Lexus Turns to Social Networking to Push Toys for Tots Campaign

In the spirit of the holiday season, Lexus is trying its hand at using social media to push its campaign to raise money for Toys for Tots.

Under its December to Remember sales event — whose commercials feature the “Big Red Bow” wrapping up Lexus vehicles like gifts — the luxury brand is donating $5 to the charitable cause each time someone “shares” a big red bow on Facebook or Twitter (up to a $100,000 maximum).

The campaign wraps up Jan. 3.

“The annual Lexus December to Remember campaign has become an iconic part of the holidays over the years,” Lexus vice president of marketing Brian Smith said. “By engaging our fans and followers via social media, we’re welcoming them to join in the holiday cheer while raising funds for a meaningful cause.”

Facebook fans can click on the December to Remember tab on facebook.com/lexus for the donation to be made, while Twitter users can use the #lexusbigredbow hash tag.

These efforts fall under the company’s philanthropic initiative, The Lexus Pursuit of Potential, and mark the first time Lexus has utilized social networking for charity outreach.

View the original article here

auto notes

Toyota: Dealer Stock Increases by 30,000 Units

In giving another production update Wednesday, Toyota declared that its U.S. inventories continue to improve with dealer stock increasing by 30,000 units last month.

OEM officials also believe there is “a good supply of vehicles available.

“Toyota thanks its customers, dealers and suppliers for their patience and cooperation throughout the recovery process,” they added.

Toyota said it does not anticipate any further North American production issues due to the flooding in Thailand. As a result, its North American plants will continue operating on a normal production schedule with planned overtime and Saturday production.

The automaker stressed that it will continue to monitor the situation closely, but anticipates no further announcements on this issue in North America. 

As the OEM’s franchised dealers readily know, it’s been a difficult production year for Toyota.

First like its Japanese counterparts, Toyota tackled extreme production challenges after March’s earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan killed more than 18,000 people and caused more than $300 billion in damage.

Then Toyota was hit with production issues again when a severe monsoon season deluged Thailand, one of the company’s crucial manufacturing hubs.

However, Wednesday’s news extends a string of positive developments for Toyota.

Late last month, the OEM opened its plant in Blue Springs, Miss., a facility designed to produce the Corolla. Auto Remarketing published the details here.

Also in November, Toyota held its World Convention in Las Vegas, gathering together president Akio Toyoda with approximately 1,100 other people, including representatives from about 300 dealers, manufacturing affiliates and finance corporations in approximately 150 countries and regions around the world.

“Growth means changing in step with changes in society,” Toyoda declared at the event.

“Only by promoting change can sustainable growth be created. Toyota can achieve sustainable growth if we can continue making better cars for people,” he went on to say.

Finally also coming to light late Wednesday, Toyota’s all-new 2012 Camry earned a five-star composite safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“The fact that the Camry earned this five-star overall score after enduring a more rigorous NHTSA testing procedure targeted at raising the bar for overall vehicle safety is testament to the strong design, and safety-focused engineering consumers can expect in the nation’s top-selling car,” Toyota officials insisted.

“The redesigned 2012 Camry features a reinforced body structure that utilizes high-strength steel construction to help withstand cabin deformity during certain severe collisions, absorb impact energies and help enhance occupant safety,” they highlighted.

The automaker mentioned each Camry is equipped with 10 standard airbags to help protect occupants in the event of a collision.

View the original article here

auto notes

CPO Sales Bounce Back

After October marked the first year-over-year dip in certified pre-owned sales in three months, the CPO market moved back into the black during November, posting a 9-percent improvement over the year-ago period and keeping the year-to-date pace well ahead of 2010.

Although CPO sales fell 1.2 percent sequentially, they climbed from 126,519 units sold in November 2010 to 137,850 certified sales last month, according to Autodata Corp.

This pushed the year-to-date total to 1.58 million, a 5.7-percent hike compared to the same period of 2010.

Amid this robust market, several automakers shared with Auto Remarketing how they achieved such strong months while also revealing what they see for the close of 2011.

One of those automakers was Kia, which notched yet another best-ever mark for CPO sales, moving 1,211 units. This marked a 111-percent improvement over November 2010 and pushed the year-to-date sum to 8,763 CPO sales (up 35.2 percent).

“Kia dealers are benefiting from increased auction inventory as the daily rental companies begin to de-fleet model-year 2011s for the new model-years 2012s,” said David Carp, director of fleet and remarketing at Kia Motors America

“We are confident we will break the 10,000-unit mark for 2011, which will mark five consecutive months of all-time CPO records at Kia,” he added.

Volkswagen — which already bested 2010 full-year sales months ago — achieved a 16.1-percent hike  for November CPO sales (5,339 units), and its year-to-date sales have jumped 32.8 percent at 66, 827units sold.

In order to generate the inventory needed to achieve such strong gains, VW has turned to a new sourcing technique in the fourth quarter, and it appears the strategy is working, says general manager of pre-owned operations Scott Weitzman.

“VW had another strong month in CPO. We exceeded the 2010 total-year numbers back in September and our internal goals in October. Our dealers are more engaged than they have ever been and are generating record profits in the used-car arena,” Weitzman noted.

“We initiated a VW-backed trade-in program for the fourth quarter and have seen a significant influx of certifiable cars traded in by consumers since October. In fact, more than 1,500 CPO-eligible units have been traded in on dealer lots since October,” he continued.

“All of these units were pulled ahead from 2012 and beyond, when the lease or contract expiration would have normally occurred. Customers were offered $500 toward the purchase of a new VW if they traded-in early,” Weitzman added.

Over at Toyota, its dealers sold 24,912 CPO rides, up slightly from 24,710 certified sales in November 2010. Year-to-date sales have reached 302,742 units, compared to 288,239 CPO sales in the year-ago period.

Toyota anticipates 2011 will end up being its strongest year ever for CPO.

“Through November, we have surpassed 300,000 TCUV sales for a second year in a row,” said Brad Heagy, retail sales and operations manager for TCUV/TRAC.

“Given our strong dealership business partner commitments to the TCUV brand, we anticipate continued sales momentum through December to finish the year more than 10,000 units above last year's best-ever sales record of 315,440,” he continued.

Heagy added that the 2.9 percent APR /60-month TCUV financing offer will continue through Jan. 3.

View the original article here

auto notes

KBB Honors Best Redesigned Cars

Kelley Blue Book unveiled on Thursday what it considers to be the “Top 10 Best Redesigned Vehicles of 2012,” and dominating the list were European models.

Not only did a European car take the top spot, these vehicles claimed the top four positions and six of the top 10. Ranking No. 1 on the list was the 2012 Porsche 911.

“Porsche’s designers and engineers were faced with the very difficult task of redesigning an icon while keeping all the aspects that made an icon intact,” stated Jack Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst at Kbb.com.

“They accomplished that task and more, creating a car that looks and handles better than its predecessor and is more fuel-efficient to boot,” Nerad added.

KBB selects the winning vehicles based on which shows the most improvement and advancement over its prior model and its competitors. Editors examine the following features: exterior and interior styling, technology, comfort and convenience features, performance/capability, driving dynamics, safety, fuel economy, overall refinement and value.

After Europeans, Japanese brands took three spots, and just one domestic (2012 Ford Focus at No. 9) made the list. Interestingly enough, this marks the first time in the award’s nine years that Ford, Chevrolet or Honda has not claimed top honors.

The complete top 10 for 2012 is as follows:

1. 2012 Porsche 911
2. 2012 Volkswagen Passat
3. 2012 Audi A6
4. 2012 Volkswagen Beetle
5. 2012 Honda CR-V
6. 2012 BMW 6 Series
7. 2012 Honda Civic
8. 2012 Toyota Camry
9. 2012 Ford Focus
10. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class

Previous winners are:

2004: Ford F-150
2005: Ford Mustang
2006: Honda Civic
2007: Chevrolet Silverado
2008: Chevrolet Malibu
2009: Ford F-150
2010: Ford Taurus
2011: Honda Odyssey

View the original article here

auto notes

NICB: Most Popular Car Theft Holiday Arrives Soon

Though the holiday season may be in full swing, it doesn’t mean vehicle thieves are at rest. In fact, a day of celebration that’s just around the corner is proving to be the most theft-prone holiday of them all, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Based on the number of vehicle thefts reported to the National Crime Information Center for each of the 11 holidays examined by NCIB, it was discovered that the busiest holiday in 2010 for car snatching was New Year’s Day.

There were 2,347 car thefts reported that day, more than 200 cars stronger than the No. 2 holiday (Memorial Day; 2,122 thefts).

“While Americans are enjoying the holidays and most have time off from work, we need to remember that holidays are just another day at the shop for vehicle thieves,” NICB stressed.

New Year’s Eve also ranked high on the list (No. 5) with 1,986 thefts, followed by Christmas Eve (1,928) in sixth. Christmas Day ranked 11th with 1,361 stolen cars.

“The NICB reminds drivers to be alert during the busy holiday season. That includes parking in well-lit areas, keeping packages in the trunk or out of sight and making sure your vehicle is locked while it's parked,” the bureau stressed.

The complete ranking of the 11 holidays from 2010 were as follows:

1. New Year's Day (2,347)
2. Memorial Day (2,122)
3. Halloween (2,064)
4. Labor Day (2,020)
5. New Year's Eve (1,986)
6. Christmas Eve (1,928)
7. Independence Day (1,914)
8. President's Day (1,903)
9. Valentine's Day (1,745)
10. Thanksgiving (1,605)
11. Christmas Day (1,361)

View the original article here

auto notes

Ford Announces Quarterly Dividend

Ford’s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend Thursday, awarding 5 cents per share.

The automaker noted the dividend is payable March 1 to shareholders of record of Class B and common stock on Jan. 31.

“We have made tremendous progress in reducing debt and generating consistent positive earnings and cash flow,” stated executive chairman Bill Ford.

“The board believes it is important to share the benefits of our improved financial performance with our shareholders. We are pleased to reinstate a quarterly dividend, as it is an important sign of our progress in building a profitably growing company and our confidence in the future,” the Blue Oval’s top boss continued.

Lewis Booth, Ford’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, said the company’s strong liquidity and balance sheet improvements provide the underlying financial strength to resume paying a quarterly dividend.

“Building a strong balance sheet that supports our growth plans remains a core part of our One Ford strategy,” Booth insisted.

“We have demonstrated our capability to finance our plans, and we are confident that we can begin to pay a dividend that will be sustainable through economic cycles,” he added.

When discussing Ford’s most recent financial performance, the OEM accentuated the positives of the third quarter since it was judged against the company’s best performance ever. The automaker watched its third-quarter net income drop by $38 million or 2 cents per share year-over-year.

The Blue Oval revealed in October that its third-quarter net income totaled $1.6 billion, or 41 cents per share, but Ford president and chief executive officer Alan Mulally insisted the OEM continued to generate solid profits, strengthen its balance sheet and invest for future growth, as well as take actions to improve its competitiveness.

“We delivered solid results for the third quarter despite an uncertain business environment by continuing to serve our customers around the world with best-in-class vehicles,” Mulally stressed about the company’s second highest-ever profit for a quarter that was exceeded only slightly by the 2010 third quarter.

“We accomplished this while continuing to invest for future growth and focusing on developing outstanding products with segment-leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value,” he continued.

Backing up Mulally’s assertions, Ford’s November U.S. retail sales increased 20 percent versus a year earlier as its total sales were 166,865, up 13 percent.

Ford estimated its retail market share has averaged 15 percent in the last three months — its highest retail share in five years.

The Ford brand retail sales were higher for most products with double-digit gains posted by Fiesta, Fusion, Escape, Explorer, F-Series, Econoline and Ranger.

“With gasoline prices continuing to track higher than last year, consumers continue to value fuel economy — no matter what size or kind of vehicle best meets their needs,” stated Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service.

“Most Ford products deliver best-in-class fuel economy and provide customers an opportunity to choose what best works for them — EcoBoost technology or electrified vehicles,” Czabay added.

Wall Street Reaction

View the original article here

auto notes

GM Dealers Doing Complete Store Makeovers, Akerson Said

GM CEO Dan Akerson, speaking at a pre-New York auto show event, said nearly three-quarters of GM dealers will have started or completed store makeovers by the end of this year. Better customer throughput and higher profits are allowing GM dealers to spend more on their stories, he said.

Turn auto notes into cash