Automotive Reviews and Skeptical Journalism

When we hear the words ‘automotive reviews’ we think of comparative tests, investigations, technical details, advantages and disadvantages of a particular car model. People are most interested in automotive reviews when they are about to purchase a vehicle. Actually, statistics say that the purchase of a car is the second largest expense for many people. No automobile is to be purchased without having consulted its review.

Automotive reviews are useful for all kinds of customers, from those are simply interested in buying a cheap car with good gas mileage to those who are mostly interested in design and comfort. To all these people the purchase of a car may appear as a very challenging experience, since the auto market is vast and the lack of experience can prove to be a serious drawback. Needless to say all those interested in purchasing a car should follow the latest automotive news in order to keep up with what is new in this vast and complicated area. However, automotive reviews cannot be found on television every day, nor do they appear in newspapers. Moreover, specialized media, such as auto magazines, which are issued weekly or monthly, may not give the automotive reviews you need when you need them. Therefore, a good source of accurate and reliable automotive reviews is the Internet. Automotive blogs are full of information with and about cars and many related topics. In addition, you get more than statistics or official figures, because people like you have posted their comments or facts from personal experience on those car blogs. Sometimes this beats all automotive reviews.

As we have stated before, there are many sources of automotive news and reviews. There are times when the interests of certain companies stand in the way of giving consumers honest advice. A good share of criticism is not a must have for automotive reviews. However, skeptical journalism is proof that the consumer’ s best interest is at the top of the priority list. Auto magazines present a lot of automotive reviews because that’s their line of work, but they will rarely point out possible flaws of automobiles.

Everyone will agree that in the auto magazines or TV shows, the automotive reviews sound a little too good to be true. If a car reviewer speaks of some less appealing features of a certain automobile, there’s the chance of actually seeing them by means of multimedia. Criticism equals bad publicity, so when it comes to magazines or television shows, there’s a good chance that the consumer will be deprived of his right to be honestly and correctly informed. Therefore, the internet remains the most reliable source of both automotive news and automotive reviews.

Make an Educated Choice With Automotive Reviews
What are the benefits of automotive reviews and who benefits from them? The consumer is given all the details he/she might be interested in, as well as a rating of the automobile, so he/she appears to be the sole beneficiary of automotive reviews, since they are useful instruments in making the right choice when purchasing a car. When car dealers are interested in attracting visitors to their websites, they have a great variety of means at their disposal. How do you retain those visitors and turn them into potential customers? Automotive reviews are the answer. Good automotive reviews offer the right information that the visitors require. A first step, which is very important, is that the potential customers will spend quite some time reading the automotive review posted on the website. The purchase of a car is an important step and deciding upon a certain car model may prove to be a complex and painstaking process. When researching, customers will find it useful to have access to independent automotive reviews, which will guarantee that their best interest as consumers comes first. The right information offered by independent automotive reviews can turn a visitor into a customer very quickly, and this is what car dealers have to take advantage of.

Automotive news is another means of keeping the potential customers informed. The latest news make the object of interest for all those passionate about cars, or those researching for a car purchase. However, many people consider that the automotive reviews found on automotive blogs are to be trusted more than any other means of information. Consumers trust automotive blogs because they know that most of the information there comes from people just like them who have something to share. Providing the consumer with the possibility of writing his/her own review of a car is important. People wish to make educated choices when it comes to purchasing a car, and automotive blogs offer them the information they need.

An automotive blog will provide visitors with all sorts of information, such as tips for buying cars, maintenance, car repair and safety, environmental issues, and so forth. Some other car-related aspects may constitute the reason why people affiliate to an automotive blog. These aspects may refer to esthetics, utility or power.

An automotive blog is all the more reliable when it contains photographs or videos, or gives reference to other car blogs or similar websites, showing that the consumer’s best interest comes first.

The Automotive Industry, Interactive Games & Advertising

Ferrari have announced an alliance with SCEE which means that finally you can drive a Ferrari in Gran Turismo! Licensing has traditionally been a complex area “Advergaming and Sponsorships” is a great article which talks about all aspects of in-game advertisement and sponsorships in particular the section titled “A Gray Line: Licensing vs. Advertising”.
Nissan North America and Microsoft recently announced expansion plans to a long term partnership which originally involved integrating the Xbox 360 platform into a concept car called the URGE.

The partnership now extends to Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions platforms such as; Windows Live, MSN, Live Search, Xbox and Windows Mobile. Nissan are the primary sponsor of “Forza 2 Motorsport” for Xbox 360 and are co-sponsoring Open for Design program.

Ford announced earlier this year their plans for an advergame called “Ford Bold Moves Street Racing". My money is on Nissan and Ferrari doing very well and Ford’s strategy falling flat. Gamespot reviews aren’t very favourable with ratings of “bad” to “poor” for the various platforms (Xbox 360, PC etc) which bodes very poorly for Ford. To quote a review: “When people complain about racing games because they are boring, Ford Bold Moves is exactly the kind of game they are talking about.

Business English and the Automotive Industry
There is a real challenge out there as the Automotive Industry ‘globalises’ – experts in a number of disciplines from Sales to Design, Engineering to Manufacturing are having to talk to each other across continents. This brings so many challenges, both for the business and the individual. Companies like Nissan and Renault have important alliances in place, and most automotive manufacturers are present in China, working with local industries.

The Challenge
English is the global language of the Automotive Industry
There are ever increasing demands on Automotive executives:

• International Travel
• International Companies & Alliances
• Shared, Time-pressured Development programmes
• International Meetings – face to face, on the phone, even on TV
• International Communications – e-mails, letters, video conferencing

Global Experts in Design, Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance who have challenges when trying to get their expertise across.

The Personal Challenge
Imaging the difficulties posed by the following examples:
7. “I really want to understand what makes this colleague / customer ‘tick’ – it would make this project / negotiation much easier” – but I’m stuck for words! English is too difficult!

The Solution
The Automotive giants and their suppliers need to get their experts ‘up to speed’, NOW. International alliances and cooperation means more travel, more meetings and more and more shared projects and platforms. There are various options available to employers to enhance their employees' skills in English, especially to those in Japan, Korea and China. Good training (which can also be carried out in-house, or in a language school either 'at home' or abroad) enables international experts to communicate easily and with confidence, so that a car-makers' ideas and agenda are definitely put forward.

Too often during my career in the industry I have watched Japanese colleagues struggling to communicate their point of view (and therefore that of their employers!) to people from very foreign cultures. My favourite example of this is sitting in a car in the UK, next to a Turkish gentleman, and hearing one half of a conversation he was having with a Vietnamese gentleman who was speaking from his desk in France where he works for a German company – all about a project for a French customer for parts that would be manufactured in Turkey for a Romanian factory!