Marketing
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Sunday, December 20th, 2009
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First of all a very Happy Christmas to you. My picture was taken this morning in my village and is of the school opposite which I live.
Could there be a last minute reprieve for SAAB? Looks like Spyker is coming back to GM with a revised package so the brand might survive after all.
The surprising thing about this global recession is that we have not seen more brands falling by the wayside. It just goes to prove how resilient these brands are and I certainly hope for the many people working within SAAB that it survives. The analytical side of me says however that the brand has been on the edge for many years – some would say GM never invested what was needed – and even if it does win a reprive - will we all be back here again in a year as the brand totters?
There is even talk of LDV surviving so it just goes to show there is no such thing as a no hoper.
Christopher Macgowan
SCRAPPAGE TO LIVE ON?
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Talking the other day informally to a group of manufacturers and dealers I am becoming more and more convinced that when the Peter Mandelson scrappage cash runs out in the UK we will see “Scrappage Scheme Extended” signs going up in hundreds of showrooms in response. The UK government is putting a very welcome £1000 into each deal and such has been the response I think tailor made self financed schemes will appear everywhere.
After all we are aware that a scrappage scheme is indeed like a drug – very difficult to get off once you get addicted. And £1000 can be dredged up from somewhere – and would offset the unwelcome VAT return to 17.5% from 15% on January 1st.
Christopher Macgowan
SO GM KEEPS OPEL AND VAUXHALL AFTER ALL…..
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009In what can only be described as the mother and father of all U turns GM plans to stay in Europe with Opel and Vauxhall and scrap the planned Magna deal. Much confusion all round; re-structuring will still have to be carried out and money found in the UK, Germany and Spain to help it all along.
As a generality governments do not like surprises and it is obvious that Germany felt it had a high degree of control over the Magna deal and now looks to be back at the starting line in the new deal. Jobs being the watch word.
The saving grace in all this is that New GM has had the sense to temporarily transfer Nick Reilly from his present Far East duties to oversee the bedding down of Opel and Vauxhall after months of GM saying it did not want them. We all know Nick as an excellent operator who did his best to “save” the Luton car plant and looked surprised and in agony in equal measure on the day his then European bosses announced its closure. So there is a real chance that under his management he will make it work and maximise the alleged “improving market conditions” which made GM change its mind and keep the business.
In my opinion this global recession is forcing many companies to now do what they should have done before but which seemed a bit difficult in the good times so procrastination set in. So I close with a heretical thought. Possibly, just possibly, this is the moment to drop the Vauxhall brand name? A thousand reasons will be produced why this simply cannot be done – but perhaps this is the moment to do it – especially as the European operations are not directly governed by the US Asset Relief Programme bail out conditions.
Christopher Macgowan
Why knock the UK motor industry scrappage scheme?
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009I am becoming increasingly irritated by the amount of criticism of the scrappage scheme – simply because I believe the main detractors are missing the main point.
Three themes constantly emerge. Firstly it only benefits small foreign made cars. Secondly it is only really £1000 and a drug which when we come off it will cause the market to go cold turkey. Thirdly a consumer might get a better deal without the scheme.
Isn’t it wonderful how some commentators can only look at the worst possible aspect of any initiative in order to spread more gloom and doom? There is a grain of truth in all three arguments but those who like to promote those very arguments miss one enormous and central point.
Quite apart from 60,000 orders having been taken to date which will feed through into registrations quite quickly the main benefit of the scheme is that traffic through dealer showrooms is up; consumers are talking positively about buying cars and the industry has received a much needed psychological shot in the arm.
Don’t knock it – encourage it!!
Christopher Macgowan
FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DATES.
Sunday, March 1st, 2009
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2009 FIA Formula One World Championship
AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX (Melbourne) 27 – 29 Mar
MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX (Kuala Lumpur) 03 – 05 Apr
CHINESE GRAND PRIX (Shanghai) 17 – 19 Apr
GULF AIR BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX (Sakhir) 24 – 26 Apr
GRAN PREMIO DE ESPANA TELEFONICA 2009 (Catalunya) 08 – 10 May
GRAND PRIX DE MONACO 2009 (Monte Carlo) 21 – 24 May
TURKISH GRAND PRIX (Istanbul) 05 – 07 Jun
BRITISH GRAND PRIX (Silverstone) 19 – 21 Jun
DEUTSCHLAND 2009 (Nürburgring) 10 – 12 Jul
MAGYAR NAGYDIJ 2009 (Budapest) 24 – 26 Jul
GRAND PRIX OF EUROPE (Valencia) 21 – 23 Aug
BELGIAN GRAND PRIX (Spa-Francorchamps) 28 – 30 Aug
GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D’ITALIA 2009 (Monza) 11 – 13 Sep
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore) 25 – 27 Sep
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka) 02 – 04 Oct
GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2009 (Sao Paulo) 16 – 18 Oct
ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX (Yas Marina Circuit) 30 Oct – 01 Nov
Christopher Macgowan
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