Trade News

The Jeep Wrangler zoomed its way into Jurassic Park lore in 1993 when it sped away from a charging Tyrannosaurus rex in one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

Jeep is leveraging that prehistoric stage again nearly 30 years later in Jurassic World Dominion, the sixth and purportedly final film of the series.

The Wrangler, the Gladiator and a vintage Grand Wagoneer appear in the latest film, which is accompanied by a broad Jeep ad campaign that launched last week. The tie-up with Universal Pictures hits several pillars that make for effective marketing, Stellantis marketing chief Olivier Francois said.

"Everything me and my team have been creating during my 14 years at the helm of our marketing is focused on three things: relevance, authenticity and meaning," Francois told reporters last week. "If you have that consistently, you'll get down the funnel with a high level of engagement, consideration and ultimately sales. As I …

One of the biggest issues for dealership service departments is keeping the staff happy and in place. But technician and service adviser retention is especially difficult because of compensation issues and long hours. In 2021, 28 percent of techs and 40 percent of advisers left their brand.

This year, Carlisle & Co.'s annual Automotive Service Manager Survey asked service managers across North America to share retention strategies for technicians and advisers. The Massachusetts automotive aftermarket research and strategic consulting company received more than 11,000 responses.

While pay is especially an issue for techs, there are a few other reasons they and service advisers leave dealerships. Service managers reported trying to improve the pay issue with bonuses and other compensation. They also are showing both technicians and advisers a career path and striving to improve the culture and work environment on the service drive.

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Henson Brand Dealerships is using its social media pages to earn customers' business — and attention — for the long haul.

Some of those customers are getting their vehicles for free as a result.

Henson Chevrolet-Buick-GMC, Henson Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram and Henson Ford in Madisonville, Texas, began monthly car giveaways in 2019. The stores heavily promote the giveaways on social media, requiring followers to share posts and tag the dealerships to be eligible to win a used vehicle.

The dealerships also run live infomercials on Facebook, encouraging customers to call a number on their screen if they are interested in a certain vehicle, and host live giveaways and games with cash and other nonautomotive products as prizes.

The stores have invested about $100,000 in production equipment and hired producers, marketing specialists and communication reps to enhance the social media strategy. The dealerships post about 160 times a week and …

The Rivian R1T, one of the first electric pickup trucks on the market, is "way underpriced," according to a manufacturing expert known for his sometimes blunt assessments of electric vehicles from Tesla Inc. and others.

The R1T also could use some engineering and production changes to reduce its manufacturing cost, according to Sandy Munro, head of Michigan-based Munro & Associates, which tears down vehicles and advises automakers on how to improve them.

Known for his blunt YouTube assessments, Munro, a former Ford manufacturing engineer, says the R1T has "buckets of cost reduction opportunity" -- not unusual for a brand-new vehicle from a first-time manufacturer.

But the R1T, which starts at $67,500, "should be selling for $100,000 -- it's way underpriced for what it is and what it does," says Munro during a walkaround of the dismantled vehicle at his company's Auburn Hills headquarters.

That is good news for a company that just went public …

INDIANAPOLIS — It was the chance of a lifetime, squandered on the wrong guy.

The Friday before the famous 500-mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is Carb Day — that stands for carburetion, not the carbohydrates in 12-ounce cylinders that racing fans wheel to the bleachers in coolers.

As things were winding down, Honda held a little drawing for the journalists present: One of us would get to experience the company racing program's Driver-in-the-Loop simulator at the Indianapolis arm of Honda Performance Development. Like a flight simulator, it's used to train drivers on a specific course or to virtually test new equipment or other strategic adjustments, such as how much downforce to apply under various conditions. It's basically the ultimate driving video game — designed and managed by a company still inspired by racing roots that go back to its founder.

It's what Formula One veteran — and "Formula 1: Drive to Survive" darling — Romain Grosjean…

From forest fires driving residents out of California to freezing water pipes in Texas to a scorching heat wave putting lives at risk in India, our planet is warming and the daily impacts of climate change are becoming more difficult to ignore. In addition to impacting how we live, climate considerations are driving changes in how we conduct business and shaping the future development of major industries around the world.

Consider the most recent United Nations climate report, which reminds us of what's at stake for the global automotive industry — and by extension, what's at stake for Michigan and similarly situated states and provinces. While worldwide greenhouse gas emissions from transportation grew at an average of 2 percent a year between 2010 and 2019, the U.N. report highlights hopeful signs of progress.

For example, electric vehicles are the fastest-growing segment of the auto industry. Nearly 9 percent of new vehicles sold last year…

The investor and adviser at FutureOf details the financial straits facing many electric vehicle companies, explains why autonomous vehicles remain a long-term endeavor and explores the mobility opportunities that remain.

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TOKYO — No more controversial mugs for Lexus—

The premium brand's polarizing spindle grille — derided as the Darth Vader death mask by some critics — is getting a face-lift for a kinder, gentler look thanks to the brand's shift to electrification.

With no engine to cool in Lexus' upcoming line of electric vehicles, there is no need for a gaping front air intake — or the brand's trademark gaping grille to shield it.

Lexus global design chief Koichi Suga told Automotive News that the makeover is already underway, with the new RZ full-electric crossover unveiled in April and the soon- to-arrive redesigned 2023 RX crossover revealed last week in Japan and at a media event at Toyota Motor North America's headquarters in Plano, Texas.

Lexus is sticking with the spindle motif. But going forward, it will be structurally incorporated into the solid body paneling. Say so long to the spindle grille; say hello to the "spindle…