Today's News - May 1, 2012

**KBB in the News**

Forecasters say April auto sales continued strong

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500395_162-57424017/forecasters-say-april-auto-sales-continued-strong/

Gas prices flirt with 2012 peak, but do car buyers care?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/altheachang/2012/04/30/gas-prices-flirt-with-2012-peak-but-do-car-buyers-care/

Will Ford’s sales really be down?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/04/30/will-fords-sales-really-be-down/

KBB believes franchised dealers should post brisk April sales

http://www.autoremarketing.com/retail/kbb-believes-franchised-dealers-should-post-brisk-april-sales

April U.S. auto sales up as Toyota wins back buyers

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57424576/april-us-auto-sales-up-as-toyota-wins-back-buyers/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CBSNewsPCAnswer+%28PC+Answer%3A+CBSNews.com%29

Chrysler sales rise 20 percent in April

http://www2.wsav.com/news/2012/may/01/chrysler-sales-rise-20-percent-in-april-ar-3708049/

Auto sales preview: Ford and GM seen posting April 2012 sales results

http://seekingalpha.com/article/542281-auto-sales-preview-ford-and-gm-seen-posting-strong-april-2012-sales-results

Average new-car prices rise

WCBS (CBS) DMA: 1 New York, NY (Syndicated to four markets)

http://ctv4.criticalmention.com/playerpage/player?params=Y2xpcElkPTI0MzQ2NTcmc2xpbT0xJnBvd2VyZWQ9MSZyZXBvcnQ9dHJ1ZSZoaWRlQ2xpcENvbnRyb2xzPTEmbm9oZWFkZXI9MSZub21lbnU9dHJ1ZSZhdXRvUGxheT0xJnBhcnRuZXJUb2tlbj04YTgwODM0ZDM3MDU1OGQ5MDEzNzA5MTg3YWViMWIyOA

**Top News**

Chrysler leads U.S. automakers beating sales estimates

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-01/chrysler-sales-rose-20-in-april-as-monthly-gains-slow.html

Asian makers: Toyota sales rebound, up 11.6%

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/asian-toyota-nissan-honda-hyundai-kia-subaru-mazda/1

European makers: VW sales soar 31.5%, Jag-Rover edges up

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/05/april-sales-volkswagen-vw-bmw-mercedes-benz-jaguar-land-rover/1

April sales soar

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/05/april-sales-soar/

**OEM/Vehicle News**

Report: GM to begin talks to buy stake in Isuzu, again

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/04/report-gm-to-begin-talks-to-buy-stake-in-isuzu-again/1

Chrysler seeking new finance partner

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/05/chrysler-seeking-new-finance-partner/

BMW ramps up investment in India

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/04/30/bmw-ramps-up-investment-in-india/

Hyundai plans third shift at Alabama factory to lift Sonata, Elantra output

http://www.autonews.com/article/20120430/OEM01/120439990/1276/hyundai-plans-3rd-shift-at-alabama-factory-to-lift-sonata-elantra

Toyota to unveil electric RAV4 next month

http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/04/30/toyoa-to-unveil-electric-rav4-next-month/

Can Chrysler match Japanese quality?

http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/2012/04/can-chrysler-match-japanese-quality/

GM’s next CEO could be a woman, Akerson says

http://www.autonews.com/article/20120501/COPY01/305019902/1308/gms-next-ceo-could-be-a-woman-akerson-says

Zipcar aims to make car sharing a way of life

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autos-zipcar-20120421,0,4800172.story

Chrysler restarts minivan output after supplier strike ends

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120430/OEM01/120439996/1424/chrysler-restarts-minivan-output-after-supplier-strike-ends

**Ad/Media/Marketing News**

Toyota does BuzzFeed takeover for Prius c

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/173550/toyota-does-buzzfeed-takeover-for-prius-c.html?edition=46287

Report predicts auto-ad spending will grow 14% this year

http://adage.com/article/news/auto-ad-spending-grow-14-2012-forecast/234467/

New social-media initiative aims to push service and sales leads for dealers

http://www.autoremarketing.com/technology/new-social-media-initiative-aims-push-service-sales-leads-dealers

All-new 2013 Dodge Dart debuts on Chrysler Group LLC’s World Headquarters’ Building

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/all-new-2013-dodge-dart-debuts-on-chrysler-group-llcs-world-headquarters-building-149627425.html

Get real. Forget the celebs. Marketers are using ordinary folks to give their ads a dose of realism

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/get-real-139908

For brands, social media shows returns but measurement hurdles remain

http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009011&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

***Want even more news from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com?  Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook