "Sahara" - yeah, "Sahara" originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>chryslerjeepplacementproductsaharaSun, 22 Apr 2007 12:21:00 EST<![CDATA[Ford's $80 million marketing blitz for the Edge: Will it work?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/19/fords-80-million-marketing-blitz-for-the-edge-will-it-work/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/19/fords-80-million-marketing-blitz-for-the-edge-will-it-work/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/19/fords-80-million-marketing-blitz-for-the-edge-will-it-work/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Ford will be spending $80 million dollars on a marketing blitz to educate the public on its new Edge CUV. Now we all know how important the Edge is to Ford's fortunes, so a monster marketing budget isn't a big surprise. A large portion of the monies will go to MSN.com, which is setting up the URL ideasfromtheedge.msn.com to host a website community that alerts visitors to events in 25 cities that will promote the Edge. In the deal, MSN.com is reportedly guaranteeing an undisclosed amount of traffic to the site, which it will likely generate through ads and editorials on its home page and MSN Autos.

More after the jump.

[Source: AdAge]

Continue reading Ford's $80 million marketing blitz for the Edge: Will it work?

Ford's $80 million marketing blitz for the Edge: Will it work? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Dec 2006 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingcampaignedgekelismarketingmsnmsn.comproductTue, 19 Dec 2006 14:58:00 EST