Subaru Customer Loyalty Soars to Number 3 on KBB.com Survey
According to kbb.com’s Shopper Loyalty survey for Q1 2013, Subaru steadily climbed to the No. 3 position, to be among the top three brands for the first time since 2009.
“As current Subaru owners prepare to off-load their current vehicle, it is easy to reconsider the brand as it offers a diverse lineup, including models that not only appeal to the everyday shopper like the all-new 2014 Forester, but also a sportier option like the BRZ,” said Akshay Anand, Kelley Blue Book Insights analyst. “With Subaru‘s first-ever hybrid vehicle arriving at dealerships in Q4 2013, the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid is expected to help the brand retain even more shoppers as its portfolio expands into hybrid technology.”
Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence examines shopper loyalty while consumers are still in the shopping phase. For this analysis, shopper loyalty is defined as owners of the brand who are currently shopping the same brand for their next new vehicle. This includes data from consumers who view a trade-in page or private party page, in addition to a new-car page on Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com.
LAcarGUY Supports Heal The Bay’s “Bring Back the Beach” Fundraiser
LAcarGUY is a longtime supporter of Heal The Bay, participation in beach cleanups, and most recently, LAcarGUY owner Mike Sullivan joined their Board of Directors. To celebrate our partnership, LAcarGUY’s Toyota/Scion Santa Monica will be donating a 2013 Scion FR-S for this year’s Bring Back The Beach live auction, with all proceeds going to Heal The Bay.
We urge you to support this great cause and join us for an amazing night on the Beach with Heal The Bay supporters
Heal the Bay invites you to celebrate the ultimate beach party at our annual Bring Back the Beach gala benefit on May 16, 2013, at Jonathan Beach Club in Santa Monica.
Relax with your toes in the sand while you meet and mix with leaders from Southern California’s environmental, political, business and entertainment communities. Join us for a fun-filled evening under the stars to celebrate our honorees and support the mission of Heal the Bay.
The night will honor the environmental dedication and leadership of Heal the Bay’s former president Mark Gold, D. Env., Oscar-winning actor and environmental champion Jeremy Irons, and founder of the Inclusive Health movement and philanthropist Dr. Howard Murad. Plus enjoy a special acoustic performance by five-time Grammy Award winner Ziggy Marley.
Schedule
· 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
· Cocktail Reception & Auction featuring the 2013 Scion FR-S contributed by LAcarGUY
· Dinner
· Live Auction
· Entertainment and Dancing
Tickets & Sponsorships
· Tables and Sponsorships: $5,000 – $50,000
· Individual Tickets: $500
Attire
· Beach Chic
· Be prepared to walk in the sand to your table. Choose shoes accordingly!
Audi Pacific Hosts Iron Man 3 Pre Premier Screening!
On May 2nd Audi Pacific hosted the private preview for Iron Man 3 in Torrance. A BIG thank you to the over 160 customers that came out to experience the fun and see the Audi R8 and Tony Stark in action.
This special preview was before the Midnight first showing for the general public, in fact as the Audi Pacific showing was being ushered into the theatre, there were 10 lines of people waiting for the midnight showing.
This was the second time that Audi Pacific has hosted an Iron Man movie night at the AMC Del Amo in Torrance and it was great to see so many friends out to see it.
There were a number of people from the Audi Pacific and LAcarGUY team at the event including Mike and Sean Sullivan, Jeff LaPlant, Chris Prodromides and his wife Stephany, and many more.
The Audi R8 e-tron® was front and center in the latest Iron Man movie, it was the perfect choice for Tony Stark, power, technology, style, and all done in a way that defies convention!
Make sure that you have “Liked” Audi Pacific on Facebook, and are “Following” us on Twitter, that way you will never miss one of our special events!
Subaru Launch Control Episode 2 Sees Team at 2013 Sno*Drift Rally
In the second episode (part 1 of 2) released last week, the Subaru Rally Team USA reunites in Michigan for 2013 Sno*Drift Rally. This is the first rally of the Rally America season and takes place in Montmorency County. The one-off ice and snow event has been described as beyond treacherous and provides a unique challenge to the team.
The team will be competing agains the best and drivers David Higgins and Craig Drew will be pushed to the limit on this course that proves to be far more difficult than anybody had anticipated.
Subaru ‘Launch Control’ Follows Rally Teams Prepping for 2013 Race Season
Subaru of America Inc. has released the first episode of “Launch Control”, a bi-weekly web video series that chronicles Subaru Rally Team USA and the Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team as they prepare for and compete in a fast-paced 2013 race season spanning the globe. With a mix of in-car video, car prep and driver interviews, “Launch Control” is the story of two teams, everything it takes to win and everything that gets in the way.
In the debut episode of “Launch Control,” Subaru Rally Team USA driver and defending Rally America Champion David Higgins is training for the upcoming season at his home in Wales, UK, while the crew at Vermont Sports Car, the Subaru technical partner managing both teams, is hard at work in the shop preparing the 2013 Subaru WRX STI team cars for a the season ahead.
Check out the video below:
LAcarGUY at Manhattan Beach Earth Day Event
This past weekend, LAcarGUY‘s team were on-hand at the unveiling of the official H2.0 Fountain at Polliwog Park on Earth Day. LAcarGUY is proud to be among a number of community partners who have contributed to support Leadership Manhattan Beach’s initiative to provide seven state-of-the-art water drinking fountains to the community, where three of which include a fountain especially for canine companions.
LAcarGUY‘s Manager of the Environment, Alisha Auringer, and CIO, Tim James, had the opportunity to fill up their water bottles using the bottle-refilling dispensers! LAcarGUY was also presented with a sponsorship plaque from the wonderful team at Leadership Manhattan Beach.
Check out a few pics from the day! If you attended the event, tell us what you think of the new drinking fountains!
2015 Subaru WRX/WRX STI Spied at the ‘Ring
A camouflaged Subaru prototype was spotted taking laps around the Nürburgring track. A closer look at some of the telltale elements suggest that this may in fact be a prototype for either a non-WRX, sporty Impreza, or a thinly disguised and production-ready next-gen WRX or WRX STI. Many fans hope it is the final option, as it appears to combine a standard Impreza sedan body with fascias of the recently unveiled Subaru WRX concept.
Another obvious sign is the giant rear wing, which shares a design with wings found on past WRX STI models including the current 2013 version. There is also a slightly toned-down version of the aggressive rear diffuser seen on the WRX concept as well as wheels that almost completely fill out the arches. Other influences by the WRX concept include the almost-identical hexagonal grille, trapezoidal lower intakes, and LED-encircled hexagonal headlights. Other changes include LED taillights and a hood scoop.
Most can only speculate at what’s under the hood. We will bring you more news when the significantly re-engineered sedan makes its debut at the next Tokyo Motor Show this winter.
LAcarGUY Sponsors Manhattan Beach H2.0 Drinking Fountains
LAcarGUY is proud to be among a number of community partners who have contributed to support Leadership Manhattan Beach’s initiative to provide seven state-of-the-art water drinking fountains to the community, where three of which include a fountain especially for canine companions.
The locations of the new water stations are determined by the city’s Public Works Department for high use and visibility and can be found at the following locations: the Strand by the Pier, Polliwog Park, The Greenbelt, Marine Avenue basketball courts, and Manhattan Village soccer field. Future stations include the Strand by El Porto and Metlox Plaza. Manufactured by Most Dependable Fountains, Inc., the “H2.0 Station” is nearly 4-feet-8-inches tall and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Leadership Manhattan Beach has a mission to develop and unite community leaders by providing a flagship nine-month leadership training program that is held annually. 25 to 30 Manhattan Beach community members (adults and high school students) are selected to be part of the program to learn about various community services and programs. Individuals work collaboratively on a class project that brings immediate benefit to the City.
Join us for the unveiling of the official H2.0 Fountain at Polliwog Park on Earth Day, April 27th between 11 am and 4 pm. Mayor David Lesser will be present at the ribbon cutting ceremony. There will be a number of activities including eco-games and art activities for kids between 1-4 pm. Hope you’ll join us!
LAcarGUY Sponsors Grades Of Green Trash Free Lunches
LAcarGUY, the leading hybrid dealer group in the world, was a proud sponsor for the second annual Grades of Green Trash Free Lunch Challenge at local schools.
There were 17 local schools that participated in the challenge and the top three were all sponsored by LAcarGUY stores! First Place went to Lunada Bay Elementary School, sponsored by Pacific Porsche. They won by reducing trash going to landfills by 87.5%. The school was honored with a celebration on Earth Day, on April 22, and will received a $1,000 education grant.
Riviera Elementary School, sponsored by Audi Pacific and Washington Elementary, sponsored by Subaru Pacific tied for second place among the 17 schools and will receive awards of $750 each.
Before the Trash Free Lunch Challenge the Lunada Bay School were producing 13 bags of trash and 0 bins for recycling. After the Challenge they reduced this to 5 bags of trash and increased their recycling to 2 full bins per day.
The students at Lunada Bay also designed a water drip irrigation system consisting of plastic water and juice containers as an irrigation system for the schools fruit and vegetable garden where they are growing kale, lettuce and strawberries.
President/Owner of LAcarGUY Mike Sullivan responds to the great news, “This is one of my favorite projects of the year to be a part of. We are so proud of these kids for taking complete control of their environment and then going home and teaching their parents….what a great cycle. I’m really happy that Alisha could be a part of the judging panel and take those learnings back to LAcarGUY; really teaches our employees the benefits of sustainability in our everyday lives. Couldn’t be more proud.”
A judging panel of five environmental experts visited Lunada Bay and two other finalists in the competition—Riviera Elementary in Torrance, and Washington Elementary in Redondo Beach—earlier today to determine the Grand Prize winner. The panel included Alisha Auringer, Manager of the Environment, LAcarGUY; Marieta Francis, Executive Director, Algalita Marine Research Foundation; Abby Landers, El Segundo High School Grades of Green club president and Youth Board Advisor for Grades of Green; Michelle Nakamura, Operations Manager, 5 Gyres Institute; and RupamSoni, Senior Environmental Engineer, Sanitation Districts of L.A. County.
Even though this year’s Trash-Free Lunch Challenge is nearly complete, any school may initiate Grades of Green’s Trash Free Lunch program, as well as more than 40 other environmental activities. Complete instructions are available at no cost to schools at www.gradesofgreen.org.
Subaru Discusses WRX Concept Design at NY Auto Show
The unveiling of the Subaru WRX Concept received a lot of attention at the New York International Auto Show. Osamu Namba, general manager of design for Subaru, took the time to discuss the the styling and design of the WRX concept.
Namba explains many of the car’s design elements including the more aggressive facelift with the low and wide hexagonal grille and hawk-eye headlights. A coupe-like profile accentuated by a carbon fiber roof hints at the speed and agility of the WRX concept, Namba says; and around back, the hexagonal shape returns on the sharp edge of the trunk and the wide taillights again hint at stability and low center of gravity.
If you like the WRX Concept as much as we did, watch the video below and let us know what you think.
