Car sales steady, Toyota Advances.

DETROIT -- The Detroit 3 surrendered more market share in August as sales incentives and gains by Asian automakers kept overall sales steady, analysts said today, a day before car makers release monthly U.S. sales results.
The results will provide a gauge of the pressures facing the Detroit 3 and an indication of the strength of U.S. consumer demand in the face of higher interest rates and a slowing housing market.
Overall U.S. auto sales on a seasonally adjusted and annualized basis are expected to be near 16.8 million units.
That would be down from 17.2 million units in July but up slightly from 2005 when sales softened as sweeping discount programs from earlier in the summer ended, analysts said.
Toyota Motor Corp., which surpassed Ford Motor Co. as the No. 2 player in the U.S. market in July, is seen on track for another strong month of sales gains due to its gains in the growing market for more fuel-efficient cars.

                                                                                       Another sign of the continued Strength of the Asian Automakers,

this proves once again why G.M. and Ford must turn up the heat

and remain competitive, sorry but after some twenty plus years

of competition, there is no more room to maneuver, either put out fantastic products that are successful the first time around or risk loosing more market share.

     J.

G.M. will no longer sponsor survivor

General Motors, one of the first sponsors of CBS's reality TV hit "Survivor," is pulling its advertising from the program for the upcoming season, Television reported today.
A GM spokesperson said today that the company made the decision about three months ago. The decision isn't related to the format of next season's "Survivor" competition, which will pit four tribes of different races and ethnicities against one another, the spokesperson said.
Sponsoring the show no longer fits GM's business objectives, the spokesperson said. It was difficult to integrate the company's products into a show that is set on an island, the spokesperson said, adding: "It's been a great relationship with the show."

 

Good news to hear, I could never make the connection between this show and General Motors product line, now lets throw some more money into sponsoring desperate Housewives, or The amazing race,

which is a great way to showcase several vehicles in their product

lines.

 

J.

Camry's are Hot

Dealers have a slim 10-day supply of the redesigned 2007 Toyota Camry, which hit dealerships in March. The Georgetown, Ky., plant is running overtime and weekend shifts. Sales executives are begging for the Japanese Camry plant to export more. The car has no incentives.

 

It appears that Toyota dealers can't keep enough of the redesigned

Camry in stock, this is the kind of problem every car company should

have.

 

J.