April 25, 2013
- Long rumored, the Cadillac ATS coupe has been confirmed and will be heading to dealerships next year. Last week, the American automaker outlined its future product plans to its dealers and even showed off the ATS coupe at the event. According to those in attendance, the ATS coupe will essentially be a two-door version of... more
March 14, 2013
- Ford Motor Co. is not America's biggest company. That's ExxonMobil, according to CNNMoney's annual "Fortune 500" rankings. Ford's not America's top seller of cars and trucks. That's General Motors, according to Automotive News.But Ford is the best-selling auto brand, outpacing GM's Chevrolet and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Toyota division in 2012. That's led some dealers in Florida and the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area to run ads trumpeting Ford as America's best-selling brand, not just best-...
February 11, 2013
- Inspired by Apple retail stores, BMW is requiring dealers to hire young, tech-savvy employees to handle questions about its vehicles on the showroom floor. The "BMW Genius Everywhere" program is slated to go nationwide in about a year, with specially trained employees -- many of them college students -- patrolling dealerships with iPads in hand. The BMW "geniuses" will be available to inform shoppers about vehicles and features, but they will not sell cars. The approach is similar to the Genius...
January 23, 2013
- The 2014 Chevy Corvette is set to hit dealerships by late summer of 2013, though for the first time in GM’s history, only certain dealers will be granted access to the bow tie brand’s sports car. Only dealers who managed to sell four or more Corvettes in 2012 will be granted access to sell the... more
January 21, 2013
- Chevrolet is revamping a national advertising campaign that prominently features its dealerships and jokey salespeople in vignettes patterned after "The Office" TV show, the brand's top marketing executives told Ad Age sibling Automotive News. Chevy began the national campaign, dubbed "Under the Blue Arch," early last year with TV commercials that have been used heavily by Chevy's regional dealer marketing groups. Chevy has run dozens of spots featuring an ensemble cast of fictional characters...
December 31, 2012
- Thanks to additional costs for services and repairs, some Chevy dealers are choosing not to carry the Volt. According to Automotive News, the sales of the Volt at some dealerships does not justify the cost of special tools needed to repair and service the vehicles. Dealers are spending up to $5,000 on tools, including a new... more
December 8, 2012
- In hopes of moving some excess inventory, General Motors is launching a campaign of discounts and incentives for various models in their lineup. Current inventory levels are the highest since GM’s bankruptcy back in June 2009 and the American automaker is allowing dealers to offer as much as $2,000 in customer cash on its 2012,... more
December 4, 2012
- Chevrolet’s answer to the electric car problem, the Volt, faltered in sales last month, dropping to roughly half the volume seen in September and October. It’s an issue GM executive Don Johnson downplayed during a conference call, saying last month’s shortcomings were because of supply problems and not poor demand. In fact, he said dealers... more
November 27, 2012
- General Motors is deploying a team of 25 young and tech-savvy customer specialists to dealerships nationwide in order to help owners get the most out of the automaker’s new Cugeneration of infotainment systems. The team of hired specialists will train and educate GM dealerships on the use of its MyLink, CUE, and IntelliLink systems found... more
October 1, 2012
- If money talks then the word on the street has it that Chevrolet’s Spark mini car is one of the newest cool kids. Delivery began quietly a little more than a month ago in select markets, surprising dealers and GM execs alike. Even more surprising, the car seems to hold broad appeal with customers reportedly... more
September 20, 2012
- News about the GMC Canyon, General Motors’ premium midsize pickup truck, surfaced today during a meeting the automaker hosts to update its dealers on the coming model year. General Motors confirmed earlier this year that the Chevrolet Colorado would be headed back to the North American market. Now it sounds like the automaker will offer... more
August 30, 2012
- Chevrolet plans to use this weekend’s AdvoCare 500 race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway to raise money for breast cancer research. “For our 100th birthday in 2011, Chevrolet began its support of the American Cancer Society, and the generous response from our dealers, employees and customers told us we needed to help the Society fight for... more
- Set to arrive at dealers this fall, the 2013 Buick Regal will get a price hike thanks to GM dropping the Ecotec engine to offer the eAssist hybrid as the base model. Regal buyers will face an extra $1,960 for the base Regal in 2013, but it will get dramatically better fuel mileage because of... more
July 31, 2012
- Before we say goodbye to the current Sierra, AutoGuide truck guy Huw Evans takes it for a farewell ride and discovers that it still stacks up strongly and is likely to be even more attractive as dealers look to off-load.
March 13, 2012
- A direct reflection of the current market, GM has been struggling to keep up with demand for the 4-cylinder Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers for the past two months. Facing a shortage in supply, GM has restricted dealer orders to better ration its bestsellers. Unfortunately, this has caused many dealers to fill their inventory [...] more