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Fiat said its 5-year road plan to turn around Chrysler will result in the doubling of revenue. "There is no alternative ...
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Current DateTime: 08:16:22 08 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 30830730
Expiration DateTime: 11/8/2009 8:18:30 PM
    • Fiat's 5-Year Road Plan for Chrysler  05 Nov 2009

        Fiat said its 5-year road plan to turn around Chrysler will result in the doubling of revenue. "There is no alternative but for Chrysler to be ambitious at this point," Stefano Aversa, co-president of restructuring specialists Alix Partners, said Thursday. "They have plenty of cash."

    • Ford's Safer Seatbelt  05 Nov 2009

        Ford is unveiling its groundbreaking seat belt. CNBC's Phil LeBeau has the details.

    • Chrysler's Rebirth  05 Nov 2009

        Chrysler is kicking off its rebirth and hoping its new game plan will please the government as well as the industry. Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO of AutoNation, shares his insight.

    • Toyota Reports Surprise Profit, but Outlook Bumpy  05 Nov 2009

        Toyota's results blew past expectations Thursday. The Japanese automaker posted a surprise quarterly profit and halved its annual loss forecast. "Toyota is still making a loss. It's still going to face a very difficult future ahead," Graeme Maxton from The Insight Bureau said. "This doesn't mean that the auto sector has turned around."

    • Health-Check on Auto Industry  04 Nov 2009

        Given the shape of the auto industry globally, China is providing a large amount of relief to automakers, notes Mohit Arora, senior director for India at JD Power & Associates. He analyzes the health of the auto industry, with CNBC's Karen Tso.

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Current DateTime: 08:16:22 08 Nov 2009
LinksList Documentid: 30830722
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Behind The Wheel

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Nov.08
9:01 AM ET
Thursday, 8 Nov 2007
GM's Buick is #1! Yes It's True, I'm Not Making This Up

2008 Buick Enclave
2008 Buick Enclave

So there I am driving to the Northwestern/Iowa football game last Saturday when my friend Bruce says, "Hey, what do you think of the Buick Enclave? I think it's pretty sharp." Well Bruce, you are not alone.

The latest stats from J.D. Power's Power Information Network shows the Buick Enclave was the fastest selling vehicle in the U.S. last month. Yes, #1. The Enclave sold so fast, it was in showrooms fewer days than the Toyota [TM  Loading...      ()   ] Prius, Mercedes C Class, GL Class, and Honda [HMC  Loading...      ()   ] Fit which rounded out the top "hot selling cars" in October.

Why is this a big deal? Buick is hurting, and if the Enclave is generating buzz with little marketing it is significant. It shows a good looking model can be sell even if the badge on the front is gasping for air. It also shows GM's [GM  Loading...      ()   ] designers have hit the right chord with it's latest crossovers (the GMC Acadia was the only other American model in the top ten of fast selling models).

If you've read this blog for any amouint of time you know my thoughts on Buick. It's the forgotten brand at GM with an undefined niche, little marketing support, and until now, few models I found attractive. Heck sales are down 23% this year and it represents less than 5% of GM's total sales. All reasons why I've wondered why GM doesn't go ahead and give Buick the Oldsmobile treatment and kill it.

That may still happen. But for now, the Enclave is giving Buick executives and fans a reason to smile. As I told my friend Bruce, "The Enclave is very nice, give it a look"

Questions?  Comments? 

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Current DateTime: 03:31:20 08 Nov 2009
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