September 2, 2010

Auto Sales Fall from Last Year's 'Clunkers' High
The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) today released August 2010 sales figures for the international nameplate automobile industry. Last August, Cash for Clunkers was in full swing, contributing to a heightened demand for small, fuel efficient vehicles. This August, in the absence of the federal program, automakers saw an equally dramatic sales decline. According to AIADA's Market Watch, nternational brands that benefited during Clunkers were hit hard. Honda and Toyota were both down 36 percent from August 2009. Nissan (-31 percent), Subaru (-22 percent), Hyundai (-11 percent), and Volkswagen (-8 percent) all saw losses. Toyota sold the most of any international nameplate corporation in August, moving 148,388 vehicles, down from 169,224 in July 2010. General Motors led all U.S. sales with 185,105 units. Overall sales, including domestic brands and unadjusted for business days, were down 21 percent from August 2009 but up 8.4 percent for the year. Sales were down 5 percent from July 2010. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for light vehicle sales is now estimated at 11.47 million. Click here for a complete breakdown of August 2010 monthly and year-to-date sales by international nameplate.

Mazda's New Concept Car: Not Going with the Flow
Mazda rolled out a surprise this week in Milan: a concept car that its design chief says outlines the company's future design language. According to the New York Times, the car is called Shinari and represents the first statement by the company's design chief, Ikuo Maeda. Click here for a photo of the concept. Maeda said that the concept car summarizes a new design language and philosophy for the company. The name Shinari means "resistance to being bent," a quality that is suggested by some of the car's tough-looking, twisted forms, as in its wheels. Specific physical features of the new identity are a face with a signature "wing line," a thin metal line running from the centers of the headlights below a shield-shaped grille. The wing line continues back along the fenders. The lower fascia, front and rear, are made of a complex set of planes suggesting the style of anime. Many observers have seen the elements of the Aston Martin Rapide in the car's roof line and the almost lush fullness of the body. In keeping with Mazda's emphasis on sporty driving, the interior focuses on the driver, wrapping around the wheel. The precise appearing instruments were inspired by high-end time pieces. Click here for an interior photo. To check out the latest on Mazda's new concept car, the Shinari, click here.

BMW Maxes Out the Mini to Lure Family Market
BMW's Mini, known for its retro-chic appeal, is targeting an unhip crowd with its Countryman crossover: families. The Detroit News reports that the not-so-mini Mini will have four doors and be the brand's biggest ever model. "Our main aim is to unlock a wholly new target audience," said Mini product manager Hans-Joachim Leonhardt. "Young families with kids, sporty youngsters, folks from modern milieus - everyone can now drive a Mini." Click here for AIADA's recent preview of the Mini Countryman. The new crossover is part of a revamp of the entire portfolio of the Mini brand, which BMW restarted in 2001 after selling the unprofitable MG Rover Group. The company has sold 1.7 million Minis since then, helping the German-based carmaker attract customers who may later buy more expensive BMW models. "BMW has been building the Mini brand very successfully in the past 10 years, but it needs to evolve," said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany. "The Mini brand has always spoken to the trendsetters, the post-materialist crowd. The problem with those guys is they're fairly fidgety and switch products easily and frequently." The U.S. market, Mini's biggest in 2009 with sales of 45,000 cars, will get the Countryman early next year. Click here for more on BMW's plans for its biggest Mini to date.

10 Hot Rides for Rent
This fall business travel comes in a new flavor of recession-proof: high style. Rental shops on both coasts harbor every form of extreme machine, from green to gas-guzzling. An oxymoronic truism of the times is that indulgence these days is best experienced in moderation. So, reports CNN Money, it should come as no surprise that the business of renting expensive sheet metal is booming. Ken Kerzner, managing partner of Midway Car Rental in Los Angeles, which has been renting high-end cars to business travelers, wealthy tourists, and movie moguls for 41 years, is having his best year ever. He says today's recession-wary customers are looking to try new things while eschewing the headaches and overhead of ownership. His 2,000-vehicle fleet offers everything from the Smart car ($89 a day) to the Ferrari California ($2,850), but the most popular are luxury SUVs, like the BMW X6 ($350 a day), the Audi Q7 4.2 ($265), and supercharged Range Rovers (from $399). Midway rotates its fleet every six to 10 months, offers flexible delivery, and will negotiate rate. Click here to check out CNN Money's list of top hot rides available for your next rental car, as well as where to find them.

Should Cars Warn When There's a Child Inside on Hot Days?
Safety advocates are urging Congress and regulators to force carmakers to install warning systems that would prevent distracted parents from leaving children in cars, preventing heatstroke deaths.
At least 41 children have died already this year in hot cars, more than any previous year at this point. August was the deadliest month on record, according to the advocacy group Kids and Cars. USA Today reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering a petition to include safety belt reminder chimes for all seating positions. In comments she plans to submit this week to NHTSA, Kids and Cars President Janette Fennell says these same chimes that sense if people aren't buckled in should also warn if children are still buckled in cars after they're locked. While NHTSA says it plans to evaluate technology that could address the problem, the agency stressed that parents and passersby must recognize the risk to kids in hot cars. Automakers say it's not as easy to install effective technology as it sounds. Using sensors to detect heat, heartbeats, and/or the weight of children can be an inexact science, as is deciding when to sound alarms. Click here to read more on efforts to prevent individuals from leaving children in cars on hot days.

Do You Know How to Manage Your Ultimate Risk?
A succession plan is so important to the continuation of your dealership that some advisors recommend building an exit strategy right into the initial business plan. At the least, a plan should be in place five to ten years before you retire. And while it might be easy to put off planning for now, the uncertain future of the "Death Tax" only serves to increase the importance of estate planning. Avoid a "do nothing" approach - your plans for loved ones should drive your estate planning, not the tax code. A lack of preparation could leave all the decisions and stress to your family. Federated Insurance, an AIADA Affinity Partner, understands that all of these issues are important, yet personal and sensitive too. Your Federated Representative can help you locate attorneys specializing in estate planning and personally help facilitate much of the "leg work" that can make leaving a complete legacy to your next generation go more smoothly. By paying a small amount now, you may prevent your loved ones from paying a large amount later. To locate your local Federated representative, click here. Or for more information call (800) 533-0472 or click here to have someone contact you directly.

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