Daimler – Page 1588 – I wish I had more to offer

Sinclair Group acquires Pendragon’s Stratstone JLR Swansea dealerships

Sinclair Group has added its first Jaguar franchise and a second Land Rover dealership to its growing portfolio with the acquisition of Pendragon’s Stratstone Jaguar Land Rover Swansea businesses. The South Wales-based AM100 group joined the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) fold in December last year with the acquisition of Likes Land Rover at Hay-on-Wye from… Continue reading Sinclair Group acquires Pendragon’s Stratstone JLR Swansea dealerships

After Harald Krüger, Oliver Zipse takes over driving at BMW

It is once again a “pure BMW product” that the supervisory board of the Bavarian manufacturer has chosen to take the lead of the group, while the challenges accumulate with the slowdown in the global market and expensive investments related to the car from the future. Oliver Zipse will succeed Harald Krüger on August 16th.… Continue reading After Harald Krüger, Oliver Zipse takes over driving at BMW

Daimler’s Accidental Expat Manager on the Move Again

What started in 2000 as a three-year plan to gain some international experience has resulted in a 17-year career as an expat manager for Daimler stalwart Jörg D. Schmidt.Those possibilities have taken Schmidt from Egypt to Singapore, South Africa, Russia, and Hungary.The market itself is more developed in Australia, built on the back of 27 years of uninterrupted economic growth, albeit there are signs it may now be slowing down.

Via Launches ‘COTA Plus’ On-Demand Transit in Partnership with Central Ohio Transit Authority

Published July 18, 2019 3:05 pm, Via NYC
Via Launches ‘COTA Plus’ On-Demand Transit in Partnership with Central Ohio Transit Authority
COTA Plus is Via’s first microtransit deployment in the greater Columbus area, living up to the city’s “Smart Columbus” initiative.

July 18, 2019 (Columbus, Ohio) — Via, the world’s leading provider and developer of on-demand public mobility solutions, today announced a new public transportation deployment in partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), a leading Ohio public transit provider. Called COTA Plus, the new on-demand shared transit network brings dynamic rides to Grove City, a community outside of Columbus experiencing rapid growth and increased need for connections to COTA’s existing fixed-transit system.

“We are thrilled to partner with our innovative partners at COTA to bring Via’s technology to the Columbus area,” said Daniel Ramot, co-founder and CEO of Via. “The COTA Plus service shows how public transportation and technology can work together to make a city smarter. Grove City residents now have a comfortable, convenient, and affordable way to move around. This is truly a great example of a city embracing the future of mobility.”

Developing the future of public transportation with the COTA Plus app comes not long after Columbus competed against 77 cities nationwide to win the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge. The DOT tasked Columbus with developing an “integrated, first-of-its-kind smart transportation system that would use data, applications, and technology to help people and goods move more quickly, cheaply, and efficiently.” Now three years later, COTA’s on-demand deployment in Grove City is yet another embodiment of the region’s dedication to developing the city of tomorrow.

Using the COTA Plus app, riders are able to hail a shuttle directly from their smartphone. Via’s advanced algorithms will enable multiple riders to seamlessly share the vehicle. The powerful technology will direct passengers to a nearby virtual bus stop within a short walking distance for pick up and drop off, allowing for quick and efficient shared trips without lengthy detours, or inconvenient fixed routes and schedules.

“There is increased demand for greater mobility options across many of our Central Ohio communities, including Grove City,” said Joanna M. Pinkerton, President/CEO of COTA. “COTA Plus was designed with input from multiple stakeholders, including the city and area businesses, who have identified mobility challenges as a barrier to employment, healthcare, and education. We are proud to pilot this innovative service under the unique COTA Plus brand, and to work with public and private entities in the future to solve mobility challenges.”

Commuters can use the service by downloading the COTA Plus smartphone app powered by Via, available on iOS and Android, or even by calling (614) 308-4400. Users can book rides anywhere within the defined zone in Grove City. The on-demand deployment connects riders to the Southpark Industrial Park, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank and the new Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital.

“COTA and Grove City have a long history of working together and successfully addressing the ever-changing transportation needs of our growing community,” said Mayor Richard L. “Ike” Stage. “The COTA Plus program is an innovative and welcome pilot for our current mobility challenges, further illustrating the strength of our partnership.”

Customers who book a trip with COTA Plus will not pay additional fare if connecting to fixed-route service (COTA Lines 3 & 61). If a customer books a COTA Plus trip point-to-point without using COTA bus service, they will pay a $3 fare. All COTA Plus fare must be paid through the app. Cash will not be accepted by the operator.

Via has been tapped by cities and transportation players around the world to help re-engineer public transit from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via now has more than 80 launched and pending deployments in nearly 20 countries, providing more than sixty million rides to date. To learn more about Via, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.

About Via
Via is re-engineering public transit, from a regulated system of rigid routes and schedules to a fully dynamic, on-demand network. Via’s mobile app connects multiple passengers who are headed the same way, allowing riders to seamlessly share a premium vehicle. First launched in New York City in September 2013, the Via platform operates in the United States and in Europe through its joint venture with Mercedes-Benz Vans, ViaVan. Via’s technology is also deployed worldwide through dozens of partner projects with public transportation agencies, private transit operators, taxi fleets, private companies, and universities, seamlessly integrating with public transit infrastructure to power cutting-edge on-demand mobility. For more information, visit www.platform.ridewithvia.com.

Transport app FlixMobility gets Germany’s biggest tech funding round to drive growth

FRANKFURT/MUNICH (Reuters) – Transport app FlixMobility has raised around 500 million euros ($561 million) in Germany’s biggest tech funding round to date to back investments in its expansion, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Jochen Engert, founder and CEO of German mobility platform FlixBus that runs bus and train services, poses for a… Continue reading Transport app FlixMobility gets Germany’s biggest tech funding round to drive growth

VW pounds another nail in the coffin of the station wagon, drops Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack

Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen Alltrack seen at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. (Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Michael Brochstein | LightRocket | Getty ImagesAs it gets ready to wrap up the 2019 model year, Volkswagen says it will drop both the Golf SportWagen and Golf Alltrack models from its lineup.
The move announced Wednesday comes as a major blow to station wagons, a body style that was ubiquitous in the years when baby boomers were still in knee pants, but which has all but vanished in today's SUV-crazed market.
“SUVs have definitely assumed the mantle of family haulers from the station wagons and minivans we remember from our childhoods,” said Scott Keogh, president and CEO of Volkswagen of America.
2018 Buick Regal Tour XSource: General MotorsNot a wagonThe list of wagons has grown steadily thinner over the last several decades, with only one now offered by the Detroit-based manufacturers that produced them by the millions in the 1950s, 1960s and into the 1970s. Buick has a station wagon it doesn't even call a wagon, hoping it can generate more enthusiasm by dubbing it the Regal TourX.
Volvo, a brand long associated with wagons, has taken the same approach with some of its models. If you want the V60 it announced last year, you will have to special order the compact wagon. It has had more success by taking some models, boosting their height, adding SUV-style cladding and dubbing them with names like the V90 Cross Country.
The luxury market was one of the last bastions for wagon fans. But even there, the market is fading out. BMW decided not to bring the new wagon version of its updated 3 Series to the U.S. this year, and Jaguar is widely expected to phase out its XF Sportbrake which got little momentum out of using the British term for wagon.
Demand tumblesVolkswagen had been intent on remaining in the segment but the sales numbers just couldn't support a sound business case.
For all of 2018, the German automaker sold a grand total of just 14,123 Golf SportWagens, a 47% decline. Demand tumbled another 36% for the first seven months of this year, averaging out to barely 750 of the wagons a month. The Alltrack faced a similar decline.
By comparison, U.S. sales of Volkswagen's various SUVs rose 12% through the end of July, despite the phaseout of the original Touareg model. And it is planning to add three more SUVs by 2021, including the five-seat Atlas Cross Sport, the all-electric ID. Crozz and a subcompact that has not yet been named.
“Consumers want utility vehicle and so, for the U.S. market, automakers are adding more of them while taking wagons away,” said Stephanie Brinley, principle auto analyst with IHS Markit.
The 2020 Subaru Outback is revealed at the 2019 New York International Auto Show in New York City, April 17, 2019.Shannon Stapleton | ReutersSubaru's committedThere still are some options for wagon fans, including the Buick Regal TourX, Volvo V90 and, for the moment, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake. Mercedes-Benz offers several versions of the E-Class, including the high-performance AMG E63 S Wagon. Porsche has a wagon version of the four-door Panamera, the Sport Turismo, and Mini offers the Cooper Clubman /S.
But no manufacturer remains more committed to the body style than Subaru, with three different models: the Outback, Crosstrek and Impreza.
With the vultures circling around the Jaguar, observers are wondering which of these current offerings might be the next to fall by the side of the road. Brinley doesn't see much life left in the segment, but she doesn't think automakers are ready to give up entirely.
They've tried coming up with more appealing names, like TourX and Sportbrake. But they've also been tinkering with hybrid designs that are meant to blend the best of wagon and utility vehicle. So far, that hasn't worked very well, with models like the Accord CrossTour, Acura ZDX, BMW 5-Series GT and Toyota Venza failing to click with consumers.
“They haven't found the right answer to that fill-in-the-gap question,” she said, “but they're likely to keep trying.”

Future of Sales: “Best Customer Experience 4.0”

18.

July 2019

Stuttgart/The Hague

Press Contact (1)

Evelyn Schwedes

International Business Communications
Sales & After Sales Mercedes-Benz Cars

evelyn.schwedes@daimler.com

Tel: +49 711 17-49903

Fax: +49 711 17790-84965

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“Best Customer Experience 4.0” – Fact sheet including quotes by Britta Seeger: The most important facts on “Best Customer Experience 4.0” of Mercedes-Benz

Stuttgart/The Hague, Jul 18, 2019

“Best Customer Experience 4.0” – Press Presentation in The Hague: Kick-Off for the luxury experience 4.0: Mercedes-Benz presents the next chapter of the global sales strategy “Best Customer Experience”

Stuttgart/The Hague, Jul 18, 2019

REFILE-UPDATE 1-Volvo Cars to cut costs as trade war dents profits

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Volvo on Thursday announced plans to cut fixed costs by 2 billion Swedish crowns ($214 million), becoming the latest carmaker to warn that pricing pressure and tariffs arising from the China-U.S. trade war were denting profitability. FILE PHOTO: A long exposure picture shows cars of Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo displayed in front… Continue reading REFILE-UPDATE 1-Volvo Cars to cut costs as trade war dents profits

Volvo Cars to cut costs as trade war dents profits

UPDATE 1-Volvo Cars to cut costs as trade war dents profits

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Volvo on Thursday announced plans to cut fixed costs by 2 billion Swedish crowns ($214 million), becoming the latest carmaker to warn that pricing pressure and tariffs arising from the China-U.S. trade war were denting profitability. FILE PHOTO: A long exposure picture shows cars of Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo displayed in front… Continue reading UPDATE 1-Volvo Cars to cut costs as trade war dents profits