Reporter’s Notebook: Did You Say the Toys Are Here?

Taking the High Road

Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, is adamant when grilled by journalists that GM isn’t grinning ear to ear over Toyota's recall troubles.

“We aren't going to single out Toyota for its problems,” he says. “We're going to take the high road as a company. Do unto others as you want them to do unto you. That's the way I was raised by my parents.”

Reuss’ father, Lloyd, is a former GM president.

Crushed

Expecting to have his photo taken with the new Avalon at the auto show, Toyota exec Bob Carter, instead, found himself in a crush of media asking about Toyota's seemingly endless safety recalls.

Pinned with two Toyota spokesmen against the Avalon, Carter spoke too softly for many media members to hear, not surprising considering there was barely room for anyone to breathe.

Socially Correct

Special Coverage

Chicago Auto Show

Not only has “social media” become a slang term, it now is being reduced to just "social," at least according to Suzuki's Gene Brown.

Brown drops the single-word term numerous times during his presentation on the McCormick Center's Grand Concourse media stage Tuesday.

Suzuki just joined Facebook and Twitter, he says, and is planning to participate in more social media – oops, social – soon.

The Power of Square

When discussing the slow-selling Cadillac CTS wagon with journalists at the show here, Steve Shannon, executive director-Cadillac marketing, laments the lackluster acceptance of station wagons by U.S. consumers.

Such vehicles are highly versatile, he says.

“If consumers were purely rational, it would be very convenient.”

Sorento toys from Kia’s Super Bowl ad.

Did You Say the Toys Are Here?

Kia's press conference at the auto show features a little bit of everything.

A cover band sings the latest hits, the “Toys” from Kia's Super Bowl Sorento commercials show up in person for an awkward conversation with the auto maker’s U.S. marketing chief and Kia designers sketch a vehicle that turns out to be the Ray concept debuting here.

That’s one way to keep the media engaged.