ON THE TABLE

May 5, 2010

Joel Ewanick, GM, Mark Reuss. Publisher's Note: Well, GM finally did what they absolutely needed to do if they were ever going to get out from under their "three steps forward, five back" death march of mediocrity in marketing. GM named Ewanick its top marketing executive today, replacing Susan Docherty. Ewanick had forged his reputation at Hyundai, then he was at Nissan for a literal cup of coffee - six weeks to be exact - before he came to terms with GM. Ewanick, 49, becomes vice president of U.S. marketing on May 24, with responsibility for all four GM brands - Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac. He will report to North American President Mark Reuss. It is my understanding that GM came close to making this deal with Ewanick before but it came apart when GM insisted on keeping the Old Guard in marketing happy. Ewanick is smart enough to know that without the CMO title, and without absolute control over GM's marketing efforts, he wouldn't stand a chance to make an impact, so he walked away. Finally, Mark Reuss stepped in and made it happen. Kudos to Mark Reuss, because GM was at the point of no return unless they fixed marketing. To say this was long overdue doesn't even come close to covering it.  - PMD

 Joel Ewanick. Publisher's Note: From the "Be Careful What You Wish For" File comes word that Joel's being given the reins to one monumentally dysfunctional marketing organization, hands down the most screwed-up entity of its kind in this business. GM has recycled the same unmitigated hacks through its marketing department for years and the whole thing was about to implode just when the company desperately needed its marketing to come through. Here's a tip, Joel. Take no prisoners and take a long, hard look at the creative that is on the table right now, because it ain't nearly good enough. Pull the plug on the stuff if you have to because you're only going to get one shot at resurrecting Chevrolet, for starters. And oh by the way, if you need a list of people in GM marketing who should be rounded-up and exited from the building immediately, give me a call. - PMD

  The Car Biz. April was the second strongest month this year with the first-team players all up over 20 percent. Kudos go out to Nissan which led everybody, up 35 percent for the month.

 Chrysler. Matches Toyota's "Scorched Earth" incentives in May in an attempt at maintaining momentum, while Sergio has to attend to the teetering fortunes of Fiat. Time of your lives, eh, kids?

Publisher's Note: We lost an icon here in the city of Detroit and the State of Michigan with the passing of Ernie Harwell, the great Detroit Tigers broadcaster. Back before TV became so pervasive, nothing was better than listening to Ernie call a Tigers game on a hot summer's night. But "call" isn't a descriptive enough term, however. Not even close in fact. "Call" doesn't do justice to what Ernie did during a glorious career that spanned 55 years. Ernie mesmerized us while he painted vivid pictures with his words, and now those words will be forever locked in our collective memories. - PMD

(Rolls-Royce Motor Cars)
Just dying for an app to configure your Rolls-Royce Ghost? Well, your prayers have been answered. The first Rolls-Royce app for the iPhone and iPod touch is now available. The app allows potential customers, enthusiasts and idle daydreamers to choose from thousands of design combinations available to configure their Ghost. That includes twelve standard paint finishes, three different wheel styles, visible exhausts, etc., etc. Even a Silver Satin bonnet, if you must. You can also choose from eight different leather colors and five veneer designs, including contemporary woods such as Dark Wenge and Malabar. After designing your very own Ghost, users can then save their designs in a virtual garage. Wow. The Rolls-Royce Ghost App is available now for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

(Ford)
The 2011 DUB Edition Mustang is based on the new 3.7-liter, 305HP, DOHC Mustang V-6 and will be available in coupe, convertible and Glass Roof body styles. A collaboration between Ford, DUB and Roush Industries, the DUB Edition Mustang features 20-inch TIS wheels and Pirelli tires, Roush front fascia and splitter, Roush quarter window louvers and windshield banner, Roush lowering springs, a 3.21 rear axle ratio, and it will be available with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. You get a choice of Black, Grabber Blue, Race Red or Ingot Silver exterior colors to go with the Black interior. It's topped-off with a DUB stripe package and DUB logos embroidered in the front headrests.

(Audi AG)
Audi has announced a limited-production version of its R8 high-performance sports car - the R8 GT. With a detailed mass reduction program that cut the R8 GT's weight by 220.46 lbs. - it's still no lightweight at 3,362.05 lbs. - and an increased output of its 5.2-liter V10 to 560 hp, the R8 GT accelerates from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 198.84 mph. The R8GT features quattro permanent all-wheel drive and the R tronic sequential manual transmission and a bunch of detailed improvements, which are standard, including a carbon ceramic brake package. Audi has never been shy about asking for all of the money when it comes to pricing, so the new R8 GT will sell for €193,000 in Germany. And in typical Audi fashion, there will be many "exclusive" options available on top of that.

(Audi)
Justin Timberlake and Dania Ramirez as they appear in "The Next Big Thing," a series of web episodes introducing the new Audi A1 beginning today at www.audi.com/a1 and running through Tuesday, June 8. Timberlake plays "John Frank," a straight-laced IT specialist, and Ramirez plays the mysterious "Toni" as the story unfolds, featuring - of course - the new Audi A1. Swedish director Henrik Sundgren filmed for five days with up to eight cameras – in narrow city streets, a parking deck, in cafés and clubs - to create 16 minutes of film, excluding additional virtual scenes.

(Ford)
As part of a research course - Cloud Computing in the Commute - six University of Michigan teams developed apps for in-car use; then a panel of judges from U-M, Ford and Microsoft selected the winner based on relevance and usability. The winning app - Caravan Track - will run in a Ford Fiesta research vehicle – outfitted with prototype software running on a Windows 7 PC powered by Intel – for the “American Journey 2.0” road trip to Maker Faire, the world’s largest do-it-yourself ideas festival in Silicon Valley, held in San Mateo, Calif., beginning May 22. The road trip will leave from Ann Arbor on May 14. Ford says that it "continues to use the power of the crowds for app development and enhancement of its connected vehicle strategy, which aims to harness the power of social networks and cloud computing to deliver personalized content for a unique in-car experience."

WE'RE OPENING THE VAULT!

The AE wearables are back - and only in extremely limited quantities and sizes, we might add - and once they're gone, they're gone! We're starting with our most popular items, the classic AE Sweatshirt and AE Hat. Click on a PayPal button below to order yours now! (If you prefer to pay by check, please send us an email with AE STORE in the subject line, and we'll reserve your item.)

AE Sweatshirt - Crewneck, sturdy 80/20 cotton/poly, in black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. Size XL only. 40 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

AE Hat - Black with throwback lettering - the original AE logo in our Chiller typeface shown above. 25 bucks, including shipping. US orders only.

Publisher's Note: Check-out John McElroy's daily news show covering everything about the auto biz by clicking on the graphic below. Good stuff guaranteed. - PMD

See another live episode of "Autoline After Hours" hosted by Autoline Detroit's John McElroy, with Peter De Lorenzo and friends this Thursday evening, at 7:00PM EDT at www.autolinedetroit.tv.

 

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