Iconic, stylish and now unfashionable hood ornaments seem to be going the way of tailfins and the fastback: away. A recent Newsweek article says that Jaguar has gotten rid of it’s cat hood ornament as a standard feature. For an extra $250 you can add the cat back to your Jag.

Mercedes-Benz now has its three point hood ornament on less than one third of its vehicles. Cadillac, Dodge and Mercury have already buried this old relic.

You can check out the TV ads here.

Pretty creative stuff from the land down under.

From TheAdFeed.

What i am shocked at is how far down ebay is. You would think that a company that is so entrenched into the Internet would understand how to sell cars and generate leads online. But that does not seem to be the case.

I am not surprised at Vehix.com being ranked so low. The reason I am not surprised by this has nothing to do with their website. Today was the first time I ever went to their site. It has more to do with these awful commercials I see every time i watch a baseball game.

(Sorry, I couldn’t find a commercial Vehix airs down here, but this spot is a good example of their straightforward boring spots.)

Chrysler recently unveiled its plans to offer wireless internet as an option on all 2009 models.  With UConnect Web, Chrysler becomes the first automaker to include internet access as an option for vehicle purchasers. In a year where sales are down roughly 19%, Chrysler is hoping that the new wireless internet option will provide a much-needed boost.

Admittedly, it seems quite convenient. Emails, maps, news, traffic information and more will be readily available, regardless of your location. The thought of being constantly connected is always comforting.

But is it safe?

In a world of constant distraction, I’m not surprised to find out that the idea is not exactly being welcomed with open arms by all. Spokesman for the California Governor’s Highway Safety Association, Jonathan Adkins, had this to say about wireless internet in vehicles:

“Surfing the Web is something people really don’t have any business doing while they drive. It’s definitely a distraction.”

To counter that concern, Chrysler contends that the while the vehicle is in motion, the service is intended for passenger use only. The company does admit, however, that there’s no way to keep drivers from abusing the ability to speed and surf at the same time.

Wireless internet is undoubtedly convenient, but will it become too much of a distraction when it’s within a drivers’ reach? What are your thoughts?

As a side note, if Adkins thinks that’s dangerous, what will he say about DWM (driving while microwaving)?

One Florida Car dealer, Earl Stewart, owner of Earl Stewart Toyota, stopped adding dealer fees about five years ago, announced today that he will be suing Ed Morse Honda for slander and deceptive trade practices. According to Stewart, Ed Morse ran radio ads accusing Stewart of adding “the equivalent of a dealer fee - or more - in your price where you can’t see it.” The ad does not specifically mention Stewart’s dealership, but he is the only local dealership not charging dealer fees. Read the South Florida Business Journal article for more information. You can also read Earl’s Blog for his point of view.

Here is one of Earl Stewarts TV spots about the elimination of the Florida dealer fees.

*Omni Advertising neither endorses or opposes the inclusion of dealer fees.

GM Employee Discounts

That’s right. GM is bringing back the Employee Discount Pricing campaign to clear their 2008 inventory before the arrival of the new 2009 models. This is a great opportunity for buyers to get many of the GM models across the eight brands at dramatic savings. Chevrolet dealers will have the largest portion of their inventory discounted while Cadillac, Hummer, Saturn and SAAB will have their own discounts. Cadillac will even offer incentives on the CTS.

Check your local GM dealerships for more information about Employee Discounts for Everyone.

It’s an interesting twist on the idea of the added value of service programs and guarantees, something that’s usually hard to show the consumer.
If nothing else, these intangible-turned-invisible extras sure make for a cool visual.

More interesting is the ABC News video detailing GMs desperate thrust to get the Volt completed in time for an expected 2010 release. Some skeptics don’t think that the car can be completed by that time. Of particular concern is the battery technology that will power this totally electric powered car. While battery technology has come a long way recently some wonder if the technology has advanced enough to power a vehicle for 40 miles, never mind the 400+ miles originally hinted at when Volt was first announced.

Even if the Volt should arrive on the showroom floors by the end of 2010, the price tag is expected to be somewhere in the low to mid $30,000 range. This will primarily be due to the cost of the battery itself. Will consumers be willing to put out that kind of cash for a mid sized sedan? We’ll just have to wait and see what the price of gas is in 2010.

But if you don’t have time to read the article, here’s a quick summary.

Basically, Williams argues that offering deep discounts and huge markdowns changes the customer perception of the value of your product. If you slash the price on new car from $17,000 to $14,000, the customer views the vehicle as $14,000 car. Even after the price goes back up, the customer will still view the car as a $14,000 car, not a $17,000 car.

Williams say the best way to woo customers without endangering your brand is to offer more value with your product, like lifetime tires, oil changes, etc. This will attract customers without hurting your brand.

James Jones walked into a Cincinnati-area Chevy dealership and told the salesman he wanted to buy a Silverado. He then produced $8000 worth of quarters, dimes, half-dollars, silver dollars and Susan B. Anthonys, stored in 16 large coffee cans.

Why all the change?

“Paper money will burn, but it is hard to damage coins,” Jones said.

Fair enough. It took the staff 90 minutes to count and sort the hoard of coins; but in the end, Jones drove away in his newly upgraded pickup. 

As a former cashier, I just have one piece of advice to add: don’t get in line behind this guy at the supermarket!