Here is a link to the full list, very interesting;http://www.forbes.com/global2000/list/
Showing posts with label Auto Industry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Auto Industry. Show all posts
Honda Surges Ahead
By: Ted Marzilli
After traveling long roads to get back on track with the public, both Ford and Toyota have struggled lately to establish themselves as the clear perception leader to potential car buyers in the US.
As a matter of fact, in the past month, Honda surged ahead of both of them, perhaps setting the stage for a comeback after a tough year of earthquakes, parts shortages and negative reviews for its new Civic edition. Their “Ferris Bueller” Super Bowl commercial may have arrived at just the right time.
Ford’s lengthy journey to one of the best perceived domestic auto brands was propelled by its well-liked product rollouts and homey ad campaigns starring cable TV series host Mike Rowe. But beginning last October, Ford’s perception actually began to backslide somewhat with consumers looking to purchase a new car, and that decline in perception actually accelerated since mid-January, coinciding with its most recent ad campaign debut.
In these ads which do not feature Rowe, just the mere act of buying a Ford vehicle merits a major press conference with reporters and photographers following the customers around.
Toyota made a long hard climb out of its early 2010 recall debacle with consumers, relentlessly marketing its vehicles despite its well-publicized troubles. However, the Japanese car maker hit a ceiling at the end of August 2011 which it has not been able to break through and regain its pre-recall footing. Even its recent “time machine baby” for the redesigned Camry ads appear not to have helped Toyota’s perception slump.
Ford, Toyota and Honda were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Index score, the company’s flagship measurement of brand health. The Index score is the average of several sub-scores, including quality, value, satisfaction, general impression, reputation and willingness to recommend. For this research, the results were filtered for consumers 18+ who will be making an auto purchase in the next six months.
YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.
On March 3, 2009, Ford’s Index score was 19, a few points higher than the average of the mid-market car sector. By the end of February last year, Ford’s score peaked at 42, putting a lot of space between it and the sector average of 15. Since mid-October, Ford has cooled down with car buyers and currently scores at 34 vs. a sector average of 19.
On January 22, 2010, the day before the bottom fell out for Toyota, its Index score was 47, making it one of the best regarded overall car brands, well ahead of the mid-market car sector average of 15. Four months later, Toyota had hit bottom at a score of 2. Since that time, Toyota slowly climbed its way back up, making it one of the biggest consumer perception gainers of 2011. Toyota hit 39 last August and even 40 in mid-January, but has been unable to get back to its early 2010 scores. Toyota currently stands at 32.
Honda had been trending downwards for over a year from March 2009 until June of 2010 when it went from a 51 to 33, before stabilizing. The brand has more recently trended positive and is currently at 39, outscoring both Ford and Toyota.
Source;
http://www.brandindex.com/article/honda-surges-ahead
After traveling long roads to get back on track with the public, both Ford and Toyota have struggled lately to establish themselves as the clear perception leader to potential car buyers in the US.As a matter of fact, in the past month, Honda surged ahead of both of them, perhaps setting the stage for a comeback after a tough year of earthquakes, parts shortages and negative reviews for its new Civic edition. Their “Ferris Bueller” Super Bowl commercial may have arrived at just the right time.
Ford’s lengthy journey to one of the best perceived domestic auto brands was propelled by its well-liked product rollouts and homey ad campaigns starring cable TV series host Mike Rowe. But beginning last October, Ford’s perception actually began to backslide somewhat with consumers looking to purchase a new car, and that decline in perception actually accelerated since mid-January, coinciding with its most recent ad campaign debut.
In these ads which do not feature Rowe, just the mere act of buying a Ford vehicle merits a major press conference with reporters and photographers following the customers around.
Toyota made a long hard climb out of its early 2010 recall debacle with consumers, relentlessly marketing its vehicles despite its well-publicized troubles. However, the Japanese car maker hit a ceiling at the end of August 2011 which it has not been able to break through and regain its pre-recall footing. Even its recent “time machine baby” for the redesigned Camry ads appear not to have helped Toyota’s perception slump.
Ford, Toyota and Honda were measured with YouGov BrandIndex’s Index score, the company’s flagship measurement of brand health. The Index score is the average of several sub-scores, including quality, value, satisfaction, general impression, reputation and willingness to recommend. For this research, the results were filtered for consumers 18+ who will be making an auto purchase in the next six months.
YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.
On March 3, 2009, Ford’s Index score was 19, a few points higher than the average of the mid-market car sector. By the end of February last year, Ford’s score peaked at 42, putting a lot of space between it and the sector average of 15. Since mid-October, Ford has cooled down with car buyers and currently scores at 34 vs. a sector average of 19.
On January 22, 2010, the day before the bottom fell out for Toyota, its Index score was 47, making it one of the best regarded overall car brands, well ahead of the mid-market car sector average of 15. Four months later, Toyota had hit bottom at a score of 2. Since that time, Toyota slowly climbed its way back up, making it one of the biggest consumer perception gainers of 2011. Toyota hit 39 last August and even 40 in mid-January, but has been unable to get back to its early 2010 scores. Toyota currently stands at 32.
Honda had been trending downwards for over a year from March 2009 until June of 2010 when it went from a 51 to 33, before stabilizing. The brand has more recently trended positive and is currently at 39, outscoring both Ford and Toyota.
Source;
http://www.brandindex.com/article/honda-surges-ahead
Next-Generation Acura RL to Reassert Flagship Position Within Acura Lineup
While attending the first drive event for the Acura ZDX in Los Angeles, I had dinner with several Acura executives and talked quite a bit of shop that had little to do with the ZDX but lots to do with the rest of Acura’s lineup. The most interesting tidbit I gleaned from the meal regards the positioning of Acura’s two larger sedans—specifically the TL’s assumption of the position of the sportiest, most powerful and, to many (especially enthusiasts), most desirable car in Acura’s lineup, a spot that used to belong to the RL and its forebear, the legendary Legend.That Acura’s “Jan Brady” is talented and sexy is certainly not a problem in and of itself, but what about “Marcia,” the RL? Yeah, remember that, the so-called “flagship” of the brand? The execs on hand recognized that the similarly sized TL, which costs $35,915 for the 280-hp, front-drive version and $44,195 in loaded, 305-hp, all-wheel-drive form, offers a set of product strengths that renders the $47,640 RL—available only with a 300-hp V-6 and all-wheel drive—difficult to market at the very best and all but irrelevant at worst: a prototypical case of elders being eaten by their young.
We are assured by Acura, however, that when the new model arrives, which we expect within two years (Acura is annoyingly tight-lipped about future products), there will be more distance created between the two models. But don’t expect the next RL to emulate the rear-wheel-drive, V-8 formula of most of its competitors, which include the Hyundai Genesis, the Lexus GS460, and the BMW 550i. Rumors that have suggested such a scenario have long been disproved, and Acura spokesmen reaffirmed that at our dinner, asserting that the relatively low take rate of V-8s in the segment and what it sees as shifting sensibilities on the part of luxury car customers will render a larger, more luxury-focused yet still V-6–powered RL right where it needs to be, particularly if gas prices rise over $4 per gallon again. We’re not sure if we’re looking into the same crystal ball as Acura is, but in any case, it will be nice to see a more distinct RL in the future.
Source;
http://blog.caranddriver.com/next-generation-acura-rl-to-reassert-flagship-position-within-acura-lineup/
AT and T slowly begins rollout of CruiseCast in-car satellite TV service
Well, I saw this coming, surprised it took so long though....
AT&T's entrance into the satellite radio/video market (dubbed AT&T CruiseCast) has soft-launched at select retail outlets, representing a delay from the company's original plans for a full launch in March, according to a report from TWICE.
Still despite the delay, the company is targeting a hard-launch date in early June, although no actual date has been set, said company president Winston Guillory.
The service will provide 22 channels of live TV service and 20 channels of radio service direct to equipped vehicles via its satellite service. Orbitcast had a live demonstation of AT&T CruiseCast earlier this year - see the writeup and photos here.
AT&T is currently working with "small groups" of car audio specialists, expediters and distributors to sign up a few dozen customers to test its distribution, merchandising and promotional network, said Guillory.
Approximately 373 outlets have signed up to carry the product, according to TWICE, although many are not participating in the soft launch. Some retailers are taking an aggressive stance on the new offering, while others appear more cautious.
"We think it's a great technology - we wanted to take a position," said Al & Ed's Autosound product manager John Haynes. The retailer reportedly ordered 50 units about two weeks ago.
Crutchfield is taking preorders on its Web site, while others such as Car Toys and Abt Electronics are looking into selling the product. Gary Yacoubian, president and COO of MyerEmco, said AT&T CruiseCast "will create a ton of buzz," and the chain will be investigating it over the next few weeks.
Still, considering the current economic climate, the AT&T CruiseCast service is likely priced too high out of the range for most consumers. The AT&T CruiseCast device itself will retail at a suggested price of $1,299 and will come with a subscription price of $28 a month. Professional installation is required, and no free trials are planned at launch.
"I am still collecting data, but preliminary feedback is that both the price of this unit along with the monthly cost of the limited programming will limit the number of potential customers that will be willing or able to justify this product in these very difficult financial times," Audio Express purchasing director Grant Phillips to TWICE.
Currently, the announced content partners for the service are MTV and NBC networks which includes programming such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The N and Noggin. The 20 audio channels are provided by MusicChoice, Orbitcast has learned.
This is hardly competition to Sirius XM Radio (yet).
The AT&T CruiseCast service is less of a threat to "traditional" satellite radio right now - rather it's more of an alternative to the KVH DirecTV system, which is billed at nearly $3,000 and features a much larger antenna.
Still, more competition is looming on the horizon.
Audiovox is planning on offering its FLO TV service provided by MediaFLO, at a target price of $599 - $699 (installed) through car dealers in late September or early October (read Orbitcast's coverage of the press event here). And don't forget ICO mim, the in-vehicle satellite service which could reach the market next year by suppliers including Kenwood.
But it's still too early to say whether in-vehicle live TV entertainment will ever grow out of a niche market. Right now Sirius Backseat TV is arguably the most reasonably priced live in-vehicle video service at $6.99/month, though it's a limited 3 channel offering. Backseat TV is also the first to market with live video installed at the OEM level, giving a slight leg up on the competition - but being first to market doesn't always mean being the market leader. It's still an extremely nascent market, and the jury's out on the long-term success.
So here's a question - if the price of in-vehicle video went down, would you consider it? Or is watching live TV in your car something you think you would never need? Sound off in the comments below.
Source (via autoblog);
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/att-cruisecast-soft-launches.html
AT&T's entrance into the satellite radio/video market (dubbed AT&T CruiseCast) has soft-launched at select retail outlets, representing a delay from the company's original plans for a full launch in March, according to a report from TWICE.Still despite the delay, the company is targeting a hard-launch date in early June, although no actual date has been set, said company president Winston Guillory.
The service will provide 22 channels of live TV service and 20 channels of radio service direct to equipped vehicles via its satellite service. Orbitcast had a live demonstation of AT&T CruiseCast earlier this year - see the writeup and photos here.
AT&T is currently working with "small groups" of car audio specialists, expediters and distributors to sign up a few dozen customers to test its distribution, merchandising and promotional network, said Guillory.
Approximately 373 outlets have signed up to carry the product, according to TWICE, although many are not participating in the soft launch. Some retailers are taking an aggressive stance on the new offering, while others appear more cautious.
"We think it's a great technology - we wanted to take a position," said Al & Ed's Autosound product manager John Haynes. The retailer reportedly ordered 50 units about two weeks ago.
Crutchfield is taking preorders on its Web site, while others such as Car Toys and Abt Electronics are looking into selling the product. Gary Yacoubian, president and COO of MyerEmco, said AT&T CruiseCast "will create a ton of buzz," and the chain will be investigating it over the next few weeks.
Still, considering the current economic climate, the AT&T CruiseCast service is likely priced too high out of the range for most consumers. The AT&T CruiseCast device itself will retail at a suggested price of $1,299 and will come with a subscription price of $28 a month. Professional installation is required, and no free trials are planned at launch.
"I am still collecting data, but preliminary feedback is that both the price of this unit along with the monthly cost of the limited programming will limit the number of potential customers that will be willing or able to justify this product in these very difficult financial times," Audio Express purchasing director Grant Phillips to TWICE.
Currently, the announced content partners for the service are MTV and NBC networks which includes programming such as MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, The N and Noggin. The 20 audio channels are provided by MusicChoice, Orbitcast has learned.
This is hardly competition to Sirius XM Radio (yet).
The AT&T CruiseCast service is less of a threat to "traditional" satellite radio right now - rather it's more of an alternative to the KVH DirecTV system, which is billed at nearly $3,000 and features a much larger antenna.
Still, more competition is looming on the horizon.
Audiovox is planning on offering its FLO TV service provided by MediaFLO, at a target price of $599 - $699 (installed) through car dealers in late September or early October (read Orbitcast's coverage of the press event here). And don't forget ICO mim, the in-vehicle satellite service which could reach the market next year by suppliers including Kenwood.
But it's still too early to say whether in-vehicle live TV entertainment will ever grow out of a niche market. Right now Sirius Backseat TV is arguably the most reasonably priced live in-vehicle video service at $6.99/month, though it's a limited 3 channel offering. Backseat TV is also the first to market with live video installed at the OEM level, giving a slight leg up on the competition - but being first to market doesn't always mean being the market leader. It's still an extremely nascent market, and the jury's out on the long-term success.
So here's a question - if the price of in-vehicle video went down, would you consider it? Or is watching live TV in your car something you think you would never need? Sound off in the comments below.
Source (via autoblog);
http://www.orbitcast.com/archives/att-cruisecast-soft-launches.html
General Motors to kill Pontiac on Monday
This is sad but inevitible news. Two of my favourite cars had the pontiac badge, a 1983 Pontiac Acadian (my first car) and a 1995 Pontiac Grand AM GT Coupe V6 (ah, my single days).
According to a report from InsideLine, General Motors could axe Pontiac as early as this Monday. Although IL isn't citing its source within GM, it did contact the General's PR man, Tom Wilkinson, who said, "There's nothing I can share with you at this time... Officially, nothing has changed with Pontiac's niche-brand status, until you hear differently." Not very clear, but not particularly positive either.The line about Pontiac's "niche-brand status" has been floating around since last December, when GM began to focus on its four core brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC – while readying the rest (Saab, Saturn and Hummer) for execution or extradition.Pontiac's focus has been ill-defined (at best) over the decade, with solid products like the G8 coming to market alongside other less-than-stellar offerings (cough, G3). There was talk of reigniting Pontiac's performance heritage or even refocusing the brand as a Scion competitor. Regardless of past plans or intentions, there was no doubt that Pontiac was in the cross-hairs, and come Monday, we might know it's final fate.
Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/23/report-general-motors-to-kill-pontiac-monday/
According to a report from InsideLine, General Motors could axe Pontiac as early as this Monday. Although IL isn't citing its source within GM, it did contact the General's PR man, Tom Wilkinson, who said, "There's nothing I can share with you at this time... Officially, nothing has changed with Pontiac's niche-brand status, until you hear differently." Not very clear, but not particularly positive either.The line about Pontiac's "niche-brand status" has been floating around since last December, when GM began to focus on its four core brands – Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC – while readying the rest (Saab, Saturn and Hummer) for execution or extradition.Pontiac's focus has been ill-defined (at best) over the decade, with solid products like the G8 coming to market alongside other less-than-stellar offerings (cough, G3). There was talk of reigniting Pontiac's performance heritage or even refocusing the brand as a Scion competitor. Regardless of past plans or intentions, there was no doubt that Pontiac was in the cross-hairs, and come Monday, we might know it's final fate.Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/23/report-general-motors-to-kill-pontiac-monday/
Chrysler threatens to pull out of Canada
Updated: Wed Mar. 11 2009 10:50:07 PMctvtoronto.ca
Chrysler LLC says it may no longer be able to operate in Canada unless Ottawa loans the company billions of dollars and workers agree to massive wage cuts.
Chrysler president and vice chairman Tom LaSorda told MPs Wednesday the company is seeking US$2.3 billion from the Canadian government -- roughly a quarter of what it's asking from the White House.
He also said Canada's tax agency must agree to not demand more cash or collateral in a tax fight with the company. The Canada Revenue Agency is withholding $300 million in tax rebated and has put a $500-million lien on Chrysler's Brampton plant.
"The current success and long-term viability of Chrysler's manufacturing operations in Canada is very much dependent on (those) three critical factors," he told a committee hearing.
"Chrysler LLC cannot afford to manufacture products in a jurisdiction that in uncompetitive relative to other automotive jurisdictions."
New Democrat MP Joe Coartin, a member of the parliamentary committee that heard LaSorda's comments, dismissed them as little more than posturing.
"The bottom line is that Chrysler does not function in the United States without Canada," he said.
Chrysler Canada and its parent company, Chrysler LLC, have had their sales hammered by the economic downturn. Its sales were down 27 per cent in February compared to last year and it has asked Ottawa for a $1 billion in emergency loans as it works on its restructuring plan.
LaSorda said his company's labour costs are $70 an hour in wages and benefits for both current workers and retirees. He says it needs to be cut by $20 to be competitive.
Just last week, Chrysler announced it would be cutting 1,200 jobs in Windsor, Ont., by eliminating the third shift at its minivan assembly plant.
The Windsor plant produces the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and has about 4,450 hourly workers. It is the company's only supplier on minivans as two other minivan plants have been shut down in the U.S.
LaSorda said that the company could move the Windsor plant to either of the other sites they previously shut down.
The Dodge Grand Caravan was Canada's No. 3 best selling vehicle in February.
Analysts say Chrysler is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. On top of the most recent job cut announcements, it has slashed about 32,000 jobs to staunch the financial bleeding, and has cut production levels by 30 per cent.
With a report by CTV's Graham Richardson in Ottawa
Source (with a Video Feed);
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090311/chrysler_caw_090311/20090311?hub=Toronto
Detroit 3 health crucial for Japan carmakers-lobby
TOKYO, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A healthy U.S. auto industry is vital for a sound U.S. economy and by extension for Japanese carmakers, a Tokyo-based auto lobby said, giving a tacit nod to the latest request for federal aid from ailing rivals in Detroit.General Motors Corp and Chrysler this week sought nearly $22 billion in additional U.S. government loans on top of the $17.4 billion in loans they have so far received to survive as car sales plummet around the world.
"The auto industry -- the Big Three -- plays an important role in the U.S. economy," Satoshi Aoki, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, told a news conference.
"The latest (aid request) is quite substantial but we hope it will lead to the health of the U.S. auto industry," he said.
The United States is the single-biggest and traditionally most profitable market for Japan's top three automakers, Toyota Motor Corp, Honda Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co.
Aoki, also chairman of Honda, said the U.S. market appeared headed for a weaker year than the sales of 12.5 million vehicles he had forecast for 2009 at the end of last year.
"We are still anticipating an improvement in the latter half of the year driven by economic stimulus steps under the new Obama administration, and we hope total demand will come in just below 12 million units."
Most industry forecasts are lower, with 11.5 million at the higher end. The U.S. market totalled 13.2 million vehicles in 2008, down 18 percent from 2007.
Many governments have announced various forms of aid to the struggling auto industry, which has been hit by a simultaneous slide in demand globally. Among them, France has pledged loans of 3 billion euros ($3.77 billion) each to its two local carmakers while Britain has said it would guarantee up to 2.3 billion pounds ($3.28 billion) of loans to the industry.
Japan has been conspicuously absent from that growing list. Aoki said the auto lobby has made no request for specific aid even as many members brace for their worst annual financial results in years.
"The auto industry requires a lot of capital for research and development of advanced safety and environmental technologies, but basically it's up to each company to raise funds in the market or use its own cash reserves," Aoki said.
"But right now market conditions are tough and abnormal, and we only hope that the government will take steps to bring the market closer to normal levels," he said.
Responding to such concerns, the Bank of Japan on Thursday extended its commercial paper buying scheme and pledged to boost supply of low-cost funds as it battles a credit crunch that is pushing the world's second-biggest economy deeper into recession. ($1=.7949 Euro; $1=.7007 Pound) (Editing by Michael Watson)
Source;
http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/idUKT867220090219?sp=true
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