Latest retailing & distribution news and analysis articles 
Brand/vehicle advertising and marketing; vehicle distribution and sales
UK: Chrysler borrows from US Detroit ads for relaunch
8 February 2012
Chrysler is preparing to relaunch the brand here in the UK with a new series of advertisements the automaker said "draw upon its gritty, urban reputation".
US: Chrysler's Eastwood ad attracts talk, not clicks - Edmunds
7 February 2012
Chrysler's two-minute Sunday night Super Bowl half-time ad featuring Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood may have prompted much chatter on- and off-line Monday about Chrysler’s follow-up to last year's 'Imported from Detroit' ad starring Eminenm but analysts at Edmunds.com reckon it did very little to "move the needle in consumer interest in Chrysler".
UK: BMW hiring more apprentices this year
7 February 2012
BMW Group plans to increase the number of UK apprenticeships available through its company and dealership schemes to around 200 in 2012.
US: Super Bowl truck ad pits Ford against GM
6 February 2012
A row between General Motors and Ford over a Chevrolet truck television ad aired during weekend Super Bowl football game coverage in the US has attracted considerable media coverage both there and abroad.
US: Fisker starts sales in Canada
6 February 2012
Fisker Automotive has started selling its electric Karma model in Canada where government funded subsidies are on offer to EV buyers.
SOUTH KOREA: Citroen to re-start sales
3 February 2012
Citroen is planning to re-enter South Korea in April with its DS3 models, according to local distributor Hanbul Motors.
INDIA: Audi to expand models and dealers this year
3 February 2012
Audi will launch seven new models in India and add 10 dealers to its current network of 15 this year.
SOUTH KOREA: New Mercedes chief arrives from Berlin
3 February 2012
Thomas Urbach took up his new post as president and CEO Mercedes-Benz Korea, replacing Harald Behrend, this week.
RUSSIA: Chrysler takes over Fiat sales and service from Sollers
2 February 2012
Sales, aftersales and warranty for Fiat passenger cars and Fiat Professional light commercial vehicles in Russia are now managed by Chrysler Group's national sales company, CJSC Chrysler Rus, the automaker said on Thursday (2 February).
PRODUCT EYE: Renault Kangoo Maxi Z.E.
1 February 2012
White Van Man might well be in danger of losing his innate haste and stress, should he get behind the wheel of the new EV version of Renault's Kangoo van.
AUSTRALIA: MG heads back Down Under - from China
31 January 2012
Right hand drive MG6 sedans and hatchbacks made by Shanghai Automotive in China are being launched in South Africa, New Zealand and probably Australia.
INDIA: New GM models target smaller metros and towns
30 January 2012
General Motors India (GMI) hope its MPV and Sail models, developed by GM China's joint venture with SAIC, will boost sales, especially in smaller 'metros' and smaller towns.
BELGIUM: Toyota Europe delivers 400,000th hybrid
27 January 2012
Toyota has delivered its 400,000th hybrid in Europe. The milestone car was a UK-built Auris handed over to Valentine Nkwocha in Anderlecht, Belgium, as a company car from his employer CTG, an IT-consultancy. The company recently ordered over 20 Auris Hybrids for its junior consultants.
RUSSIA: AvtoVAZ raises prices
27 January 2012
AvtoVAZ is raising the prices of its Lada cars by 2.4% from Monday to counter rising costs and taxes.
JAPAN: Toyota ups Lexus 2012 target
26 January 2012
Toyota Motor aims to boost worldwide sales of Lexus models by about a quarter to 500,000-510,000 vehicles this year, bringing them back to levels before the global financial crisis hit demand.
UK: Chevrolet Volt ‘will be in short supply'
26 January 2012
Chevrolet UK has been contacted by 2,500 people "who said they want to talk to us about the Volt," managing director Mark Terry said, adding that he expects there to be more customers than cars, certainly for the foreseeable future.
ITALY: Fiat tackles old practices head-on with spiky new Panda TV spot
25 January 2012
Contentious new advertising for Fiat's new Panda model is now airing on Italian television, although the automaker insisting it is not courting controversy but focusing on benchmarking quality.
NETHERLANDS: Mitsubishi Europe volume up 7% in 2011
25 January 2012
Mitsubishi Motors Europe (MME) boosted unit volume 7% year on year to 149,967 sales.
UK: Lease deal lures new, younger buyers to Peugeot
25 January 2012
Around 16% of Peugeot's retail sales here in the UK come from buyers wooed by the company's ‘just add fuel' sales campaign, now into its second year.
US: GM awards global media account to Carat
25 January 2012
General Motors has awarded its global media operations account to Carat, part of the specialist media and digital group Aegis Media, after an extensive review of the company’s global marketing operations. The account had previously been with French advertising group Publicis Groupe.
GERMANY: Opel discussing sales cooperation with SAIC - report
24 January 2012
General Motors' European unit Opel is talking with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of its parent company's joint venture partners in China, about sales cooperation.
UK: just-auto surveys the global auto industry
24 January 2012
just-auto has launched its latest annual survey of the auto industry to identify key trends and forecasts for the year ahead.
UK: Growing brands look to recruit dealers
20 January 2012
Both Hyundai and Seat are looking to expand their UK dealer networks, the companies have said. The news will help offset the slow demise of Saab’s 58-strong dealer network and the decision by Renault to cut its network by around 55 to 135 by the end of this year.
UK: Kia opens first 'Red Cube' showroom
20 January 2012
The first of Kia’s new global standard 'Red Cube' showrooms in England has opened at Arnold Clark Northwich in Cheshire.
FRANCE: Peugeot halts Le Mans programme
19 January 2012
PSA Peugeot Citroen has pulled the plug on its Le Mans racing team, citing financial pressures, and will not be at the famous 24-hour race this year.
PRODUCT EYE: Kia Optima 1.7
18 January 2012
How's this for a summary of the old-shape Optima: "the last time Kia had a vehicle in the D segment it was one that, pragmatically, had no credibility whatsoever". So says the company's head of UK media relations.
INTERVIEW: Simon Hetherington, Kia Motors (UK) Dealer Development Director
18 January 2012
With the launch of the D-segment Optima model in the UK car market, Kia's dealer development director tells just-auto that it is another important step in the transformation of the company's position in the UK.
GERMANY: VW parts chief moves to car sales role
18 January 2012
Jan Utermarck, currently in charge of international coordination of the Volkswagen Group’s parts logistics network, has been named to head CIS/Middle East/Africa sales at VW Passenger Cars from 1 February.
INDIA: Mercedes wants its top spot back
17 January 2012
Mercedes-Benz wants to get its number one premium band position back in India and is looking to its small A and B class models to win customers.
INDIA: Maruti increases prices
17 January 2012
Maruti Suzuki raised the prices of all its models this week, immediately sparking a share increase, up as much as 11%, as investors rallied behind the company after months of falling sales levelled out in December.
