In search of social media case studies from the automotive industry?  Well, so are we… If you’ve found any please let us know.  In the mean time if you are in San Jose or surrounding areas I highly recommend checking out this conference, “How Big Companies Use Social Media.”  Big hitters such as Home Depot, UPS, and CISCO will giving presentations.  Maybe you can learn something and create your own case study for the automotive industry…

In the past 3 months there has been quite a bit of hemming and hawing about if there was going to be a NBC Top Gear, who are going to be the hosts, then back to no show, then if Jay Leno would be a possible host when he left the Tonight Show, then when he said he wouldn’t, how even he admitted that the show could be lame. For those of us who really care about Top Gear, it was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. Now that we know the show will be around NBC in the coming months and the fact that Adam Carolla, Eric Strommer and Tanner Foust, we’re starting to get more details about the show strait from Carolla’s mouth. According to Carolla:

• The NBC adaptation will follow the BBC format: guest segment, stunt, test drive and, yes, the Stig (casting for that crucial role is still pending).

• The premiere episode will feature a race from Las Vegas to San Francisco, ending in a “mammoth stunt.” (NBC isn’t insisting on copycat stunts or episodes, a la Season One of The Office.)

• Carolla is pushing for an on-air drive of the just-unveiled BMW M1 Homage concept as soon as it’s available, as well as the Aston Martin DBS (though that would be a reprisal of a Clarkson drive).

• Clarkson and Carolla recently met face-to-face, but Carolla promises to focus more on improv than the heavily-prepared Clarkson.

• Officials from Top Gear in England, who are producing the show, along with “everyone involved,” have assured Carolla that he will be able to speak his mind on any car “without fear of reprisal” from advertisers, which he fully plans to do.”

The format looks great, as it’s based on the UK version. However, the unique content is really great to hear. At the very least, even if the show doesn’t live up to the UK version, at least we’ll have some unique shows that aren’t just a carbon copy of what Jeremy Clarkson and the rest of the British team has done.

Source: Popular Mechanics

1. Hybrids, Electric Batteries, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells – The progress being made with alternative powered cars is significant. They may not be making an impact tomorrow, but they will come sooner than later.
2. Smarter Rides – From fuel displacement systems to collision avoidance software, the technology we are wielding these days is astounding, and making the roads safer every day.
3. Coolness Factor – New cars these days are looking damn good. Not to mention the nifty features that continue to make the driving experience more enjoyable.
4. Automakers Responding Quickly to the Market – If the SUV market had tanked 10 years ago, Detroit’s car makers would have been extremely slow to react. Today, Ford has already said it will cut production and avoid building SUVs that the dealers will not be able to sell.
5. The final reason to feel good about the car buying industry, is without a doubt a self plug, but I think a valid one. EasyAutoSales.com is embracing the internet’s social presence in a way that other car classifieds sites are not. These days, with Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, FriendFeed, and many many more, the web of connection cast by an individual across the web is nothing short of remarkable. Imagine if you could use that massive social network to help you buy and sell cars. EasyAutoSales.com is integrating itself into this web 2.0 phenomenon , and the car buying industry will be better for it.

What makes you feel good about the car buying industry (or bad for the matter if you think this is all a crock of ….)?