Be Car Chic

Please join WAPA and Mazda at The National Press Club on Wednesday, March 20, for a luncheon starting at 12:00 pm. David Dildy, group manager for the MAZDA3 and MAZDA6, will present the all-new 2014 MAZDA6 SKYACTIV, which gets best-in-class highway fuel economy of 38 mpg. With its SKYACTIV suite of technologies, Mazda has concentrated on real-world ‑ [...]

At its 24th Annual Gala, the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) named Be Car Chic editor, Melanie Batenchuk, as its new president. Replacing outgoing president, Jessica Anderson of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Batenchuk has extensive experience in the automotive sector, having worked at the dealership, trade association, and manufacturer levels. In 2009, Melanie combined her passion [...]

Each year, Consumer Reports reveals its 2013 Top Picks for cars and trucks. If you’re in the D.C. metropolitan area, I’d encourage you to join the Washington Automotive Press Association (WAPA) so you can attend this hotly anticipated event on February 26 at 12 pm. Vehicle selections will cover the best and worst in fuel [...]

On Tuesday, August 14, Erich Merkle, U.S. Sales Analyst for Ford Motor Company, will speak to a group of automotive journalists and industry representatives about the company’s sales. Be Car Chic also recently heard from Ford’s Jim Farley, VP of Global Marketing, Sales and Service, on a similar topic. According to Ford’s media site, the [...]

Be Car Chic editor, Melanie Batenchuk, recently joined the Washington Automotive Press Association Board of Directors as Second Vice President. WAPA serves automotive journalists, bloggers, and industry groups in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area. With members all over the country, the association is a great way for manufacturers and regulators to keep in touch with automotive media. [...]

On Friday, December 9, the Washington Automotive Press Association held a luncheon at Volkswagen North America’s headquarters in Herndon, Va. A blend of journalists and industry representatives attended to both conclude another year of quality WAPA programming and to hear from VW’s chief of product and marketing, Tim Mahoney. Following a catered lunch provided by [...]

Ford is on a mission to debunk the fuel efficiency myth that only the little guys get high miles per gallon. At a WAPA luncheon on Wednesday, Barbara Samardzich, Ford’s VP of Global Product Programs, spoke to the group about the automaker’s future plans. Watch the video of her remarks here.  Samardzich talked about the pressure [...]