Renault Wins 3 Awards at UK Fleet World Honours

Renault has triumphed at the 2005 Fleet World Honours picking up three of the prestigious awards at an exclusive ceremony. Renault Scenic took the Best Small MPV crown whilst Renault Trafic scored a hat trick scooping the Best Medium Van category for the third consecutive year. Finally, Renault is honoured with the Safety Award.

The award ceremony was attended by the VIPs of the fleet industry and were judged by a panel of leading experts including Fleet World’s editorial team, members of the leasing industry, fleet managers and representatives from residual value guides.

Keith Hawes, Director, Fleet & Commercial Vehicle Operations, Renault UK, who collected the top honours, said; "It’s a fantastic achievement to be recognised with three awards at the 2005 Fleet World Honours, especially in such competitive categories.

"In particular, I am delighted to see Renault’s continued efforts in safety rewarded at a time when the issue of safety within the fleet industry has never been more important. With duty of care at the top of most agendas, to have been selected as winner of the Safety Award by the people who work in the fleet sector is a real triumph."

Safety Award – Renault

With seven cars having achieved the maximum five-star rating in independent Euro NCAP crash tests including the first ever five star small car, Renault Modus and Renault’s continued commitment to its ‘Safety Matters’ programme where it provides road safety teaching kits to over 15,000 of the UK’s primary schools, it is no wonder Renault has been recognised with the prestigious Safety Award at the 2005 Fleet World Honours.

Fleet World Editor, Ross Durkin, commented: "I have no doubt that Renault’s strong showing in successive Euro NCAP crash tests has been a contributing factor in the company’s success in the UK fleet market and seven cars with five stars is a unique achievement which merits recognition. Fleet Operators cannot afford to ignore driver safety nowadays and Renault’s commitment in this area is a great comfort to those who put them on their choice list."

Fleet industry consultant George Emmerson, who has managed fleets at IBM, Black Horse Agencies and NHBC, said: "One cannot fail to be impressed by Renault’s achievements in the field of new car safety. We now know that Renault make some of the safest cars on the road and while drivers are lured by the cars’ attractive styling, they also have the reassurance of knowing that the vehicle in which they are travelling also affords the highest possible level of safety for them and their family."

Best Small MPV - Renault Scenic

Renault Scenic’s immense popularity was further boosted last year with the addition of the seven-seater Grand Scenic, and its appeal to the fleet market is self-explanatory - comfort, space and practicality and the reassurance of five-star safety whether travelling for work or with family.

Commenting on the award, Fleet World Editor Ross Durkin, said; "The Scenic has enjoyed tremendous success for the simple reason that it is visually attractive to such a wide range of buyers. Once inside, you appreciate the chic styling and practicality, while on the move it rides well and comes with an excellent range of diesel engines. Five-star safety and the recent arrival of the Grand Scenic are the final ingredients in the mix."

George Emmerson added; "This is one of the most vibrant and competitive sectors in the fleet market today and its growth has defied all the pundits’ predictions. Renault was largely responsible for the birth of the sector and its Scenic and, more recently, Grand Scenic models continue to attract the attention of those fleet drivers who need both comfort and practicality from a car."

Best Medium Van - Renault Trafic

For the third consecutive year, Renault Trafic has been awarded ‘Best Medium Van’ in the Commercial Fleet World Honours, clearly demonstrating that Trafic is still the van to beat in the medium van sector. Renault’s van sales are enjoying immense success this year with Renault recently announcing its best ever first quarter results in the UK. Total Renault van sales in UK are up 19% year-to-date compared to 2004 as well as March car sales being up by 4% in market down 5%.

Commercial Fleet World Editor John Kendall said: ’It’s almost four years since the Renault Trafic first went on sale, stirring a revolution in European panel van design. Alongside rivals such as the Ford Transit, VW Transporter, Mercedes-Benz Vito and Citroen Dispatch/Fiat Scudo/Peugeot Expert, the new van looked modern and distinctive as well as different. It was the same story inside too. A completely different approach to dashboard design from its mainstream rivals gave it a far more car-like appearance from the driver’s seat. As the Renault/Nissan alliance became established, the Nissan Primastar also joined the range.
‘Four years on, the van faces tougher competition than ever. Both the Mercedes-Benz Vito and Volkswagen Transporter have been replaced and the lighter models face competition from the Transit Connect, while still competing against the top-selling Transit.

‘Despite this, the unconventional looks appear as fresh as ever, making even its newest rivals look conservative and conventional. The latest additions to the range include six-seater crew cab variants, available with both short and long wheelbase models. A nine-seater SWB minibus model also joins the range this year as well as a semi-automatic gearbox option. Most UK models are built at the IBC plant in Luton, which is currently working flat out to satisfy demand for the model, with three-shift working around the clock.

A range of four engines, including common rail 1.9-litre and 2.5-litre diesels from Renault, with six-speed gearboxes on many models, make the van a quiet, economical long distance vehicle, helped by a very car like driving experience. Despite the tough competition, this is still the medium van to beat,’ added John Kendall

US Auto Companies Ramping Up Web Usage

For FordDirect, better use of the web is its top job

Automotive manufacturers and dealers are doing a much better job of using the web to sell cars and for the first time industry advertising is clearly shifting from print to digital, Steve St. Andre, president and COO of FordDirect, will tell attendees at the Internet Retailer 2005 Conference and Exhibition in Chicago on June 8.

Original equipment manufacturers and dealers have relied on time-tested TV/radio commercials and newspaper ads to generate new-car sales leads. But with the high cost of print advertising and the fact that TV viewing is declining among certain segments of the population, auto manufacturers are now investing more in stand-alone web-based marketing strategies or in integrated campaigns that use television advertising to drive traffic to a manufacturer’s web site, which in turn can capture specific leads for dealers, St. Andre says.

"This year we are clearly beginning to see a shift to more forms of web-based advertising," St. Andre says. "With the web, manufacturers and dealers can more effectively measure the customer response rate to a specific campaign and integrate the Internet and e-commerce into their TV advertising."

In April, FordDirect, a joint-venture Internet marketing cooperative that Ford Motor operates with about 3,900 Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers, set a record of using the web to close more than 22,500 new vehicle sales, compared to a previous monthly record of about 19,000, St. Andre says.

Web sales are up for FordDirect in part because Ford is placing TV ads on widely watched shows such as American Idol that contain a strong web element, meaning the ads are meant to drive leads to a Ford web site where car shoppers can download more video, research and shop for a car or locate a dealer.

But even though auto dealers and manufacturers are becoming more web savvy—a recent survey from the National Automobile Dealers Association says 98% of dealer web sites are interactive, with most allowing car shoppers to view stock and MSRPs, fill out finance forms, and schedule sales and service appointments—auto retailers still need to do a much better job of using the web to understand customer behavior and acquisition, St. Andre says.

For instance, many manufacturer and third-party automotive sites feature extensive research tools, but still don’t deliver enough targeted leads to dealers. "A web site can’t just send a message to a dealer saying a young family is looking for a new mini-van," St. Andre says. "We need to do a better job of using the Internet to understand their buying behavior. They may be in the market six months from now and would be receptive to hearing about incentive specials then or being notified which dealer has available inventory."

The next generation of automotive retailing web sales will feature more extensive use of applications that dealers and manufacturers can use to understand one-on-one buyer behavior. "That’s the direction we are taking at FordDirect," St. Andre says. "Customers respond differently during the buying process and we need to better understand their experience and motivation."

St. Andre’s session—"Why Detroit is Driving to the Web"—will be from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday

New Yahoo Cars Site in the UK

Mitsubishi re-brands in the US as J-Cool - Japanese Cool

Mitsubishi Motors to Break New National Advertising Campaign on Network Season Finales With EclipseSunday May 22, 10:00 pm ET
New Ad Campaign From BBDO Is First of Broader Brand Re-Launch Celebrating Mitsubishi's Unique Japanese Heritage and Contemporary Edge; 'Driven to Thrill' Brand Tagline Debuts
CYPRESS, Calif., May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Injecting a new energy and contemporary edge to its brand image in the U.S., Mitsubishi Motors North America (MMNA) today breaks its new national advertising campaign to support the launch of its all-new 2006 Eclipse sport coupe. Created by world-renown BBDO, the multi-media campaign's first commercial spot debuts on an array of top prime time show season finales this week, including ABC's "Desperate Housewives," "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" and "Grey's Anatomy," FOX's "24," CBS's "Two And A Half Men," as well as ABC's "Alias" and "Lost." The print campaign kicks off with full-page, four-color ads in USA Today, starting on May 23.
The campaign marks a new direction for the Mitsubishi Motors brand in the U.S., celebrating the company's reputation for standout styling, outstanding performance and world-class engineering, while wrapping the product message in uniquely hip and stylish Japanese pop culture imagery. The campaign also debuts the company's new tagline, "Driven to Thrill," which is designed to communicate to consumers that Mitsubishi is a company that is "driven to thrill" in every aspect -- from its engineering, to its product design, to its people.
"Our products are known for their unique styling, performance and world-class engineering, and the thrill they give every driver who gets behind the wheel -- which is more thrills per dollar than any competitor in the market," said Dave Schembri, MMNA executive vice president of sales and marketing. "Add to that a taste of our Japanese heritage and tie it in with timely pop culture, and the result is a distinct and ownable brand image that's uniquely Mitsubishi."
He added, "Launching this ad campaign during the network's season finale week is actually just the beginning for us. As this campaign rolls out over the next few weeks, audiences will see the new look of Mitsubishi and know we're the car company that is truly 'driven to thrill.'"
Mitsubishi Motors' brand image will be distinguished by the contemporary, edgy look put forward in the new campaign, which incorporates subtle elements of Asian influence in U.S. pop culture, often referred to as "Japanese cool," or "J.Cool." As real as the British invasion of the 1960s, the J.Cool cultural phenomena is popping up everywhere -- from Gwen Stefani's smash hit "Harajuku Girls," to Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill" film series, to Japanese anime cartoons and "Hello Kitty," to the Academy Award-winning film "Lost in Translation." A modern mix of Japanese influences with a distinctly current spin, J.Cool provides a wonderfully distinct flavor and complimentary backdrop to Mitsubishi's "Driven to Thrill" brand message.
The introductory :60/:30 television spots for the new Eclipse (called "Kodo") intercuts shots of the standout styling and performance of the all-new 2006 Eclipse sport coupe with the rhythmic sounds of Kodo drums, whipping viewers into a frenzy before coming to a stop on the new theme line, "Driven to Thrill." Print, outdoor and point-of-sale materials reinforce the excitement of owning and driving a Mitsubishi, and are inspired by Japanese pop art culture.
"The advertising recognizes the influence of Japanese pop culture on American popular culture," said David Lubars, chief creative officer, BBDO North America. "It embraces Mitsubishi's hip, cool Japanese roots, which is reflected in the music, design, structure and animation of the campaign. From the syncopated beat of Kodo drums to the distinctly current spin of the Mitsubishi logo, the advertising boldly speaks to consumers, asking 'why satisfy when you can thrill?'"
In addition to broadcast media placement, MMNA's media planner, PHD, initially has targeted a number of consumer and enthusiast books for the campaign's print ads, such as Esquire, Vibe, Wired, Entertainment Weekly, Men's Health, FHM, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Motor Trend and Car & Driver. Traditional outdoor billboard ads will be featured starting June 1 in multiple markets, supplemented with wallscapes in key markets such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
"We have shown the company can make a turn as tight and as fast as the new Eclipse," said Schembri. "Forty-five days ago, we appointed BBDO as our new creative agency. Today, thanks to BBDO, PHD and all of our partners, we are launching a brilliant new multi-media campaign, driven by a competitive and motivating strategy and fully integrated across nameplates, national and local advertising, direct mail, online, point-of-sale and more. And all in place three weeks ahead of schedule."
The all-new, two-door 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse sport coupe is the first of three new products MMNA will introduce in the next 12 months. Designed to combine exotic styling and performance with the utility of a daily driver, this fourth generation Eclipse sports coupe exhibits an impressive power range, outstanding handling, an available blasting 650-watt Rockford Fosgate stereo system, room for four, and several new safety and luxury amenities that do not sacrifice the incredible value that the Eclipse name has come to represent.
Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, research and development operations of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in the United States and Canada. Mitsubishi Motors sells coupes, convertibles, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 625 dealers. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

New Mazda Viral

Peugeot 1007TV Ad - Mixes live action with cartoons

Toyota Aygo Sponsors Yahoo Music Festivals Guide

Yahoo! UK & Ireland has inked a deal with Toyota to create a co-branded music festival guide microsite, to promote the launch of the new Aygo car model.
The “Yahoo! Music Festival Guide with Aygo by Toyota” will be available through a direct link on the Yahoo! Music homepage throughout the summer.
The site will feature the latest news on who’s playing, what to watch and where to be at this year’s UK summer music festivals.
The Aygo by Toyota will be promoted across the Yahoo! microsite from 13 May. The deal was brokered by Zed Media.
Video vox-pops will also stream on the microsite throughout the festival season, with music fans talking about their most memorable festival moments.
The Aygo is billed as a sporty and economic urban car targeted at a younger ‘newly independent’ buyer.
Matt Harrison, marketing director, Toyota GB, said: “We are taking an innovative and targeted approach to generating awareness of Aygo this summer and music will play a key role in this. Our association with Yahoo! fits perfectly with this thinking.”

Hyundai is World's Fastest Growing Car Company

SEOUL, South Korea -- Toyota Motor Corp. may scare Detroit's automakers, but there's one rival out there that worries Toyota.
It's South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. Already the fastest-growing major automaker, Hyundai says it wants to supplant Toyota as the industry's vehicle quality leader in three years.
Such a goal sounds gutsy, coming from a carmaker that was a running gag on late-night TV not so long ago. But U.S. and Japanese auto executives take Hyundai very seriously now.
"We're always looking in our rear-view mirror, and they're one that's coming up quickly," said Dennis Cuneo, senior vice president of Toyota Motor North America Inc.
In just a few years, Hyundai has emerged as the industry pace-setter, after achieving huge strides in sales and quality -- and in about half the time it took Japan's leading carmakers.
The family-run automaker, which also controls Kia Motors, has leapt from 16th in the global sales rankings in 1998 to seventh last year, just behind DaimlerChrysler AG.
In the United States, the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group is clawing sales from the Big Three after winning customers with stylish vehicles, low prices and quality assurances backed by a 10-year powertrain warranty.
Hyundai owner Mike Ruggero, a Detroit restaurant supervisor, was first attracted to the brand by its long warranty but found the design and prices hard to beat. "The cars are very stylish and look like they should be a lot more expensive than they are," he said.
Ruggero bought a Santa Fe sport utility vehicle and later traded it in for a midsize Sonata sedan. So far, his family has owned four Hyundais.
"They (Hyundai) are very aggressive in the marketplace in terms of their investment and pricing," said Paul Ballew, General Motors Corp.'s executive director of global market and industry analysis.
Benefiting from lower production costs, Hyundai and Kia are hammering rivals in the "cheap and cheerful" small-car segments in North America and Europe.
The Seoul-based automaker also is expanding rapidly in the world's two most populous countries -- China and India.
Now, Hyundai is setting its sights higher, aiming to compete head-on with Japan's best carmakers and even planning some day to export luxury cars.
"We're tremendously confident about our future," Kim Jae Il, Hyundai senior executive vice president, said at the Seoul motor show last month.
Hyundai managers exuded self-assurance at the show, where the Hyundai and Kia brands displayed a raft of new vehicles and high-tech concepts.
In contrast with the self-effacing style of Japan's business executives, the Koreans' declarations appear bold, even cocky.
For cultural and historical reasons, they relish taking on the Japanese after having emulated them for years.
John Krafcik, vice president for product development at Hyundai Motor America, says the company's culture combines some of the finest Japanese qualities, such as discipline and focus on eliminating waste, with an earthy can-do spirit he traces to Hyundai Motor's origins as a car-repair business.
"It's this wonderful combination of the best of the Japanese layered on top of an extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit.
"There's a 'lift yourself up by your bootstraps' culture that runs through the whole company," said Krafcik, former chief truck chassis engineer at Ford Motor Co.

Return to America
In March, Hyundai marked an important milestone when it began operating its first U.S. plant, a $1.1 billion factory in Montgomery, Ala., that will turn out the new Sonata.
The car represents a big leap for Hyundai, boasting more standard safety equipment than any model in its class, including the Chevy Malibu or Honda Accord.
Hyundai Chairman Chung Mong Koo dispatched 60 Korean engineers to Montgomery to troubleshoot and ensure a smooth startup.
Company executives still recall Hyundai's dismal record in the United States in the early 1990s, when the shoddy Excel compact flopped in the market. Hyundai closed its only North American plant, in Quebec.
But the company's dogged effort to improve quality paid off. Last year, the Korean automaker jolted rivals when the Hyundai nameplate beat the Toyota brand in J.D. Power and Associates' U.S. initial quality rankings.
Overall, Toyota scored higher than Hyundai in the survey of new car owners because of the Lexus brand's sterling rating. Toyota's long-term reliability scores also are better than Hyundai's.
But the influential Consumer Reports magazine rated the Sonata the most reliable car in 2004.
To counter the threat from Hyundai in small-car segments, Japanese and U.S. automakers are bringing in models built in Asia, such as the Chevrolet Aveo, produced by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co.
But as Hyundai improves quality and adds new models, rivals find themselves under mounting pressure from the Korean carmaker.
Toyota CEO Fujio Cho recently referred to the Korean automaker as a "formidable" rival.
At 67, Chairman and CEO Chung is Hyundai's driving force. He is the eldest surviving son of Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju Yung, who appointed him to run the carmaker in 1998 when he broke up the auto, shipbuilding and construction conglomerate, under pressure from the Korean government.
The current chairman "is a singularly determined man," said Finbarr O'Neill, who headed Hyundai's North American operations from 1998 to 2003 and is now CEO of the software firm Reynolds and Reynolds Co.
"He never accepted that the company couldn't do this or that better. He's very hands-on."

Snubbing Toyota, Daimler
After pushing his executives to boost sales and forge into new markets, Chung has renewed his drive for top quality.
"Our goal of being No. 5 in worldwide sales has been supplanted by the goal to be No. 1 in quality," said Lee Hyun Soon, senior executive vice president in charge of powertrain, at the motor show. "We're obsessed with quality now."
Hyundai may have cut its teeth on U.S. and Japanese technology, but it isn't taking lessons from anyone these days.
Earlier this year, Toyota executives proposed mutual plant visits to gauge each other's capabilities. They invited Hyundai to visit a Japanese plant rarely seen by outsiders in exchange for permission to visit Hyundai's gigantic Ulsan plant in Korea. But the Koreans snubbed them.
Hyundai also ended its equity relationship with DaimlerChrysler AG last year, saying it did not need the partnership.
German executives at DaimlerChrysler, which was forging an Asian alliance with Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., recalled tense moments when the Koreans grew sharp with Japanese colleagues. But ultimately, the relationship between DaimlerChrysler and Mitsubishi soured, too.
Hyundai executives say they are wary of cooperative agreements because they don't see the benefit.
"Korean labor costs are lower than German, American or Japanese labor costs. So if we work together on projects, our costs go up," Lee said.
Koreans have a well-deserved reputation for working hard. At Hyundai's Asan factory, the blueprint for the Alabama plant, workers put in 50-hour weeks, including 10 paid overtime.
Engineers and designers at the Hyundai-Kia Namyang Research & Development Center routinely clock 12-hour days.
"Korean engineers work very long hours, and they're very results-oriented," Lee said.
Hyundai now boasts its own world-class technology. It builds diesel engines for cars sold in Europe, it is developing its gas-electric hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles and is studying plans to introduce two hybrids to the U.S. market in late 2007.
Its Asan plant -- on South Korea's western coastline -- is one of the world's most highly automated car factories. In the stamping and welding sections where car bodies are built, robots outnumber workers 3 to 2.
Most of the aisles are deserted and all the sounds come from machines -- the rhythmic thumping of the stamping equipment, musical tune-alarms and the whirring of automated carts transporting panels.
In one section, lasers silently scan car body panels to measure inconsistencies in the gaps and alignments that might not be visible to the naked eye.
Further along, in the final assembly section, the front and corners of the painted cars moving down the line are covered in blue plastic to prevent nicks and scratches.
In most factories, some of the finished cars are road-tested. At Asan, every car that comes off the line is taken for a spin on a two-mile track out back.

Driving upmarket
The drive for bulletproof quality is crucial for the Hyundai nameplate, which the company is repositioning above Kia to distinguish the two brands.
Kia will focus on young buyers with sporty but inexpensive vehicles, while Hyundai will stress elegance and comfort in its models.
Hyundai already sells a luxury car in Korea, the Equus, which costs up to $70,000 for a fully loaded model.
At the Seoul car show, Hyundai displayed the $30,000 Grandeur, a premium sedan that it will launch later this year in the United States as the Azera.
But the company's drive to push the Hyundai brand upmarket carries a risk. Germany's Volkswagen AG pursued a similar strategy in the late 1990s to the detriment of its core models. Automakers risk losing old customers without gaining enough new ones.
"The challenge for the Hyundai brand is to recognize where it is," O'Neill said. "It's still not at the Japanese Tier One level. You cannot get overconfident with the brand."
Hyundai has tempered its urge to launch luxury cars in the U.S. market, saying it's too soon.
"Once the Hyundai brand has matured enough, maybe we'll have more premium cars and even a premium brand," said Hyundai marketing director Brandon Yea.
"It's a question of timing, but the time is not right now."
Last year, Hyundai Motor earned $1.7 billion on sales of $26.3 billion. But these are tough times, and the automaker faces strong headwinds: a rise in the Korean currency, the won, against the dollar; weak demand in its home market; and poor financial results at Kia. Hyundai acquired a controlling stake in Kia in 1998.
Merrill Lynch has a "sell" recommendation on Kia stock, citing its losses in the domestic market, although it assigns Hyundai shares a neutral rating.
Chung Mong Koo appointed his son, Chung Eui Son, as co-CEO of Kia this year, to help bolster the sister brand's performance.
But long-term pressures are driving Hyundai to secure a slot in the industry's Big Leagues, alongside Japan's top carmakers.

The giant next door
When Hyundai looks in its own rear-view mirror, it can see Chinese aspirants in the far distance.
"Hyundai had to do this," said Michael Robinet, vice president of global forecasting at auto consulting firm CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills. "If they didn't move up the chain, they would go down the road as price leaders. Others would come in, and they would be sitting ducks."
China's automakers are just getting started, but some of them have ambitious export plans. Chery Automobile Co., which now ships no-frills vehicles to Third World countries such as Bangladesh, wants to make cars for sale in the United States in two years.
China's largest carmaker, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., bought a controlling stake in Korea's debt-saddled Ssangyong Motor Co. this year to tap its expertise in developing light trucks.
Hyundai lords a big cost advantage over Japanese and U.S. automakers, but its labor costs are much higher than those in China. Chinese autoworkers earn as little as $3,000 a year, while a seasoned Korean line worker takes home more than 10 times that much -- and Koreans exercise their right to strike.
Hyundai executives know from their own experience how quickly newcomers can learn -- and even overtake older carmakers they once emulated.
Hyundai Motor started out in 1967 making cars and engines using parts, designs and technology licensed from Ford and then Mitsubishi.
Speaking of Hyundai's early tutors, "I wonder if they'll regret giving this much help to Hyundai," Krafcik said.
Detroit News Staff Writer Ed Garsten contributed to this report. You can reach Christine Tierney at (313) 222-1463 or ctierney@detnews.com.

Renault F1 Makes Profit of $5m in 2004

The Renault F1 team made a profit of $5m in 2004, according to the latest financial results. It is the first time that the Anglo-French team has made a profit since it was acquired from the Benetton company in 2002. The profits were due to increased sponsorship income, a bigger commitment from the team's parent company Renault and, presumably more income resulting from better results.

New US GM Sites

Women in the Driving Seat - a section to appeal to women drivers

Education - how internal combustion engines work, cars of the future... Resources from Kindergarten to 12th Grade

Chevy Runs Ads on Nickelodeon - Kids sites

Chevrolet signed with Nickelodeon to run a multi-million dollar ad and promotional campaign across the children's entertainment brand's media platforms, including online.

The campaign will appear on Nickelodeon Television, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. magazines, and Nickjr.com. The messaging focuses on the Chevrolet Uplander, and in particular PhatNoise, an in-vehicle digital entertainment system with support for audio, video and games.

Visitors to Nick Jr.'s site can test the PhatNoise technology and can enter sweepstakes. Up for grabs are a vacation at the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn and a Chevrolet Uplander LT. The first-ever Nick hotel will open Memorial Day weekend, and two Uplanders will serve as courtesy cars for the hotel.

The deal also calls for Nickelodeon to supply in-vehicle content for the Uplander and other GM family vehicles with digital entertainment systems that use PhatNoise.

"This partnership highlights the ubiquity of our brand, particularly for non- traditional advertisers, and will give Chevrolet and its new Uplander buyers the ability to connect with the Nickelodeon audience on a multiplatform level," said Jim Perry, SVP of Nickelodeon ad sales, in a statement.

The partnerships commenced last month, and financial details were not disclosed.

New Nissan sites in Sweden - found by Adverblog

Last month Nissan has introduced two new car models (Pathfinder and Murano) in Sweden. To support the launch the automaker has asked web agency Paregos to create its first online campaing in the country. Although there are certain differences between the two models, they have different communication concepts but the current promotional effort shares a mutual campaign strategy. The campaign sites are largely based on emotional appeal, as well as the personality and brand name of the cars. Daniel Ilic, creative at Paregos in Stockholm, gives us further details on Paregos' creative approach: "We've introduced two explicit car models without actually showing them. They are always in the focal point, but mostly for the effect that they have on their surroundings. We picture the Murano causing a big sensation out on the street; the Pathfinder is a driving experience, and users don't have to go further than the banner to find that out."

Pathfinder

Murano

BMW 3 Series Ad integration on Yahoo Finance page in the US - turns the 'E's into '3's

Renault Ad on AutoTrader Homepage, via Adlink

Uses TangoZebra 'Click Red' technology

Renault Sponsor Autotrader Online Road Test in UK

AdLINK has developed a new online ad campaign to help Renault drive brochure requests and test drives, as well as encourage consumers to visit its website in its bid to maximise revenue.

The campaign involves Renault exclusively advertising in the Road Test section on Auto Trader’s website across four ad units; MPU, banner, skyscraper and button. Renault is the first online advertiser to take all ad formats and the MPU position in Road Tests, is a new ad format on Auto Trader. This offers Renault a higher presence and user experience with a larger format.

Vicky Hughes, Head of Brand Integration at AdLINK, says: “This online campaign is a testimony to our relationship with Auto Trader, encouraging Auto Trader to develop different ad formats and generate sponsorship opportunities. Renault has been offered a rare chance to sponsor a complete section on Auto Trader’s website which it doesn’t normally permit but we are sure that this opportunity will go along way to help Renault achieve its objectives.”

Renault and Auto Trader have worked together, through AdLINK and Carat Digital for over five years. There are over 1.3 million searches on Auto Trader for Renault every month, making it the 8th most popular keyword search on Auto Trader.

Now in the top 16 most visited sites in the UK, Auto Trader’s website attracted 3,045,622 unique users who generated 37,703,122 vehicle searches and 186,812,642 page impressions in January 2005 alone. With a total audience of over four million across all multi media channels, including the weekly magazine, Auto Trader, attracts a massive audience of car buyers looking to purchase cars across all car segments.

Julie Jeancolas, Associate Director at Carat Digital, who managed the campaign creation, says: “To maximise the effectiveness of Renault’s “special offer” tactical activity, we were looking for an environment where our target audience were actively looking to purchase a new car. We briefed AdLINK’s Brand Integration team to deliver a solution. The end result, through a close partnership with Auto Trader, is exclusive sponsorship of the Road Test Section of the Auto Trader website.”

“The internet is becoming more and more important as a research and even decision-making tool for car buyers. This partnership gives Renault an engaged audience and a direct call to action,” adds John Sinke, Internet Marketing Manager at Renault.

Ford US Product Placement Plans Leaked in a Memo

The memo below was emailed to Ford employees on May 3, 2005.

From: Ford Division Marketing Communications Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 12:15 PMTo: All U.S. EmployeesSubject: Watch for Upcoming Ford Vehicle Integrations in Your FavoriteTV Shows!If you enjoyed our April 24th episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, where we gave away a Brand New F-150 Lariat (and restored a beautiful 1965 F-100), you won't want to miss all of the exciting, new, high-visibility product integrations we have planned through the second quarter. These vehicle integrations into highly rated TV shows will help us to create a more meaningful connection with our consumers, and even change a few lives along the way.
Take a look!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition -- 5/8, 8pm EST, ABCFor Ford Division's latest partnership with this hit show, we'll be taking the concept of "product integration" farther than we ever have before. In this upcoming episode, the design team will reveal a Ford Mustang themed room for the family's oldest son. The show will feature designer Paige Hemmis visiting the Auto Alliance International plant in Flat Rock, MI and interacting with the Plant Manager and team members as they gather Mustang parts for this themed room. "Saddle Up" for what's sure to be a most memorable show, filled with many Ford surprises.

Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition -- 5/9, 10pm EST, ABCThis pilot episode is another twist of the Extreme Makeover franchise. On top of receiving an extravagant New York wedding, this very deserving, newly married couple will mark their new "Fusion" in a bold, exciting way that only Extreme Makeover and Ford could dream up!

Dr. Phil -- 5/13, 3pm ESTDr. Phil is a daytime talk show that covers issues such as relationships, health, money and careers. The show's host, Dr. Phillip McGraw, has worked in the field of human functioning and strategic life planning for over twenty years. He has used his training in behaviorial science to assist tens of thousands of people in designing effective life strategies, in both corporate and private life. In honor of Dr. Phil's 500th show, he will be giving away a 2005 Ford Five Hundred to a loyal fan who has seen all 500 episodes.

Total Request Live (TRL) -- Week of 5/16, 5pm EST, MTVIn an upcoming episode of TRL, Funkmaster Flex (hip hop giant, crossover media personality, car enthusiast) will be highlighting perfect vehicles to take to the Prom. Among the vehicles featured are a Ford Excursion limo and a 2005 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, which Flex dubs as the "ultimate" Prom car for 2005.

American Idol
-- Wednesdays Through 5/25, 9-9:30pm EST, Fox
Each Wednesday during the season, the show integrates a fun, energetic music video featuring remaining American Idol contestants singing and interacting with Ford vehicles5/4 -- Escape
5/11 -- Focus
5/18 -- Mustang Convertible
5/25 -- Mustang
For the American Idol Finale show on May 25, be sure to watch for a special integration, where we'll be awarding a 2005 Ford Mustang to the final two contestants live on FOX!

Gospel Music Channel --
2nd Quarter - 4th Quarter, Cable TV
Ford is the exclusive automotive advertiser on the Gospel Music Channel's Wednesday night line-up, targeted toward our African-American market. African-American programming on the new cable network includes Hot List, Soulful Videos, and SuperFest. Ford will also serve as the exclusive sponsor of a 10-city gospel talent competition called "Gospel Dream," with product embedment within the televised competition. In addition, Ford will sponsor 30-second "Peaceful Memory" vignettes which will air throughout the schedule and feature viewers' memories of their childhood Sunday drive to church or similar special family moments.

Sabado Gigante --
Univision, every Saturday during 2nd and 3rd QuartersFord is the official domestic automotive sponsor of this highly rated Hispanic variety show. Focus, Five Hundred, Freestyle, Mustang, Mustang Convertible, F-150, Ranger, Ranger STX, Super Duty, Escape, Explorer, and Expedition are all featured as part of the "Ford Showcase" in 20-second vignettes featuring Don Francisco (show host and international TV celebrity).

Mary Lou Quesnell
Ford Division Marketing Communications Manager

Car Sites -

Forbes Auto - Luxury. Performance. Style

Webby Car Site Nominees

Jeep Trail Rated Challenge - Promoting the 4x4 with a game and off-road info. Produced by Organic

Subaru All Wheel Drive Microsite - Again to promote a 4x4. Produced by TM Interactive

Yahoo Autos - Research & comparison. Produced in-house

People's Choice Winner

Cars.com - Car research & comparison. Produced in-house

Webby Award Winner

Mercedes Benz USA SLK - Promoting the SLK. Produced by Critical Mass. How did this win?

US Study - Why People Buy New Cars

BALTIMORE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 2, 2005--Vertis, a leading provider of targeted advertising, media, and marketing services, today announced the results of its proprietary Customer Focus(R) 2005: Automotive study, which reveals that the number one reason for many consumers to buy a new car is simply because they want one. For 36 percent of new car purchasers their desire for a new automobile will lead them to make a purchase within the next 12 months.
"The large number of adults looking to purchase a new car gives marketers an opportunity to communicate with their consumers when it's timely and relevant," said Janice Mayo, senior vice president, marketing, at Vertis. "Direct mail has proven to be an effective way to connect with adults because it offers information that can help educate consumers prior to a future auto purchase."
The study also revealed that 43 percent of adults who plan to purchase a new vehicle responded to direct mail by visiting a dealer in person, while 28 percent visited a sender's Web site and 14 percent called an 800 number. Since direct mail from an automotive dealer can help educate consumers on future purchases, it is also an effective medium to increase visits to a dealership.
The Vertis Customer Focus(R) 2005: Automotive study shows the following additional findings, which provide insight into which adults are more likely to purchase a new vehicle, and their motivations for doing so.
Top Reasons Why Adults Are Buying New Cars
-- 8 percent of the new car purchasers said they are motivated to purchase a new car because of their current auto's mechanical problems (See Figure A)
-- 11 percent of new car purchasers are planning on buying a new vehicle within the next 12 months because they need one for work, while 4 percent need one because they have a new driver in the family and 3 percent can afford a better car
-- Only 5 percent of new car purchasers are planning on making a purchase within the next 12 months based on lower prices, lower interest/financing or price incentives
Men More Likely to Purchase a New Car
-- 24 percent of single Generation Y (1977-1994) men stated they plan to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months (See Figure B)
-- In comparison, 16 percent of Generation Y women have plans to purchase a new vehicle within the next 12 months (See Figure C)
-- 20 percent of men with a household income of $75,000+ and some college education have plans to purchase a new automobile within the next 12 months
-- Similarly, 15 percent of women with a household income of $50,000+ and some college education reported they plan to purchase a new automobile within the next 12 months
Main Incentives Motivating Adults to Visit a Dealership
-- 32 percent of Generation X (1965-1976) adults were motivated to visit a dealership based on price incentives; five percent more than the average adult (See Figure D)
-- Generation X adults are 9 percent more likely than total adults to be motivated by a special financing offer, while Generation Y adults are six percent more likely than total adults to be motivated by the same factor
-- Of the Younger Baby Boomers (1956-1964) surveyed, 21 percent said a rebate offer motivates them to visit a dealer when shopping for an automobile, compared to 16 percent of total adults
-- Generation Y adults are 5 percent more likely than total adults to be motivated by a special trade-in offer
What Makes Auto Loan Applicants Open Direct Mail?
-- 66 percent of direct mail readers who plan to apply for an auto loan said they are more likely to open a package that looks interesting (See Figure E)
-- Of the direct mail readers who have plans to apply for an auto loan, 64 percent are more likely to open a piece based on the timing of its arrival
-- For 60 percent of direct mail readers who plan to apply for an auto loan, having their name on the front of the envelope will influence their decision to open
-- 57 percent of direct mail readers who plan to apply for an auto loan are more likely than total adults to open packages that contain a special offer or discount
About Customer Focus(R)
Customer Focus(R) is Vertis' proprietary annual study tracking consumer behavior across a wide variety of industry segments -- home improvement, furniture, grocery, sporting goods, home electronics, optical, insurance, credit cards, nonprofit, financial, retail, office supplies, and discount stores -- and media including advertising inserts, direct marketing, and the Internet. The survey was first conducted in 1998 and, in subsequent years, has been expanded and modified to identify emerging consumer behavior patterns and track shifts in consumer practices and motivations.
Since its inception, Customer Focus(R) has proven to be one of the nation's most comprehensive examinations of consumer behavior. The survey of 2000 adults -- conducted by one of the nation's leading field research companies in August/September 2004 -- measures both general and industry-specific shopping trends, and Vertis provides the significant data as a value-added service to its clients.
To acquire a customized Customer Focus(R) 2005: Automotive study or speak to a Vertis executive, please contact Michelle Metter or Maria Amor at 619-234-0345.
About Vertis
Vertis is the premier provider of targeted advertising, media, and marketing services. Its products and services include consumer research, audience targeting, media planning and placement, creative services and workflow management, targeted advertising inserts, direct mail, interactive marketing, packaging solutions, and digital one-to-one marketing and fulfillment. Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., with facilities throughout the U.S. and the U.K., Vertis combines technology, creative resources, and innovative production to serve the targeted marketing needs of companies worldwide. To learn more about Vertis, visit www.vertisinc.com.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words "believes, "anticipates, "expects, "estimates, "plans, "intends," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. Factors that may cause these differences include fluctuations in the cost of raw materials we use, changes in the advertising, marketing and information services markets, the financial condition of our customers, actions by our competitors, changes in the legal or regulatory environment, general economic and business conditions in the U.S. and other countries, and changes in interest and foreign currency exchange rates.
Consequently, you should consider any such forward-looking statements only as our current plans, estimates, and beliefs. Even if those plans, estimates, or beliefs change because of future events or circumstances, we decline any obligation to publicly update or revise any such forward-looking statements

Article on Auto Marketing in the US, with focus on Scion

Outside-the-box Scion scores with young drivers
By Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Neither the discomfort of lying on hot asphalt nor the prospect of a cold beer a few yards away is enough to dissuade Chip Bell from taking apart his Scion in the Hooters parking lot.
Toyota lures youthful buyers with fixed prices and a head-turning car that owners can personalize.
Surrounded by buddies, the husky 25-year-old Internet help-desk technician gingerly unbolts the bumper of his beloved xA sedan to install a pair of fog lamps that he just won in a club contest.
Fanatic? You bet. But that's the point. "It's about making it mine," says Bell, who drove up from San Diego. "People look at my car and say, 'That's Chip's xA.' "
Bell is exactly the kind of young auto buyer that has turned Scion into one of the most closely watched experiments in the auto industry. Toyota started its Scion division from scratch to aim straight at the teens and twentysomethings of Generation Y, roughly those born after 1977.
turning — dare we say cute? — vehicles with a megawatt sound system and six thumping speakers as standard equipment.
Toyota is one of many automakers that has jumped headlong into the gold rush to win the sales and especially the loyalty of the next generation of car buyers.
General Motors and Ford Motor, along with just about every other automaker, are cranking out performance-oriented cars and sponsoring events to try to win over a demographic bubble that, at 72 million strong, will outnumber Gen Xers, born from 1965 to 1976, by nearly 50%.
But only Toyota has gone as far as creating a separate brand aimed straight at a specific target of driving-age youths.
Even the Scion brand name presents a pronunciation problem (SIGH-on) for clueless parents. Truth be told, Toyota doesn't really care if parents ever learn as long as their kids never forget.
A brand with an edge
That's because Scion was created to be edgy, urban and, especially, underground. Flooding the streets with its quirky, distinctive vehicles would endanger its clutch on the cool factor, executives have decreed.
"If we make it too commercially successful, we'll threaten what makes it valuable to the company," says the division's founder, Jim Farley, now with the Toyota brand.
At least it's getting noticed. When Gen Y consumers are asked to name the brands they will consider for their next new car purchase, Scion rocketed from 30th place last year to ninth place today, says Rick Wainschel of Kelley Blue Book.
The brand gets more than twice as much notice from Gen Y than from car shoppers as a whole.
Toyota sold 32,972 Scions in the first quarter, Autodata says. That's less than one-tenth of the cars that Toyota's main brand sold from January to March, but more than Volvo or Suzuki and just slightly less than Mitsubishi.
Scion has done it with only three models — the racy tC coupe, the stubby xA sedan and the bizarre xB, which has been variously described in the media as looking like a rolling microwave oven or the box that the real car is supposed to come in.
Wanted: Buyers for life
Sure, young buyers will outgrow them. But that's OK. Toyota is hoping to establish cradle-to-grave buyer loyalty — from Scion to Toyota to luxury-brand Lexus as age and income advance.
The problem is that first step. Econoboxes hooked a generation of boomer college students but don't work as well today. Toyota knows. It tried seven years ago with an effort to promote its more youth-oriented models through a ham-handed marketing campaign it dubbed Genesis, a reference to a planet in a Star Trek movie that blossoms with life. The campaign flopped.
Amy Schllinger, 24, has spent $1,800 adding extras to her Scion tC. "My mom thinks it's silly," she says. "She keeps yelling at me because I keep spending money on my car."
It was like "an old person wearing a gold chain and trying to dance like they were young," says Jim Press, Toyota's chief operating officer in the USA.
A different breed
It was then that Toyota discovered that, like other automakers, today's youth are different. They are:
•Richer. Most have credit cards, and they have more spending money than their parents ever did at their age, says Robert Parker, a Ford division marketing manager.
They aspire to luxury — BMW, Volvo, Lexus and Cadillac. Modest incomes limit their dreams for now to spending less than $20,000 on their next car, yet two-thirds consider themselves to be automotive enthusiasts, Kelley Blue Book found in a survey.
If they can't afford luxury, they'll take luxury touches.
That's why Suzuki says it has keyless remote and CD players as standard equipment on most models and cool extras such as lighted cup holders as options.
Despite their Ritz-Carlton tastes on Motel 6 budgets, many in Gen Y are willing to spend whatever it takes to get what they crave. "The most damaging stereotype is to think young people don't have money," says Brian Bolain, Scion's national sales promotions manager.
Amy Schillinger, 24, of Corona, Calif., has spent $1,800 adding extras to her Scion tC. "My mom thinks it's silly," she said at the Scion Evolution owners club event at the Hooters restaurant here. "She keeps yelling at me because I keep spending money on my car."
•Individualistic. To young drivers, cars aren't just transportation. They're another form of fashion apparel, the last thing to wear in heading out for the day.
"It's not just the kid in shop class anymore who is excited about his car," says Peter MacGillivray of the Specialty Equipment Market Association, which hosts the major aftermarket auto-parts trade show. "Everybody in school wants a cool car."
By Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY
Happy camper: Gezelle Rodil, 18, of Norwalk, Calif., at a Scion Evolution event in Anaheim, has had her Scion for a year.
Farley says that to make their personal statements, Scion buyers average $800 to $1,000 a car on accessories, a high-value factor in trying to make vehicles that sell for less than $17,000 profitable.
Most popular: custom wheels and subwoofer low-frequency speakers.
Owners don't stop there. Some seek accessories that are available for their cars only from Japan.
They include grilles, nameplate badges, turn signals — even lace seat covers.
There's also the outlandish. Victor Gomez, 27, of Carson, Calif., installed separate back-seat television controls in his xB so his two kids don't have to watch the same programs. Having invested thousands in options in his xB, he says he's "nowhere near done."
•Web savvy. Like, duh.
Scion's Web site gets a million hits a month. Two-thirds of buyers configure their cars with the colors and options they want on the Web site before they walk into the dealership.
Once they've bought, Scion owners gather at community Internet addresses like Scionlife.com, which averages about 170,000 page views a day. "Some people are on the site everyday and sometimes all day," says Scion Life webmaster Darren Seeman in Portland, Ore. "It's not just about Scion. It's about the lifestyle."
Gen Y youth are such dedicated Web heads that several years ago some hacked into a guarded portion of Subaru's Web site to check out a new youth-oriented model before it launched, then wanted to order it, says Subaru spokeswoman Larkin Hill.
•Immune to traditional advertising. "They are not as likely to sit in front of a TV and consume media as others do," says Don Romano, vice president of marketing for Mazda.
Instead, carmakers stage events hoping to "just sort of make the vehicle appear in their daily lives," says Gordon Wangers of Automotive Marketing Consultants, which did some of the outreach for Scion.
No snowboarding, volleyball or surfing sponsorships. That bucks the urban, multicultural feeling that Scion is trying to project. After all, about 27% of buyers are minorities. Even attempts to lure would-be buyers to independent film festivals on college campuses didn't work.
Luring with art and music
Instead, Scion created a traveling art show featuring works by artists with names such as Buff Monster and Stay High 149. Wangers says his "tattooed, pierced and dreadlocked crew" held test-drive events in front of popular restaurants, clubs and record stores.
Like other automakers, Scion has embraced music as a way of getting through. In Scion's case, that meant creating an alternative record label for such bands as the Dakah Hip Hop Orchestra.
It also takes part in Hot Import Nights, a festival of cars and music that has proved to be a showcase for several automakers.
Though Scion is considered a success so far, Toyota isn't proclaiming victory in capturing Gen Y. "We are far from figuring this thing out," Farley says.
But, he adds, no matter how things turn out, the learning experience will have been worth it.
"We have to stimulate people's creativity," he says. "Even if they don't like (Scion), they have to admire us for being a little bit obtuse."

What draws in Gen Y
Young buyers are turned on by accessorizing their vehicles, something that Scion has tried to tap.
Some of the standard features and extras that make this odd-looking car more appealing:
Interior 160-watt stereo with six speakers
Optional subwoofer
Cup holder lighting option — makes translucent water bottles glow
Optional carbon-fiber shift knob
Optional racing seats
Optional color inserts
LED interior light kit (left) — lights up the footwells in red, blue, green or amber
ExteriorBoxy shape
Can choose from three different wheel covers (left), no extra charge
Carbon-fiber hoods — available through aftermarket suppliers
Built-in body panels all around for a lowered look
Other
Easy to park
List price: $14,245
Source: Toyota