Ford (NYSE:F) is starting a new marketing campaign that will allow it to work more directly with its dealers to get back customers it has lost to the Japanese and European car companies. But, the horse has already left the barn.

The car company is launching a new advertising message called "Ford. Drive One". According to The Wall Street Journal ,"While the slogan will appear in television commercials, Ford is counting on aligning dealers nationwide to echo the same message in their advertising efforts aimed at local audiences."

Ford is gambling that by getting dealers excited about new cars from the company it will be able to rally its outlets to push harder in their local markets to take share from companies like Toyota (NYSE:TM).

The new push to some extent ignores that fact that Americans want cars from Japan and Europe because they work better and have better resale value.

Ford cannot get people to come to dealers if consumers don't like its cars. If it had a hot model like the Prius or the Accord, the traffic would come based on the demand for a better-built, more fuel-efficient car. That lesson seems to have been lost on the US company.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Ford (F) wants its business back originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading GM taking a big step onto eBay

GM taking a big step onto eBay originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 12 Feb 2008 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading China storms Detroit Auto Show, sort of

China storms Detroit Auto Show, sort of originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst of 2007. Voting has now closed and readers have chosen the Cadillac CTS as the hottest automobile of the year. Be sure to let us know in the comments if you are pleased with this result.

What is it about a car that makes it "hot" for you? Is it slinky lines, European styling and a deep throaty growl? Perhaps you prefer a ride with all the luxury appointments: leather, navigation, DVD players, and surround sound. Are you the kind of driver that seeks out a pavement-ripping roadster with more horsepower per pound than a F-1 formula racer, or are you more into the touring feel? Whatever your criteria for choosing a hot car, we're asking for your opinions on the following four vehicles, and we like to know which one you'd choose as Hottest Car of the Year for 2007.

There is a bit of a shuffle these days in regard to when manufacturers release their year models, so for comparison I am using what I believe is the latest available production model for each of the four competitors. Please feel free to consider more than just one model year as you make your judgment. I want to know which vehicle make and model you think owns the road.

Continue reading Best & Worst of 2007: Hottest cars of the year

Best & Worst of 2007: Hottest cars of the year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

To me, General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) is beginning to take on the persona of Rocky Balboa, the consummate tough guy who is winning against all odds. Forget for a moment who sells more autos and just look at all the smart work it has taken to get GM this far in the struggle to effectively manufacture and market automobiles. Take a contrasting look at the last few week's announcements from America's auto manufacturing block. Take a look at the news about Ford (NYSE: F) and Chrysler in contrast to what you hear about GM. It is my opinion that of those three, GM is the only company which has a realistic grasp on what it must do to survive and regrow.

General Motors posted 2007 second-quarter adjusted net income, excluding special items, of $1.4 billion, or $2.48 per diluted share, compared to $1.1 billion, or $2.03 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. However, bear in mind that while GM increased its market share over 9% outside of North America, it's global market share was down 0.4%, meaning that there was a decline in the number of vehicles sold at home. Current analyst consensus is a quiet hold on GM. I would take that position also, but overall I expect GM shares to move steadily upward as company outlook improves.

Continue reading General Motors (GM) earnings preview: You gotta' have heart

General Motors (GM) earnings preview: You gotta' have heart originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading General Motors is ramping up the Chevy Volt

General Motors is ramping up the Chevy Volt originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Toyota (TM) attempts to chill aggressive General Motors (GM) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What's the price of a blogger's soul? In some cases, it's as little as dinner with a guest at a nice restaurant.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "As online food sites become increasingly influential in the restaurant business, chefs and owners are plying bloggers with free meals to get good write-ups. Some are also posting favorable reviews about themselves on popular Web sites or becoming Internet scribes."

This is as clear a violation of journalistic ethics as you will find. Real food critics dine anonymously and pay their own bills -- a known critic is likely to receive special treatment, which of course could make their experience less than indicative of what their readers can expect.

And then there's another problem: Is it really possible to be objective in a review when you aren't feeling the sting of having paid for it?

Blogs are certainly giving the traditional media a run for their money. But in order for the coup to be successful, they will have to adopt some of the ethical standards of the traditional media. For what it's worth, this is the policy for all blogs in the Weblogs Inc. (owned by AOL; includes BloggingStocks) network:

• Bloggers do not receive free products or services from the companies they write about.
• Bloggers do accept review units (e.g., a new cell phone at Engadget, a video game at Joystiq, or a week-long car loan at Autoblog); however, when they're finished reviewing products, they return these items to the manufacturers. If the manufacturers do not take the items back, we give them to our readers. This is the same editorial policy as the New York Times or Wall Street Journal.

Bloggers sell their souls for free food originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 07 Oct 2007 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As if General Motors doesn't have enough to fret about, could it be that GM is in direct competition with Apple and AT&T's iPhone? Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) would like to think so, and AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is doing its best to make it so. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) is remaining silent on the issue.

Our friends at Autoblog have revealed the results of a survey that indicates that only 20% of today's teens think that owning an automobile is essential for coolness, while 70% of the survey respondents ranked owning an iPhone at the top of the coolness measuring scale.

The survey conducted by CNW Marketing Research polled a sample group of 16 to 29 year olds regarding the trends in material goods ownership they find most appealing. The survey went on to report that other things more desirable to today's younger set were game systems, iPods, shoes, and computers. It seems that desire for the automobile didn't rank very well.

I'm thinking that this change in dynamics is brought on by two essential factors. First, a mobile communications device of any brand gives the younger consumers a type of geographical freedom, and exposure that we technology dinosaurs never had available Second, it's a heck of a lot cheaper these days to feed an iPhone that it is to feed a 1998 Crown Victoria.

And so it goes...

Does the iPhone mark the end of the U.S. car culture? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 08 Jul 2007 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Chrysler sales may climb due to Cerberus deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 May 2007 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Auto sales weren't so bad after all! we all agreed, shaking hands and congratulating the industry, feeling a bit smug (despite Toyota's walloping of all things American). And at first blush, it looked to be true: sales at Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) were actually up vs. September 2005, 4.7%, and sales at DaimlerChrysler AG (NYSE:DCX) and General Motors Corporation (NYSE:GM) weren't down as much as many industry watchers feared.

That's all well and good, when you're looking at raw units sold. But Autoblog's John Neff went a little deeper and considered the way auto dealerships operate: in "selling days." September 2006 selling days were 26, vs. only 25 in September 2005. And if you know auto dealerships, the guys behind the desk are really looking at DSR: daily sales rate.

Were we all snookered into placidity by one of the oldest tricks in the car sales guys' book? Here's what John found when he looked at DSR instead of gross sales:

Continue reading Auto sales misleading: Autoblog looks at 'real' September sales numbers

Auto sales misleading: Autoblog looks at 'real' September sales numbers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Oct 2006 13:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

With the enormously-popular "Employee Pricing" promotion having ended at GM, would the company not want to bring it back to stoke sales? Probably not if the program was costing an arm and a leg. With competitor DaimlerChrysler still washing this promotion over the rocks in order to move more vehicles off dealer lots and into owner garages, GM has not brought the popular promotion back. 

With the 0% financing on its larger SUVs being classified as "tactical" (read: get rid of slow-selling, gas-hungry SUVs), GM is not ready to give away the farm just yet. I agree with the source story quoted by our friends from Autoblog -- GM investors and executives are sticking by their respective guns, but customers are savvy and fickle, and they probably won't be buying unless a super-incentive is available.

There are many other quality choices, unfortunately for GM, that give the consumer the power. GM does not have the power, although it may think it does.

Will GM reinstate its "employee pricing" promotion? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.