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Chrysler to top Cadillac

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:31:00 +0000

We’ve all been eagerly awaiting the change at Chrysler that’s certain to come with Fiat taking the helm, and with a number of Alfa Romeo and Fiat models already in the pipeline, the company is now talking brand strategy. And that’s what has Chrysler’s Peter Fong talking about surpassing Lincoln and Cadillac.

Pushing the Chrysler brands farther apart, with larger price and feature gaps to distinguish the Dodge from Chrysler means Dodge will be eying sportier traits, while Chrysler vehicles will move further upscale in the luxury arena. But Chrysler isn’t aiming just to take on Cadillac and Lincoln–it wants to beat them.

That means pushing the Chrysler brand, “a notch above Lincoln, a notch above Cadillac,” says Peter Fong, president and CEO of the brand. That will necessitate a big move up-market as Cadillac is already ahead and is progressing quickly to improve its own products and luxury status with cars like the SRX, CTS sedan, coupe and wagon and the upcoming XTS flagship.

How, exactly, Chrysler plans to do that has not been revealed. The full product plan to back up this new strategy is scheduled for release in November. Though the 200C electric vehicle revealed at this year’s Detroit Auto Show isn’t headed to production, it is a preview of the upcoming design language for the brand revival, so expect any new products to share some hints borrowed from that vehicle, including possible Chrysler-branded Alfa and Fiat variants.

Dodge will move further from Chrysler by focusing on offering sporty vehicles, emphasizing performance while balancing that against the new fuel economy and emissions mandates. Jeep will remain largely unchanged, though its recent focus on the more car-like smaller segments with vehicles like the Compass and Patriot will grow.

Luxury makers offer big incentives

admin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:25:11 +0000

The luxury car market hasn’t traditionally had to tempt buyers with anything more than exclusivity, style and power. But with luxury car sales down nearly 32% this year, luxury carmakers are resorting to tactics traditionally reserved for the commodity car brands.

Cash back incentives, low-interest financing and even touting environmental friendliness are all ways of finding customers outside the typical luxury buyer base. Or in some cases, luring a luxury buyer out of shelter from the economic storm and into action.

BMW, for example, is offering interest rates as low as 1.9% on some new models, and has been focusing more heavily on its certified pre-owned program as well. BMW is also one of the carmakers most concerned with offering a green image, touting its availability of diesels and preparing to introduce its first pair of hybrids to the U.S. in the form of the ActiveHybrid X6 and 7-series.

Bentley is also offering very low financing rates–as low as 0.9%–on the $179,000 Continental GT. Porsche is likewise offering deals, but in the form of cash back. Average cash incentives on newly-purchased Porsches for the year through August were $4,412, a rise of 657% from last year, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Even Mercedes-Benz is offering low 1.9-2.9% rates and special lease pricing on some of its vehicles, notably the C-Class Sedan, CLK-Class cabrio and CLS-Class four-door coupe. Mercedes is no stranger to diesel or hybrid vehicles either, recently introducing the S400 hybrid sedan to the U.S. to help win eco-conscious buyers that still want a luxury image. The S400 hybrid is, incidentally, the most affordable S-Class as well.

The bottom line to all this? If you’re in the market, now’s a great time to buy. With forecasted slow but steady rises in vehicle sales throughout 2010, these deals will slowly fade away, but in the mean time, there are serious savings to be had.

BMW ups sales forecasts

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:15:20 +0000

Toyota’s Lexus brand has held the title of America’s best-selling luxury brand for the last nine years, but BMW is looking to dethrone the Japanese automaker by year’s end. Through the first eight months of the year, BMW trails Lexus by just 2,293 sales.

BMW actually lead Lexus in sales through June, but gave up the lead in July. However, BMW is expecting a big fourth quarter, which could just be enough to push the German automaker past Lexus for the title of the best-selling luxury brand in America.

“We were slightly ahead of Lexus (in sales) until July,” Jim O’Donnell, CEO of BMW Group’s North American sales operation, told The Detroit News. “But we expect business to pick up and have a strong fourth quarter. We could catch them.”

Through August, Lexus posted 131,469 sales compared to BMW’s tally of 129,176 sales.

The downtrodden economy has forced many shoppers to postpone their next new car purchase, which could be causing a reservoir of pent-up demand. If that theory proves true, BMW expects luxury car sales to increase by 15 percent next year.

Audi R8 Available at Peninsula Hotel ONLY if you’re in Tokyo

thetruth — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:58:45 +0000

Interestingly enough Audi is pairing up with the Japanese. Would it not make more sense to enter a co-operative agreement with a large established hotel chain, such as the Hilton or the Marriott brands? Perhaps Audi should send a couple of vehicles out on a test. The high end branding model is there, but I mean, how many people cannot afford an R8 that can afford to stay in a suite that costs $9,000 a night? So for added value, the R8 I don’t think delivers for the Peninsula, but does wonders in terms of Lux branding for Audi.

Cha Chinggg

Audi Japan has entered a very exclusive collaboration with The Peninsula Hotel Tokyo, formerly a domain only of BMW and Rolls Royce. Hotel guests which stay at one of their suites (starting from 981,750 Yen = ~9000$ per night) can use the Peninsula-branded Audi R8 for their driving pleasure inside and outside of Tokyo. The Audi R8 Peninsula Tokyo Special comes in Peninsula green with a golden Peninsula logo on the side and the interior features cocos and cognac colored leather. All modifications are provided by Audi Exclusive.