Happy New Year 2007

Impala - The American answer to the Camry to come to Indonesia?

Rule three of automotive journalism: When a domestic carmaker introduces a new midsize, midprice sedan, reviewers are to write, "They're now as good as Camry and Accord." So here goes. The 2008 Chevy Malibu, which Chevrolet will introduce at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, looks like it's now as good as the Camry and Accord.


Our obligation to the profession complete, it's only fair that we ask you to check back a few months from now to see what we think of the new 'Bu after we actually drive the thing. But, we must say, the completely restyled, more powerful Malibu sedan really does look pretty good.


Read the article at www.edmunds.com..

KENAPA BUTUH SOLAR BAGUS?

Otomotif, 25 Desember 2006

Prinsip kerja CR (Common Rail) sebenarnya mirip dengan mesin bensin yang sudah mengusung sis­tem fuel injection. Penyemprotan bahan bakarnya diatur se­cara electronic dengan perantara ECU (electronic control unity atau bisa dibilang komputer.

Di CR mempunyai satu pompa yang diatur oleh solenoid valve un­tuk menyalurkan solar ke setiap silinder.
Tekanan penyernprotannya pun sangat tinggi (± 1.800 bar). Begitupun komponen-komponen seperti injektor di CR didesain lebih akurat ketimbang injector konvensional. "Sehingga membutuh­kan bahan bakar spek tinggi," tegas Aloysius Oentoro, general manager parts & service PT Multi France Motor, ATPM Peugeot.

Jadi jika kualitas solar jelek atau sulfur tinggi, akibatnya rawan terhadap kinerja mesin. "Tekanan yang dikeluarkan tidak akan maksimal," jelas Budi Sujanto, aftersales manager PT Auto Euro Indonesia, ATPM Renault.

Memang, sebagai tahap awal solar sudah disaring oleh filter solar. Namun jika dibiarkan atau jarang dicek saringanya itu tak tertutup kemungkinan bisa menjalar ke injektor dan komponen lain. "Filter solar lebih cepat mampet dibanding mesin diesel biasa. Karena punya lubang yang sangat ke­cil di CR," lanjut Dendy Tjahjaindra.

Lebih lanjutnya, pengendara akan merasakan tenaga mesin yang kurang maksimal. Lebih detailnya, "Kemung­kinan mesin jadi pincang atau mbrebet," imbuh Dendy.

Memang sangat disayangkan, saat pemerintah sedang mengikrarkan efisiensi pemakaian bahan bakar namuntidak disertai dengan penga­wasan kualitas. Padahal teknologi CR ini diklaim bisa menghemat bahan bakar dan rendah emisi.

Nah, efisiensi kan tidak hanya dari mesinnya, tapi juga kualitas ba­han bakar. Kalau mesin bisa efisien kan pemakaian bahan bakar bisa lebih hemat alias enggak boros.

Bukan begitu, Bos?

· Pi

Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone

Kompas 22 December 2006

The Manifesto

Markets have undergone a profound transformation after decades of top-down corporate messaging. As you read this, the marketing world is changing, and with it the way business will be conducted for decades to come. This change is being demanded by the enlightened and empowered consumer – the so-called prosumer – who no longer responds to a media-propelled “brand essence.” Most current advertising still relies on obsessive proliferation of the brand through mass media that seek economies of scale – the more eyeballs, the better. But consumers want more than mass messages sent to eyeballs. They want respect, recognition and relevant communication, and they've indicated that the best way to give it to them is through experiences that are personally relevant, memorable, sensory, emotional and meaningful. Consumers have changed dramatically, and the brand world must change to meet their needs and desires, or lose them to those that recognize the unique influences shaping the evolving marketplace.

“Today, customers take product quality and a positive brand image as a given,” writes Columbia Business School guru Bernd H. Schmitt in the seminal book Experiential Marketing. “What they want is products, communications, and marketing campaigns that dazzle their senses, touch their hearts, and stimulate their minds – that deliver an experience.”

The question isn't which industries will be transformed by the focus on customer experience, but only which will be first. Companies who do not recognize this change will perish. Those who see the necessity for change and embrace XM will be embraced in turn by the most empowered consumer base in the history of the world. At the IXMA, an international cadre of forward-thinkers is building and propagating the experiential marketing (XM) revolution.

Read the complete manifesto..

Answer by GM Indonesia to Cry for help by Blazer User community

CLICK ini untuk Jawaban/Minta Maaf GM atas isu promosi servis ini ...






Mohon hak jawab dari GM digunakan segera atas kesempatan
Posted by: "Diaz@office" tomikris@gmail.com tomikris Sun Dec 17, 2006 5:12 pm (PST)

Yang Kami hormati bapak bapak Petinggi GM,

Mohon tanggapan dari bapak bapak untuk segera menggunakan hak jawab yang diberikan ketua umum BIC kami dimilis ini,

Seperti kita ketahui bersama, bahwa jika Ketua Umum kami bersabda, maka titah beliau. akan segera dipatuhi seluruh anggota BIC di Indonesia.

Secara pribadi yang saya ketahui saat ini, Ketua Umum kami sedang sibuk menyabarkan para anggota BIC untuk tidak segera bertindak sendiri sendiri, karena hingga detik ini pihak GM belum juga menggunakan hak jawabnya.
Kami mengetahui bahwa pihak GM memonitor milis ini dan kami juga sudah melakukan cross check bahwa issue ini sudah diketahui oleh pihak GM.

Ini hanyalah gently reminder dari kami komunitas pengguna blazer di Indonesia yang sangat prihatin mutu service yang diberikan GM pada customernya di Indonesia

Salam
Tomi Diaz

Elegant solutions - Let Learning Lead

BreaktroughThinking
Learnng and innovation go hand in hand, but learning comes first.

Real learning is a cycle of questioning, experimenting and reflecting. It's how we convert curiosity into an innovative solution, so learning must BE the work, not something separate from it. Learning triggers creativity down the line, and makes the other practices work.

Learning cycles come naturally. But they were replaced by institutional education as we grew up. So all we really have to do is get back in touch with them and practice. And learning cycles aren't complicated. they are all around us. so much so that we often discount them.

The next time you see an infant in a high chair throwing food on the floor, know that you are watching a learning cycle in action...

Download the Manifesto...

Chevrolet Epica - Will we see this likely competitor for the Camry in Indonesia?

With its sporty yet elegant contours, the Epica complies exactly with the taste of Europe’s car drivers. In the distinctly arranged front section, particular highlights include the large wrap-around clear-glass headlamps and the substantial cross bar carrying the large Chevrolet bow tie in the chrome grille.

The side view of Chevrolet’s new top-of-the-line sedan is strikingly modern with its rising, wedge-shaped profile. It is marked by a striking character line that extends to the front and rear wings. The designers have positioned the grip-type chrome door handles and the large outer mirrors with integrated indicator lamps precisely on this character line. The rear is dominated by the large bumper and the dominant chrome strip that joins up the two tail lamps with their circular lenses.

The generous amount of space is one of the strengths of the front-wheel driven Epica (length/width/height: 4,805 / 1,810 / 1,450 mm, wheelbase: 2,700 mm).

Compare to the Toyota Camry's dimensions of 4805 / 1821 mm, wheelbase : 2776 mm, which is vertually identical.

Read the full article at www.topspeed.com

Brand Perception

By Michel Hogan, www.changethis.com - Business manifestos

We Need a New Word for Brand
To unlock the brand's true potential, today’s companies need to let go of slick superficiality and embrace authenticity! more

Brand perception
Specfically,customer perception - what they think you are is who you are. the Holy Grail of brand today is to create the right customer perception-the perfect mix of emotion and smarts that will drive boatloads of customers your way. And the best way to create that perception - a louder, bigger message that is put in more places! Slapped on t-shirts and caps for employees and splashed across the pagesof magazines and TV screens, how could anyone resist? Thankfully, this is not the end of the story...

The next wave
There is a new wave on the horizon. Let's call it the authentic brand. Authentic brands are deeply rooted inside the company. They are much more than the marketing veneer applied to the exterior face of the company. Authentic brands are honest. They are powerful mechanisms guiding decisions and direction across all functions of a company. they naturally filter out to the customer and everyone the company touches through those decisions and actions. This is the brand I love!

Download the complete manifesto..

Program ramah Chevrolet Indonesia

(15/12/2006) - PT. General Motors Autoworld Indonesia (GMAW Indonesia) selaku Agen Tunggal Pemegang Merek Chevrolet menggelar aktivitas aftersales khas Chevrolet bertajuk CHEVY CARE di areal parkir Kelapa Gading Mall I, Jakarta Utara. Chevy Care digelar mulai tanggal 15 hingga 17 Desember 2006 (Jumat-Sabtu-Minggu).

CHEVY CARE merupakan program differensiasi aftersales dari GMAW yang mengemas kegiatan aftersales dengan cara berbeda melalui Chevrolet Care program.

Aktivitas program CHEVY CARE selama 3 hari tersebut mencakup pengecekan kondisi gratis (10 items) untuk mobil Chevrolet jenis Trooper, Zafira, Optra, Blazer, Montera, Tavera, Aveo, Spark, Kalos dan Estate. Selain itu, Chevy Care juga memberikan pelayanan salon mobil gratis, yang pengerjaannya akan dibantu oleh Chevy Babes yang cantik dan smart.

Baca Artikel di "www.mobilku.com"...

The Challenge of Changing GM

Even the most gung-ho General Motors executive will admit that one of the company’s most vexing problems is changing the image of its brands with many consumers, especially those on the coasts who swore off American cars of every stripe years ago. The tough part, says GM car czar Robert A. “Bob” Lutz, is that it can’t be done with simple marketing. In a recent interview, Lutz said that “there isn’t enough marketing money in the world to change the perception of some of our brands overnight.”



Read the article at Autobeat ..

2007 Chevy Aveo (U.S.A. Test)

by Rex Roy - www.thecarconnection.com

New styling inside and out looks better than the outgoing model.

The base Aveo LS is a basic car … maybe too basic?

Front seats and cup holders should be better.

That jingling you hear isn't sleigh bells - it's actually the change left in your pocket after filling the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo's 45 Liter (11.9-gallon) fuel tank. This is but one of the joys of driving Chevy's small-but-tall people hauler. The fact that it is (actually) not bad to drive is another.

If you're a car-type person, you may remember that the Aveo was all-new in 2004. In a move that shows just how competitive today's automotive world is, General Motors elected to refurbish their entry-level model for its fourth model year. Good thing, too, as the Aveo's competition is just as fresh, and includes solid players such as the Hyundai Accent, the Honda Fit, and the Toyota Yaris.

Read the full story from "The Car Connection"..

Chevy Optra (Lacetti) in action

BMW Indonesia gelar lomba teknisi

(30/11/2006) - Lebih dari 100 teknisi dari seluruh dealer BMW se-Indonesia menunjukkan keahliannya pada BMW Technician Challenge yang berlangsung untuk pertama kali, mulai Juli hingga 23 November 2006 di BMW Training Center, German Center, Bumi Serpong Damai, demikian rilis PT BMW Indonesia, Rabu (29/11).

Baca Artikel "Mobilku.com" yang lengkap..

J.D. Power: Makin banyak keluhan terhadap mobil baru di Indonesia

(01/12/2006) - J.D Power Asia Pacific 2006 Indonesia Initial Quality Studi menyimpulkan Yaris, Vios, Fortuner dan Innova paling sedikit dilaporkan bermasalah ditap segmenya. Hasil studi ini diumumkan Kamis (30/11).

Complete article di www.mobilku.com..

J.D. Power Asia Pacific conducts the CSI study annually in markets across the Asia-Pacific region to measure customer satisfaction with maintenance and repair service at authorized dealer service centers. The 2006 study measures overall customer satisfaction with after-sales service based on 35 dealer performance attributes, which are grouped into seven factors. The factors are (in order of importance): service quality; problems experienced; user-friendly service; service advisor; service initiation; service delivery; and in-service experience. CSI performance is reported as an index score based on a 1,000-point scale. A higher CSI score indicates greater customer satisfaction with the after-sales service experience at authorized dealer service centers.

The overall industry CSI score this year is 754 points. The overall industry has remained relatively stable since 2004, registering only a marginal two-point decline.

“Providing an after-sales service experience that meets or exceeds customer expectations is imperative for authorized dealer service centers to further strengthen their relationship with customers,” said Rajeev Nair, country manager at J.D. Power Asia Pacific. “Apart from contributing to repeat business for the dealer, satisfied customers create positive word-of-mouth recommendations that drive first-time sales for the brand.”

“A delightful service experience contributes toward ensuring that customers do not defect to non-authorized service facilities, especially once the warranty period is over,” said Nair. “The study finds that only 4 percent of customers who provide CSI scores at or above industry average state they are likely to defect to a non-authorized service facility for maintenance once the warranty period is over. This statistic triples to 13 percent among customers who provide below-average satisfaction scores, further reinforcing the business case for authorized dealerships to invest in customer satisfaction.”
J.D. Powers Asia Link ..

LA Auto Show : Ulang Tahun ke 100

LA Autoshow berlangsung dari 1 sampai dengan 10 Desember di Los Angeles Convention Center di Los Angeles A.S.

debut : BMW X5

BMW redesigns and enlarges its full-size popular SUV. Thanks to the additional passenger space, the X5 sports a new optional third-row seat. New safety and handling enhancements include adaptive steering and suspension systems, rearview camera, Active Roll Stabilization, Adaptive Drive and Dynamic Traction Control.

Untuk delails2 yang lain cek di website LA autoshow..

When It Comes To Cars: Color Is Everything.

David Kiley (Autobeat Blog)

I didn’t used to think too much about paint color with cars. But it’s been on my mind more these days. Perhaps as vehicles get more expressive in their designs, colors matter more. Does that make sense? I mean…does anyone care if their 1999 Camry is silver or Champagne?

Volkswagen produces the best blues. Hand down. I saw a Dodge Charger, which I like, in Gray, and hated it. The Ford Edge I just drove looked great in this deep copper color.

Into my mailbox today came the DuPont car color report. The findings: Silver (BOOOORRRRING) is the top color globally. Silver has been the top choice since 2000 when it overtook…..Green?

According to DuPont, the bottom half of the top ten colors forecasts future color leaders. A clear trend for the future, says the chemical giant, includes warmer tones such as red as well as the continued strength of blue. That makes sense to me. If you have a hot design in your driveway, I’d rather see it with an expressive color than silver or Champagne.

Red surfaced as the top color choice in the compact vehicle segment in South Korea, with 22 percent, as well as in the North American market compact/sport category, from 9 percent in 2005 to 15 percent in 2006. Black remains a top choice across the global landscape. It is among the top five colors in the regions examined and has gained ground in specific segments in North America. The 2006 color popularity report sees growth of black in the North American luxury segment with 22 percent, mirroring
black’s longstanding first place among European luxury vehicles with 37 percent.

Its amazing how bad some cars look in certain colors. Remember the Chrysler LH cars that preceded the 300c. The Chrysler Concorde in Champagne was one of the nastiest pieces of work to come down the pike in a while. The Ticonderoga pencil yellow Pontiac Aztek? Ouch! That looked worse than I do in horizontal stripes.

This seems pretty self serving for DuPont. But the company says that 40 percent of consumers willing to switch brands for a specific color, according to a national poll it commissioned. Would you?

For comments, how about some candidates for the worst design/color combo you can recall.

Original Article (Autobeat Blog) ..