Automotive MarketingNews

• Toyota exec: Auto shows still ?critical' to business December 9, 2019
  Toyota Motor North America's Bob Carter says some of the industry angst over the future of auto shows is "self-inflicted," the result of automaker strategies to cross-program off-site events during auto shows to monopolize media coverage.
• Machines drive new marketing efforts December 9, 2019
  Proponents of machine learning and artificial intelligence say computers are more efficient than humans, though the technology is not yet widely adopted at dealerships.
• Honda embraces spotlight as rivals back away from auto shows December 9, 2019
  Honda wants to create a vibrant, enthusiastic atmosphere for visitors to its auto show stands. Not so much for auto writers but for the real audience: future car buyers.
• Data dashboard December 9, 2019
  A survey identifies customer preferences for dealership websites.
• Toyota, Lexus adjust auto show strategy to aim at consumers December 5, 2019
  Toyota will continue to have a presence in New York and other large and regional auto shows, but the automaker may aim its marketing dollars more at experiential efforts at the shows for consumers.
• Renault loses marketing chief in latest executive departure December 3, 2019
  Renault has appointed veteran executive Xavier Martinet as head of global marketing, replacing Francois Renard, who is quitting the automaker after just over a year. Renard is one of a number of high-level departures from the automaker.
• Alfa dashes through Italian streets in movie December 2, 2019
  In a trailer for starring Ryan Reynolds, a bright green Giulia Quadrifoglio showcases its performance chops during a chase scene in Florence.
• MCLAREN'S MIKE FLEWITT: Brand awareness key to the future December 2, 2019
  Flewitt, who has been with McLaren for nearly all of its existence as a road-car maker in its current form, sees some changes ahead, namely electrification. But that won't take away from the brand's vehicles, he says.
• Longtime Ford ad agency WPP plans major office move to downtown Detroit November 26, 2019
  WPP is the parent company of Ford ad agency GTB, or Global Team Blue. WPP moves to Detroit while Ford is renovating the Michigan Central Station as an anchor to its $740 million autonomous and electric vehicle campus in a neighborhood west of downtown.
• Musk accepts challenge, but Ford said it was 'tongue in cheek,' report says November 25, 2019
  Ford thinks Musk was making an apples-to-oranges comparison. The video the Tesla CEO tweeted appears to show a two-wheel drive version of the F-150 against an all-wheel drive Cybertruck. Elon Musk accepted the challenge.