Cash for Clunkers may be dead and gone but that doesn’t mean automakers are stopping the incentives. One such company that shall go unnamed (GM) is really looking to recoup from the recession having recently announced their Satisfaction Guaranteed campaign.

This campaign is simple, buy any Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicle, try it out and if before 60-days is up you find you don’t like the car, return it to your GM dealership for a full refund. Sure, you may not be getting cash back but this campaign, which runs from September 14th to November 30th, is sure to spur sales in GM’s favor.

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What you see above is the image taken for the website for Benny Boyd GM SuperStore, a dealership located in Lamesa, Texas. As you can see, there is a man standing behind a 2010 Chevy Camaro SS giving viewers the birdy, but why?

While there is no telling why this image was put up or who the man is but considering it’s since been taken down we are going to assume it was an accident.

Perhaps the man is telling you that you will basically be giving the whole world the birdie if you buy the car. Then again, maybe not.

via jalopnik

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As we told you yesterday, a large number of New York dealerships are withdrawing from the Cash for Clunkers program because the government has been to slow with their payments. However, to remedy this, GM has announced that they will begin advancing Cash for Clunkers payments to their dealerships.

This advance could be short lived, however, considering the US Government’s recent announcement about bringing the Cash for Clunkers program to a close. We’ll have to wait and see how this one pans out.

Read (Detroid Free Press)

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Way back in October of last year was when we got our first official word that Scion’s iQ would be headed for North American dealerships at some point in the future. At that point, the iQ was slated for a late 2010/early 2011 release. Today however we bring you news from an anonymous Scion dealership who says the vehicle will in fact makes its American debut a few months ahead of its previously announced release date. In fact, the car is now reportedly expected to hit the street sometime in September or October of 2011.

On an alternative note, Toyota has said that they will focus most of Scion’s efforts towards improving the popular tC, effectively explaining why the iQ won’t see the market any sooner.

via autoweek

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Recent reports have emerged that say some dealerships participating in the Cash for Clunkers program are requiring those who trade in a clunker to sign a contract. That may seem like normal practice but this isn’t any normal contract, it’s one that requires the buyers to reimburse the dealer if their clunker isn’t accepted by the US Government.

One such example we have is of a woman in South Carolina who was forced to sign one of these contracts after trading in her clunker and when it was refused by the government, the dealership had her pay $2,500.

We’ll keep you posted as this story unfolds.

Read (LA Times)

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While other automakers are feeling the heat from the jumbled economy, BMW and MINI aren’t feeling the same — The automakers have recently annouced via a press statement that they will be adding 17 new U.S. dealerships expanding the overall network to 100 total.

The increase in dealerships is due to a spike in MINI sales which they hope to increase by expanding their United States’ presence.

The first dealership will open in Birmingham, Alaabama while all of the other dealerships are listed in the press release after the break.

(more…)

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Range Rover In Front of Dealership

The owner of this Range Rover Sport HSE claims he has had nothing but problems with his £50,000 ($82,550) vehicle and took a dig at the automaker and the dealership in Colchester, Essex (UK) by parking his vehicle in front of the dealership with some unflattering remarks about the car. A note on the side of the Rover reads: “If you want trouble free motoring do not buy one of these!!!” while notes on the windows disclose the list of problems the owner faced, “Problems with . . . 6 front ball joints, 4 front arm bushes, new seat base, front and rear n/s [nearside] struts, full n/s suspension unit, anti-roll bar bushes, air con.”

Even though it is parked in front of the dealership, the staff is helpless in getting it removed because it is parked on a public road. The showroom has decided not to reveal the owner’s identity and as part of its “goodwill policy,” Land Rover has offered to help the owner “into a new vehicle.”

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Fiat 500

Many Americans have been hoping the popular Fiat 500 minicar would come to the US but a lack of interest in small cars has largely held it back. Now, with Fiat’s alliance with Chrysler, the Italian auto maker has a gateway to the profitable U.S. market and the first model to arrive will be the 500, although it’s launch is 18 months away.

The Fiat 500 will be sold in Chrysler dealerships, and according to Richard Gadeselli, Fiat’s vice-president of communications, it will be the only Fiat-badged model in the U.S. Marketplace. Fiat is hoping to enjoy similar success with its 500 as BMW did several years ago with Mini.

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In a time where many people are losing both jobs and hope in the economy, Baystate Ford is looking to the furure.  On Tuesday, May 26th, Baystate broke ground for its new state of the art $6 million facility. The MA dealership will provide Ford sales and service to the towns south of Boston. “Most people believe that banks aren’t lending money right now, when in fact they are. TD Bank N.A. committed to provide the financing to make this a reality,” President Frank Lupacchino says.

The move should create about 15 additional jobs for the greater Easton community. “We have confidence that the American economy will come back and will come back strong. The strength of the Ford motor company and its strong future product portfolio of vehicles will make for a winning combination,” Lupacchino says. The entire project is estimated to be complete by March 2010.

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While companies like Rolls-Royce are florishing, companies like GM Canada are doing the exact opposite.

It was recently made known that GM Canada is decreasing their Canadian dealership by some 40%. That’s 245 dealers GM will say goodbye to. Evenworse, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Associations estimates that around 10,000 jobs could and will be affected by these closures.

When will the insanity end?

Read (CBC)

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There are reports that the owners of a New York car dealership, specializing in Bentleys and Aston Martins, have been accused of corporate espionage against rival Ferrari and Maserati dealers. The charges concern some illegal ‘e-mail tapping’ attempted by the Bentley/Aston Martin dealer, in which they gained unauthorized access to a New York Ferrari dealer’s email server about 2,500 times in 8 months last year.

The Bentley/Aston dealers were reading the emails and also contacting customers of Ferrari that were currently negotiating with them. The maximum penalty, if the Bentley/Aston dealer is found guilty, could amount to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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