China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's the week's reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week: Apple's slow(er) sales... Quake relief PR... Japan's sales woes... Electric vehicle hopes... Rolls Royce driving... Retail trends... China's oldest scissors maker... Ai Weiwei "snap bracelets,"... liquor ad increase... Boo-hoo Yahoo... Caterpillar... Airbus... Airline outfits... Desperate hotels... A giant rubber duck... and more.Continue reading...

Even as European economies and the EU wrestle with the continent's slide back into recession, luxury auto brands are ready to show off at next week's Geneva auto show like there really is a tomorrow—at least for their upscale clients.

Alfa Romeo, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Land Rover, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls Royce are among the premium marques that will be displaying new production and concept vehicles at the annual show, which ranks as Europe's most important stage for automotive style and innovation and one of the most important auto exhibits in the world each year.

Among the brands and their scheduled delights:

Alfa Romeo debuts its 4c small sports car after unveiling the concept at Geneva two years ago. The prospect of selling this new vehicle in the United States has got many Chrysler dealers sniffing out the possibility of adding the Alfa Romeo brand to their stable along with Fiat.

Audi will display a plug-in hybrid version of its A3 hatchback, known as the A3 e-tron, which will go on sale next year. Sibling brand Volkswagen, by the way, will show off the next-generation, sporty GTI hatchback that is supposed to go on sale later this year.

Bentley is supposed to show off its second-generation Flying Spur, which it says is faster, more powerful and more fuel-efficient than its current model, according to Automotive News.

Continue reading...

In case you missed it, here's the pre-CES keynote by Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs on January 7th. The theme: What does it mean to be born mobile? Highlights, as you can watch below, include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (who has given the pre-CES keynote in previous years) plus Big Bird, Star Trek actress Alice Eve and Rolls Royce.Continue reading...

Product placement may make a big leap soon if the reboot of the 1981 classic Cannonball Run gets the green light.

New York magazine's website reports that GM is deep "in discussions about backing an update of The Cannonball Run in a deal that would be much larger than your average product placement." Reportedly looking for an "equity stake," GM could go deep into its pockets in a gamble to pack the film with its models, and might even give the "new Corvette the lead."

There are several reasons this might be a disaster — so it's a good thing GM isn't getting involved.Continue reading...

Think product placement in prime time TV and films is bad? Try some from daytime soaps like Days of Our Lives. While you're trying that, why not also try some Wanchai Ferry "Chinese food!" (above)Continue reading...

Look at the current state of the luxury auto market and you might think the global recession is already behind us. As reported last week, Rolls Royce is seeing strong demand for its new $250,000 Ghost model. 

Now we learn that two other ultra-luxury brands, Bugatti (made by Volkswagen) and Ferrari (made by Fiat) have sold out their most expensive models, according to USA Today. The World Record, Bugatti's fastest serial-production car, sells for $2.7 million each, yet all five of the available cars have been reserved for purchase. Ferrari has sold all 80 of its SA Aperta model cars at the cool price of $552,000 each.Continue reading...

Another day, another dig at Hummer, the white hot epicenter of scorn from New York to Beijing. But environmentalists might want to check themselves: they may not have Hummer to kick around for much longer. And then what?

Brands are, of course, a set of attributes agreed upon by brand owner and consumers. And no brand may have suffered worse from the latter part of that arrangement than Hummer, the unthinking environmentalist's go-to brand shorthand for bad autoing. The brand is so synonymous with a lack of concern about the environment that it is assumed Hummer owners, while claiming they are attracted by the “American exceptionalism, rugged individualism, love of the frontier, community and freedom" characteristics of the brand, really just revel in the image of sticking it in Mother Nature's ear. Radical activist group Earth Liberation Front even set one Hummer dealership on fire several years ago.

But then there are facts.Continue reading...

British oil trader Trafigura dumped contaminated waste in the Ivory Coast, with 12 known deaths to date, then spent three years denying claims and threatening critics with defamation suits. [Guardian]

Environmental advocates pressure household product producers into disclosing chemicals in products. [NY Times]

Obama struggles to reframe the US national discourse: This is not about race. [WaPo]

Spanish retail chain Zara finally moves to sell clothes online. [Times of London]

No more corporate jet use at Citi. Unless you have a really good reason and a note from Vikram Pandit. [Times of London]

Rolls Royce introduces an economy vehicle for consumers new to the brand, retailing at $338,000. [Bloomberg]

Michelin engages social media to tout their 2010 guide, playing up the mystery of their "famously anonymous inspector" on website, ads, and Twitter. [NY Times]

(More headlines: Timberland targets Gen Y; USA Networks, Verizon and ESPN ramp up their game; US college football stars tripped up by social media.)Continue reading...