Detroit flexes its muscle: Mustang, Challenger, Camaro face off again
For the first time in 26 years, the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger will face off head-to-head-to-head as new models, The Detroit News reports. General Motors Corp. begins building the 2010 Camaro today at its Oshawa Car Assembly plant in Canada. Ford Motor Co. will start rolling out redesigned 2010 Mustangs from its assembly plant in Flat Rock later this month, and Chrysler LLC's Dodge brand will introduce new retro colors such as B-5 blue for Challengers built at the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario. The last time these cars were true muscle cars at the same time was in 1974, when "Blazing Saddles" was in theaters, Hank Aaron still trailed Babe Ruth in total home runs at the start of the season and President Richard Nixon was battling the Watergate scandal.
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GM recalls vehicles to fix shift lever problem
General Motors Corp. is recalling about 277,000 vehicles because of a potential defect in the shift lever that could cause a vehicle to roll away, The Associated Press reports. GM says the recall involves 2009 model year versions of the Buick Enclave; Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR, Malibu and Traverse; GMC Acadia; Pontiac G5 and G6; and the Saturn Aura and Outlook. A GM spokeswoman says about 75,000 vehicles have been purchased. The rest are at dealerships. No crashes or injuries have been reported. In some cases, the shift lever and the transmission gear's position may not match, meaning a driver could move the shifter to the park position but the transmission gear may not be in park. A vehicle could roll away and crash or have problems restarting.
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Dual-Clutch technology seen as 'transmission of the future'
During the seventh International Car Training Institute (CTI) Symposium for Innovative Automotive Transmissions in Berlin, over 40 percent of participants responding to an on-site survey predicted dual-clutch technology will be the leading transmission by the year 2020. Other transmission technologies, including conventional step-ratio automatic, continuously variable, manual/automated manual, and completely new systems only rated 10 percent - 15 percent each among participants. Approximately 1,000 transmission experts from around the world participated in the symposium.
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The importance of service in today’s economy
Why it pays to go the extra mile to help your customers on the rough road ahead
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Internet driven accessories sales – Strategies and best practices for success in a down economy
Tips and practices to generate additional profits with Internet driven accessories sales
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Maintaining A/C, cooling systems more critical
When you think of drivability issues, the proper function of the A/C and cooling systems is probably the last thing on your mind. In addition, global warming is one of the “hot” issues of our day, and refrigerant emissions — both direct and indirect — are coming under increased scrutiny by a variety of regulatory agencies. This month, Motor Age is taking a look at just a few of the concerns you may find showing up in your shop.
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CentralDispatch: Majority in survey source inventory online
Auction activity
Online transportation company CentralDispatch Monday announced results of its inaugural auto dealer survey revealing that the majority of CentralDispatch dealer members use online auctions to source pre-owned inventory from around the nation, with only a small minority relying primarily on local auctions to source vehicles. Other survey results suggest that dealers may be using national online auctions due to the increased speed and reliability, and decreased cost of transporting vehicles with the help of online resources, including CentralDispatch.com, the company says.
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Audi joins Carfax Service Link program
Carfax announced that Audi of America has joined the Carfax Service Link program, which connects participating dealerships with potential customers by turning service information reported to Carfax into free advertising on Carfax Vehicle History Reports. Audi dealerships can participate in Carfax Service Link at no cost.
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AkzoNobel a corporate sponsor of new Ford Paint, Body Center
AkzoNobel has invested with the Ford Customer Service Division to assist in building Ford Motor Co.'s new Paint & Body Technology Center. The state-of-the-art facility is part of the Wallis Technical Center located in Detroit, Michigan. Primary activities performed at the facility include crash development and testing, fabrication, paint and composites, special vehicles, vehicle noise-vibration-harshness testing and refinishing and collision services.
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Survey: Vehicle owners and shops want repair information
A nationwide survey of randomly chosen car owners and independent repair shops illustrates a strong desire for Congress to act quickly and pass "The Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act," according to supporters who released the results last week. A survey of 800 consumers and an additional 800 independent repair shops concluded that 82 percent of the car owners favor The Right to Repair Act, with 65 percent "strongly" favoring its passage. And, an overwhelming 94 percent of decision-makers at independent repair favor passage of the bill.
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Parts & service upgrade for VehicleXpress DMS
PowerSports Xpress Management last week announced the addition of a Parts and Service module to their VehicleXpress Dealer Management System, adding the ability to track all parts inventories and service requests within a dealership at all locations. Service or warranty requests can be entered into the system, technicians and work bays selected, time allotted and service codes entered all through the intuitive interface and kept close track of, according to the company. Customer service history can also be tracked to find recurring issues or schedule service reminders.
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Suzuki endorses DMEautomotive as service reminder vendor
DMEautomotive, a multi-channel automotive marketing provider, announced that American Suzuki Motor Corporation has selected it as one of their endorsed dealership service marketing vendors. The company says Suzuki dealers in the United States will be able to now use DMEautomotive’s wide range of service retention and reactivation marketing solutions to effectively communicate with customers throughout the dealer-customer lifecycle.
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Industry veteran Jeff Rachor joins MPi Industry Advisory Council
Mobile Productivity, Inc., (MPi), a provider of profitability tools for auto dealer service departments, announced that automotive retail veteran Jeff Rachor, has joined the MPi Industry Advisory Council. Rachor is CEO of MSD Automotive Partners, LLC and the former President of Sonic Automotive. The Council was formed in March 2007 and is comprised of top dealers, veteran factory executives and automotive industry experts to provide auto industry input into the strategic product and marketing direction of MPi. Current members include Richard Gallio, David Vallone, Kip Killmon, Paul Rubin, Dennis Noonan, Bill Lovejoy, Richard Sherman, Joe Hilger, Maureen Sullivan Martin, Joe Herman, Tony Noland and Ernest H. Pomerantz.
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Protecting your most valuable asset. . . Your customer
Understanding what it takes to keep customers in tough times
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No lead left behind
Following up with Internet leads and unsold prospects using a virtual BDC
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How to endure, survive and even thrive in tumultuous times
Is that what you and your store(s) need at this very moment? The knowledge of how to endure in these tumultuous times? The ability to survive in these tumultuous times? And can you imagine…a plan to even thrive in these tumultuous times?
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