#DealersDoGood Friday
AIADA is highlighting the ways dealers are making a difference and helping their communities in 2020. Special thanks to the dealers who have let us know of the ways they’re helping out. If your dealership is doing something great, please tell us! Click here to let us know, or join us on Twitter by tagging @AIADA_News and using the #DealersDoGood hashtag.
Community Auto Group, which has dealerships in Baytown, Texas, and Lafayette, Louisiana, recently donated several generators and chainsaws to the relief efforts that are ongoing in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. “Our dealerships in Baytown lost over 400 vehicles, and many of our employees, including myself, had significant water damage to their homes” says Roger Elswick, owner of Community Auto Group. “In fact, the Cajun Navy rescued my family from our home. We’re glad to repay that favor with whatever support we can offer.” The donation was made through Our Saviour’s Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Check out a picture here.
Concordville Nissan and Concordville Subaru in Concordville, Pennsylvania, have held holiday weekend fundraising sales for A. I DuPont Hospital for Children/Nemours Fund for Children's Health since 2006. The dealerships donate $100 for every new and used car sold between the two dealerships over the three day holidays of President's Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, and Columbus Day. Between this endeavor and Subaru's Share the Love both dealerships have donated over $500,000 towards various projects that they have sponsored, including the NICU, Family Resource Center, Autism Clinic, and currently childhood cancer. In addition the dealerships pay for the lease of two Subarus used by the hospital for community outreach. Check out a picture here.
Audi Rolls Out Rental Program to Dealerships
Silvercar — the wholly owned Audi subsidiary that has been the German premium brand's platform to experiment with mobility solutions — is expanding a partnership with Audi dealerships in several U.S. metros that will make on-site Audi rentals available. So far, nine of Audi's 302 U.S. dealers have opted into the program, which began in July, said Stephan Zeh, head of Audi Mobility Services. He said he expects the number of participating dealers to more than double by the end of this year. Most are in locations where Silvercar had an existing presence operating its subscription or rental programs, including Dallas; Seattle; Denver; Henderson, Nev.; Charlotte, N.C.; Costa Mesa, Calif.; and three cities in Florida. However, Zeh said the rental program would be available across Audi's dealer network over time and that dealers could be up and running in as little as three weeks after applying. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
VW Gets Back on the "T" Train for New SUV Name: Taos
Volkswagen of America has taken the occasion of adding another offering to its U.S. portfolio of sport-utility vehicles to get back to its roots, dare we say, strength . . . odd, quirky names starting with the letter “T.” The upside, reports The Detroit Bureau, is that the new compact SUV that will debut Oct. 13 gets a moniker that many will at least recognize as a person, place or thing — in this case, it’s a place: Taos. Of course, like all of the other utes in VW’s North American line-up, Taos was chosen to “resonate” with U.S. buyers. “We’re thrilled to announce the name for the newest member of the Volkswagen family,” said Hein Schafer, senior vice president for Product Marketing and Strategy, Volkswagen of America Inc. “It was important to choose a name that really embodied the nature of the car and the town of Taos, New Mexico was a perfect fit. It’s a small city that offers big things—from outdoor adventure to arts and design and great cuisine.” Read more here (Source: The Detroit Bureau).
Ford Launches New 'Buy American' Ad Campaign Ahead of Heated U.S. Presidential Election
Amid a heated presidential election and polarizing protests over racial injustice, Ford Motor is betting there’s still enough American pride to draw customers in with a new “buy American” ad campaign that touts the company’s investments in the U.S. CNBC reports that the automaker on Thursday touted its American jobs and recent investments of about $1.5 billion as it launched the new campaign, called “Built for America,” ahead of production beginning later this month of its next-generation Ford F-150 pickup at a plant in metro Detroit. Ford, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, said the coronavirus pandemic has reaffirmed the importance of auto manufacturing to the country, as automakers were able to quickly mobilize to produce personal protection equipment, ventilators, and other supplies. Read more here (Source: CNBC).
Volkswagen Close to Selling Bugatti to Rimac
Volkswagen AG is close to selling its Bugatti supercar brand to Croatian electric-car maker Rimac Automobili, CAR Magazine reported, a move that would mark the start of an overhaul of the German manufacturer’s luxury-car portfolio. According to The Detroit News, Volkswagen executives greenlighted the deal last week, but it still needs supervisory board approval, the magazine said Thursday, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. Bugatti will likely be transferred to Rimac via VW’s Porsche brand, which already owns a 15.5% stake in the Zagreb-based company, in exchange for a bigger share of the firm, according to the report. Bugatti, which sold 82 vehicles last year, has long been viewed as a prime example of Volkswagen’s engineering extravagance. In 1998, it was revived under former Chairman Ferdinand Piech after the brand had largely faded from existence in the 1950s. Because of high development costs and low volumes, the 16-cylinder Veyron – Bugatti’s first model under VW control – was considered one of the biggest money losers in the auto industry. Volkswagen doesn’t break out financials for the brand. Read more here (Source: The Detroit News).
Around the Web
Holy Turbo Terrors! It's the Front-Drive Sport Compact Comparison Test [MotorTrend]
Bugatti May Be Sold to EV Maker Rimac of Croatia [Car and Driver]
The Conspicuous Case of the $477K Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge [MotorAuthority]
