Tag: sales

Report: Cadillac sales chief fired over policy violation

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Cadillac, GM

Cadillac US sales chief Chase Hawkins fired over policy violation.Amidst a good year for Cadillac, which is experiencing higher sales gains than any other US brand this year, the US sales chief has been fired over a policy violation, Automotive News reports.

The sales chief, Chase Hawkins, “has left effective immediately,” GM spokesman David Caldwell told Automotive News. Caldwell went on to say that Hawkins’ replacement would be chosen soon.

Hawkins became the US sales chief in June 2012, and before that was the regional sales director for Cadillac in the Northeast US, overseeing 168 dealerships.

In a brief phone interview, Hawkins told Automotive News that his firing had more to do with a personal issue than a company violation, and he left it at that.

Cadillac sales chief fired over policy violation originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 21 Jul 2013 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mazda on sales upswing in Europe but won’t build there

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Mazda, Earnings/Financials

Auto sales in Europe have been a tricky proposition for some years, but Mazda has seen some success on the backs of the CX-5 and new Mazda6. According to a report form Automotive News Europe, though, that doesn’t mean we should be looking for the Japanese manufacturer to set up production operations there.

Mazda’s European CEO, Jeff Guyton, explained to AN that “Our intention is to have manufacturing scale. That gives you scale economy and quality through repeatability.” In other words, a big honking plant in one part of the world is preferable to a half dozen small factories building the same vehicles.

European sales for Mazda are up 5.4 percent in the first half of 2013, with 74,000 units sold. That kicked the Zoom-Zoom brand’s market share up from one to 1.2 percent. Small gains, but gains nonetheless. According to Guyton, Mazda would need to sell 200,000 units of just one model in Europe for local production to make sense. Mazda’s best European year saw 320,000 units sold across the entire range.

Mazda on sales upswing in Europe but won’t build there originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Jul 2013 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mini Clubvan axed after just 50 sales

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Work, Hatchback, Mini

Mini Cooper Clubvan

Well, that didn’t last long. According to Green Car Reports, Mini has discontinued the Clubvan from its model range in the United States.

Nathalie Bauters, Mini’s US communications manager, cited “relatively low demand and the effect of an excessive 25-percent tax on vehicles for commercial use (known as ‘the Chicken Tax’)” as the key reasons for axing the Clubman from our market, GCR reports. The 2013 Clubvan launched in the US earlier this year, and to date roughly 50 examples have been sold.

The Clubvan, based on the Clubman model, features a flat load floor behind the two front seats, with blacked-out (well, body-colored) side windows. This nifty little cargo wagon could carry up to 33 cubic feet of goods, which while useful, pales in comparison to more capacious offerings like the Ford Transit Connect van.

Bauters told Green Car Reports that “sales of the Mini Clubvan have been strong in other markets worldwide, many of which benefit from tax advantages,” meaning the model will likely carry on elsewhere in the world.

Mini Clubvan axed after just 50 sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Euro car sales plummet to two-decade low

Filed under: Car Buying, Europe, UK

Volkswagen's car elevator and storage - overhead view

Just three months ago, as of April, the story was that the European car market registered its first gain in 19 months, consumer confidence was up “higher than average” and observers were hoping the month could be the first footstep in the trek to “legitimate recovery,” even though Europe’s four-month sales were down seven percent. The stats for June are a return to dark portents, with Bloomberg now reporting that sales for the month haven’t been this bad since 1993. As a result, investor confidence in Germany has taken a dive and Eurozone exports have fallen for a second straight month.

There were 1.18 million cars registered in June, which represents a 6.3-percent decline from a year before. The overall seven-percent decline in car sales remained on track, the half-year number of 6.44 million vehicles sold so far this year being a 6.7-percent drop from 2012 (that number also being the smallest number of cars sold since 1993). The UK market was the only bright spot, jumping by 13 percent but being more than offset by Germany’s 4.7-percent decline and France’s 8.4-percent drop.

No one expects it to get better, either, one analyst saying “I don’t think that it will get better in the very near future,” Renault, Peugeot and BMW saying they expect a five-percent decline year-on-year, and another analyst opining that perhaps the best that can be said is that perhaps things are bottoming out, but that’s “not the same thing as saying they have started to recover.”

Euro car sales plummet to two-decade low originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Green Culture, Tesla Motors, Legislation and Policy

Tesla store with Model S on display

In what could be an important step in taking Tesla Motors’ fight with various state auto dealer organizations nationwide, a grassroots petition is calling on the White House to let Tesla Motors sell cars directly to customers. The petition was started by a “K.S.” in Stow, MA (CNET identifies him as a fan named Ken). The petition says “state legislators are trying to unfairly protect automobile dealers in their states from competition,” and that Tesla offers that competition, “which is good for consumers.”

While dealer groups in New York, North Carolina and Massachusetts have suffered setbacks in their attempts to stop Tesla, Texas does prohibit the electric vehicle automaker from offering test drives of vehicle deliveries in that state because all new vehicles there need to be sold through a licensed third-party.

So far, over 18,500 people have signed the petition, but the target is 100,000 by July 5 to force the White House to respond. You can read the petition text below and decide whether or not you wish to sign over at the We The People site. If the petition gets attention from the Obama administration, that still doesn’t mean Tesla will be in the clear, since dealer organizations have decades of experience influencing local governments. As CNBC says, “For many legislators, the message is clear: protect the local auto dealers, and you protect the economy in your district.”

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Pro-Tesla Motors petition asks White House for direct-sales permission originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 27 Jun 2013 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chevy Spark tops sales projections in first 12 months

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet

2013 Chevy Spark - front three-quarter view, green paint

For a company that profits heavily from fullsize trucks and SUVs, Chevrolet has a surprisingly big hit on its hands with its smallest offering, the Spark. Automotive News is reporting that in its first 12 months in the US, the microcar has amassed 26,869 sales, which is 35 percent higher than the automaker originally estimated for the hatchback. The Spark has been on sale in other global markets since 2009, and Chevy has sold more than 720,000 units worldwide since its introduction.

Through May, the Korean-built Spark has sold a little more than 14,000 units putting it closer to the success of the Fiat 500 (17,562) rather than the low numbers from the Smart Fortwo (3,678) and Scion iQ (1,919). More importantly, its transaction price is the lowest in its segment (and presumably, the industry) with cars going for $14,563 on average, helping to bring new, younger customers to the Chevy brand. As for its sophomore year here in the US, there are a couple notable changes in store. First, the all-electric Spark EV will be joining the lineup, while Techno Pink paint will be dropped in favor of a new purple hue called Grape Ice.

Chevy Spark tops sales projections in first 12 months originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GM sales chief Batey to be named global head of Chevrolet

Filed under: Europe, Chevrolet, GM, Middle East, Russia, South America

Alan Batey, General Motors executiveThe Wall Street Journal is reporting that General Motors is on the verge of naming current US sales chief, Alan Batey, as the new global head of the Chevrolet brand. Batey has been accruing relevant international experience with GM for quite some time now, holding executive management positions in Europe, Korea, the Middle East and the US before getting this latest nod as Chevy’s global leader.

It was Batey who helped to launch the automaker’s “Find New Roads” campaign in February during his stint as Chevy’s interim marketing chief. That tag line, chosen in part for its ease of translation into multiple languages, is currently being rolled out globally.

Batey’s appointment also comes in front of a major product offensive for Chevy, both at home and abroad. The automaker has plans to launch some 13 new or updated vehicles in the US this year, along with 12 more in global markets. Escalating sales in China, Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America have helped to cement a need for Batey’s new gig. According to the WSJ, Batey has decried the regional-based strategy that Chevy has used across the world so far, saying, “That’s over. From now on we will operate as one.”

Bringing cohesion to Chevy models, technology and dealers across the world will be no mean feat, we’re certain. High on the list of Batey’s tasks will be right-sizing the relationship between Chevy and the slightly upmarket Opel brand in Europe, as well as expanding the company’s reach in booming markets like China, Russia and Thailand.

GM sales chief Batey to be named global head of Chevrolet originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Euro car sales hit 20-year low in May

Filed under: Car Buying, Europe

Renault billboard

Automotive News Europe reports vehicle registrations in the European Union fell to 1.08 million in May. That’s down from 1.15 million a year earlier and marks the lowest number for any May since 1993. General Motors, Peugeot-Citroen, Fiat, Renault, Ford, Volkswagen and Audi all saw sales fall off last month, though Seat managed to increase its sales by a relatively heady 13 percent. Currently, analysts are predicting that the European automotive market will continue to contract through 2013, though may show signs of rebounding by the end of the year. From there, it may be a further five years before EU car sales recover to their pre-recession heights.

In Germany, new-car registrations fell by 10 percent in May. France suffered a similar fall while Italy saw a decline of eight percent and Spain suffered a dip of three percent. The UK, meanwhile, saw registrations climb by 11 percent. EU heads of state are currently looking for ways to reverse the region’s economic decline. Unemployment is now at 12 percent in the 17 countries that make up the European Union.

Euro car sales hit 20-year low in May originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai/Kia will likely top Toyota/Lexus for No. 3 sales spot in May

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Toyota

Hyundai and Kia grilles

If forecasts from TrueCar.com are accurate, Hyundai and Kia will be the only automakers to post sales gains in the month of May. Mildly interesting news in itself, but the real shocking nugget is that the Korean conglomerate is expected to pass Toyota (including its Lexus luxury brand) as the third-best-selling automaker in the United States.

Surely there are multiple reasons why Toyota and Lexus sales are expected to drop in May (when compared to April, 2011 and May of 2010), but parts and inventory shortages stemming from the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan are front and center.

Credit also goes to Hyundai and Kia for the dramatic gains they have made on their Japanese and American competitors in the last few years, both in sales and in consumer perception. That said, Toyota seems likely to rebound in the coming months, so it will be an interesting exercise to follow the sales charts.

When all the numbers finally come in, TrueCar.com expects the month of May to show an eight-percent drop in sales from April. As you would expect, shortages of cars imported from Japan is partly to blame, but lowered incentives from all automakers is also cited as a contributing factor.

Hyundai/Kia will likely top Toyota/Lexus for No. 3 sales spot in May originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 May 2011 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW 5GT sales disappointing, has execs rethinking 5 Series wagon

Filed under: Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Luxury

2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo

2010 BMW 550i Gran Turismo – Click above for high-res image gallery

Automotive News is reporting that the BMW 5 Series GT has been having some unintended and rather unfortunate sales consequences for the German automaker. While the company originally believed that buyers of the old 5 Series Touring would be drawn to the oddball crossover, the truth is that those customers have fled to rival Mercedes-Benz for their wagon needs. Meanwhile, the 5 Series GT has stolen buyers from the more expensive 7 Series line. In Florida, for example, up to 10 percent of 7 Series owners have exchanged keys for the less-expensive GT, which isn’t exactly great news for the Bavarians, either.

Of course, overall sales of the 5 Series GT have failed to trend as BMW projected. The company originally said that it intended to move between 4,000 and 8,000 of the models each year, but 2011 has seen only 720 deliveries in the first four months of the year. BMW sold 2,848 examples last year after admitting that they probably incorrectly judged the model mix early on.

While speaking with Automotive News, BMW North America CEO Jim O’Donnell said that he wishes that his company hadn’t stopped selling the 5 Series wagon here in the States. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the big fiver will return to the Land of the Free, at least not in this generation, but the issue will likely be revisited.

The good news is that the automaker may have learned its lesson. Despite the fact that a smaller 3 Series-based Gran Turismo model has been spotted testing (rumored to be called 4 Series), the 3 Series Touring apparently isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

BMW 5GT sales disappointing, has execs rethinking 5 Series wagon originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 May 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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