Asian automakers' local divisions set Web sites.They hope to market their cars through Internet Locally based sales divisions of Asian automakers have taken to the Internet to determine if they can find buyers in cyberspace Coined by William Gibson in his 1984 novel "Neuromancer," it is a futuristic computer network that people use by plugging their minds into it! The term now refers to the Internet or to the online or digital world in general. See Internet and virtual reality. Contrast with meatspace. . After trial periods on popular online services such as America On Line, Compuserve and Prodigy, Nissan has established its own World Wide Web site and Toyota has plans to have its own site up by September. Unlike the online services, Web sites are stand-alone entities, often with better graphics and more detailed information. They can be accessed through modem-based software known as "browsers" that are routed through online services specializing in Internet access See how to access the Internet. . By typing in a site's "address," it can usually be accessed within a few seconds or minutes, depending on the speed of the user's modem. "I think any automaker that is not either on the Internet or not planning to be on is missing the boat, because this thing is exploding," said Doug Dohring Doug Dohring is owner of the Dohring Company, a marketing research firm based in Glendale, California. Some of the websites owned by the Dohring Company include:
Raymond Serafin, who reports on the automotive industry The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006, more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles were produced worldwide. for Advertising Age, a weekly ad industry trade magazine, said he believes the Interact could be a useful marketing tool once automakers determine who is accessing their Web sites. "(Automakers) do know that people who use computers tend to be highly educated and affluent, and that is exactly the type of person who buys cars," Serafin said. Early outpost Carson-based Nissan North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , which has been pitching products on America On Line and CompuServe since February, established a Web site last month that extols the virtues of its Nissan Pathfinder For the model marketed as Nissan Terrano II in Europe, see . The Nissan Pathfinder and Terrano were originally compact SUVs and they are now mid-size SUVs. sports utility vehicle sports utility vehicle sport n → véhicule m de loisirs (de type SUV) sports utility vehicle n (esp US) → fuoristrada m inv . The address is http://www.nissanmotors.com/pathfinder. "We found that the Pathfinder lends itself beautifully to this type of marketing," said Peter Harris Peter Harris may refer to:
Aside from downloading photos of the vehicle and ordering product brochures, anyone accessing the Web site can browse through an interactive "adventure scene" featuring a Pathfinder being used on a surfing trip. Other scenes - such as the Pathfinder on trips involving fishing and mountain biking mountain biking Sports medicine A sport in which participants use specialized bicycles to navigate rough, steep trails covered with unforgiving rocks Injury risk Concussions, fractures, death. See Extreme sport, Novelty seeking behavior. - will be posted in coming months, Harris said. Like CompuServe and America On Line users, Nissan Web site visitors are prompted to input their names, addresses, vehicle preferences and other information, which can be used later for sales purposes. Other Asian automakers with local sales divisions plan to be on the Internet, but are expressing reservations about their plans. Competitors' plans Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. has been tight-lipped tight·lipped also tight-lipped adj. 1. Having the lips pressed together. 2. Loath to speak; close-mouthed. See Synonyms at silent. about its Web site, stating only that it will be operational in September. American Honda Motor Co., also based in Torrance, has tentative plans to be on the Internet soon, perhaps by the end of the year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. spokesman Art Garner. Honda has had more experience than its Asian counterparts advertising products and collecting user information on an online service, having been on Prodigy since 1993. A survey of the 250,000 users who annually access the Prodigy-Honda site shows promise, according to Garner: Half were interested in buying a new car, while more than 5 percent eventually purchased a Honda. But Garner, echoing Serafin's statements about automakers not quite knowing who will access their Web sites, is displaying caution. Unlike Prodigy, Web sites on the Internet are not limited to pre-signed users, he noted. "Internet is the direction we're headed, but we want to take it slow and carefully. You can make mistakes in terms of what you put on your site, and irreparable damage can occur very quickly," he said. Like Honda, City of Industry-based Isuzu Motors America also pitches products through Prodigy, but company officials did not have any information about Isuzu's Internet strategy. |
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