TOYOTA CITY, Japan — Toyota Motor Corp. shook up its divisional assignments again on Tuesday. Executives said corporate-social-responsibility functions now fall under the jurisdiction of their corporate planning division. Previously, CSR functions, which include risk management, were under the environmental affairs division. The automaker emphasized it made the change to "enhance the collection of information within […] [Read More]

DEARBORN, Mich. — Rumors are apparently starting to circulate that Ford is looking into winding down its Mercury line, according to a report out Thursday. Citing two people "familiar with the plan," the report indicates that Ford's top executives are preparing a proposal to kill Mercury that could be presented to directors in July. Apparently, the […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — While May's market hasn't exactly been glimmering, the upcoming Memorial Day weekend should provide a nice lift to new-vehicle sales and help push the month's seasonally adjusted annualized rate above the April level, according to Edmunds.com. Analysts with the site indicated that such higher-than-average sales on Memorial Day weekend have become standard fare for […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Promotions like what AutoNation recently undertook with GOSO, a social media management provider, evidently have worked quite well to promote the new Nissan LEAF. The fully electric vehicle reportedly is drawing strong pre-sale traffic already. The LEAF becomes available for purchase or lease at Nissan dealers in select markets this December and nationwide […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — An ongoing campaign to promote the Ram Truck Brand is doing more than generating extra traffic in showrooms. Automaker officials on Wednesday shared some early returns connected with the "Letters for Lyrics" campaign that has the goal of sending 1 million letters to U.S. soldiers deployed around the world. Since the promotion […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Automakers' continued heavy use of incentives to move new vehicles is what could push May sales higher by double digits from last year. That's the assessment from TrueCar.com in its latest sales forecast and incentive analysis. The site predicts May light vehicle sales including fleets to come in at 1,050,290 units. Analysts […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — The hamsters worked so well once already that Kia Motors America decided on Wednesday to bring the ad characters back for another campaign to promote the Soul. The latest ad strategy to include the hamsters is based on an award-winning advertising campaign created by David&Goliath. The newest campaign, titled "This or That," builds on […] [Read More]

WOLFSBURG, Germany, and TURIN, Italy — In what appears to be a growing trend as the industry evolves, another automaker announced it is more closely teaming up with another industry player to help bolster its global footprint. Volkswagen announced Tuesday it is expecting to take a 90.1-percent stake in Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG), including the brand name rights and patents. The […] [Read More]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. — A series of dealer requests prompted Dealix to launch several enhancements to its Hassle Free Lead Return 2.0, a solution intended to boost leads for used- and new-vehicle sales. On Tuesday, Dealix executives highlighted a trio of enhancements that stemmed from dealer feedback. The list included: —An increase in the time frame […] [Read More]

DETROIT — Although not quite to the levels of its heyday a couple of years ago, AOL Autos recently discussed the growth of vehicle leasing and picked what it thinks are the best deals for May. Topping the chart was the deal available on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. "The 2011 Sonata has exploded onto the scene […] [Read More]