May 16, 2008
Time for an SUV Bailout?
With gas prices hitting an average $3.78 a gallon in the U.S., millions of people who thought it was their god given right to plow down the freeway in vehicles that were more buses than cars are fretting that they can't afford the gas to go and buy something they don't need. You know, in order to do their part for the economy.
So maybe it's time for a bailout for these suckers, who used to love looking down their noses at furry environmentalists driving crap boxes, and who now look forlornly as life passes them by on the way to the mall.
You see, we thought of this because of the current fervor over mortgage bailouts, the theory of which says we can't have people, and the banks that enable them, suffering due to their bad decisions and/or greed and/or fraudulent behavior.
So why don't we give people a free house and buy back their big SUV at the same time, replacing it with an economical car?
The biggest question should be where to attach the bow -- on the car or the house? And hey, if Ty Pennington will show up for the house rechristening, we'll show up for the BRAND NEW CAR! presentation.
Continue reading"Time for an SUV Bailout?"
Posted by Frank at 10:30 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Environment
| Finance
Volkswagen Urges You to "See Film Differently"
LONDON -- Created by DDB London, Volkswagen's "See Film Differently" campaign, continues the idea of shedding light on cinema classics. The straight-to-camera interviews expound conspiracy theories that expose the apparent hidden meanings in well-known films.
Volkswagen's support of independent cinema has been pushed further this year, with the idents being set, not in a cinema environment as before, but on a film set.
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Posted by Frank at 10:24 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Video
| Volkswagen
Mercedes-Benz Uses Internet to Launch GLK SUV
Stuttgart – Mercedes-Benz launches an innovative Web Special www.mercedes-glk.com to promote the debut of its new GLK compact SUV.
The special features an interactive music video that users can help to design, as well as a “GLK Backstage” section for discussions with the engineers who created the new model. Just as the GLK is setting new trends in the SUV world, so too will the GLK Web Special open up new possibilities for user interaction in online marketing.
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Posted by Frank at 9:34 AM
| Filed under 2009 Vehicles
| 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Mercedes-Benz
Return of a legend: VW Scirocco on the Nordschleifee
Wolfsburg -- By participating in the 24-Hour Race at the Nürburgring, Volkswagen tackles one of the major challenges in international motorsport yet again. The endurance run twice around the clock on the legendary Nordschleife is regarded as one of the most demanding races in terms of driving and technology.
This year, the crowd of well over 200,000 enthusiastic fans lining the 25.378-kilometre circuit will witness the meeting of two legends: Volkswagen returns to the Nordschleife with a racing version of the Scirocco.
Continue reading"Return of a legend: VW Scirocco on the Nordschleifee"
Posted by Frank at 9:32 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Car Tech
| Volkswagen
Volvo P1800 Owners Converge on Sweden
47 Volvo P1800 cars from German and Swiss Volvo Owner clubs visit Sweden and Volvo Car Corporation in connection with the clubs' 30 year anniversary. An impressive sight.
The German Volvo P1800 IG and the Swiss Volvo-Sport Club P1800 are both celebrating their anniversary with a week's visit to Sweden. The group consists of 38 cars from Germany and 9 from Switzerland.
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Posted by Frank at 9:23 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Vintage
| Volvo
BMW at the 61st Cannes Film Festival
Cannes/Munich -- May 15 marks the start of the 61st International Film Festival in the eternally glamorous town of Cannes on the coast of southern France. The BMW Group is right in the middle of things, a competent partner for the German, European and global film industry.
The Munich-based company has a long tradition of cooperation with the film industry: alongside classic product placements, the BMW Group has also consistently supported the rise of young film talent both in Germany and world wide.
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Posted by Frank at 8:42 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| BMW
| MINI
Chevy donates horsepower to Wayne County
DETROIT, Mich. – Chevrolet today donated 365 horses to the Restore the Horse Foundation for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office mounted police unit.
The horses are corralled under the hood of a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado HD 3500 "dually" pickup truck, which along with a horse trailer donated by Restore the Horse, will be used to maintain and enhance the local mounted unit – the last of its kind in the state of Michigan.
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Posted by Frank at 8:16 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Chevrolet
| GM
Porsche Named Top Luxury Brand for 2008
ATLANTA -- For the fourth year running, America’s most affluent consumers have declared Porsche the most prestigious car available today.
The Luxury Institute’s 2008 independent nationwide survey of luxury auto brands rated Porsche tops against eleven of the world’s most prestigious car brands. Lexus and Mercedes ranked second and third, respectively.
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Posted by Frank at 7:32 AM
| Filed under 2008 Vehicles
| 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Porsche
Volo Auto Museum Features One of a Kind Movie Memorabilia
VOLO, Ill. -- The Volo Auto Museum's Spring Auto Fair and Car Corral Memorial Weekend, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 5pm, will feature for sale among other classic and vintage cars, the only vehicle EVER driven on Earth by Captain James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, known as Captain Spock in this film, when they landed on Earth in Star Trek IV, The Voyage Home. FULLY documented and $5000.00 buys it.
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Posted by Frank at 6:48 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
Foo Fighters Ride Into Harley-Davidson's 105th Anniversary
MILWAUKEE -- Harley-Davidson has announced that the iconic rock band Foo Fighters has been added to the already stellar line-up of musical talent performing during the Motor Company's 105th Anniversary Celebration in Milwaukee.
Foo Fighters, along with special guest Three Days Grace, will play Friday, August 29, 2008, at the outdoor venue dubbed Roadhouse at the Lakefront, which is located just north of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Continue reading"Foo Fighters Ride Into Harley-Davidson's 105th Anniversary"
Posted by Frank at 6:42 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
May 15, 2008
Ford Flex features super-cooling armrest fridge
When designing the Ford Flex’s new in-vehicle refrigerator, Ford engineering created a cooling and freezing unit that not only performed as well as a standard home refrigerator, but was 40 percent faster.
In freeze mode the refrigerator unit can chill two half-liter bottles of water from a room temperature of 77 degrees F (25 degrees C) to 41 degrees F (5 degrees C) in just two and a half hours.
Continue reading"Ford Flex features super-cooling armrest fridge"
Posted by Frank at 1:19 PM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Car Tech
| Ford
Video: Peter Horbury on Lincoln MKS design
Ford's Executive Director of Design for the Americas, Peter Horbury, talks about the design of the Lincoln MKS.
Related: 2009 Lincoln MKS: The Long-Awaited Halo Effect
Posted by Frank at 12:19 PM
| Filed under 2009 Vehicles
| 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Car Tech
| Ford
| Lincoln
| Video
Ford takes the cap off the gas tank
The EasyFuel Capless Fuel-Filler System eliminates the gas tank screw cap for more simple fuel fill ups. No more gas odor on hands or gloves, or the unwanted amber dash light because the gas cap wasn’t screwed on tightly enough.
In addition to eliminating these hassles, EasyFuel helps reduce evaporative emissions that create smog and contribute to global warming.
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Posted by Frank at 12:10 PM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Car Tech
| Ford
| Lincoln
| Mercury
Ford uses Sirius Travel Link for in-car data delivery
SIRIUS Travel Link technology provides customers with a valuable tool that can be used daily to get just-in-time details about traffic, current weather conditions, gasoline prices, movie theater details and sports updates. The system will be available on several 2009 models including Ford Flex, F-150, and Lincoln MKS.
Specifically, Travel Link delivers:
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Posted by Frank at 11:08 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Car Audio
| Car Tech
| Ford
| Lincoln
| Mercury
Worldwide Prius Sales Top 1 Million Mark
Tokyo -- Toyota announced today that worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius—the world's first mass-produced gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle—have passed the 1 million mark, with approximately 1,028,000 units sold as of the end of April this year.
Currently, Prius sales are robust in more than 40 countries and regions, particularly in Japan and North America. Nearly 60%, or 591,600 Priuses have been sold in North America.
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Posted by Frank at 9:57 AM
| Filed under 5th Wheel
| Alternative Fuels
| Auto Marketing
| Auto News
| Hybrid
| Industry Statistics
| Toyota
