Skip to main content

Home/ TRAM Product Planning/ Group items tagged price

Rss Feed Group items tagged

Molly Brookshire

As Sonata turns cautious, Camry flees good-but-frumpy image - 0 views

  • With an ambitious, sporty restyling just three years into the current cycle, Toyota sought to change the Camry's image as a bland appliance. Hyundai, meanwhile, positioned its 2015 Sonata to cast a wider net by offering shoppers a more upscale driving experience and a design less flamboyant than that of the swoopy, value-priced version that burst into the segment five years ago.
  • The twin unveilings spotlighted two competitors -- one a perennial but aging champion, the other a small but feisty challenger -- that still have something to prove in a mature market.
  • As an attention-hungry challenger, "We had to do something fairly dramatic five years ago," Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America CEO, said in an interview, referring to the outgoing Sonata's polarizing shape.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • But with nearly 900,000 more Sonata owners on the road since the outgoing model's debut, and a chance to build a broader, more sustainable following, "We have to be more careful," Zuchowski said.
  • But Hyundai says the car's suspension and steering have been redesigned for better ride and handling. The interior also is new, with greater use of soft-touch materials and more countermeasures against road noise. Also, high-tech features and advanced safety equipment -- plus a starting price that Zuchowski says won't stray far from the outgoing model's sticker of just over $22,000, with shipping -- will help the Sonata retain the value image that has been a key purchase reason for the sedan, Hyundai says.
  • With 6.6 million Camrys on the road, Toyota understands well the delicate balance Hyundai is seeking. The Camry's large, loyal following has allowed it -- compelled it -- to stick with safe, modest designs and driving characteristics, generation after generation.
  • But when the current generation was launched in late 2011, mostly to yawns from auto critics, the sportier SE model became the best- selling trim package. Toyota took the hint.
  • Every piece of sheet metal except the roof has been changed, as have more than 2,000 part numbers. For some automakers, that constitutes a redesign.
  • Both products will land in a mid-sized market that has been roiled by intense competition, not only within the segment but also from fast-growing crossovers. At 2.6 million units in 2013, sales in the segment grew just 1 percent from the previous year,
  • No one feels this more than Toyota, which is fighting to continue the Camry's 12-year streak as America's best-selling car against a strong challenge from the Nissan Altima. Toyota has spent more on Camry incentives, yet had a lower mean transaction price, than its top four competitors -- the Altima, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion and the Sonata -- every month since November 2012, according to TrueCar.
  • Carter hopes the investment in the new-look Camry will allow Toyota to dial back on incentive spending. "One way to lower incentives is to increase demand, and that's what this car is about," Carter said. But if competitors should raise their incentives, Toyota won't sit still. Said Carter: "This is a competitive market. And we're going to compete."
Molly Brookshire

VW preps reworked diesel engine for '15 - 0 views

  • diesel
  • went into about 22 percent of the cars that VW sold in the United States in 2013.
  • It will also be more efficient, VW says, though the company has not released estimates for city and highway
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • VW has started launching TDI “value editions” of select models to better position diesel as a money-saving option on par with hybrids
  • The value Jetta starts at $22,115, including shipping, with a TDI engine and a manual transmission -- a $2,300 price cut that has bolstered its position as the least expensive diesel car on the U.S. market. That puts it squarely between the base Toyota Prius C ($19,890, including shipping) and the base Toyota Prius ($25,010, including shipping).
  •  
    VW to leverage its diesel engine to grow sales in States and compete with hybrids like Prius in price and fuel economy. VW dominates diesel sales in the US, which accounted for 22% of their sales in 2013.
Molly Brookshire

Nissan to lift U.S. output of Leaf electric car as demand climbs - 0 views

  • The automaker dropped the U.S. price of the Leaf by more than $6,000 to $29,650
  • Supplies of the Leaf at U.S. Nissan dealers are currently running at about 20 days. Normally the company likes to keep supplies at around 60 days.
  • "We are supply constrained... We will start producing more Leafs probably by the end of this year -- so December January time," he said.
Molly Brookshire

VW poised for SUV go-ahead as U.S. slide threatens goals | Reuters - 0 views

  • needs more models designed for U.S. consumers and manufactured competitively in the region, analysts say
  • VW's U.S. deliveries fell 7 percent in 2013 as a push into competitive midsize cars lost traction, with the brand languishing in the bottom third of quality rankings - a mirror image of its European standing that puzzles German bosses.
  • The Passat, Golf and imported Tiguan and Touareg SUVs lost ground to fresher models from U.S. and Japanese rivals, which increased sales in a market that grew 7.6 percent overall.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • To price cars competitively, it tried offsetting the cost of its sophisticated mechanics by stripping out features and using entry-level trims in the Passat and Jetta.
  • ranks 23rd out of 33 brands, with 120 problems reported for every 100 new cars within the first 90 days.
  • "The Passat is up against a redesigned Nissan Altima, a redesigned Honda Accord and a redesigned (Ford) Fusion - all undercutting VW on pricing," said Alec Gutierrez, an analyst with Kelley Blue Book, which tracks U.S. car values.
Molly Brookshire

Audi to revive A3 hatch in U.S., sans gasoline - 0 views

  • the German luxury brand has decided to bring back the five-door version of its A3 compact to the United States without offering customers an ordinary gasoline engine.
  • Audi already announced plans to sell a plug-in hybrid version of the hatchback called the A3 e-tron.
  • Exact pricing has not been announced, but the diesel A3 will compete with entry-level luxury cars such as the Lexus CT, a similarly sized hybrid-only hatchback that starts at $32,960 with shipping. Lexus sold 15,071 of them in 2013 in the United States.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • 2012 in the United States
  • At that time, about 55 percent of buyers were choosing the TDI engine -- far more than the company had projected.
1 - 5 of 5
Showing 20 items per page