FEATURED ARTICLE
Former Administrator: NHTSA Needs R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Former National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief and longtime auto-safety 
advocate Joan Claybrook called for a doubling of the agency's investigational budget in order to equip NHTSA to more effectively police an increasingly technical and complex auto industry.
Claybrook was one of a number of witnesses at hearings held Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives examining the NHTSA's response to the recent high-profile recalls of Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles for reports of unintended acceleration,
Claybrook and Ami Gadhia, policy counsel for Consumers Union and another witness in the House hearings, also called for Congress to consider drastically hiking the limit on civil penalties NHTSA can impose to help sharpen respect for the agency's rules.
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What We're Reading: Women Are Key for Toyota, Emerging Markets
March 12, 2010
A few articles caught my eye this week. Both pertained to women, appropriately so since March 8 was International Women's Day. They are pertinent to all auto companies as their business is employing women and marketing to women.
One article was written by former Chrysler marketer Julie Roehm on how Toyota must regain the trust of women in order to recoup its sales and image. Another was by economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett discussed women as a major emerging market in emerging markets. A a third was by University of Michigan professor Susan Douglas who contends women's equality is only a perception that doesn't mirror reality.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 8:32 AM under Chrysler , Commentary , Ford , Toyota | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
AutoObserver Reader Favorites: Honda Odyssey Problems and Toyota
March 12, 2010
AutoObserver's lead item posted on Wednesday that chronicled Honda Odyssey transmission problems and owners' inconsistent response as discussed on Edmunds.com's forums was the best-read item on the site this week.
And, not surprisingly, items related to Toyota's continued recall and quality woes ranked among AutoObserver's best-read features this week.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 5:00 AM under Analysis , GM , Toyota | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Incentives Buoy Sales to 12.5 Million SAAR in Early March, Edmunds.com Reports
March 11, 2010
Hefty incentives offered by Toyota to rejuvenate sales and market share -- and copied by some competitors - sent U.S. industry sales soaring in the early going of March, according to Edmunds.com's forecast.
In the first eight days of March, the Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of U.S. sales climbed to 12.5 million units, the highest level since September 2008, excluding August 2009 when Cash for Clunkers was at fever pitch.
"Generous incentives from Toyota and General Motors have stimulated this boom," Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Ray Zhou, PhD. "But we anticipate that it will cool off, and that the month will end closer to 11 million or so."
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 8:43 AM under Analysis , Featured , Ford , GM , Toyota | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Honda Odyssey Owners Report Transmission Troubles, Inconsistent Response from Maker
March 10, 2010
Toyota vehicles are dominating headlines lately with recalls and rebuttals, but just as 
annoying to Honda Odyssey owners are the transmission problems they are experiencing -- problems some owners believe Honda is unwilling to acknowledge or address.
Since October 2006, members of Edmunds' CarSpace Forums have contributed more than 1,400 individual posts to a thread called Honda Odyssey Transmission Problems that details not only their Odyssey transmission issues but also the action - or inaction - they've seen from Honda dealers and parent company, American Honda, in response.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 10:22 AM under Companies , Featured | Comments (10) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
China's Geely Has "Money in the Bank" Now for Volvo
March 10, 2010
Chinese automaker Geely reportedly has obtained financing for its long-planned purchase of
Sweden's Volvo Cars from Ford Motor Co.,
The financing was concluded in recent days and the money is now in Geely's bank account, according to a report from the Swedish financial daily Dagens Industri, which was picked up by worldwide wire services. Geely reportedly will pay about $2 billion for Volvo.
Possibly lengthy approvals from various Chinese, Swedish and U.S. authorities is still required and could mean a few more months before the deal is finished.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 8:44 AM under Companies , Ford | Comments (1) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Despite Whitacre at GM Helm, AT&T Buys Ford Transit Connect Electric Vehicles
March 10, 2010
AT&T has agreed to buy two of the first electric-powered Ford Transit Connects, despite the 
fact that the company's former CEO, Ed Whitacre, is now CEO of Ford-competitor General Motors and, it was revealed this week, still flies AT&T corporate planes as his retirement perk.
GM, where insiders have criticized the Transit Connect for its raw simplicity, almost crudeness, has nothing to directly compete with Ford's clever compact cargo van. The Transit Connect is carving out a new segment for urban delivery vans and, largely for that reason, was voted by journalists as the 2010 North American Truck of the Year in January.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 7:30 AM under Business , Ford , GM , Personalities | Comments (2) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Risk Professor Isn't Scared of Driving a Toyota
March 10, 2010
Paul Fischbeck, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and a "risk expert," noted in a 
release late last month that although Toyota Motor Corp. has captured the attention of the media and the driving public numerous reports linking its vehicles to unintended acceleration, driving while talking on a cell phone or even innocently walking a mile are riskier than piloting a recalled Toyota.
"There hasn't been a discussion about the actual risk of driving one of Toyota's recalled vehicles," said Fischbeck, a professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy, in a statement. " I think it's important for people to realize that when you look at the actual risk of driving one of these cars, it's actually very low."
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 4:23 AM under Commentary , Personalities , Toyota | Comments (3) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
Virginia Troopers Become Tax Collectors for a Weekend
March 10, 2010
The state of Virginia turned to a baldfaced fleecing of motorists this past weekend as a part 
of a solution to chip away at the state's $2.2-billion budget deficit.
The Truthaboutcars.com, via the newspaper.com, reported the shameful results of Virginia's weekend revenue-pumping ticket blitz that flew under cover of a safety campaign: the state's "Operation Air, Land & Speed, dealt out an astonishing 7,016 traffic tickets this past Saturday and Sunday.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 4:13 AM under Commentary , In the Media | Comments (2) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
No Big Wins for Automotive Advertisers at Oscars
March 09, 2010
And the Oscar for the best advertising performance during the Academy Awards show 
goes to -- Hyundai.
But barely.
Indeed, Hyundai brand and, specifically, the Hyundai Sonata got the most lift from Sunday night's Academy Awards presentation, based on an analysis of shopping consideration by consumers visiting Edmunds.com.
However, though the viewing audience for the show was the biggest in five years, advertising on the Oscars proved not much of a win for automotive marketers.
In general, Edmunds.com saw little significant impact on shopping consideration from any of the automotive ads that aired on the Academy Awards. In fact, auto advertising performance on the show was pathetic compared with the Super Bowl.
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Posted by Michelle Krebs at 12:25 PM under Analysis , Featured , In the Media | Comments (0) | digg this | Seed Newsvine
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