In San Jose, Buy A House, Get A Tesla (Forbes)
Real estate agents are always thinking up novel ways to sell homes, throwing brunches, cocktail parties, and offering interior design services. Now, a realtor in San Jose is offering a Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model S to the person who buys a $1.35 million home. The house, on Koch Lane in the Willow Glen neighborhood, has an airy back patio, four bedrooms and three bathrooms. And, it’s in a desirable part of San Jose. But it is what will be parked in the driveway that is getting the most attention. Listing agent Avis Garoutte told KGO-TV that the offer of the electric sedan has drawn a lot of interest. “‘Is it true that there’s a Tesla with the house? Well I’ve got to come and see that,’” said Garoutte.
GM appoints executive to lead Chevrolet’s global operations (MLive.com)
A longtime General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) executive will lead Chevrolet’s global operations. The Detroit-based automaker today announced the appointment of Alan Batey as senior vice president, Global Chevrolet. The 50-year-old executive will also serve as the head of U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing for Chevrolet, Buick and GMC. In his global Chevrolet role, Batey will report to GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. In his U.S. Sales, Service and Marketing role, he will report to Mark Reuss, president, GM North America.
Ford’s hopes in India rest on SUV launch (Financial Times)
It isn’t every day that a $2bn investment rides on a single car launch in India, but on Wednesday executives at Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) will wait nervously to see if their latest model will justify the company’s heavy spending in Asia’s third-largest economy. Against a backdrop of fast-falling domestic sales and numerous vehicle flops, the US-based automaker is effectively relaunching its underwhelming Indian strategy in New Delhi as it unveils the EcoSport, the company’s first India-built sport utility vehicle. The launch is easily the most-anticipated in India this year, giving the American company a crack at the country’s fastest-growing car segment with a model that it also plans to export to developed markets, including Australia and Europe, for the first time.
In Va., Tesla Motors has a showroom where it can’t make sales (Washington Post)
Virginia law prohibits car manufacturers from operating their own dealerships, partly to encourage competition and protect consumers. So the California-based company is using the Tysons Corner location as a showroom where employees are forbidden from discussing purchases. Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has petitioned Virginia to grant it an exemption. If granted, it could set a precedent for car manufacturers looking to sell their cars in the state without the middle man.
As pickup war heats up, GM barnstorms top truck market (Tire Business)
The General Motors Company (NYSE:GM)’s Chevrolet division launched a grassroots promotional romp through Texas last week — the start of its marketing campaign for the redesigned 2014 Silverado. Chevy’s glitzy displays will hit all the well-trodden stops: baseball games, big rodeos, the state fair. But also on the route are out-of-the-way spots that Chevy reckons are thick with truck buyers: an exposition for oil-field hands, a home and garden show in El Paso, a deep-sea fishing tournament in a tiny Gulf Coast island town. The statewide blitz across Texas—GM calls the five-month swing of more than 60 stops unprecedented—is just the start of a national Silverado campaign.
