Fiat to Celebrate Half-a-Million 500s with Photo Covered Special

Fiat has chosen a unusual way to celebrate the production of the 500,000th 500 mini just 31 months after its launch. The Italian automaker is going to create a special edition version of the 500 entirely covered by 1,500 photos displaying the faces of Fiat 500 customers, celebrities and fans.

Starting from next week (May 3), those interested can book a place on the car by logging on to www.fiat500.com and using the special application showing a plan view of the Fiat 500. They can then book one of the free spaces online by sending a photograph.

Fiat said that seventy per cent of the places are reserved for Fiat 500 owners.

The special "Fiat 500 Thousandth" is expected to be ready three weeks after the booking stage is concluded and will be featured by the Italian carmaker in forthcoming events and international motor shows.

America Loses out on the New Chevrolet Orlando (but Canada doesn't)

Sadly, Chevrolet will not be selling the production version of the chunky Orlando compact-crossover to the States. Instead, the Bowtie will focus on its current lineup of much-improved vehicles.

Here's how Margaret Brooks, head of small cars/crossover marketing explains it like this: "The best thing to do for Chevrolet is to focus on the brands we've already brought to market: the Traverse, Equinox, Malibu and, soon to come, the Cruze. We feel that with those vehicles, Chevrolet has plenty of options for the modern family."

Bloomberg does a great job of pointing out that, while the decision to not sell such a cool little people mover is unfortunate, it's s sign of a General Motors that makes smarter, more economically-focused decisions.

Speaking of being smart, the lack of a US Orlando comes with a bonus: more capacity for the Equinox, Traverse, and Malibu (three very important vehicles for Chevrolet).

Oh, and just to get you interested in some gray market action: Canada will be getting the Orlando, so ownership of one is just a little bit of paperwork away. Or a fast burn across the border.

By Phil Alex

Via: Bloomberg

Buick Confirms New Models, Targets "Customers that Shop at Ikea and Drink Coffee at Starbucks"

The new Buick confirmed that it will be releasing a new compact sedan and small crossover as follow-ups to its mid-size Regal (pictured above in GS concept form). Well, at least now it's official.

The three new vehicles are expected to help it move into 47% of the market, which will help Buick in achieving its goal of doubling sales "in the next few years".

The brand will also cease using trim-level designations, continuing to shake things up. Why? "Trim levels imply there is a hierarchy of the premium vehicle," says Craig Bierley, director of Buick-GMC advertising/sales promotion director.

Now everyone's going to be the same on the outside, which is smart. Other than engine displacement designations (which can be deleted on most cars), none of the luxury automakers do it.

In addition, Bierley said that Buick is changing its marketing strategy. "In the past, Buick stood for one thing, we stood for quiet," he said. "At the time (before filing for bankruptcy), we had most of our budget slashed, so we kept the program that was successful," Bierley added. "So if you played golf or watched golf, you knew about Buick."

Now, Buick has "almost entirely dropped out of golf," he said adding that the focus now will be on more " grass-roots campaigns and search for customers who shop at Whole Foods and Ikea and drink coffee at Starbucks." In other words, buyers who want luxury without paying that much.

As a sign that things are looking up (i.e. working), Autodata Corp. says Buick's sales are up 36% for April, and 50% improved for the year so far.

Evidence comes in the form of a 214% increase in LaCrosse sales (now selling for "$8,000 to $9,000 more" that its predecessor); even Enclave buyers went up by 30%.

What's really impressive is Buick's bold claim that the upcoming Regal will be the oldest model in its lineup by 2013. That's what we call thinking ahead, or having a plan. Not something the old GM was too concerned with, but reassuring...most reassuring...to see under the new GM.

By Phil Alex

Via: Detnews

Buick's Current Range

Toyota to Decrease Japanese Production Capacity 20% by 2015

Toyota is planning to cut Japanese production over the next five years by approximately 700,000 units (from 3.9 to 3.2 million) or close to 20% and move it into countries that would provide significantly cheaper labor, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Japanese automaker will begin by closing down a production line at its Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan, where it is based, from the current fiscal quarter through the second half of calendar year 2011. The report says that this move will trim down the firm's domestic output by approximately 220,000 vehicles."


The longer-term plan is for Toyota's Japanese production to concentrate on concept vehicles that will spearhead the manufacturer's low-cost, high-tech future strategy (like the hydrogen fuel cell cars they want to have on the market soon).

By Phil Alex

Via: Bloomberg/BW

New Ram Brand gets Dodge's Horns Logo, Dodge Adopts SRT-Like Twin-Red Slash

Late last year, Chrysler LLC split Dodge's lineup into two different brands, one for the firm's passenger vehicles, and the other comprised of the Ram truck models. Now it's time for the Detroit automaker to separate the brand's identities with a different logo for each brand.

As you can see in these official pictures, the Ram brand gets to keep Dodge's well-known horn logo while Dodge, which will be positioned as a sporty and youth-orientated passenger car maker, adopts a new insignia featuring two red slashes that's inspired by the Chrysler Group's SRT performance brand.

"It signifies our sporty character. Most SRTs are Dodges," says Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles. "On vehicles, the Dodge name will stand by itself in a new script that will appear prominently but without the red slashes."

Dodge plans to gradually phase out the horn logo from its current lineup. The first Dodge models to get the new Insignia will be this year's 2011 Charger sport sedan and a 7-seater replacement to the Durango based on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee (see official drawings here).

Via: Chrysler and Automotive News

Chevrolet Camaro Outsells Ford Mustang by Almost 20,000 Units at Year One, But Loses in May '10

Yesterday we learned that the refreshed and more powerful 2011 Ford Mustang sold 10,225 units in May 2010 beating GM's Chevrolet Camaro by almost 1,300 units (8,931 sales monthly total).

The General's reaction? Early this morning, the Detroit automaker came out with a press release stating that from May 2009 (the 2010 Camaro's first full month of sales) to May 2010, Chevy's pony car posted 99,872 total sales, outselling the Ford Mustang by nearly 20,000 vehicles (80,340 units total).

The company added that the Camaro has led the pony car sales race for 11 of the last 12 months.

Of course, now that the Mustang has been upgraded with a pair of more powerful and frugal V6 and V8 engines, the Camaro won't have it so easy as May sales proved. That is until GM introduces a revised version of the Camaro and the cycle begins again...

For the record, Detroit's third pony car, the un-updated Dodge Challenger, sold a total of 3,828 copies in May 2010 recording a 42 percent increase over the same month last year (2,695 units), setting a monthly sales record for the second month in a row.