Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - (Page 10) 10 • AUGUST 18, 2008 Automotive News Hummer plans aggressive pitch for new H3T Marketing Hummer's pickup How will Hummer ma rket the H3 T pickup, shown , ami d disma l big-t ruck sales? • Seek sa les through 224 dealers outs ide th e U.S. unti l domesti c market recovers • Launch H3T ma rket ing cam paign on TV in October , cen tered on t rad itional med ia Jamie laReau j lareau@ crain.com last month. "But constant throughout all of that is it' s very valua ble to • Pitch H3T as outdoo r recreation deale rs no matter wha t hap pen s be veh icle with ad ded pickup utility cause of th e revenue opportunities for them and the opportunity th at • Target ma les in their 30s who earn th ey ca n brin g in n ew cus to m ers. " $90,OOQ..p lus and are into outdoo r acti viti es Genera l Motors insiders ad m it high gasoline prices and a decline in U.S. pickup sales make the H3T a tou gh - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , se ll. They hope th e H3T will sell well overseas until th e market here recovers. Through July, U.S. pickup sales are off 23 percent to 1.2 mill ion. Hummer has 168 dealers in the United States and 224 out side this country. FRESNO, Calif. - The future of Hummer remains unc ertain, b ut that 's not stopping Hum mer from laun chin g a pickup truc k. Hummer will spend a significant amou nt to adve rtise the H3T, believing that no matt er wha t happen s with the brand, the mid-sized pickup will be a benefit. "Launching the H3T is valuable for us, whether we opt to keep the brand or not , and to a potential bu yer, whe the r they buy the brand or not ," Martin Walsh, Hummer's gene ral manager, said at an event here late Hummer's M artin Walsh : " Launching the H3T Is valua ble for us, whether we opt to keep the brand or not ." Significant launch Hummer will launch the H3T marketing ca mpa ign on TV starting in October. The ca mpa ign will run through 2009 and be cente red on tradition al media, Walsh said . "The lau nch will be significan t be cause we wa nt to make an imp act," he said. "A lot of the focu s initially will be TVand print to comm unicate to th e pro spective purchaser that we've got a pickup tru ck." Walsh cha racterized the spending as significant but "proportionate to the volume and the impact it'll have on the market. It's a nich e player. It's not something we'd overspend on ." Hummer is developin g the creative conte nt. Whe n it' s don e, Walsh said, that content will convey the message that the 113T not only ena bles people to pu rsue extreme sports in places where other vehicles could not take them , but it also will give them the utility of a full-sized , four-wheel-drive pickup tru ck - in a "fuel-efficient package," walsh said. The H3T sticker price starts at $31,495, incl uding sh ipping. "It pro vides that extra utility other than the off-reading. and that 's different from what we 've don e before," Walsh said. The five-cylind er base engine 113T gets 14 mpg city and 18 hi ghway. Th e Dod ge Dakot a, one of the H3T com petitors, gets an estima ted 16 mp g city and 20 high way. It 's been 15 years since L1NE-X®started protecting truck beds and we 're happy to say not only are we still going strong, but so are those first bedliners we sprayed! To celebrate 15 years of spraying our bedliners, we 're going to line something else, your pockets. Each week , for 15 weeks , we 're going to give away $ 5 0 0 .0 0 dollars. On top of that, we 're going to give away one Grand Prize of $ 5 ,0 0 0 .0 01 Easy to Enter • Sell a L1NE-X spray-on bedliner with your next truck sale • Get your PIN code for the sale • Take your PIN a nd log onto www.LineX.com/dealerpromo • Enter online up to (5) sales per day 3D-something males Despit e the tou gh eco nomy and decline in tru ck de ma nd, Walsh said a market exists for the pickup . Hummer is targetin g ma les in th eir 30s who ea rn $90,000 or more and are into outdoor act ivities. As for the fate of Hummer , Walsh said GM is studying the cost to re· vamp the bran d vs. Hummer revenue. The compa ny is conside ring all option s, including a possible sale. Many Humm er dealers say the brand's uncertaint y has left them struggling to keep their best salespeo ple on board and generate showroom trafflc because of consume r concerns. Walsh sa id the H3T pickup will bring customers into Hu mm er showrooms: "In the end, we're still run n ing our business, and th e best signa l we ca n send to a customer who maybe has some doubts about it is to launch a new product and show how confide n t we are in the b rand . " ~ Fortified with KEVLAR® E (L1N.X .. , DuPont XT RA produc t o nly) Go t o www.LineX.com/dealerpromo for more information and complet e rul es. Promotion valid at p articipating LINE -X Franchise loc ations. © 2008 L1NE-X Fran chi se Development Co rp. . , , '. '. , , ,. .. ' '. . , , ". '. - http://www.LineX.com/dealerpromo http://www.LineX.com/dealerpromo www.LineX.com/dealerpromo www.L http://www.LineX.com/dealerpromo ineX.com
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Automotive News - August 18, 2008 Automotive News - August 18, 2008 Smart answer: A tiny Hyundai from India Toyota idles factories — but can't lay anybody off Sharing the pain N. America: Brembo's big break? Ford adds 7 preferred suppliers; total rises to 65 Suit: Report of store's death is premature Lincoln crossover will get MKT nameplate Ligocki will head Mexican/Chinese car deal Industry tries lean lobbying at conventions Ford reins in F-150 order combinations Nissan will buy more in Mexico Leland, master of precision and luxury cars Honda will launch Prius fighter in April Porsche bolsters warranty on pre-owned vehicles CTS wagon arrives in spring GM: Aerodynamic design boosts Volt's range Denso is Chrysler 'Supplier of Choice' Kudos to Ford for improving supplier relations How do we define 'automaker'? Concept of leasing had been polluted Totaled cars: We don't need a new law Hybrids too quiet? Sounds like trouble Marketing tips for the 21st century Scion tries to get leg up when flexing its hip Scion ads show community of cool — but no owners July trucks sales fall; rate of decline slows Hargrove forecast: Good for now, bad for long term Mitsubishi plans plant to meet battery demand Mini Cooper D(iesel) delivers, but not here yet Logistics company's goal: Cut fuel use even more Transporter joins the cars it delivers in going green Saturn, Scion lost that special feeling Expert: CAFE debate irrelevant Chrysler plans unibody, fuel-efficient Grand Cherokee Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix Toyota revs up its aftermarket parts business Dealers Who's that sporting Brembos now? Moody's cuts GM rating Analyst Merkle moves Ford will sell stock BMW recalls 320,000 vehicles Intermet in Chapter 11 again GM adds 4 XFE models Delphi ends battery venture Chamco cases bounce around court system Mercedes sues Cobasys over batteries For a while, the party's over at Toyota Buy Hummer? Nyet, says Russian automaker What cars will be the cruisers of tomorrow? GM sets 'em up for Dems, GOP Chung sprung A good day at work: $22 million Automotive News - August 18, 2008 Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - (Page Intro) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Sharing the pain (Page 1) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Sharing the pain (Page 2) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Ligocki will head Mexican/Chinese car deal (Page 3) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Nissan will buy more in Mexico (Page 4) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Nissan will buy more in Mexico (Page 5) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - CTS wagon arrives in spring (Page 6) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - CTS wagon arrives in spring (Page 7) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Denso is Chrysler 'Supplier of Choice' (Page 8) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Denso is Chrysler 'Supplier of Choice' (Page 9) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Denso is Chrysler 'Supplier of Choice' (Page 10) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Denso is Chrysler 'Supplier of Choice' (Page 11) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Totaled cars: We don't need a new law (Page 12) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Totaled cars: We don't need a new law (Page 13) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Marketing tips for the 21st century (Page 14) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Marketing tips for the 21st century (Page 14a) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Marketing tips for the 21st century (Page 14b) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - July trucks sales fall; rate of decline slows (Page 15) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Mitsubishi plans plant to meet battery demand (Page 16) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Mitsubishi plans plant to meet battery demand (Page 17) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Saturn, Scion lost that special feeling (Page 18) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Saturn, Scion lost that special feeling (Page 19) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Saturn, Scion lost that special feeling (Page 20) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Saturn, Scion lost that special feeling (Page 21) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Chrysler plans unibody, fuel-efficient Grand Cherokee (Page 22) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix (Page 23) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix (Page 24) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix (Page 25) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix (Page 26) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Panel: CAFE will change U.S. car mix (Page 27) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Dealers (Page 28) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Who's that sporting Brembos now? (Page 29) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Delphi ends battery venture (Page 30) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Delphi ends battery venture (Page 31) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Mercedes sues Cobasys over batteries (Page 32) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - Mercedes sues Cobasys over batteries (Page 33) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - A good day at work: $22 million (Page 34) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - A good day at work: $22 million (Page 35) Automotive News - August 18, 2008 - A good day at work: $22 million (Page 36)
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