Maker resists reported jump of up to $1 mil for 30-second spot.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.18, 2012
GM marketing czar Joel Ewanick, shown with the Chevrolet Volt.
In the latest in a series of surprise moves, General Motors has decided to boycott next January’s Super Bowl advertising extravaganza in protest over a huge increase in advertiser rates.
The decision follows word that the maker will also pull its ads off Facebook, the social media site that is today on its way to what could be the largest IPO in U.S. history. But insiders say GM is weighing more heavily than ever the perceived payoff for its estimated $4.5 billion ad budget, backing out of purchases that might deliver a halo but relatively little in terms of actual results.
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“We continue to understand the value the Super Bowl provides,” said GM marketing spokesman Pat Morrissey, “but with the continued increase in price we just can’t justify it,” he said confirming a report in the Wall Street Journal itself attributed to the maker’s marketing czar Joel Ewanick.
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Tags: Chris Perry, auto ads sports, auto advertising, auto news, car news, general motors super bowl, gm facebook, gm marketing, gm news, gm super bowl, gm superbowl, joel ewankick, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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“Playing offensive,” says NA Pres. Reuss.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.18, 2012
GM shakes up its sales management ranks in advance of launching critical new products like the Cadillac XTS.
You might want to pick up a scorecard to keep up with all the changes as General Motors shuffles the key players in its sales operations. The moves are timed to prepare for a host of critical new product launches coming over the next 18 months, including replacements for the makers aging full-sized pickups.
The realignment also suggests the maker wants to build up more momentum after a few months of lackluster sales. While it has been gaining ground in the retail market overall GM sales fell behind the rest of the industry in March.
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GM North America president Mark Reuss said Alan Batey, 49, has been appointed to the newly created position of GM vice president, U.S. Sales and Service, reporting directly to Reuss. Other changes include:
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Tags: Cadillac ATS, Cadillac XTS, GM management, GM sales, Mark Reuss, alan batey, auto news, car news, gm news, gm realignment, gm shake-up, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.18, 2012
The calculator shows most drivers will need 5 years to recover the added cost of the Toyota Prius C.
The recent run-up in fuel prices led to a surge in demand for hybrids like the Toyota Prius, which has been selling at record levels. Yet sales of gas-electric vehicles still lag well behind what proponents keep forecasting, accounting for barely 3% of the overall U.S. new vehicle market.
Why? Well, that’s a matter of some debate, but for many potential buyers the issue is one of cost. While there are a few models that carry no premium for their advanced powertrains – such as the Lincoln MKZ – most hybrids are more expensive than comparable models using gas power alone. In some cases, the premium can be substantial, $5,000 or more.
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And so, while those hybrids might quickly save you money on gas, it can take years to break even on your up-front investment – what industry types call the “payback period.”
Or will it? A new calculator created by the National Transportation Research Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is designed to make it easy to calculate your fuel savings – and determine the payback period.
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Tags: Ford Fusion Hybrid, auto news, buick lacrosse eassist, car news, escalade hybrid, hybrid calculator, hybrid cars, hybrid payback, hybrid savings, hybrid vehicles, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, toyota Prius C
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“Silver Ghost” headed for the silver screen.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.18, 2012
Director Martin Scorcese is set to turn to the Rolls-Royce saga.
With his long list of successful films, you might Martin Scorcese to be riding to work in a Rolls-Royce, but it seems he plans to make his next film about the classic luxury brand – or, more precisely, about its early years and the people who transformed Rolls into as much a legend as an automobile company.
Best known for violent, if thought-provoking works like Raging Bull and Goodfellas, Scorcese occasionally has been known to take a turn towards romantic period pieces, such as Age of Innocence and last year’s acclaimed Hugo. So, don’t expect a lot of explosions and violence when the 69-year-old director teams up with Britain’s Lord Attenborough – himself best known for the Academy Award winner Gandhi.
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Nonetheless, it has all the makings of a classic melodrama, with illicit love affairs, fancy costumes and did we mention it just might have an explosion or two?
The film is set to follow the lives of founders Charles Rolls and Henry Royce but seems ripe for the melodramatic touch thanks to the illicit love affair between Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and his secretary Eleanor Thornton. Don’t recognize her name? She wound up serving as the model for the “Spirit of Ecstasy” that sits atop the bonnet – as the Brits prefer it – of every Rolls-Royce.
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Tags: auto news, charles rolls, henry royce, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, rolls-royce, rolls-royce film, scorcese rolls-royce, scorcese silver ghost, silver ghost, silver ghost film, spirit of ecstasy, thedetroitbureau
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Automaker prices hybrid model below the Toyota, says it will be more efficient.
by Bryan Laviolette on May.18, 2012
The Ford is taking aim at the Toyota Prius v with the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi.
Ford is taking direct aim at the Toyota Prius v with its new C-MAX Hybrid, announcing that the vehicle would provide better fuel economy and have a lower base price when it goes on sale as a 2013 model.
The company said dealers are not taking orders for the C-MAX, which it says will be the most fuel efficient of a new breed of vehicles it is calling hybrid utility vehicles.
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In addition to the hybrid model, later in the year, Ford will introduce the C-MAX Energi, a plug-in hybrid, which it also claims will be more efficient in electric-only mode and have a longer electric driving range than the coming Prius plug-in hybrid.
The C-MAX Hybrid will carry a base price of $25,995, although the company did not say if that includes destination charges.
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Tags: TheDetroitBureau.com., Toyota Prius, Toyota Prius plug in Hybrid, auto news, bryan laviolette, car news, ford c-max, ford c-max energi, ford c-max energy, ford c-max hybrid, plug-in electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid, prius v, toyota prius v
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Lexus hybrid quietly slips into oblivion.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2012
Oh, they're not building it anymore?
You might not have noticed. Indeed, it seems pretty much everyone but the folks on the assembly line missed the fact that the Lexus HS250h went out of production back in January.
And no surprise. Even at its launch in mid-2009 normally upbeat U.S. officials for the Toyota luxury brand were already making apologies for what was billed as the first dedicated Lexus hybrid. It was cramped and slow, with a strangely laid-out interior that hardly supported the marketing claim that it was a high-mileage luxury car.
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Consumers all but ignored the Lexus HS250h, sales plunging to a marginal 2,864 last year, down a whopping 73% from 2010’s already anemic numbers.
Lexus allowed the HS to go gently into the automotive equivalent of that good, dark night and its departure might not have been noticed had it not been for a question posed by Inside Line.
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Tags: Lexus hybrids, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, car news, lexus HS250h, lexus es300h, lexus gs450h, lexus hybrid reviews, lexus reviews, luxury hybrids, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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U.S. showrooms will get Chevy version of V-8, rear-drive Holden VF Commodore.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2012
Chevy confirms it will add this new Australian-made, rear-drive sedan to its line-up as the SS in 2014.
Chevrolet’s performance portfolio is about to get a bit bigger. General Motors’ largest brand has confirmed it will bring a version of the new Australian-made Holden VF Commodore to the States where it will be sold as the limited-edition Chevy SS.
The long-rumored rear-drive, V-8-powered SS will reach U.S. showrooms in 2014, Chevrolet officials confirm. But potential buyers will get a good look at the new offering ahead of time, the new model debuting at the 2013 Daytona 500 in its role as the maker’s new NASCAR Sprint Cup racecar.
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“As a passionate race fan and performance enthusiast, I am thrilled that Chevrolet will deliver a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR racecar in the SS that is closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “The Chevrolet SS is a great example of how GM is able to leverage its global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience that extends beyond the track. I am personally looking forward to driving it.”
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Tags: Chevrolet Camaro SS, Mark Reuss, auto news, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet ss, chevy impala ss, chevy news, chevy ss, corvette ss, gm news, holden commodore, holden news, holden pontiac, holden vf commodore, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, pontiac GTO, thedetroitbureau, zora arkus-duntov
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Rivals go at it over Facebook.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2012
Anyone who spends even a little time online knows that things can get heated when discussions on social media sites turn to controversial subject like sex, religion or Chicago v New York pizza. But this week’s big flame war pits Ford against General Motors over GM’s decision to pull an estimated $10 million in advertising off of Facebook because it was generating “insufficient” results.
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The timing of GM’s move was “curious” according to one media observer, coming just days before the 800-pound gorilla of media sites was set to launch its much-anticipated Initial Public Offering. That IPO is expected to raise more than $11 billion and set the value for Facebook at $100 billion – more than the current $74 billion market capitalization of GM and Ford combined.
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Tags: auto news, car news, chrysler facebook, facebook, facebook advertising, facebook auto ads, ford news, gm facebook, gm facebook advertising, gm news, online advertising, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, social media advertising, thedetroitbureau
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Plants a Fiat 500 in front of regional VW HQ in Google Maps.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2012
That's a Fiat 500, not the VW Up! in front of the German maker's Swedish HQ.
Automakers normally take their marketing efforts quite seriously, not surprising when you consider the billions of dollars at stake. But every so often, a little humor creeps in – such as the Tweets Ford has been sending out about General Motors’ decision to stop advertising on Facebook.
Fiat, it seems, took a more creative approach to “punking” its rival Volkswagen AG.
Search for the German maker’s Swedish headquarters using Google Street View and parked right in front of the main door and you’ll find a little Fiat 500.
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Exactly how the stunt was pulled off isn’t clear. The two makers have their offices fairly close to one another but the challenge is knowing when the Google camera car rolls by. Apparently, once the Fiat folks figured that out they quickly got into position and posed.
The folks at Tecca.com first spotted the gag and noticed that the red Fiat 500 tagged along for a while, positioning itself in several other street scenes.
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Tags: Fiat 500, auto news, car news, fiat 500 vw, fiat google street view, fiat news, fiat vw, fiat vw gag, google street view fiat 500, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vw news
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New study shows “adverse results” from increasing ethanol use.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.17, 2012
Pumps serving up the new E15 blend must display this warning label to motorists.
A new study suggests the federal government’s decision to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline could have “adverse results,” which several industry trade groups say translates into the likelihood it could wreck some engines.
Federal regulators last year upped the percentage of ethanol it wants used in gas from 10% to 15% — what’s known in the trade as E15. While many of today’s vehicles can handle that and even go up to an 85% blend of the alcohol-based additive many trade groups, as well as classic car owners, howled in protest, warning that the increase might cause damage to older vehicles.
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They also cautioned that other gas-powered machines, such as marine engines, lawn mowers, generators and chainsaws could be damaged.
A new study by the Coordinating Research Council, or CRC – a trade group supported by eight major global automakers – warns that the critics are right. While the make-up of the CRC might lead some to question its motives, and thus its findings, the study was actually conducted by FEV, a company that has long served as a consultant to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Tags: alcohol fuel, auto news, car news, coordinating research council, crc, e85, e85 damage, e85 engine damage, e85 study, epa e85, ethanol, ethanol study, nascar ethanol, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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