Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[GM FastLane Blog responds to NY Times: Saturn still viable]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/07/gm-fastlane-blog-responds-to-ny-times-saturn-still-viable/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/07/gm-fastlane-blog-responds-to-ny-times-saturn-still-viable/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/09/07/gm-fastlane-blog-responds-to-ny-times-saturn-still-viable/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,



We don't get it. Saturn has done an amazing job transmogrifying itself into a productive division for The General, and people are wistful for the Saturn of yore? In internet parlance, WTF? Three years ago, it would have been apt to predict that Saturn would be nearly done circling the drain by now and well on its way to the same fate as Oldsmobile. What has in fact happened has been an impressive brand renaissance, invigorated by GM's smart utilization of its global operations. Jerry Garrett opined in the September 5th Wheels section of the New York Times that GM's realignment of Saturn amounts to quietly smothering the brand with a pillow and then swiping its identity. Saturn's communications director Kyle Johnson shot back a reply on the GM FastLane blog, and it all makes for fascinating reading.

We'd like to point out that global asset and platform sharing has been going on for decades at GM. It's really no big thing that Saturn is selling Opels. Heck, the Chevette was an Isuzu Gemini, and who can forget the final Pontiac LeMans? Platform sharing has been going on for a very long time at all of the big three, we're not sure why Saturn's excercise of the practice is such news to Jerry Garrett. Kyle Johnson delivers a pretty good dope-slap of a reply, too. It's always entertaining when the fur flies on the interweb.

[Source: GM Fastlane]

GM FastLane Blog responds to NY Times: Saturn still viable originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 07 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blogfastfast lanefastlanegarrettgermanygmjerryjohnsonkylelanenew york timesNewYorkTimesopelplatformsaturnsharingtimesFri, 07 Sep 2007 11:32:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/983359/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/09/07/gm-fastlane-blog-responds-to-ny-times-saturn-still-viable/983359/article-detail.xml 983359 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/saturnvsnytimes_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/09/saturnvsnytimes.jpg <![CDATA[Manhattan Project: Proposal seeks to shut down NYC traffic]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/11/manhattan-project-proposal-seeks-to-shut-down-nyc-traffic/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/11/manhattan-project-proposal-seeks-to-shut-down-nyc-traffic/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/11/manhattan-project-proposal-seeks-to-shut-down-nyc-traffic/#commentsFiled under: ,

Anyone who's ever driven into or through Manhattan knows what a nightmarish experience it can be, with gridlock congestion and a lack of available parking spaces. Jim Gehr wants to make it even tougher in the hope of drastically reducing traffic altogether by further reducing parking, shutting down the biggest intersection, and increasing green space.

Gehr is the urban planning consultant whose plans have already been famously (or infamously, depending on your perspective) imposed in London, as well as Copenhagen, and he's proposed similar policies for Stockholm, Oslo, Edinburgh, Cape Town, Zurich and Melbourne. His plans for Manhattan would include shutting down Times Square to almost all traffic, while eliminating parking on some avenues in favor of wider sidewalks to accommodate park benches and sidewalk cafes. The result would be a more pedestrian, cyclist and public transit-oriented Manhattan.

While some elements in the city are opposed to the idea, he appears to have the ear of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the municipal transportation department wants to hire him as a consultant, and several prominent civic and commercial organizations have his support, as well. If Gehr gets his way, Project Gotham Racing might be the closest we'll ever get to driving Manhattan's streets ever again.

[Source: NY Daily News via Kicking Tires]

Manhattan Project: Proposal seeks to shut down NYC traffic originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bloomberggehrjimmanhattanmayormichaelnewproposalsquaretimestrafficyorkWed, 11 Jul 2007 11:02:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/937417/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/07/11/manhattan-project-proposal-seeks-to-shut-down-nyc-traffic/937417/article-detail.xml 937417 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/manhattan-traffic_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/07/manhattan-traffic.jpg <![CDATA[More proof of Jeremy Clarkson's literary genius]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/02/more-proof-of-jeremy-clarksons-literary-genius/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/02/more-proof-of-jeremy-clarksons-literary-genius/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/02/more-proof-of-jeremy-clarksons-literary-genius/#commentsFiled under: ,

It is well known that the inimitable Jeremy Clarkson has a way with words. Especially when they're uncomplimentary. In fact, as a measure of how much his wit can hurt, when Clarkson actually does give a compliment, a carmaker might simply be happier about not getting roasted than about getting a good review.

The London Times has posted a dozen delicious lines from various Clarkson reviews for those who need a gleeful laugh to round out their Saturday. You don't even need to be told who wrote them, because who couldn't identify the scribe in question from the scent of just this one line: "If you were to buy a 6-series, I recommend you select reverse when leaving friends' houses so they don't see its backside." (BMW 645 Ci, #11).

One of the great things about Clarkson is that he doesn't spare any carmaker his thoughts on everything. The Ferrari 599 (#12) and Maserati Quattroporte (#1) take their lumps alongside Kia (#3) and Perodua (#5). One of our favorites: "I'm choosing the words for my conclusion with even more care than usual. So here goes. The 1-series is crap." (#2) As always with Clarkson, it's well worth more than just one read.

Thanks for the tip, Tom!

[Source: London Times]

More proof of Jeremy Clarkson's literary genius originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Jun 2007 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clarksondozenjeremylondonreviewstimesSat, 02 Jun 2007 14:28:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/908778/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/06/02/more-proof-of-jeremy-clarksons-literary-genius/908778/article-detail.xml 908778 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/clarkson_12_lines_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/06/clarkson_12_lines.jpg <![CDATA[The Rolls Royce of marketing strategies]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/20/the-rolls-royce-of-marketing-strategies/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/20/the-rolls-royce-of-marketing-strategies/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/20/the-rolls-royce-of-marketing-strategies/#commentsFiled under: ,

Most carmakers produce automobiles for a wide variety of customers and adjust their marketing strategies accordingly. While a Viper may be used to promote the brand, Dodge isn't trying to sell one to the same customer considering a Caliber, for instance. A handful, meanwhile, only market to the über-rich. Brands like Ferrari and Bentley may come to mind, but compared to the crème-de-la-crème marques like Bugatti and Rolls Royce, they're a dime a dozen.

Rolls Royce, as was recently revealed in the Los Angeles Times, only targets potential customers who have liquid assets in excess of $30 million. That segment wouldn't be considered a mass market, and so the way Rolls Royce sells a car is markedly different from how, say, Dodge would.

[Source: LA Times]

Continue reading The Rolls Royce of marketing strategies

The Rolls Royce of marketing strategies originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>angelesdealershiplalosmarketingnetworkrollsroycesalestimesTue, 20 Feb 2007 18:36:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/815471/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2007/02/20/the-rolls-royce-of-marketing-strategies/815471/article-detail.xml 815471 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/02/rr-spirit_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2007/02/rr-spirit.jpg <![CDATA[GM addresses Friedman's editorial - Take two]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/16/gm-addresses-friedman-s-editorial-take-two/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/16/gm-addresses-friedman-s-editorial-take-two/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/06/16/gm-addresses-friedman-s-editorial-take-two/#commentsFiled under: ,

Once again Steven J. Harris, General Motors' VP of Global Communications, has posted on the company's FastLane Blog a response to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman's most recent op-ed piece on the giant automaker. And again, Harris takes Friedman to task by pointing out that HUMMER sales account for less than half of one percent of vehicle sales in the U.S., and that less than 7,000 H2s have been sold this year and only 138 H1s, the latter of which will be discontinued this month anyway. As we also noted in our a previous post, the rebates GM is offering on 2006 model large SUVs that Mr. Friedman seems to think is a subsidy for gas-guzzling is actually, according to Harris himself, just GM trying to move what's left of last year's model.

While we're with Harris on these first two points, we hesitate to follow him down his path of reasoning that explains the "shameless federal loophole" that Friedman claims many automakers used in the past to make it possible to sell less fuel-efficient vehicles without being penalized by the E.P.A. Harris refers to the "loophole" as a "public policy incentive that actually did what it was supposed to do" and got flex-fuel vehicles on the road. By his reasoning, either the cars or the fuel had to come first, and this legislation paved the way for E85-capable vehicle to be mass-produced. The only reason why ethanol-based fuel hasn't been such a hot commodity until now is because high gas prices are finally encouraging the public to consider alternatives, which wasn't the case 5-10 years ago.

Despite one's feelings about the efficacy of E85, it is a good thing that there's already a fleet of 5 million vehicles on the road ready to accept the alternative fuel as soon as production and distribution catch up with demand. However, Mr. Harris doesn't explain exactly how the aforementioned legislation encouraged his employer and others to produce flex-fuel vehicles. Without knowing exactly what incentive was offered to automakers, it's impossible to judge whether or not the cost of putting FFVs on the road has been worth it.

[Source: GM FastLane Blog]

GM addresses Friedman's editorial - Take two originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Jun 2006 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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