New J.D. Power Study Shows Dealers Hitting the Mark with Vehicle Service – Except EVs
Porsche owners reported the highest satisfaction among premium brands with their dealership’s service departments in a new J.D. Power study. According to the J.D. Power 2021 Customer Service Index Study, owners took their vehicles into the dealer for service just 6% less than the previous year, reports The Detroit Bureau. However, overall satisfaction with their experience improved with dealers scoring 847 points, up from 837 from the year-ago period. It’s the sixth consecutive year dealers netted a higher score with Porsche taking the top spot in the Premium brand category with a score of 899. Mini captured the win in the mainstream group at 864, the company revealed. No one type of brand dominated this year’s results with the top five covering foreign and domestic brands. Falling in behind Porsche in the premium group were Lexus (895), Infiniti (887), Cadillac (883) and Lincoln (872). In the mainstream group Buick (859), Mitsubishi (857), GMC (856) and Kia (855) followed Mini. Read more here (Source: The Detroit Bureau).
U.S. Must Slash Emissions by at Least 57% to Meet Paris Climate Target, According to Report
The U.S. needs to target a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 57-63 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 in order to achieve the Biden administration's longer-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, according to a new analysis released on Thursday. Automotive News reports that Climate Action Tracker analyzed President Joe Biden’s plans to decarbonize the new vehicle fleet, commercial buildings and the electricity sector and found that in order for the U.S. to do its share to limit the rise of global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius – the goal of the Paris Agreement – it needs to cut at least 57 percent of its emissions by the end of the decade. The analysis comes before the United States is due to announce its new Paris Agreement pledge for 2030 known as a Nationally Determined Contribution ahead of a climate leaders' summit the country will host on April 22. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
BMW Says Wind is at its Back After Pandemic Dents 2020 Profit
BMW said on Thursday that it was back on a profitable track in 2021 after recovering from shutdowns and a serious dent to sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of last year. Reuters reports that the premium German carmaker said it would have five fully-electric models available this year, as it races alongside the rest of the industry to roll out new zero-emission models in the face of tightening CO2 emissions targets in Europe and China. Plant shutdowns in the first half of 2020 to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus led many in the industry to expect a disastrous year, but a market rebound spurred by China helped the industry recover faster than expected. “Our performance in the second half of the year demonstrated just how strong the BMW Group is ... we soon overcame the impact of weeks of plant closures and nationwide lockdowns,” Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said. “We are starting 2021 revitalized and with a favorable tailwind.” Read more here (Source: Reuters).
Toyota Chief Says Apple Should Steel for Long Haul if it Enters Auto Industry
Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda said he welcomed the possible entry of Apple Inc. into the car business but said the iPhone maker should be ready for a decades-long commitment to its customers, reports The Wall Street Journal. “Anyone can make a car if they have the technical ability, but, once they make a car, I hope they’ll recognize they have to steel themselves for 40 years of responding to customers and to various changes,” Mr. Toyoda said at a Thursday news conference in his capacity as chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Apple hasn’t spoken in public about its automotive plans. Mr. Toyoda said he had no problem with Apple making cars, but he said carmakers have to deal with many issues over the life of a vehicle, starting with obtaining the materials to manufacture it and ending with its scrapping decades later. Read more here (Source: The Wall Street Journal).
Nissan's Top N.A. Exec to Lead Americas in Regional Realignment
Nissan's top North America executive will take a broader role as the Japanese automaker realigns its regional focus, reports Automotive News. Jérémie Papin, 47, has been promoted to the new role of chairman of the Americas, giving him responsibility for Nissan's operations across North and South America. He starts the role on April 1. It is a regional management structure that Nissan previously adopted in 2007, when it hoped to use a centralized U.S. executive team to coordinate sales and manufacturing strategies across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and other markets. But Nissan dropped the hemispheric approach in 2014 when it turned its focus to bearing down on U.S. sales growth. As part of Nissan's four-year transformation plan, the automaker is consolidating seven business regions down to four key regions: Japan-ASEAN, China, Americas, and AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania). Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
Webinar Today: Charlie's Real Time Quarterly Market Update
Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough is back on the AutoTalk webinar today, March 11 at 2:00 p.m. EST, to present the most up-to-date, real time data. Topics to be reviewed include:
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U.S. economic outlook: Is inflation on the horizon?
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What’s expected in 2021 for new and used vehicle markets
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New market trends in the post-COVID market
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Obstacles for market recovery – affordability and inventory
To register for this and other upcoming AutoTalk webinars, click here.
Around the Web
2023 BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe Spy Shots [MotorAuthority]
Ferrari Launches New Car with Two-Tone Livery [ESPN]
Are Electric Vehicles Poised to Kill the Gasoline Engine Car? [USA Today]
Here's Your Chance to Own an Ultra-Rare Michigan-Built 2014 Falcon F7 Supercar [Autoblog]
