Health of the Industry Dominates May’s Automotive News and Social Media

Cost cutting and consolidation puts industry back in the black but sales concerns remain as post-scrappage financials confirm industry fears

The health of the Automotive industry dominated the headlines in May, according to the latest alva Automotive In Sight Analysis, as companies reported results and held their breath to see if sales would hold-up following the end of the scrappage scheme.

alva predicts next month’s coverage is likely to see an increase in emerging markets activity as labour disputes in China increase as the country makes the transition to a developed economy, while news on electric vehicle developments will continue to grab headlines, particularly as the government’s green incentives come under review.

Each month, corporate reputation analysis company alva reports on the biggest reputational risk issues in the Automotive industry in terms of traditional media monitoring and social media chatter using information collected from its daily alva Automotive In Sight service.

General Motors took the top spot as the most talked about company in May as news of its return to profit and negative reaction to its purported return to the auto-lending business caused chatter.

Toyota will be relieved to have dropped to second place having dominated the league table for negative reasons over recent months. May’s coverage of its positive financial results also outshone ongoing discussion about its global recall issues.

Nissan took third place as talk about its recall troubles with the Infiniti G35 sedans and coupés pushed it one place up the league table.

“The health of the Automotive industry was of key concern during May as the big manufacturers reported results and gave initial indications of sales following the end of the scrappage scheme,” said Alberto Lopez, CEO of Alva. “Although headline results were positive, these figures mask a very fragile industry sector recovery and businesses will need to work hard to ensure the momentum and discussion remains positive over the coming months.”

Ends

Summary of Automotive Industry Issues in May 2010

Top 10 Manufacturers

1. General Motors- 10.57%
2. Toyota- 9.97%
3. Nissan- 4.44%
4. Ford- 3.93%
5. Volkswagen- 3.89%
6. Chrysler- 3.57%
7. Honda- 2.93%
8. BMW- 2.84%
9. Jaguar Land Rover- 2.65%
10. Fiat- 2.36%

Top 10 Issues

1. Cost cuts swing Toyota back into black- 11.78%
2. Toyota global recall aftermath- 10.97%
3. Nissan recalls Infiniti G35 sedans, coupés- 7.97%
4. General Motors said to be considering return to auto-lending business- 5.57%
5. 161,000 Dodge Calibers under investigation for sticky accelerator pedals- 5.38%
6. Mahindra acquires major stake in REVA- 4.90%
7. General Motors drives to first profit in three years- 4.78%
8. General Motors recalls Hummer H3s to fix hood- 4.69%
9. Opel agrees on restructuring plan with unions- 4.02%
10. Chrysler IPO will ‘probably’ be in 2011- 3.88%

Issues Dominance

1. Corporate- 24.97%
2. Sales- 13.46%
3. Brand- 12.57%
4. Safety- 10.79%
5. Sustainability- 8.16%
6. Regulation- 7.39%
7. Emerging Markets- 6.07%
8. Employment- 5.73%
9. Production- 5.67%
10. Research & Development- 5.17%

Stakeholder Dominance

1. Shareholders- 43.64%
2. Customers- 18.42%
3. Dealers- 14.41%
4. Employees- 7.87%
5. Government- 4.44%
6. Regulators- 3.90%
7. Suppliers- 3.69%
8. Unions- 2.34%
9. Motorists- 0.72%
10. Industry Bodies- 0.55%
11. NGOs- 0.03%

About alva

alva specialises in media monitoring, corporate reputation analysis and reputational risk.

Its services equip organisations with the analysis tools to manage reputation and reputational risk in the same way as any other valuable business asset.

alva’s services are industry sector specific. Reputation analysis services for the Automotive and Energy and Utilities industries are already being delivered with services for the financial services communities following shortly, with 32 industry sectors planned in total.

alva’s founding team brings more than 50 years experience in media analysis, business intelligence and technology innovation. alva’s Board of Directors consists of industry experts with extensive first-hand experience in managing reputation at PLC level. alva Chairman Andrew Vickerman is the former Global Head of Communications & External Relations at Rio Tinto Plc. Serving as Non-Executive Directors are Alan Schofield, Former Press Secretary to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Mark Rigby, Director of Corporate Affairs at Sainsbury’s PLC.

For further information please contact Alastair Pickering at 020 3102 9655, or visit www.alva-group.com

Press Contact:

Paul Smith

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Tel: +44 (0)7770 828525