CentralBDC Acquires AutoAwards Loyalty & Marketing Solutions

CentralBDC today announced the acquisition of its third comapny, AutoAwards. A leader in automotive and marine dealership loyalty marketing, AutoAwards has longstanding relationships with many of the most successful dealer groups and OEMs. The company joins the growing portfolio that already includes PowerBDC and Better Car People, further solidifying the mission to create a world-class customer engagement platform that focuses on improving how automotive OEMs and retailers communicate with consumers.

Our goal is to help our dealers and OEMs become more profitable by providing the absolute best customer engagement technology. AutoAwards is a perfect addition. Their proven technology helps further drive and increase customer loyalty, establishing thriving dealerships and happy repeat customers.

AutoAwards, which has a thirty-year history in the automotive industry, is a perfect strategic addition. Its loyalty programs help foster and maintain long-term…

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Fleming Ford Joins NCM Associates to Launch Advanced Leadership Development and Executive Coaching Programs

Kansas City, MO., August 29, 2023 – NCM® Associates is thrilled to announce that Fleming Ford will be joining the organization as the Director of Talent Solutions. In this role, Fleming will take the lead in designing and implementing leadership development and executive coaching programs for NCM's comprehensive suite of products and services.

Leveraging over 25 years of distinguished expertise in leadership development and executive coaching, Fleming is poised to contribute invaluable insights to NCM's innovative initiatives. With a proven track record and methodologies that harmonize seamlessly with NCM's mission, she brings a significant stride toward enhancing the capabilities and performance of leaders.

“This marks a significant step forward in empowering progressive leaders with the essential skills and strategies needed to foster high-performing teams' growth, retention, and success,” said Brandiss Drummer, SVP of Business Solutions &…

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Column: Why we did a podcast series about carbon neutrality

Driving through the plains of Ontario always reminds me of my home state of Iowa. A lot of it is agricultural. and the road can be numbingly straight.

But as Jake Neher and Jack Hallauer — two Michigan native colleagues — and I headed toward the Toronto exurb of Brampton to tour a Magna International plant, I experienced something I never felt in Iowa: a burning in my throat from wildfires.

This past summer, locales from Chicago to New York were canceling outdoor activities because of the Ontario forest fires and the heavy smoke hanging over large swaths of North America.

Those fires were not global warming; a hot day in August is not climate change. But the accumulation of years of progressively hotter temperatures throughout the world provides ample evidence of a real problem. In the words of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, "the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theo…

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Margo Oge underscores the urgency behind reducing emissions (Episode 215)

The chair of the International Council on Clean Transportation discusses her role in spurring change at Volkswagen following the company’s emissions-cheating scandal and says 2023 marks a critical juncture in a shift toward green mobility.

How do I subscribe?

Apple Podcasts: “Shift: A podcast about mobility” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe.

Spotify: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" can be streamed through Spotify on your desktop, tablet or mobile device. Click here to subscribe.

Google Play: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" is available on Android devices through the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe.

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Chrysler 300 looks fresh on way out

TO THE EDITOR:

I could not agree more with Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles on the timelessness of the design of the outgoing Chrysler 300 (“Looking back on Chrysler 300’s run as a pop culture staple,” autonews.com, Aug. 25).

Great presence but fairly modest with ideal proportions, a kind of gangster greenhouse and a thoughtful blend of creases, angles and curves. It still looks fresh. Plus, who doesn’t like a Hemi? In the deep cuts area, there was a 300 wagon sold in Europe that was the Dodge Magnum (also a looker) with a 300 front clip. Hopefully, there will soon be a 300e (for electric) with styling as memorable as the nameplate’s long heritage demands.

LINCOLN MERRIHEW, Vice president, marketing, Pulse Labs, BostonPulse Labs offers technology-centric user experience insights.

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Alfa Romeo looks to channel hype into U.S. sales

Larry Dominique is just happy to see people talking about Alfa Romeo.

The Italian brand grabbed headlines in late August by unveiling the limited-edition 33 Stradale, a supercar that surpasses 620 hp with a twin-turbo V-6 engine or more than 750 hp in an electric iteration.

Although Alfa Romeo is building only 33 of the stylish two-seaters, Dominique said the attention the Stradale draws helps the brand's quest to build awareness in the U.S. A spokesperson said the Stradale has attracted vast media coverage around the world from nonautomotive outlets covering art, technology and luxury.

Alfa Romeo is in the midst of a brand evolution that includes delving into electrification this year with the Tonale, its first plug-in hybrid and last new model with an internal combustion engine. The brand plans to go all-electric by 2027.

Its marketing leaders have described ad spending for the Tonale launch as unprecedented in a …

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VinFast planning 3 new crossovers for the U.S.

Electric vehicle newcomer VinFast Auto plans to import three additional crossovers to join its midsize VF 8 that went on sale this year. Most of the automaker's lineup is scheduled to be assembled at a $2 billion North Carolina factory, starting in 2025.

VinFast is off to a slow start for VF 8 sales, with just a few hundred vehicles delivered through July, according to a company spokesperson. But the EV maker is rapidly introducing new models in Vietnam that will make their way to U.S. shores.

Next to go on sale is the stylish VF 9, a three-row crossover. The company plans to import its smaller VF 6 and VF 7 crossovers next year.

VinFast is drawing attention with its design choices of modern interiors and adventurous exteriors. Pininfarina collaborated on the VF 8 and VF 9, the automaker said, while Torino Design worked on the VF 6 and VF 7.

Originally, VinFast planned to sell its EVs separate from their batteries, which would be leased for a mon…

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UAW-Detroit 3 negotiations live updates

Contract talks between the UAW and Detroit 3 automakers are in the critical post-Labor Day stretch, with a Sept. 14 contract expiration approaching.The union seeks a self-described “audacious and ambitious” list of demands that include a 46 percent raise, a return to traditional pensions and a 32-hour work week.Ford, GM and Stellantis have made their offers to the union public. The UAW has so far been critical of the proposals.Follow this liveblog for regular updates.

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Live updates: An auto show, a battery show and Automotive News Congress

It will be busy next week in the heart of the U.S. automotive world.Industry leaders will convene in Michigan for three major events — the North American International Detroit Auto Show and the Automotive News Congress, both in Detroit, and the Battery Show in the suburb of Novi. The future of transportation will come into sharp focus at all three.The Automotive News Congress theme is Investing in Innovation. There will be keynote sessions with General Motors President Mark Reuss, Ford Blue President Kumar Galhotra and Hyundai Motor Co. COO Jose Muñoz.The Battery Show will zoom in on pressing issues such as battery plant timelines, regulations and recycling, while the auto show will feature the latest in electric vehicles and includes a mobility forum.Automotive News will cover each right here.

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New Toyota chief tech officer to radically ramp up r&d efficiency

DETROIT — When the Toyota Prius hybrid compact car debuted some 25 years ago, its breakthrough fuel-sipping gasoline-electric drivetrain shattered industry norms.

In doing so, the Prius also proved that Toyota Motor Corp., a company renowned for safe and reliable, but conservative, cars could throw down the gauntlet with revolutionary new technology.

Now, Toyota wants to rekindle that pioneering spirit by overhauling its R&D operations to be better, faster and cheaper in a cultural shift to unleash its engineering corps' creative juices.

The goal is shedding Toyota's traditional risk-averse mindset to deliver vehicles that are revolutionary, not just evolutionary, to compete in the ultracompetitive age of new mobility.

Leading the charge in North America is newly appointed Chief Technology Officer Mike Sweers, the truck-crazy Toyota veteran who took the helm of the region's R&D nerve center on July 3.

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Detroit 3 tease reveals, including Ford F-150

The 2023 Detroit auto show, while smaller than pre-pandemic events, is expected to showcase at least a handful of reveals from the city's hometown automakers.

Ford Motor Co. plans to unveil a freshened F-150, including an updated hybrid variant. General Motors has press conferences scheduled for its GMC and Cadillac brands, while Stellantis has one scheduled, for Jeep.

Overall, the show says 35 brands will be represented through manufacturer- and dealer-sponsored displays. Notable among the 16 corporate exhibitors will be electric vehicle giant Tesla, which traditionally has avoided the Detroit show.

"We're thrilled to be able to bring auto show audiences a broad spectrum of brands and vehicles," Rod Alberts, the show's executive director, said in a statement. "As a dealer association-backed auto show, one of our main goals is to display all the brands that are sold in our region. This blend of bringing together corporate- and dealer-supported vehicles …

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Women in fixed ops management roles create a supportive environment

Jennifer Lewis-Hodgson was working as an assistant in a body shop when an insurance appraiser she worked with recommended her for the collision center manager job at Grossman Chevrolet-Nissan in Old Saybrook, Conn.

"I came in here with zero management experience," said Lewis-Hodgson, who has managed that collision center since November 2019. "But when I had questions, [the Grossman management team] had the patience to really hear what I was trying to say."

Women aren't lining up to fill fixed ops job openings at dealerships, but some stores are successfully attracting women. Those that do are finding female managers enable a dealership culture that creates a great work environment for all employees.

"As we have had success hiring women, training women and finding women who stand out in this industry, we have realized women bring such an interesting culture to the dealership — one that is different than the traditional male manager…

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