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More auto giants join the Super Bowl ad blitz

This Super Bowl Sunday, look for ads about earth-friendly SUVs, fuel-efficient compacts and German sports cars, joining the fray of talking animals and silly beer commercials, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Automakers and auto-related companies, like tiremaker Bridgestone and cars.com, typically are the second-largest buyer of ad time during the Super Bowl.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:01 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

US Unveils New Child Seat Ratings System

WASHINGTON -- Parents who struggle to install their child safety seats or fasten their toddlers in the back-seat chairs are receiving some new guidance from the government, according to the Associated Press.
The Transportation Department said Wednesday it was revamping a consumer ratings system for child safety seats to help parents and caregivers make the best choice for their kids.

The new approach will use a five-star rating system, based on the seats' ability to secure a child and the ease with which the seats are installed. It will also consider the seats' labeling and instruction manuals.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:57 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Isuzu to Quit U.S. SUV, Light Truck Sales in 2009

Isuzu Motors, which helped popularize sport-utility vehicles in the 1980s, said it will exit the U.S. consumer auto market next year, the first departure by an Asian brand since 2002, according to Bloomberg News.

Sales of Ascender SUVs and i-series pickup trucks, both supplied by General Motors Corp., will halt at the end of January 2009, Isuzu said today in a statement. U.S. demand for the company's vehicles has fallen 93 percent in eight years.

``There are no forecasts for continuation of the SUV business through introduction of a next-generation vehicle,'' Tokyo-based Isuzu said.

Isuzu's boxy Trooper sparked interest in truck-based SUVs in the late 1980s, helping push its U.S. sales to a peak of 103,629 in 1999. Since then, it's had the industry's steepest decline, selling just 7,098 vehicles last year -- the smallest volume for any Asia-based brand in the U.S.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:55 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0

Chicago auto show: Trucks come out early and often

The Chicago auto show has a reputation as a truck show, and it won't give much ground on that this year. General Motors, especially, is rolling out an intriguing array of trucks not seen at the Detroit show last month — or anywhere else, according to USA Today.

Other automakers have a variety of models top show, including sleek coupes and updated sedans. Dodge is unveiling the production version of the Challenger at the show.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:50 AM to Shows | Permalink | Comments 0