Volkswagen Builds Shark Cage for Shark Week

If the “you’re doing it wrong” meme needs an official vehicle, this is it.

To promote its ongoing sponsorship of Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week, which kicks off on Aug. 4th, Volkswagen has built a shark cage based on one of its vehicles…the Beetle Convertible.

Last year, it put together a much more functional submersible craft designed after the Beetle coupe, which has been modified this time around by getting its top chopped off.

Yes, the electrically propelled submersible actually works and a video series featuring marine biologist Luke Tipple taking it for an Subaquatic Road Trip will be posted online.

We guess that’s assuming he doesn’t make a wrong turn into the local drive-in at feeding time.

Chevrolet Impala wows Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports said the 2014 Chevrolet Impala earned the best scores in its class, making a U.S. model the top large sedan for the first time in 20 years.

The product testing organization praised the Impala's handling, braking and its "refreshingly intuitive and easy to use" interior controls. "When pushed to its handling limits, the Impala proved secure, responsive, balanced, and easy to control," CR said.

Further, the Impala has gone from a "mediocre" score of 63 to an "excellent" score of 95, Consumer Reports said.

 

"That places it not only at the top of its 'Large Sedan' category, but also among the top-rated vehicles Consumer Reports has tested. Only two vehicles have a higher test score – the [all-electric] Tesla Model S hatchback and the BMW 135i coupe," Consumer Reports said.

Consumer Reports, however, said the 2014 could not be placed in its "Recommended" category, because it was too new to have met other requirements, including doing well in government crash tests and in the company's Annual Auto Survey.

But Jack Fisher, director Consumer Reports automotive testing, said the Impala was "one more indicator of an emerging domestic renaissance," for the U.S. automobile industry.

"We've seen a number of redesigned American models -- including the Chrysler 300, Ford Escape and Fusion, and Jeep Grand Cherokee -- deliver world-class performance in our test," he said

Mazda’s style is shining through

The Mazda 3 is a car that doesn’t need to rely on brute force to entertain its driver.

The well-judged chassis and suspension set-up, tweaked to better cope with British roads in the recently face-lifted range, mean an engaging drive is always on the cards, even in the 1.6-litre entry-level petrol model.

And, with an engine that turns in strong emissions and economy figures, it’s likely to be a big seller.
There’s been a growth in smaller turbo-charged petrol engines recently, but the simplicity and suitability of a good 1600cc unit still seems an ideal fit with this size of car.

There are a lot of worthy contenders in the family hatchback sector, but the revised Mazda3 consolidates its position as one of the best. Its strengths are its fine chassis and composed handling, engaging design and roomy cabin. The quality of the interior materials has been improved and the dashboard is more attractive. Overall, it’s a package that’s hard to fault.

Meanwhile, the MK3 model Mazda 6 looks to blend the best attributes of the first two models with a style all of its own. Mazda’s clever ‘SYYACTIV’ technology has delivered class-leading running costs able to embarrass those of many potential rivals.

On top of that, with a driving experience unequalled in this segment, this is a car good enough to prise customers away from mainstream rivals.

As for looks, they’re rather superb. From the front, where the headlamps incorporate smart LEDs and neat halo-ring lights, you might well guess the brand without the badges — and admire the swooping front wings and the low, rear-leaning coupe-style cabin.

Under the bonnet, Mazda’s 145PS 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol unit is nearly as impressive, delivering returns that are well-nigh identical 
to those of a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel Mondeo — and streets ahead of other similarly-performing medium range-segment petrol rivals.

If you want something that offers the finest driving dynamics, the lowest running costs, 
the most space and arguably the best value in the class, then it’s hard to ignore Mazda’s CX-5.

You’ll have a tough time finding any other compact 4x4 or Crossover model that covers ground quite so effortlessly. The 150PS 2.2-litre SKYACTIV-D engine isn’t short of pulling power and with 0-62mph taking just 9.2s, it’s 25% quicker than a comparable Freelander.

As with many Mazdas, its modesty hides a product packed with innovation. The result is excellent packaging, class-leading economy and emissions and driving dynamics that set a new benchmark in this sector.

The CX-5 may very well be the best car of this kind you can buy.

Nissan's first-quarter net profit rises 14% on U.S. sales

Nissan Motor Co. reported first-quarter profit of nearly 14 percent, as a weaker yen gave room for the automaker to cut prices and boost sales in the United States.

Net profit rose to 82.02 billion yen ($818.9 million) in the three months ended June 30, from 71.97 billion yen a year earlier, the company said in a statement today.

Nissan's deliveries in the United States surged 25 percent in May, triple the industrywide increase, after the automaker cut the prices on seven models, including its top-selling Altima sedan. The Japanese automaker has fixed a shortage of supply that hampered sales of five new models in the United States last year, the company said last month.

"Nissan's sales performance in the U.S. has been robust," said Issei Takahashi, a Tokyo-based auto analyst at Credit Suisse Group. "They have cut the retail price of models and the production problem has been solved. These should be the two reasons for the increase in volume."

The price cuts and pent-up demand pushed up sales of the new Pathfinder SUV and Altima sedan, the two models Nissan revamped in the United States last year. Deliveries of the Pathfinder more than tripled from a year earlier and Altima sales rose 23 percent in June.

Nissan Leaf

Leaf sales were 2,225 units in June, the second-highest monthly tally for the model ever, according to researcher Autodata Corp. First-half sales this year have surpassed the 2012 total, after the company cut the price of the electric car, introduced a cheaper entry-level model, and boosted the battery range earlier this year. Deliveries of all-electric Leaf hatchbacks more than quadrupled in June, pushing sales to a record 9,839 sales in the first half.

"We will not argue that the Leaf is a key earnings catalyst for Nissan. It will remain a niche product for a long time," Christopher Richter, an auto analyst at CLSA in Tokyo, wrote in a report dated July 12. "However, the false notion that it is a failure should not deter investment in Nissan."

The price cuts from Nissan were the first signs that a Japanese automaker was taking advantage of the weakening yen. The discounting has put the rest of the industry on watch as a test for pricing discipline, John Krafcik, CEO of Hyundai Motor Co.'s U.S. unit, told reporters last month at an awards ceremony in Detroit.

Price cuts

"Nissan has boosted sales through very aggressive price cuts and incentives," said Ashvin Chotai, London-based managing director of Intelligence Automotive Asia. "The weak yen plays a big role in enabling more competitive pricing, especially on models imported from Japan such as the Rogue. Even models built in the U.S. benefit as they have some import content."

The automaker has projected that a weaker yen will add 225 billion yen to its operating income. Nissan based its forecasts for the current fiscal year on 95 yen to the dollar, while the yen traded at an average of 99 in the April-to-June quarter. Every one-yen decline will boost operating income by about 15 billion yen, the company said in May.

Honda Steps up Social Marketing

The online video world is hurtling quickly in two directions: targeting and real-time buying. Real-time video buying is on track to comprise nearly 25% of online video ad spend next year, and already we’re seeing positive results from a range of real-time campaigns.

For starters, Honda’s recent summer clearance promotion relied on Twitter and short-video sharing site Vine. If consumers used the hashtag #wantnewcar, the auto maker responded within a few hours to some of those unhappy car owners via a personalized Vine video, addressing their original tweet. Social media analytics platform Socialbakers studied the social media boost from the campaign and reported that there were about a few thousand tweets with that hashtag, and that the brand’s “average tweet engagement” rate nearly tripled in the first and second day of the campaign. Also, the automaker earned 1,020 new followers in the first day, compared to a six-month average of 242, and 2,292 mentions compared to a six-month average of 166.

“This results not only in many new conversations between Honda and its supporters that can help the company engage its audience but also enables a crowd-source of the most common problems car owners tend to have with their mechanical friends,” Socialbakers said.

As with most campaigns, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and whether this results in a sales lift is still unknown. However, this kind of near real-time interaction can create a deeper emotional connection with Honda and perhaps build brand loyalty, Socialbakers posits.

Along those lines, Kellogg’s has boosted its ROI for programmatic marketing campaigns by five to six times by optimizing the campaigns in real time. Using comScore online tools to evaluate metrics such as the percent of impressions reaching the target, the frequency of exposure, and the targeting index, the marketer made adjustments on the fly that improved its overall real-time results.

Other recent developments in the real-time and targeting sphere included online video ad technology firm YuMe’s introduction of multiscreen household targeting tools that deliver interactive ads to various members of a home. Hyundai is on board as a launch partner, and is aiming to elevate overall purchase intent for its cars within a home.

Kia ranked as one of world's Top 50 Green Brands

Kia is moving up in the world and is now ranked in the top 50 Best Global Green Brands for the first time in the company’s history……and New Zealand has had a hand in that achievement.

Kia Motors has been named 37th in Interbrand’s 2013 list, which produces an annual ranking of sustainability and environmental performance of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, assessing businesses based on market perception and the actual environmental performance of the company and its products and services.

This latest recognition by Interbrand follows hot on the heels of Kia’s recent introduction to the 100 Best Global Brands 2012 rankings, in which Kia placed 87th.

According to the 50 Best Global Green Brands 2013 study, Kia has placed eco-management at the forefront of its brand management strategy alongside its emphasis on quality and design management since 2006. Under this initiative, Kia has made huge strides in improving the performance of its vehicles, with a strong focus on enhancing fuel efficiency and a long-term aim for zero-emission vehicles. As a result of its efforts, Kia continues to be recognised as a leader in the environmental sustainability sector.

"In our view, the best green brands are those that are not only vital, relevant, powerful and pioneering, but also profitable, ethical and ecologically responsible. We applaud Kia Motors’ efforts aimed at sustainability in all facets of its global operations that have enabled the company to be named as one of our Best Global Green Brands 2013," says Jez Frampton, Global CEO of Interbrand.

Kia’s commitment to increasingly efficient mobility is realised partly through the introduction of green technologies to its growing range of products under the EcoDynamics umbrella to ensure the company remains ahead of global emissions regulations and continuously improves average fuel consumption of its entire product line-up. Two examples are seen in New Zealand, with the Eco Dynamics versions of the Kia Picanto and the Kia Rio being among the most economical and cleanest in their respective classes.
Kia is also developing a range of other green technologies, such as hybrid powertrains for the brand’s Cerato model in Korea and Optima model in global markets, plug-in electric vehicles, full-electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles.

The brand has been recognised for minimising harmful emissions from its operations and reducing the use of water resources during the manufacturing process, as well as recycling more than 90% of the waste generated during production at domestic plants.

Furthermore, Kia has increased its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and investment by more than 15% over the past year, grouped together under the slogan ‘A Better Way to Go’. This has most recently given birth to the Green Light Project - a global initiative to build schools and provide school buses to children without access to education. The Green Light Project also runs disease prevention programmes and mobile clinics. Todd McDonald, General Manager of Kia Motors New Zealand, says: "It is pleasing to see Kia recognised for its sustainable and environmental performance in this way, because this plays a significant role within the company’s overall strategy.

"It forms a very important part of our social licence to operate here in New Zealand, too. In selecting models for our market, fuel efficiency and reduced emissions are among the things we take into account. Furthermore, we have achieved international accreditation through carboNZero, which is not only helping reduce our carbon footprint in New Zealand, but supports our parent company initiatives. We also have an active corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme, which, for example, includes supporting one of New Zealand’s most recognised and respected charitable organisations, the Halberg Disability Sport   Foundation."

2013 Kia Soul Ranked Highest In Class

Three Kia Vehicles Rank within the Top 3 of their Respective Segments, -- Kia Soul receives award in the Compact MPV segment for Initial Quality, -- Kia Optima and Rio place 2nd in Midsize and Sub-Compact Car segments

Kia Motors America (KMA) has been one of the fastest growing automotive companies in the U.S. in recent years, and three of its vehicles – the 2013 Optima, Rio and Soul – recently ranked at or near the top of their respective segments within the J.D. Power 2013 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study. The Soul claimed the highest ranking in the "Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)" category for the second year in a row, while the Optima and Rio came in second in the "Midsize" and "Sub-Compact" car segments, respectively. The APEAL Study measures new-vehicle buyers' satisfaction based on ratings of Design, Performance, Comfort, Features and Style.

"Kia's rankings in the J.D. Power APEAL Study are a tribute to the tremendous strength of our model line," said Michael Sprague, executive vice president of marketing and communications, KMA. "Kia has become an industry leader for design, quality, safety and user-friendly technology, and delivering all of these world-class attributes at a great value is central to our brand promise. Being recognized in the APEAL Study strongly reinforces to consumers that Kia is offering the right model mix with the right feature set.

"This years' study emphasizes the importance of technology in todays' cars. With a variety of features being offered in its base, Plus and Exclaim trim levels, the Kia Soul was awarded the highest ranking in the Compact MPV segment.

The 2013 APEAL Study ranks cars based on responses from over 83,000 purchasers and lessees who are surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership between February and May of 2013. The vehicles are evaluated across 77 attributes, including overall mechanical, performance and design quality.

Kia:  One of the World's Fastest Moving Global Automotive Brands

Kia Motors America is one of only three auto brands to increase U.S. sales in each of the past four years, and in 2012 the company surpassed the 500,000 unit mark for the first time.  With a full line of fun-to-drive cars and CUVs, Kia is advancing value to new levels of sophistication by combining European-influenced styling – under the guidance of chief design officer Peter Schreyer – with cutting-edge technologies, premium amenities, affordable pricing and the lowest cost of ownership in the industry.  Kia recently joined the exclusive ranks of Interbrand's "Top 100 Best Global Brands," and is poised to continue its momentum with seven all-new or significantly redesigned vehicles scheduled to arrive in showrooms in 2013.  Over the past decade Kia Motors has invested more than $1.4 billion in the U.S., including the company's first U.S. assembly plant in West Point, Georgia – Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia – which is responsible for the creation of more than 11,000 plant and supplier jobs.  The success of the U.S.-built* Optima and Sorento in two of the industry's largest segments has fueled Kia's rapid growth and is complemented by Kia's comprehensive lineup which includes the Cadenza flagship sedan, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Sportage compact CUV, Optima Hybrid, the Forte sedan, 5-door and Koup compacts, Rio and Rio 5-door sub-compacts and the Sedona minivan.

About Kia Motors America

Kia Motors America is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea. KMA offers a complete line of vehicles through more than 765 dealers throughout the United States and serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA.  In 2012, KMA recorded its best-ever annual sales total and gained U.S. market share for the 18th consecutive year.  Kia is poised to continue its momentum and will continue to build the brand through design innovation, quality, value, advanced safety features and new technologies.

Information about Kia Motors America and its full vehicle line-up is available at its website – www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at http://www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX Trims and certain LX Trims only) and GDI Turbo are built in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global marketing information services company providing performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions.  The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power has offices in North/South America, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power is a business unit of McGraw Hill Financial.SOURCE Kia Motors America