February 8, 2010

Next AIADA Chief: Dealers Must Get Involved
New Jersey dealer Rick DeSilva says he's never been one to sit on the sidelines and watch the game. For years, he has worked on a number of civic and industry organizations. Now he is poised to become chairman of AIADA, which represents dealers who hold 11,000 international-brand franchises. DeSilva is on the board of the Ramapo College Education Foundation, Mahwah Zoning Board of Adjustment, Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee, and Wholesale Auto Supply Co. But, according to Automotive News, for DeSilva, president of Liberty Subaru in Oradell and Liberty Hyundai in Mahwah, the basics of his business are all about family. "Becoming AIADA chairman gives me the opportunity to get engaged in the heart of our industry," he says. "I want to protect my sons' rights to continue to provide for their families, as this industry has allowed me to do." AIADA will hold a luncheon and meeting in Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 15, where DeSilva will take the reins. Click here to register for AIADA's 40th Annual Meeting and Luncheon. Click here to read AIADA Chairman-Elect Rick DeSilva's complete interview with Automotive News about issues facing international-brand dealers this year.

Toyota Readies Prius 'Solution,' Speeds Delivery of Pedal Parts
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. told dealers that it is preparing to resolve brake concerns on the Prius hybrid while speeding up the delivery of parts to prevent gas pedals from sticking on eight recalled vehicles. According to Automotive News, Bob Carter, Toyota Division general manager, addressed the issues in a letter to dealers this weekend. He also said that a 60-second television spot to begin airing Monday will say Toyota Motor Sales hasn't been living up to the standards befitting a company that has built a reputation for selling safe, reliable, and high-quality vehicles. As for the sticky pedals on 2.3 million vehicles recalled last month, Carter said the company is working with the supplier to increase production capacity for the pedal parts and is continuing to improve volume of the larger size reinforcement bars. He said the parts will be shipped directly from the supplier to dealers, bypassing distribution centers and getting "to you two days quicker." Carter told dealers the image campaign will get the same priority as a major sales event campaign, meaning it will be on all major broadcast network, network cable, and local TV stations. It won't air during today's Super Bowl. Click here for the latest on Toyota's efforts to address issues with brakes on its Prius models.

Toyota to Resume Production at Six Plants
According to The Detroit News, Toyota Motor Corp. resumed production at six North American assembly plants on Sunday after a one-week shutdown. Toyota spokesman Mike Michels said the company has enough replacement pedals to begin turning out vehicles again. "There are sufficient repair parts for customer cars as well as areserve of pedals from last week's stoppage, that we can begin production," Michels said Sunday. The company stopped production at plants Canada, Indiana, Kentucky and Texas. After Toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles on Jan. 21, it was forced to stop selling eight models accounting for nearly 60 percent of their sales volume on Jan. 26. The company's dealers have begun selling models in the showroom on a "vehicle by vehicle" basis as they make a repair to the pedal assembly. The news comes as Toyota officials are working on the testimony of its North American president Yoshimi Inaba, who will testify Wednesday along with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and NHTSA administrator David Strickland in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform. Click here for more on Toyota's decision to resume production at its North American plants.

Zoom Replaces Missing Vroom
"SMOOTH and quiet as an electric motor" is a phrase that has been used repeatedly to compliment gasoline and diesel engines that are especially well-mannered. As more hybrid and battery-electric vehicles enter the marketplace, though, the maxim is being transformed. Returning to a role in propelling vehicles that largely disappeared decades ago, electric motors are attracting attention from automakers, who see the need for hybrids and E.V.'s to have personality and character that parallels their brand's image. According to the New York Times, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan are treating electric-drive motors as fundamental technology they must closely control, said Toru Hatano, an analyst at CSM Worldwide who is based in Japan. By keeping motor development and production inside the company rather than assigning it to a contractor, companies can better monitor quality and get a jump on new manufacturing processes. They can also more tightly manage their suppliers. BMW, a marque revered for the character and performance of its high-revving combustion engines, has not yet announced its e-motor plans. The company is weighing how it can transfer its sporting mojo into the electric-drive systems being developed for a new range of city E.V.'s, expected by 2015, and other products. Click here for more on what automakers are doing to develop their electric motors.

Sporty Evora is a Car for Connoisseurs
Auto reviewer Dan Neil, writes that the 2010 Lotus Evora is perhaps the most fun available on four wheels. Oh, and it gets about 30 MPG. A ruptured fire hydrant of pleasurable endorphins, the Lotus Evora is the first all-new car from Lotus - a small sports-car company in Hethel, England - since it was reborn with the Lotus Elise in 1995. Click here for a photo gallery at Car and Driver. The Evora takes all the guiding design principles of modern Lotus cars and writes them bigger and in more elegant script: The bonded/riveted aluminum monocoque chassis (weighing a mere 441 pounds in the Evora and providing torsional stiffness 1.5 times that of the Ferrari F430); transverse mid-engine layout, here hosting a reprogrammed 3.5-liter, 276-horsepower V6 sourced from Toyota; and a supreme commitment to being lightweight (3,046 pounds). Ultimately, it's the driving that sells this car, and the Evora - like Lotuses all the way to the Dark Ages - has that irresistible and ineffable quality, a perfect liveliness, a sweet and yar personality, an intentionality such that the car does precisely what you want it to do exactly when you want it to - maybe a nanosecond before. Click here for Neil's full review, including facts and figures, of the pleasure of driving the Lotus Evora at the Detroit Free Press.

Most Popular Cars for Men and Women
According to Forbes, gender-targeted marketing is nothing new, but automakers say they well know what appeals most to women - or to men for that matter - when they commit to building and marketing a car. And like it or not, they say there are some generalizations that hold true now and forever: Women opt for practicality, men for power. For its list of the vehicles most popular with men and women, Forbes used analyses from J.D. Power & Associates and customized data Experian Automotive. Data was taken from all new-car registrations in the United States for September 2009 to Jan. 24, 2010; they measured which vehicles have the highest percentage of male vs. female registrants and vice-versa. Registration data does not conclusively determine who is driving these vehicles, but it is industry standard in determining gender demographics in new-car purchasing. Click here to see a slideshow of what cars men and women favor. More women than men choose practical crossovers like the Kia Sportage and the Honda CR-V, while the majority of buyers of high-power, high-torque autos are men. Click here for Forbes' full report on which vehicles are favorites of men and women.

Time is Running Out: Attend AIADA's 40th Annual Meeting & Luncheon
If you're a dealer heading to NADA's national convention in Orlando next week, join fellow dealers and industry leaders as AIADA celebrates 40 years and looks to the challenges of tomorrow at its Annual Meeting and Luncheon, February 15, 2010. Registration for this can't miss event won't be available much longer. John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, will present the keynote address, and the AIADA board of directors will announce the recipient of the 2010 Dave Mungenast Lifetime Achievement Award. Finally, the gavel will be passed from current AIADA Chairman Russ Darrow of Wisconsin to the 2010 Chairman-Elect Rick DeSilva of New Jersey. Don't miss the chance to connect with fellow dealers and industry insiders to build on the success of yesterday and confront the challenges of today and tomorrow. Don't wait. Register today by clicking here or by calling 1-800-GO-AIADA.

Around the Web
Super Bowl 2010: Car Commercials Revisited [The Weekly Driver]
Porsche 911 Turbo S Unveiled with 530 HP of Goodness [Autoblog]
Preview: 2011 BMW X5 [TheCarConnection]
MINI Owner Braves Snow, Cold to Win Open-Top Contest [DriveOn]