Tesla, BMW, and Toyota
Lou Ann Hammond, the CEO, www.drivingthenation.com, talks to John Batchelor, host of the John Batchelor radio show about Tesla, BMW, and Toyota.
Tesla gains from Space X, BMW struts its stuff and Toyota gets its crown back
Elon Musk took a minute to breathe a sigh of relief as Space X successfully made it to outer space and Tesla went up a little in its stock price.
Why not make it an even better day? His next breath must have been to give the okay to send out the press release that Tesla’s Model S will be coming out in June of 2012. He also confirmed that the Model X SUV electric vehicle will begin deliveries in 2014.
Tesla has 21 stores worldwide and is opening the 22nd store in Westchester, New York.
If you’re BMW and you want to show-off your M6 convertible and oh so lovely BMW 640 Gran Coupe, what state would you pick?
Exactly. California, natch. BMW brought the topless motorsports beauties to the Golden State for a quick jaunt in the Sierra Padres. The Police were all too happy to certify that one of the journalists was able to make that jaunt even faster, a stealthy 133 mph in a 55mph zone!
The 640i Gran coupe is beautiful outside and plush inside as a 4 door 4+1 more than a people mover. Driving dynamics are essential to the DNA of BMW. It is the number one place they won’t compromise. Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO of BMW North America assured me that one would never see a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) in an M car.
Toyota gets its crown back
Toyota was breaking out the sake and Kobe beef. A little over a year ago, in March of 2011, the Tsunami and earthquake, and power outages brought Japan to its knees. The tragedy that took loved ones away from us also took Toyota out of the number one global sales place. It took the cooperation of all the Japanese people and their government, but by September of 2011 Toyota was back in full production.
That is the reason Toyota should be so proud of regaining the crown of number one is global sales for the first quarter of 2012. According to the data compiled by Automotive News Toyota increased its sales by 32 percent Jan-Mar 2012 to 2,357,000. General Motors increased its sales 3 percent in the same quarter to 2,278,000 and Volkswagen increased its 1st quarter over the 1st quarter by 11 percent to a total of 2,260,000 sales.
