Thomas Ieracitano

Report: Go Like Hell book about Ford beating Ferrari at Le Mans being turned into a movie by Jeff Glucker ( RSS feed ) on May 31st 2011 at 7:59AM Ford versus Ferrari ? These two car companies seemingly have nothing in common today. Back in the 1960s, however, things were a bit different. Ferrari ruled the world of Motorsports, and Ford was vying for a piece of that international glory. Starting in 1960, a Ferrari won the 24 Hours of Le Mans six years in a row. Ford wanted to put a stop to that, and in 1966, the Blue Oval entered the winning GT40 Mk II, which ended Ferrari's amazing streak. That was just the beginning, however, because a Ford GT40 would go on to win at Le Mans for the next three years. The story about these battling automakers was captured in a book written by A.J. Baime, called Go Like Hell. This book takes reader...

First Drive: 2012 Fiat 500C by Jonathon Ramsey ( RSS feed ) on May 25th 2011 at 11:57AM    Pop-top Cinquecento Makes For A Sunny Disposition 2012 Fiat 500C - Click above for high-res image gallery What price the sun? That's the question Fiat is asking potential buyers of its new 500C . All else remaining (mostly) equal, would $4,000 come between you and the chance to have bright, unfiltered Helios riding shotgun? Or, using forty Benjamins to mark your steps, would you gladly throw the money down and do a Tarantella from the $15,500 Fiat 500 to the $19,500 Fiat 500C ? While logic doesn't own a car in this segment, we can say this: Having spent an afternoon whooping it up in the 500C through the winding lanes of upstate New York, wallet aside, when compared to the hardtop model, the 500C is all gain and just a pinprick of pa...

  From: FordDirect Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2011 10:01 AM To: thomas@roberthutson.com Subject: An Important Message from FordDirect This email contains important information about FordDirect. View eMail with Images | Important: Please add email@forddirectemail.com to your safe list.   As Chairman of the FordDirect Board of Directors, I have been a part of this exciting joint venture with Dealers and Ford Motor Co. since the beginning. In Q1 this year FordDirect had its best quarter ever with sales from your FordDirect Internet referrals representing 21.7% of total Ford Motor Company retail sales. The Board and the FordDirect leadership team are wor...

Retailers turn to Facebook to sell their wares By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY More of the world's biggest marketers are selling their stuff at the place where consumers hanker to hang out: Facebook. An Express ad touts the retailer's friendliness to Facebook users. Think of it as the ultimate convenience for a mobile generation that considers it seriously inconvenient to leave Facebook - even for a moment - in order to go to a retailer's website. Now, marketers from Express to J.C. Penney to Delta Air Lines are steering those purchases to their Facebook pages. Within a few years, social media gurus say, the very notion of shopping on a retailer's website will become dated. "Expecting people to come to your website is expecting them to make an extra effort," explains Janet Fouts, a social media coach. "They're already on Facebook." The numbers are dazzling. Facebook has roughly 500 million users - 250 million of whom are on the site every day. The...

High Gas Prices; Raise Your Gas Mileage MPG Gas Prices are continuing to rise at an alarming rate and we have no choice, but to continue paying at the pump. There are a few simple inexpensive things we can do to insure we are getting the best Gas Mileage possible. The easiest and cheapest thing we can do to increase Gas Mileage is to check the tire pressure in our tires. Make sure you have equal amounts in all tires so that your car is not pulling. DO NOT OVER-INFLATE your tires. Inflate your tires to the manufacturers suggested tire pressure. Get a tune up on your car, truck, or SUV and you will be surprised at the increase in fuel mileage. Getting your spark plugs and wires changed, air filter changed, fuel filter, and even an oil change can help your car get better Gas Mileage. Most of these things can be done yourself, but if not, the savings will outweigh the cost over time. If you have other ideas to increase Gas Mileage, please post under...

Best Buy considering EV sales? by Zach Bowman ( RSS feed ) on May 9th 2011 at 3:31PM According to Automotive News , Best Buy has its eyes on jumping into EV sales and service. The consumer electronics giant has been peddling Brammo electric motorcycles for years now and has recently parleyed that experience into garnering contracts to be a distributor and installer of EV chargers for the likes of the Ford Focus Electric and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV . Now the suits in charge apparently want to take the next step by offering full electric vehicles alongside Blu-Ray players and big-screen TVs. The chain has over 1,000 stores that could effectively educate buyers on the products and service them should anything go awry. Right now, Best Buy is said to be in talks with a few EV startup companies, though the retailer hopes to expand those discussions to larger automakers, as well. The idea is that some dealers would rather outsource the hassle of instructin...

Digital Finesse Posted by Lizelle Landino on April 28, 2011 at 7:07am View Lizelle Landino's ADM blog Compare the automotive industry from only a year ago to today or from ten years ago to today and we all will have the conclusion and understanding that this industry is ever changing and evolving.  No longer is the car standing on the lot at a dealership a guarantee for a sale and no longer can you just stare out the window of a dealership waiting for business. Digital shopping and digital living has created a very unique challenge for dealers. It now makes your competition a huge factor on your dealer success. Tools like social media, link building, seo, sem, video optimization actually takes much visibility away from a dealer because they now have to compete for online presence. The biggest mistake car dealers make is using the social media sites as a ...

Ford wages average $8/hour higher than non-union and foreign rivals by Aaron Richardson ( RSS feed ) on May 9th 2011 at 9:29AM In the run up to the next round of negotiations between Ford and the United Auto Workers , the automaker has said it pays workers an average of $8 more per hour than its foreign and non-union rivals. By and large, foreign automakers with U.S. factories employ non-union labor, which helps keep labor costs reigned in. According to the Blue Oval, its cost of labor has risen to $58/hour, while its competitors average $50/hour. The wage gap has persisted even after Ford negotiated concessions with the UAW that cut labor costs by $500 million in 2009. Ford says it will be impossible to sustain a competitive business if it can't close the gap. Worse, Dearborn says the differential could eventually prevent the creation of new jobs. The company's $58/hour wage rate is a three-dollar hike over last year, thanks in large par...

  From: Mike Levine Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2011 6:05 PM Subject: Video: Driving the Mopar Jeep JK-8 Pickup Truck in Moab Video produced by Dan Sanchez and hosted by Mark Williams for PickupTrucks.com We've already written about our time behind the wheel of the Mopar Jeep JK-8 project truck at this year's Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. Now, we've got video of the Jeep pickup you can build in your garage.

  From: Mike Levine Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 5:14 PM Subject: High-Res Photos of Ram's Long-Hauler Released Today, Chrysler released a few high-resolution images of its Ram Long-Hauler concept truck that we reported on earlier . Among the photos is a shot of the interior and Long-Hauler badging on the seat. With a midship fuel tank combined with a frame-mounted tank and an optional bed-mounted auxiliary tank, the Long-Hauler's total fuel capacity is 170 gallons (revised from the 160-gallon figure we initially reported). Interior items designed to help the driver monitor vehicle performance include a rear axle temperature gauge and exhaust gas temperature and boost gauges housed in the center console. The concept truck will be going on a national tour for the next eight months — starting this weekend at the Kentucky Derby — to gauge public interest. The images, along with the tentative show schedule, are below. May 5-7 Kentucky Derby Louisville, K...

  From: Mike Levine Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2011 9:57 AM Subject: GM Donating Chevy Trucks and Money to Tornado Relief Efforts A dozen Chevrolet Silverado crew-cab pickup trucks and $100,000 are headed to the southeastern U.S. to help in places hit hard by devastating tornadoes last week, thanks to a donation by General Motors and the General Motors Foundation. The 12 pickups, plus a GMC Savana full-size van, are due to arrive today at Tuscaloosa Chevrolet in Alabama, the hardest-hit state. From there, they will be distributed to United Ways in western and central Alabama for use in local relief efforts. The General Motors Foundation is providing a $100,000 grant to the American Red Cross. "Chevrolet has a strong commitment to its communities, and we are working with our dealers, our employees, and relief agencies to help people in the southeast recover from the storms," said Alan Batey, vice president of Chevrolet sales and service. "The Silverad...