Incentives aid smooth Suzuki wind down

American Suzuki is continuing to offer buyers substantial incentives even as the company winds down operations. Those looking to nab a new Suzuki vehicle will find rebates of between $500 and $2,000 and zero-percent financing for up to 72 months as dealers look to liquidate inventory following the automaker's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. The strategy is working so far. Last month saw Suzuki sell a total of 2,224 vehicles, up 22 percent compared to the same time period in 2011. The Japanese manufacturer says it will continue the incentives through December.

Suzuki had around 5,000 units in dealer inventory in the US when it went into bankruptcy protection, with an additional 1,500-1,700 vehicles headed to dealers at that time. The company says it will continue to honor warranties moving forward using its current dealer network. Most of the dealerships will become Suzuki service and parts stores after American Suzuki shutters car sales in the US.
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RWD Lincolns are coming, fate depends partly on MKZ success

The product portfolio at Lincoln may seem a bit sparse at the moment, but if a report is to be believed, new products are on the way. TheDetroitBureau.com spoke with sources at Lincoln and Ford, who claimed the American premium brand is working on, perhaps more than one, rear-wheel-drive vehicle.

Lincoln would likely platform-share with the next-generation Ford Mustang to develop those RWD offerings in the early going. Moving forward, the report indicates that Lincoln could take the lead on other rear-drive projects in the future. As the RWD architecture continues to take shape, "most or all" of the front-wheel-drive portfolio will also be offered with all-wheel drive as an option, ala Audi.

But wait, there's more! The report also suggests that a replacement for the full-size MKS is on the way, as well as a new Navigator and a luxury crossover based on the current Ford Escape.

These plans sound bold and optimistic, but they all hinge on the performance of the MKZ. Ford CEO Alan Mulally has not been shy about the possibility of abandoning Lincoln if things don't turn around soon. Currently the only all-new product in the brand's stable is the MKS, and it will need to be an immediate sales success for any talk of any future product to come to fruition.
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Toyota gunning for 200k RAV4 sales per year

Toyota just unveiled the 2013 RAV4 at the 2012 LA Auto Show, and according to a report in Ward's Auto, the automaker already has high hopes for strong sales of its new model. Bill Fay, Toyota's vice president of marketing, is expecting sales of 200,000 units in 2013 a jump over the projected 170,000 RAV4 models expected to be delivered in 2012.

Since 2008, the RAV4 has never sold anything close to 200,000 units; the model's best year in recent times was 2010 when 170,877 models were moved. But with this all-new 2013 model, Toyota is hoping to capture a larger chunk of younger buyers folks who might normally look at the Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5.

"It has an awful lot of capability for the younger buyer, so we're hoping to get a little more share of that," Fay told Ward's Auto.

In addition to completely new styling and better refinement, the RAV4 loses its V6 option for 2013. The only engine offered will be Toyota's 2.5-liter inline-four, good for 176 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque, and able to achieve highway fuel economy as high as 31 miles per gallon when paired with front-wheel drive.

The 2013 RAV4 hits dealerships in January. Pricing will be announced closer to the vehicle's on-sale date.
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Can Fiat's sexy new ads score during the Super Bowl? [w/poll]

Chrysler marketing chief Olivier Francois has unveiled five new Fiat ads he says could be used in the 2013 Super Bowl. All five were previewed at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week and show five different "everyday" situations where the 500 acts as a catalyst to boost adrenaline levels.

The first shows an attractive female driver suiting up for a spin around a track in the new electric-powered 500e. The drive goes well until the second turn when, obviously, something goes wrong. The 500e is all over the road and eventually careens off course in a cloud of dust. The support crew races to the car where the picturesque brunette is French-kissing a shirtless man behind the wheel. The spot ends with the tagline "Environmentally Sexy" above a rocking 500e.

The second ad has two tuxedoed men in the front seat of a 500L trying to catch a glimpse of two young ladies changing into bridesmaid dresses in the back seat. It's mildly entertaining but gets better at the end when the surprise punchline carries home the message "More room. More possibilities."

The third and fourth ads are also for the 500L and make clever twists on the "Very family friendly" tagline. Dear old Dad gets some sisterly jollies in one and in the other Junior gets a hearty welcome into his girlfriend's family.

But Fiat saved the best for last. Remember that hot ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth that debuted in the 2012 Super Bowl? Called "Seduction," it starred supermodel Catrinel Menghia. Ms. Menghia returns with a scorpion co-star slowly inching its way up her bikini-covered back. As the new 500 Abarth Cabrio streaks by, the stinger-equipped arachnid makes a strategic clip with a claw and we get the tag, "Small, wicked... and now topless."

Check out the videos below and give us your opinion in our poll.

Via: Can Fiat's sexy new ads score during the Super Bowl? [w/poll]

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November 2012: Storm Surge Edition

Pent-Up Demand Lifts Many Automakers

Practically nothing good came of Superstorm Sandy, which made landfall in late October. Along with destroying infrastructure and throwing into turmoil the lives of countless people who never thought their home would go toe-to-toe with a hurricane, Sandy also suppressed auto sales that month. But what Sandy taketh away, pent-up demand for the freedom of personal transport giveth back, as evidenced by the strong month of automobile sales in the US during the month of November.

While low-volume brands like Fiat, Porsche and Smart lead our list, they're followed closely by a number or brands with a bit bigger audience that performed remarkably well. Subaru reported sales up nearly 60 percent to 28,206 units, while BMW saw a 45-percent to 21,213 units. No brand, however, can match the jump in raw number of vehicles sold that Honda reported, the Japanese automaker seeing sales rise 41 percent 104,224 units, a lift of 30,208 units compared to November 2011. Dodge (+32 percent) and Volkswagen (+29 percent) also reported healthy gains, while Toyota added 20,474 sales for an increase of 17 percent.

As for the domestics, Chrysler Group reported a respectable 14 percent rise in sales thanks to the performance of Dodge, which more than offset a 3-percent decline at Jeep. Ford Motor Company posted a 6.5-percent increase, while General Motors reported a 3.4-percent increase thanks to strong numbers from Buick (+22 percent) and Cadillac (+30 percent).

Lastly, we noticed one stand-out performer in this month's sales numbers, and that's the 2012 Honda Civic. Sales of the Civic were up 75.5 percent to 30,075 units, a number that beat the very-difficult-to-dethrone best-selling Camry's 28,765 units. We point this out because reception of the redesigned 2012 Civic was initially less-than-stellar, which led Honda to hastily revise the 2013 model with mechanical and styling tweaks that recent sales suggest, perhaps, weren't necessary, at least this soon.



*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in November 2012 and 25 selling days in November 2011, so there is no difference between the change in monthly sales volume and the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.
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Former GM engineer found guilty of trying to sell trade secrets

After an almost month-long trial, former General Motors engineer Shanshan Du and her husband, Yu Qin, were convicted Sunday of stealing hybrid vehicle trade secrets from the automaker. Qin was convicted on seven counts, while Du was convicted of three trade-secret counts but acquitted of wire fraud charges.

Prosecutors said Qin used the data in attempts to either get employment with or form partnerships with GM's Chinese competitors, including Chery Automobile Co. GM claimed in the trial that the secrets were worth more than $40 million. Defense lawyers said the data wasn't secret, wasn't stolen and was "useless for other companies."

"These defendants stole trade secrets, which General Motors spent many years and millions of dollars to develop, to give an unfair advantage to a foreign competitor," US Attorney Barbara McQuade said. "We hope that this prosecution will send a message that stealing proprietary information from an employer or competitor is a serious crime."

Du worked for GM from 2000 until her resignation in 2005. Prosecutors argued that Du and her husband had formed Millennium Technology International through which they had hoped to sell the stolen information. Lawyers said 16,262 stolen files were found on Du's computer.

Sentencing is scheduled for February. The couple face maximum sentences of 10 years on each trade secret count and fines of as much $250,000.

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It's time to configure your 2014 Porsche Cayman

With its configurator gone live, you can spend some time getting closer to the 2014 Porsche Cayman just unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show. There are no prices attached to any of the selections yet, but you'll be starting with either the $52,600 coupe with the 275-horsepower, 2.7-liter flat-six or the $63,800 Cayman S with the 325-hp, 3.4-liter flat-six. Both those prices are before the $950 for destination and handling, mind you.

After that it's a matter of either/or, each page Drive, Chassis and Lights, Interior and Exterior allowing you to choose one of two options. For Chassis and Lights, for instance, you can either have the Porsche Active Suspension Management and bi-xenon headlights with the Porsche Dynamic Light System, or the ceramic composite brakes, torque vectoring and the Sport Chrono package with dynamic transmission mounts. Being so far in advance of the on-sale date, the configurator appears to be a way for Porsche to get a feel for which packages are in the most demand.

Reversing the usual order, frivolities like color and wheels come at the end, then you can click the video button and watch the Cayman of your creation rolling lower, longer, lighter and faster through the the computer-generated streets of Los Angeles. Don't take our word for it, head on over to the configurator and get to clicking.
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