ChatGPT pranksters challenge dealership chatbots

Fullpath's ChatGPT-driven customer platforms were inundated at some dealerships with prank requests for coffee recipes, haiku and more.

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Jeep Renegade axed in U.S., Canada as brand moves upscale

The brand's move to trim the lower end of its lineup comes as the new CEO and North American chief try to reverse falling sales by adding burly $100,000 SUVs and premium-priced electrified models.

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New York dealerships team with CarEdge for sales event

The one-day event, which promised no hidden fees and that buying a vehicle would take no more than an hour, generated 13 sales for two dealerships on Staten Island.

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Iowa dealer opens home to community for lights, Santa

Carl Moyer of Karl Auto Group started inviting people to visit his elaborately decorated residence for a socially distanced Christmas celebration during the pandemic.

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Stellantis drops out of LA Auto Show, SEMA expo due to UAW strike

The company had planned to reveal the North American Fiat 500e electric car in Los Angeles. It's usually a major exhibitor in the SEMA show and won numerous awards last year.

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Cars Commerce debuts as Cars.com's new connected technology platform

Just as Facebook did with the launch of Meta, Cars.com will do the same with Cars Commerce, linking its commercial brand names under a single connected technology platform.

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Guest commentary: How dealership service departments can supercharge Google reviews

In 2023, the average U.S. new-car dealership has a Google star rating of 4.4 and receives nine new reviews every month. The best dealerships average more than 40 new reviews per month. Dealerships should work to generate more monthly reviews than local competitors.

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Guest commentary: Better consumer insights can win back lease customers

Consumers have increasingly stepped back in recent years from renewing their auto leases. TransUnion's Satyan Merchant says dealerships can woo lease customers back with some specific marketing tactics.

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How car repair is being disrupted by mobile offerings and valet service

As startups Roda and Goodhood rebrand and roll out new marketing, established players such as Ford and AutoNation try to beef up convenience.

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Flow, Pohanka, Holman among investors for digital marketing company Orbee

Several dealership groups are investing in Orbee, which provides data management and digital marketing services for the sector.

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Ford hires Lisa Materazzo from Toyota as CMO

The automaker also announced new roles for two members of the founding family, Elena Ford and Will Ford.

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Guest commentary: Automakers are missing an opportunity to sell more EVs to women

Women have long been influential in new-vehicle purchases. But somehow, the EV market is sidestepping them.

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Towering dealership landmark is toppled

A 26-foot statue that had been a San Antonio landmark since the 1960s was felled by Hyundai's dealership standards.

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Lego Corvette marks car's 70th anniversary

The 1,210-piece kit went on sale last week for $150.

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Column: Youth matters most in auto retail technology calculations

Young adults are a preferred marketing audience. Auto retailers' ongoing technology improvements keep them in mind.

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Audi's Hildegard Wortmann: ‘Edutainment' needed to boost consumers' confidence in EVs

Hildegard Wortmann, head of sales and marketing for Audi, said automakers need to focus EV marketing efforts on 'edutainment' about living with an EV to ease consumer apprehension about leaving combustion vehicles.

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Column: Barbie girls in a GM world

The presence of the Chevrolet Corvette, GMC Hummer EV and Chevy Blazer — from the only major automaker led by a female CEO — works well in a movie that is also statement about empowerment.

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Stellantis names first Black ad agency of record and it's female-owned

Automaker's supplier development program helped TKT & Associates get to know brands.

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Guest commentary: Yes auto shows are struggling. They're still as important as ever

Auto shows connect with customers, which translates into sales. Here's how to make the most of them and bring them back to their glory days.

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Snoop Doggs custom Cadillac is now a centerpiece at a Texas dealership

The car was customized by rapper Snoop Dogg and appeared in 50 Cent's 2003 music video "P.I.M.P. Remix."

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Documentary series seeks to highlight humans behind auto sales and service

A pilot episode of the automotive documentary series 'More Than Cars' premiered last month, featuring three Texas dealerships. The creators are fundraising to produce seven more episodes.

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Detroit auto show vows to make a comeback in 2023. But which automakers can the show lure back?

The Detroit 3 are expected to participate with their full brand portfolios, although it's unclear what, if any, companies the show can win back after many sat out in 2022.

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VW celebrates iconic bus with beach party

Coinciding with the debut of the three-row version of the electric ID Buzz tailored for North America, the automaker gathered VW bus enthusiasts for the first International Volkswagen Bus Day.

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Detroit auto show says it expects more brands to show up in 2023

The Detroit Auto Dealers Association, which runs the show, said Wednesday that it expects more than double the 13 brands that participated in last year's show.

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Rivian cancels ‘tank turn' feature to prevent trail abuse

CEO RJ Scaringe says the R1T pickup can spin like a tank — as shown in a viral 2019 video — but the potential for environmental damage is too great.

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Cars.com launches new brand campaign, refreshes image

The company is launching a new branding campaign and debuted a revised logo in a bid to market itself as offering broader vehicle services to consumers.

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Tesla's annual mileage tops EVs but lags gas vehicles, iSeeCars says

Tesla vehicles are driven about 10,000 miles per year on average vs. 6,700 miles for non-Tesla EVs. Tesla usage is closer to combustion vehicles at about 12,700 miles annually.

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Toyota's ads drive Hispanic loyalty

The automaker began working with a Hispanic advertising agency in 1987 and has been No. 1 among buyers from the fast-growing ethnic group for 19 straight years.

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Chrysler's 2025 electric crossover won't be the Airflow

"It is evolving in a new direction," Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles told MotorTrend magazine.

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Former Cadillac marketing executive steps up to CMO at Mercedes-Benz USA

Lee is one of three senior hires announced by MBUSA at the company's annual dealer meeting on Thursday.

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Spotlight: Charity Dunning, CMO of Fixed Ops Marketing

Some insight on Charity Dunning, CMO of Fixed Ops Marketing.

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Musk reverses course and says Tesla will advertise its cars

Musk has for years resisted the idea of advertising Tesla cars, tweeting in 2019 that he "hates advertising" and "We use that money to make the product great."

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Ranger Raptor embodies Ford strategy of high-margin, low-cost variants

The 2024 Ranger Raptor, which expands Ford's line of high-performance off-roaders into the midsize pickup segment, costs 67 percent more than the truck's base model but shares most of the same parts.

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GM Envolve aims to make fleet business easier, more profitable

GM Envolve will give business customers a dedicated sales account executive who can reach across divisions, whether they're buying vehicles or need help with energy management.

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Carvana gifts AI-generated video histories to car-owning customers

Each “Joyride” video relates the unique origin story of how an owner “met” their car.

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Gates dealership group gets boost from brand awareness

Gates Automotive Group in South Bend, Ind., combines social media engagement, collaboration with local athletes and business leaders, and in-person giveaways and meet-and-greet events.

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How Hyundai is leveraging a TikTok trend to connect with Black consumers

Hyundai's “Choose Yours” campaign features actors—and real-life couple—Alonzo B. Slater and Mea Wilkerson taking part in the “pick a card” TikTok trend.

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Lucid takes Air sedan on 42-city tour to boost sales

Lucid is touring 42 U.S. cities this year to bring its electric Air sedan to mid-sized to large markets where luxury shoppers might know little about the car.

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AutoNation customer experience exec Cannon to retire; CMO named

A veteran retail industry marketing executive will become the dealership giant's new CMO. Marc Cannon will pivot to AutoNation's philanthropic efforts and then retire by the end of 2023.

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Ford ad comes to life for deaf mother, son

Actors from a commercial for Ford's BlueCruise system were given their own Mustang Mach-E on singer Jennifer Hudson's talk show.

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Shanghai auto show visitors scream over ice cream

Chinese Internet users accused BMW's Mini brand of favoring foreign over domestic visitors during an ice cream giveaway.

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New Apple CarPlay integration helps improve Domino's pizza ordering — from customer dashboards

The new Apple CarPlay technology allows motorists to order a pizza with a few taps on the screen.

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An instant collectible: Indy 500 Camaro

Chevrolet is providing 50 'Festival Event; Camaros for use during May at the Indianapolis 500 and in the Indianapolis area.

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Why Hyundai, Nissan love sports advertising

Instead of dropping huge money for Super Bowl spots, Hyundai has been leveraging the NFL's conference championships at a third of the cost, while Nissan advertises in college games.

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Ford Credit debuts first-ever consumer ad campaign as auto lending market undergoes rapid change

With more people shopping online, lenders such as Ford Credit must shift strategies.

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Jeep concepts bring luxury, electrification to the desert

Jeep's latest collection of Easter Jeep Safari concepts features a mix of eco-friendly powertrains, luxury and the brand's trademark ruggedness.

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VC firm Assembly Ventures tapped to help IAA show mobility programming

Organizers of IAA Mobility 2023 said Wednesday they've reached an agreement with venture capital firm Assembly Ventures to oversee a portion of the show's conference programming this fall in Munich.

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Polestar to drop $20 million in Q2 to market its first crossover

The Polestar 3 marketing campaign will involve online, television, and outdoor advertising to raise awareness of the new model and the upstart brand.

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Ads focus on celebs' pride in their Fords

Ford has tapped actress Sydney Sweeney, stunt driver Dee Bryant and surfer Kai Lenny to revitalize its 'Built Ford Proud' campaign, which had been dormant for three years.

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Audi to rebadge lineup to reflect EV-combustion split

Audi's full-electric cars and light trucks will adopt even model badges, while internal-combustion models will have odd numbers, CEO Markus Duesmann said.

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2024 Dodge Hornet injects attitude into luxury crossover base

Dodge designers used the Alfa Romeo Tonale as a foundation and gave it an aggressive spin with inspiration from the sporty Challenger, Charger and Durango.

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GM global marketing chief Deborah Wahl is departing

Wahl, 60, became GM's global marketing chief in 2019. She has "elected to retire," GM said.

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Guest commentary: Leave legacy stereotypes in auto ads in the past

The rise of the mainstream electric vehicle is an opportunity for the industry to take a fresh look at how it's connecting with its audiences in a way that resonates with what consumers want now.

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EVs are attracting younger consumers to BMW, Mini, Subaru, Volvo, Cadillac

BMW was ranked fourth overall, and it was the highest of any auto brand in the AdAge-Harris Poll study.

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Infiniti Chairman Peyman Kargar to retire as global brand head

Peyman Kargar's No. 2, Olga Filippova, will take over as acting head of Infiniti, parent company Nissan said. The company also named a new U.S. chief marketing officer.

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Commerical electric trucks take center stage at work truck show in Indy

Shyft Group and several start-ups are using the NTEA Work Truck Show in Indianapolis to debut new electric commercial trucks.

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Rivian tops Tesla in premium EV satisfaction; Mini Cooper most satisfactory mass market EV

The increasing availability of EVs is leading consumers to focus more heavily on "traditional factors" such as quality and styling; Rivian and Mini Cooper are seeing the benefits, a 2023 J.D. Power study shows.

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Hollywood's most dangerous directors

A true action-packed movie is hardly complete without a vehicle exploding or becoming damaged beyond repair, right? That's probably how director Michael Bay feels.

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A catalytic converter theft that's the wurst

The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was victimized during a stop in Las Vegas this month.

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How auto brands rank among female car buyers

Ram has the lowest female buyer representation while Buick has the highest, according to S&P Global Mobility registration data.

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A catalytic converter theft that's the wurst

The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile was victimized during a stop in Las Vegas this month.

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The Super Bowl ad you haven't seen ... yet

Forget the Super Bowl ads starring Will Ferrell, the Jeep remix of "Electric Boogie" and the spot from Elon Musk's chief critic. The most interesting transportation-related commercial to debut this Super Bowl season is one that never actually aired on network television.

If you missed an advertisement called "The Distance" making the rounds on social media last week, it's worth 1 minute, 27 seconds of your time.

Modeled on Super Bowl-style, extended-length ads, the spot's creator juxtaposes some of America's ambitious achievements, like space travel, with basic failures that thwart a child's ability to reach school without dodging traffic hazards.

"With all this progress moving us into the future, why can't our kids walk, bike and roll a single mile to school like they did in the past," a narrator says.

The advertisement is the brainchild of Tom Flood, principal at Ontario-based Rovelo Creative. He described it as a passion project made with the intention of "reshaping the discussion in this space and trying to remove the imbalance that we've normalized."

Flood did not consider a car-dominant culture or the general traffic environment problematic until he started taking his two boys, now 11 and 9, to day care and then school about a decade ago. Now he "can't unsee" some of the everyday dangers like speeding and poorly designed bike lanes that contribute to traffic fatality figures that now eclipse 40,000 per year in the United States.

Conversations between car enthusiasts and mobility and safety advocates are often charged with emotion and venom. Flood wants people to know he's no zealot. He's a car owner who regularly drives.

"I am driving all the time," he said. "I just think it'd be great if my kids could walk to school a little bit safer."

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See Ram's innuendo-packed Super Bowl ad, Jeep remix of ‘Electric Boogie'

Ram's fourth-quarter Super Bowl commercial portrays its upcoming 1500 REV pickup as a remedy for people suffering from "premature electrification."

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Car ads contribute to unsafe culture

Drivers need research, resources and messaging around what is safe on roadways and what is not, writes an Automotive News reader in a letter to the editor.

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Ram EV will be called 1500 REV

The company calls the REV a "direct descendant" of the 1500 Revolution concept it showed last month at the CES expo in Las Vegas.

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Kia Super Bowl ad asks viewers to choose ending

The commercial shows a dad who forgot his baby's favorite binky tearing through mountain roads in a Telluride crossover.

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Stellantis buys Super Bowl ads for Jeep and Ram

Stellantis returns to the Super Bowl after taking last year off.

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Expanded Chicago show debuts new Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2023 Chicago Auto Show will feature the debut of the new Toyota Grand Highlander, a larger three-row crossover aimed at those who don't want a minivan but need seating for up to 8, a redesigned Subaru Crosstrek and refreshed VW Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport.

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Longtime Mercedes-Benz USA marketing boss Drew Slaven departs

Slaven, 56, who served as chief marketing officer for nearly a decade, decided to retire, a company memo said. He is the latest in recent high-level executive departures at Mercedes-Benz USA.

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GM teams up with Netflix to tout EVs in Super Bowl ad, shows

The co-branded spot promotes the companies' collaboration to feature more EVs on screen, including in Netflix shows.

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Kia leans into Super Bowl while others sit out

Kia is pushing the Telluride during the Super Bowl because the company has increased production in the West Point, Ga., plant, said Russell Wager, Kia America's vice president of marketing.

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Porsche’s failed NFT drop is a lesson for brands in Web3

The execution exemplifies everything marketers should not do when dropping NFTs, according to experts. 

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Ford offers some on Bronco waitlist $2,500 to buy something else

Customers can get a discount by switching to a lower-priced Bronco without certain supply-constrained features or to another nameplate in the brand's lineup.

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8 brands struggle with U.S. conquest retention, study shows

Dodge, Ram, Audi, Mazda, GMC, Volkswagen, Acura and Mercedes-Benz are all in the heat of a "nomad retention challenge" in the U.S., a new report from S&P Global says.

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Polestar’s newest outlet made entirely out of snow

The EV maker's newest retail location is built entirely out of snow harvested from a Finnish ski resort.

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Leo Michael Cartoon: Not this year

CarMax, Carvana and Vroom will not air advertisements during Super Bowl LVII. Carvana made a splash last year with a 30-second spot, while Vroom aired commercials in 2021 and 2022.

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Toyota sitting out Super Bowl for first time since 2017

The decision signals that the automotive category could be light in this year’s game.

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Why CarMax, Carvana and Vroom are sitting out the 2023 Super Bowl

Spokespersons for CarMax, Carvana and Vroom said there are currently no plans to air company advertisements during the game.

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BMW puts media and creative into agency review

The German luxury auto brand begins procurement-mandated review in North America for creative, media, social and CRM.

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Construction on 'automotive country club' to begin soon

The first phase of the 273-acre Motorsports Gateway Howell is expected to include a 2.2-mile driving track, clubhouse, rentable garages for members, garage condos for sale and a nature trail.

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