– Scott Dixon, Honda go two-for-two to open 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship

– Graham Rahal plays speed, pit strategy to perfection to finish second

– Honda pads Manufacturers’ title chase lead as series begins run of five races in 15 days

INDIANAPOLIS, July 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — As he had at the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener in Texas in June, Scott Dixon dominated the second half of today’s GMR Grand Prix to lead a 1-2 finish for Honda on the road course of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Dixon credited a minor setup change made during his second pit stop for improving the handling of his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, and the five-time series champion the pulled away during the second half of the 80-lap contest to a nearly 20-second margin of victory over fellow Honda driver Graham Rahal.

For his part, Rahal was able to make a two-stop strategy work to his advantage, with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver running especially strong during the middle third of the race, where he led 18 laps and was in contention for the victory. But when the sole caution flag of the race came out on Lap 36, the advantage of Rahal’s two-stop strategy was negated. In the closing laps, Rahal fought off a strong challenge from defending race winner Simon Pagenaud to secure the second step on the podium.

Behind the lead pair, Colton Herta led the way for Andretti Autosport with a solid fourth-place finish, while Dixon’s teammate Marcus Ericsson brought his Honda home in sixth. Santino Ferruci, in ninth, and Takuma Sato rounded out the top 10 for Honda.

With two wins in two races this season, Honda also continues to lead the IndyCar Manufacturers’ Championship, with an unofficial total of 182 points to 142 points for Chevrolet.

Next
Today’s GMR Grand Prix is the first of three consecutive weekends – and five races – in the resumed 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The series now heads north to scenic Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, for the July 11-12 doubleheader REV Group Grand Prix. A second doubleheader race weekend follows July 17-18 on the oval at Iowa Speedway.

Honda Racing social media content and videos from the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be available on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD). Produced by the CoForce Digital Media, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.  

Quotes
Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started seventh, finished first; second consecutive INDYCAR win to open the 2020 season and 48^th career victory: “You don’t know how it’s ever going to go. Graham Rahal was super fast, especially on the [Firestone primary] ‘black’ tires. We got a little bit of luck [with the caution] that put us in the right direction. The Honda power was fantastic, and we made a change on the car [during the second pit stop] and then the PNC car was so much easier to drive that we could just ‘check out’.” 

Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Started fourth, finished second: “I thought the [two-stop] strategy was working perfect. Coming out of the pits after the first stop and still being right with [Will] Power and [Jack] Harvey and all the good guys, all I kept thinking was when the pits cycled through for the last time, we’d have about a 25- or 30-second lead, but obviously the yellow [caution flag] came out and nullified our strategy. But ‘Dixie’ had tremendous pace during the late part of the race. But the Fifth Third Bank car was great today. I thought our guys did a tremendous job. For our team, after [disappointment in] Texas, this feels extremely good for us.”

Ted Klaus (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in the GMR Grand Prix: “It’s fantastic for Honda to break through and win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Every victory at this famous speedway is special. Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing got it done once again, and we had three HPD teams in the top four with Graham Rahal for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Colton Herta with Andretti Autosport. Congrats to everyone at HPD and our partner teams who helped make this great day happen. Everyone earned it today!”

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1200248/cantrell_indygp.jpg  

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/83597/honda_performance_development__inc__honda_racing_logo.jpg  

SOURCE Honda Racing

LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today Autoproyecto launched a new editorial series titled the ‘Hispanic Impact Report.’ This multi-article series will focus on the impact Hispanics have on the automotive market and the efforts manufacturers make to earn their trust and brand loyalty. A new segment of the report will be published each week throughout the summer, culminating in September during Hispanic Heritage month.

“This is a critical time for Hispanic consumers and many are waking up to the significance of their purchasing power, especially younger buyers who are more socially and environmentally focused than their parents,” said Camilo Alfaro, Autoproyecto Founder & CEO. “As a result of this consumer shift, we’re altering our journalism efforts to move beyond simple product recommendations to include more socially conscious reasons for recommending certain brands over others.” Alfaro also acknowledged, “Our readers demand responsible and transparent reporting – they understand they are voting with their wallets.”

The series is being developed both through Autoproyecto’s in-house editorial research team and interviews with the top ten automotive brands by sales volume to Hispanics. It will be hosted at on a special section titled Hispanidad on Autoproyecto’s homepage and promoted through Autoproyecto’s 360 media ecosystem: Autoproyecto.com, social channels, podcasts, OTT channels (Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV), and national / cable television (NBC Telemundo and CNN Espanol).

According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, the $1.5 trillion Hispanic market is the largest ethnic market in the U.S., and includes more than one out of every six Americans.

Overall, the Hispanic population has a younger median age, over-indexes on digital platform use, enjoys rising incomes and demonstrates higher population growth when compared to the general market. According to various census and car buying reports, Hispanics represent 18% of the US population, yet account for 24% of all car sales and have the potential to buy more cars over their lifetime than non-hispanics.

“The series was developed to address the lack of information on Hispanics with respect to the automotive industry,” added Alfaro. “The 2010 Census created a lot of energy around marketing to Hispanics but since 2015, information and access to information has declined.  With the 2020 Census around the corner, we believe there will be renewed interest in the Hispanic community and we plan to be at the forefront by reporting information that helps automotive marketers reach this demographic more effectively.”

The Hispanic community has been referred to as the sleeping giant because of its untapped potential. Nowhere is this more evident than the Hispanic automotive market.

Follow the series at Hispanic Impact Report.

 About Autoproyecto.com

Autoproyecto.com is the only independent and privately owned in-market Spanish language automotive consumer website providing U.S. Hispanics with the latest automotive news, tips and reviews that assist in the purchase of a new/used vehicle. The site also operates its own automotive channel, Autoproyecto TV on OTT (Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV), and the Sobre Ruedas (On Wheels) podcast. The site is operated by Autoproyecto LLC, based in Los Angeles, California.

Contact:
Octavio Navarro
949.545.3264
[email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199862/Autoproyecto_Hispanic_Impact.jpg

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199863/Autoproyecto_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Autoproyecto.com

LOS ANGELES, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Today Autoproyecto launched a new editorial series titled the ‘Hispanic Impact Report.’ This multi-article series will focus on the impact Hispanics have on the automotive market and the efforts manufacturers make to earn their trust and brand loyalty. A new segment of the report will be published each week throughout the summer, culminating in September during Hispanic Heritage month.

“This is a critical time for Hispanic consumers and many are waking up to the significance of their purchasing power, especially younger buyers who are more socially and environmentally focused than their parents,” said Camilo Alfaro, Autoproyecto Founder & CEO. “As a result of this consumer shift, we’re altering our journalism efforts to move beyond simple product recommendations to include more socially conscious reasons for recommending certain brands over others.” Alfaro also acknowledged, “Our readers demand responsible and transparent reporting – they understand they are voting with their wallets.”

The series is being developed both through Autoproyecto’s in-house editorial research team and interviews with the top ten automotive brands by sales volume to Hispanics. It will be hosted at on a special section titled Hispanidad on Autoproyecto’s homepage and promoted through Autoproyecto’s 360 media ecosystem: Autoproyecto.com, social channels, podcasts, OTT channels (Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV), and national / cable television (NBC Telemundo and CNN Espanol).

According to the Selig Center for Economic Growth, the $1.5 trillion Hispanic market is the largest ethnic market in the U.S., and includes more than one out of every six Americans.

Overall, the Hispanic population has a younger median age, over-indexes on digital platform use, enjoys rising incomes and demonstrates higher population growth when compared to the general market. According to various census and car buying reports, Hispanics represent 18% of the US population, yet account for 24% of all car sales and have the potential to buy more cars over their lifetime than non-hispanics.

“The series was developed to address the lack of information on Hispanics with respect to the automotive industry,” added Alfaro. “The 2010 Census created a lot of energy around marketing to Hispanics but since 2015, information and access to information has declined.  With the 2020 Census around the corner, we believe there will be renewed interest in the Hispanic community and we plan to be at the forefront by reporting information that helps automotive marketers reach this demographic more effectively.”

The Hispanic community has been referred to as the sleeping giant because of its untapped potential. Nowhere is this more evident than the Hispanic automotive market.

Follow the series at Hispanic Impact Report.

 About Autoproyecto.com

Autoproyecto.com is the only independent and privately owned in-market Spanish language automotive consumer website providing U.S. Hispanics with the latest automotive news, tips and reviews that assist in the purchase of a new/used vehicle. The site also operates its own automotive channel, Autoproyecto TV on OTT (Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV), and the Sobre Ruedas (On Wheels) podcast. The site is operated by Autoproyecto LLC, based in Los Angeles, California.

Contact:
Octavio Navarro
949.545.3264
[email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199862/Autoproyecto_Hispanic_Impact.jpg

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199863/Autoproyecto_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Autoproyecto.com

TORRANCE, Calif., July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ —

“We’ve returned to business with April to June sales stronger than we could have expected, with the pace of recovery accelerating in the second half of the quarter,” said Dave Gardner, executive vice president of Auto Sales at American Honda Motor Co., Inc.  “We’re running a bit lean on inventory, but our dealers have been remarkably nimble in adapting to one of the greatest challenges our industry has ever seen and our production team is working extra days this week to supply our customers.  Now, we anxiously anticipate the arrival of the all-new Acura TLX to bring some real excitement to Acura showrooms.”

American Honda COVID-19 Support: The Honda and Acura brands are offering select and eligible first responders and healthcare professionals a $1,000 discount on new vehicles financed or leased through Honda Financial Services or Acura Financial Services through July 6.

PDF – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199337/Honda_June_2020_Sales.pdf
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199338/Honda_2019_Acura_RDX_Advance.jpg
Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/477245/HONDALOGO_Logo.jpg

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

IRVINE, California, July 1, 2020 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total June sales of 25,326 vehicles, an increase of 10.9 percent compared to June 2019. Sales in the first half of the year totaled 128,869 vehicles, a decrease of 7 percent compared to the same time last year. With 25 selling days in June, compared to 26 the year prior, the company posted an increase of 15.4 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

Sales Highlights

• The CX-9 saw its best June ever with 2,727 vehicles sold, an increase of 48.9 percent.
• The CX-30 saw best-ever sales results since launching in November 2019 with 3,526 vehicles sold.
• Sales of the MX-5 Miata increased 27.3 percent with 966 vehicles sold in June.
• CPO sales totaled 7,133 vehicles in June, an increase of 25.8 percent compared to June 2019.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported June sales of 4,133 vehicles, a decrease of 2.3 percent compared to June last year. Year-to-date sales decreased 27.5 percent, with 21,299 vehicles sold.

Today Mazda Motor Corporation also resumed double shift operations at both the Ujina Plants and Hofu Plant No.2. The Hofu Plant No.1 will resume double shift operations on July 27. As consumer demand for cars has started to see a recovery in some markets, Mazda will proceed with cautious steps to meet customers’ requests while continuing to implement infection prevention measures.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through approximately 620 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO’s social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/53154/mazda_north_american_operations_logo.jpg

SOURCE Mazda North American Operations