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Realization of a Dream - Inside Project M

The appeal of social media is growing rapidly for the auto industry. Sites such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook give brands the chance to communicate in a much more direct manner than mainstream advertising allows. In the best cases these new forms of media are helping brands, and the individuals who work for them, to build relationships and open dialogue with existing customers and potential future ones.

Crunch watch Jan 09: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard, Ben Pulman and Gareth Evans Motor Industry 30 January 2009 12:39 Friday 30 January 2009• Honda is about to close the Swindon factory for four months when Friday's shifts are finished; the shutdown will affect 2500 of the 3700 staff, who will receive full pay for two months and then 60% pay for the next eight weeks (BBC News)• Porsche has announced a sharp drop in sales and likely profits. It forecasts a 27% drop in 911, Boxster, Cayman and Cayenne sales to around 34,000 units in the six months to the end of January 2009 (Financial Times, subscription required)• Ford wants Washington to do more to stimulate car sales, after posting a record loss of nearly $14.6 billion earlier this week (Detroit News)• Honda's quarterly profit has crashed by 90% – forcing the Japanese car maker to halve its annual profit target (Detroit Free Press)Thursday 29 January 2009• Ford of Europe is a bright spot in the Blue Oval's quarterly results today, making $1.06 billion pre-tax profit in 2008 (up from $997m in 2007). It's the first profit of more than $1bn since 1989 (Automotive News Europe, subscription required)• Volvo suffered a 'disastrous 2008' with a pre-tax loss of $1.46bn.

Dodge expands Blacktop lineup for 2013

In November, Dodge added the Avenger, Challenger and Charger vehicles to the list of Blacktop special editions. Dodge says they were received well, and the company is adding the Journey, Durango and Grand Caravan to the list of cars that can get the Blacktop treatment. The Grand Caravan Blacktop comes equipped with 17-inch polished aluminum wheels with black accents, black grille, black headlight bezels and fog lights.