Failures and lotto draw…
Electronics has started being used predominantly in the automotive field and its major development has been realized in this sector in the last couple of years.
At the beginning of the automotive history the major improvements were obtained by a hard work on the propellers by increasing the compression ratio together with the fuels but the greatest development took place when the ECU and its microprocessors...
BMW conquering new markets…
The market recession is good for some. So it seems for the BMW market team and their product manager colleagues.
BMW is targeting its marketing efforts at acquiring new customers who were previously typical of Audi. Throughout the Dolomite Super Ski area which involves 16 ski areas including Cortina and Alta Badia, there are advertisements for the permanent intelligent X-Drive all-wheel drive traction.
Besides...
Mercedes target change
The new Mercedes B class television ad, in my opinion, signals a significant communication strategy change that already started with the ads for the E class.
Mercedes sales results in Italy are definitely the worst among the three large German manufacturers.
One of the reasons is definitely a lack of attention to the customer, as written by Maurizio Sala in his article (link), but a large part of the...
Fiat 500L a design approach
As bloggers we were invited to the presentation of the new Fiat 500L, the small MPV from the Turin company that will replace the “Idea” by the end of the year.
We don’t want to talk about the product, even though it deserves to be discussed, since the specialized magazines will do so as soon as the first models hit the road. Instead, we want to talk about the atmosphere, sensations...
When scale economy compromises quality
Using the same parts for different models of cars, and for different brands in the case of auto groups, is definitely an intelligent solution for cost containment and the allocation of fixed costs on a larger number of vehicles, besides the reduction of merchandise in stock by adopting a just in time production system.
But sometimes this industrial logic was adopted too hastily and without a careful...
The residual value of your new car
For the last few days I have been hearing the ad on the italian radio for the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the part about maintaining its value in the used car market according to Eurotax and Quattroruote (the most important italian automotive newspaper) really caught my attention.
I wondered: is it really true what they’re saying in the Giulietta ad? And, if it is true, why advertise it during...
Memorable Experience
Today we live in an era in which we are bombarded with a wealth of information. Today more than ever it is important to sell not only automobiles but also experiences.
Automobile companies invest millions of euros in advertising, spokespersons and events. It has almost become a habit for many brands to be open on Sunday, dictated by the company, which is costly for the dealer.
On the other hand, few...
Are the solutions for creating less pollution really effective?
During the approval phase for cars, automobile companies are required to comply with the regulations in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) established by directive EU 91/441/EC.
This regulation calls for a series of tests that must be uniform and repeatable. To guarantee that they can be repeated, the tests are performed not on roads or a track but on dynamometric rollers in a laboratory at a controlled...
“Inflated” spare parts prices an anomaly only in Italy?
Very often, auto parts wholesalers buy from the manufacturers (even from notable brands) at discounts that in some cases, due to bonuses and incentives, reach 70/80%.
In the supply chain there are two other steps, the parts dealer and the mechanic, before reaching the final customer. The three steps are required since the vast majority of service centers are small establishments that cannot keep large...
Is the service network up to the standards of today’s cars?
I am inspired by my own personal experience and by the previous article by Matteo Ceronetti regarding the professionalism and ability of the dealer service network.
I own an Audi A6. I have had other Audis in the past as well as a Mercedes, and, unfortunately, I have often found myself noting that the dealer service centers are not up to the standards of their brand image.
The introduction of electronic...
Automobile customization: an Italian anomaly in Europe!
I have been working in the automotive sector since 1993, first in the competition vehicle sector for important international companies both on the racetrack as well as at the operators’ premises, and then in the world of “tuning”. Tuning is a word that is often abused and linked to clandestine races instead of automobile customization.
Article 78 of our rules of the road, in fact,...
Fiat in Serbia, what will the future bring?
A national news program gave the news a few days ago that Italian companies are investing in Serbia where Italy will be the third largest partner behind Russia and Germany but with the goal, on the part of the Italian government, of earning the second spot if not even the first.
Regarding Fiat and its future, we wonder about the status of the work being done on the new factory planned for Serbia, where...
