Car Blog

LoJack Provides Theft Protection Tips to Keep Your Vehicle Safe This Holiday Weekend

Memorial Day ranks as one of the most popular holidays for vehicle theft. According to the National Crime Information Center’s (NCIC) latest data, 2,599 vehicles were stolen on Memorial Day making it the fifth most targeted holiday for vehicle theft. The AAA forecasts that 32.1 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles away from home this Memorial Day weekend — providing a wealth of targets for today’s sophisticated car thieves.

Whether you are traveling far from home or plan to spend Memorial Day in your own backyard, LoJack Corporation, developer of the industry’s most effective stolen vehicle recovery system, advises that consumers take precautionary measures to protect their vehicles from today’s organized crime rings. Despite the fact that the overall national vehicle theft rate has declined for six consecutive years, LoJack cautions consumers that the national rate of unrecovered vehicles is at its highest point in more than 20 years. In fact, 43 percent of vehicles stolen in 2008 (latest FBI data) were never recovered, amounting to 411,444 stolen vehicles not returned to their rightful owners. Today’s professional thieves know just how to outsmart many of today’s anti-theft devices, which is driving the high rate of stolen vehicles that are never recovered.

Theft prevention expert D.J. Thompson, Director of Law Enforcement for LoJack and a former officer with the Connecticut State Police, is available for interviews and offers the following theft protection tips:

By combining common sense approaches, theft prevention devices and tracking/recovery systems, consumers can protect their vehicles from theft.

The first important step: Use Common Sense Measures. Never leave keys in the car with the engine running. Don’t hide a spare key in the vehicle. Close all windows and lock all doors when leaving your vehicle. Park in a well-lit area and, when at home, keep your car in the garage. Don’t leave valuables visible in your car.

The second step: Use Theft Prevention Products. A thief may be less inclined to steal your car if it has visible and audible warning devices like a wheel lock or alarm system. Immobilizers–which include smart keys, kill switches and fuel cut-off devices–can offer another means of protection. While the professionals can often disable these devices, they do offer another means of deterrence.

The third step: Use a Tracking and Recovery System. Since thieves can typically disarm most theft prevention devices, recovery systems provide the peace of mind that you’ll get your car back – often quickly – in the event it is stolen. The most effective systems are directly integrated into law enforcement, use Radio Frequency technology, which has proven to be optimal for recovering stolen vehicles, and are covert so they cannot be disengaged.

Alarmed by reports of irresponsible driving, Jabra sponsors survey to get to the root of the matter

Seat belts, airbags, hands-free driving laws and devices – they’re all designed for the benefit of a responsible driver. But human behavior indicates we are anything but responsible on the roads. New survey results, sponsored by Jabra, a world leader in innovative headset and in-car speakerphone solutions, show that despite technology to help keep both hands on the wheel, people are choosing to use their hands elsewhere while driving. The most common harrowing activities include texting, eating, changing clothes, operating GPS systems, yelling at other drivers, and even performing sexual acts while driving. To compound issues, only a small percentage (32%) of the survey respondents reported they’re using a hands-free device, which is the law in many regions.

For commuters, some activities may seem time-saving, with 35 percent admitting that they have taken clothes off or put clothes on while the car is in motion and another 23% admitting to often styling their hair, but ultimately these acts are perilous, resulting in humiliating or more serious injuries.

The majority of respondents (72%) also admitted to eating food while driving, which might seem convenient with fast food and drive-throughs, but for others’ safety it is important to keep both hands on the wheel, not the meal.

“It is truly unbelievable what people are doing while driving. The results of our survey show that so many people are distracted and doing other things while on the road – even though they know the consequences that can occur,” said Jonas Forsberg, General Manager North America, Mobile Division, GN Netcom, Inc. “We are dedicated to increasing our efforts to encourage people to focus on the road and to use a hands-free headset or speakerphone if they want to talk or text while driving. We hope that people will soon understand the implications of these bad behaviors and will change their own behavior accordingly.”

Further survey findings include:
- 29% of respondents admitted to having kissed others while driving, whereas a smaller, but surprising number (15%) said they have performed sex or other sexual acts while driving
- 28% confirmed they have sent text messages while driving — 13% reported they have applied makeup while driving
- 12% admitted to having written or read emails while driving
- 10% reported reading newspapers or magazines while driving
- 5% confessed to having played video games, and another 5% say that they have shaved while behind the wheel

Road rage in general appears to be a global issue, with 63 percent reporting that they yell at other motorists while driving – and the French appear to be the biggest offenders. Young people (age 18-35) from all countries also appear to be engaging in bad driving behaviors with higher frequency, but at the same time don’t feel that these activities are as dangerous as perceived by those who are older. Across the board, the Japanese are the worst offenders when it comes to personal grooming while driving and electronic distractions like video games, movies, audio books, and music devices. Alternatively, the British appear to be more safety oriented with the highest level of awareness around highly dangerous driving behaviors.

To learn more about the survey results and the driving behaviors examined, visit www.Jabra.com/DriveResponsibly for more information. Jabra also has provided tips on ways to make the road safer and what to look for when purchasing a hands-free headset or speakerphone. To purchase a Jabra hands-free device, go to www.Jabra.com/buy.

Survey Methodology

The results of the survey, underwritten by Jabra and conducted by Lindberg International, are based on responses from an online survey of 1,800 consumers between the ages of 18 and 65 with an equal number of respondents in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and Japan. Respondents were asked how often they performed specific activities while driving and how dangerous they consider the activities – the majority (75%) drives an average of 10 hours or less per week. The survey was conducted over a period commencing April 6, 2010 and continuing through April 9, 2010. The margin of error is +/- 2.1%.

National Survey Reveals Cadillac as Top Premium Brand, Buick as Top Popular Brand, Suzuki Kizashi as Top Car and Lincoln MKT as Top Truck.

AutoPacific announced its 14th Annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards (VSA) to help consumers make informed vehicle purchase decisions.

“While the auto industry is showing signs of improvement, more than ever before, manufacturers need to be able to differentiate themselves. Proof of satisfied customers is as good as gold,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “We’ve found that more than 25% of new car buyers are positively influenced by owner-based awards like the VSA when deciding on a new car or truck.”

AutoPacific’s Vehicle Satisfaction Award is an industry benchmark for measuring how satisfied an owner is with his/her new car or light truck. This study by the Southern California-based automotive research firm summarizes the results of over 42,000 new vehicle owners.

“Vehicles that score highest in the Vehicle Satisfaction Awards are delivering value and satisfaction across a wide range of attributes,” says Peterson. “The winners perform well in 48 separate categories that objectively measure the ownership experience.”

The vehicle – car or truck – registering highest overall satisfaction in 2010 is the all new Suzuki Kizashi. The Kizashi scored 99 points above the industry average to place first among all 2010-model year vehicles in AutoPacific’s survey. “This is an amazing win for Suzuki,” said Peterson, “The Kizashi is Suzuki’s most important vehicle, and this performance in our research is exceptional.” The truck or SUV with the highest overall satisfaction score is the Lincoln MKT, scoring 94 points above industry average.

At the manufacturer level, multiple top-ranked award winners are: Ford with five wins, General Motors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota with three wins each.

“As we cautiously emerge from this economic crisis, new vehicle buyers are being especially careful, and the data we’ve analyzed for the Vehicle Satisfaction Award will help this year’s customers make wise purchase decisions,” says Peterson.

Top 2010 model year performers are:

HIGHEST SATISFACTION PREMIUM BRAND: Cadillac

HIGHEST SATISFACTION POPULAR BRAND: Buick

PASSENGER CARS:
Premium Luxury Car Lexus LS
Aspirational Luxury Car Hyundai Genesis
Luxury Mid-Size Car Nissan Maxima
Large Car Ford Taurus
Premium Mid-Size Car Honda Accord
Mid-Size Car Suzuki Kizashi
Premium Compact Car Volkswagen GTI
Compact Car Nissan Cube
Economy Car Honda Fit
Sports Car Porsche 911
Sporty Car Chevrolet Camaro
Hybrid Car Mercury Milan Hybrid

LIGHT TRUCKS:
Heavy Duty Pickup Dodge Ram HD
Large Light Duty Pickup Ford F-150
Compact Pickup Honda Ridgeline
Luxury Sport Utility Cadillac Escalade
Large Sport Utility Ford Expedition
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility Nissan Pathfinder/Toyota 4Runner
Mid-Size Sport Utility Dodge Nitro
Premium Luxury Crossover Lincoln MKT
Luxury Crossover SUV Lexus RX
Large Crossover SUV GMC Acadia
Premium Mid-Size Crossover SUV Ford Edge
Mid-Size Crossover SUV Ford Escape
Compact Crossover SUV Hyundai Tucson
Minivan Honda Odyssey
Hybrid Truck Lexus RX400h Hybrid

Knockhill Debut Comes Weeks after Tesla’s Official Entry in the UK Racing Circuit and the First Roadster Delivery in Scotland

Tesla Motors will debut this weekend at the Scottish Motorfair, where the award-wining Roadster will keep pace with a Formula 1 car and other supercars.

“We hear every day from people who want to start accumulating zero-emission miles – but they don’t want to sacrifice performance and fun”

Held May 22-23 in Fife, the seventh annual Knockhill show in comes a month after the UK Motor Sport Association permitted electric vehicles to race in official competitions. The Tesla Roadster has already begun collecting trophies at prestigious UK circuits – and it will be the only zero-emission car at Knockhill that is already on sale and in production.

Tesla, which has delivered cars to customers in 25 countries so far, is providing test drives to the media and to qualified prospective customers this weekend in Scotland – including those who reserved the Tesla Model S and those eager to “go electric” as soon as possible.

“We hear every day from people who want to start accumulating zero-emission miles – but they don’t want to sacrifice performance and fun,” said Tesla UK sales manager and race car aficionado Gian Avignone, an Aberdeen native. “The Roadster is truly the only car that meets their needs, and they can start driving it today.”

The Roadster accelerates faster than supercars that cost twice as much, yet it produces zero tailpipe emissions and is twice as energy efficient as leading hybrids. The Roadster, which consumes no oil whatsoever and plugs into conventional outlets throughout Europe, is the only sports car in the world that can be charged with solar, hydro or wind energy.

Scotland is now home to its first Roadster!

Tesla’s first appearance in Knockhill comes only weeks after Tesla delivered its first car to a customer in Scotland, who lives just east of Edinburgh.

Scotland is an extraordinary model for renewable energy and a great place to demonstrate the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. Scotland has an abundance of hydro-electric schemes and already generates substantial wind power. It’s expected to be a 21st century leader of tidal and wave power development.

Local companies that purchase a Roadster benefit from a 100 percent Writing Down Allowance, meaning they can deduct the price of the car from their taxable profits. The Roadster is the only sports car that has ever qualified for a such a tax incentive throughout the UK.

The same type of out-of-the-box thinking that led to the groundbreaking Fiesta Movement social media initiative is reflected in a new ad campaign to launch Ford’s all-new small car, the 2011 Ford Fiesta.

“The Fiesta Movement enabled us to introduce the car to market in a whole new way,” said Matt VanDyke, Ford’s director of U.S. Marketing Communications. “We are continuing that nontraditional approach with a unique advertising campaign designed to get people’s attention by entertaining them as well as educating them about the vehicle.”

The ad campaign for the new Fiesta – which arrives in dealer showrooms this summer – includes national broadcast, print, digital and out-of-home components as well as a comprehensive multicultural marketing strategy. The entire campaign is built around the theme, “It’s a pretty big deal.”

“The new Fiesta will deliver up to 40 mpg on the highway. It comes with the kind of agility and horsepower that make it a blast to drive, and it features more new-world technology than any other car of its kind – like push-button start, keyless entry and the SYNC® hands-free communications and entertainment system,” said VanDyke. “It’s a pretty big deal, and we’re putting the media and creativity behind it to deliver that message to consumers.”

2011 Ford Fiesta ads: A nontraditional approach

A new 60-second television ad for the Fiesta debuts tomorrow night during the live broadcast of “American Idol,” which airs 8 to 9 p.m. EDT on FOX. It opens with two people sitting in a Fiesta talking about the vehicle’s push-button start feature.

“From there, a whimsical world starts to unfold all around them, and you see the product messages brought to life in organic, over-the-top ways,” said VanDyke.

The 60-second ad also will be running in cinemas this summer, appearing on the big screen just before the movies start. One of the films expected to draw huge crowds to the theater is “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which opens June 30.

The print ads get straight to the point with headlines like, “The Fiesta gets 40 miles per gallon. 21 hybrids do not,” and “The Fiesta has enough new-world technology to put a 50-grand car to shame.” The ads will be featured in a variety of publications – from women’s magazines like “In Style” to men’s lifestyle titles like “GQ.”

Billboards for the Fiesta also reflect an unconventional approach.

“Imagine a billboard positioned strategically above a gas station with the 40 mpg message and copy that reads, ‘Not everybody’s happy about it,’” explained VanDyke.

In addition to television commercials, print ads and billboards, the new campaign also includes extensive digital advertising, which directs consumers to the www.fordvehicles/fiesta website.

Unique webisodes combine information with entertainment

Ford is expanding the Fiesta website to include webisodes featuring agents of the Fiesta Movement proving – in their own unique ways – why Fiesta is better than the competition. More than 500,000 people have viewed the first six webisodes since they debuted last week.

“We selected some of our most creative, funny and socially vibrant agents to help us showcase the vehicle’s class-exclusive features,” said Jonathan Beebe, Ford Digital Communications manager. “Not only do they know the vehicle inside and out, because they drove real-world miles on it with the Fiesta Movement, they also know how to make the webisodes relevant and engaging to their peers – digital or otherwise.”

For example, to illustrate the benefit of having Intelligent Access with push-button start, one of the agents decided to put the Fiesta up against the Toyota Yaris, which doesn’t even have keyless entry, and the Honda Fit, which has keyless entry but doesn’t have push-button start.

In “Dawn of the New Key Fob,” a zombie chases all three drivers through the woods. The Yaris and Fit owners don’t make it into their vehicles in time, but the Fiesta driver gets into his car and drives away before the zombie attack.

“Some of the webisodes are hilarious,” said Beebe. “We try not to take ourselves too seriously – the Fiesta is too much fun for that. The agents help us poke a little fun at ourselves and our competitors, while combining vehicle information and entertainment.”

Fiesta agent Brittani Taylor appears in a webisode titled “Fiesta vs. Lamborghini,” which pits the Fiesta against a $200,000-plus Lamborghini sports car.

“I’m an actress, so I had a lot of fun with it,” said Taylor, who amassed more than 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and 46,000 followers on Twitter during her stint as a Fiesta agent. “The Fiesta wasn’t as fast as the Lamborghini on the straightaway, but when it came to cornering and cool features like capless fuel-filler and push-button start, it was all about the Fiesta.”

There will be a total of 16 webisodes. The first set is already online. The second group will post in June.

“Our goal is to make people take a left-hand turn from their usual online browsing routine to check out how the Fiesta and its class-exclusive features can meet their driving needs,” said Beebe. “A zombie invasion might just convince them.”

2011 Ford Fiesta: Multicultural appeal

Research shows that two of the largest consumer groups in the small car segment are young African Americans and Hispanics. Ford has developed a multicultural marketing and advertising campaign designed specifically to communicate the Fiesta message to them.

To increase awareness of the Fiesta in the African American community, Ford launched a program called “Inspired by Color,” which challenged people to use their own personal style to connect with the colors and distinct features of the new Fiesta. Last month, more than 150 people turned out for a casting call at Howard University in Washington, D.C., dressed in a Fiesta-inspired way. Five finalists were chosen, and they will appear in a new television ad for the Fiesta that begins airing on the BET network June 1.

“Our goal was to create a unique program that truly embodied the spirit of Fiesta,” said Crystal Worthem, Ford Multicultural Marketing manager. “The Fiesta has an expressive, vibrant design and we wanted to tap into those style attributes in a way that was relevant to our target audience.”

In addition, radio commercials for Fiesta – produced with an urban flair – will air on 132 urban and adult contemporary stations in 78 markets throughout the country.

According to David Rodriguez, Ford Multicultural Communications manager, the small car segment has a high concentration of Hispanic buyers – the largest of any automotive segment -and many of them are bilingual.

“What’s unique about our marketing effort for Fiesta is that we’re focusing on bilingual to Spanish-dominant Hispanic consumers,” said Rodriguez. “Digital advertising will play a key role because we know that Hispanics over-index compared to average consumers on their use of the Internet.”

A combination of portal digital advertising and extensive social media outreach will direct traffic to www.readypatumundo.com (which means “ready for your world” in Spanish). The website provides a consumer-centric introduction to the Fiesta, focusing on SYNC, push-button start and the overall design of the vehicle.

“The website is unique in that the consumer can control how the words will show up in terms of being more Spanish-based or more English-based,” said Rodriguez. “The technology is a first for Ford.”

In addition to digital advertising, Ford will increase Fiesta awareness in the Hispanic community through print and broadcast advertising. The ads, which will be predominantly Spanish with some English phrasing, will run nationally with emphasis in five target markets with the highest concentration of Hispanic small car customers: Los Angeles, Miami, Houston, New York and Chicago.

Foresight Research, a Rochester, Michigan based market research firm specializing in automotive research, has spent more than five years compiling data for its proprietary “2010: Automotive Marketing Return On Investment” study. As part of that study, a detailed examination of the influence of automotive dealerships on the brand and the consumer purchase decision was conducted and returned compelling results.

Over 50% of all new car buyers surveyed reported the dealership experience as being “highly influential in the purchase process”, a figure which places dealership experience higher than any other element in the car buying process for positively influencing sales — including the internet.

“At a time when the dealership network is under increased pressure across the industry, this data clearly supports that no single aspect of the automotive sales and marketing spectrum is more influential than what happens inside the dealership,” said Steve Bruyn, President of Foresight Research.

Of note, 22% of all conquest buyers reported that the experience at the dealership gave them their “first favorable opinion” of the brand they ultimately purchased. “Many buyers visit the dealer early in the shopping process, not just at the end of the process,” Bruyn stated, “so automotive marketers have a big opportunity to win new customers and build brand equity by offering attractive dealership environments.”

67% of respondents surveyed said that an inviting, modern and well-organized showroom were keys to influencing the sale. Brochure availability, financing options, accessorized vehicles and signage were also frequently mentioned as important to influencing the customer to “buy here”.

Of all buyers who were highly and positively influenced by the dealership experience, 90% suggested that their salesperson was professional; 84% noted the salesperson was knowledgeable and 66% noted the salesperson as trustworthy.

Bruyn comments on interesting findings in the report citing, for example, that 42% of all Mercury buyers and 38% of all Lincoln buyers surveyed said that dealership experience provided their first positive brand image during their purchase decision. These figures are nearly double the average of other brands.

“Customers are won at the showroom and creating positive experiences is the job of every automotive marketer and dealer,” said Bruyn. “Our data offers a clear snapshot of how OEMs and dealers currently perform and can provide insight into developing a blueprint for improving purchase influence. The study also contains media and internet habits that can be used to communicate with new car and truck buyers.”