August 14, 2019
Audi of America Fills Leadership Void with VW Group's Canada CEO
Volkswagen Group Canada CEO Daniel Weissland will lead Audi of America beginning Sept. 1, about four months after Mark Del Rosso's abrupt resignation. Automotive News reports that Weissland, 46, will take over as Audi of America president after heading the German group's Canadian operations since December 2017. Cian O'Brien, who has been interim president of Audi of America since May 2, will remain COO. "Daniel is a strong leader of people with deep expertise in our business and a track record for driving consistent sales growth, which makes him an excellent fit for President of Audi of America," said Hildegard Wortmann, member of the Audi Board of Management, in a statement. Weissland steps into the role as Audi prepares for a host of redesigns and refreshes in the coming year and as it looks to electrify its lineup. A redesign of the A3 sedan is expected in 2020, while the A4 and A5 cars and Q7 crossover will be freshened. For more on Audi’s leadership, click here.
Acura Type S Concept Debuts as a Stunning Four-Door Sedan
Acura is bringing the Type S badge back with authority. While the Acura Type S Concept is a concept, it looks and sounds a lot more like a design preview for the next-gen TLX in Type S flavor. Acura says it will debut two Type S performance variants within the next two years. The first will be the TLX, and AutoBlog hypothesizes that an RDX Type S will follow. From the company: “The Type S Concept sets the stage for re-introducing Type S performance variants to the Acura line-up after a decade hiatus, and will heavily influence the character of the upcoming, second-generation TLX Type S.” Just like other Acura concepts of late, this one is a real looker. Click here to see it. Its LED lights in front and back signal a new style for Acura that it calls “Chicane.” While the headlights may look a lot like those on the NSX, this fixture debuts the automaker's new four-lamp “Jewel Eye” LEDs. Instead of squares, we get rectangular eyes, and they look even cooler than before. For more on the Acura Type S Concept, and what is means for Acura’s future, click here.
A Small-Town Toyota Store is Challenging the Norm — and Succeeding
Welcome to White River Toyota, a small but highly successful dealership in a tiny town halfway up the Vermont-New Hampshire border that, among other things, just might be one of the industry's best examples of a better way. At White River Toyota, customers are given more control, which, according to Automotive News, makes the process more fun and leads to increased sales. White River's new- and used-vehicle sales are up 63 percent over five years ago. After changing its processes, the store's total sales jumped up by over 50 vehicles a month and have continued to rise. Customer satisfaction scores? Between 98 and 99 percent satisfaction, among the best in the region and much better than they were five years ago. Employee retention and satisfaction? Pretty darn good. Outside of service, just one sales employee has left — to move out of state — so far this year. How are they doing it? Click here for the novel ideas that have come from the dealership's 39-year-old general manager, Jason Quenneville, and his team.
Jaguar Will Give You $3,000 to Dump Your Tesla and Buy an I-Pace Electric Crossover
Due to the competitive nature of the automotive industry, it’s common to see carmakers take direct aim against some of their rivals to sway buyers—this is called a “conquest” incentive in dealer lingo. Currently, according to The Drive, it appears Jaguar is working extra hard at trying to persuade owners and prospective buyers of the Tesla Model 3 to get them into I-Pace all-electric crossovers by offering up to $15,000 in incentives. According to various tweets shared by seemingly self-admitted Tesla fans who appear to be knocking the deal-on-wheels, it's made up of a $5,000 dealer discount, plus an additional $7,000 “Allowance Credit” and another $3,000 “Tesla Conquest” if you’re coming from a Model S, Model X, or Model 3. That seems like quite the coupon for an I-Pace, which is Jaguar's first-ever all-electric model that launched just last year with an MSRP of $69,850. Thus far, the I-Pace has scored positively among the press, scooping up several awards including European Car of the Year, as well as World Car of the Year. For more on how the I-Pace measures up against a Tesla, click here.
2019 Federated Challenge® Raises More Than $3M for Big Brothers Big Sisters
AIADA joined 59 prominent businesses and more than 500 private citizens gathered at The Saint Paul RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Sunday, July 28, 2019, for the fifteenth annual Federated Challenge supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters. Awe-inspiring generosity on the part of corporate sponsors and attendees generated more than $3 million during this charitable event. One hundred percent of the money raised will be donated to the three Minnesota Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. These monies support one-to-one mentoring that change the lives of Littles for the better, forever, and the Federated Challenge Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund provides up to $5,000 per year to qualified Littles and high school-aged Bigs enrolled in a non-four-year program at a trade or technical school or community college that focuses on career-ready skills training. Read more about the event, hosted by AIADA Affinity Partner Federated Insurance, by clicking here.
Around the Web
2020 Lexus LC 500 Inspiration Series Goes Nori Green [Automobile Mag]
Group 1 Automotive Donates $200,000 to El Paso Shooting victims Fund [AutoNews]
The Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet Is The Convertible CUV The World Didn't Know It Needed [Jalopnik]
Mitsubishi Electric Stretching Boundaries of User Experience [Wards]
