Automobiles:
Sales Pitch Is A Way With Words

By Johnny McDonald

We’re hit by advertising slogans from the time we read the morning paper to those radio and television commercials throughout the day and evening. Can’t escape them.

Do clever words, jingles, scenery; pretty ladies and artwork sweep us up? Or are we not really sidetracked at all?

Automobile companies hire high-dollar advertising agencies to spend hours to drum up ways to grab a potential car buyer. Sway ’em with choice and clever words.

It’s always fun to see industries’ new approaches in pitching performance, style, comfort and the like. Get ’em in the showroom.

In view of current, frustrating days at the gas pumps, Volkswagen and Honda had the proper methods. The “Bug” people came up with “Volkswagen: Relieves gas pains,” while Honda’s was “Honda Civic: Better gas mileage. A Civic responsibility.”

Others dealt with driving, like Ford’s “Have you driven a Ford lately?”; Pontiac’s “We are driving excitement”; Fiat’s “Driven with passion”; and BMW’s “The ultimate driving machine.”

Confidence was personified with Mercedes’ “Unlike any other” or Buick’s “Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick” and Chrysler’s “Inspiration comes standard.”

With a degree of excitement, try Dodge’s “Grab Life by the Horns,” Toyota’s “Oh, what a feeling” and Chevy’s “See the USA in a Chevrolet.”

Jaguar said it simply — “Jaguar: Grace. Space. Pace.”

Elegant Rolls Royce identified its smooth performance thusly: “At 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in a new Rolls Royce is the electric clock.”

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There’s a growing force of sports car owners who like to relive the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s in various competitions throughout the country.

Most here identify with Monterey’s Laguna Seca’s Historic Races and the fall speed show at North Island (Oct. 8-9).

They roll out the Can-Ams, Corvettes, Porsches, Mustangs, Jags and Cad Allards for another flash of glory.

A Palo Alto publication called Vintage Racing has become the bible for this activity, offering full reports from the nation’s tracks.

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Yahoo Autos lists the Ford Mustang over the Mercedes Benz C Class as the most popular coupe.

Others in the top four were Mini Cooper, Chevrolet Cobalt and Ferrari’s 360 Modena.

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Wheel Spins — Motor Trend magazine reports that General Motors intends to develop and build hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles in China with its local partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Group. The agreement includes clean-vehicle technology...Cadillac has introduced a hot-rod version of the STS, the division’s newest product. It will be a 32-valve, four-cam Northstar V8 energized by Roots-type supercharger. Top speed 165 mph... There is one report that because of poor attendance (8,500) at Phoenix International Speedway’s Indy Racing League race last March, track officials might not want them back next year.