Infiniti QX80 Redesign Will Shine as the Center of Brand Makeover
Infiniti is preparing a dramatic brand makeover to jump-start the Japanese premium player for a new era of growth and a belated leap into the battery-electric race. Outlining the plan publicly for the first time, Infiniti Chairman Peyman Kargar told Automotive News the campaign will kick off in this fiscal year and develop a more consistent and sophisticated brand image. The plans include a new look for Infiniti dealerships, a new design language for its vehicles and a flurry of accents to impress customers, such as a unique Infiniti scent and signature sound. The push will center on the upcoming launch of the redesigned QX80 large SUV, which gets big luxury upgrades to assert its role as the flagship of Nissan Motor Co.'s premium brand. The campaign is part of a three-phase company transformation that Nissan Motor Co. CEO Makoto Uchida tasked Kargar with undertaking when Kargar was appointed Infiniti's global brand boss in June 2020. The first stage focused on recovery and stabilization and wrapped up in March with record profitability for the Infiniti business on a global level. Click here for the full story.
HR is Broken – Here’s How to Fix it, and Hire the Right Talent
The biggest challenge facing shorthanded employers right now is simply talent to fill open roles. Just by sheer numbers, there are more open roles out there across all industries than there are people actively looking to fill them. This is due to a number of factors. People who lost their jobs at the onset of the pandemic are either choosing not to return to work (maybe they’re pursuing childcare full time or they’ve retired early) or they’re considering other career paths that better meet their needs when it comes to salary, benefits, flexibility, and culture. CBT News reports this problem is especially difficult for the automotive industry, which has historically suffered a reputation problem. In fact, recent research indicates three out of four people have a negative view of the auto industry. Folks see car sales as a competitive and cut-throat career. While other roles like technicians are historically associated with long hours and low payAccording to Hireology’s 2021 State of Hiring report, 70 percent of dealers today have more than three jobs open. Click here for the full story.
Q1 Buy-Sells Tracking on Same Busy Pace as '21
The U.S. dealership buy-sell market so far is tracking at a similar pace to a busy 2021, widely considered the biggest year for store acquisitions in history. Data compiled by buy-sell experts and Automotive News for this year's first quarter showed that deal-making has largely continued its momentum. Kerrigan Advisors, a sell-side firm in Incline Village, Nev., estimated in its latest Blue Sky Report that dealership transactions in the first three months of 2022 increased 9.1 percent to 72. Transactions, as counted by Kerrigan Advisors, can be single- or multiple-store deals. Automotive News has tracked 73 transactions in the first quarter, involving the sale of 104 dealerships. Those dealerships represented 179 franchises. The figures are similar to those tracked by Automotive News for the first quarter of 2021 — 69 transactions involving the sale of 106 dealerships. If the current buy-sell pace were to continue, "nearly every dealership in the U.S. would trade hands in the next 20 years, leading to fewer single-point dealers and a much higher concentration of vehicle sales amongst the leading consolidators," Kerrigan Advisors said in its report. Click here to learn more about the latest dealership buy-sell market data.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 New Teasers are the Most Revealing Yet
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is one of the most anticipated model launches from the Korean automaker. The production version of the 2020 Hyundai Prophecy concept is ready to be unveiled, as proven by the latest series of teasers, revealing parts of the design. This is the first time Hyundai shows us parts of the production-ready Ioniq 6, with previous teasers involving sketches and all prototypes caught by Carscoops spy photographers being covered by thick camouflage. The Ioniq 6 retains a large sum of the aerodynamic silhouette and sleek surfacing of the concept, while introducing new styling cues. One teaser shows the mirror-replacing cameras that are different to the regular mirrors of the prototypes, the front fender and new alloy wheels looking like they belong to a Hyundai N model. Another teaser shows the coupe-style roofline and the flush door handles, while we also get to see parts of the front and rear bumpers. The latter come with a two-tone treatment and complex intake-style features, combined with pixel-style LEDs. Click here to see photos. Click here to learn more about the Ioniq 6.
Rolls-Royce Invents Lifesaving Suicide Doors
If you've got the money for a Rolls-Royce Phantom you expect the ultimate in luxury and the latest and greatest technology. You also expect to have suicide doors, or rear-hinged doors, because they make getting in and out of the car so much more graceful. Since a Rolls-Royce is packed with sound deadening and snubs its nose at plastic, these doors are abnormally heavy, which is why RR includes a little motor that helps make the door feel light as you open it. In fact, Rolls-Royce doors can open and close automatically, but thus far, this invention has worked off the assumption that the occupant opening the door has ensured that it is safe to do so. RR is now ensuring you don't step into traffic when it could be hazardous to do so. Allow Carbuzz to explain. The patent, which has now been published by the trademark office, describes a safety system that can ensure "a collision-free open position" of a door. Basically, the idea here is to take the existing technology of a vehicle exit warning and make it more proactive than just a warning chime. Click here for the full story.
Around the Web
Bentley's Next Continuation Car is its 1929-30 Le Mans Winner [Autoblog]
These Used Vehicles are Skyrocketing in Value Due to High Gas Prices [Fox News]
Toyota Cuts Stake in Uber by Half, Looks to Maintain Ties [Reuters]
