Marketing

Audi will use the Super Bowl to debut a new global ad campaign. The Volkswagen Group-owned luxury brand confirmed the ad buy on Tuesday, but did not share creative details or the length of the spot. The automaker only noted to Ad Age, an affiliate of Automotive News, that it will be “occupying one of

Dream Motor Group needed extra in-house capacity to expand marketing to customers of its Mercedes-Benz dealerships across the South. For less than the cost of an employee, the dealership group stepped up its email outreach for sales and service. Only Dream didn’t hire anyone to do it. The newsletters and email messages are written, sent

DETROIT — Toyota and Lexus will remain active in auto shows around the U.S. but aim their displays and their spending more directly at consumers and less at the media, brand leaders told Automotive News on Thursday. “We are making adjustments,” said Bob Carter, head of sales for Toyota Motor North America. “Auto shows are

Lithia Motors Inc. is expanding online efforts to source used vehicles directly from consumers, reducing reliance on trade-ins and saving on auction costs. It’s all part of the public dealership group’s strategy to procure the used vehicles most likely to yield the highest margins for its dealerships. Leveraging new digital channels is a key focus

DETROIT — McLaren Automotive builds one thing and one thing only: supercars. It has no SUVs to lean on for higher volumes, nor does it have partner automakers to turn to for a parts bin. And McLaren as an automaker is still relatively young, with vehicle sales starting just eight years ago, in 2011. Despite

Aston Martin has been on a product push in the past couple of years, having refreshed and redesigned much of its sports car lineup. And now it finally has an SUV. Unveiled last week, the 2021 DBX will place the British ultraluxury brand into the bustling field of SUVs from some of the industry’s most

The arrival of Tesla Inc.’s latest attempt at automotive disruption — a high-performance cargo hauler called the Cybertruck — left Wall Street analysts befuddled and its would-be pickup competitors snickering. CEO Elon Musk had trumpeted the electric pickup for years, promising futuristic Blade Runner-inspired looks and specs that top offerings from the Detroit 3. The

The auto industry has never seen a vehicle reveal quite like the show that Tesla CEO Elon Musk put on last week. Not only is the design of Tesla’s Cybertruck so bizarre that even those in attendance weren’t sure if it was the real thing, but the event went off-script when Tesla’s chief designer, Franz

With the used-vehicle market firing on all cylinders, dealers are fiercely competing for prime inventory. This comes even as a record number of vehicles roll out of leases and return to the market — buyer demand has kept pace with supply, industry analysts note. And with no silver bullet for acquiring used cars and trucks,

DETROIT — Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk plainly says his pickup is a “better truck than an F-150.” Ford Motor Co. is taking issue with that claim. Maybe. While releasing a series of specs last week for Cybertruck, which is scheduled to start deliveries as soon as late 2021, Musk called up a video of the

DETROIT — The world’s largest holding company of advertising agencies, which has done business with Ford Motor Co. for more than 75 years, plans to move several units to downtown Detroit in a move that could bring more than 1,000 jobs to the city. London-based WPP plc — which includes GTB, VMLY&R, Burrows, Hudson Rouge,

DETROIT — Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk plainly says his pickup is a “better truck than an F-150.” Ford Motor Co. is taking issue with that claim. While releasing a series of specs last week for Cybertruck, which is scheduled to start deliveries as soon as late 2021, Musk called up a video of the the

Ford Motor Co. is putting major marketing behind its new Mustang Mach-E electric crossover as the automaker uses one of its most iconic nameplates to muscle its way into the EV sales race that has been dominated by Tesla Inc. The Mach-E — which is the first crossover and EV in Mustang’s 55-year history —

LOS ANGELES — Book by Cadillac, a subscription service that General Motors put on hiatus in late 2018, will return early next year with a new direction, said Deborah Wahl, GM’s chief marketing officer. Speaking Tuesday at the J.D. Power/NADA AutoConference L.A. here, Wahl said the first dealers will begin piloting the revamped program in

An enterprising college student who’s been stuffing his 2008 Ford Focus with Krispy Kreme doughnuts from Iowa to resell in Minnesota every weekend is getting a new delivery van to help him expand his business, courtesy of Daimler Trucks North America. Daimler partnered with logistical data provider FreightWaves to give Jayson Gonzalez a Freightliner Sprinter.

After Ford Motor Co. and General Motors ended production of compact cars, many former car owners continued to purchase sedans instead of switching to crossovers and SUVs, according to an Edmunds analysis. So far in 2019, 23 percent of former Chevy Cruze owners and 31 percent of former Ford Focus owners bought a car from

Tonawanda’s mark will live forever on the engine of the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette. Each midengine Corvette has a chrome placard on the valve cover reading, “Built by Chevrolet Tonawanda the number 1 team.” The original small block V-8 engine was built at Tonawanda Engine Plant in Buffalo, N.Y., more than 60 years ago. General Motors

Ford Motor Co., which has been using Bryan Cranston as its celebrity spokesman, is adding another star to its marketing mix. Actor Idris Elba will serve as “creative partner” to help launch a Mustang-inspired electric crossover Nov. 17 and appear in a global marketing campaign for the vehicle. Ford is leveraging the fact that Elba

TOKYO — The odds were against it, but the beleaguered Tokyo Motor Show — championed and reinvented by Toyota boss Akio Toyoda — not only met its ambitious attendance target but exceeded the 1 million-visitor goal by good measure when doors closed this week. Toyoda, who also is chairman of the show’s organizer, the Japan

Chevrolet hasn’t started building the midengine Corvette yet, but it managed to deliver the first one last week. Or, at least it pretended to on live TV. Chevy gives a vehicle to the MVP of the World Series in conjunction with its Major League Baseball sponsorship. For the past two years, the prize was a

Cars.com has hired veteran auto industry marketing executive Dean Evans to lead the company’s efforts in creating new marketing tools, including digital video, intended to boost dealer profitability. Evans, 51, became Cars.com executive vice president, a newly created position, on Oct. 28. He reports directly to Cars.com CEO Alex Vetter, the company announced Wednesday as

Audi has tapped ad agency 72andSunny for a global campaign, but is expected to continue working with Venables Bell & Partners in the U.S. The Volkswagen Group-owned luxury brand on Tuesday announced that 72andSunny would handle a project aimed at redefining Audi’s “Vorsprung durch Technik​” marketing slogan, which  translates to “progress through technology.” The tagline,

The reign of crossovers and SUVs as the cool vehicles of choice in the U.S. and Europe is about to come to an end, some automotive executives say. That’s because young customers are poised to rebel against the high-riding models in favor of sleek sedans to avoid being like their parents. “The sedan is the

Mitsubishi Motors may not have the big size and ample philanthropy budgets of rival automakers in the U.S., but it still seeks to make a difference in the communities where it sells vehicles through its new corporate social responsibility program, Small Batch — Big Impact. Over the course of 10 days this month, the Japanese

NASHVILLE — The bright red Nissan badge that will appear on the front grille of the 2020 Titan XD PRO-4X pickup next year is more than a fashion statement. It’s a signal that Nissan’s strategy in the full-size pickup market is shifting. Big pickups remain the gotta-have vehicle for millions of earnest American contractors, farmers,

Dean Evans, the marketing whiz behind Hyundai’s sometimes cheeky and sometimes moving Super Bowl ads, is leaving his position as head of U.S. marketing with many laurels to rest on. But that’s not how he operates. Evans remains passionate about the auto industry after 30 years living through its ups and downs and plans a

Hyundai Motor America has named Angela Zepeda from the Innocean agency as its new chief marketing officer, following the exit of Dean Evans from the position last week to pursue new a business venture. Zepeda, senior vice president and managing director at the automaker’s agency of record, will be responsible for all of Hyundai’s marketing

Hyundai Motor America’s hard-charging marketing chief, Dean Evans, is leaving the Korean automaker after “four highly successful years” to pursue a new business opportunity, the company said Friday. Brian Smith, the COO of Hyundai’s U.S. arm, will take over Evans’ duties on an interim basis. “Hyundai is greatly appreciative to Dean for his contributions,” the

America’s cupholder war, meet America’s soft drink war. Ford Motor Co. enlisted Dr Pepper to highlight the 15 cupholders in its Expedition SUV by creating a limited-edition 15-pack of cans. It planned to give away boxes Saturday, Oct. 12, at the Texas-Oklahoma college football game in Dallas. “We’re solving one of Expedition’s last unsolved big

PSA Group has bolstered its marketing chops as company executives continue to plot the re-entry of Peugeot into the North American market. Lisa Mark will become chief marketing officer and vice president, the company said Wednesday. She is expected to lead all aspects of Peugeot’s go-to-market strategy as the company returns to the continent for