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2nd annual Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards revealed

There was some absolutely fantastic auto advertising in 2014, ranging from funny to inspiring. Marking the best of it from the past year, the Second Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards were announced during the 2015 Detroit Auto Show (full disclosure: Autoblog was among the award's sponsors, and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Carty was a voter). Unlike previously, there were no brands with dominance over the list this time. Presented by The One Club, the awards have an international scope and hand out honors in a variety of categories. In the Broadcast TV group, there were three winners this year. First, there was The Scripted Life from Audi for the Q3 about breaking out of life's monotony. Also, Dad's Sixth Sense from Hyundai marketed the safety features in the Genesis. Finally, Unbreakable Drivers showed manly men being tested for the Toyota Hilux in Australia. The Online Video prize went to the fantastic The Epic Split spot from Volvo Trucks starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The best Interactive ad was the Honda video titled The Other Side for the Civic Type R, and the Experiential Advertising nod was for the Volkswagen Eyes on the Road clip that showed the dangers of texting and driving to a theater full of moviegoers in Hong Kong. Finally, the Public Choice Award went to the BMW commercial called Hello Future using the words of sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke for the i8. In the award not for videos, Jeep won the Print/Outdoor category for its Upside Down campaign. Check the ads out below, which show different animals when upside down. Also, look farther down for all of the winning videos and read their full announcements. View 3 Photos Automobile Advertising of the Year Winners Announced New York, NY (January 13, 2015) – The One Club (www.oneclub.org), producers of the prestigious One Show Awards and Creative Week, today announced the winners for the 2nd Annual One Show Automobile Advertising of the Year Awards. In partnership with the North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in Detroit, The One Club today unveiled the best automotive ads from around the world in five categories: broadcast TV, online video, interactive, experiential advertising, and print & outdoor. Winners will be presented on-stage at a special event during the NAIAS Press Preview on Tuesday, January 13, 2015, at the Cobo Center in Detroit at 4:55 p.m. The event is sponsored by AOL's Autoblog.

$1.4B hedge fund suit against Porsche dismissed

Investors have canvassed courts in Europe and the US to repeatedly sue Porsche over its failed attempt to take over Volkswagen in 2008 (see here, and here and here), and they have repeatedly failed to win any cases. You can add another big loss to the tally, with Bloomberg reporting that the Stuttgart Regional Court has dismissed a 1.4-billion euro ($1.95B US) lawsuit, the decision explained by the court's assertion that the investors would have lost on their short bets even if Porsche hadn't misled them.
Examining the hedge funds' motives for stock purchases and the bets that VW share prices would fall, judge Carola Wittig said that the funds didn't base their decisions on the key bits of "misinformation," and instead were participating simply in "highly speculative and naked short selling," only to get caught out.
With other cases still pending, the continued streak of victories bodes well for Porsche's courtroom fortunes, since judges will expect new information to consider overturning precedent. If there is any new info, it could come from the potential criminal cases still outstanding against former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking and CFO Holger Härter, who were both indicted on charges of market manipulation.

Volkswagen reportedly to name Matthias Muller CEO

Porsche chief executive officer Matthias Muller is expected to be named CEO of Volkswagen AG, the Wall Street Journal and other sources reported Thursday morning. Muller, 62, has led Porsche since Oct. 1, 2010, and jumpstarted the sports-car brand's expansion around the world. He replaces Martin Winkerkorn, who stepped down Wednesday amid the company's worsening diesel scandal. At least three more executives are also expected to be fired, including Volkswagen's US chief and the heads of Audi and Porsche research and development. Both brands are divisions of VW. A US spokesman wouldn't confirm the reports. An official announcement is expected at VW's board meeting on Friday. Muller's ascension caps a stunning week of turmoil for Volkswagen, which manipulated software to make its diesel-powered vehicles appear cleaner during testing that they are in real-world driving. The charges were revealed last week by the EPA, which cited the work of researchers at West Virginia University. About 482,000 vehicles are affected in the United States, which will be subject to recall, and VW estimates about 11 million of its vehicles around the world have the rigged software. The well-regarded Muller was viewed as a front-runner for the job even before Winterkorn stepped down. Before helming Porsche, he oversaw all vehicle projects globally for VW from 2007-2010. Previously, he was in charge of the Audi and Lamborghini product lines, and earlier in his career was responsible for the Audi A3 program in the 1990s. He joined Audi in 1977. He's trained as a toolmaker and studied information technology in Munich. His last name is sometimes spelled Mueller in English. Muller faces immediate challenges as he takes over VW's sprawling 78-year-old industrial empire, including recalls and regulatory actions around the world. In the US alone, the company faces a fine of up to $18 billion. VW, an industrial symbol of Germany, is also far larger than any unit Muller has run in his career. While Porsche sold 189,849 vehicles in 2014 globally, it's one of many VW brands. Collectively they sold 5.04 million vehicles through the first six months of this year, making Volkswagen the world's largest automaker. Related Video: