Chrysler plans three new Dodge vehicles, considers pickup
Chrysler Group LLC plans to introduce three new Dodge vehicles and is considering building a midsize pickup truck as it looks to rejuvenate its product portfolio and attract customers, The Wall Street Journal reports. The details are the first to emerge from Wednesday's five-year business-plan meeting at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. Chief executive Sergio Marchionne intends to spell out how Chrysler will drive sales under his leadership. Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat SpA, took over Chrysler in June after the company filed for bankruptcy protection. "All expectations both internally and externally will be met," Marchionne said before the start of the six-hour press conference Wednesday. More than 300 people are attending the event. Chrysler Chairman C. Robert Kidder said there is no more "business as usual." "After five months and several board meetings, the board's confidence that Chrysler will re-emerge as a strong competitor" is stronger than ever, Kidder said.The Dodge cars will include an all-new compact model along with a subcompact hatchback and a midsize sedan. These cars will be introduced in 2012 and 2013.
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GM, Ford report sales gains as economy perks up
General Motors Co. reported its first monthly sales increase in nearly two years on Tuesday and Ford Motor Co. also racked up gains in October, providing further evidence that the U.S. economy appears to be on the mend, The Detroit News reports. Overall vehicle sales were level with last October's totals, ending a streak of year-over-year declines as the market continued its slow climb out of the steep downturn that began in 2008. On an annual basis, last month's selling rate was 10.5 million cars and light trucks, compared with 10.82 million a year ago and 9.22 million in September, according to Autodata Corp. October sales provided a good measure of consumer demand because sales weren't distorted by incentives or depleted inventories, as in the previous two months.
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November Dealer magazine out in digital format
.jpg?i=110609144615) Read the November issue of Dealer magazine now
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GM calls off sale, keeps Opel
General Motors Co.'s board of directors Tuesday voted to keep its German carmaker, Adam Opel GmbH, instead of selling it to Canada's Magna International Inc. and its Russian partner, Sberbank, The Detroit News reports. The board based its decision, in part, on an improved business environment in Europe and GM's overall financial health and stability since emerging from bankruptcy court after receiving about $50 billion in federal aid. Those two factors gave GM confidence "that the European business can be successfully restructured," President and CEO Fritz Henderson said. Opel and its British Vauxhall operations are key parts of GM's global product development system and account for the bulk of GM sales in Europe.
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Edmunds: Incentives decline as old inventory clears out
Edmunds.com estimated Monday that the average automotive manufacturer incentive in the U.S. was $2,468 per vehicle sold in October 2009, down $329, or 11.8 percent, from September 2009, and down $209, or 7.8 percent, from October 2008.
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Cars.com to kickoff marketing plan with Super Bowl XLIV ad
Third year at the big game
Cars.com will once again kickoff its 2010 marketing campaign with an advertisement on Super Bowl XLIV, which will air on CBS on February 7, 2010. This is the third consecutive year that Cars.com will advertise in the Big Game. The cost was not disclosed.
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Streamlined Chrysler vehicle logo cleared for takeoff
 On the eve of Chrysler Group LLC's post-bankruptcy debut, the U.S. Patent Office approved a new streamlined logo that compresses the winged symbol that Chrysler vehicles have used since the mid-1990s, the Detroit Free Press reports. Instead of the Chrysler lettering running above the wings, the new logo has the Chrysler name imprinted in the middle of the wings. The design is a bit reminiscent of the old Ford Thunderbird logo and not much different from Aston Martin's trademark. Photo credit: Chrysler
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Toyota pulls out of Formula One
In the wake of one of its more competitive seasons in Formula One, Toyota announced today it would no longer compete in the globetrotting racing series, The Los Angeles Times reports. The cost-cutting decision by the world's largest auto manufacturer comes after the company posted its largest financial loss in May. Toyota failed to win a grand prix in its eight seasons in Formula One and actually apologized to its fans for its limited success. Toyota's exit makes it the third auto manufacturer to leave the sport in less than a year. Last December, Toyota's Japanese rival, Honda, withdrew from F1. BMW competed in its final grand prix Sunday, and on Monday, Bridgestone announced it would no longer supply tires to the series after 2010.
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