Report: Akerson: GM Marketing a group effort

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Marketing/Advertising, GM

Joel Ewanick split, and many suspected he was forced out the door of the Renaissance Center by General Motors Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. We may never know if the move was a result of anger in the boardroom, but Akerson took the time during GM's quarterly earnings conference call to point out that GM Marketing is more than one man.

"The fundamental approach is, no change" said Chief Financial Officer Dan Ammann, making earlier statements about Ewanick's conduct not meeting the expectations of General Motors seem all the more personal. On a strictly professional basis, a deal with two English soccer teams and unfavorable advertising metrics, not to mention market share loss, have been cited as reasons for Ewanick's ouster.

Curiously, though, in the face of what seem to be plenty of examples of missed expectations and the need for a revamp, Akerson defends the automaker's strategy, which was presumably presided over by Ewanick. "I know a lot of public views this as a personality-driven industry," clarified Akerson, "It's a team effort. What you saw in the marketplace was a thought-out strategy that was agreed upon as a team." Firing the coach is a common move for teams that don't win, for sure, but taking a business-as-usual approach doesn't tend to clinch victories, and advertising decided upon by a committee tends to only excite said committee.

Akerson: GM Marketing a group effort originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Exclusive: A look inside the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory

Filed under: Concept Cars, Technology, Volkswagen, Design/Style


Manufacturers realized long ago that the most effective way to leverage niche talent was to embed a team in the heart of the segment. From surfboard makers to chocolatiers, firms relocated offices to seek specific talents and a better local feel.

Automakers jumped on the bandwagon too. Southern California, long recognized for its fanatical car culture, became a mecca for automakers seeking to get a better taste of the region's motor vehicle passion. In no time, automakers had established Southern California design studios in places like Camarillo (Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center), Newbury Park (BMW DesignworksUSA) and San Diego (Nissan Design America). Cars like the BMW "E46" 3 Series, Nissan 370Z and Volvo's S80 are products of those facilities.

Today, with innovative electronics and forward thinking every bit as important as design, automakers are maneuvering to get a jump on the next big innovation. No place on the planet is more synonymous with high tech than Northern California's Silicon Valley. Located in Belmont, in the heart of the region, is the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory. Established in August of 1998 with just three employees, the lab is tasked with "developing innovation and technologies for future generations of cars and to transfer technologies from many industries into the automotive domain." Just think of it as VW's version of Walt Disney Imagineering, but for automotive geeks.

The automaker recently invited us north to take a tour of its facility, touted as the Volkswagen Group's largest research facility outside of Germany. Read on to learn more about what we saw.
Continue reading A look inside the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory

A look inside the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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