Saturday, August 20 marks the 16th annual Woodward Dream Cruise,
but the fun has already begun. My daily commute crosses over
Woodward Avenue, and car enthusiasts and their "prized rides" have
been showing themselves since last weekend.
The Dream Cruise is expected to bring over a million people and
tens of thousands of classic, muscle and show cars, among many
others, to a long stretch of Woodward, running through a number of
Detroit suburbs. In honor of the event, I did a bit of research on
the...
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There was recently a big hullabaloo about Dan Akerson, General
Motors CEO, voicing his support for an increase in gas taxes; an
opinion also shared by both Bill Ford and Alan Mullaly of Ford.
This was presented as an alternative to managing fuel consumption,
as opposed to increasing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE)
standards. The basic principle is to impact the demand side of the
economic equation, rather than the supply side.
I don't disagree that $4/gallon gas is quite an adjustment and...
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Vernors, Eminem, the auto industry and the longest freshwater
shoreline in the world are not all that make Michigan unique. We
also have the much-loved "Michigan left." If you're not from here,
the "Michigan left" is a phenomenon whereby a driver is required to
turn right in order to turn left. Though I'm more or less
indifferent on the topic, it has long been a source of aggravation
for many Michiganians. I happen to be married to one such resident,
who will actually plan or alter his route to...
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Fellow blogger, Tom Libby, just wrote about the
resurgence of Buick. I want to add to his thoughts and talk
about their eAssist Technology, which is creating more positive
press for Buick and will likely translate to continued sales
increases. eAssist is a gas/electric powertrain that, according to
Buick.com, will be introduced on the LaCrosse and Regal later this
year as 2012 models.
eAssist is another example of OEMs making hybrids more appealing to
the average driver who doesn't want their...
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In the business of automotive information, we use vehicle
registrations along with numerous other data sources to look at
things such as the automotive forecast, automotive aftermarket
opportunities, model and make loyalty, and overall general buyer
behavior through custom consumer research. All of these efforts
require a thorough understanding of the automotive industry, the
world economy, current events, consumer preferences, and so many
other influences. The "other" category is where the...
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As you probably know, it is generally easier to sell new products
to existing customers than it is to find entirely new customers for
your products. It logically follows that when companies are
attempting to increase sales, they go to their existing customer
base first.
While this sounds easy enough, companies must have a sound approach
to efficiently and effectively embark on a cross-sell effort. An
overly aggressive "shotgun" approach, using untargeted
communications on numerous products to the...
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"See the USA, in your Chevrolet"
"Like a Rock"
"The Heartbeat of America"
"Chevrolet. An American Revolution"
And, I'm sure there have been many more Chevrolet slogans over the
last century that are not coming to me at the moment.
Chevrolet's 100th anniversary made me think about how remarkable it
is for a brand to endure a century in this country, so I started
checking out the websites of some of America's most recognized
brands. Many have only been around a fraction of that time: Apple
(35...
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