December 22, 2009

Saab Hopes Flicker as Spyker Rescue Bid Drags On
On Tuesday, Spyker Cars pressed ahead with efforts to cut a deal for Saab with General Motors Co., with talk of possible backing from a Dutch billionaire fanning the Swedish carmaker's faint hopes of an eleventh-hour reprieve. Spyker lodged a new fast-track offer to buy Saab from GM on Sunday. According to Automotive News, shares in the Dutch luxury carmaker rose sharply on Tuesday after local media reported the bid had won support from financier Marcel Boekhoorn. Dutch paper De Telegraaf quoted unnamed sources as saying Boekhoorn, who bought a 5.7 percent stake in Spyker in 2007, was involved. But the financier told the daily: "It's all not true. It's been made up." Speaking to ANP-Reuters from Stockholm, Spyker's Muller said he was still in talks about buying Saab and was still hopeful but declined to comment on the Boekhoorn report. Spyker said on Sunday it had submitted a new offer to GM, including an 11-point proposal addressing issues that arose during the due diligence process for its old bid. The market remained skeptical that Russia-backed Spyker would clinch a deal. The closure of the 60-year-old Saab would eliminate 3,400 jobs in Sweden and drop 1,100 Saab dealers. Click here for more on Spyker's bid to purchase GM's Saab unit. 
 
Hyundai Sales Rise During 2009 Auto Crisis
According to Automotive News, Hyundai Motors Co. can claim something no other major carmaker can: It sold more cars in 2009 than it did in 2008. While automotive sales industrywide have fallen by 23.9 percent in the U.S. and carmakers struggle to survive, Hyundai has thrived. Hyundai holds 4.3 percent of the U.S. market, up from 3.1 percent through November 2008, according to Autodata Corp. Its rise began in January when Hyundai launched its Assurance Program, which struck a chord with consumers facing economic uncertainty. Quick, clean and simple, the much-acclaimed program put Hyundai on many people's radar, industry analysts and Hyundai executives said. The South Korean automaker has bought back fewer than 100 vehicles, and the program brought the company a large amount of good will from consumers, said Jim Trainer, a Hyundai spokesman. In recent years the automaker has created critically acclaimed, original vehicles that have earned high quality ratings and praise from critics and customers alike. With new and redesigned vehicles, such as the Hyundai Tuscon crossover rolling into dealers now and the midsize Hyundai Sonata coming next year, Hyundai will have a new products arriving at the right time, he said. Click here for more on Hyundai's rise among international auto makers.

Subaru's Turbocharged Sales Secret
Subaru, the car brand of choice for quirky, all-wheel-drive loving Northeasterners and trendy turbo freaks, is on something of a tear. Considering Subaru's record breaking sales at a time when others are struggling to unload cars, the number four Japanese brand in America is doing downright great. According to CNN Money, most of the credit goes to recent upgrades made to three of Subaru's five model lines. Those upgrades reflect a renewed focus on America. Subaru's parent company, Fuji Heavy Industries of Japan, has mandated a tight focus on the needs of its single most important market, the United States. Executives in Japan instructed Subaru of America to pass along more customer feedback so Subaru designers and engineers could better hone in on what Americans want. But while they're changing their products to better suit the mainstream market, Subaru executives know they can't turn their backs on the customers who got them here, the ones who expect Subaru to be different. The result is a balancing act. The products can go more mainstream, but shouldn't give up its left-of-center identity. A sports car, which might be Subaru's first two-wheel-drive car since the 1990s, is expected in 2011. Subaru is also working on a new hybrid car using Toyota technology, which would Subaru's first hybrid. Click here for more on how Subaru is gaining new customers while still satisfying its loyal fan base.

Worst States for Drunk Drivers
In the midst of the holiday driving season, Forbes has compiled its list of states with the highest drunk driving rates. The publication looked at the number of drunken driving-related fatalities in each state according to a compilation of motor-vehicle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the General Estimates System. Released in August by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, an office of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the numbers reflect fatalities in 2007. Forbes then ranked them by the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. This determined on an equal level the states with the most accident-related fatalities where at least one driver had a blood-alcohol content of .08 or more. In the 50 states and the District of Columbia, the rates of alcohol-impaired fatalities dropped 1,317. But 10 states showed no change or an increase of 49 fatalities in 2008 over 2007. Click here to view a slideshow of statistics from the top ten worst drunk driving states. To counteract the increase in these states, NHTSA and other organizations have implemented preventive measures such as enforcement and advertising campaigns focusing on young males and motorcycle riders. In the last several years, laws aimed at reducing the number of drunken drivers have also been enacted. Click here for complete analysis from Forbes on which states score the highest in intoxicated motorists.

Toyota Revs Up Cost Cuts
Under pressure from the second straight year of losses, Toyota Motor Corp. is making a renewed push to make cars more efficiently and at lower costs, as part of the auto maker's efforts to return to profitability despite a stronger yen and waning government incentives in key markets. According to the Wall Street Journal, the world's biggest car maker by volume told suppliers at a meeting Monday that it wanted them to help the company reach its goal of slashing auto parts costs by 30 percent in the next three years, according to one insider. The company isn't introducing any new program, but has reportedly set more aggressive targets under an existing program called "RRCI" that combines the two cost-reduction initiatives currently under way. RRCI stands for "Ryohin (quality), Renka (low price), Costs and Innovation." Toyota has been working on a cost-reduction program called "Value Innovation" for new models since 2005. The program groups automotive components into several dozen categories and lowers costs in each segment. Hit by the financial crisis, the company launched "Value Analysis" last year to slash the cost of producing existing models by simplifying production processes and using materials more efficiently. For full coverage of Toyota's efforts to slash costs, click here.

New Year, New Image
Now here's a New Year's resolution that's easy to keep! Isn't it time you slimmed down your utility bill? Upgrading your lighting can help curb excess energy consumption and improve your dealership's image, making you stand out from the competition. AIADA's Affinity Partner, Venture Lighting, has been the worldwide leader in metal halide innovation for over 25 years, specializing in energy-efficient exterior and interior lighting packages for retail automotive applications. Their manufacturer-direct pricing can save you up to 25 percent on high-quality, sustainable, and energy-saving lighting solutions. Many dealerships, like Classic Toyota in Ohio, have taken advantage of Venture Lighting's products and realized significant savings. Click Here to read Classic Toyota's story. Like Classic, you can enhance your store's image with high-definition lighting from Venture's state-of-the-art Natural White® product line. At night and indoors, Natural White makes colors appear exactly as they do under direct sunlight, yet each lamp consumes less energy than traditional metal halide light sources. And Venture will help keep you green with their Smartpac® lamp recycling and utility rebate assistance programs. For more information on Venture Lighting click here or contact them at 800.657.0077 or aiada@venturelighting.com. Prefer to be contacted directly? Click here.