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Friday, March 21, 2014 by
A new study by the Pew Research Center on millennials (age 18-34,
also known as Generation Y) provides financial data that support
new vehicle registration data collected by IHS Automotive/Polk.
According to the Pew study, millennials have more student loan
debt, poverty and unemployment than both the preceding generations
did at the same age, and, predictably, lower levels of wealth and
personal income as well. With less buying power, millennials have
been less likely to purchase a new...
Monday, January 20, 2014 by
Do you think a Jeep Grand Cherokee is a direct competitor of a
Porsche Cayenne? Would you add the Volkswagen Touareg to the
competitive set? Well, many Brazilian consumers do. And the results
may be surprising. Let me start with the winner in the
SUV/crossover segment. Land Rover is the preferred brand. The Range
Rover Evoque sells over three times more than vehicle number two,
the Volvo XC60. And the Freelander (LR2 in the U.S.) comes right in
third place. Looking one length class above, the......
Friday, January 17, 2014 by
When Google released its Zeitgeist 2013
, a compilation of the most googled
terms of the year, the Hyundai HB20 reached the top spot for
the Brazilian automotive industry. It was followed by the
Chevrolet Onix and Chevrolet Prisma. The new Volkswagen Golf and
the Volkswagen Beetle (locally called Fusca) rounded out the Top 5.
The HB20 hatchback, the Onix and the Fusca were launched late in
2012. There is no doubt the HB20 has written its success story in
Brazil’s automotive history. With 3,312......
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 by
For those of you like me who have been in the automotive
aftermarket industry for a number of years, you understand the
common challenge that all of us have been facing for over a decade
– how do you determine if parts being sold in the U.S. or Europe
have applications that can generate revenue in other parts of the
world? And how do you identify vehicles that are more likely to
have the same components as those on the road in different
countries? I've never found these questions to be easy...
Wednesday, October 9, 2013 by
Do you have the impression that the Brazilian president meets the
CEO of an automaker daily? Lately there have been a lot of
announcements that OEMs will start – or resume – production in
Brazil. This year, Honda and Mercedes-Benz announced new plants,
while Audi stated it is coming back to Brazil and making cars
in a VW plant where it built the A3 some years ago. VW confirmed it
is finally updating the locally made Golf (currently still in its
fourth generation). Last year, BMW announced its......
Tuesday, June 25, 2013 by
Tax incentives were very effective in 2012 and helped
Brazil reach a new sales record of 3,573,076 light vehicles.
With this success, Brazil remained the fourth largest
automotive market in the world, just behind China, the United
States and Japan. Polk's automotive forecast does include any
changes in this ranking in 2013 when sales in Brazil are
anticipated to reach 3.63 million light vehicles. However, Brazil's
importance declines when we analyze production numbers. Last
Thursday, June 6, 2013 by
It's not always about who has the largest market share or the
broadest product line. Sometimes repeat sales for OEMs and dealers
are fruitful when you're a small player, too. Yesterday, Polk
issued a press release of customer loyalty on automakers who beat
the industry average by looking at first quarter results.
What did we find?
- Thirteen brands exceeded the average industry increase for make
loyalty when we compared buyer behavior from Q1 2012 and Q1 2013.
The first three months of the...
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 by
As Toyota announced it has regained the global sales crown
, it makes me think of how the
Japanese OEM has wasted its chances in the world's fourth
largest market. Not everyone is aware that Toyota opened its first
factory outside of Japan within Brazil in 1959, a plant that is
currently used to produce parts. For decades, the Brazilian market
was closed to imports and Toyota only produced a version of
its Land Cruiser. It was a great product for rural areas, but
Toyota was far behind its...Read...
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 by
South America is a very diverse continent. Brazil, its main
country, forbids diesel passenger cars and speaks Portuguese, but
is surrounded by Spanish speaking countries. French Guiana still
belongs to France, something not very common nowadays. Consumer
behavior is also different: Toyota, for example, is the market
leader in Peru and has a higher share in the countries closer to
the Pacific Ocean, while customer loyalty in Brazil and Argentina
goes toward brands from Europe and the United...Read...
Wednesday, December 19, 2012 by
I rely on some form of a "mileage countdown" system when tracking
the time to change the oil in my car. Whether it's an electronic
display on my dashboard or a sticker in the upper lefthand corner
of my windshield, I'm regularly comparing my current mileage
against the target that commands a visit to my local lube/oil shop.
Unfortunately, it's kind of like waiting for your alarm clock to
hit the magical point when the buzzer goes off early in the
morning. You know it's coming, but you really...Re...
Monday, December 17, 2012 by
As someone who works in the auto industry, knowing how long
Amercians hold onto their car or truck gives me a sense of what
future sales demand may look like--"demand" in terms of selling
replacement parts and service as well as understanding factors that
impact new vehicle sales. We're all looking for "demand signals,"
right? Polk's research shows that as of the second quarter of 2012,
the average number of months that both new and used vehicle owners
hold onto their vehicles is climbing....
Monday, December 10, 2012 by
Welcome to a series of blog posts about the global automotive
market based on a paper that I recently worked on with a set of
colleagues that discusses important strategic questions for
automotive business planners. For those of you interested in
the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), this
blog focuses on the question, "Will BRIC countries continue to
drive organic growth in the automotive industry?" Answer: Yes! Why?
Of the 38 percent jump Polk expects to see for global light...
Wednesday, October 17, 2012 by
It was a national holiday in Brazil on October 12 and I went with
my family to where my father was born, a small town where
approximately 10,000 people live today. During the long weekend, my
impression was that Chevrolet was the best seller in Brazil, but
actually it falls behind Fiat and Volkswagen. However, I saw more
of the Chevrolet Montana (a pick-up truck based on a passenger car,
something that Brazil created decades ago) and the S-10 (the local
name of the Colorado) than the Fiat...
Monday, September 17, 2012 by
At this point in automotive history, nobody denies the importance
of Hyundai. According to Polk data, the Korean OEM produced almost
3 million light vehicles worldwide in 2003 and we forecast that its
output will reach 8.3 million in 2016. That's a growth of 183%,
while on the other hand, GM's production is rather stable during
the same period. Part of this growth will come from a brand new
factory in Brazil. With an investment of $600 million, Hyundai will
start producing a hatchback on... Read...
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 by
There is a lot of buzz about the Audi plant that will be built in
San José Chiapa, Mexico. The press refers to it as "Audi's first
car plant in the Americas," but this is not correct. Audi produced
the A3 in São José dos Pinhais, Brazil between 1999 and 2006, in a
factory now totally owned by Audi's parent company, Volkswagen.
Golf (still in its fourth generation), Fox and SpaceFox are
produced there. It was a joint venture between Audi and Volkswagen
– Audi had 25% of the factory.The A3...
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 by
It is a presidential election year, which is creating a flood of
advertisements along with politicians pounding on podiums to
convince voters they are the best candidate for the job.
Politicians present their plans to turn the United States economy
around and create jobs. Both parties discuss plans to invest in
small companies and sexy high tech companies such as Facebook, and
mobile devices including phones and tablets. Too often,
they fail to discuss plans to attract and retain...
Friday, August 3, 2012 by
As the July sales numbers were released, Ford and GM made the
headlines for their drop, while Chrysler still enjoys its momentum.
But Ford’s challenges are not only in the U.S. – and I am not
talking about Europe. In Brazil, where the market enjoyed a 22%
growth in July, Ford sold 12% less light vehicles compared to June.
Its monthly market share slumped to 8.44% from 9.90% in the
previous month. Ford, the first OEM to be established in Brazil
(1919), has always faced challenges in Latin... Read...
Monday, July 9, 2012 by
The Polk forecasting team is in a position to report good news as
the North American assembly and sales volumes continue to improve
year over year. This is the direct result of modest economic
improvement and the satisfaction of pent-up demand. Polk
anticipates North American assembly volumes will increase by
10% (14.4 M) in 2012, following a 10% increase in 2011 (13.1 M) and
a 39% increase in 2010 (12M), following a dreadful fall to 8.6
million units in 2009. However, there is at least one...
Monday, June 25, 2012 by
Polk has just finished updating its light vehicle sales and
production forecast, which is made four times a year. For the South
American market, the numbers are not as positive as one would
expect for emerging countries. We've reduced the sales forecast by
2% for 2012, 3% for next year and 5% for 2014. Regarding
production, the forecast was reduced by 3.4%, 2.9% and 1.6% for
those same years. The main cause of these reductions is the
Brazilian market, which represented 67.3% of the total...
Tuesday, June 5, 2012 by
The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas served as host to the 3AF (Asian
American Advertising Federation) The 2012 Annual Asian Marketing
Summit on May 16-17. The goal of the annual summit was to share
marketing best practices and celebrate the leaders in Asian
marketing. With Asian Americans representing one out of every 20
new vehicles purchased in the U.S., it's easy to see why automotive
market leaders including Toyota, Honda and Nissan were well
represented at the conference.


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Oil prices are falling after factory production and new home construction declined in the U.S. last month.
Benchmark oil for June delivery fell 67 cents to $96.70 per barrel Tuesday morning on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The Federal Reserve says factories produced fewer goods in April for the first time in 10 months. Part of the drop is related to a shortage in parts from Japan that affected auto manufacturing.
In addition, the Commerce Department says builders broke ground on 10.6 percent fewer new homes in April compared with March.
Analysts say the disappointing news is raising questions about demand for gasoline and other energy products.
Meanwhile, gas is $3.944 a gallon (almost a dollar a liter) nationally and has dropped about 4 cents since Friday.

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Church services, businesses, economy affected
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across Alabama has had a profound effect on the lives of Atmore residents and has brought the local economy to a relative standstill.
Stores, shops and other business entities have either closed their doors to the general public or cut their hours of operation. Items such as hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, toilet tissue, bread and meat have quickly disappeared from store shelves.
A few local restaurants have closed until the situation improves, while most walk-in eateries have gone into take-out-only mode, and all the city’s fast food establishments are serving only through drive-up windows.
“The local economy isn’t dead, yet, but it’s certainly on life support,” said a local business owner who asked that his name not be published. “You can’t find toilet paper unless you’re waiting at a store when it opens, and it’s hard to find chicken, beef and other meats. It’s like the whole world’s gone crazy.”
Atmore Mayor Jim Staff admitted that city coffers are taking a giant hit from the protocols that most local businesses have implemented.
“Where does most of the city’s revenue come from?” Staff asked rhetorically. “It comes from sales taxes, and with business closing or cutting back, it’s really hurting sales taxes.”
Restrictions on gatherings of more than 25 people in areas where “social distancing” (six feet of space between individuals) is not practical, has affected services at local churches.
First Assembly of God Church on South Main Street held a unique service last Sunday, March 22. Pastor Don Davis delivered an outdoor sermon to almost 100 worshipers who prayed, sang and listened to his words from their vehicles in the church parking lot.
Other local churches have curtailed services until health officials give the green light to resume normal activity, while many stream their services on Facebook or church websites.
Public health info
Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) officials have activated a statewide informational hotline and a general information e-mail address to field questions from the public about the coronavirus.
The toll-free hotline and e-mail address for general information on the virus is 800-270-7268. Telephone calls are answered from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. General information may also be obtained online at email@example.com.
In addition, information about available testing sites and hours of operation can be obtained at 888-264-2256 (toll free). Callers will be asked for their zip code to help locate the site nearest them. Frequently asked questions are answered at http://alabamapublichealth.gov/infectiousdiseases/cov-faq.html.
Tags, taxes, etc.
Income tax filing deadlines, federal and state, have been extended to July 15 for all individual, corporate or other filers. County officials have announced that no penalties will be charged on overdue property taxes until after the courthouses reopen.
Alabama Department of Revenue officials announced that the deadline for vehicle registrations, tags and taxes that were due for renewal in March, has been extended to April 15. Penalties associated with vehicle registrations will not be imposed until April 16.
Scammers on the prowl
As in the case of most disasters, there are scam artists who try to take advantage of the situation and prey on distracted or unwary residents.
Scams involving individuals posing as representatives of Medicare, the Internal Revenue Service and Alabama Power Co. have been reported. Many callers ask for personal identification information or demand payment of utility bills, overdue taxes or other obligations. Others try to talk residents into investing in “can’t-miss” schemes that are completely fraudulent.
For potential victims of the Alabama Power scam, call the company’s customer service line at 800-245-2244. Try to provide as much information as possible about the caller.
Those who receive a call from someone claiming to be from the IRS or other federal or state agency are urged to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation online at www.ic3.gov.
Information on how to protect yourself from Medicare fraud can be found at Medicare.gov/fraud, and for those who are approached about investments should contact the Alabama Securities Commission at 800-222-1253.
Price gouging law activated
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall warns those who would seek to illegally profit from the current public health emergency that Alabama’s price gouging law has been activated.
A price that is 25 percent or more above the average price charged in the same area within the last 30 days — unless the increase is attributed to a reasonable cost in connection with the rental or sale of the commodity — represents price gouging.
Violators may be fined up to $1,000 per violation, and those who willfully and continuously violate this law may be prohibited from doing business in Alabama.
To file an illegal price gouging report, visit the Alabama Attorney General’s Consumer Interest Division web link: alabamaag.gov/consumercomplaint, or call 1-800-392-5658 to receive a form by mail to complete and return.


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Google's parent company Alphabet announced fourth quarter results earnings for 2017, revenue reached approximately 3.5 trillion yen
byKyle Van Horn
Alphabet, known for holding Google as a subsidiary, announced the settlement of accounts for the fourth quarter of 2017 (October - December). Revenues were 32,323 million dollars (about 3,450 billion yen), up 24% from the previous year.
GOOG Exhibit 99.1 Q 4 2017 - 2017 Q 4 _ alphabet_earnings_release.pdf
Google's advertising business, which is the core of Alphabet, performed steadily and earned $ 27.227 billion (about 2.9 trillion yen), an increase of 22% over the previous year.
Non-advertising enterprise business · hardware · app store, etc. revenues were $ 4,687 million (about 513 billion yen), which is 38% higher than the previous year. According to Thunder Pichai CEO, Google's cloud division is becoming a quarterly generation of more than 1 billion dollars (about 110 billion yen).
Thanks to that, the Google division alone generated revenues of 31.914 billion dollars (about 3.5 trillion yen).
On the other hand,Automatic driving car WaymoYaSmart home equipment maker NestOther businesses other than Google are steadily increasing revenue and record revenues of $ 409 million (about 45 billion yen), a 56% increase over the previous year. However, we have yet to make any profit and we have lost $ 916 million (about 100 billion yen). The loss in 2016 was 1,808 million dollars (about 119 billion yen).
In addition, in lieu of Eric Schmidt, who was announced to retire from Alphabet's CEO in December 2017 as a technical advisor, former Stanford University President John Hennessy will also be CEO from 2004 it was done.
Eric Schmidt to become technical advisor to Alphabet - Investor Relations - Alphabet


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A Nielsen survey suggests that one in five Germans between the age of 14 and 49 cares about esports, the same amount of people that are into cycling and volleyball.
The survey is one of the first from the television industry giant’s new esports division, exploring the popularity of esports in Germany.
In terms of its popularity, esports even pulls ahead of cross-country-skiing, snowboarding (both 22 percent), and table-tennis (19 percent), results from leading statistics website, statista show. Both pale in comparison to the 34 percent scored by soccer, however.
While esports will probably never reach the popularity of soccer in Germany 64 percent of those polled appreciate that German soccer clubs like FC Schalke 04 invest in esports. In fact, when asked to name 10 esports teams, many named FC Schalke 04 (27 percent), VfL Wolfsburg (17 percent), and Paris Saint-Germain (14 percent) before endemic organizations like Cloud9 and Fnatic.
From those polled, 62 percent are planning to attend an esports event in the future, and another 62 percent agreed with the statement that sponsoring esports events makes brands more attractive. The best-known sponsors in esports are Red Bull (38 percent), Coca-Cola and Monster Energy (both 24 percent).
It’s debatable if a sample size of slightly more than 1000 polled is representative, however, the results of the survey give at least a feeling how esports is publicly perceived. Especially for brands and clubs, it looks like using esports could be as powerful a marketing tool as many had hoped.


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Twitter tells me it’s 19 years today since Nokia’s iconic 3310 mobile phone was released. I remember that time with extreme fondness: an era of texting girls, playing Snake and composing ringtones. (I was only ever any good at two of those three. You figure it out.)
Tero Kuittenen, a Finnish games developer turned Nokia analyst on Wall Street, has a different recollection, as shared today on Twitter.
He called it “the high point of Finland”:
Before that crash, Finland was famously the place to be if you were in the mobile (or “wireless”) space. This piece in the WSJ from the time heralds that talent, while recognising that the Finns knew they were headed to either world wireless domination… or irrelevance:
But even as the world hails Finland as ground zero for the wireless revolution, some of its entrepreneurs are already asking themselves: for how long? The answer will make or break a few embryonic fortunes. It will also indicate to what extent the Web has already fallen irrevocably under the sway of a few U.S. companies that grabbed early leads.
(Back then the hottest mobile app was apparently one that pinged your phone every now and then with jokes about Swedes. “How many Swedes are needed to have sex? Three. Two are doing it, and the third is reading the manual.” …yeah.)
Anyway, we all know how the story goes, with Nokia failing slowly at first and then taking a dive once the iPhone showed how mobile software could and should be done.
Nokia’s story today is interesting. The brand is coyly on the up. After being licensed to HMD Global (a firm run by some ex-Nokia execs, still in Helsinki, still in the same building, in fact), sales of Nokia phones have risen sharply – 126% year-on-year, according to Counterpoint research. That equates to about 1% of the global mobile phone market. That sounds like nothing, but it isn’t.
(Related: Counterpoint also says Nokia pushes Android updates more quickly than any other phone maker – vital for security and usability, which should be a massive selling point.)
The real Nokia’s business, though, is in networking. And it’s great news there. Global political rows have gifted it a position as one of the probable fall-back 5G infrastructure providers for the West. Nokia stood little chance against Huawei, but Ericsson? Game on. Nokia has landed multi-billion dollar contracts with AT&T, T-Mobile and US Cellular. By the second quarter of 2019, Nokia said it had landed no less than 45 significant commercial 5G contracts.
It’s almost like Finland’s most famous business is back where it was in 2000. On the precipice of greatness and riches… but then, maybe not, if they can’t capitalise on that position. Investors are looking at Nokia’s stock and seeing a company potentially drastically undervalued:
It’s easy to believe that NOK stock might finally be ready to rise. The opportunities are real, and substantial. European countries aren’t putting the same pressure on Huawei as their U.S. counterparts, but the negative press surrounding that Chinese firm surely gives Nokia at least some sort of advantage. All told, Nokia looks ready to grow. At 13x earnings, Nokia stock isn’t priced as such.
Tero wistfully called 2000-2001 the “high point” for Nokia. I wouldn’t be so sure – 5G could have Nokia rising again.


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Economists expected a 0.5 per cent gain in retail sales, instead the economic sector hit an unexpected decline in June of 0.1 per cent. This strengthens the idea that constricted growth in the second quarter took a toll on consumers.
“It just suggests that maybe the Canadian consumer is growing a bit tired of carrying the burden of growth,” said David Watt, chief economist at HSBC. Regardless economists are staying hopeful for the consumer, “With Ottawa sending out the first of the Child Care Benefit checks in July, there’s reason to be optimistic on the second half of the year,” mentions Nick Exarhos, economist at CIBC.
The Alberta wildfires, and oil production are still looked at to possibly be the reason for the struggle in grown lately, but things are expected to look more positive in third quarter.
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Creating Brave Ideas To Tackle COVID-19 Challenges
The Loeries and Constitution Hill – the venue for this year’s Loeries Creative Week, taking place in September – have launched an innovative campaign to elicit creative solutions to deal with challenges around the Coronavirus – or COVID-19 – pandemic.
Based on the principle that now, more than ever, the world needs brave creativity to keep it thriving, the Loeries and Constitution Hill have challenged the brand communication industry to come up with proactive ideas to help alleviate critical problems currently facing society as the COVID-19 pandemic takes a foothold across Africa and the Middle East.
Potential campaigns include ideas to prevent consumers from stockpiling, helping to deliver remote education solutions, raising awareness of staying safe while using public transport, delivering care and food to the elderly in isolation, helping people who are struggling with isolation and why there is a need to cancel events that exceed government mandated maximum thresholds, such as weddings and funerals.
Individuals in brand communication, from across the region, are invited to choose a brief (available at https://www.wakethenation.org.za) and send their brave and innovative creative solutions to email@example.com. Brands will fund the bravest ideas to help raise funds to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
In addition to challenging creative thinkers into utilising their skills for a social purpose, the campaign also allows brands to identify creative solutions, from the creative community, and bring them to life in ways that creates societal value.
“Throughout our history, the brand communication industry has moved society in a positive direction through a range of different campaigns. Considering the scale of threat that is posed by COVID-19, this campaign could be another great example of how we create positive change in society through our ideas,” says Preetesh Sewraj, CEO of the Loeries.
The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry. As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking. Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region’s creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.


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Wendy's Will Soon Bring Back a Popular Dessert
Wendy's just launched Peppermint Frostys, but it quietly announced what comes next at the same time.
Wendy's has a new-found love of cycling through Frosty flavors. It made a splash with the Strawberry Frosty this summer. And in smaller side events, it has tried out flavors like a Bananas Foster, Birthday Cake, or the Rick and Morty-inspired Pickle Frosty.
On November 10, it announced that the Strawberry Frosty will go away in favor of a seasonal Peppermint Frosty. That stole headlines as the fast food chain promised a unique take on seasonal indulgences. However, buried inside that limited-time offer is the promise that the Vanilla Frosty will make a return to the menu.
The company has previously noted that you are only likely to see two Frosty flavors from it at any one time due to space limitations. So, the Vanilla Frosty had to say farewell when the Strawberry Frosty was introduced. Now the Strawberry Frosty is saying farewell as the Peppermint Frosty arrives.
A representative from the chain has confirmed to Thrillist that when the Peppermint Frosty's run is up--there is not a specific date for that at the moment--the Vanilla Frosty will make a return to the Wendy's menu. So, if you felt slighted by all these pink Frostys usurping the throne of your favorite flavor, worry no more. Vanilla will be back after the holidays.


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LeBron James and Nike have finally unveiled the LeBron 20.
On Tuesday (Sept. 20), Nike uploaded a video debuting the latest model of the LeBron, showing a distinctly different iteration of the beloved basketball sneaker.
The base LeBron 20 model, dubbed the “Time Machine” colorway, features a flamingo-pink sole with a sea green body on the low-top sneaker. The iridescent footwear also includes the famous Nike Swoosh with pearlescent laces, playing into the continued theme of royalty amongst James’ signature kicks.
The Nike LeBron 20 is a celebration of past LeBron iterations, with the sneaker featuring the best tech from a handful of models. James’ newly announced kick features Nike’s Sphere ankle collar lining (Air Zoom Generation), the carbon shank plate in the midfoot (Zoom LeBron 5), and the Dunkman logo located on the outsole.
In the months leading up to the reveal, LeBron and his two sons, Bryce and Bronny, were spotted playing basketball in the upcoming model. While the original model appears to be pink, pictures of the James family have revealed there will also be a “bred” and a pink fly knit colorway.
Nike and LeBron James’ LeBron 20 is set to release on Nike.com on Sept. 29 for $200. Additional colorways are set to release during the 2022 holiday season.