Japanese, U.s. Automakers Head-to-head

By: Anthony Fontanelle

General Motors Corp. and the Ford Motor Co. are searching for their more rewarding niche in the auto industry. The domestic automakers are launching a head-to-head challenge against Japanese companies to close the gap between them.

The latest round of the challenge is Saturn's side-by-side-by-side campaign. Saturn, a division of GM, will be displaying the hot-selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord beside its Aura. The comparison begins this week as Saturn places the Aura in 435 showrooms. Customers will be invited to drive the Japanese vehicles along with the Aura. The side-by-side-by-side campaign, part of Saturn's 'Rethink American,' will run through July 31.

The Aura has debuted as a concept car at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The production model of the car was shown at the 2006 New York Auto Show. The production of the Aura started in summer last year. The car is part of the renaissance program of Saturn and is aimed at making the division more competitive and profitable.

The Aura is equipped with the , a 3.6 L V6, 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission and a bunch of exciting equipment and amenities. The Aura, based on the GM Epsilon platform, is built at the Kansas City, Kansas, Fairfax Assembly plant.

"We look at this as a chance to spotlight our product as well as show people that our shopping process is easy," said Brian Brockman, a Saturn rep. "We know that we compare favorably to the Camry and the Accord. We just want people to know that we can do what the competition can do, and more."

Dealers are acquiring the Japanese brand product either through auction, rental or new car purchase, Brockman said. "We also have some POP things, direct mail, banners that they can activate," he said.

Dealers, who have long brought the product of the competition into showrooms, are satisfied with the face-off prospect of the new campaign. "This is working more to appeal to the emotional side by now," said Ray Lawson, the general manager of Saturn of Clarence in Buffalo, N.Y. "To me, if people are looking at the Camry, let's embrace it. And rather than lining up the statistics, let's have them see the cars next to each other, then drive them and feel them."

Ford in February came out with the "Fusion Challenge," in which driving tests compared the Fusion with the Camry and the Accord. The Fusion placed ahead in several areas, including handling. Ford officials said that more direct comparison ads are coming.

GM has also asked Chevrolet dealers to place a Camry in showrooms when the 2008 Malibu becomes available early next year. "And it's worked," said Art Spinella, the president of CNW Marketing in Bandon, Ore. "One of the hardest things to change is perception of a brand, and this is just good, aggressive marketing. Detroit is its own worst enemy sometimes. The reality is that GM offers some cars that get great gas mileage. That being the case, comparison against Honda and Toyota is essential." In 2006, Saturn's ad accounted for $209 million.

It can be recalled that in the 70s, Japan's Big Three, composed of the Toyota Motor Corp., the Honda Motor Co. and the Nissan Motor Co., launched their own comparison ads. Their campaign named Ford and GM. The domestics were said to be of poor in performance and fuel economy.

The 'get tough' approach of the domestic automakers is illuminating their standing in the industry. Additionally, Ford's Fusion and the Saturn Aura are two of the better attempts from Detroit. No wonder sales are up 30 percent at Saturn and up 15 percent for the Fusion year over year.

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