Subaru’s Canadian sales exploded last year, surging 10.9 per cent. All that growth despite an uninspired marketing plan. Subaru spends piles of money sponsoring triathlons and rallies. No one cares about triathlons and rallies, other than triathletes and rally geeks. All that growth despite a relatively modest spend on sales sweeteners. Astonishing. Subaru grew despite …
Car companies play the long game on fuel efficiency and electrication
Pump prices are low, but the car business plays the long game on fuel efficiency and emissions, so the parade of cleaner and “greener” vehicles continues. Car companies play this game because they must. Their business plans must balance consumer demand with macroeconomic conditions (interest rates, overall employment, commodity prices and such) and a long …
VW is making diesel-gate worse, not better
What a shock it must have been this week when U.S. government officials delivered a massive smack-down to VW executives who clearly fail to fathom the depth and breadth of their diesel-gate dilemma. Make no mistake, VW’s problems are not going away quickly or inexpensively, and the company’s leaders are making things worse. Their arrogance, …
After an automotive lifetime of struggles, Volvo is back
The pain now appears over for Volvo cars. Volvo turned the corner in Canada and around the world in 2015. In Canada, after seeing sales plunge from 2012 to 2013 to 2014, Canadian Volvo sales jumped 7.2 per cent (to 4,788) in 2015. Globally, Volvo sold 503,127 units in 2015 — the first time Volvo …
January 26, 2016 | Commentary, First on the Grid 1 Comments (0) |
Chrysler designers lose their ‘privates’ to an impatient boss under enormous pressure
File this under “So, you wanna work for this guy? Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, reports Automotive News, says the Chrysler 200 did not get a Consumer Reports recommendation because the designers copied Hyundai’s sharply sloping rear-seat entry shape — making ingress and egress a head-banging experience. He referred to the 200’s designers as “dummies.” …
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