UpShift Digital Articles

Or is this a brilliant strategy for a passionate viral focus group?

http://adage.com/adages/post?article_id=144366

Is it finally time for the Mercury brand to fade away? Some in the industry are spurring up the rumor that top executives from Ford will be creating a plan to kill the brand. The proposal will be presented to the company directors in July. It may be time that those rumors begin to come true, and for many, the time may be right. The brand represented less than 2% of Ford Motor Company's sales in first quarter, 2009, and according to inside information, the remaining family members, that still own 40% of the total company, feel that it…

Did you know that Hybrid vehicles get better fuel ecomony in the city than on the hwy? How is that you ask? Because in the city a hybrid runs on almost all electicity and on the hwy, they have to burn some fuel.

The Toyota Prius rocks everyone's list as the most fuel economic vehicle with 48 HWY and 51 CITY. What's the rest of the list, and the worst?

http://tinyurl.com/Top10FuelEfficient

Ford is making their move back into the spolight as the company is poised to retake over the #2 spot in U.S. auto sales from Toyota, for the first time since 2006. Although recent smears to Toyota's name have helped accelerate the process, smart moves from the U.S. auto maker has started this rise to the top in early 2009.

Ford is a smart company, I have said that many times to the hundreds of trainees that have taking my automotive sales classes over the last couple of years. The spotlight on their smarts really started…

The 2009 Cash for Clunkers program was found to have a better impact on new car sales, the automotive job market and the environment than was previously thought, and did not have nearly the impact on future sales that the industry experts had originally predicted. According to a year long study conducted by Maritz Automotive Research Group determined the outcome from Cash for Clunkers, or the CARS programs was actually very positive in many areas, and largely responsible for the positive upward trend that the auto industry is still enjoying. The study included 36,000 CARS buyers in the study…

Good news is coming for over 600 of the 2000 General Motors dealers that had received notice that they would be losing their franchise licenses when those licenses came up for renewal this October. Although GM would not commit to the exact number, several media sources are saying numbers between 601 and 661 dealers. As mentioned several months ago here, the letters contain some GM core business criteria and that following those actions will allow the dealers to immediately resume to business as usual. It was discussed in earlier articles that some of these criteria would help some GM…

…

 General Motors announced yesterday that the impending sale of the Hummer line to China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. will not happen. Allegedly, involvement from the Chinese government had an effect on the sale not proceeding. GM had been working to divest the line for approximately a year, and had considered several different options. The latest attempt falling through will result in the end of the Hummer brand. Exact date for the disappearance still to come.  

Odd news from the spring Consumer Report brand ranking issue with Toyota remaining the #3. In light of the numerous recalls and Toyota of North America's Jim Lentz appearing before the House investigation committee to attempt to explain that the acceleration problem expressed in multiple models had more to do with floor mats and gas pedals. Perhaps it is true that media overshare has created more hype than necessary for Toyota.

Although Toyota did retain their overall ranking, Consumer Report's did end up dropping a couple of their models following the recall and ultimately the suspension…