Tag: sell

BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too!

BYD E6China Automaker BYD is in no hurry to launch in the U.S., and it shows in its plan.

BYD has been showing cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for three years now, originally planning to launch an electric car by the end of 2012 to consumers. Now that’s looking like 2013, according to Mike Austin, VP of BYD’s U.S. division.

In the meantime, BYD is testing some cars in a fleet with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles.

The plan is for the company to find at least five dealers who are willing to not only sell a BYD e6 electric and a plug-in hybrid, called the f3DM, but also BYD LED lights, solar panels and other products related to “green” living. “We aren’t pursuing the typical sales and distribution model,” says Austin.

BYD has gained notoriety for its rapid rise in China and for the investment in the company made by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which owns 10% of the company best known for lithium-ion batteries for cellphones and other consumer electronics.

BYD last year sold 520,000 vehicles in China, impressive but well short of the 800,000 it stated as its goal.

Austin says the company has not selected dealers yet, but acknowledged that the business model for selling BYD’s other products will not appeal to some dealers. “That’s okay, because we are doing something unique here. We are in not in a hurry to launch in the U.S.,” says Austin, who noted the growth in the Chinese market that BYD is trying to manage.

The five dealers BYD is looking for to launch is the start of a network planned to grow to 20 and according to Austin not all of the dealerships at launch will be in California.

BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Lexus expects to sell 1,000 CTs a month despite HS flop

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Hatchback, Lexus

2011 Lexus CT 200h driving

2011 Lexus CT 200h – Click above for high-res image gallery

Lexus is pinning rather high the expectations on its new CT 200h, billed as “The Dark Side of Green.” According to Brian Bolain, the automaker’s national advertising and marketing manager, Lexus expects to sell about 1,000 CTs here in the U.S. each month. We wish them the best of luck, but have some serious reservations.

Consider that the combined sales of the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Volvo C30 (which represent the vehicles most likely to be cross-shopped with the CT) tally up about 1,500 sales per month, according to Ward’s Automotive. For what it’s worth, the 1 Series, which is the only non-dedicated hatchback and easily the sportiest of the bunch, makes up the vast majority of the segment’s sales.

As you’re surely aware, the CT 200h is indeed a dedicated hatchback and it offers up a comparatively paltry 98 horsepower from its Prius-derived Atkinson-cycle 1.8-liter four-cylinder, aided by another 36 ponies from its two electric motors and 28 NiMH batteries. As we said in our First Drive of the CT, that power level, particularly when coupled to a continuously variable automatic transmission, doesn’t exactly incite driving excitement.

Also factor in the sales flop that is the dedicated-hybrid Lexus HS 250h, a model whose yearly sales will struggle to hit half the 20,000 units Lexus had counted on, and you can see why we’re a tad skeptical that Toyota’s luxury division will manage to move a thousand CTs per calendar flip. In any case, we figure the CT is at least as attractive as the HS, and we look forward to spending some quality time with the hybrid hatchback in day-to-day driving scenarios where it should become much more clear how the machine stacks up against its competitors.

What do you think, will the CT 200h be a hit in America? Have your say in Comments.

Gallery: 2011 Lexus CT 200h: First Drive

Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

[Source: Ward’s Automotive]

Report: Lexus expects to sell 1,000 CTs a month despite HS flop originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buick, GMC may turn to loaner vehicles to help sell cars

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Buick, GM, GMC

2011 Buick Regal

2011 Buick Regal – Click above for high-res image gallery

Looking to get some scheduled service work done on your GMC or Buick? If so, you may want to hold off for a couple weeks. Bloomberg is reporting that General Motors is considering instituting a vehicle loaner program for customers who bring in their vehicle for warranty work. The loaner program would no doubt help elevate the overall dealer service experience, but The General is hoping that the move would drive new vehicle sales as well.

Buick GMC boss Brian Sweeney reportedly told Bloomberg that the service could start “in a couple of weeks.” The hope is that service customers who own older Buick or GMC models could borrow, for example, a Buick LaCrosse and notice how much the brand’s new vehicles have evolved and improved. The program could also help dealers who may, in some cases, be struggling to sell more upmarket vehicles than they’re accustomed to. Mark Bowsher, co-chairman of the Buick-GMC dealer council, points out that many of the dealers he represents are former Pontiac dealers, adding “now have to learn how to handle the Lexus, Ritz-Carlton, Cadillac, Mercedes kind of crowd.”

While Buick isn’t yet close to reaching Lexus, Cadillac or Mercedes-Benz status, the marque’s sales have increased faster than any other brand in the industry in 2010. Add the fact that the cheapest new Buick on the market is the 2011 Regal at $26,995, and the Enclave crossover can top out at over $50,000, and dealers had better be prepared to sell premium products at a premium price.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Buick, GMC may turn to loaner vehicles to help sell cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Oct 2010 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: GM will sell diesel passenger car in the U.S.

Filed under: GM, Diesel

USDOT DEER 2010 DetroitSources (i.e., email tips and a Tweet from Ward’s Auto) are telling us that General Motors Vice Chairman Tom Stephens told attendees at the Directions in Engine-Efficiency and Emissions Research (DEER) conference in Detroit today that a diesel-engined passenger car is coming to the U.S. sometime in the future. Nothing has been officially decided, but Stephens indicated that GM has a portfolio of diesels to draw from, noting that it’s up to the marketing department to define what engine and platform might be used, let alone what brand it would be marketed under. What might we see? Maybe something along the line of a GM Jetta?

GM has been talking up diesels in the U.S. for years, but oil-burning powertrains haven’t gotten quite the attention that the plug-in Voltec in the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt has (how could it?). Now that the cat is at least poking its head out of the bag, we wonder if the German automakers, who are having a bit of success with oil-burning powerplants here, are worried. Unlikely, but at least we could get more options – and would it kill GM to make the new car officially B100-capable from the start?

[Source: Ward’s Auto Twitter]

Report: GM will sell diesel passenger car in the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Sep 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi won’t build you an RS5 Cabrio, but Senner will sell you the next best thing

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Performance, Europe, Audi

senner tuning audi a5 cabriolet

Senner Tuning Audi A5 Cabriolet – Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi’s full-bore RS5 treatment may only be available in coupe form, but that doesn’t mean droptop enthusiasts can’t join in on some of the fun. Senner AG, a company known for its Audi upgrades, now offers its RS design package for the A5 Cabriolet, and while it doesn’t boast the outrageous power numbers of the RS5, it certainly has the look, with a couple of eccentric one-off touches, to boot.

Starting with an A5 2.0T Cabriolet, Senner has bumped engine output from 211 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque up to a more palatable 275 hp and 317 lb-ft through the use of sport air filters and ECU recalibration. An all-new exhaust system has also been fitted, as well, giving the A5 a louder, angrier sound – something even the S5 Cabriolet could benefit from.

Visually, Senner has added larger front air intakes similar to those on the RS5, though the A5’s foglamps have been kept intact. Filling out the wheel wells are silver-chrome 20-inch wheels, wrapped in low-profile tires (245/30 in front, 295/25 out back), and a new rear diffuser has been added to round off the host of exterior upgrades. The interior has largely been left alone, save the addition of carbon fiber trim throughout the cabin.

Senner’s kit retails for a healthy €19,900 (roughly $25k USD), and when added to the €55,000 cost of a new A5 Cabriolet, that brings the whole package to €74,900, or $95,150 USD based on current exchange rates. Scroll through the gallery below to see the handsome Senner A5 from all angles, and hit the jump for the full details in the press release.

Gallery: Senner Tuning Audi A5 Cabriolet

[Source: Senner AG]

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Audi won’t build you an RS5 Cabrio, but Senner will sell you the next best thing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fiat wants to sell 50,000 500s in the U.S. through 165 dealers

Filed under: Car Buying, LA Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Chrysler, Fiat

Fiat 500

Fiat 500 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Chrysler is set to debut its American-spec Fiat 500 at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show with the first examples being sold near the end of 2010. During the 2011 calendar year, Chrysler hopes to sell 50,000 of the Mini Cooper fighters, including the 500 Cabrio, which goes on sale sometime in 2011.

Built in Toluca, Mexico, the 500 will be sold through a network of 165 dealers across the United States, mostly in cities that have the largest small car markets. Will Chrysler be able to move 50,000 of the new Fiats? That’s mildly ambitious, since the Mini brand only moves about 50,000 Coopers annually. Still, consider our fingers crossed.

Gallery: Fiat 500

[Source: Associated Press via Google]

Report: Fiat wants to sell 50,000 500s in the U.S. through 165 dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart drives into retirement with big sell-off

Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions

1972 Funco SS1

Ivan “Ironman” Stewart has retired, and the legendary off-road racer didn’t play around when it came to getting out of the game. This weekend, 650 items from his 37-year racing career are being auctioned off, including the entire Pro Truck business he’s been running for the last ten years.

Items up for bid range from pieces of racing history like the restored Funco SS1 buggy (above) that ran the 1976 Baja 1000, to racing miscellany like antique fire sprinklers and five antique folding seats. Not bad if you want to sprinkle your souvenir room with a little bit of Stewart’s dust.

[Sources: AutoWeek, McCormack Auction Company]

Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart drives into retirement with big sell-off originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Lexus

Lexus LFA shown

Lexus LFA – Click above for high-res image gallery

Shortly after the LFA supercar was unveiled last fall, Lexus announced that it would only be available to lease in the U.S. Toyota’s intent was to drive speculators out of the market for its $375,000 supercar by forcing owners to hold onto the car for at least two years. Once the lease was up, customers would then have the option to buy the car outright. That two-year lease, by the way, costs the princely sum of nearly $300,000, which Lexus wants upfront as part of its 1Pay Lease Program rather than in monthly installments.

Lexus has apparently had a slight change of heart. According to a letter delivered to Autoblog by an LFA intender (see below in gallery), American customers will now be able to buy the LFA outright, but only on the condition that they sign an agreement giving the dealer first right of refusal to buy back the LFA if the owner wants to sell it within the first two years. The dealer will have the option to buy back the used LFA for either fair market value or the original sticker price, whichever is lower.

What happens if an owner sells the LFA within two years having not given the dealer the chance to buy it back first? The dealer is owed the difference between what the buyer originally paid for the car and what he sold it for, plus any legal fees. So whether you decide to lease or buy the LFA, Toyota is going to considerable lengths to ensure that no speculators will make a profit on reselling the LFA during the first two years.

Though 99.9 percent of Autoblog readers are most likely not in the market for an LFA, we’re still curious if Toyota’s tactics strike you as fair or would deter you from handing over your inheritance for a car that comes with strings attached, so have your say in Comments.

Gallery: First Drive: 2011 Lexus LFA

Gallery: Lexus LFA Purchasing Letter

Lexus allowing outright purchase of LFA in U.S., demands right of first refusal if you try to sell it originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Honda, Electric

At a news conference yesterday in Japan, Honda chief executive officer Takanobu Ito outlined the company’s future plans to roll out advanced technology vehicles. Among the highlights: Ito revealed Honda will introduce both a mid-size plug-in hybrid and an electric commuter vehicle in the U.S. and Japan by the end of 2012. As part of the company’s global push to develop more-efficient vehicles, Honda will also introduce a small diesel-powered car in Europe around the same time that its battery-powered vehicles hit our shores.

Honda will also begin testing “next-generation electric personal mobility products, including electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric scooters and electric carts” in the Kumamoto and Saitama regions in Japan before the end of 2010. The purpose of the tests is to verify “the effectiveness of next-generation personal mobility products with electromotive technologies,” i.e., plug-in vehicles and how to best use renewable energy (solar) with these vehicles. Honda will test all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in the U.S. once the Japan tests are underway. U.S.-based participants include Stanford University, Google Inc. and the City of Torrance, CA. Torrance will get a plug-in hybrid electric test vehicle by the end of this year. Honda said its first hybrid to get a lithium-ion battery will be the next-generation Civic Hybrid, coming in 2011. More details are available in the press releases after the jump.

[Source: Honda, Reuters]

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Honda announces plans to sell plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle by 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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