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China's largest dealer body pushes back against foreign automakers over huge inventories

Do not think for a second that automakers forcing inventory on dealers in order to pad the numbers is a ruse known only in the US. Stories of individual brands have hinted at the trouble Chinese dealerships are having trying to move units as the country's economic growth remains hot but comes off the boil, like the one revealing that 95 percent of Toyota-FAW showrooms are losing money. Yet Toyota isn't the only culprit, and the issue has become so dire that the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), the largest dealer body in the country, has written to the government to complain. Chinese car sales are expected to close out the year with an annualized growth of six-percent, down from last year's 14 percent when targets were set, while in the background the pace of overall economic expansion is the slowest its been since the early nineties. Automakers, shipping cars on schedule to make their earlier targets, have blown up inventories such that they are an average of 1.8 times monthly sales, when the preferred multiplier is from 0.9 to 1.2. According to the CADA, the price wars and necessary incentives mean that only 30 percent of dealers are operating in the black. That number is down a whopping forty percent since 2010. In response, Toyota has already said it will not make its 2014 target of 1.1 million cars sold. We're a long way from 2012, when Toyota planned on selling 1.8 million cars in China in 2015, a target that's now as realistic as a manticore. BMW, Honda and Nissan have erased numbers on their spreadsheets, too; BMW growth dropped from 20 percent to 8 percent midyear after it began "reducing wholesale supplies," and Honda has been reworking its plans as sales have decreased each of the past six months. It's a big deal for Chinese dealers to begin protesting publicly, the CADA saying, "In the past, dealers were angry, but dared not speak out. But now, they have to shout because the situation is getting so unbearable." With six-percent growth forecast for next year and dealers unwilling to remain underwater, The Year of the Sheep coming in 2015 could portend meaning beyond the zodiac. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong BMW Honda Nissan Toyota Car Buying Car Dealers

2013 Honda Civic WTCC is ready for racing

Drumming up a little excitement for the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship, Honda brought its new Civic WTCC car to the bright lights of Geneva for all to see. Honda joined WTCC late last year entering the final three races. The racing outfit will run this year's entire 12-round season, which kicks off later this month in Italy.
In the off-season, Honda made a few updates to its WTCC entry including better aerodynamics, improved suspension and braking and numerous engine and turbo enhancements. Two teams will field the new Civic racecar in this year's season: Honda Racing Team JAS and a private team from Hungary, Zeng"o Motorsport.
Fans of the WTCC in the US will be pleased to know that series makes a return visit to Sonoma Raceway on September 8 for the Race of the United States.

2016 Honda Pilot, Acura RDX confirmed for Chicago Auto Show debut

The Chicago Auto Show this year is going to be chock-full of Honda crossovers. Not only has Japanese automaker announced that it will be revealing the all-new Pilot at the Windy City expo, but that it will also preview the styling of the next Ridgeline pickup, while its luxury counterpart Acura takes the wraps off the new RDX. Developed and built in America, the new Pilot will be entering its third generation, after the first arrived in 2002 and the second in 2008. The new model previewed in the teaser image above will include eight seats across three rows, "with new technology, advanced safety, class-leading fuel economy and enhanced family utility and versatility," all wrapped in what Honda promises will be a "dramatic shift in design." The arrival of the third-generation model follows the recent introductions of the new CR-V and HR-V that slot below the Pilot. Honda's not saying much about the Ridgeline at this point, but given its close association with the Pilot, it's not surprising to see the automaker grouping the two together. The four-door, short-bed pickup was introduced in 2005 and was discontinued with the end of last year. The second-generation model is expected to reach production in 2016. While it's at it, Honda's luxury division will reveal the new 2016 Acura RDX at the Chicago show. Not to be confused with the Pilot-based MDX, the RDX is the smaller model based on the CR-V and introduced in 2006. The second-gen RDX was just introduced in 2013, but an updated version is already being rolled out, promising to deliver "a long list of styling and performance improvements plus desirable new luxury and safety features" and encompassing "important improvements to performance, dynamics, comfort and NVH." ALL-NEW 2016 HONDA PILOT SUV TO MAKE GLOBAL DEBUT AT 2015 CHICAGO AUTO SHOW Honda to fortify light-truck leadership on Feb. 12 by debuting all-new Pilot three-row SUV, and revealing the styling direction for future Ridgeline pickup Jan 21, 2015 - TORRANCE, Calif. -- A completely reengineered and redesigned Honda Pilot SUV will make its world debut at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show on February 12 at 9:30 a.m. The all-new, eight-passenger Pilot SUV – completely designed, developed and manufactured in America -- will raise the stakes in the mainstream three-row SUV segment with new technology, advanced safety, class-leading fuel economy and enhanced family utility and versatility.