<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title><![CDATA[RSS for Luca Ciferri]]></title>
<description/>
<link><![CDATA[http://search.autonews.com/]]></link>
<atom:link xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" type="application/rss+xml" rel="self" href="http://search.autonews.com/urss?pageid=404578"/>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Ford makes fresh start in Europe]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130513/ANE/305139999/ford-makes-fresh-start-in-europe]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130513/ANE/305139999/ford-makes-fresh-start-in-europe</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 13 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Ford will use this month's UEFA Champions League soccer final to launch a new pan-European advertising campaign that focuses on its affordable, user-friendly technologies. It is just one aspect of a multi-faceted marketing overhaul the automaker hopes will help to stem its sales and profitability ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Europe will end 18-month sales slump with positive April]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130510/BLOG15/305109955/europe-will-end-18-month-sales-slump-with-positive-april]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130510/BLOG15/305109955/europe-will-end-18-month-sales-slump-with-positive-april</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 10 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Strong April UK car sales and a solid rebound in Germany last month will help western Europe end 18 consecutive months of year-on-year declines, analysts predict. But market watchers stopped short of saying Europe is on the verge of an extended rebound. LMC Automotive calculates that April sales ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Citroen reinvents itself]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130508/ANE/305089999/citroen-reinvents-itself]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130508/ANE/305089999/citroen-reinvents-itself</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 08 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Peugeot and Citroen have suffered for years because car buyers have trouble distinguishing one brand from the other. Citroen CEO Frederic Banzet says his automaker will address that problem by using its DS line to capture premium customers and its C-line to win over buyers who want an "optimized ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Montezemolo says keeping Ferrari's high profits will be challenging]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130507/ANE/305079999/montezemolo-says-keeping-ferraris-high-profits-will-be-challenging]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130507/ANE/305079999/montezemolo-says-keeping-ferraris-high-profits-will-be-challenging</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 07 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MARANELLO, Italy -- Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo has lived through many highs and lows, both on the racetrack and at the office. Times are good now. Last year, the automaker had record sales of 7,318 supercars, which is 50 percent more than when Montezemolo became Ferrari CEO in ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Check out the new ANE monthly e-magazine]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130506/ANE/305069999/check-out-the-new-ane-monthly-e-magazine]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130506/ANE/305069999/check-out-the-new-ane-monthly-e-magazine</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The new issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view. Inside this issue you'll find an interview with Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, who explains how he wants to boost the exclusivity of the company's supercars through a special customization ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Ferrari CEO aims to boost exclusivity, not unit sales]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM02/305069987/ferrari-ceo-aims-to-boost-exclusivity-not-unit-sales]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM02/305069987/ferrari-ceo-aims-to-boost-exclusivity-not-unit-sales</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MARANELLO, Italy -- Times are good at Ferrari. Last year, the Italian sports car maker had record global sales of 7,318 units, which is 50 percent more than when Luca Cordero di Montezemolo became CEO in 1991. But Montezemolo, now the company's chairman, has not forgotten the tough times -- such as ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[The making of LaFerrari]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130506/ANE/130439999/the-making-of-laferrari]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130506/ANE/130439999/the-making-of-laferrari</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MARANELLO, Italy andndash; Ferrari's limited-edition supercars are special. They appear about once a decade, cost a small fortune (which has never hurt sales) and usually become the benchmark for next-generations supercars at Ferrari -- and the entire industry. Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[New LaFerrari blends speed, technology]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM03/305069988/new-laferrari-blends-speed-technology]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130506/OEM03/305069988/new-laferrari-blends-speed-technology</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 06 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[MARANELLO, Italy -- Ferrari's limited-edition supercars are special. They appear about once a decade, cost a small fortune -- which has never hurt sales -- and often become the benchmark for next-generation supercars at Ferrari and in the industry. Ferrari Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo says ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[ANE monthly e-magazine goes live Monday]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130503/ANE/305039951/ane-monthly-e-magazine-goes-live-monday]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130503/ANE/305039951/ane-monthly-e-magazine-goes-live-monday</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 03 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The new issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine goes live on Monday, May 6. For our cover story, we went to Maranello, Italy, to talk with the people who helped make LaFerrari the company's fastest, most technologically advanced and most expensive supercar ever. The issue also ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[BMW studies China for hints on global trends]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130501/ANE/130429891/bmw-studies-china-for-hints-on-global-trends]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130501/ANE/130429891/bmw-studies-china-for-hints-on-global-trends</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 01 May 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[SHANGHAI andndash; BMW is studying ways to meet the fast-changing demands of its customers in China to better serve the world's largest auto market and to determine whether trends there andndash; such as tele-dining and a heavy reliance on voice messaging andndash; will expand globally. "Young ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[European execs see hope in China]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/GLOBAL03/304299974/european-execs-see-hope-in-china]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/GLOBAL03/304299974/european-execs-see-hope-in-china</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Shanghai auto show proved again that China is the promised land for automakers, particularly European companies bracing for a sixth straight year of declining car sales in their home region. None of the European executives I spoke with at the show was too concerned that China's car sales are ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[West is best for growth in China sales, output]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/GLOBAL03/304299959/west-is-best-for-growth-in-china-sales-output]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130429/GLOBAL03/304299959/west-is-best-for-growth-in-china-sales-output</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[HONGQING, China -- When Changan Ford Automobile Co. wanted to build an engine and a transmission plant next to each other, the local government here literally moved a small mountain to make it happen. This sprawling municipality is as hilly as San Francisco. So the Chongqing North Development ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Why even a weak China is good news for European automakers]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130424/BLOG15/304249998/why-even-a-weak-china-is-good-news-for-european-automakers]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130424/BLOG15/304249998/why-even-a-weak-china-is-good-news-for-european-automakers</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 24 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The Shanghai auto show proved once again that China is the promised land for automakers, particularly Europeans bracing for a sixth straight year of declining car sales in their home region. None of the European executives I spoke with at the show was too concerned that China's car sales are ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Looking for a Chinese car in Shanghai]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130419/BLOG15/304199842/looking-for-a-chinese-car-in-shanghai]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130419/BLOG15/304199842/looking-for-a-chinese-car-in-shanghai</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[If I were an executive at a Chinese domestic automaker, I would be very worried. Why? It is difficult to find a Chinese-brand car on the streets of Shanghai, the country's largest city with more than 23 million inhabitants. I experienced this first hand visiting the city for the auto show. During a ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[French automakers count on luxury appeal for success in China]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130419/ANE/130419899/french-automakers-count-on-luxury-appeal-for-success-in-china]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130419/ANE/130419899/french-automakers-count-on-luxury-appeal-for-success-in-china</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[German automakers have long seen China as a key market. Now their French rivals, hit by slow sales in Europe, are playing catch up and they are counting on the popularity of France's luxury fashion brands to help them. France was the top destination for Chinese tourists and French products from ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Focus or Corolla: Who's No. 1?]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130415/RETAIL01/304159953/focus-or-corolla-whos-no-1]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130415/RETAIL01/304159953/focus-or-corolla-whos-no-1</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The "world's best-selling vehicle nameplate" has a nice ring to it, and last week Ford laid claim to that title in 2012, just as it had for 2011. But Toyota would have none of it, claiming that its Corolla was the real No. 1. Who is right? A definitive answer is hard to come by because it depends ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Peugeot already sees benefits from upmarket move]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130410/ANE/304109999/peugeot-already-sees-benefits-from-upmarket-move]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130410/ANE/304109999/peugeot-already-sees-benefits-from-upmarket-move</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Peugeot boss Maxime Picat says he's already seeing benefits from efforts to move the brand upmarket. This is crucial to parent PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's aim to return to profit after the automaker posted a record 5 billion euro net loss for 2012. "Just 15 percent of sales for the 208 are entry-level ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Ghibli will be Maserati's first diesel-powered car]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130409/ANE/130409892/ghibli-will-be-maseratis-first-diesel-powered-car]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130409/ANE/130409892/ghibli-will-be-maseratis-first-diesel-powered-car</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 09 Apr 2013 06:44:35 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[TURIN -- Maserati today released the first official images of its Ghibli four-door sedan ahead of the car's debut at the Shanghai auto show next week. The Ghibli will be the first Maserati production car to offer a diesel variant. The rear-wheel-drive Ghibli will play a significant role in Maserati's plan to increase its annual vehicle sales to 50,000 by 2015 from 6,288 last year. The Ghibli will have a sportier character compared with the larger Quattroporte, which was launched at the beginning of the year, Maserati said in a statement today. The Ghibli will be offered with either a VM Motori-sourced 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel, which is also available on the Jeep Grand Cherokee in Europe and the Lancia Thema, or a 410-hp 3.0-liter V-6 gasoline engine. The engines will be mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will be an option. The Ghibli will compete with sporty sedan offerings such as the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E class. Maserati said the Ghibli will appeal to executive-car buyers who are looking to make "an individual statement through a car that is distinctive, elegant and luxurious." Diesel engines are popular in the luxury-car segment in Europe, where more than half of the new cars sold have a diesel powerplant. The Ghibli will start at about 70,000 euros when it goes on sale in Europe this summer. Sales will start shortly thereafter in the United States, which is Maserati's largest market. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is investing more than 1 billion euros in Maserati to double its product range to six models from three to help boost the luxury sports car brand's global unit sales eightfold. Maserati named the Ghibli after a wind that blows from the Sahara Desert. Maserati first used the Ghibli name on a two-seat coupe launched in 1967. Maserati plans to build 20,000 Ghiblis a year at its Grugliasco plant on the outskirts of Turin, where the Quattroporte is also produced. Annual production of the Quattroporte is expected to be between 10,000 and 15,000 units.]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[How Alfa Romeo plans to triple sales in 3 years]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130409/ANE/304099999/how-alfa-romeo-plans-to-triple-sales-in-3-years]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130409/ANE/304099999/how-alfa-romeo-plans-to-triple-sales-in-3-years</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Editor's note: A previous version of this story had incorrect dimensions for Alfa Romeo's planned SUV. Skeptics think Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's aim to triple Alfa Romeo's global sales to more than 300,000 units by 2016 is too ambitious. But Alfa's European boss, Louis-Carl Vignon, is convinced ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Renault takes aim at VW]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130408/ANE/304089986/renault-takes-aim-at-vw]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130408/ANE/304089986/renault-takes-aim-at-vw</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Renault's 2012 European sales declined more than the overall market but the automaker says this is largely because it is aggressively reducing discounts to protect its profitability. Renault says its net prices last year were higher than domestic rivals Citroen and Peugeot. Now the company wants to ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Audi CEO Stadler counts on SUVs to topple BMW as luxury leader]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130403/ANE/130329896/audi-ceo-stadler-counts-on-suvs-to-topple-bmw-as-luxury-leader]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130403/ANE/130329896/audi-ceo-stadler-counts-on-suvs-to-topple-bmw-as-luxury-leader</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Wed, 03 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[Audi already knows how it feels to be global No. 1 in premium-car sales. It led the world in that category in January before falling back to second place behind BMW in February. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler plans on get back to the top and stay there by 2020 or sooner. Stadler talked about how China and ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Race for luxury lead heats up]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130402/ANE/130329859/race-for-luxury-lead-heats-up]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130402/ANE/130329859/race-for-luxury-lead-heats-up</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The race to become the world's No. 1 luxury brand is heating up as Audi and Mercedes-Benz step up their efforts to topple BMW from the top spot. The battle is not just about volume sales -- the three German premium giants also want to lead in profitability, in offering the most admired cars and in packing their models with innovative technologies. Who is winning and how will the race turn out? BMW became the global luxury leader by unit sales in 2005 when its core brand passed Mercedes-Benz. Audi overtook Mercedes to win the No. 2 spot in 2011, helped by growth in China, where Audi has long been the premium-car sales leader. Audi aims to take the top ranking by 2020 when it targets global sales of 2 million vehicles, up from 1.47 million last year, but CEO Rupert Stadler said the brand is not just seeking to boost volume. "To become No. 1 requires a lot more than just selling more cars than your competitors. It also means offering better quality, outstanding service and more. These so-called soft factors have the same importance to us as volume," he told Automotive News Europe in an interview. BMW is vigorously defending its premium leadership. By 2016 -- four years ahead of Audi -- the automaker aims to increase unit sales to 2 million for all its group brands including Mini and Rolls-Royce, up from 1.86 million in 2012. BMW brand sales increased 12 percent to 1.54 million last year. "We have a clear vision for the years leading up to 2020: to be the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility," CEO Norbert Reithofer said on March 19 at the company's annual financial results conference. Reithofer said BMW's goals are not just to sell the most cars but also to set new standards for products, technologies and services, as well as to create new segments and to turn customers into fans. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who also heads the company's Mercedes-Benz car unit, is feeling uncomfortable right now. He vowed 1 1/2 years ago to return Mercedes to the premium top spot by 2020 but since then the brand has fallen further behind BMW and Audi. Mercedes will roll out 13 new models with no predecessor in the next eight years as it seeks to overtake BMW and Audi. "We are convinced we have the strongest brand. We are technologically in the leadership position," Zetsche told Bloomberg last month. Mercedes to peak IHS Automotive analyst Ian Fletcher expects Mercedes to pass Audi but only in 2014, 2015 and 2016. "Those will be the peak years of the new generation of the A and B classes, as well as their additional derivatives such as the CLA and the GLA," he said. Max Warburton, a Bernstein Research auto analyst, said Audi's main task is to match BMW's volume in the United States where it is the No. 4 luxury brand by volume behind Lexus, as Audi is already No. 1 in Europe and in China. Audi's U.S. image and sales suffered for a long time following a safety scare over unintended acceleration in the 1980s for which it was eventually cleared. "Audi in the U.S. has immense momentum. They are behind in some states but are flying in the northeast, the snow belt and California," Warburton said. Stadler said Audi may reach its 2015 goal of 1.5 million global sales ahead of schedule, possibly this year. "We will reach the 1.5 million mark sooner than planned," he said. The brand's unit sales were up 9.4 percent to 221,800 in the first two months. Audi is profit leader BMW clearly has leadership in unit sales but other metrics offer a different perspective. Reithofer boasted at the annual results conference that BMW is the most profitable premium brand after the automaker's earnings before interest and taxes grew 3.5 percent to 8.3 billion euros in 2012. But Audi did better than BMW last year in terms of operating margin. Audi has a huge cost benefit from being part of Volkswagen Group and the brand had an 11 percent margin in 2012, compared with 10.9 percent at BMW's car division, which was down from 11.8 percent in 2011. Profitability at Mercedes' auto unit is being hit by heavy spending to roll out new models to catch up with Audi and BMW. In 2012 operating margin at Mercedes dropped to 7.1 percent from 9 percent the previous year and the company expects another slight decrease also this year. Audi and BMW each expect an operating margin in 2013 between 8 percent and 10 percent. In terms of revenues from their auto divisions, BMW was clearly the leader with 70.2 billion euros in 2012, ahead of Mercedes' 61.7 billion revenues including the Smart brand and Audi's 48.8 billion including Lamborghini. But Mercedes is the front runner using a metric called average revenue per unit (ARPU), which is used by financial analysts to compare the premiumness of different brands. Last year, Mercedes generated an average of 45,800 euros in revenue per unit, according to Barclays Equity Research. The result is impressive because Mercedes' ARPU is watered down by the much lower retail prices of its Smart minicars. Mercedes sold 1.32 million vehicles in 2012. Smart sales were 104,000. BMW's average revenue per unit was 41,350 euros and Audi was far behind at 37,500 euros. Michael Tyndall, director of European Auto Research at Barclays in London, said Mercedes and BMW do better than Audi because they sell far more of their expensive flagship sedans, the Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series, than Audi's sales of the A8. Last year, global sales of the 7 series were 60,825. Mercedes sold 57,840 units of the S class while Audi sold 29,158 units of the A8, according to JATO Dynamics. Product, capacity investments Despite Europe's economic slump, BMW, Audi and Mercedes are accelerating investments in new products and production capacity to increase sales in growing markets such as China and the United States. "Premium means always raising the bar. That also means making bold, counter-cyclical decisions. This is not always easy but there can be no progress without this sort of decision and action," Reithofer said. To launch 25 new and replacement models in 2013-2014, BMW will this year increase its investments to about 7 percent of revenues from 6.8 percent (5.24 billion euros) last year. Some 10 of the new vehicles will be additions to the automaker's lineup, launching in new segments such as the i3 electric city car and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, or filling niches such as such as the wagon-styled 3 series GT or X4 sporty crossover. Zetsche has said Mercedes will roll out 13 new models with no predecessor in the next eight years. The first is the CLA coupe-styled four-door sedan aimed at younger buyers, especially in North America and China. IHS Automotive predicts that Mercedes could sell 70,000 units of the CLA worldwide next year. The Audi A3 compact sedan, which debuts at the Shanghai auto show this month, will be a competitor to the CLA. IHS Automotive expects sales of the sedan will reach 115,000 units next year, peaking to 134,000 by 2020. Audi is plowing 11 billion euros into new products in the next three years, which Stadler says is the biggest investment program in the brand's history. Audi will also substantially increase its production capacity. An expansion at its factory in Gyor, Hungary, and a new plant in Foshan, southern China, will add more than 300,000 units by the year end. By 2016, Audi's new factory in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, will begin building 150,000 units a year of the Q5 medium-premium SUV for export to North America, Europe and other global markets. Radical change The premium car market is undergoing a radical change as well-off customers switch to SUVs and crossovers. Until recently, a handful of product lines, mainly sedans and some sports cars, were the main battleground for BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Today the brands are rapidly expanding their SUVs and crossovers to meet a growing demand for high-riding vehicles in most global markets but especially in the United States, China and Russia. BMW has the largest range of premium SUVs with four offerings, the X1, X3, X5 and X6. Besides the X4, the brand will introduce an X2 positioned between the X1 and X3. Audi plans to double its SUV lineup by the end of the decade to boost sales of such models to a third of its global volume by 2020 from a quarter last year. Currently it sells the Q3, Q5 and Q7 models. The brand will add sportier Q2, Q4 and Q6 models. Mercedes will add the GLA compact SUV to the current lineup of the G, GL, GLK and ML family. The brand is also considering a subcompact crossover based on the Renault Captur, according to Germany's AutoBild magazine. Who will win? IHS Automotive predicts there will be no change in the premium brand leadership by 2020. BMW will keep its top spot thanks to a stream of fresh products that will accelerate with the introduction of a new front-wheel-drive architecture for cars such as the BMW 1 series and an expanded Mini range. "We see BMW selling 2.22 million units in 2020, ahead of Audi's 1.86 million and Mercedes 1.81 million," IHS's Fletcher said. Bernstein's Warburton said: "Audi can become No. 1 in premium, but it won't be easy given BMW's strength."]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[BMW, Audi show off rival visions]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130402/BLOG06/304029876/bmw-audi-show-off-rival-visions]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130402/BLOG06/304029876/bmw-audi-show-off-rival-visions</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The escalating rivalry among Germany's premium automakers was fully on show at the annual financial results conferences of Audi and BMW. Audi gave two strong messages to industry watchers and reporters at its event in Munich last month: Audi is not just a single brand. It now oversees Volkswagen ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Check out the ANE monthly e-magazine]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130402/ANE/304019999/check-out-the-ane-monthly-e-magazine]]></link>
<guid>http://europe.autonews.com/article/20130402/ANE/304019999/check-out-the-ane-monthly-e-magazine</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The latest issue of the Automotive News Europe monthly e-magazine is ready for you to view. Inside the issue Audi CEO Rupert Stadler details how the brand plans to become the world's top premium brand by adding a new SUVs, crossovers and by expanding in China. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's target to ...]]></description>
</item>
<item>
<title><![CDATA[Luxury big 3 fight for sales, prestige, profits]]></title>
<link><![CDATA[http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM01/304019997/luxury-big-3-fight-for-sales-prestige-profits]]></link>
<guid>http://www.autonews.com/article/20130401/OEM01/304019997/luxury-big-3-fight-for-sales-prestige-profits</guid>
<pubDate><![CDATA[Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:01:00 EDT]]></pubDate>
<description><![CDATA[The race to become the world's No. 1 luxury brand is heating up as Audi and Mercedes-Benz step up efforts to topple BMW. The battle is not just about volume sales; the three German premium giants also want to lead in profitability, in offering the most admired cars and in packing their models with innovative technologies. Who is winning, and how will the race turn out? BMW became the global luxury leader by unit sales in 2005 when its core brand passed Mercedes-Benz. Audi overtook Mercedes to take the No. 2 spot in 2011, helped by growth in China, where Audi has long been the luxury leader. Audi aims to take the top ranking by 2020, when it targets global sales of 2 million vehicles, up from 1.47 million last year. But CEO Rupert Stadler said the brand is not just seeking to boost volume. "To become No. 1 requires a lot more than just selling more cars than your competitors," he told Automotive News Europe . "It also means offering better quality, outstanding service and more. These so-called soft factors have the same importance to us as volume." BMW is vigorously defending its premium leadership. By 2016 the automaker aims to increase unit sales to 2 million for all its group brands including Mini and Rolls-Royce, up from 1.86 million in 2012. BMW brand sales increased 12 percent to 1.54 million last year. "We have a clear vision for the years leading up to 2020: to be the leading provider of premium products and premium services for individual mobility," CEO Norbert Reit-hofer said at the company's financial results conference last month. Reithofer said BMW's goals are not just to sell the most cars but also to set new standards for products, technologies and services, as well as to create new segments and to turn customers into fans. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, who also heads the company's Mercedes-Benz car unit, is feeling uncomfortable right now. He vowed 1 1/2 years ago to return Mercedes to the premium top spot by 2020, but since then the brand has fallen further behind BMW and Audi. Mercedes, which will roll out 13 additional new models in the next eight years, sold 1.32 million vehicles in 2012, including 104,000 Smart cars. "We are convinced we have the strongest brand. We are technologically in the leadership position," Zetsche told Bloomberg last month. Mercedes to peak IHS Automotive analyst Ian Fletcher expects Mercedes to pass Audi, but only in 2014, 2015 and 2016. "Those will be the peak years of the new generation of the A and B classes, as well as their additional derivatives such as the CLA coupe-sedan and the GLA compact SUV," he said. Max Warburton, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said Audi's main task is to match BMW's volume in the United States, where it is the No. 4 luxury brand by volume behind Lexus. Audi already is No.1 in Europe and in China. Audi's U.S. image and sales suffered for a long time after a safety scare over unintended acceleration in the 1980s. Safety investigators said later that they had found no defects. "Audi in the States has immense momentum," Warburton said. "They are behind in some states but are flying in the Northeast, the Snow Belt and California." Stadler said Audi may reach its 2015 goal of 1.5 million global sales ahead of schedule, possibly this year. "We will reach the 1.5 million mark sooner than planned," he said. The brand's unit sales were up 9 percent to 221,800 in the first two months. Audi is profit leader BMW clearly has leadership in unit sales but other metrics offer a different perspective. Reithofer boasted at the annual results conference that BMW is the most profitable premium brand after the automaker's earnings before interest and taxes grew 4 percent to 8.3 billion euros, or about $10.8 billion, in 2012. But Audi did better than BMW last year in terms of operating margin. Audi has a huge cost benefit from being part of Volkswagen Group and the brand had an 11 percent margin in 2012, compared with 10.9 percent at BMW's car division, which was down from 11.8 percent in 2011. Profitability at Mercedes' auto unit is being hit by heavy spending to roll out new models to catch up with Audi and BMW. In 2012, operating margin at Mercedes dropped to 7 percent from 9 percent the previous year and the company expects another slight decrease also this year. Audi and BMW each expect a 2013 operating margin of 8 to 10 percent. In terms of revenues from their auto divisions, BMW was clearly the leader with about $90.3 million in 2012, including Mini and Rolls-Royce, ahead of Mercedes' $79.4 billion, including the Smart brand, and Audi's $62.8 billion, including Lamborghini. Product, capacity spending Despite Europe's economic slump, BMW, Audi and Mercedes are accelerating investments in products and production capacity to increase sales in growing markets such as China and the United States. "Premium means always raising the bar. That also means making bold counter-cyclical decisions. This is not always easy, but there can be no progress without this sort of decision and action," Reithofer said. To launch 25 new and replacement models in 2013 and 2014, BMW this year will increase its investments to about 7 percent of revenues, or about $6.74 billion, up from 6.8 percent last year. Some 10 of the new vehicles will be additions to the lineup, launching in new segments, such as the i3 electric city car and i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, or filling niches such as such as the wagon-styled 3 series GT or X4 sporty crossover. Zetsche has said Mercedes will roll out 13 new models with no predecessor in the next eight years. The first is the CLA coupe-styled four-door sedan aimed at younger buyers, especially in North America and China. IHS Automotive predicts that Mercedes could sell 70,000 units of the CLA worldwide next year. The car goes on sale in the United States this fall. The Audi A3 compact sedan, which was shown to journalists in New York last week and makes its public debut at the Shanghai auto show this month, will be a competitor to the CLA. IHS Automotive expects sales of the sedan will reach 115,000 units next year, peaking to 134,000 by 2020. Audi is plowing about $14 billion into new products in the next three years, which Stadler says is the biggest investment program in the brand's history. Audi will also substantially increase its production capacity. An expansion at its factory in Gyor, Hungary, and a new plant in Foshan, southern China, will add more than 300,000 units by year end. By 2016, Audi's new factory in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, will begin building 150,000 units a year of the Q5 medium-premium SUV for export to North America, Europe and other global markets. Radical change The luxury car market is undergoing a radical change as well-off customers switch to SUVs and crossovers. Until recently, a handful of product lines, mainly sedans and some sports cars, were the main battleground for BMW, Mercedes and Audi. Today the brands are rapidly expanding their SUVs and crossovers to meet growing demand for high-riding vehicles in most global markets, but especially the United States, China and Russia. BMW has four premium SUV offerings, the X1, X3, X5 and X6. Besides the X4, the brand will introduce an X2 positioned between the X1 and X3. Audi plans to double its SUV lineup by the end of the decade to boost sales of such models to a third of its global volume by 2020 from a quarter last year. Currently it sells the Q3, Q5 and Q7 models. The brand will add sportier Q2, Q4 and Q6 models, although it is unclear whether the entry-level Q2 will be sold in the United States. Mercedes will add the GLA compact SUV to the current lineup of the G, GL, GLK and ML family. The brand is also considering a subcompact crossover based on the Renault Captur, according to Germany's AutoBild magazine. Who will win? IHS Automotive predicts there will be no change in the premium brand leadership by 2020. BMW will keep its top spot thanks to a stream of fresh products that will accelerate with the introduction of a new front-wheel-drive architecture for cars such as the BMW 1 series and an expanded Mini range. "We see BMW selling 2.22 million units in 2020, ahead of Audi's 1.86 million and Mercedes 1.81 million," IHS's Fletcher said. Warburton, the Bernstein analyst, said: "Audi can become No.1 in premium, but it won't be easy given BMW's strength."]]></description>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
