New 'Guaranteed future value' program will safeguard A8 owners from plummeting values
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new Audi
It wasn't as exciting as the R8 Spyder in white, but Audi's 'Guaranteed Future Value' program will be heartily welcomed by those who lust after the new A8 and have been scared off by the depreciation from new.
Audi MD Uwe Hagen officially announced the new program -- effectively a contract with the new-car buyer to buy back the car games at trade-in time for an agreed value. This is a tactic to uphold the car's resale values in a market sector that can be highly vulnerable to declining resale prices, due to low new-car prices in the first instance. It's the price discounting of the new car used to encourage buyers to purchase the car in the first place that exacerbates the slide in the car's retained value when it comes time to on-sell it to another owner.
"Our general opinion is we are able to handle new cars and we are able to handle used cars," explained Hagen. "So we are convinced that the car will stay in this process; we are able to achieve the best price -- so by knowing this... I have an idea what a car, after three years, should have as a value. We secure this value so that there's no risk with the customer. When the customer's going to buy this car, he knows exactly, when he is giving the car back to us that there's not one point he is at risk..."
Accident damage is the only issue that might void the agreement between the vehicle's user and Audi.
"Handling those cars as used cars is a challenge," Hagen continued. "You can't do it everywhere, so we will do it at centralised [dealerships]."
That prompted the Carsales Network to question whether the program was a loss-making exercise for Audi, just to bolster brand image through massaging resale values.
"No, not when you do the whole business in the right way," Hagen insisted.
"You have to address the customers and give the second owner the feeling that the value of the car is good, so that he's prepared to pay his amount of money..."
Conversely then, does this argue against the reportedly common practice of discounting the guts out of high-end luxury sedans sold by German prestige marques?
"If you do this [discount new-car pricing], yeah... then you have a problem."
So will Audi commit to selling the new A8 without discounting the price?
"We [won't] do some business," Hagen answered. "We keep this price stable and we try to convince everyone that we are giving more than just a car and a price."
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Thứ Hai, 2 tháng 4, 2012
MOTORSPORT: BMW back to its touring car roots
BMW is set to take on Mercedes-Benz and Audi in touring car racing from 2012, and Germany's DTM category is to expand into the US -- but no sign that V8 Supercars in Oz are on the agenda
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new BMW
Munich manufacturer says production racing 'ideal stage'
BMW is to return to the world's premier touring car series, the DTM -- the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a category run predominantly in Germany but expanding -- now to America.
The DTM comeback is the cornerstone of BMW's strategy to compete in motorsport that has the most relevance to the development of road cars, rather than the much more costly Formula One -- which it quit last year -- or Le Mans-style sportscars.
One of the lures for the manufacturer to re-enter the DTM is that the category, already in six countries, will be "exported" to the US in 2013.
Just how that will work is still vague, but the DTM organisers have forged an alliance with Grand-Am, the road racing arm of NASCAR.
The organisers of Japan's Super GP series also have been in talks with the DTM about unified regulations.
On the Australian front, a BMW spokesman today confirmed the company recently had talks with V8 Supercar's Car of the Future project leader Mark Skaife.
That project is intended to open up Australia's national championship beyond Holden and Ford, although V8 engine eligibility rules for manufacturers that would not run pushrod motors, due by the end of June, still have not been announced.
The local BMW spokesman indicated that, while the talks with Skaife had been cordial, the company would only be interested in competing in Australia under DTM-type regulations.
It would not entertain campaigning cars peculiar to an Australian championship, he said.
It's not clear yet what BMW's new DTM love affair will mean for its 2-litre 320si's in the World Touring Car Championship, in which it finished third in a three-manufacturer contest this year -- behind Chevrolet and SEAT.
A BMW 635 CSi driven by Volker Strycek won the first DTM title in 1984 and Belgian Eric van de Poele and Italian Roberto Ravaglia followed up with titles in M3s in 1987 and '89.
The M3 will be BMW's racing missile again in its return to the high-tech DTM.
The comeback, flagged in April but only confirmed now after 16 years out of the DTM, will see BMW will go head-to-head with German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
"The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities," said Dr Klaus Draeger, the BMW AG board member with responsibility for development. "With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots.
"The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."
BMW's long-time motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen has vowed "absolute commitment" to the company's DTM project.
Cars in the series have 4-litre V8 engines housed in purpose-built chassis cloaked under silhouette coupe bodies.
Audi, which dominated the DTM in 2008 and '09, has said that BMW "suits the DTM perfectly".
"With four DTM titles since 2004, Audi is the most successful manufacturer in recent history (of the series) and the first manufacturer to win three titles in a row, (but) with BMW's commitment it will be even tougher from 2012," Audi motorsport head Dr Wolfgang Ullrich said.
Norbert Haug, of Mercedes-Benz, which is leading this year's DTM, called BMW's move "a good decision that confirms how important it was and how right we were to continuously commit to the DTM for more than 20 years -- longer than any other manufacturer".
"We are looking forward to the new and respected competitor from Munich," Haug said.
Although it will be 18 months before BMW's re-entry, next year's DTM calendar already has, apart from six championship rounds in Germany and a demonstration event at the Munich Olympic Stadium, races in Austria, Holland, Britain, Spain and Shanghai in China -- where V8 Supercars went once, in 2005.
But it was the long-term, further "internationalisation of the championship" that BMW's Dr Draeger said appealed to the company.
Grand-Am in the US plans to run a new championship from 2013 in which cars complying with the 2012 DTM regulations will be eligible to race.
"Sprint races are planned as part of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, as well as -- in certain cases -- the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series," BMW said.
Grand-Am president Tom Bledsoe said "the addition of a DTM-style sprint race will increase the attraction for our fans and help grow all Grand-Am series".
The mooted Sprint Cup/Nationwide Series connection surely would only be on road courses, as DTM cars would have to be specially-adapted for America's oval tracks.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
prestige new cars » Get the best price on a new BMW
Munich manufacturer says production racing 'ideal stage'
BMW is to return to the world's premier touring car series, the DTM -- the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a category run predominantly in Germany but expanding -- now to America.
The DTM comeback is the cornerstone of BMW's strategy to compete in motorsport that has the most relevance to the development of road cars, rather than the much more costly Formula One -- which it quit last year -- or Le Mans-style sportscars.
One of the lures for the manufacturer to re-enter the DTM is that the category, already in six countries, will be "exported" to the US in 2013.
Just how that will work is still vague, but the DTM organisers have forged an alliance with Grand-Am, the road racing arm of NASCAR.
The organisers of Japan's Super GP series also have been in talks with the DTM about unified regulations.
On the Australian front, a BMW spokesman today confirmed the company recently had talks with V8 Supercar's Car of the Future project leader Mark Skaife.
That project is intended to open up Australia's national championship beyond Holden and Ford, although V8 engine eligibility rules for manufacturers that would not run pushrod motors, due by the end of June, still have not been announced.
The local BMW spokesman indicated that, while the talks with Skaife had been cordial, the company would only be interested in competing in Australia under DTM-type regulations.
It would not entertain campaigning cars peculiar to an Australian championship, he said.
It's not clear yet what BMW's new DTM love affair will mean for its 2-litre 320si's in the World Touring Car Championship, in which it finished third in a three-manufacturer contest this year -- behind Chevrolet and SEAT.
A BMW 635 CSi driven by Volker Strycek won the first DTM title in 1984 and Belgian Eric van de Poele and Italian Roberto Ravaglia followed up with titles in M3s in 1987 and '89.
The M3 will be BMW's racing missile again in its return to the high-tech DTM.
The comeback, flagged in April but only confirmed now after 16 years out of the DTM, will see BMW will go head-to-head with German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi.
"The return of BMW to the DTM is a fundamental part of the restructuring of our motorsport activities," said Dr Klaus Draeger, the BMW AG board member with responsibility for development. "With its increased commitment to production car racing, BMW is returning to its roots.
"The race track is the perfect place to demonstrate the impressive sporting characteristics of our vehicles against our core competitors in a high-powered environment. The DTM is the ideal stage on which to do this."
BMW's long-time motorsport director Dr Mario Theissen has vowed "absolute commitment" to the company's DTM project.
Cars in the series have 4-litre V8 engines housed in purpose-built chassis cloaked under silhouette coupe bodies.
Audi, which dominated the DTM in 2008 and '09, has said that BMW "suits the DTM perfectly".
"With four DTM titles since 2004, Audi is the most successful manufacturer in recent history (of the series) and the first manufacturer to win three titles in a row, (but) with BMW's commitment it will be even tougher from 2012," Audi motorsport head Dr Wolfgang Ullrich said.
Norbert Haug, of Mercedes-Benz, which is leading this year's DTM, called BMW's move "a good decision that confirms how important it was and how right we were to continuously commit to the DTM for more than 20 years -- longer than any other manufacturer".
"We are looking forward to the new and respected competitor from Munich," Haug said.
Although it will be 18 months before BMW's re-entry, next year's DTM calendar already has, apart from six championship rounds in Germany and a demonstration event at the Munich Olympic Stadium, races in Austria, Holland, Britain, Spain and Shanghai in China -- where V8 Supercars went once, in 2005.
But it was the long-term, further "internationalisation of the championship" that BMW's Dr Draeger said appealed to the company.
Grand-Am in the US plans to run a new championship from 2013 in which cars complying with the 2012 DTM regulations will be eligible to race.
"Sprint races are planned as part of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, as well as -- in certain cases -- the NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series," BMW said.
Grand-Am president Tom Bledsoe said "the addition of a DTM-style sprint race will increase the attraction for our fans and help grow all Grand-Am series".
The mooted Sprint Cup/Nationwide Series connection surely would only be on road courses, as DTM cars would have to be specially-adapted for America's oval tracks.
Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the carsales mobile site
Hino Hybrid goes back to school
DECA training helps Hino promote the hyrbid message to green-savvy fleet operators
Trucks probably aren't the first vehicles to spring to mind when we talk about hybrids. But with Hino's Hybrid 300 diesel-electric truck proving a strong seller since its introduction in 2007, the technology is proving itself in fleet life, along with a little help from DECA training.
Operators have praised the hybrid truck's cost-saving virtues, but winning over new customers has been quite an ask, especially considering the $10,000-plus premium the environmentally savvy lugger attracts over its conventionally-powered sibling.
With those thoughts in mind, Hino set about educating prospective buyers on the longer-term cost benefits of hybrid trucking with specialist training sessions it developed in conjunction with Driver Education Centres of Australia (DECA). The course outlined how to maximise cost and emission reduction benefits from the truck, and also aided Hino dealership and sales staff on how to best promote the vehicle's advantages to new and potential customers.
"By training our own sales people, Hino Hybrid owners and drivers, we have set out to develop knowledgeable advocates for the Hino Hybrid truck throughout Australia," explained Hino Australia’s marketing manager, Paul Tuffy.
The unique programme was so successful Hino again used DECA to help launch its new 714 six-speed automatic version of the Hino Hybrid recently. DECA developed a driver training program to help drivers maximise the truck's fuel efficiency. The course is offered to drivers of every new Hino Hybrid sold.
"The Hino Hybrid is a very impressive truck and when driven correctly can produce significant fuel savings and lower emissions," said DECA's curriculum developer, Maurie Baker.
"The training concentrates specifically on acceleration and gear changing to obtain peak efficiency and maximum assistance of the electric motor.
"Braking techniques and correct deceleration are also important to maximise recharging of the battery. lt takes a little training and time to get used to the truck, but the potential savings are worth the effort. ln stop-start traffic this truck really comes into its own."
One participant in DECA's training was one of Australia's largest trucking fleet operators TNT Express, the company now boasting a fleet of 30 Hino Hybrid trucks. The company said training was vital as it planned a move towards hybrid trucking.
"We are also committed to ensuring all our drivers are equipped with the most up-to-date and effective training available. The recent delivery of ten new Hino Hybrids was the perfect opportunity to provide a targeted training program to all of our Hybrid truck drivers and this has been provided by DECA," said TNT's national training manager, Paul Walsh.
"lt has provided our drivers with the skills, knowledge and techniques to maximise the potential environmental and economical benefits that these vehicles are capable of delivering."
DECA has 36 years of experience in driver training and is based in modern, purpose-designed facilities throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Trucks probably aren't the first vehicles to spring to mind when we talk about hybrids. But with Hino's Hybrid 300 diesel-electric truck proving a strong seller since its introduction in 2007, the technology is proving itself in fleet life, along with a little help from DECA training.
Operators have praised the hybrid truck's cost-saving virtues, but winning over new customers has been quite an ask, especially considering the $10,000-plus premium the environmentally savvy lugger attracts over its conventionally-powered sibling.
With those thoughts in mind, Hino set about educating prospective buyers on the longer-term cost benefits of hybrid trucking with specialist training sessions it developed in conjunction with Driver Education Centres of Australia (DECA). The course outlined how to maximise cost and emission reduction benefits from the truck, and also aided Hino dealership and sales staff on how to best promote the vehicle's advantages to new and potential customers.
"By training our own sales people, Hino Hybrid owners and drivers, we have set out to develop knowledgeable advocates for the Hino Hybrid truck throughout Australia," explained Hino Australia’s marketing manager, Paul Tuffy.
The unique programme was so successful Hino again used DECA to help launch its new 714 six-speed automatic version of the Hino Hybrid recently. DECA developed a driver training program to help drivers maximise the truck's fuel efficiency. The course is offered to drivers of every new Hino Hybrid sold.
"The Hino Hybrid is a very impressive truck and when driven correctly can produce significant fuel savings and lower emissions," said DECA's curriculum developer, Maurie Baker.
"The training concentrates specifically on acceleration and gear changing to obtain peak efficiency and maximum assistance of the electric motor.
"Braking techniques and correct deceleration are also important to maximise recharging of the battery. lt takes a little training and time to get used to the truck, but the potential savings are worth the effort. ln stop-start traffic this truck really comes into its own."
One participant in DECA's training was one of Australia's largest trucking fleet operators TNT Express, the company now boasting a fleet of 30 Hino Hybrid trucks. The company said training was vital as it planned a move towards hybrid trucking.
"We are also committed to ensuring all our drivers are equipped with the most up-to-date and effective training available. The recent delivery of ten new Hino Hybrids was the perfect opportunity to provide a targeted training program to all of our Hybrid truck drivers and this has been provided by DECA," said TNT's national training manager, Paul Walsh.
"lt has provided our drivers with the skills, knowledge and techniques to maximise the potential environmental and economical benefits that these vehicles are capable of delivering."
DECA has 36 years of experience in driver training and is based in modern, purpose-designed facilities throughout Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
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