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Production of Chevrolet Cruze Begins in Lordstown

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 13:04:00 +0000

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – Production of the much-anticipated 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, which features the spaciousness and amenities of a midsize car with the fuel economy and price of a compact, was celebrated today with red, white and blue models symbolically declaring that a world-class small car can be assembled in America by a domestic company.

The first vehicles for delivery to buyers were driven off the line at GM’s Lordstown, Ohio plant in front of GM employees, dignitaries, union representatives and community members.

Cruze is already Chevrolet’s top-selling car worldwide this year, with more than 165,000 sold, and second only to the Silverado full-size pickup for all Chevrolet vehicles – even before sales begin this month in the United States.

“We are delivering a car with the quality which Americans desire matched with features they would not expect in this segment, from 40 mpg on our Eco model to 10 airbags as standard across the range,” General Motors North America President Mark Reuss said. “Of equal importance, we are working to redefine the views on a domestic carmaker building such a car here in the United States.”

When the first Cruze sedans arrive at U.S. dealerships, they will offer consumers more for their money, with class-leading standard safety features, expected class-leading fuel economy, and more standard equipment than competitive vehicles.

With a starting price of $16,995, the Cruze includes 10 air bags, StabiliTrak electronic stability control with rollover sensing, traction control, anti-lock brakes, collapsible pedal system, and OnStar with Automatic Crash Response.

“Our new body shop is among the best in the world. Our team is inspired and energized by the build of the Cruze. It’s a safe and reliable compact car with that mid-size experience,” said Dave Green, president of UAW Local 1714 at the Lordstown Metal Center.

Source: http://publish.media.gm.com/media/us/en/news/news_archive.brand_gm.html

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Chevrolet Sponsors First Modern Media Man Summit

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:38:34 +0000

ATLANTA — Chevrolet is the platinum sponsor for the inaugural Modern Media Man (M3) Summit for men and dad bloggers to be held in Atlanta this weekend.

“Men and dad bloggers continue to show their influence online and this can’t be ignored by marketers,” said Chris Perry, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Marketing. “The M3 Summit offers Chevrolet an opportunity to foster positive relationships and help bring added recognition to this emerging sector of social media.”

Organizers have arranged to bring together a full range of men’s social media practitioners; bloggers, podcasters, video bloggers, online TV and radio broadcasters, consumers and small business owners for the event.

“The Modern Media Man Summit was designed to bring big brands together with the increasing number of men and dad bloggers involved with social media,” said Debbie T. Lawrence, M3’s co-founder. “Bringing Chevrolet to M3 as a Platinum Sponsor far and away exceeds our expectations and we are honored this internationally recognized brand is so active in our upcoming event.”

With its sponsorship, Chevrolet is providing a limited number of vehicles that will be used by selected men and dads across the country to drive to the Atlanta venue. During the cross-country adventure, those using the cars will provide social media updates via such sites as Twitter, Facebook, their blogs, FourSquare and Whrrl as part of their participation.

Chevrolet will also support Cell Phones for Soldiers by collecting used cell phones at the summit. The first 100 donors will receive a preloaded 60-minute phone card. Cell Phones for Soldiers will recycle the phones, and use the proceeds to provide pre-paid calling cards and cell phones to troops serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Source: http://publish.media.gm.com/media/us/en/news/news_archive.brand_gm.html

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Tim Allen to be the Voice of Chevrolet

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:46:24 +0000

DETROIT – Television and movie star Tim Allen will be the voice of Chevrolet, beginning with the TV advertising for the all-new 2011 Chevrolet Cruze. The first ads for the Cruze will air next Tuesday, Sept. 7, Chevrolet announced today.

“Tim Allen brings the right combination of a recognizable voice with the credibility, likeability and humor that will connect with viewers,” said Joel Ewanick, vice president, U.S. marketing, General Motors. “His passion for all things cars makes him the perfect match for the Chevrolet brand.”

Allen is best known for his work in television’s “Home Improvement” and movies including the “Toy Story” trilogy, as the voice of Buzz Lightyear, and “The Santa Clause” franchise. He is a native of the Detroit area and has a long-standing love affair with automobiles.

Allen has an extensive car collection, including personally designed versions of a 1996 Chevrolet LT5 Impala SS, a 2000 Cadillac DeVille DTSi.

“Everyone knows Tim Allen is a ‘car guy’ with Michigan roots,” said Debbie Crispin, owner, Bill Crispin Chevrolet of Saline, Mich. “What a great voice for Chevrolet.”

Allen will debut in the advertising for the all-new Chevrolet Cruze, which will use accolades from the news media and comparisons to competitive cars in the compact segment to introduce the Cruze to the marketplace. These ads will be followed by additional television ads with a large social media component, product integration in relevant shows and events, as well as advertising specific to the features and benefits of the Cruze.

“Tim Allen will be the voice in our Cruze advertising, but the car will be the star,” Ewanick said. “Our communication on the Cruze will highlight the car, its features and its competitive advantages.”

Source: http://publish.media.gm.com/media/us/en/news/news_archive.brand_gm.html

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New Hatchback is Next Chapter in Cruze Success Story

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:09:20 +0000

The story of the Chevrolet Cruze goes from strong to stronger with the latest chapter heralding the launch of a new 5-door hatchback model, further evidence of Chevrolet’s commitment to bring value for money in every segment in which it competes.

The new Chevrolet Cruze 5-door hatchback will go on sale across Europe mid 2011, followed by other global markets. While the Cruze sedan will arrive at U.S. dealers in September, the Cruze hatchback will not be offered in the U.S. market.

A show car version of Chevrolet’s compact hatchback will be seen for the first time at the Paris Motor Show, on September 30. It will be one of four world Chevrolet premieres at the show.

With the introduction of the new Cruze hatchback, customers have an alternative body style to the traditional sedan.

According to Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe, the potential for meeting further customer demand is significant. “Cruze is turning out to be a real success story. We are selling it in 70 countries around the world and it is our top-selling passenger car globally.”

“Hatchbacks play a critical role in many markets. For instance, the total compact segment in Europe represents around 4.8 million units which is over a quarter of the total market, with hatchbacks representing around 65% of that volume,” Brannon said. “We therefore expect to see increased business in a number of regions.”

Source: http://publish.media.gm.com/media/us/en/news/news_archive.brand_gm.html

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Audi sales figures up by some 22 percent

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:58:30 +0000

INGOLSTADT, Germany - AUDI AG delivered around 80,300 cars worldwide in August, an increase in sales of some 22 percent on the prior-year month. Sales figures for the first eight months of the year were around 18 percent higher than for the same period of 2009. Audi achieved growth in all major markets in August, posting new record figures in the United States and China. Sales in Germany and in the rest of Europe as a whole also went up significantly.

“We are experiencing a considerable rise in demand in Germany”, commented Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “For the launch of the Audi A1 we recorded the highest-ever number of visitors during the first weekend. Over the next few months, we are expecting sales to go up further on our domestic market.” When the Audi A1 hit the German market at the end of August, over 200,000 visitors came to experience the car at Audi’s dealerships.

On its domestic German market Audi sold 15,394 cars in August – 9.2 percent more than in the prior-year period. For Europe as a whole, sales figures went up by some 5.4 percent to around 38,900 cars.

Source: http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1927

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Record sales figures and most satisfied customers

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:59:17 +0000

INGOLSTADT, Germany - AUDI AG has set yet another new sales record in China, its largest foreign market. With 22,358 units, the Company sold 67.5 percent more cars there than in August 2009. The brand’s success is also reflected in terms of customer satisfaction, with the latest J.D. Power study showing that Audi delighted Chinese customers with its range of services more than any other premium carmaker in the last twelve months. And Chinese buyers also voted the brand’s sales team as the best of its kind in the industry.

“Our partners in China are investing more than 100 million euros over a period of three years just to further enhance service quality,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management for Marketing and Sales at AUDI AG. “To achieve our next targeted record of 300,000 units by 2012, we need to ensure high levels of customer retention in China just like in other countries.” A high degree of satisfaction with sales and service are the basis for this, according to Schwarzenbauer.

The market research institute J.D. Power has already credited Audi with top figures for the current year: For the “Sales Satisfaction Index” (SSI) the institute asked Chinese new-car buyers how satisfied they were with contract negotiation, the sales process and competence of sales staff. And the customers voted Audi into first place in front of all other car brands on the Chinese market. In the J.D. Power “Customer Service Index” (CSI), too, the brand delighted its customers with top-class service more than any other premium carmaker.

Source: http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1922

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Timo Scheider on the podium again

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:28:30 +0000

INGOLSTADT, Germany - At the DTM race at Brands Hatch (Great Britain) Timo Scheider was again the best Audi driver. The reigning DTM Champion repeated his third-place finish from Zandvoort and advanced to fourth place in the standings.

For 60 laps Timo Scheider followed the leader of the standings, Bruno Spengler, like a shadow. But the Audi driver had no opportunity to overtake the Canadian. After the second pit stop Scheider lost a bit of ground and in the final phase concentrated on securing his third place.

“In the beginning Bruno (Spengler) wasn’t that quick, so Paul (Di Resta) was able to move away at the front,” said the two-time DTM Champion after the race. “But on used tires Bruno was very fast in the end. It’s nice to see my performance curve continue to point upward – although, obviously, we’re here to win races.”

In the standings Scheider moved past Mattias Ekström who scored no points at Brands Hatch. With a good start the Swede pushed past Ralf Schumacher but was touched on the left rear wheel by the former Formula 1 driver in turn 1 and forced to retire as early as on the second lap due to the incident.

“Obviously, what happened to ‘Eki’ on the first lap was really bad for us with respect to the championship,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “As a result, our driver with the best points score up to then was unable to clinch any points. That’s frustrating. Timo (Scheider) showed a very good performance. And I was very pleased with Miguel Molina’s race as well.”

The young Spaniard in the 2008-specification Audi A4 DTM fielded by Audi Sport Rookie Team Abt was the fastest driver in the whole field. The 21-year-old pushed forward from ninth to fourth place and set a new track record of 41.896 seconds. With late pit stops Molina was even able to bump Zandvoort winner Gary Paffett from fourth place in the final phase. After 98 laps the rookie missed the first podium in his young DTM career by merely 0.461 seconds.

With Oliver Jarvis, Martin Tomczyk and Alexandre Prémat in places six, seven and eight, a total of five Audi drivers scored points at Brands Hatch. Mike Rockenfeller pushed forward to ninth place after having started from 13th on the grid.

Source: http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1926

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Audi in new top form - the Audi A7

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:17:21 +0000

INGOLSTADT, Germany - Audi is targeting a new vehicle class with the A7. This large, elegant five-door model unites the emotion-packed character of a coupe with the comfort and prestige of a sedan and with the functional utility of a station wagon. With its lightweight body containing numerous aluminum components, the powerful and highly efficient V6 engines, the sporty chassis and the advanced assistance and multimedia systems, it sets standards in many areas. The Audi A7 will roll into dealerships in the fall, with prices in Germany starting at €51,650.

Audi is once again breaking new ground in design with the A7, whose lines convey aesthetic athleticism and elegance on a grand scale. The five-door coupe measures 4.97 meters (16.31 ft) in length and 1.91 meters (6.27 ft) in width, but only 1.42 meters (4.66 ft) in height. Its long engine hood, the sportily flowing C-pillars and the sharply dropping rear create a dynamic overall impression.

The A7 is an Audi in new top form. Its low, dynamically drawn roofline lends it the character of a coupe. The design presents the aesthetics of modern technology in every detail – in the sharp, precise stroke of the lines, for instance, or in the athletically taut surfaces. Up front, optional LED headlights accentuate the distinctive expression. They use light-emitting diodes to provide all functions and consume little energy. LED tail lights are standard.

The sinewy sportiness of the exterior carries over into the interior of the A7, where Audi again gives proof of its leading role in automotive design. The salient element is the “wrap-around” – a horizontal line encircling the driver and the front-seat passenger.

The arc extends from the driver’s side across the instrument panel to the passenger’s door. The instrument panel has a wave-shaped application strip and generates significant tension.

In the interior, even the tiniest details document the care with which Audi builds its cars. The quality of the workmanship is on a craftsman’s level. High-grade new materials such as layered wood veneers are a treat for the senses, and an optional ambient lighting system adds highlights to the interior. The front seats are available with optional ventilation and massage functions. A further option allows the contours of the side bolsters on the seat and backrest to be adjusted individually.

Source: http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1923

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Beginning of a new era for Audi

admin — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 07:59:33 +0000

INGOLSTADT, Germany - The 1000-kilometer race at Silverstone (Great Britain) on September 12 marks the beginning of a new era for Audi and the sports car scene: for the first time since 1992, there will be a worldwide racing series for Le Mans prototypes again. Audi Sport Team Joest will contest the series with two R15 TDI cars.

Silverstone, Road Atlanta, Zhuhai – three races in three different continents at the end of the 2010 sports car season will give sports car fans a foretaste of the year 2011. Next year, a total of seven endurance races are planned for the so called “Intercontinental Le Mans Cup” (ILMC).

47 vehicles have been entered in the ILMC inaugural race at Silverstone, as many as twelve of them in the top class, LMP1, whose “king” has traditionally been the Le Mans winner. This year it was the Audi R15 TDI which is powered by a V10 TDI engine delivering about 440 kW and – as is typical for Audi – features numerous innovative technical details.

In June the outstanding reliability of the R15 TDI in the fastest 24-hour race in Le Mans history was crucial. “In the shorter ILMC races we mustn’t just rely on this factor,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The performance has got to be right.”

To be optimally prepared for the three races of the 2010 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the aerodynamics of the Le Mans winning car was modified and trimmed toward more downforce because there are no straights at Silverstone, Road Atlanta and Zhuhai which are as long as those at Le Mans.

In addition, Audi has formed a “dream team” for the ILMC races with Tom Kristensen and Allan McNish. Kristensen, who with eight exploits under his belt is the record winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, was voted “Sports Car Driver of the Decade” by the British “Autosport” magazine last winter. Allan McNish finished the same voting as the runner-up. Now the two will go on the chase for points in a racing series together for the first time.

Source: http://www.audiusanews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1924

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Nissan Announces Plan To Grow Presence In Argentina

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:57:06 +0000

Nissan Americas today announced a new business strategy to grow the company’s presence in Argentina through a partnership with Manuel Antelo. The new arrangement, to begin in late 2011, will strengthen Nissan’s sales, service and distribution operations in Argentina and provide sustainable growth in one of the world’s key automotive marketplaces.

Renault Argentina S. A., Nissan’s present distributor in Argentina, will continue to support the company’s business through the end of 2011. At that time responsibility for Nissan branded products in Argentina will be assumed by Antelo.

“Today is an important milestone for Nissan growth in Argentina,” said Carlos Tavares, Chairman, Nissan Americas. “While Renault Argentina S. A. has been a key contributor to the success of the Nissan brand in this country, we know that distinct business structures are now the best roads for both brands’ business growth in Argentina. By forming a separate Nissan operation we allow Renault to concentrate on its business while positioning the Nissan brand for growth acceleration in this market. This reinforces our long-term commitment to Argentina.”

Antelo, an entrepreneur with more than two decades experience within the automotive industry, is currently owner and President of CAT Group – a French multinational company specializing in vehicle and parts logistics. He is also co-owner with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the Scandinavian Maritime group, of Vehicle Service America, an American company specializing in vehicle logistics. Antelo is also owner of Car One Argentina, the largest automotive retail business in the country.

“I am very excited about working together with Nissan to strengthen the opportunities the company has in my country,” said Antelo. “I am certain that Nissan and its dealers will grow faster and more consistently in the years to come. I am also very proud to have been selected as Nissan’s local partner.”

Source:http://www.nissannews.com/newsrelease.do?id=1857&mid=

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