December 15, 2011

115 Cars Tops in Roof Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said Wednesday it has awarded Top Safety Picks to a record 115 vehicles for model year 2012. The list includes 69 cars, 38 SUVs, five minivans, and three pickups. Click here to see the entire list. The 18 new winners include some of the best-selling vehicles in the United States: the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, along with the Honda Fit, Buick Verano, Toyota Prius V, Mercedes M-Class, and BMW X3. According to The Detroit News, Toyota Motor Corp. had 15 winners for 2012, more than any other auto manufacturer. "Safety is a core value that dates back to the foundation of our company. IIHS' awards further recognize our commitment to helping protect drivers and passengers," said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America. General Motors Co. was second with 14 winners, followed by Volkswagen AG with 13. Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. won 12 awards apiece. Subaru was the only automaker to receive the award for all of the vehicles it produces for the U.S. market. It received five awards, including one for the redesigned Impreza. Click here for full coverage of the IIHS’ list of Top Safety Picks.

A December to Remember?
Car sales demonstrated growing momentum during the last few months, with sales exceeding a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 13 million. Edmunds asks, does this mean 2011 will close out on a high note for the auto industry? The publication expects it will. It points to five key signs that indicate promising sales results for December. The first: Selection, selection, selection. After months of constrained supply, inventories are finally growing again. Second: If you build it, they will come. A key force behind recent auto sales momentum has been a revitalized supply that is enticing buyers who delayed purchases this summer due to supply shortages and higher prices. Third: The "buy" message is out. With their dealers newly restocked, automakers are now sending consumers a signal to buy. Fourth: Return of the deal seekers. After years of posting average (or worse) sales results, December vaulted to the top of the pack post-recession, ranking first or second for monthly sales in 2009 and 2010. And fifth: Light at the end of the economic tunnel. Recent economic data supports strong auto sales for December. For more on why Edmunds thinks this will be a December to remember for auto sales, click here.

Hyundai Wants to Match VW's Super Bowl Ad Success
Hyundai Motor Co. wants to "turn the needle a little bit in the direction of more entertainment," John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai's U.S. unit, told reporters last month while outlining plans for NBC's Feb. 5 broadcast of the Super Bowl. "We'd like a little bit more memorability," he said. Hyundai was successful advertising in the 2010 Super Bowl. The automaker had the most automotive ads during that year's game and traffic on Edmunds web site for Hyundai rose almost sevenfold following those spots, compared to average Sundays in January. According to Automotive News, 2011's winners saw big – and lasting – market-share gains after putting up Super Bowl spots. VW Passat interest surged 70 percent on Edmunds.com during the week after it aired a spot of a child playing Darth Vader compared with the prior four weeks. Chrysler also benefited from its Super Bowl play. Car-shoppers' consideration of the brand on Edmunds soared 87 percent in the week following its two-minute ad for the 200 sedan that featured rapper Eminem. This year, Toyota Motor Corp. is planning two spots for the redesigned Camry sedan, and Audi said it will advertise for a fifth consecutive year. Read more about Hyundai’s advertising strategy for the 2012 Super Bowl here.

Cars So Hot They Are Out of Stock
This year is expected to be the best for U.S. new car sales since 2006, the year before the recession began. The increase in buyer activity has been large enough that several car and light truck brands are virtually out of stock. According to 24/7 Wall St., these are a mix mostly of extremely expensive cars and very inexpensive ones as heavy demand appears to be concentrated at both ends of the market. The publication has compiled a list of the most oversold vehicles during November. Most years, a few car models are in short supply. This year, heavy demand appears to be concentrated among those who want inexpensive and fuel-efficient cars at one end, and those consumers for whom price and gas mileage are not much of a consideration. 24/7 Wall St. used data from Edmunds to determine which cars were hardest for buyers to find in November. The list includes two BMW models, one Mercedes, one Audi, and one Lexus. It also includes two models from Hyundai and one from sister company Kia. In addition to those, the list has one Toyota and one Subaru on it. Click here to read more about the cars that are so hot, they are out of stock.

The Car Dashboard That Wants to Be an iPad
Entertainment and navigation systems in automobiles have come a long way since the days of eight-track tape players and folding maps, but the complexity of some systems calls into question their user safety at 70 miles per hour. Now, federal safety regulators are throwing up a yellow caution flag. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to issue new guidelines for the design of in-car multimedia systems aimed at reducing their potential to tempt drivers' eyes away from the road. According to The Wall Street Journal, the new guidelines could change the way multimedia systems are designed, and would come amid a push by the federal government to curb distractions in autos. Of equal or greater concern to the industry are the complaints from consumers. A recent survey of more than 18,000 vehicle owners by J.D. Power and Associates found high levels of dissatisfaction with many factory-installed navigation systems. In response, automakers are hiring more engineers adept at designing so-called human-machine interfaces, and adapting some of the thinking that goes into products like Apple Inc.'s iPad to make systems that are rich in content, yet easy to use at highway speeds. Read more about a push to simplify interactive systems in vehicles here.

Find More Inventory – Two Auction Websites in One
You’ve heard the phrase, “It’s a win-win situation.” But what about a win-win-win situation? That’s exactly what “Plus” is for the automotive remarketing industry. “Plus” is a cooperative effort between ADESA and AuctionPipeline. The two companies have joined resources to list each other’s vehicles on their respective websites, ADESA.com and AuctionPipeline.com. The win-win-win? Corporate consignors have their inventories exposed to a broader network, which means more eyes on their vehicles. Dealers have a significantly larger pool of auctions and vehicles from which to seamlessly shop inventory. And auctions benefit from a combined dealer base. “Plus” recently added a new feature: an enhanced market guide. The ADESA Market Guide (AMG) now incorporates sold-vehicle data from all AuctionPipeline independent auctions. AMG can now calculate wholesale vehicle values based on a considerably larger sampling of auctions. More transactions on a local and national level mean more robust information for customers. The enhanced market guides can also be accessed via both ADESA.com and AuctionPipeline.com. So the next time you need inventory, jump on ADESA.com for an even wider selection of vehicles and more market guide data. For more ideas on locating and managing inventory, visit the ADESA blog.

Around the Web 
2013 Porsche Boxster Spy Shots [MotorAuthority]
Smart Car Maker to Unveil Pickup Truck [CNN Money]
Ho-Ho-Ho on the Go: Stocking Stuffers for the Car Lover in Your Life [Detroit Free Press]
7 Out of 10 Japanese Cars Made in U.S., Canada [DriveOn]