Mustang Gets Award; Blimp to Get a Name; Dodge ‘Double Deals’
One of the rites of spring is an invitation from WheelsTV to participate on the selection committee for its annual POVY (Previously Owned Vehicle of the Year) Award.
The selection process evokes a mental comparison with the NCAA basketball tournament and its bracket format. Vehicles are divided into eight categories: Green Car, SUV, Crossover, Sporty Car, Small Car, Family Car, Light Truck, and Luxury.
It takes a while to nominate, discuss, and vote on each of the categories, and often surprising winners emerge.
With some 350 vehicles eligible (and no seeding of entrants), predicting the winner is nearly impossible. Voting guidelines include reliability, value for the money, and a fun-to- drive component.
The used fifth-generation Ford Mustang (introduced in 2005) emerged as this year’s winner, besting a field of finalists that included three Honda products (CR-V, Fit, and Odyssey), two from the Chrysler brands (the Ram 1500 and Dodge Durango), the Tesla S, and Cadillac CTS.
“Talk about coincidence. The choice is especially nuanced in that the decision was based entirely on the merits of the vehicle and not as the celebration of Mustang’s 50-year milestone,’’ says WheelsTV CEO Jim Barisano.
Barisano has made a tradition of crafting an historic steering wheel onto the trophy base as part of the award. “Lucky me, I’m now in the market for a 50-year-old Mustang wheel,’’ he said.
Each May, Barisano presents the award at NEMPA’s dinner meeting following the NEMPA/MIT Technology Conference, an annual panel discussion of leading edge automotive issues by industry experts. This year’s event is May 29 at the MIT Media Lab.
The conference is open to accredited media and anyone—private, government, industry—with legitimate automotive interests. Registration information is available at NEMPA.org.
Automotive technology is a topic that is affecting all of us now that technology can sense a potential collision and enable a vehicle to take corrective braking and steering action automatically. Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications will soon change how traffic flows, hopefully reducing bottlenecks and improving safety and fuel efficiency. Self-guiding autonomous vehicles are on the horizon.
As a result, drivers are becoming less attentive than ever—while on-board infotainment provides more distractions. At the same time, the driving population is aging as Baby Boomers retire and Millennials put off driving altogether.
How will we adapt to these new safety and interface technologies, and the cognitive demands associated with them? What will be the impact on car prices? On safety and insurance regulations? How are the auto industry, the scientific community, and the public sector working together to make us safer drivers? All are part of the discussion.
Name That Blimp (con’t.)
Goodyear received almost 15,000 different names in its national Name the Blimp contest. From those, the company winnowed 10 finalists—selected on how the name reflects the history of airships, the majesty of lighter-than-air flight, and the company’s history.
Much like today’s new cars, the new airship is larger, faster, more maneuverable, and has more passenger comfort than its predecessors.
The person who submitted the winning name (voting ended May 9) will receive access to the blimp for a day while the other nine finalists receive a new set of tires either to kick or put on their vehicle.
Final names in the contest are: Adventurer, Ambassador, Commitment, Excursion, Explorer, Goodwill, Inspiration, Pride of Goodyear, Resolute, and Wingfoot One.
Marketing Magic
Dodge came up with a Double-Up program that offers customers the option of leasing a 2014 Charger or Challenger for 12 months with a guarantee that they can return in a year and have the same leasing payment for a 36-month lease on a 2015 model Charger or Challenger.
The fine print details seem reasonable: Make both transactions through the same dealership, lease through Chrysler Capital, and follow leasing program rules.
Greenest (Buying) Cities
We’d have thought New England would be high on the list of green-car buyers. Not so. California, where green car owners receive carpool lane privileges, dominates this group, as compiled by Cars.com.
The only non-California cities to break into the top of the list are Charlottesville, VA (No. 2), Portland (Oregon, not Maine) at No. 8, and Seattle/Tacoma, Washington (No. 10). No. 1 is the Bay Area (San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose), followed by LA (No. 3), San Diego, Monterey, Chico, Santa Barbara, and Sacramento.
Etc.
A pop culture moment: Some of the bright Mustang colors over the years have inspired a 50th anniversary set of nail lacquers by OPI, to arrive as a limited edition in July. Colors are Race Red, 50 Years of Style, Queen of the Road, Girls Love Ponies, Angel with a Leadfoot, and The Sky’s My Limit. Marketing, as they say, has no limits … And, on the subject of Mustangs, the 2013 Mustang GT that was featured in the current movie “Need for Speed’’ was auctioned off at $300,000 at Barrett-Jackson’s West Palm Beach event. The proceeds benefit the Henry Ford Health System. We think winner Dave Flynn of Columbiana, Ohio, got a neat car but hope it wasn’t the one used in the high-speed stunts … Another collectible auctioned was the first production model of the 2015 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. It brought $1 million at the same West Palm Beach auction. It was bought by Rick Hendrick, chairman of the Hendrick Automotive Group and a major Corvette collector and preservationist. That sale benefitted Detroit’s Karmanos Cancer Institute … Kudos to the folks at Audi Norwell who threw an unveiling party for customers and Audi aficionados to show off the new Audie A3 sedan last month.
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