Automotive News - June 23, 2008 - (Page 20)

20 • JUNE 23, 2008 Dealer wanted media attention — and got it Craig Trudell ctrudell@crain.com media circus because students and staff were still in mourning. Fear of no press made for bad press for a Maryland car dealer. Howard Castleman, owner of Castle Toyota-Scion, Castle Ford-MazdaMitsubishi and a used-car outlet in the Baltimore-Washington area, revoked a donation to a local school after learning that the contribution wouldn’t show up in local newspapers or on TV news programs. Castleman, 60, had planned to present $8,400 in scholarships last month to four high school graduates. The money to fund the scholarships was to come from Castle Toyota-Scion’s advertising and marketing budget. School officials barred local media from a school ceremony where the dealer planned to do his good deed. A teacher who had worked at the school for 15 years had died four days before the May 23 ceremony. The school’s principal said she wanted to avoid a ‘It doesn’t pay’ On June 3, The Baltimore Sun published a story about the dealership’s withdrawing the scholarship. Castleman told the newspaper he would “never, ever, ever give money again,” adding, “It doesn’t pay.” He told Automotive News that “the community and the school were turned upside down” by the published reports. “I felt terribly wronged, and I became defensive,” Castleman said of his interview with the newspaper. He said having media at the event would have paid tribute to the teacher who had died, encouraged more people to donate to the school, and “we would’ve gotten some PR,” The Sun reported. After the newspaper story appeared, calls from angry customers flooded “ You try to do something right, and it didn’t come out right. HOWARD CASTLEMAN Castle Toyota-Scion ” ry,” Castleman told Automotive News. In a second published report, Castleman’s wife spoke with The Sun about the scholarships. She said Toyota requires its dealers to get publicity for donations. Toyota spokesman Wade Hoyt said Toyota has no requirement for its dealers to get publicity when making donations. Castleman said his history of holding a Christmas party for children at his dealership and giving to other charities helped him recover from “a difficult time.” the dealership’s phone lines. The day the report was published, Castleman reoffered the scholarships to Patterson High School’s principal. Principal Laura D’Anna declined the offer. The school had raised double the money the dealership originally had promised. “I said some things that absolutely came out wrong, and for that I’m sor- Back to business Since the published reports in The Sun, Castleman’s dealership is “back to business as usual,” he said. Customer traffic in his store decreased after the reports, but he declined to say by how much. A charitable organization will receive a check for the amount of the scholarships, Castleman said. He declined to name the organization. “It’s turned around,” he said. “Not to become a positive, because nobody wins.” In a blog posting on The Sun Web site, Sara Neufeld, the reporter of both of the newspaper’s published reports, wrote that she didn’t plan to attend the school ceremony in the first place. “Around this time of the year, the inbox of every education reporter in the country is filled with press releases about scholarships and awards,” the posting said. “Cover one, and we open the floodgates.” Castleman said the scholarships taught him a lesson in dealing with reporters in the future. “I certainly will not — in haste — talk to a reporter,” he said. “You try to do something right, and it didn’t come out right.”c Transitions Craig Zinn Automotive Group of Hollywood, Fla., moved Acura of South Florida from Hollywood into a new building in Pembroke Pines, Fla., and renamed the dealership Acura of Pembroke Pines. ■ 50 with Ford Bob Mixon of Courtesy Motors in Hattiesburg, Miss., receives a 50-year award for Ford. Pictured, from left, are Bob Smythe, Memphis regional manager for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury; Howard Breland Sr., general manager; Bob Mixon, president; Judith Mixon, a vice president; and Todd Mixon, a vice president. We invite items and top-quality photos for the dealers section. For guidelines, e-mail pfoley@crain.com or call 313-446-0378. Or send items to: Dealers Section Automotive News 1155 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48207-2997 ■ 35 with Honda Richard Foehrenbach, right, of Curtiss Ryan Honda in Shelton, Conn., receives a 35-year award for Honda from Jonathan Wood, American Honda Motor Co.’s senior district sales manager for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. ■ 25 with Chevrolet Dean Wagaman, right, of Kurtis Chevrolet in Morehead City, N.C., receives a 25-year award for Chevrolet from Tim Groves, Chevrolet’s Raleigh-Greensboro zone manager. Honda taps star power for fuel cell car Hans Greimel hgreimel@crain.com TAKANEZAWA, Japan — Honda Motor Co. hopes Hollywood star power will add sparkle to its new fuel cell vehicle and make the FCX Clarity the greenest car on the red carpet. Actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Harris and film producer Ron Yerxa are among the first five customers chosen to lease the garnetred, no-emissions sedan. While the car is rich with public relations opportunities, it is still largely experimental. Honda expects to lease about a half dozen in the United States this year and about 200 in both the United States and Japan over the next three years. The first car rolled off the line here June 16 and will hit the streets of Southern California next month. Yerxa, known for his work on Cold Mountain, will get the first delivery through Honda of Santa Monica, one of three dealerships chosen to handle the leasing. Keenly aware of the image coup scored by Toyota when celebrities rolled up to the Oscars in the Prius hybrid, Honda chose stars among its first Clarity customers. The FCX Clarity arrives in California in July. Ron Yerxa, a Hollywood film producer, will get the first delivery of Honda’s fuel cell vehicle. “We wanted a few celebrities because at this time it’s important to spread the message,” Stephen Ellis, Honda’s manager of fuel cell marketing, said at a press event here. Yerxa and Harris were flown to Honda’s new-model center north of Tokyo for a line-off ceremony also attended by CEO Takeo Fukui. Also on hand was businessman Jon Spallino, of Redondo Beach, Calif., a purported example of the typical customers lining up for the car. “I’m going to take it to places to show it off,” said Harris, whose roles have included the bride-turned-ter- rorist in the TV spy drama 24, “That’s what it’s all about.” Honda says it has received 40,000 inquiries about the FCX Clarity since unveiling the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The company has narrowed the list of hopefuls to around 150 people who meet criteria such as living near the three main fueling stations. Dealers also were handpicked — partly for their proximity to pumps — to handle the three-year, $600-amonth leases. Regular six-month tuneups will be done at American Honda Motor Co. headquarters in Torrance, where the company has a hydrogen-safe facility with special sensors, ventilation and noncombustible lighting. Rounding out the dealers are Power Honda Costa Mesa and Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance. The FCX Clarity runs on electricity generated by running hydrogen through a fuel cell. The car also has a lithium ion battery for propulsion. Hydrogen is sold by the kilogram. Pump prices in Southern California are the equivalent of $5 to $10 a gallon, Ellis said. The car gets the gasoline equivalent of about 74 mpg.c http://www.ActionIM.com http://www.ActionIM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - June 23, 2008

TRW exec: We're in the 'sweet spot' for growth 'Like house of cards,' used trucks fall Detroit 3 a big drag in global supplier race Ford rethinks big-block V-8 plan Looters and broken levees Plastech's Brown stands to get $9.25 million Lawmakers: Redo roof rule Hunt takes job at Gallup Lawmakers urge roof rule rewrite Webinar offers tips on going green Lawmakers: Redo roof rule Webasto sees more demand for retractable hard tops Why small isn't always big To move metal, hire an Ironman Chevy limits ZR1 Corvette to top dealers Lithium ion battery is key to hybrid growth With Russia hot, Ford will boost Europe production BMW exec: We can grow in U.S. The man who put the wind in GM's sales GM's parts ordering comes down to Earth More Fits for U.S. in fall GM: Volt buyers deserve tax credit Mercedes exec seeks more exclusive technology from suppliers Bosch, Mahle execs to lead turbo venture Supplier personnel ZF moves steering operations in Ky. Slowing Volvo, Saab add to Sweden's industry woes Feds: Drivers don't have to hang up phones Magna eyes new growth strategy: Powertrain-driveline modules Alleged sales scam snares Ohio dealers GM center troubleshoots IT in plants around the world Senator: Plants have capacity for plug-ins Lots of talk but little to show Going green pays off The Detroit 3 are smart to cut sales to fleets Drop Mercury? No; Ford needs it Awareness isn't GM's problem Leno was off base in bashing U.S. cars Roofs, rollovers and reckless driving Big-truck sales fall 15.2% in May Serra deal reflects GM channel strategy No. 2 vehicle hauler to go out of business Chinese company's car looks a lot like a Mini Honda taps star power for fuel cell car Dealer wanted media attention — and got it Dealers European sales dip 7.8% in May Merger gives Hughes Telematics a cash boost Mexico sales bounce back in April Suzuki dealers test system to turn Web leads into sales Bosch-Samsung venture to make lithium batteries Hyundai plans Elantra hybrid for Korea in '09 RV sales drop 8.5% in April Japan’s best-kept secret Utilities join automakers for plug-in r&d Ford likely to build '11 Focus at 2 plants Glut of '08 Ford F-150s delays launch of '09s '09 Porsche SUV prices rise Ford calls off Ohio plant sale Ford idles Mich. truck plant CarMax net earnings decline Dodge Journeys recalled 2009 Chrysler hybrid SUVs start at $45,340 GOP: Climate bills would make $4 gas look cheap EVs on eBay: It's all the rage In terms of market value, the General is a buck private Sign of the times: Hummer store to be used-car lot Bob Stempel's legacy is the future Flying 1 series? It's BMW's joke Dealer hurt in sky-dive navigates the road to recovery Opel car recognizes signs; BMW plans similar system JCI, Magna unit buy main parts of Plastech The little engines that could Suppliers to the 2008 Dodge Viper

Automotive News - June 23, 2008

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