Lehigh Valley Auto Dealers

Your Allentown auto dealers are interested to know what you have to say about the increased cost that went into effect yesterday on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

The 25 percent cost increase is the first one in five years for the PA Turnpike. So far, drivers aren’t reacting positively to the increase, either. Shawn Pratt of Allentown, PA had this to say: “I just think its [sic] another way for the state to try and get more money out of us. I think it’s probably because the economy is not doing so great.”

The increase means travelers are now paying 95 cents to travel on the turnpike instead of the 75 cents they used to pay. If they are going the entire distance of the turnpike, they will pay a total of $35. Officials say the cost increase will bring another $120 million in the next couple years. That money will be used for repairing the turnpike and other road repairs throughout the state. In 2010, the rates are going to increase by another three percent.

If you’re doing a lot of driving on the turnpike, why not enjoy it with a new or certified vehicle from your Lansdale area Honda dealer? With the money you’ll save, you can offset the increase in prices for the turnpike!

Officials in New Jersey report that 541 people died on the state’s roads between January and November of 2008. That might not sound like good news, but it is 126 fewer deaths than the same period in 2007. In addition to that, New Jersey traffic deaths dropped from 771 in 2006 to 724 in 2007, representing a decrease of about seven percent.

New Jersey’s governor – Jon S. Corzine – said one of the reasons for the declines is the “aggressive enforcement of [the state's] highway safety laws and stepped-up public education campaigns with reducing fatalities.”

In addition to enforcement, the report given to the state’s legislature also showed that seat belt usage is at about 92 percent, which is an all-time high for the state.

Your Allentown auto dealers are pleased with the new findings. We want everybody to stay safe on the roadways and the declining number of deaths shows that we are going a step in the right direction. Since the roads are becoming safer and drivers are becoming more conscious about their actions, you can feel better about driving a new car off the lot of your Lansdale area Honda dealer. Check one out today and drive safely!

As the year comes to a close, many car companies are looking back on the year that was 2008 and grimacing in pain. Indeed, there are few exceptions to this as 2008 was as brutal a year for economics as we’ve experienced in a long, long time.

But everything changes and nothing stays the same, or so the story goes. With 2008 on its way out and 2009 on its way in, you can bet that car companies are looking ahead to the possibilities of a new year and a new set of challenges. Honda is no different and 2009 is looking to be an interesting year for one of the truly innovative car companies on the planet.

With a focus on green technology and other goodies, Honda looks to offer consumers something extra this coming year. Featuring future concept vehicles like the FC Sport and the Honda Insight, the car company is greeting 2009 with enthusiasm and caution. Much like other car companies, Honda is focused on the future with a clear sense of direction. Whether or not the economy will cooperate is, of course, another detail altogether.

Usher in 2009 in style and drop by your local Honda dealer today for a great deal of one of the best cars in the industry.

As we near the end of our brief but incredible series on Honda’s marketing history, it’s interesting to note the direction the company is heading in the future. In these economic times, it is difficult to imagine marketing campaigns that cost a lot. Perhaps it will be quite a while before we see an advertisement the likes of which Honda ran a few years ago.

Honda’s focus now appears to be on keeping things green and keeping things small. By marketing with a focus on small cars and environmentally-friendly vehicles, Honda is telling consumers that it cares about the environment and where the world is headed. And by doing this, Honda broadens its customer base on tough times.

Even better, Honda’s future looks to have a firm focus on getting behind as many green initiatives as possible and marketing the death out of them. In such a way, Honda will flood the market with green products and will hopefully lead the charge in the New Green Revolution in the automotive industry. As Honda realizes that car companies need to change in order to keep up with the times, their growth will be interesting to watch.

For more on Honda’s greener initiatives, check out your local Doylestown Honda dealer today.

Perhaps one of the most popular advertisements in Honda’s collection is the Impossible Dream commercial.

A panoramic commercial running around two minutes, the Impossible Dream commercial first aired on December 2, 2005, in the United Kingdom. The commercial was meant to start off a “Power of Dreams” advertising campaign for the company and and included information that would link viewers to a website that would continue the campaign’s spirit. 

The commercial was guided by the Andy Williams song “Impossible Dream” and featured a man singing, riding, and driving along various locations. The actor (Simon Day) took Honda vehicles across tracks in Japan, to shorelines and coastlines in New Zealand, and to waterfalls in South America. He uses a series of vintage Honda vehicles, starting with a minibike and ending with a powerboat that leaps off the edge of a waterfall and emerges from the mist with a hot-air balloon with, you guessed it, a Honda logo.

Advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy London were responsible for the commercial, which scooped Honda a Television Advertisement of the Year award at the British Television Advertisement awards. 

Commercials like Impossible Dream were a part of Honda’s attention to marketing. More often than not, Honda wanted to set themselves apart from the competition with advertisements that would feature more than a simple product pitch. In Impossible Dream, Honda did just that.

The Impossible Dream can still be felt down to every single Honda dealer outlet.

The official slogan for Honda as a company is, perhaps aptly, “The Power of Dreams.” The slogan is not used to sell products, however, but rather as more of a corporate mantra. There was a belief that company founder Soichiro Honda believed that the vehicles would sell themselves because of their pure quality and design. For quite some time, most of Honda’s better marketing campaigns only appeared in smaller markets and larger markets were generally ignored or given less commercials.

Soichiro’s vision for his company certainly fueled the way the company operated and it continues to infuse the car company with its foundation. 

One popular Honda advertisement came in 2003 when the company released the famed Cog advertisement in the United Kingdom. The advertisement featured a Rube Goldberg machine constructed entirely out of Honda Accord parts. The commercial depicts a single cog setting off a chain of events that culminate in the image of a moving and operating Accord and the host of A Prairie Home Companion stating “Isn’t it nice when things just work?”

The commercial worked because it was innovative and provide consumers with a look at how much care and detail goes into a single Honda Accord. It also drew attention to the importance of every single cog in the wheel, so to speak. In this sense, Honda was saying more about their company than their products.

For more on Honda’s marketing, drop by your local Honda dealer in Pottstown and have a look around.

As we enter the core of the holiday season, perhaps nothing has become more holiday-related than commercials. With that in mind, we thought now would be a good time to start taking a look at just how Honda has marketed their vehicles in the past and how they are looking forward to marketing in the future.

In today’s economic climate, commercials and marketing are more important than ever. While commercials may not sway people with minimal income or very little interest in buying a Honda vehicle, marketing is as important an aspect in a successful automotive company as the products themselves. Honda has started several initiatives that serve two purposes: to sell cars and to improve the company’s profile in the community.

By dedicating time to environmental issues and promotions that are related to the modern desires of the consumer, Honda has emerged as an environmentally-friendly company. While there is no reason to suggest that this is not a pure motivation from the company, it would be foolish to suggest that it was not designed with marketing and profit in mind. 

Honda’s initiatives to be “greener” are nothing new. Car companies often follow trends and social mores, with some even leading the way. The plus side is that a truly responsible car company, like Honda, can use these powers for “good.”

The negative side is, of course, that the only true motivation could be profit. In terms of your average Honda dealer in Doylestown, however, that simply isn’t the case.

In a move that screams confidence, Honda’s president is aiming for profit in 2009. Yes, that’s right…profit. Actual profit!

Is this man crazy or just oblivious to the current economic struggles? Turns out neither. Honda’s head said that he believed that profit was possible and that it was a goal for 2009, but he also asserted that the strong yen could prompt the “hollowing out” of the Japan industry. Within this context, Takeo Fukui told reporters that his company would not adjust the 2008-2009 profit projections. If they hit them, they hit them. If they miss, they miss.

Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Honda is setting realistic goals and reacting to the industry with confidence. That should spur consumer confidence in Honda, in turn, and may actually result in a relatively decent year in 2009 should the industry be able to pull at least partially out of this freefall. Of course, that all remains to be seen and top brass at companies like Honda are hoping for the best.

Regardless of what Santa brings this Christmas, most car companies remain in quite a bit of trouble. Honda is no exception, but at the very least the car company is looking ahead to the future with a plan. From Allentown auto to markets in Pottstown, every Honda dealer is hoping for the best.

Once again the Honda Civic has proven itself to be the favourite of car thieves operating in Canada. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has just released its list of the top stolen vehicles of 2008 and, for the second year in a row, two models of the Honda Civic have made the list.

The 1999 and 2000 Honda Civic SiRs both topped the list of most stolen vehicles in Canada for 2008. The cars, both two door models from Honda, have made the list because they’re “easier to steal” according to IBC vice president of investigations Rick Dubin. ”It doesn’t have a theft-protection system. (It’s) a sporty car, very desirable,” he said.

In third place on the list was the 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX/WRX STi 4-door AWD, with fourth place going to the 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Grand Caravan/Voyager, and fifth place to the 1995 Dodge/Plymouth Caravan/Voyager.

Much of the problem with stolen cars is that organized crime rings are targetting certain models. There are measures that car owners can take in order to prevent their cars from being stolen, of course. Locking doors, leaving valuables out of the car, using an anti-theft device, and parking the car in a safe area are all good ideas in preventing theft.

Whether you live in Canada or Doylestown, you can rest assured that thieves will be targetting that special present you got for yourself at the local Honda dealer. Keep your eye on it, lock your doors, and be safe out there.

After Honda withdrew from Formula One competition amid recession fears and economic struggles, the auto racing series will cut its own costs by 30% to try to help the industry. There will also be a ban on in-season testing to help environmental issues and raise the profile of the company in terms of responding to the global warming crisis.

With the world seemingly in crisis mode, Formula One is hoping that it can gain some of its profile back and become a solid option for entertainment in these trying times. 

The measures were backed by the teams two days ago and were approved by the FIA, which is F1’s governing body, today. It is expected that the measures may help support a series that gets most of an estimated $1.6 billion annual investment from five carmakers. The companies race in Formula One to promote their brands and hope to raise their company profiles as well by participating in these measures of change. 

If F1 gets their act together, it is possible that other racing bodies will follow. With NASCAR and others representing other carmakers and their products, it is likely that the pull will be felt everywhere.

With this move largely set in motion by the departure of Honda, one wonders how it will impact the individual Honda dealer outlets around the United States. Dealerships from Doylestown to those Allentown auto dealers will have to make the proper adjustments to remain competitive as well, with or without the additional boost of promotions from Formula One racing.