The first production vehicle, the Buick Model B, was offered to retail customers the following year. Today, Buick produces a range of luxury vehicles including the Encore and Enclave crossovers and the LaCrosse, Regal and Verano sedans.

Buick Celebrates 110 Years of Building Cars

Buick is a modern luxury brand offering vehicles with sculpted designs, luxurious interiors with thoughtful personal technologies, along with responsive-yet-efficient performance. Buick is attracting new customers with its portfolio of award-winning luxury models, including the Enclave crossover, LaCrosse sedan, Regal sport sedan, Buick Verano sedan and the all-new Encore crossover.

Learn more about Buick cars and crossovers at www.buick.com, on Twitter @buick, on Pinterest or at www.facebook.com/buick 

 

DEARBORN, Mich – The Ford Fiesta was Europe’s best-selling small car in March and for the first three months of 2013, according to the latest figures from the world’s leading provider of automotive data and intelligence, JATO Dynamics.*

European customers bought Fiestas at a rate of one every 100 seconds during the first quarter for 2013 – 41,600 in March, and 77,800 total in the first three months of 2013 – 14,000 units more than its nearest rival, according to JATO.

Parked bumper-to-bumper the Fiestas sold during the first quarter would cover the equivalent of 770 laps of a 400 metre Olympic running track.

“It’s clear from the rate that our new Fiesta is flying off forecourts that its striking a chord with Europe’s small car customers,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe.  “The small car segment is probably more competitive than it has ever been and the new Fiesta is gaining retail market share and reaching new customers on the strength of its design, technology and drive dynamics.”

Fiesta’s retail share – sales to private customers – in its segment rose by 1.2 percentage points in March**. Incoming orders from customers also increased by 8 per cent in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year.

The new Fiesta offers seven powertrain options that offer sub-100 g/km CO2 performance*** including the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, the 2012 “International Engine of the Year”. One quarter of Fiestas sold this year in Europe were equipped with 1.0-litre EcoBoost.

The new Fiesta also features dynamic new exterior and interior styling with benchmark design, craftsmanship and ergonomics, in addition to offering Ford MyKey, which enables parents to place restrictions on younger drivers to promote safety.

Also new to Fiesta is Ford’s SYNC voice-activated in-car connectivity system featuring Emergency Assistance, which can alert local emergency services operators to an accident in 26 languages, spoken in 40 European regions. Sixty per cent of new Fiestas ordered during the first four months of the year feature the Euro NCAP Advanced reward-winning system.

The most popular colour to date is Frozen White, chosen by 23 per cent of customers – rising to 40 per cent in Greece – followed by Panther Black and Moondust Silver. Fifty-five per cent of Fiesta buyers have opted for the Charcoal Black interior, including 84 per cent of U.K. customers.

Fiesta was earlier this year named the best-selling subcompact car globally in 2012 with 723,130 registrations, by automotive data and trends forecasting leader Polk. It was also the best-selling small car in Europe in 2012 according to JATO Dynamics, with European consumers buying 306,405 models in total.

For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit: http://corporate.ford.com.

@GM to Source Small Cargo Vehicle from Nissan for U.S., Canada Markets

GM will procure the vehicle from Nissan and distribute it through the Chevrolet dealer network. GM expects the Chevrolet City Express, based on the Nissan NV200, to be available for sale in the fall of 2014.

“Our fleet customers have asked us for an entry in the commercial small van segment, so this addition to the Chevrolet portfolio will strengthen our position with fleets and our commercial customers,” said Ed Peper, U.S. vice president of GM Fleet and Commercial Sales.

Joe Castelli, Nissan vice president, commercial vehicles and fleet added, “Working with partners to expand markets for our innovative products enhances Nissan’s growth and manufacturing efficiency by leveraging our capacity to meet growing demand in this space.”

Nissan currently sells a version of the vehicle as the NV200 in numerous markets globally, including the United States and Canada. The Nissan NV200, a spacious-yet-compact commercial vehicle, is a previous winner of the International Van of the Year Award. Cost of ownership for the vehicle is among the lowest in the class due to low running costs, the high efficiency of the engines and drivetrains and a safety structure that helps to minimize crash damage.

The price of the Chevrolet City Express will be announced later.

More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.comand InfinitiNews.com.

More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Cadillac Launches ‘Style Driven’ Series on Vogue.TV

Walsh’s keen eye for the beautiful and unique within fashion has propelled her to be one of the most sought-after stylists, and has already consulted the likes of Kristen Wiig, Kerry Washington and Gwyneth Paltrow. This year, Walsh styles actress Greta Gerwig for the Met Gala.

The video series follows Walsh as she makes her way through New York City in a Cadillac SRXpicking dresses and jewelry for Gerwig. Throughout the series, Walsh offers insights into her process, the importance of the Met Gala and how Cadillac helps her make everything possible.

“I have always marveled at the synchronicity of form and function in creative design,” said Walsh. “To me, something beautiful, especially when it comes to fashion, should be made with an attention to detail that reflects this aesthetic. It is not inherent to design but rather takes a certain attention to detail and one that I do look for in architecture, theater, art, cinema and especially in brands that are capable of consistently guarding the marriage of art and commerce. Cadillac is so clearly an example of this, historically and today.”

The annual Costume Institute Benefit features a who’s who in fashion and culture with celebrity attendees from film, music and fashion. In addition to the video series, Cadillac will provide VIP valet service to a select group of celebrities attending the event.

“Fashion and design are territories that easily mesh with Cadillac’s Art and Science philosophy,” said Melody Lee, director of brand and reputation strategy. “Working with the team on the Vogue.TV video series to showcase Erin’s unique approach in creating beautiful style ensembles is quite similar to the meticulous craftsmanship that goes into the design of Cadillac vehicles like the SRX.”

Joe Lawrence

His successor as President and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Cars Canada will be announced at a later date.

Lawrence joined Porsche Cars Canada in 2009. Under his leadership, the organization posted record sales in each of the last three years and became Canada’s fastest growing premium automotive brand in 2012. To accommodate this rapid growth, Lawrence appointed new dealers in London, Saskatoon, Oakville, ON, and Langley, BC. He was also instrumental in establishing the Camp4 winter driving experience in Canada as well as the successful Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada, which is now entering its third season.

Porsche Cars Canada was formed in April 2008, a standalone subsidiary with dedicated leadership. The company employs a team of 24 in sales, aftersales, finance, and marketing. Last calendar year, Porsche sold 3,003 units in Canada.

Source: Porsche

@TeslaMotors Co-Founder & CEO Elon Musk, "It takes time for actions to bare fruit"

Tesla Motors reached profitability in Q1 of 2013 for the first time in Tesla Motors ten year history. Tesla Motors exceeded targets for deliveries, significantly expanded gross margin, and improved execution throughout the company.

“It takes time for actions to bare fruit,”  said Elon Musk, Co-Founder, CEO and Product Architect.

Excluding non-cash warrant and stock option items, Tesla Motors generated a profit of $15 million. Tesla Motors GAAP profit was $11 million and Tesla Motors achieved profitability despite the benefit of a one-time accounting gain related to the DOE warrant.

“The gross margin at the end of Q1 was significantly better that at the end of Q1,” said Elon Musk, Co-Founder, CEO and Product Architect.

During Q1, Tesla Motors produced 400 or more Model S vehicles per week, for a total of over 5,000 during Q1 2013. Tesla Motors recognized 4,900 vehicles as revenue, exceeding their initial Q1 guidance of 4,500.

Woodlawn Post; Tesla Model X SUV Displayed at the North American International Auto Show

Woodlawn Post; Tesla Model X SUV(Touch Screen) Displayed at the NAIAS

During Q1, Tesla Motors hired Aston Martin’s Chief Engineer of Vehicle Engineering, Chris Porritt, to be its Vice President of Vehicle Engineering and raw materials declined by almost 26%, while unit production increased 80%. Better inventory management contributed over $30 million in cash and reduced our logistics costs during the quarter.

“Improving the cost of our logistics, getting better deals from our suppliers” and “Those are the ones that take the longest to come to fruition” and “We’re only competent of the 2% gross margin in Q4 2012,”  said Elon Musk, Co-Founder, CEO and Product Architect.

Working with US Bank and Wells Fargo, Tesla Motors will be able to offer many customers the ability to buy a Model S with no money down (net of reimbursement from federal & state incentives) and an effective cost as low as $580 per month, taking into account savings from not using gasoline.

In Q1 Tesla Motors opened 12 new service locations, bringing our total network to 41 locations. Tesla Motors remain on plan to add approximately 30 service locations in total in 2013.

Tesla Motors total revenues for Q1 rose 83% from Q4 to $562 million, a new record for Tesla. In addition to record Model S deliveries in Q1.

“We are expecting a decline in (ZEV) credit revenue in Q2” and “Significant decline in Q2″ and “We’re not expecting anything in Q4,” said Elon Musk, Co-Founder, CEO and Product Architect.

From Q4 to Q1, Tesla Motors total gross margin rose from 8% to 17%, as a result of a higher Model S production rate, manufacturing efficiencies, part cost reductions and regulatory credit sales. Zero emission vehicle (ZEV) credits sold to other automakers amounted to approximately $68 million or 12% of revenues.

Tesla Motors expecs to build about 5,000 Model S vehicles in Q2, some cars will be in transit to Europe for start of deliveries in Q3. Tesla Motors expects to deliver slightly over 4,500 vehicles during Q2, all in North America. For the full year of 2013, Tesla Motors expect to exceed our prior target of 20,000 worldwide deliveries and feel comfortable raising guidance to about 21,000 deliveries.

“We need to establish a service network,” said Elon Musk, Co-Founder & CEO about Tesla Motors $200 million in capital expenditures.

Tesla Motors plan to spend about $200 million on capital expenditures in 2013 and the majority of our investment in the Tesla Factory and Model S tooling. Tesla Motors capital spending also includes the expansion of our service, store and Supercharger networks and new product development.

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** No information in this analysis should be considered as being business, financial or legal advice. Each reader should consult his or her own professional or other advisers for business, financial or legal advice regarding the products mentioned in the analyses. **

Written By Adrian Mitchell And Woodlawn Post Staff

DETROIT – Woodlawn Post participated in the General Motors conference with Kurt McNeil(vice president of U.S. sales operations) to review GM’s April 2013 U.S. sales results.

“We’re Very Optimistic,“ Kurt McNeil(vice president of U.S. sales operations) said about GM U.S. Sales being up 11% and more.

Woodlawn Post; Cadillac 2014 ELR(Rear) Unveiling At NAIAS 2013

Woodlawn Post; Cadillac 2014 ELR(Front Wheel) Unveiling At NAIAS 2013

Cadillac was the industry’s fastest-growing brand in Q1 2013 and Cadillac will launch an all-new CTS luxury sedan in the fall 2013. GM unveiled the 2014 Cadillac ELR at the 2013 North American International Auto Show(@NAIAS) on Tuesday January 15th, 2013.

Thanks for supporting WooodlawnPost.com in 2013! 

Follow us on Twitter@WoodlawnPost