Retail

DETROIT — To align itself with the market, Saab Cars North America said late last week that it is trimming down the MSRP on all of its 2010 model-year 9-3 units, which are the first 2010 models the automaker built for the U.S. market. The models are slated to begin arriving in stores in April. This […] [Read More]

DETROIT — The rebirth of hundreds of soon-to-be-eliminated General Motors dealers took an enormous step forward late last week when the automaker announced it would send more than 600 Letters of Intent for dealership reinstatement. GM did not give a specific number of letters it intends to send, but other media reports had the figure ranging from 601 […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — S&A Cherokee, the publishers of Auto Remarketing and SubPrime Auto Finance News, announced today that Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, Ford's chief economist, will serve as the keynote speaker for the Automotive Economic Forecast & Financial Forum. Hughes-Cromwick's role with Ford is to oversee the corporate economics and strategic issues group at the automaker. She has […] [Read More]

SAN FRANCISCO — The Jumpstart Automotive Group attempted to quantify which automaker gained the biggest return on its investment in Super Bowl advertising and found three of the four largest spenders enjoyed positive gains. The manufacturer that seemed to get the most out of these efforts was Kia. Jumpstart determined that Kia spent the lowest amount […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler unveiled two executive appointments on Thursday, announcing that Steve Williams will now serve as head of advanced engineering, planning and regulatory affairs, while Stephen Bartoli — who previously was head of regulatory affairs and engineering planning — becomes the head of international product planning, business development and integration. Williams was most recently the […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — Though its decision to shut down the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. vehicle plant in Freemont, Calif., has raised concerns among some state leaders, Toyota is offering transition support to workers in the form of $250 million to provide bonuses for the plant's salaried and hourly team members who continue to build vehicles until the […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vehicle sales throughout the 12 Federal Reserve Districts, for the most part, have remained static or softened recently, and dealers in some districts reported that extreme winter weather was likely to blame for at least part of the slowdown, according to the latest Beige Book report. Specifically, contacts in New York, Cleveland and […] [Read More]

DETROIT — General Motors said Wednesday afternoon that vice chairman Bob Lutz is retiring May 1. In his 47-year career, he served in senior leadership roles with BMW, Chrysler and Ford, in addition to GM. He began his auto industry career at GM at 1963, eventually making his way back to the automaker in September 2001 as […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — As part of reaching its 100th anniversary, the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association received a special honor from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The mayor made the proclamation that Feb. 24 is now to be recognized as Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association Day during a ceremony in the Blue Room at City Hall.  […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. — In an effort to boost sales after the recent turmoil over recalls, Toyota rolled out what it calls the "most far-reaching sales program in its history" on Tuesday. Basically, the March Sales Event — a national marketing campaign that runs through April 5 — will feature financing, leasing and customer loyalty offers.   This includes zero-percent […] [Read More]