DETROIT — It’s no secret what Dodge is about these days. The brand spent the last eight years recasting itself as a youthful purveyor of American muscle, led by its powerful Hellcats and edgy advertising. Focusing on the high-octane realm has supercharged its base of enthusiasts and sparked an active following of millions online. Now,
Marketing
Most brands mine social media and influencer trends to tap into popular crazes. But Chrysler is using one rising phenomenon as a foil — #VanLife. The hashtag, which is affixed to social content plugging the kind of nomadic lifestyle that has gained traction during the pandemic, serves as the inspiration for a new campaign for
As brands rush to tell consumers about what electric vehicles can offer, Ford Motor Co. is trying to bring “frunk” into the cultural lexicon. “Frunk” is slang for front trunk, or the empty space under the hood where most gasoline-powered vehicles have an engine. The frunk is representative of how the arrival of mainstream EVs
Two ads for the Land Rover Defender have been banned in the United Kingdom over concerns that they could mislead viewers into thinking the vehicles would keep drivers from going over a cliff. The ads showed a Defender parking at the end of a cliff as the vehicle’s backup sensors make a beeping sound. Two
Ford is taking what appears to be a subtle shot at Elon Musk in a new campaign set to get airplay during this weekend’s Kentucky Derby coverage on NBC. The effort from Wieden+Kennedy has blue-collar sensibilities and aims to promote the automaker’s status as a major employer of hourly workers. One ad begins with scenes
As brands rush to tell consumers about what electric vehicles can offer, Ford Motor Co. is trying to bring the “frunk” into the cultural lexicon. Frunk is slang for front trunk, or the empty space in the front hood where the gas-powered cars keep the engine. EVs don’t use internal combustion engines, freeing the space
Detroit used to have an auto show every year, so the legend goes. The show is scheduled to return this September for the first time in more than three and a half years, and the main floor is completely sold out, organizers said last week. At least five active vehicle tracks will be set up
Can a bunch of college students solve some of the most vexing automotive engineering challenges facing the industry? Over the next four years, 15 universities across North America will be competing to engineer the most efficient battery-electric vehicles possible while combining connected and autonomous tech — and keeping them fun to drive for consumers. The
The North American International Auto Show will return to Detroit with a focus on electric vehicles and emerging technology as well as activations including street course ride-alongs on the Grand Prix’s future downtown circuit. There will also be five active tracks inside Huntington Place, whose main show floor is sold out for the reimagined auto
NEW YORK — I showed up at the Auto Forum here, held in the $1.5 billion — with a B — expansion of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and was confronted by a friend: “Are you going to write another death of auto shows column?” I said I would have to see what I
Lincoln Motor Co. may have stumbled onto its next slogan. Oscar-winning actor and brand spokesman Matthew McConaughey was on hand for the reveal of the Lincoln Star concept in Los Angeles last week, conducting an unscripted question-and-answer session with Lincoln President Joy Falotico. Things got a bit philosophical when she asked McConaughey what makes a
NEW YORK — Alfa Romeo is taking its new Tonale crossover on the road. The Italian brand, which is looking for an awareness boost to juice stagnant sales, wants consumers to have a hands-on experience with its first electrified entry ahead of the Tonale’s U.S. release in early 2023. The model will have plug-in hybrid
NEW YORK — The New York International Auto Show is bustling again. It was a long road to get here, and the dire circumstances of two years ago, when COVID-19 forced a sudden hiatus for one of the industry’s premier launch pads, illustrate just how far the show’s journey back has been. The 2020 event
To James Stephens, using dry-erase whiteboards and lifeless posters taped to walls to promote fixed ops services is so yesterday. “A lot of what you see inside dealerships today is very outdated,” says the fixed ops director at Nashville-based Beaman Automotive Group, part of Hudson Automotive Group. But that’s not the case at the four
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. will launch its F-150 Lightning electric pickup April 26, CEO Jim Farley said Wednesday on Twitter. The automaker plans an event that day at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan to celebrate the official start of production and first customer deliveries, which are expected soon afterward. “We will be
Dealership sales departments have traditionally feasted on bountiful digital marketing budgets and tactics while fixed ops departments had to nibble on the leftover scraps, usually in the form of “spray-and-pray” direct-mail campaigns. But that dynamic is changing. Fast. “We’re on the cusp of an advertising revolution in fixed ops,” says Alexi Venneri, co-founder and CEO
The time has come for a new DeLorean. DeLorean Motor Co. Inc. says it plans to unveil an electric model at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in August. The company last week released a teaser image of the concept, showing the taillight and left shoulder. The prototype is being revealed at the Awards Ramp three
Drivers in Massachusetts waited in line for up to nine hours to fill their gas tanks for free, courtesy of dealer Ernie Boch Jr. Boch paid for more than 500 people to fuel up at a gas station in Norwood, Mass., to celebrate what he called “April Fuels Day.” He originally planned to give away