Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Auto News: July 2006 Archives

July 31, 2006

Nissan donates 200K to Lebanese refugees

Nissan is donating $200,000 to assist Lebanese citizens displaced by the shelling of their homes, an unusual move given the political quotient, but understandable given that CEO Carlos Ghosn spent much of his childhood there.

Link.

July 31, 2006

Demystify car care with new guide from the Car Care Council

Car Care Guide Takes Mystery Out of Vehicle Maintenance and Repair

Motorists Can Order Free Guide Online

A new Car Care Guide for motorists turns technical automotive jargon into easy-to-understand everyday language, taking the mystery out of vehicle maintenance and repair. The free guide, published by the Car Care Council, can be ordered on the council's Web site at http://www.carcare.org/.

Continue reading "Demystify car care with new guide from the Car Care Council"

Posted by Frank at 4:44 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Chevy using webcast to unveil new 2007 Silverado, Sierra

This Wednesday, August 2 at 10 am, EST, Chevy will unveil the 2007 Silverado and GMC Sierra, which you can watch live, via webcast, by clicking on this link.

Audi racing annoints Piloti as official footwear

Piloti, the fancy racing footwear maker, is now the official fotwear of Champion Racing, which is the official team of Audi Sport, officially, in North America.

Official press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Audi racing annoints Piloti as official footwear"

Nitrogen gas being used to save $$ on the other kind

TOPSHAM, Maine - Many motorists seeking to improve their mileage as gas prices soar this summer are examining everything — right down to the air in their tires. And for a growing number, plain old air isn’t good enough.

George Bourque of Fairfield is one of those who’s driving around on tires filled with pure nitrogen, the same stuff that NASCAR racers use.

Bourque, an engineer, said he has seen a 1 to 1.5 mile-per-gallon increase since he began filling his tires with nitrogen, which is touted as maintaining tire pressure longer and resisting heat buildup on hot summer days.

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Subaru diesel coming in 2008

Subaru is developing its own 2 liter diesel engine, that will not be in vehicles until 2008.

Rather than buying a diesel from someone else, Subaru is developing its own, and reportedly has working examples of a four-cylinder plant. This engine will first appear in the Subaru Legacy in 2008.

However, the new diesel is unlikely to appear in Subaru's all-new premium 4x4, the Tribeca. The manufacturer is looking at a six cylinder 3 liter diesel for the Tribeca.

Yahoo! Autos provides Total Cost To Own info

New Pricing Features Include First-of-Its-Kind Graphing and Data Customization Tools

Yahoo! Autos announced new features to further aid consumers in making informed vehicle purchase decisions. Yahoo!’s Estimated Market Price (EMP) provides consumers with the estimated market price of vehicles based on real-time sales data, collected on a national basis. This feature gives consumers a sense of the actual average price people are paying for a particular vehicle.

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Promotion: Toyota/Scion = Yaris

Taking a page from their successful Scion marketing strategy, Toyota is attempting to reach out to prospective buyers of their new subcompact, the Yaris, with an independent destination site, YarisWorks.

The site details times and locations for this summer's 12-city Drive it Yourself Tour, as well as a very neat, "virtual test drive" feature that has video of someobody driving a Yaris in the city of your choice, all online.

Beyond that, there's a bunch of features that are supposed to be hip, or cool, or social network-y, but personally, it looks like a jumble of bullshit, to me.

Link.

Ford: No incentives for Edge, Lincoln MKX

Ford has said they are launching the 2007 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers without incentives -- remaining intent on winning customers with value and appeal.

Both the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX go on sale in November; the Edge should be priced in the mid-$20K range, the should be in the mid-$30K range.

Audi produces 1,500,000th A3

INGOLSTADT, Germany - Audi has sold 1.5 million units of its successful A3 model since market launch in 1996. The jubilee car of the compact model built in Ingolstadt is destined for the US market. It is an A3 3.2 quattro in Misano Red, with a 3.2-litre V6 engine generating an output of 250 hp and 236 ft.-lbs. of torque.

“The Audi A3 can boast outstanding quality in its class and has hallmarked the market by being the first real premium car in the compact class”, says Frank Dreves, Audi Plant Manager in Ingolstadt. Along with the A3, Audi also builds the A4, the A4 Avant and the body of the new Audi TT at its Ingolstadt plant. Further future-oriented models, in the guise of the A5 midsize coupé and the Audi Q5 SUV, are designated to be built at the Ingolstadt plant.

Production of the Audi A3 began at the Ingolstadt plant in 1996. The second generation of the A3 followed in 2003, and June 2004 saw the launch of the five-door A3. At the moment, more than 800 units of the A3 leave the production halls each day and are sent out to customers all over the world. Almost 127,000 units of the Audi A3 were sold worldwide in the first half of 2006 alone. This represents a growth rate of 16.3 percent compared with the same period of last year.

The Audi A3 has made a very significant contribution to the overall success of the brand. “The outstanding way in which the A3 has progressed is thanks to its highly motivated and well-qualified team of workers”, Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council at AUDI AG points out. With just under 463,500 vehicles sold in the first half of 2006, Audi has achieved a growth rate up 9.8 percent compared with the same period of last year.

Porsche getting VW's DSG Tranny

Shared with Volkswagen, the Porsche-developed slushbox is the well-known torque-converter equipped Tiptronic transmission. Outselling the manual by quite a margin, this automatic gearbox was one of the first manual-shifted automatics on the market, and while it was heralded as excellent and ingenious in its day, the onset of newer, more advanced (and simply better) technology has left it in the proverbial dust. Recognizing this, Volkswagen contracted BorgWarner to build a newer, better box for use in the various high-performance Audi models. What BorgWarner came back with was the Direct-Shift Gearbox, or DSG.

Sporting two clutches in place of the Tiptronics torque converter, the DSG sequential-manual was greeted with open arms by the enthusiast community. Always engaged, the DSG unit uses an inner and an outer clutch to engage and disengage cogs. The outer pack drives gears 1, 3, and 5; while the inner clutch pack drives 2, 4, and 6. Using complicated electronic algorithms, the drivers selected gear is engaged by one clutch pack while the previous gear is disengaged by the other. The result is lag-free, seamless, predictable shifts that can be easily tuned for different situations by simply changing the clutch packs modulation. Compared to the slow, jerky, and cumbersome Tiptronic gearbox, the DSG is light years ahead and miles better.

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Boomers buying cars not built for them

It wasn't until Jim Tudor got his new Honda Element that he noticed a quirk in its design. Why was the boxy vehicle's sunroof over the empty back seat instead of over his spot up front?

"I found out that it's supposed to be for my surfboard," says Tudor, who's 56, a grandfather of two who never surfs anywhere but the Internet. "It was really only after the fact, when I started doing a little reading on the car, that I found out I wasn't supposed to be the one driving it."

It turns out many of the people buying the Element — which looks like a cross between a minivan and a Hummer — aren't the young surfers and mountain bikers Honda expected. The same applies to many buyers of Toyota's Scion models.

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New Designer to Help Kia Conquer Identity Crisis

Kia Motors has launched full-scale efforts to differentiate itself from its mother company Hyundai Motor. The automaker said Monday that it will bring in globally recognized car designer Peter Schreyer as the chief design officer, a vice president-level post, as part of its efforts to develop unique designs, which are distinct from Hyundai models.

Schreyer will take charge of Kia’s design institutes in Korea, California in the U.S. and Frankfurt in Germany.

While working with Audi, an affiliate of Volkswagen, for eight years, Schreyer earned fame for his outstanding creative car designs including the first generation "TT" model. He designed the concept car “R-Roadster” after moving to Volkswagen in 2002.

80% of Chrysler ad viewers think the guy with the mustache is related to Popeye

In other words, more than three out of four ad watchers think Dieter Zetsche is a fictional character, not the CEO of a global corporation.

Also, the ads don't seem to be selling very many cars.

Link.

Mitsubishi makes SIRIUS Radio Standard or Option on All 2007 Models

SIRIUS to be Offered on Four Models This Fall and Full Vehicle Lineup Next Year

Mitsubishi Motors North America and SIRIUS Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI - News) today announced that Mitsubishi will offer SIRIUS as a standard feature or factory option on four models this fall, and throughout the entire 2008 Mitsubishi model line, available in the United States next year.

Continue reading "Mitsubishi makes SIRIUS Radio Standard or Option on All 2007 Models"

Toyota readies comedy series for mobile phones

Toyota is spending more than $10 million to create and promote a comedy series designed specifically for multimedia mobile phones. The effort will feature the 2007 Camry, and the program's creators claim it's the first branded entertainment series created for the video-phone medium.

In what's believed to be a first, Toyota is also buying spots on broadcast and cable TV (including Fox, ABC and BET) that showcase the new Camry as well as promote the mobile phone comedy series. The ads and the series share some of the same cast members.

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Ghosn rules out hostile GM takeover bid

The alliance between Renault and Nissan would not mount a hostile takeover bid for General Motors should talks on a three-way tie-up among the carmakers fail, Carlos Ghosn told a German newspaper.

"If only one partner desires cooperation it will not come to pass," Ghosn, who is chief executive of both France's Renault SA and Japan's Nissan Motor Co Ltd, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview printed on Monday.

"This is very clear between (GM CEO) Rick (Wagoner) and me. And you can be certain that we will not do anything hostile against GM."

Link.

Posted by Frank at 11:09 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Detroit-based carmakers try friendly ads

Detroit automakers want you to think of them as your dear friend -- and in the process, they hope you'll buy their cars.

DaimlerChrysler AG is using its mustachioed German chairman in good-humored commercials for Chrysler Group. Ford Motor Co. believes a bold ad campaign and its hometown CEO will catch your fancy. And General Motors Corp. thinks showing you how fads -- and GM products -- have evolved over the years will give you the warm fuzzies.

As foreign automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. make deeper inroads in the U.S. market, Detroit's three auto companies, which spend $2 billion a year on American advertising, are rolling out campaigns to boost their corporate images.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 11:04 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Gadgets driving motorists to distraction

Latest technologies compounding the dangers on the highway

Drivers talking on their cell phones — it’s every motorist’s pet peeve. After all, which of us doesn’t have a story about another driver who, cell phone to their ear and engrossed in conversation, has carelessly weaved their way across our path.

But when it comes to gadgets, cell phones are so last century. A new generation of technological devices — from BlackBerries to iPods to multi-channel satellite radios — are distracting today’s drivers. And they’re compounding the dangers of driver distraction.

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Recalls dent Toyota image

Vehicle callbacks, probe into handling of defects could hurt No. 2 carmaker's reputation

Toyota Motor Corp. CEO Katsuaki Watanabe bowed deeply before the cameras on July 20 in a humbling moment for the mighty Japanese automaker.

Toyota has come under intense scrutiny as prosecutors in Japan investigate its handling of vehicle defects. Separately, the government told Toyota to review its policy on recalls and respond to the Transport Ministry by Friday.

Ritual apologies are common in Japan, where executives are expected to convey their regret for corporate shortcomings. It's unusual, however, to see executives from Japan's leading industrial company on the defensive. "That was a very big deal in Japan," said Daniel Baum, a Tokyo-based auto analyst.

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Progressive Insurance has new accident service

If you get into a car crash, chances are better than ever that your vehicle will be declared a total loss - in other words, your insurance company will tell you that your car would cost more to fix than it's worth. An estimated five million vehicles, or about 20 percent of those involved in insurance claims each year, are totaled in crashes - that's a 40 percent increase over the past seven years. This means that each year, millions of people face the daunting and time-consuming task of replacing their cars following crashes.

And while some insurance companies advertise total loss replacement coverage, the coverage generally only helps you if you drive a newer car. By contrast, "Total Loss Concierge" from The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies will help find you a replacement car regardless of the age of your totaled vehicle - and even if you want a used car.

Continue reading "Progressive Insurance has new accident service"

Posted by Frank at 10:46 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

VW Jetta, Rabbit, Passat lead the field in safety

IIHS and NHTSA recognize Volkswagen’s innovative active and passive safety equipment

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that the four-door 2006 Rabbit has been named a “Top Safety Pick-Silver” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the latest in a series of accolades for the exceptional safety designed into Volkswagen models. Earlier this year, the IIHS named the 2006 Jetta a “Top Safety Pick-Silver.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also recognized the safety and performance for the 2006 and 2007 four-door Volkswagen Rabbit, Jetta, and Passat, giving them all four stars for driver and passenger frontal crash protection. The Rabbit and Jetta earned five stars for driver and rear passenger side crash protection and the Passat earned five stars for the driver and four stars for the rear passenger side crash protection.

Continue reading "VW Jetta, Rabbit, Passat lead the field in safety"

July 30, 2006

Ex-Nissan boss: Move is mistake

Shift from California may put brakes on company's progress, he says

A legendary Nissan executive who led the Japanese carmaker's U.S. invasion in the late 1950s, built its West Coast offices and headed operations in America for 20 years said the company will be making a big mistake if it moves its headquarters from the prestigious Los Angeles market.

Yutaka Katayama, "Mr. K" to Nissan and Datsun fans, said in a letter to Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn that a move from California to either the Nashville area or Texas would hurt the company he helped build.

"In the 1980s Nissan lost huge assets in the United States when the 'Datsun' label was removed from its products," Katayama said in an Oct. 20 letter to Ghosn. "I do not want Nissan to make a similar public relations mistake."

Link.

Nissan California headquarters building is all but empty

The distinctive building with its large red Nissan signs and reflective windows still stands at the corner of 190th and Figueroa streets.

Last year, looking up at those windows at just the right spot would have shown the reflection of a colorful mosaic of vehicles filling the parking lot.

Today, the reflection is mostly of black asphalt. Few vehicles remain in the lot. The once bustling front lobby is nearly deserted.

Nissan's North American sales and marketing headquarters officially completed its departure from the South Bay on Friday, culminating a monthslong move to Nashville, Tenn.

"There's going to be some people there working to get the property ready for sale. We've got security around there," Nissan spokesman Fred Standish said from Nashville. "There might be a couple of people tying up loose ends there, but literally a handful. The parking lot is essentially empty."

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Kia first among user-friendly Canadian auto websites

User-friendly websites translate into increased showroom traffic for auto manufacturers, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates.

The market-research firm's inaugural look at Canadian auto makers' Web presence concludes that the easier to navigate and more useful their websites are, the more likely would-be buyers will head into showrooms for a test drive.

By that measure, Korean auto makers Kia and Hyundai ought to be pretty busy.

They ranked Number 1 and Number 2 in the poll.

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GM confident in their pickup game

White smiled with sly recognition after seeing Toyota Motor Corp. executives trumpet the painstaking research for the new Tundra full-size pickup.

At the Chicago Auto show last winter, while watching a Toyota video of "true truckers" driving through the most rugged and punishing conditions, such as oil fields and ranches, it quickly became apparent to White whose trucks Toyota studied.

"They were watching our trucks. Their trucks aren't out there," said White, who is in charge of GM's newly designed Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups that will be unveiled Wednesday.

It's GM's long history of building trucks and legions of loyal buyers that make White confident his pickups will match up against the Tundra and other competitors when they go on sale this fall.

Lihttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060730/BUSINESS01/607300578/1014nk.

Goodyear Tires Selected for New Dodge Nitro

The 2007 Dodge Nitro will roll into dealer showrooms later this year in three different models, and all of them exclusively on Goodyear tires.

The Nitro is the first mid-size SUV for Dodge, and is recognized for its distinctive style, sporty performance and cargo flexibility. It features five- passenger seating and a slide-out cargo floor for extra flexibility.

Continue reading "Goodyear Tires Selected for New Dodge Nitro"

West Virginia Honda dealer trying to block new franchise

CHARLESTON - The owner of a South Charleston Honda dealership is trying to keep American Honda from opening a new franchise in the same area.

Raines Imports, Inc., doing business as Lester Raines Honda, filed a lawsuit July 20 in Kanawha Circuit Court against American Honda.

Raines says he received a letter May 24 from American Honda stating it intended to start a new Honda dealership in the South Charleston area. He adds that he responded with a letter expressing his objection.

Since he has not heard anything back from American Honda, he says he filed the lawsuit seeking a declaration prohibiting American Honda from opening a new dealership.

Link.

Arizona man lifts car off injured teen

Tom Boyle of Tucson couldn't believe what he was seeing: A boy hit by a car, then pinned underneath it. "I was just like, 'Oh my God.' You think things like that only happen in movies," he later told the Arizona Daily Star.

Boyle took action. He lifted the Chevrolet Camaro up high enough so that the driver could pull 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust away. Then Boyle held the teen until help arrived. Holtrust suffered head and leg injuries. He's expected to recover, the Daily Star reports.

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Prince Harry's alleged driving spurs fear

BOVINGTON, England -- Prince Harry's alleged driving is causing concern at his British Army base in Bovington, Dorset, the Sun reports.

Much of the anxious complaints have come from mothers on the base who fear for their children's safety, the newspaper said. Parents have expressed concern about how Harry often allegedly drives his sporty black Audi A3 coupe well over the speed limit.

Mother-of-two Sandra McGhee, who works at the base, told the Sun: "He drives around the barracks like a maniac. There are a lot of children around here who are worried for their safety."

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Mel Gibson charged with DUI, blames Jews

Not only did Mel Gibson get arrested for DUI this weekend, he also apparently blamed the Jews for his arrest.

The actor has since publicly apologized for behaving like a rich, drunken asshole, and for making anti-Semitic remarks during his arrest.

But that doesn't mean the Jews weren't behind it.

Because apparently, they make all the tequila in Mexico.

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Elderly man won't be charged for crashing Starbucks patio

85 year old deserves a medal

Ted Kawashima, 85, probably mistook the gas pedal for the brake when he crashed onto a Starbucks patio Friday night, and will not be charged with a crime.

Police have not determined whether he simply made a mistake, is too old to drive or simply hates latte-drinking yuppies.

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San Diego employees won't drive Honda FCX

The star of Chula Vista's auto pool is a high-tech wonder that never needs gasoline. The 2005 Honda FCX runs on hydrogen, one of the most plentiful elements on earth.

Sounds like a dream. But finding city employees to pilot the vehicle has been a nightmare.

“It's been a challenge to keep people driving it,” said Jack Dickens, the city's fleet manager. “They are intimidated by the cost.”

Manufactured in small batches, these experimental cars are painstakingly engineered and stuffed with costly gizmos. This gives the little FCX a big price tag: $1 million.

“I try not to drive it just because of the price,” said Claire Gomez, a fiscal office specialist for the city. “I don't want to be the one to crash it.”

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Ford putting 600,000 Fusion toys in cereal boxes

Ford plans to put 600,000 toy Fusion Hot Wheels cars into Kellogg Co. cereal boxes starting Sunday.

The boxes will be distributed through Target Corp.'s stores nationwide. Fusion photos will appear on each box, the nation's second-largest automaker said.

The Fusion toys will be inserted in boxes of Froot Loops, Apple Jacks, Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Krispies. Ford said one red model with the Target logo will be among them, and whoever gets that box will win a real Fusion.

Continued promotion of the Fusion, one of Ford's better-selling models, is a priority for Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas. In a recent interview, he said Ford used to roll out a vehicle, then stop promoting it.

"We used to do the launch and abandon, which means advertise it for three or four months and then move onto the next product," he said.

"In the case of the Fusion, it's a new nameplate. We need to make sure we continually have the right care and feeding of that nameplate so that the awareness builds over time," Fields said.

Hyundai Alabama plant works to build tolerance

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama is on a mission to help break down cultural barriers.

The automotive plant has hired a diversity expert, Martin Creagh of Atlanta, to train its employees as well as educators from counties throughout central Alabama. The educators, in turn, will foster tolerance in their students.

A diverse community, such as Montgomery, becomes an even better place to live when its residents truly accept each other, according to Hyundai's top local official.

"We are very concerned that this is the community in which our team members live and they shop and their children go to school," said Keith Duckworth, deputy president and chief administrative officer of HMMA.

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Saleen store open in Orange County

Shopping at 200 MPH - Saleen Style!

A New Era in Automotive Retailing Roars In!

From the high-performance specialty automotive manufacturer, Saleen (www.saleen.com), now comes, THE SALEEN STORE!

Opening today, in the Irvine Spectrum, Orange County, California, is The Saleen Store. Saleen has created a unique shopping experience that will undoubtedly set a new standard in the automotive and the retail industry. The Saleen Store is so different that it has created a buzz, and that buzz has traveled almost as fast as the world's fastest production car, the Saleen S7.

Extreme Experience

"Anything with the Saleen name attached to it has to exceed our uncompromising standards." Founder & CEO of Saleen, Steve Saleen states, The Saleen Store is a total brand experience -- whether it's through our legendary vehicles, aftermarket performance parts or hot new apparel, we guarantee a unique shopping experience."

Continue reading "Saleen store open in Orange County"

U.S. carmakers brace for drop in July sales

High gas prices driving buyers toward more fuel-efficient Asian models

DETROIT - U.S. automakers are expected to register a dramatic decline in July vehicle sales compared with a year ago when heavy discounts stoked near-record sales. At the same time, high gas prices are driving many buyers toward more fuel-efficient models, an area where Asian manufacturers still dominate.

New vehicle sales are expected to come in at about 1.54 million units, a 15 percent decrease from July 2005.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 4:15 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Hyundai Brand Value Rises

BusinessWeek Calls Brand 'Big Winner'

* Jumps nine positions in Best Global Brands survey by BusinessWeek/Interbrand

* Biggest increase of automakers

Hyundai Motor Co. has emerged as one of the world's leading brands ranking 75th overall, according to the 2006 Best Global Brands survey jointly conducted by Interbrand, a leading consultancy in branding and BusinessWeek, the New York-based global media organization.

Continue reading "Hyundai Brand Value Rises"

8 year old takes driving test, uncle goes to jail

William Diaz-Perez, 27, of North Lebanon Township, let his 8-year-old nephew drive on a course used for giving the Pennsylavania driver's test, and he is now in jail.

According to AP, he let the boy drive a Chevrolet Blazer on the course in South Lebanon Township on a Sunday afternoon in February. Someone who was practicing there saw the child driving and called police, according to court records.

Diaz-Perez pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison on charges of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. He also was fined $225 for letting an unlicensed person drive his vehicle and driving without a license.

Link.

July 27, 2006

Vehicle leasing: the ten most requested models

Based on over one million information requests, Leasecompare.com has compiled a list of the ten most researched models from their customers, for the first half of 2006:

1. BMW 325
2. Chevrolet Corvette
3. Honda Accord
4. BMW 330
5. Honda Civic
6. Toyota Camry
7. Infiniti G35
8. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
9. Acura TL
10. Honda Odyssey

Thanks to the high price of fuel, the Honda Civic continues to move up in the rankings while sport utilities have virtually dropped off the Top 10 lists. The new re-designed Toyota Camry makes its debut on the new list along with the ever popular Honda Odyssey minivan. The only domestic model represented was the Chevrolet Corvette and it holds second place on both lists.

"Many people are dumping their gas-guzzling SUVs right now causing market prices to drop," says Tarry Shebesta, President of ACS and a certified lease consultant. "In volatile market conditions, leasing makes a lot of sense. With a lease, you don't have to worry about market fluctuations because the lease-end value on which the lease is based is locked in. At the end of a lease, you just turn your vehicle back in. You don't have to worry about finding a buyer in an adverse market cycle."

Exxon Mobil earns $1,318 a second

Profits at Exxon Mobil surged 36 percent to a near record $10.4 billion in the second quarter as surging oil prices helped the world's largest publicly traded company soundly beat Wall Street forecasts.

The company's profit - which amounts to a cool $1,318 a second - is the second biggest ever reported by a U.S. company, behind only the $10.7 billion Exxon itself earned in the fourth quarter of 2005.

The earnings equaled $1.72 a share, topping the $1.64 a share analysts had forecast on average, according to First Call. Total revenue in the quarter was just a bit more than $99 billion.

The $1,318 a second would buy enough gasoline, even at the current $3 a gallon national average, to drive a Hummer H3 between Los Angeles and New York three times.

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Acura announces 2007 Acura RDX pricing

Making its debut at Acura dealerships on August 10, the 2007 RDX will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $32,995. The performance oriented RDX is poised to bring a new level of driving excitement and enjoyment to consumers seeking sports sedan performance in the growing entry premium SUV segment.

Continue reading "Acura announces 2007 Acura RDX pricing"

The 2007 Acura RDX SUV

The sport-luxury SUV marketplace is in an exciting state of evolution. With the arrival of Acura's new RDX 5-passenger Entry Premium SUV, this emerging market segment gets a decidedly "connected" spin.

Not only does this all-new SUV combine the immediate response of Acura's first-ever turbocharged engine and the agile control of Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, the RDX puts state-of-the-art communications, navigation and audio entertainment at the driver's fingertips. And the RDX delivers it all in keeping with Acura's long-established tradition of respect for crisp, contemporary styling and simple, intuitive operation that adds to the driving experience.

Continue reading "The 2007 Acura RDX SUV"

Mitsubishi releases 2007 Galant pricing

The new Galant Ralliart spearheads the restyled Galant midsize sedan line for 2007. Powered by a MIVEC-enhanced 258-hp 3.8-liter V-6 engine and equipped with sport suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels and exclusive exterior styling and interior features, Galant Ralliart competes in the growing performance sedan segment. One of the most powerful import brand sport sedans in its segment, the 2007 Galant Ralliart can accelerate from zero-to-60 mph in about seven seconds.

All Galant models get an updated, sophisticated new look for 2007 with new front and rear bumper fascias, a new grille with chrome surround. The Galant Ralliart is distinguished by a unique front aero bumper, sport mesh grille projector-style ellipsoid headlamps, two-tone bumpers and color-keyed side air dams.

Prices for the four Galant trim levels are as follows:
Galant DE 4-Door -- $ 19,899.00
Galant ES 4-Door -- $ 20,999.00
Galant GTS-V6 4-Door -- $ 24,999.00
Galant Ralliart-V6 4-Door -- $ 26,999.00

Continue reading "Mitsubishi releases 2007 Galant pricing"

Tempura-fueled racer to run Dakar Rally

OSAKA -- Entering possibly the world's toughest car rally powered by used tempura oil may seem like folly, but that is exactly what former Formula One driver Ukyo Katayama plans to do. And the good news is that his efforts may help the environment.

Katayama, 43, plans to enter the Dakar rally next January with a diesel car powered by biodiesel fuel (BDF) produced by refining used tempura oil.

The oil will be made into fuel after being specially processed with chemicals by Revo International Co., a BDF manufacturer in Kyoto's Fushimi Ward.

"I would like to draw attention to the fact that we need to protect the environment," Katayama said. "We can help do that by using an eco-friendly fuel made in Kyoto, the city known as the birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol aimed at curbing global warming."

The Dakar rally, often called the Paris-Dakar rally because it used to start in Paris, is one of the most demanding car races in the world.

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Mapping function for eBay Motors

Now people can locate hard to find muscle cars, classic cars, antique cars and project vehicles fast using MotorMapUSA.com, the mappified view of eBay Motors -- a Google map + eBay Mashup that displays all car and truck locations on a map.

If people want to buy a new car they go to their local dealer. But, if people want to locate a hard to find car or truck, as close as possible to their home, they go to eBay via www.MotorMapUSA.com.

Scarcity is the reason buyers turn to eBay.
Ordinary vehicles are readily available locally, but to locate a specific rare auto by make and model people need to look further afield. In fact, they really need a map to find what they are looking for faster.

If locating a special rare auto was as simple a going to a local used car lot and driving one home it would not be very rare and also not very much fun.

But discovering the same car, after weeks of searching, just a few miles down the road or even hundreds of miles away is much more fun because of the thrill of the chase.

Continue reading "Mapping function for eBay Motors"

Posted by Frank at 3:12 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Trade advertising on your car for free gas

A company called FreeGasHelp.com is offering gas cards in exchange for putting advertising on your vehicle. You have to drive a thousand miles a month or more and be willing to look like you're always delivering pizzas.

Some of the dollar for ad schemes include:

Truck Rear Tail Gate Magnet 12”x 36” -- $25.00
Rear Window Decal Advertisement -- $50.00
License Plate Frames Advertisement -- $5.00
Hub Cap Advertisements -- $30.00
Front Hood Magnet Advertisement -- $30.00

Ford uses array of sponsorships, alliances and celebs to connect with the public

When country music star Toby Keith performs at a Ford-sponsored concert, it is one aspect of a multi-faceted marketing strategy designed to zero in on customers who are most likely to buy Ford F-Series trucks.

"When we look at our trucks, we've got a couple of things that align us with our truck customers, and country music is one of them," said Marty Collins, executive director of Marketing for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury divisions. "So we look to align ourselves with people who are going to give us access to that audience. And Toby's a natural."

Ford’s aggressive marketing approach includes increasingly meaningful events and communications -- beyond mass market ads and hanging banners at events -- that meet customers where they live, work and play.

Continue reading "Ford uses array of sponsorships, alliances and celebs to connect with the public"

Tom LaSorda's rein extended at Chrysler Group

Tom LaSorda, the first American to run Chrysler since the German takeover by Daimler, has been given a five-year contract extension.

His current contract expires April 30, 2007, with the new one extended to April 30, 2012.

LaSorda has been a Member of the DaimlerChrysler Board of Management since May 1, 2004.

New Dodge Challenger shadows concept version

ROYAL OAK -- The Dodge Challenger that hits the road in 2008 will be nearly identical to the concept pony car that wowed crowds this year at the Detroit auto show, Chrysler officials said Wednesday.

"You're not going to be able to tell the difference," said Tom Tremont, Chrysler's vice president and top designer. "We're going to keep the Challenger as close as we can to the concept."

Creating a production version of the Challenger will be easier for the automaker than casting some more elaborate concept vehicle into a production mold.

Link.

Small cars help Honda profits soar

High-mileage Civic and Fit boost U.S. sales, contributing to a nearly 30% earnings increase.

TOKYO -- First-quarter profit at Honda soared nearly 30 percent as a solid reputation for mileage lifted sales in the U.S., a critical region that makes up half of the Japanese automaker's vehicle sales.

With U.S. gas prices hovering at around $3 a gallon, Americans were snatching up Honda's small car models like the Civic and Fit, boosting Honda's North American sales by nearly 9 percent to 456,000 vehicles for the quarter from the same period a year earlier.

Link.

Acura TL going on sale in China

Acura TL Becomes First U.S. Model Exported to China by Japanese Luxury Nameplate

Number One Acura Seller Goes On-sale in September

Acura took a major step forward in its global plans with the export of the first U.S.-made Acura vehicle to China, the company announced today.

Scheduled to go on-sale beginning in September at newly constructed Acura dealerships in key metropolitan areas of China, the first shipment of TL performance luxury sedans was off-loaded at the port of Shanghai earlier this week. Designed, developed and assembled in the United States, the sporty TL is the number one selling Acura model in the U.S., and will be sold alongside the top-of-the-line RL luxury sedan.

"We are excited about Acura's expansion to China this year and look forward to launching the brand in Japan in 2008," said John Mendel, senior vice president automobile operations. "China is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and we are confident that Acura will be at the forefront of China's luxury automobile market."

Sales of three thousand Acura vehicles are projected during the first twelve months of operation.

Continue reading "Acura TL going on sale in China"

New Cadillac DTS ads

These ads for the 2007 Cadillac DTS is part of the “Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit," campaign.

New Cadillac STS ads

These ads for the 2007 Cadillac STS is part of the “Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit," campaign.

New Cadillac Escalade ad

This ad for the 2007 Cadillac Escalade is part of the “Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit," campaign.

Cadillac Introduces New "Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit." Marketing Campaign

Cadillac is dumping the Led Zeppellin themed "break through" ad campaign for one titled, “Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit.”

The idea is to hold on to their core market, the AARP crowd, while attracting young buyers away from Lxus, BMW and Mercedes.

Full press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Cadillac Introduces New "Life. Liberty. And The Pursuit." Marketing Campaign"

Miss America STOPs to save lives

The STOP Act, which was reintroduced this last year as H.R. 864 on the House side and S. 408 on the Senate side, would give local communities the resources they need to combat underage drinking, expand research on underage drinking, educate adults and parents through a media campaign, and coordinate federal leadership efforts.

Continue reading "Miss America STOPs to save lives"

Drunk drivers targeted

To deter people from driving drunk and to arrest as many drunk drivers as possible, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and MADD have joined forces for the Labor Day crackdown “Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest.", which will run from Aug. 18 through Sept. 4 and will be supported with an $11 million national television and radio ad buy.

Continue reading "Drunk drivers targeted"

July 26, 2006

Ford Bold Moves #6: The Future of Fuel, the Future of Ford

With one of the worst fuel efficiency records of any car company, Ford is trying to “go green.” As another oil crisis looms on the horizon, can they turn talk into action?

Ford Bold Moves #5: Meet the Press

The moment of truth. After all the buzz and anticipation, the Ford Shelby GT500 gets road tested on the proving grounds by the discriminating press. Will it pass the test?

Ford Bold Moves #4: The Build

7/18/2006 10:31:16 AM - In the second of our 3 part Ford Shelby GT500 series, we watch as the assembly team sweats the details to build the first car on the line. Can they pull it off?

Ford Bold Moves #3: The Legend of Carroll Shelby

In the first of a 3-part Ford Shelby GT500 series, we see how Ford is bringing high performance back to the muscle car by turning to the man who started it all, Carroll Shelby.

Ford Bold Moves #2: Commitment to Design

If Ford wants to turn itself around, they’ll need to build quality vehicles with a focus on fresh design. In the past, Ford has turned to design to save the company – Will it work again?

Ford Bold Moves #1: Change or Die

In the first episode of this real-time interactive documentary, we see Ford at a crossroads – a rare glimpse behind the curtain as this iconic American company fights to right its path.

Tiger Woods To Play In 2006 Buick Open

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – British Open Champion Tiger Woods has officially committed to play in the 2006 Buick Open, scheduled for July 31- Aug. 6 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, Mich.

“We are so lucky to have Tiger come off his emotional victory at the British Open to play in Grand Blanc,” said Larry Peck, Buick golf marketing manager. “Tiger generates so much excitement at Warwick Hills and he means so much to the success of the tournament.”

Woods, 30, recently won his 49 th career PGA Tour event when he captured the 2006 British Open. He is the all-time leader in PGA Tour earnings and is ranked number one on the Official World Golf Ranking. Woods will be playing in his fifth consecutive Buick Open and eighth overall. He won the 2002 Buick Open and has finished in the top-five the last three years (T-2 in 2003, T-3 in 2004 and T-2 in 2005).

Continue reading "Tiger Woods To Play In 2006 Buick Open"

Video: Chevy racing for the masses

This vid shows you the kind of fun you can have at Chevy's Rev It Up summer race program, which you can read about here.

For more videos, check out the Car Buyer's Notebook YouTube page.

Volvo C30 - running video footage

This video shows running footage of the Volvo C30, which you can learn more about at this article.

For more videos, check out the Car Buyer's Notebook YouTube page.

Test drive a Mercedes E-Class - from Paris to Beijing

If you would like to be one of 300 drivers who recreate a nearly 100 year old course from France to China this autumn, then get over to www.e-class-experience.com, to fill out an application.

The bottom line is that Mercedes is putting 33 E-Class diesels on the better than 8,000-mile route, which will be completed in stages by teams of drivers from October 21 to November 17, 2006.

Applications are open until August 20th to get yourself into a pair of Mercedes driving gloves!

Full press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Test drive a Mercedes E-Class - from Paris to Beijing"

Ford promoting safe teen driving skills

Vehicle crashes are the Number one killer of teenagers in America. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,620 teens dies in car crashes in 2004. That accounts for 14 percent of all fatal crashes though teen drivers make up less than seven percent of the driver’s on America’s roads.

Continue reading "Ford promoting safe teen driving skills"

Veg my ride -- how-to DVD for converting your vehicle to run on recycled vegetable oil, break the law and be a threat to national security

Everyone has been hearing about converting diesel autmobiles and trucks to run on free, recycled vegetable oil, but the project sounds a little sketchy.

Until now that is, with this cool looking DIY DVD that shows you how to convert your vehicle into an illegal deathtrap [;)], as posited in this article.

Check out Veg My Ride to order the $20 DVD, and you may also want to get over to Vegenergy, an Atlanta-based save the earth type run by the same folks.

Yikes! Converting your diesel to run on veggie oil is illegal

A NY Times article joins the petroleum conspiracy by trying to tell us that converting your diesel car or truck to run on free, recycled, virtuous vegetable oil is:

1) Illegal.
2) Probably bad for your engine.
3) Probably bad for the environment.

What they don't mention is that they will probably find a way to try and have you declared a THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY, as they did to the uber-pimping geek who put a jet engine in his 2000 VW Beetle.

Link.

The Hyundai Sonata is cool, but ...

... it probably can't go 147 miles per hour.

That's the top speed an Arizona man is accused of traveling in a rented Hyudai Sonata, calling into question the accuracy of Scottsdale's traffic enforcement cameras.

While Hyundai techs have said even 122 mph would be pushing it in the Sonata, we're glad to know the guy has been placed on Avis's 'no-rent' list.

Link.

Rev it up and race a Chevy for $40

Bottom line: You can drive Chevy Cobalt SSs around a track for $40, in six cities around the country this summer, if you sign up for the Rev it up racing promotion. The events include classroom instruction, the opportunity to sit in a Corvette Z06 on a hot lap and/or have fun on a karting course as well.

The six cities are: Orange County, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, New York and Washington DC. If you''d like, read the press release afeter the jump.

http://www.revitupracing.com

Continue reading "Rev it up and race a Chevy for $40"

Toyota makes most recalled car list

So much for Toyota's vaunted reputation for quality. On July 18, the Japanese auto giant announced a recall of 418,570 vehicles worldwide for faulty engine parts. This follows an even larger global recall of nearly one million cars and trucks at the end of May for faulty parts that could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 1:55 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Ethanol facts for consumers

The Auto Consumer Resource lists 10 ethanol facts for consumers:

1. E85 is only sold at about 750 of the 170,000 gas stations nationwide, although Congress is considering incentives to change that.

2. Most flex-fuel vehicles on the market now are trucks and a few SUVs; that should change by 2008.

Continue reading "Ethanol facts for consumers"

Lincoln monikers confuse many

What's in a name? Apparently, quite a lot as far as Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln brand is concerned.

Less than six months after the Lincoln division decided to rechristen its Zephyr sedan the MKZ (pronounced "mark zee"), the vehicle is getting yet another new name -- or at least a new pronunciation.

Last year, Lincoln decided to replace more traditional model names like "Aviator" and "Zephyr" with a new, alphabetic naming system.

Those vehicles were renamed MKX and MKZ, respectively, a move apparently designed to mimic the alphanumeric naming conventions used by upscale European and Asian brands like Mercedes and Acura.

Link.

Big Dig's problems a big headache for online mapping services

Just when Boston's Big Dig was finally going to be accurately shown on popular in-car navigation systems and online maps, the collapse of a section of a tunnel last week has again thrown in wrench in things. Mappers trying to provide accurate directions for getting around the city have continuously been challenged by detours in traffic patterns caused by the Big Dig.

Link.

Auto production booms in Mexico

Vehicle manufacturing in Mexico is expected to hit new highs this year, fueled by automakers General Motors, Ford Motor, DaimlerChrysler, Nissan and Volkswagen making new investments in their existing Mexican factories.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 1:40 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Foreign cars outsell Big 3 in U.S.

Imported vehicles are collectively outselling domestic models in the U.S. marketplace -- a first in the history of auto sales. U.S. nameplates have been gradually losing market share for some time, but a new report covering the first five months of 2006 pegs foreign sales at 52.9% of the total, domestic sales at 47.1%.

Autobytel senior analyst Christian Wardlaw told The Detroit News, "I'm not surprised. The proof is sitting there in black and white on paper. People can't refute it anymore."

Link.

DUI instructor accused of driving drunk, half-naked

PLANTATION, FL -- A veteran officer and police academy DUI instructor was driving drunk, naked from the waist down, and speeding on Florida's Turnpike at 90 mph when she was pulled over by an Orange County Sheriff's deputy on the night of Dec. 9, according to a Plantation Police Internal Affairs report released this week.

She had a large open bottle of Southern Comfort in her car, which her attorney later argued was used to train police recruits.

Link.

Not ready for prime time Honda Jet scooter

Honda, who's just announced they'll be marketing a private jet they've had in development, is probably not quite ready to put this prototype of a jet powered scooter on the street.

It's just a joke-y idea from Ron Patrick, the guy who put a jet engine in his 2000 VW Beetle.

via Scootering USA.

Jet Powered VW Beetle

A guy named Ron Patrick put a real, working jet engine in his 2000 Volkswagen Beetle, because,

This is a my street-legal jet car on full afterburner. The car has two engines: the production gasoline engine in the front driving the front wheels and the jet engine in the back. The idea is that you drive around legally on the gasoline engine and when you want to have some fun, you spin up the jet and get on the burner (you can start the jet while driving along on the gasoline engine). The car was built because I wanted the wildest street-legal ride possible.

http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

Hyundai Shatters Public Perception With Rethink Campaign

U.S. Headquarters Celebrates J.D. Power and Associates Trophies

Hyundai's latest J.D. Power and Associates trophies can be seen clinging to the carmaker's U.S. headquarters like Spider-Man(R) crawling up the side of a building this week. Part of Hyundai's new Rethink marketing campaign, this cling is the next step aimed at changing perceptions and reinforcing the high quality of Hyundai vehicles.

In order to promote Hyundai Tucson's highest initial quality ranking and Azera's most appealing Large Car ranking, both issued by J.D. Power and Associates studies, Hyundai is adorning its building with a 1,960-square-foot wrap displaying the trophies and the words: Rethink Everything. (We Did.) The graphic will face the Interstate 405 freeway, one of the most important traffic arteries serving Orange County, Calif.

The window cling will turn Hyundai Motor America national headquarters into a virtual trophy case, with the J.D. Power and Associates trophies appearing as if they are sitting inside. The special effects will include broken "glass" scattered on the lawn below. Construction of the graphic will take three days and be up for four weeks.

Hyundai Motor America is also launching a series of TV, radio, Internet and print ads promoting the awards at the national and local level to communicate these awards.

Bernhard sees narrow opportunity to save VW

WOLFSBURG, Germany Dinner is being served, and Wolfgang Bernhard has not arrived yet at the event in Athens where he is the guest of honor.

Bernhard has already put in a full day at Volkswagen's headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, before flying to Greece in the company's corporate jet.

When he finally arrives, he addresses a reception for journalists, then after just a couple of hours on the ground - time enough for him to make the next day's headlines with dire talk of Volkswagen's ailments - Bernhard flies back to Wolfsburg, arriving home at 3 a.m. Later that morning, he is at his desk, as usual, at 8.

Bernhard, 45, is the man in charge of restoring the Volkswagen brand to profitability. He is chairman of the Volkswagen brand group, which includes VW, Skoda and the luxury marques Bentley and Bugatti. It is the namesake brand, by far the company's biggest component, that is Bernhard's main concern. The German factories where VWs are made lose "several hundred million euros" a year, he said, while sales have slumped in the United States. Once VW's biggest foreign market, the United States is now third, after China and Brazil.

Link.

Demand drives luxury car market to uber highs

The search is on for a new superlative. The growing stable of autos with base prices above $100,000 comprises cars so fast, lavishly equipped, and expensive that luxury simply doesn't cover it anymore. Enter the supers, ultras, übers, exotics, high-high-ends, and limited editions-by design.

It doesn't hurt that, according to a recent survey by Capgemini, the number of millionaires and billionaires grew last year to a record 8.3 million people worldwide, up an astounding 10%. That growth in high-net-worth individuals capable of dropping six figures on a car has been music to high-end manufacturers' ears.

Increased demand has been met by manufacturers large and small at varying price points. BMW revived the royal Rolls-Royce badge with the regal Phantom, which carries a sticker price above $300,000. Not to be outdone, DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz resurrected the stately Maybach at a similar price.

Link.

Chrysler deepens employee incentives

In effort to move cars off lots, automaker offers workers another $500 to $1,000 on select models.

The Chrysler Group is already offering the public employee-style discounts on cars and trucks -- now it's sweetening the pot for its actual employees.

The Auburn Hills-based automaker is offering an additional $500 to $1,000 in rebates on select 2006 model Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. The price adjustments mean Chrysler workers will have up to $2,500 in bonus cash on top of their employee discount.

Metro Detroit area dealers expect the incentive boost to lure Chrysler employees to showrooms. They have avoided dealerships in the past when employee pricing plans were made available to everyone.

Link.

Volvo Names Finalists in World's First Treasure Hunt for Buried Vehicle

Three U.S. Finalists and Four International Finalists Will Convene on August 6 at Secret Location for On-the-Ground Race to Uncover Buried Volvo SUV

Event Part of Volvo's Promotional Tie-In to Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'; visit www.volvocars.us/thehunt

Look what the tide's washed in, maties! Volvo Car Corporation today announced the seven international finalists in its global, multi-media treasure hunt for a pirate-themed Volvo XC90 V8 that has been buried somewhere in the world. The seven wanna-be pirates, including two women and five men, were the first among their respective nations to complete a fun, yet challenging online treasure hunt Volvo launched on June 12 and concluding four weeks later.

Hailing from such locales as Newnan, Georgia and Trieben, Austria, the finalists -- three Americans and one each from Japan, United Kingdom, Spain and Austria -- will be flown to an undisclosed location on August 6. Once there, they will compete in a historic race, frantically deciphering clues that will lead them closer exact location of the buried Volvo. The first to dig it up keeps it.

Continue reading "Volvo Names Finalists in World's First Treasure Hunt for Buried Vehicle"

July 25, 2006

Change your oil standing up

For the diehard DIYer in your life who insists on changing his oil but doesn't want to endure the sensuous experience of warm, filthy oil dripping down his forearm and into his armpit, you might want to buy him the topside oil changer.

It works just like it looks. Stick the siphon hose through the top of teh oil fill plug, create a vacuum and pull the oil out.

Costs as much as $70. Full instructions here.

Hyundai reveals the next gen Tiburon

Hyundai is showing their 2007/8 coupe overseas right now, the same vehicle sold here as the Tiburon, so we have an idea of what we'll be getting. The company's press verbiage follows:

Hyundai Motor Co. today unveiled it´s updated Tiburon Coupe at the Guangzhou Motor Show. Featuring a subtle redesign of the front and rear with an emphasis on new optical elements, the new Tiburon retains all the magic of the original design which has won a growing number of admirers since its first introduction in Sept. 2001. With its contemporary styling and sporty appeal, the new Tiburon radiates pure excitement among the young and the young-at-heart.

In standard trim, the Tiburon is powered by a 2L 16-valve DOHC with Continuously Variable Valve Timing coupled to 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic transmission with Hyundai´s Shiftronic semi-automatic gear selector. For the performance minded driver, a 2.7L V6 is available as an option along with a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Three time drunk driver kills priest

Newsday has been following the story of a woman whose been caught drunk driving several times, the latest incident resulting in the death of an elderly priest.

This is one of those incidents that takes on a life of its own, and brings a long-simmering topic to the fore.

Link.

The Volvo C30 Revealed

The first official photos of the exciting new Volvo C30 were released today by Volvo Car Corporation. In preparation for the car's global unveiling this September at the Paris Motor Show, the photos come just seven months after the C30 Design Concept was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in early 2006.

The edgy design of the C30 features a unique frameless glass tailgate, a confident stance and the broad shoulders that have become a Volvo design hallmark. The C30 will represent a new segment entry for Volvo. “The new C30 is an ambitious new car for Volvo," commented Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. "It is a car that aims for a group of young singles, or couples, with intense urban lifestyles. These people prioritize excitement in design and driving characteristics, and this car should suit their varied tastes perfectly.”

Global sales of the new C30 are targeted at 65,000 cars annually. Fully 75 percent of those sales are expected to come from Europe, with the largest markets being Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. Volvo Cars of North America, LLC (VCNA), is currently evaluating the possibility of introducing the new C30 to the U.S. market.

Continue reading "The Volvo C30 Revealed"

Is Nissan's turnaround in trouble?

Carlos Ghosn has won a reputation as an "icon of change" in the automotive industry for his leadership of Japan's Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA of France. He has slashed costs, put out aggressive profit and sales targets, and pumped money into vehicle development.

But now, as Ghosn's companies talk over potential partnerships with General Motors Corp., some industry analysts say Ghosn may have his hands full just keeping Nissan on course in the United States.

Link.

Ford increases F-series spiffs

DETROIT - Ford Motor Company has boosted incentives on its F-Series pickup trucks, after sales of large utility vehicles tumbled in recent months.

Ford has begun offering an additional $500-to-$1,000 off the full-size pickup lineup.

The automaker faces a difficult task in meeting its goal of selling 900,000 F-Series vehicles for the third year running in 2006. Sales of the F-Series fell 8.5% in the second quarter.

Christie's auto auction to yield millions

Christie’s International Motor Cars 2006 flagship sale takes place on Thursday August 17 at the Monterey Jet Center in California. It serves as the perfect introduction to a much-anticipated long weekend of car enthusiast events surrounding the annual Monterey Historic race meeting and Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The evening exceptional Motor Cars at the Monterey Jet Center auction features 50 cars and is expected to realize in excess of $10 million.

Led by a strikingly beautiful 1928 Mercedes-Benz Torpedo Roadster estimated at $3 million to $4 million, the sale features a comprehensive selection of collector classics, including an impressive single-owner collection of Porsches, a sports-racing 1952 Ferrari 225, an important 1947 Bugatti Type 73C and a 1954 Volkswagen van.

1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 TYP S Torpedo Roadster
This spellbinding and dramatically-styled car, one of only 124 Typ S models built in 1928, was ordered by a Mrs. Charles Levine from Mercedes-Benz, with Saoutchik coachwork from Paris. Mr. Levine may have known nothing of his wife’s plans, for he refused to pay when presented with the bill, having lost all his money in the stock market crash.

The car stood unwanted in the Mercedes showroom in New York until it was bought by a Mr. Bedford and dubbed the ‘yellow peril’. Among many other stories, Mr. Bedford drove his future wife home in the car when they first met at a party in Pennsylvania even though she arrived at the event with another date; the car has stayed with the family ever since (estimate: $3,000,000-4,000,000).

The ultimate supercar of its time, the S was a sportswagen for select, successful owners who prized quality, flair and performance above all else. The S racers of 1928 won 53 events and set 17 records, including one at 110.4mph. This particular example has only been shown once, in an Antique Automobile Club of America concours in 1982 – and it was awarded a National First Prize.

Sing karaoke in a virtual Jeep Compass

As if the bobblehead video campaign isn't enough, Jeep is also sponsoring an online karaoke contest to publicize its new small ute, the Jeep Compass.

Visitors can create an avatar (a 3D graphic persona) and choose from three songs to perform. The site displays the lyrics on screen, while users sing into a computer microphone (or the phone, using a 1-800 number). Voice files are uploaded and synced with the avatar's lips.

jeepcompasskaraoke.com

Check out the four bobblehead Compass ads at our YouTube page.

Alt fuel rap video

You've all heard the hit song, now it's time to "Kick that Filthy Habit" with a fresh video straight out of Sin City. See what happens when my rap alias, MC Esher, hits the strip with hip-hop. If there's one thing in this world that's a sure bet, it's that MC Esher always comes fresher (especially when he rocks the green jumpsuit).

http://www.kicktheoilhabit.org/

Green rental car company growing at a socially responsible pace

EV Rental Cars is the first US rental car company whose entire fleet consists of hybrid vehicles.

The Los Angeles based firm doubled its fleet over the past two years, and now offers fuel-efficient wheels for rent in eight cities in the Western US through a partnership with Fox Rent A Car. Airport locations include Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Rentals are priced from USD 39/day or USD 215/week. Besides being able to travel with a cleaner conscience, soaring gas prices also mean that (business) travellers renting hybrids see less of a squeeze at the pump. Another benefit is that hybrid vehicles qualify for the carpool lane in California, even when the driver is the only occupant.

EV Rental's mission is "to provide the most technologically advanced environmental vehicles to the general public as soon as they are available, to educate the public and raise the awareness of the benefits of driving clean-fuel cars, and create a market for clean car technology". The company claims to have prevented more than 100 tons of air pollution and to have passed on more than USD 1 million in fuel cost savings to its customers.

Offering three different hybrids - Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Toyota Highlander - travellers aren't the only ones renting from EV: a weeklong rental is a popular way for prospective buyers to take an extended test drive. Following in the footsteps of hybrid taxis, this is definitely a concept that deserves to be copied across the world.

Website: http://www.evrental.com.
via springwise.

Chipping in to drive a super-luxe auto

Offering "intelligent supercar ownership," écurie25 is a club that gives members the right to drive fine automobiles for 30-40 days per year.

Like NetJets does for private jets, écurie25 takes care of the costs and trouble associated with outright ownership; members don't have to worry about depreciation, insurance and servicing.

Customers can buy either 300 (GBP 4.500) or 600 (GBP 7.950) points per year, which they can trade in for their choice of cars. The 'supercars' are divided into three categories: F1, F2 and F3. F2 cars include the Porsche Boxster S and the TVR Sagaris. Taking one of these out for a spin on a weekday in October costs 8 points. A three-day weekend in August goes for 85 points. F1 cars include the Aston Martin Vantage and DB9, Bentley Continental and Ferrari F430 Spider. And for the acceleration of a lifetime, the most inexpensive F3 class includes British-built speed demon Ariel Atom.

As described in James Twitchell's Living It Up, people aren't shopping for goods as much as they are for an identity. So it makes complete sense that some consumers are trading ownership for partial ownership, and the greater freedom and choice that it brings. (Can't choose between a Vantage and a Spider? Have both! ;-)

Website: http://www.ecurie25.co.uk
via springwise.

Dept of the obvious: Michigan residents drive American cars

Only 15% of Michigan households own a foreign car according to a new AP poll of the obvious.

Randall Terry, 48, of Traverse City, told the Detroit Free Press he won't drive anything but a Chevy pickup.

"I've always had GM products," said Terry, who's driven Chevy trucks since he graduated from high school, owns two of them now. "For one, I trust them. They've always been good to me."

Link.

Honda Jet to take flight

Honda Motor Co., the word's largest maker of engines for autos, motorcycles and power products, plans to enter the aviation business by selling a six-passenger jet plane, according to a person familiar with the plan.

Honda will make the announcement later today, said the person, who didn't want to be identified because the plan isn't yet public. A year ago, Honda flew the HondaJet in public for the first time, calling it faster and more fuel-efficient than any similar aircraft.

Link.

BMW may increase U.S. production

BMW's next chief executive Norbert Reithofer, who will take over from Helmut Panke September 1, told Boersen-Zeitung his company is considering expanding its US production to meet increasing North American demand.

He told the newspaper BMW might expand production at its Spartanburg, USA plant to 200,000 units from the current 140,000 level.

Link.

Older citizens are among safest drivers

During the past few weeks, there have been several local and national media references to fatal accidents that emphasized the involvement of older drivers. The focus on all older drivers as a group of unsafe drivers is both misleading and inappropriate.

In fact, if we were to base our concern for driver safety solely on the fatal accident rates of a group of people, we should focus on drivers under the age of 25, who have the highest rates of fatal accidents.

Link.

Chrysler plant glitched up

A highly automated Chrysler plant is experiencing technical problems that are slowing the production of the hot-selling Dodge Caliber hatchback, according to a published report.

The Detroit News reports that the Chrysler assembly plant in Belvidere, Ill., touted by some as the factory of the future, is being dogged by robots that weld and assemble cars bumping into each other. The problem is shutting production for anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour, according to the report, with one day the plant being shut for rest of a shift.

The factory, which the paper reports recently started building the Jeep Compass compact SUV, is 250 vehicles a day short of its daily production target of 1,050. Production of a third vehicle, the Jeep Patriot, will start later this year.

Link.

The VW Beetle's 60th Anniversary

Today is a historic anniversary for Volkswagen as the company remembers the first Beetle deliveries: exactly 60 years ago the car dealers Gottfried Schultz in Essen and Raffay & Co. in Hamburg took delivery of nine Volkswagen saloons.

The Beetle''s great market success began on a tiny scale: eight Volkswagen saloons were sent to the dealer Gottfried Schultz in Essen on 17 and 23 July 1946; one saloon was delivered to Hamburg-Altona where Raffay & Co. had their dealership on 22 July 1946. In the aftermath of the war with the economy dogged by shortages the beginning was more than difficult.

Link.

July 24, 2006

Hydrogen powered toy car

SHANGHAI, China -- It's a dream that's been pursued for years by governments, energy companies and automakers so far without success: Mass-producing affordable hydrogen-powered cars that spew just clean water from their tailpipes.

So Shanghai's Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies decided to start small. Really small.

This month, it will begin sales of a tiny hydrogen fuel-cell car, complete with its own miniature solar-powered refueling station. The toy is a step toward introducing the technology to the public and making it commercially viable.

Link.

Fiat amphibious car crosses the English Channel

A new breed of nautical Panda has crossed the English Channel from Folkestone, Kent to Calais, France.

The Panda Terramare 4 is no stranger to water as it drove along the Italian lakes of Como and Maggiore, the River Po, and the Mediterranean off Sardinia.

Jeep Compass uses KRS-One's "Steady Bounce" as soundtrack for new campaign

To view all four of the Jeep Compass bobblehead commercials, check out our YouTube page.

KRS-One's 2001 song "Steady Bounce" will serve as the theme music behind the new marketing campaign for Chrysler's Compass SUV, that launches on July 31st.

The auto giant's multi-million dollar campaign is targeting city residents who are college educated and between the ages of 22-30.

The Bronx-bred pioneer's song, taken from his double CD Strictly for the Breakdancers & Emceez, is utilized in four 30-second television spots that feature dozens of bobblehead characters.

Link.

Should Ford go private?

William Clay Ford Jr.'s best chance to save the family business may be something as obvious as building better cars or as unexpected as making Ford Motor Co. a privately owned company again.

Management experts at the nation's elite business schools say Ford has few choices left to stem mounting losses while trying to keep workers and shareholders from revolting. Ford yesterday said it lost $123 million, or 7 cents a share, in the second quarter. Analysts were expecting a profit.

``They're in for a period that's so difficult and so ominous, they need to fix the company behind closed doors, without the glare of publicity and regulatory oversight and quarterly earnings statements,'' said Gerald Meyers, a University of Michigan business professor and former chief executive of American Motors Corp.

Link.

GM's plan to sell off majority of GMAC moves forward

General Motors Corp.'s efforts to sell a majority interest in GMAC have cleared a key hurdle, with an assist from the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.

The PBGC, which is responsible for insuring the pensions of American workers, said in a letter to GM this week that it will not try to hold liable the buyers of GM's financial arm, General Motors Acceptance Corp., if GM has to file for bankruptcy at some point and drop its pension plans on the government-run insurance fund.

Link.

Tesla electric car gets press, but does it have legs?

We're skeptical about the long-term viability of Tesla motors, the super sleek electric car company that promises a 135 mph roadster that goes 200 miles on a plug-in charge.

It's a car and a company for rich guys to play with their money in public without getting called ouyt on public indecency charges.

Tesla, plus WaPo article.

Newsweek: Kerkorian kicks GM because he can

July 31, 2006 issue - General motors is a giant worldwide corporation, No. 3 on the Fortune 500, with almost $200 billion in revenues and more than 300,000 employees. Kirk Kerkorian is a wily financial guy who operates largely out of his vest pocket. But Kerkorian's demands for drastic change at GM are being taken very, very seriously. How can this be, given the size disparity between GM's operation and Kerkorian's?

The answer, my friends, lies in a statistic that I call the G/K ratio. That's GM's net worth (as calculated by the stock market) compared with Kerkorian's (as calculated by Forbes magazine). The ratio shows us that even though GM is vastly larger than Kerkorian, Captain Kirk, who has a 9.9 percent stake in GM, has more than enough financial muscle to duke it out with the General. The shrinking of this ratio epitomizes the way that savvy financial types like Kerkorian have thrived in the United States at the same time that many industrial companies have struggled.

Link.

Hyundai planning new sportster, perhaps pickup?

Hyundai is looking to build a performance car in the United States to attract buyers to its showrooms, and it would also like to enter the pickup truck market, an executive said on Wednesday.

John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America vice president for product development and strategic planning, told Reuters in an interview that the company hopes to have details next year about how the model would look.

"The idea is a (performance) car that speaks more directly to the enthusiast buyer," Krafcik said.

He said the Korean carmaker was considering several options for a "halo car," including a model based on its Tiburon sporty coupe or a sedan.

"The aim will be to build the brand, to make this an aspirational purchase," he said. "You would get more car for about the same price as competitors."

Carmakers often design a special vehicle, called a halo car, to attract customers to their showrooms, where they see the full range of vehicles being offered.

Link.

Gas at $3 a gallon

NEW YORK - The average retail price of a a gallon of gasoline topped $3 in the United States last week, the highest price in 25 years, according to the latest nationwide Lundberg survey released Sunday.

The national average for self-serve, regular unleaded gas was $3.0150 per gallon on July 21, a rise of almost 2 cents per gallon from two weeks ago when the average was $2.9952, the survey of about 7,000 gas stations said.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 9:26 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Audi R10 TDI Remains Unbeaten

After its fourth race, the Audi R10 TDI remains unbeaten: The prototype which became the first diesel-powered sportscar to win the Le Mans 24 Hour race, added another victory in the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series in Portland. In the third race for the Audi R10 TDI in the US, Dindo Capello (Italy) and Allan McNish (Scotland) triumphed ahead of their team-mates Frank Biela (Germany) and Emanuele Pirro (Italy) to score the first double victory of the Audi R10 TDI.

Continue reading "Audi R10 TDI Remains Unbeaten"

Hyundai Launches Hispanic Advertising Campaign

The Campaign Includes Hyundai's Second Full Vehicle Line Spanish-Language Television Spot

Hyundai Motor America debuts new, original, Spanish-language advertising campaign with a fresh creative approach themed "Respect". Introduced just prior to the World Cup games, the new Respect campaign is a bold interpretation of Hyundai's current position in the global automotive marketplace, and mirrors the reverence the brand extends to Hispanic consumers.

"Hyundai's 2007 model year Hispanic advertising is symbolic of a powerful presence that is strongly felt and well respected," stated Cuban-born Robin William Robert, National Manager Hispanic Marketing, Hyundai Motor America. He added, "As the Hispanic market continues to evolve and grow, so has our brand; delivering quality, segment leading vehicles with new options that give Hispanic consumers much more."

Continue reading "Hyundai Launches Hispanic Advertising Campaign"

Nissan Reaches 100 Million Vehicle Mark

TOKYO — Despite a recent slump in output, Nissan said Monday it marked a milestone in June with the production of its 100 millionth vehicle.

Since its establishment in 1933, Japan's second-biggest automaker it has produced 100,140,000 vehicles as of the end of June _ some 76,640,000 vehicles in Japan and about 23,500,000 units overseas.

The news comes as Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA of France, has begun 90-day talks with General Motors Corp. about a possible alliance that would bring together the three companies.

Link.

July 23, 2006

Honda building new hybrid parts plant

Honda is reportedly building a new plant in Japan to produce components for its hybrid cars.

Japan's No. 3 automaker plans to build the plant on the grounds of Honda's Suzuka factory in Mie Prefecture, which would allow the company to quadruple its output capacity for electric motors to 200,000 units a year, Japan's business daily Nihon Keizai reported.

The plant is scheduled to begin operations in 2008, the paper reported without citing sources. Kyodo News agency had a similar report. Honda sold about 50,000 hybrid cars in 2005 based on its Civic and Accord models, according to the newspaper.

Crash test -- the how, where and science of wrecking cars for safety research

Ruckersville, Va. -- This is the place where newborn cars come to die a violent and premature death. Some are smashed to oblivion in big frontal collisions, others in horrendous side impact crashes. Not to mention the high-speed battering rams that smack into car seats, simulating a fatal rear ender.

It's a sobering sight, rife with all the horrific noise your ears pick up when they hear a nearby accident -- that deep metal-and-glass crunch when one car hits another, or runs into a tree.

The front end of the car and the hood crumple, the car windows break, the trim parts and shards of chrome, rubber and plastic go flying. Then there's a deadly silence. This time, the instant destruction of a $31,000 Subaru B9 Tribeca SUV with only 110 miles is purely intentional, highly educational and, in its own way, thoroughly antiseptic.

Link.

BMW bringing SUV production to Germany, U.S.

BMW plans to produce the X3 SUV model in Germany and the US, with the beginning of the third generation model.

Approximately 50,000 X3s will be made in the BMW's Spartanburg, S.C. plant, and 100,000 in Germany.

VW Audi investigated for graft, bribery

Volkswagen AG, Europe's largest carmaker, said two managers and a former employee are under investigation by the Frankfurt prosecutor for kickbacks made by a supplier.

One of the managers works at Audi and the other at the Volkswagen brand, while the former employee was also a Volkswagen executive, company spokesman Hartwig von Sass said today. The Wolfsburg, Germany-based company is cooperating with authorities, he said, without providing further details.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 6:30 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Zetsche plans marketing push for Mercedes brand

DaimlerChrysler AG chief executive Dieter Zetsche has said they are looking for ways to market their Mercedes brand more coherently.

'We want to focus on the roots, the original and historic strengths of the Mercedes brand,' Zetsche said.

Link.

Hertz renting Shelby Mustangs

Have you ever heard a pony growl? Your chance is here thanks to Hertz.

The 2006 Ford Shelby GT-H Mustang is a work of art on wheels that doesn’t have to be admired from afar. Hertz is offering 500 of the limited-edition cars for rent as part of its Fun Collection, which includes other four-wheeled fantasy rides such as the Hummer H3 and Nissan 350Z.

To see what the fuss was all about, I drove the Shelby around for a weekend in Las Vegas (designated one of Hertz’s Fun Cities along with Boston and others) and found the Mustang’s throaty roar and 325-horsepower engine means business, but it’s all pleasure - the 120-channel Sirius satellite radio is just about the most serious thing in this race car.

“To me, it’s an awesome car,” said Pete Smith, Hertz’s New England regional manager. “I’ve been with Hertz for 21 years and I’ve driven hundreds of cars, but nothing like this. It has stiff suspension and it handles so well; it’s anything but an average Mustang.”

Link.

Chrysler CEO declines comment on possible losses

Daimler Chrysler chief executive Dieter Zetsche on Sunday declined to comment on automotive analyst reports that the company's Chrysler division in the US is poised to make losses this year.

Zetsche, in a Deutsche Presse-Agentur interview, would only say he was not fully satisfied with developments at Chrysler which he is widely credited with having rescued during his time at the US carmaker's helm from 2000 to 2005.

Analysts including investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort are predicting losses for Chrysler during several quarters of the current year.

Zetsche stressed that he had full confidence in his successor at Chrysler, Tom LaSorda.

"He's doing a great job and I am very satisfied," Zetsche said.

Link.

Firefighters wary of hybrid vehicle unknowns

Area firefighters say it's not knowing that worries them the most.

It's not knowing if the car involved in an accident is a hybrid with hundreds of volts of electricity flowing through it.

It's not knowing if the safety system, which is supposed to shut off the high-voltage current in an accident, worked properly.

What is certain is that with gasoline prices rising to $3 a gallon and beyond, electric hybrids are becoming more and more popular. Electric hybrid cars use a combination of a gasoline motor and a high-voltage electric motor that operates with as much as 500 volts.

Link.

July 22, 2006

What went wrong with Ford's Way Forward?

As Ford Motor Co. embarks on an effort to revise its 6-month-old turnaround plan, workers, analysts and industry insiders have found themselves asking: How could it go wrong so fast?

But inside Ford, the trouble started as early as April. Ford researchers and executives started to take notice of worrisome trends in the sales of full-size pickups -- trends that would grow alarming in the ensuing months and help convince company leaders that even more belt-tightening would be needed.

"What we saw in the full-size truck segment was very important," George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst, told the Free Press late Friday.

Link.

Price war? Consumers, car makers playing chicken

Consumers and automakers and consumers are playing a summertime waiting game as U.S. car sales continue to decline with no dramatic sales promotions on the table.

Consumers are yet to see the deep discounts that dominated U.S. cars sales throughout the summer of 2005 as automakers this year are struggling to find profits wherever they can.

Link.

Ford needs new cars

Ford Motor Co.'s pledge to speed up and possibly deepen its six-month-old North American turnaround plan could mean further job cuts and plant closings as those changes take shape over the next two months.

But any cuts, industry analysts and observers said Friday, must be accompanied by new, appealing vehicles to help the nation's second-largest automaker wean its dependency on trucks and large sport utility vehicles and shore up its dwindling market share.

"If they don't stabilize their market share at a level that they're predicting matches their redesigned size, then there will be a Round 3," said Van Conway, a partner with Conway, MacKenzie and Dunleavy, a turnaround consulting firm in Birmingham.

Link.

Kia hires Volkswagen Design Chief

WOLFSBURG, Germany — Expect some Teutonic influence in the appearance of the next generation of Kia models.

That's the word out of Volkswagen headquarters today following the revelation that its advanced design boss, Peter Schreyer, has been lured to Kia to head up the Korean carmaker's worldwide design operations.

Schreyer rose to prominence during an eight-year stint at Audi in which he established a classic Bauhaus-inspired lineage that is now reflected across the Audi lineup. Reportedly, the impetus for his leaving Volkswagen was a long-running dispute with VW design boss Murat Gunak.

Link.

A plug-in Prius may be in the works

The world's No 2 car-maker may soon offer models that you plug into a socket... just like your vacuum cleaner

Toyota is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of hybrid vehicles, but a report by respected US journal Automotive News suggests the car-making giant is now planning to diversify into 'plug-in' hybrids and ethanol-capable vehicles.

The Japanese marque had earlier pooh-poohed both these technologies, but Toyota US boss Jim Press was quoted by AN as saying that they did indeed offer some potential.

'Plug-ins', in case you're wondering, are hybrid vehicles that have a larger battery pack than existing models such as the Prius. This enables them to travel further on all-electric power, but the catch is that the battery needs to be regularly recharged via a conventional home power outlet.

Some industry experts say plug-in hybrids could offer twice the fuel economy of existing petrol-electric cars such as the Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid.

Link.

Japanese gov't reprimands Toyota

The transport ministry issued Toyota Motor Corp. with a directive Friday to clean up its act, after finding fault in the automaker's handling of information on car defects.

Toyota must report back to the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry by Aug. 4 on improvements it is making to its recall procedures. The ministry said Toyota must better handle safety information, including consumer complaints, so it will be able to issue more timely recalls.

The current and two former heads of Toyota's quality control department are being investigated by police for alleged professional negligence over an eight-year delay in issuing a recall of Hilux Surf sport utility vehicles with faulty steering gear.

Link.

Bridgestone Firestone seeks all recalled tires

WASHINGTON - Six years after dozens of motorists were killed in rollovers linked to defective tires, the manufacturer said Friday it would contact owners to try to bring in the remaining 200,000 tires that may still be on the road.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, the Nashville, Tenn.-based subsidiary of Japan’s Bridgestone Corp., said its 2000-01 recall had been highly successful, replacing about 95 percent of the 6.5 million tires involved.

Link.

July 21, 2006

Jeep Compass Ad - 'Bounce'

This is one of four bobblehead ads for the new Jeep Compass SUV.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Jeep Compass Ad - 'Bounce'"

Jeep Compass Ad - 'Gear'

This is one of four bobblehead ads for the new Jeep Compass SUV.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Jeep Compass Ad - 'Gear'"

Jeep Compass Ad - 'Monday'

This is one of four bobblehead ads for the new Jeep Compass SUV.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Jeep Compass Ad - 'Monday'"

Jeep Compass Ad - 'Phil'

This is one of four bobblehead ads for the new Jeep Compass SUV.

Press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Jeep Compass Ad - 'Phil'"

Nissan pulls sexy Kim Cattrall ad in kiwi land

A steamy car commercial starring "Sex and the City" actress Kim Cattrall has been pulled in New Zealand, after broadcasters received numerous complaints about its raunchy content.

The 49-year-old, who played sex-obsessed Samantha Jones on the hit HBO show, appears in the ad purring with excitement over the latest Nissan model. She tells a salesman, "Why didn't you tell me it was so big, I just wasn't prepared for it?

"The all-new Nissan Tiida makes you feel really, really, really good inside."

After a test drive she says, "Ah! That was amazing. Absolutely fabulous! I mean the great body and the way you moved it."

Driver trying to switch seats crashes minivan

The Minnesota State Patrol reported that a driver and one of the two other occupants in a minivan attempted to switch positions while driving, and crashed the vehicle.

They were using cruise control to maintain speed, but not their brains.

As they attempted the switch, the van went out of control and rolled over into a ditch, totalling the vehicle. The 19-year-old driver was hospitalized for possible internal injuries, and the occupants sent to a second hospital for head injuries.

Ghosn: GM talks are about the future

TOKYO — The chief executive of Renault and Nissan (NSANY) said Friday that the initial talks with General Motors (GM) about a possible partnership will be about the advantages in working together, and he stressed that a cash infusion into GM is not a precondition to a tie-up.

Shares in Nissan have underperformed a rise in other Japanese car stocks in the past week, after Carlos Ghosn said a capital stake would likely be part of an alliance with GM, and that the stake would probably be big.

"We are not making a capital investment into GM as the first element or condition," Ghosn told a news conference in Tokyo.

The initial talks are merely looking at whether the idea of a tie-up with GM makes sense, he said.

Ghosn, who heads Nissan and its partner Renault of France, has been in talks with GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner about a possible tie-up among the three automakers, since American billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian proposed GM consider joining the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Link.

Ford Explorer jury award slashed

A San Diego appeals court Wednesday slashed a jury award levied against Ford Motor Co. for a woman left paralyzed after a Ford Explorer rollover accident.

But the court, which termed the original damage award of $368.6 million excessive, denied Ford's request for a new trial.

The jury verdict two years ago produced the first-ever damage award against Ford involving a rollover from an Explorer and the second-highest award in U.S. history in an automobile products liability claim, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Link.

Tax breaks for Toyota hybrids to shrink

Firm produces limit of eligible cars

WASHINGTON -- Environmentally concerned car buyers will see some federal tax breaks for energy efficient hybrids start shrinking this fall.

Toyota Motor Corp. has hit the production limit -- 60,000 -- on vehicles eligible for a special tax credit designed to encourage more buyers to choose gas-electric hybrids.

Spokeswoman Martha Voss said yesterday the automaker sold its 60,000th such vehicle in May.

That means the tax credits for Toyota and Lexus hybrids will be cut in half for drivers who purchase their vehicles beginning in October, she said. The $3,150 credit for the popular Toyota Prius, the largest hybrid tax credit available, would shrink to $1,575.

Link.

Which Honda car gets a diesel?

When Honda sells its first diesel engine in the United States, it likely will be in the Civic, Accord or CR-V, said John Watts, manager of Honda's U.S. product planning.

Honda plans to introduce a clean-burning, 2.2-liter turbodiesel in the United States within three years.

"That 2.2 could probably crank out about 200 horsepower and about 220 [pounds-feet of] torque at little rpm," Watts said recently. "Vehicles like the Pilot [SUV] and Odyssey [minivan] are too big for a four-cylinder."

Honda sells a 2.2-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel engine in Europe, but Watts said it does not meet U.S. emission standards. Takeo Fukui, CEO of Honda Motor Co., said in late June that the company will unveil a four-cylinder diesel in the United States that will run as clean as a gasoline engine.

Watts said he thinks diesel will catch on in this country if the engines can go 400 miles on a single tank of fuel.

Link.

The long island parking meter war

Another wasted legal education

Long Island lawyer Gary Rosen has too much time on his hands. Convinced the parking meters in Bellerose village were running fast he personally tested 101 units with his own coins and a stop watch ...

... and "a grudge built on a pile of parking tickets," according to this article that has him tilting at meters.

Link.

Half of UK motorists want elderly drivers run off road

And maybe their composted bodies can be used for fuel

Congestion on Britain's streets is getting worse, but drivers polled by online insurance broker www.motorinsurance.co.uk have a novel solution: ban elderly drivers from the roads.

In a shocking display of blatant and unfounded ageism, almost half of drivers polled (49%) said that banning elderly motorists from driving during peak hours would ease congestion on Britain's roads.

Nearly two-thirds (62%) of the 300 drivers polled believe that elderly drivers cannot cope with modern-day road conditions and nearly as many believe (49%) that their slow and erratic driving causes accidents.

Paul Cosh, managing director of www.motorinsurance.co.uk, comments:

"The impact of congestion on the UK economy in terms of lost time, fuel costs and general stress runs to billions, yet we continue to drive our cars more and drive further than the rest of Europe," he says.

"However, I do not think that picking on this nation's most careful and experienced drivers is really the answer.

Continue reading "Half of UK motorists want elderly drivers run off road"

Low-interest car deals drawing customers

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Low-Interest Incentives Initiate an Increase in New-Vehicle Loans

Low-interest incentive programs appear to be resonating with consumers, according to real-time retail transaction data from the Power Information Network (PIN), a division of J.D. Power and Associates. To better reflect consumer demand for new vehicles, PIN data includes retail transactions only and does not include fleet sales.

Nearly 63 percent of all new-vehicle retail transactions in the first 16 days of July included a loan—up substantially from 57 percent in June and 55 percent in May.

General Motors’ 72-hour sale during the Independence Day weekend, in which it offered zero percent financing on most of its 2006 models and some of its 2007 models, was a key driver of the loan trend. Nearly 78 percent of GM’s retail transactions in early July included a loan.

Among the industry-wide loans in early July, more than 39 percent came with an annual percentage rate (APR) of less than 5 percent—up substantially from 27 percent in June and 18 percent in May.

“Low APR programs certainly caught on with the American public in early July,” said Tom Libby, senior director of industry analysis at PIN. “Whether this will continue or is simply a short-term aberration due to GM’s promotion remains to be seen.”

Continue reading "Low-interest car deals drawing customers"

Take your tailgate with you

Most tailgater's can hardly wait for football, tailgating's ultimate season. Now they no longer have to wait to find a better way to pack all their game day goodies. Tailgate Cargo Box has created a cargo box that can handle all their tailgating necessities. A first of its kind, ``The Convertible Box'' provides practical storage and converts into two durable tables and a bench, perfect for the die-hard tailgater. It's a ``transformer'' for adults.

Tailgate Cargo Box offers a clever way to pack it all up. Its ability to be a cargo box, carrier, tables and a bench, all in one, makes Tailgate Cargo Box one of the most versatile automobile/RV accessories on the market today.

Continue reading "Take your tailgate with you"

Battery powered flares don't burn

Electronic Safety Flares Protect Motorists, Environment

Most automotive safety kits contain at least one incendiary, or strike, flare - but, with burn temperatures above 5,000 degrees and an ingredient list full of toxic chemicals, the flares themselves are dangerous to both the user and the environment.

Now there is an alternative: The Keystone Group's new FlareAlert(TM) (http://www.flarealert.com/), a battery-powered safety flare visible for miles from both the ground and air.

Twelve high-output LEDs give the FlareAlert its bright, non-toxic glow. The super-bright emergency beacon requires only two AA batteries to operate, yet it provides up to 20 hours of flashing light. The FlareAlert is also very durable, even strong enough to be run over by most civilian vehicles.

"The FlareAlert is a family-friendly alternative to strike flares," said Brent Jones, Vice President of The Keystone Group. "Incendiary, or strike, flares can ignite spilled gasoline or oil and can cause brush fires. Strike flares have even been known to contaminate groundwater." The many safety and environmental shortcomings associated with strike flares have even led many police and fire departments to switch to LED-based flares. "This is hardly surprising," Jones said. "Flares are safety items; they should be safe to use."

With more than 16,000 traffic accidents occurring each day in the US, roadside safety is a concern for millions of people. "You can never be too prepared," Jones said. "From accident scenes and engine trouble to flat tires, many motorists find themselves in situations where they need to alert other drivers to their presence. The FlareAlert is also commonly used by bicyclers, boaters and campers as an emergency beacon."

FlareAlert is currently available in red and yellow. Storage bags and other accessories are also available. For more information, or to purchase the FlareAlert, visit The Keystone Group at http://www.flarealert.com/ or call 303-652-6164.

Jeep has a YouTube channel

For a big company, Chrysler Group has some of the most nimble advertising concepts -- including having a Jeep Channel on YouTube.

In this video, a Grand Cherokee beats a Toyota Supra in a drag race.

Link.

Lexus drops prices on 2007 RX 350 option paks

Lexus announced today that the RX 350, the top-selling luxury SUV, is now available with a savings of $900 on its most popular option packages. The new RX 350, available as both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) models, features a powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine that improves both performance and fuel efficiency. The 2007 models also offer advanced luxury and convenience options and additional refinements for enhanced drivability.

To provide customers a greater opportunity to experience even more customized luxury and comfort, reduced pricing is now available on the following: Premium Package, Premium Plus Package, Navigation System/Mark Levinson Package, Performance Package and Multi-Panel Moonroof Package.

The new pricing on the Premium Package is $1,245 and includes leather-trimmed interior, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with memory, roof rack with rails, illuminated entry system and one-touch open/close moonroof. The Premium Plus Package is now $2,060 and includes all options from the Premium Package plus High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps with the Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS).

The Navigation System/Mark Levinson(R) Package has been reduced to $6,190. This package adds Lexus' fifth-generation navigation system and the 11-speaker 210-watt Mark Levinson(R) Premium Audio System to the Premium Plus Package's options. The navigation system includes the rear back-up camera, voice activation and Bluetooth(R).

Additional savings are offered on the Performance Package, now priced at $4,055. This builds upon the Premium Plus Package by adding the following: 18" graphite-plated aluminum alloy wheels, air suspension, sequential automatic transmission and rain-sensing wipers.

The Multi-Panel Moonroof Package is now priced at $2,840. This package includes the multi-panel moonroof, leather-trimmed interior, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel with memory, illuminated entry system and HID headlamps with AFS.

Additional options available separately include: Dynamic Laser Cruise Control, roof rack with rails, rear-seat entertainment system, heated front seats with headlamp washers, rain-sensing wipers, HID headlamps with AFS, navigation system, towing package and 18" aluminum alloy wheels.

Produced in Kyushu, Japan, and Cambridge in southern Ontario, Canada, the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the RX 350 FWD model is $37,400 and $38,800 for the AWD model. The Delivery, Processing and Handling fee is an additional $695.

Bobble heads tout new Jeep Compass

Bobble head characters are one way Chrysler Group plans to market its new 2007 Jeep Compass crossover to the targeted age 22 to 30-year-old urban crowd, the automaker announced Friday.

Jeep will introduce the new crossover -- a non-traditional Jeep vehicle that shares the same underpinning as Chrysler's new Dodge Caliber hatchback -- through a series of television spots featuring bobble head figures beginning July 31. The automaker hopes to attract city dwellers with the vehicle, a move that differs from the Jeep's typical off-road target.

Link.

OnStar helps vehicle owners improve fuel economy

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostic E-mail Adds Fuel Efficiency and Emissions Data

Detroit – With high fuel prices on the minds of most Americans, GM adds a new level of service to OnStar’s monthly diagnostic e-mail that allows drivers to closely monitor conditions that can affect their fuel efficiency, including tire pressure and vehicle emissions.

OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics , an industry-first service available only from GM, collects valuable maintenance information on four of the vehicle’s key operating systems from hundreds of diagnostic checks and sends a personalized e-mail directly to the owner. The enhancements, being phased in throughout the remainder of 2006, will include tire pressure monitoring, E85 ethanol compatibility, enhanced vehicle emissions data and oil-life monitoring predictions to provide subscribers with real-time information on how they can help reduce gasoline consumption.

“OnStar increases its differentiation for GM vehicles, because OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics empowers subscribers to actively engage in vehicle ownership to help obtain greater fuel efficiency,” said OnStar President Chet Huber. “It’s a great extension of the safety, security and p eace of mind services that OnStar is known for and that subscribers use and value. When subscribers use the data provided it has tangible financial benefits.”

According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, nearly four million gallons of gas are wasted each day nationwide for every one pound per square inch of tire under-inflation. That translates to more than $10 million per day, or $3.8 billion per year in wasted gas money 1.

New OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics offerings include:

Continue reading "OnStar helps vehicle owners improve fuel economy"

Posted by Frank at 1:25 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

XM Radio puts $50 million advertising account in review

SAN FRANCISCO (AdAge.com) -- XM Satellite Radio has placed its $50 million creative account into review, executives familiar with the situation said.

The account's incumbent, Interpublic Group of Cos.' Mullen, Wenham, Mass., will continue to handle the media planning-and-buying portion of the business. The new shop is expected to begin work as soon as September.

A Mullen representative confirmed the agency is keeping the media business and is not defending the creative portion of XM's account . Asked why, he said, "It was a mutual decision by our agency management team and the decision-makers at XM."

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Ohio Nissan plant to build flex-fuel Armada SUVs

As gasoline prices again threaten to rise, Nissan Motor Co. today became the latest automaker to announce an alternative-fuel version of one of its vehicles — one that will be built in Canton.

Workers at the company’s Canton plant will build about 20,000 flex-fuel Nissan Armadas, a full-size sport utility vehicle, for 2007. The flex-fuel version will be capable of running on gasoline or E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. The current Armada, in production since 2003, uses only gasoline. The 2007 Armada FFV will join an E85-capable version of the Titan pickup that Nissan’s Canton employees currently build.

Harland Reid, senior director of government affairs at Nissan North America, made the announcement at a meeting of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.

The Armada already shares many parts with the Titan including a 5.6 liter V8 engine. Both trucks are also built on the same assembly lines, so making an E85 version shouldn’t require many changes at the plant.

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Japan scolds Toyota for recall practices

TOKYO - In a rare public scolding of Japan’s biggest company, the government reprimanded Toyota Friday and called for improved recall practices amid a criminal investigation into a 2004 accident.

The transportation ministry issued a “guidance” order requiring the automaker to report to the ministry by Aug. 4 steps it is taking to better monitor reports of defects and speed up communication within the company about possible problems, a ministry official said on customary condition of anonymity.

The ministry did not fine Toyota or find it guilty of breaking the law.

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Posted by Frank at 1:10 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Toyota, NBC agree to explore advertising effectiveness

In a sign that advertisers are interested in better tracking results of TV advertisements, NBC and Toyota have agreed to a deal requiring the network to demonstrate that viewers have paid attention to the automaker's ads and can recall particular details about a TV show, such as its storyline, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The network is making the commitment in addition to giving Toyota a standard minimum-audience guarantee that relies on Nielsen Media Research TV ratings for proof. "There is a very high correlation between someone who is engaged and attentive to the program, and the ability for our ads to break through. It's important that we get as good an environment as possible" for commercials, says Kim McCullough, corporate manager of marketing communications at Toyota.

To demonstrate viewer attention both NBC and Toyota will use data measuring viewers' response to TV programs, ads and product placements. Under the deal, Toyota has the potential to earn additional "make-good" advertising should certain parts of NBC's program schedule not meet the guarantees.

July 20, 2006

GM Offers Summer Rate Incentives on Certified Vehicles

industry's Top-Selling Certified Brand Offers Affordable GMAC Financing Rates as Low as 4.5% APR

DETROIT – GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry’s top-selling manufacturer-certified used vehicle brand according to Autodata Corp., today announced a nationwide summer rate incentive program on select GM vehicles.

The summer rate incentive offer, effective July 19 to October 2, 2006, provides well-qualified buyers with GMAC 4.5%, 5.5% or 6.5% APR financing on select GM Certified Used Vehicles purchased from participating GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers.

Well-qualified GM Certified customers can receive GMAC 4.5% APR financing for terms up to 36 months, GMAC 5.5% APR financing for terms up to 48 months, or GMAC 6.5% APR financing for terms up to 60 months on 2001-2007 models of Chevrolet Impala, TrailBlazer, Suburban and Tahoe; Pontiac G6; Buick Rendezvous and LaCrosse; and GMC Envoy, Yukon and Yukon XL vehicles at participating GM Certified Used Vehicles dealers.

For example, with a 10% down payment, a monthly payment at 4.5% APR financing for 36 months is $26.77 for every $1,000 financed; at 5.5% APR financing for 48 months is $20.93; and 6.5% APR financing for 60 months is $17.61.

"These rate incentives provide GM Certified customers with tremendous value and an opportunity to purchase some of our most popular vehicles through affordable financing," said Paul Pejza, manager, GM Certified Used Vehicles. "GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to lead the certified pre-owned category in delivering top-quality, fully inspected and reconditioned used vehicles that help build consumer confidence in GM products."

GM Certified became the first manufacturer-certified brand to cross the 2 million sales mark in June 2006 and has posted four consecutive years of industry-record certified used vehicle sales.

Continue reading "GM Offers Summer Rate Incentives on Certified Vehicles"

VW names new small SUV, the Tiguan

WOLFSBURG, Germany - Volkswagen will call its new compact SUV Tiguan.

Not only the vehicle, but also the decision on the name is a brave journey into new terrain: the name was chosen by the readers of the AutoBild group. More than 350,000 votes were made from ten countries. The clear winner was Tiguan. The Touareg's little brother is to be produced in Wolfsburg and will be launched in 2008.

Dr Wolfgang Bernhard, the chairman of the board of management for the Volkswagen brand said, "This unique event is demonstrative of how Volkswagen is opening up: we made a clear appeal to the market - potential buyers could help choose the name Tiguan. The positive reaction shows that this is the right approach."

The name Tiguan was developed by Volkswagen Marketing along with four other alternatives Nanuk, Namib, Rockton and Samun. The readers of the AutoBild group selected their favourite from these five potential names. The response was astonishing: more than 350,000 readers voted. A clear majority voted for Tiguan.

The Tiguan represents the transfer of the globally successful Touareg philosophy to the class of the compact SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), a segment which has grown considerably in the last few years. Travel, adventure and excitement are associated with the exotic sounding name. That suits the bill perfectly: thanks to its concept based on driving dynamics and high comfort levels, the Tiguan is suited to urban environments as well as rough terrain far from normal roads and thus provides the driver with absolute freedom. A first glimpse of the new Volkswagen SUV was provided by the off-road design study Concept A at the beginning of 2006.

The High Cost of Free Parking

There is no righteous ire like the ire of people who believe they deserve something for nothing. In that light, don't expect many motorists to appreciate Donald Shoup's new book, The High Cost of Free Parking.

An UCLA professor in the Department of Urban Planning, Shoup dissects the economic, social, and environmental impacts of current parking regulations and proposes a new approach that can help free cities from the pernicious effects of auto dependency.

Originally limited to the curbside, parking was destined to become a scarce resource. Cars take up a lot of space, the total area of curbside parking is limited, and certain areas, like workplaces and commercial districts, experience peaks in demand when large numbers of people arrive at once.

Planners concluded that the solution was physical: create enough additional parking to offset the projected increase in demand. What seemed like good public policy at the time has been a slow-motion time bomb for cities. Too much parking is much worse, in the long run, than not enough parking.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 4:11 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Truck owners prefer gas pain to small cars

According to BIGresearch's July Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA), when asked if small cars are hot, nearly 62% of over 9,000 respondents said "yes." The survey divided those respondents into categories based on the vehicle they currently own -- from cars and hybrids to trucks, SUVs, minivans and cross-overs (a cross between a car and an SUV) -- to see what role higher gas prices might play in the trend toward small car preference.

"It's clear, especially among truck owners, that people are willing to drive less, spend less and consider every option to equalize the impact of rising gas prices -- including buying a smaller car," said Gary Drenik, president and CEO of BIGresearch. "In fact, those who own trucks have deferred major purchases (35%), reduced dining out (55%) and decreased vacation and travel (58%) just to be able to fill their gas tanks."

The survey revealed that over 60% of truck owners are making fewer shopping trips, plus they are shopping closer to home, using coupons more often and doing more comparative shopping both online and with newspaper ads and circulars.

On the flip side, owners of cars and hybrids are not cutting back so drastically. When asked at what price per gallon gasoline would have to reach before they would change their driving habits, 44% said their driving habits would not change, regardless of price. In addition, 57% of car and hybrid owners said that fluctuating gas prices have had no major impact on their spending.

"The math is simple. When gas prices have gone up over 30% in the last year, a smaller car plus better mileage equals more spending money in the consumer's pocket," said Drenik. "That's why even the most devoted truck and SUV fans might be willing to buy a smaller car."

Of all the respondents to the survey who said they are planning on buying a new vehicle in the next 6 months, 75.9% of car owners said they would consider buying a car, 37.1% of truck owners, 30.6% of minivan owners and 47.3% of SUV owners.

Ford on track to return to profit in 2008

Ford is on track to reduce capacity by 15 percent this year and is committed to achieving profitability in its key North American operations by 2008, Chief Executive Bill Ford said on Thursday.

"We remain committed to this goal, we have seen improvement," Ford said on a conference call with analysts. "I am encouraged by what has been going behind the scenes."

VW to produce small SUV in Germany

Volkswagen plans to produce its Tiguan sports utility vehicle in Wolfsburg, in Germany, the car maker said on Thursday.

The smaller version of VW's Touareg would be marketed from 2008 onwards, Volkswagen said in a statement.

New signs of trouble for Ford

While the financial situation at General Motors Corp. seems to be taking a turn for the better, crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. might now be on the cusp of its most challenging period yet.

Ford is scheduled to announce today its financial performance for April-June. The automaker could lose as much as $130 million or make as much as $388 million, according to 15 analysts who gave their estimates to Thomson One Analytics financial service. The average second-quarter estimate is 12 cents a share, or a profit of $222 million.

But the more pessimistic forecasts indicate entirely more extreme scenarios for the 103-year-old family-run automaker.

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BMW names new CEO

BERLIN -- BMW AG on Thursday named production chief Norbert Reithofer to succeed Helmut Panke as chief executive, ending speculation about the German carmaker's future management.

Reithofer, 50, will replace Panke on Sept. 1, the Munich-based company said.

Panke, who has been chief executive since 2002, turns 60 in August, the limit for top executives under company rules.

Reithofer, who joined BMW in 1987, has been production manager since March 2000.

He previously served as head of BMW's Spartanburg, S.C., plant in the United States and as head of its Rosslyn factory in South Africa.

Strike forces Hyundai to suspend exports

SEOUL, South Korea -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, said Thursday that a partial strike by its labor union has forced it to suspend vehicle exports.

"Exports have stopped," said Oles Gadacz, a Hyundai spokesman. He added that the company has about three month's worth of vehicle inventory already shipped overseas, so there has been no supply disruption to dealers.

"There's no cause for concern at this point," he said. "We do build up inventories going into a strike."

Walkouts are virtually an annual event at Hyundai, where the company's labor union has gone on strike every year but one since 1987.

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Congress may increase hybrid tax incentives

WASHINGTON -- Congress today will examine ways to entice more people to buy and use hybrid vehicles as the list of government-issued perks to gas-electric hybrid owners grows longer.

States and cities around the nation have been offering everything from free parking to the use of car pool lanes for solo drivers as long as they're behind the wheel of a hybrid. They're also offering tax breaks, discounts and other financial incentives.

The goal is to push drivers toward hybrids, which cost as much as $5,000 more than gasoline-only versions of the same models. It could take years to recoup the additional costs through reduced gasoline costs alone. However, hybrid vehicle sales continue to grow as gas prices climb above $3 a gallon.

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J.D. Power: Customer Satisfaction Impacts Auto Dealership Revenue

Lexus Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction With Dealer Service

Customer satisfaction with the overall experience within the dealership can considerably impact a dealer's revenue gain per customer, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Customer Service Index (CSI) Study(SM) released today.

The study, now in its 26th year, measures the customer satisfaction of vehicle owners who visit the dealer service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership, which typically represents the majority of the vehicle warranty period. Overall customer satisfaction with dealer service is based on six measures: service initiation, service advisor, in-dealership experience, service delivery, service quality and user-friendly service.

Lexus ranks highest with an overall CSI score of 912 points on a 1,000-point scale, achieving particularly high ratings from repair customers in the areas of service initiation and service quality. Following Lexus in the rankings are Buick (911) and Cadillac (909).

The study finds that customers who are satisfied with the service advisor and the in-dealership experience are more likely to return for service and more likely to repurchase the same make. They are also more likely to recommend the make, which leads to new vehicle sales. A gain in CSI score of just 10 points for satisfaction with the service advisor or in-dealership experience is estimated to add anywhere from $40 to more than $300 per customer annually, averaged over a one-to three-year customer base.

Continue reading "J.D. Power: Customer Satisfaction Impacts Auto Dealership Revenue"

Posted by Frank at 3:48 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Jaguar Chooses Dunlop SP Tires for XKR

Jaguar Cars has selected two Dunlop SP Sport performance tires for its new supercharged XKR, a 420-horsepower sporting Grand Tourer.

Dunlop tires, standard on the 2007 Jaguar XK, also have been specified for the XKR, which delivers 120 more horsepower. The XKR will jet to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds; the car arrives in showrooms by year's end. A convertible model takes 5 seconds.

Jaguar uncovered the 420-horsepower cat at the British International Motor Show this week. One thousand buyers -- sight unseen -- already have signed purchase papers.

Continue reading "Jaguar Chooses Dunlop SP Tires for XKR"

Toyota on Quality Hot Seat

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp., plagued with a rise in vehicle recalls and facing a legal probe into past recall practice, vowed on Thursday to step up quality efforts, saying this was imperative to ensure continued growth.

Japan’s top auto maker, which has built its reputation on offering safe and reliable cars at reasonable prices, has recalled more than one million vehicles in Japan alone so far this year, and on Wednesday issued a recall of some 400,000 SUVs in the United States, its single-biggest market.

In a first for the company, Toyota is also being criminally investigated by prosecutors in Kumamoto, southern Japan, over whether its quality-control managers had wrongfully delayed a recall filing that could have prevented a road accident in 2004 that injured a couple and their three young children.

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California Motor Club Lowers Insurance Rates

The change was anything but zippy. California voters approved Proposition 103 in 1988. Among its requirements were that auto insurers set rates according to how safely people drive, how much they drive and how long they've been driving. Insurers could consider other factors, but where people live (and their gender and marital status) couldn't be higher than No. 4 on the list of criteria.

Insurers fought the ZIP code rule for 18 years, arguing that it would send rates for rural and suburban drivers skyrocketing to give urban drivers a break.

That argument lost some credibility this week when the state's fourth-largest insurer, the Automobile Club of Southern California, said it would follow the requirement and gave this estimate of the likely rate changes for its nearly 1 million policyholders: 88% will see their premiums drop by an average of 7%, or about $134 a year. Most of the rest will see a hike of less than 5%.

Setting rates by ZIP code unfairly penalizes good drivers in minority neighborhoods. A Consumers Union study in California found that a woman with 22 years of driving experience and a good record would pay $1,443 for a policy if she lived in the predominantly non-Hispanic white Los Angeles neighborhood of Westchester (ZIP code 90045). If the same woman moved across the street into predominantly Latino Inglewood (90301), her premium would rise to $2,342.

That's not risk adjustment. It's bigotry.

Some areas have more accidents, more theft or higher repair costs. But how good a driver you are should matter more.

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Cross Country Book Review

For those of us reared on family car vacations, Jack Kerouac and every buddy road story from Lewis and Clark to “Thelma and Louise,” crossing the country is such an American ritual it’s like pledging allegiance to the flag at 65 miles per hour. Get that average speed up to a mere 110 and, thanks to the miracle of the Interstate, it’s possible to race across the continent in one day and still have time to pick up a couple of Happy Meals at the drive-through.

The Interstate highway system turned 50 this month. Robert Sullivan, chronicler of swamps, whales and rodents (as the author of “Meadowlands,” “A Whale Hunt” and “Rats”), now applies his onion-peeling skills to the evolution of this multilane leveler of mountains, deserts, rivers and regionalism.

Mr. Sullivan, his wife and two children make a six-day odyssey on Interstates from Oregon to New York City in a Chevy Impala, the “four-door, full-size relative of a drag racer” and the vehicle of choice for two generations of cops and cabbies.

“Never go on a cross-country trip with me,” Mr. Sullivan warns early in “Cross Country,” with 354 pages still to go, “for I can’t stop rattling on about what I assume or even imagine to be the significance of things.” The Interstate route allows him to riff on milestones along America’s road to becoming a Country of Roads.

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The Air Force Reserve Jet Car

The Car's Westinghouse J-34 jet churns about 10,000 horsepower and 6,000 pounds of thrust to move the 26-foot long car, appropriately decorated to look like the inside of just such an engine. The 1800-foot run gobbles 40 gallons of diesel fuel before the 2,300-pound car is dragged to a stop by a ring slot parachute.

Scott Hammack, who designed the Jet Car, is the primary driver, Bill Braack is the #2 driver and Linda Hammack handles logistics for the team, which has been accident-free for more than 3,300 runs. That equates to driving from New York to Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break, and at Jet Car speed, that's about a three-hour trip, provided there's no traffic.

Bill Braack, Scott Hammack and the Jet Car are supported by the Air Force Reserve, composed of more than 70,000 men and women. Although members of the Air Force Reserve serve part-time, they perform approximately 30 percent of the work of U.S. Air Force.

Matt Slap Subaru Celebrates 25-Year Anniversary

Number one Subaru dealer in Delaware marks quarter century of service

Subaru of America, Inc. honored Eve Slap, founder and owner of Matt Slap Subaru of Delaware, for 25 years of outstanding service with the Subaru franchise. An award of recognition was presented by the company's chairman in a ceremony at the recent Subaru National Business Conference held in Philadelphia.

"On behalf of Subaru of America, I'd like to congratulate founder and owner Eve Slap and everyone at Matt Slap Subaru, on its twenty-fifth anniversary with our franchise," said Kunio Ishigami, chairman, president and CEO, Subaru of America, Inc. "Matt Slap Subaru is a leader in attracting new customers to the Subaru brand while taking good care of our already loyal customer base. We appreciate their many years of service and it is with their help that we will achieve another all-time sales record this year."

Matt Slap Subaru is an outstanding member of the Subaru franchise and is also a standout in the auto industry because it is woman owned. According to the Women's Automotive Association International, only 8 percent of the 20,000 new vehicle franchised dealerships in the US are woman owned.

"Subaru is providing us with the strongest product lineup in the company's history, but the customer service we provide is key to our success both in our sales and service departments," said Eve Slap, founder and owner of Matt Slap Subaru. "By taking care of our customers, we make a long term commitment to them that generates repeat business and new customer referrals."

Matt Slap Subaru is located at 255 E Cleveland Ave., Newark, DE 19711. For more information, the dealership can be contacted at 800-387-8521 or at http://www.mattslap.com/.

Honda F1 Sets New Land Speed Records

Honda’s F1 team has set new speed records for an F1 car at the salt flats of Utah, USA.

Around 8am local time on Monday 17th July 2006 at the Bonneville Salt Flats, the team scored a triple success by setting a new F1 speed record, and breaking two existing land speed marks. Driver Alan van der Merwe piloted a race legal Honda 007 along a seven mile-long salt straight, achieving an aggregate speed of 220.571mph over two runs of a measured mile. The speed was recorded by both the Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA) and the United States Auto Club (USAC) and now represents the fastest ever recorded by a Formula 1 car over a timed distance, pending official ratification by the FIA.

As well as setting the world’s first official land speed record for a F1 car, the speed achieved also represented a new mark for the A2-8 class of land speed vehicles, and a new best speed of 355.499kph for the flying kilometre.

Following the milestone, Bonneville 400 driver Alan van der Merwe commented:

“We’ve made huge progress today by setting this new benchmark for an F1 car. On my first runs this morning, I doubted we could do it because the surface was so slippery. I had a spin or two, but the salt surface came to us and we were able to set this new record.

We haven’t done 400kph yet though, which is our ultimate target. In a way it’s quite nice we didn’t, because it shows that this is a genuine challenge and not just a case of us turning up, nailing it and going home. You have to work for every extra mile an hour here and we may not break the 400 mark, but that’s still our goal. But one thing you can’t deny is that we have set the fastest ever speed in an F1 car at the home of the land speed record. It was also particularly gratifying to be welcomed into Bonneville’s 200mph club by Mike Cook.

Mike Cook, President of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and Bonneville 400 Expert Advisor was full of praise for the team’s spirit of endeavour and determination. The veteran of several land speed record attempts at Bonneville said:

“I am delighted the Bonneville 400 guys have reached their main targets to become the fastest F1 team. It’s been a great deal achieved and they have approached setting this record with passion and humility. It’s a speed that will be noted all over the world and I wish them more success tomorrow if they try and go even quicker.”

The technical challenge of getting a race legal F1 car (albeit it with a few modifications for ultra high speed straight line running) to travel beyond 400 km/h on an unpredictable, unstable salt surface has proved to be a huge test for Bonneville 400 Technical Director Gary Savage, who is masterminding the challenge. He was clearly pleased to have set a new record:

“We’ve set a land speed record for an F1 car, set another record for the class of car that run here and also a best mark for the flying kilometre. That’s got to be a good day by anyone’s standard! However that is just the surface of our challenge. Underpinning this whole effort is our attempt to take a high tech piece of equipment like an F1 car and run it at high speed on a natural and highly unpredictable surface. It’s one hell of a challenge, and we’ll come though that. Now we want carry on tomorrow and try to push the time closer the team’s target of 400kph".

July 19, 2006

Time Mag Asks: Is Carlos Ghosn GM's Savior?

Carlos Ghosn is the CEO of Nissan Motor Co. of Japan and Renault S.A of France, which have benefited from a six-year cross-ownership alliance. This week, Ghosn was in the U.S. for talks with struggling General Motors, to test GM's appetite for forming a three-way alliance. Ghosn is perhaps the automotive industry's most accomplished executive, having pulled both Nissan and Renault out of nose dives. On his way to Detroit, he stopped in New York City to talk with TIME's business editor Bill Saporito. Here are his views on the potential GM hookup.

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Vents appear as luxe design flourish

A NOTABLE difference between the Cadillac Escalades of 2006 and 2007 is a bit of bling: the latest model flaunts chrome side vents on its front fenders. Like medals pinned to the chest of a proud general, elaborate vents or fender gills have become gleaming symbols of rank and valor.

“There’s definitely a trend toward side vents,” said Patrick Schiavone, a designer who worked on the Lincoln Navigator and Ford Explorer and was recently named design director for North American trucks and S.U.V.’s for Ford, Lincoln and Mercury. “Call them vents or gills, they have become a cue for luxury vehicles. They are like hood ornaments now, like the leaper on a Jaguar.”

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Can Dr. Z ads drive Chrysler sales?

A new U.S. ad campaign starring mustachioed DaimlerChrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche recalls past campaigns featuring plain-spoken Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca. The ads, by BBDO Detroit, convey the message that the international auto manufacturer's U.S. nameplates benefit from cross-ownership with prestige brand Mercedes.

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Keeping the car tech-compatible

As electronics platforms change, a car's capabilities should be able to stay the pace. Many car manufacturers offer standard telematics packages in luxury or near-luxury cars, but most of these packages, including prewiring for MP3 players and navigational systems, can be made available in any new car.

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BMW plans to sell diesel-powered cars in US

LONDON - German premium carmaker BMW intends to start selling diesel-powered cars in the United States within two years, using a urea-based additive to meet emissions standards, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"Urea will take another two years but then diesel is really clean and can be sold in all 50 states," the paper quoted BMW sales and marketing head Michael Ganal as saying at the British International Motor Show.

"The U.S. is more open to diesel than two or three years ago."

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NAACP Recognizes Ford With 'Top Honors'

- NAACP votes Ford as one of its highest performers on 2006 Economic Reciprocity Initiative Report Card

- Ford to serve as title sponsor of Youth Freedom Fund Dinner

- Baton to be passed to Detroit as the host city for the 2007 NAACP Convention - Ford to serve on host committee

For the second year in a row, Ford Motor Company was one of two automakers to earn top honors from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on the organization's Economic Reciprocity Initiative (ERI) industry report card, which graded Ford and its global competitors in several key areas. Results of the study were released at the NAACP's 97th annual convention, "Voting Our Values, Valuing Our Votes," in Washington, D.C.

The NAACP ERI report card measures the exchange of economic costs and benefits between African-American consumers and various industries. Areas measured for performance included employment, advertising/marketing, procurement/vendor relationships, dealerships, and charitable/philanthropic activity.

"Ford is honored that the NAACP recognizes our commitment to diversity associated with our employees, customers, suppliers, dealers and philanthropic programs," said Sandra E. Ulsh, Ford Motor Company Fund president.

Continue reading "NAACP Recognizes Ford With 'Top Honors'"

GM sweetens summer financing

General Motors Corp. will launch discount programs today for six of its eight vehicle brands to pump up sales on the back end of the busy summer selling season.

The program will feature new cash incentives on select 2007 models and a menu of zero-percent financing options on remaining 2006 models that may turn out to be well-timed.

In the face of rising interest rates, a growing number of car buyers are choosing attractive financing deals over other discounts, new research shows.

With the promotion -- which includes Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saab and Saturn -- GM is resisting reviving last year's hugely successful employee-pricing-for-everyone offer.

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Wagoner will not leave GM quietly

LONDON - General Motors Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said Tuesday he planned to keep his job even if the U.S. carmaker strikes a three-way alliance with Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co.

“I have no intention of leaving my position at GM. We are in the middle of a huge turnaround that’s getting a lot of momentum, and we really need to stay focused on that,” he told reporters when asked if he would step down should Carlos Ghosn, chief executive of both Renault and Nissan, get a GM board seat.

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Auto Companies Continue to Struggle

While General Motors Corp. is expected to show progress despite a big second-quarter loss, other Detroit automakers could have a rougher time when they report financial results this month.

GM, which lost almost $1 billion in last year's second quarter, will lose money again after taking a roughly $3.8-billion charge to account for a major attrition package.

But, aside from that one-time cost, the automaker is expected to earn about $250 million, which can be seen as a sign of progress in GM's North American turnaround plan.

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Posted by Frank at 1:07 PM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Third Recall in One Month for Toyota

In its third vehicle recall this month, Toyota Motor Corp. is calling back almost 420,000 cars worldwide, including 34,700 in the United States, to replace a faulty engine part.

Most of the recalled U.S. cars are Echo compacts, but they also include Prius hybrids.

Toyota said it had no reports of accidents or injuries, but the recall caps a bruising month for the automaker renowned for its vehicle quality.

Last week it recalled 367,500 sport utility vehicles, including premium Lexus RX models, because a piece in the front console area could come loose and lodge near the gas pedal.

Earlier in July, Toyota recalled 24,200 vans in Japan.

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Toyota Optimistic About Future of U.S. Auto Industry

Toyota Announces Plans to Pursue 'Plug-In' Hybrid & Flex-Fuel Programs

Jim Press, president of Toyota Motor North America, today said that despite recent headlines, the U.S. automotive industry continues to be vibrant, citing global demand, demographic trends and a growing consumer desire for hybrid vehicles. He also pledged that Toyota would be proactive in helping government solve the major environmental and auto safety issues that confront America.

Press said Toyota is strongly considering introducing a flex-fuel vehicle program in the U.S. "We're already developing vehicles that can operate in ethanol-rich Brazil and we're optimistic that we can offer similar vehicles to American consumers."

He said Toyota is also pursuing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that would be capable of traveling greater distances without using its gas engine, with the ultimate goal of conserving more oil, reducing smog and greenhouse gases to near zero emissions levels.

Continue reading "Toyota Optimistic About Future of U.S. Auto Industry"

Most popular luxury vehicle colors

While gold far outranks silver in terms of price per troy ounce on the precious metals market, when it comes to luxury car colors, silver reigns supreme.

For the second year in a row, silver has surpassed white to become the paint color of choice on luxury cars and trucks sold in North America. Next up is black, which placed third; blue, fourth; light brown, fifth; and red in sixth.

Where did the hue of the safe-haven investment come in? The yellow/gold color family was ranked the seventh most popular exterior for vehicles purchased in 2005. Green, gray and “others” rounded out the rest of the Top 10 Luxury Vehicle Colors list.

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New VW Eos to Roll on Goodyear Tires

While many people will stare at the distinctive folding metal roof of the 2007 Volkswagen Eos as it neatly stows into the trunk, performance driving purists will be looking lower - at the Goodyear Eagle LS-2 tires.

VW selected the Goodyear tires in size 235/45R17 for the all-new model that goes on sale in the U.S. late this year.

The Eos will be available in the U.S. with a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four and a 250-horsepower 3.2-liter V6. The car comes with a full complement of standard equipment: stability control, sport seats, and 17-inch alloy wheels on the V6 models.

The Eos model is referred to as "CSC" - coupe/sunroof/convertible - allowing owners to convert the three-panel roof to match the characteristics of a hardtop coupe, an integrated sunroof or a convertible.

The Eagle LS-2 tire features an all-season design with an optimized tread pattern for quiet performance and wide circumferential tread grooves to channel water away.

Goodyear tires are original equipment on many vehicles from Acura, Audi, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hummer, Infiniti, Isuzu, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan and Toyota. Traditionally, more new vehicles in North America are equipped with Goodyear tires than any other brand.

Sony's Bluetooth Car Stereo Makes Road Trips High-Fidelity and Hands-Free

New Head Unit Streams Music and Phone Calls From Portable Devices

NEW YORK -- Sony is planning to do its part to help drivers enjoy safe hands-free conversations and crystal clear, streaming music on the road.

The Sony MEX-BT5000 car stereo is the company's first audio-streaming AM/FM CD receiver with wireless Bluetooth(R) technology. The car stereo automatically connects with cellular phones and other devices, including portable music players that have Bluetooth connectivity.

Hands-free Operation

Placing calls from the MEX-BT5000 car stereo is effortless. Bluetooth technology transfers up to 50 phonebook contacts and six speed-dial entries from your phone to the stereo. The contact information appears on the receiver's high-resolution screen so drivers can easily call friends even when the phone is out of reach.

An integrated microphone on the faceplate detects voices and eliminates the need for additional wiring so the installation process is quick and easy. The integrated noise and echo reduction signal processing enhances phone call clarity.

"In three words, the car stereo is simple, safe and sleek. It's easy to use, has outstanding sound clarity and looks great in any car," said Brennan Mullin, general manager for mobile electronics at Sony Electronics. "By giving people a hassle-free, all-in-one audio solution, our intention is to help make drivers' lives easier while raising their expectations for car stereos."

Continue reading "Sony's Bluetooth Car Stereo Makes Road Trips High-Fidelity and Hands-Free"

Toyota ponders plug-in hybrid, flex-fuel cars

WASHINGTON - Toyota Motor North America Inc. president Jim Press said Tuesday the Japanese automaker plans to pursue a plug-in hybrid vehicle, touting the long-term potential of gas-electric hybrids on America’s highways.

“Make no mistake about it, hybrids are the technology of the future and they will play a starring role in the automotive industry in the 21st century,” Press said in a speech at the National Press Club.

Press, highlighting the company’s work on alternative vehicles, said Toyota is also “strongly considering” a program to develop flexible fuel vehicles in the United States capable of running on E85, an alternative fuel made of 85 percent ethanol.

Link.

GM rolling out summer incentives

General Motors Corp. is rolling out a new incentive program today for select Chevrolet, Pontiac, GMC, Buick, Saab and Saturn models as the 2006 model year winds down.

Automakers typically add incentives in summer to clear space before next year's models arrive in the fall.

The program runs through Sept. 5 and offers discounts and 0% financing on certain 2006 vehicles, according to a news release.

In addition:

• 2006 Saturns are eligible for 10% off the sum of the suggested retail price and destination charge.

• The 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban and Avalanche, and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL are eligible for $2,000 trade-in assistance and $1,000 dealer cash. Financing rates range from 3.9% for 36 months to 6.9% for 72 months.

GM is to begin advertising the incentives today. In the statement, the automaker reiterated that it's not reviving the Employee Discount for Everyone discounts, which sent sales soaring last year.

GM's sales through June are down 12.3% compared with the same period of 2005.

Kick the Oil Habit Road Trip

In his State of the Union address this year, President Bush declared that "America is addicted to oil" - just a few months later, gasoline prices are at an all time high. Oil companies and their executives are raking in record breaking profits. Our dependence on oil puts our national security at risk, hurts us economically, and endangers our environment. If we can put a man on the moon and invent the internet, we can achieve energy independence. It's time to rise to the challenge and Kick the Oil Habit!

Link.

July 18, 2006

Apple wants more iPod ready cars

Bob Borchers, who is the senior director of iPod worldwide product marketing, told CNET that Apple is interested in making the use of iPods in cars much easier.

Apple thinks that the mess of cables and such that accompany current solutions can be done better with factory installed iPod option in cars. He did make clear that Apple has no interest in entering the market of iPod car accessories but that Apple is working with third party vendors to make the experience better.

Also of note is Borchers' statement that Apple is very happy that people are turning their Mac minis into carputers.

Link.

Nissan Pathfinder: Boobies

Is this real or a spoof?

Ford Launches Production of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines

* Ford will be the first in the world to deliver a dedicated hydrogen internal combustion engine powered vehicle to commercial customers in E-450 shuttle buses later this year.

* Production of dedicated hydrogen fueled V-10 engines begins at Ford's Engine Manufacturing Development Operations in Dearborn Heights; engine tested to same production standards as other Ford engines.

* Ford is the only automaker active in developing advanced gasoline hybrid-electric vehicles, hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles, clean diesel, ethanol and hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles.

DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- Ford today kicked off production of dedicated hydrogen fueled V-10 engines, making it the first automaker in the world to do so.

"This engine represents a significant milestone in Ford's research efforts in hydrogen technology," said Dr. Gerhard Schmidt, vice president, Research & Advanced Engineering, Ford Motor Company. "We have learned a great deal about hydrogen powered internal combustion engines during the development phase of this engine."

The supercharged 6.8-liter V-10 engine will power Ford's E-450 hydrogen fueled shuttle buses. The buses are scheduled to be delivered to fleet customers later this year, first in Florida and then in other locations across North America. Hydrogen internal combustion engine technology represents an important step toward enabling hydrogen to become a viable motor fuel.

Hydrogen fueled internal combustion engines have many advantages including high efficiency, all-weather capability, and near zero emissions of regulated pollutants and greenhouse gases (CO2). They can also be easily hybridized for further gains in fuel efficiency.

While the hydrogen internal combustion engine shuttle buses will provide valuable real-world experience, Ford is also conducting research into next generation hydrogen internal combustion engines, including features such as direct injection to enhance power and fuel economy. "We have only scratched the surface in terms of what can be achieved with hydrogen internal combustion engine technology and are serious about maintaining our edge in this field," said Vance Zanardelli, chief engineer, Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines, Ford Motor Company.

Hydrogen Part of a Broader Effort

Continue reading "Ford Launches Production of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines"

Gas prices edge up to near $3 a gallon

Unleaded up 67 cents from year-ago level, nearing record

WASHINGTON - The average price U.S. consumers paid for gasoline jumped by two cents last week to $2.99 a gallon, the highest since Hurricane Katrina disrupted petroleum supplies last September, the government said Monday.

The national pump price for regular unleaded gasoline is up 67 cents from a year ago and inching closer to September’s record $3.07, according to the federal Energy Information Administration’s weekly survey of service stations.

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Toyota F-1 Car Coming From Germany to Attend Monterey Historic Automobile Races

Unparalleled Opportunity for Up-Close Look at F-1 Race Car

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and Panasonic Toyota Racing are bringing the TF106 Panasonic Toyota Formula 1 (F1) car from its headquarters in Cologne, Germany to participate in the 33rd Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races Presented by Toyota on August 18 - 20, 2006.

The F1 car, piloted by Panasonic Toyota Racing Team driver, Brazilian Ricardo Zonta, will hit the track on Friday to make final set-up adjustments and then demonstration runs will take place on Saturday and Sunday as part of an F1 car showcase that displays the evolution of early F1 cars to present. Between demonstration laps, the car will be available for spectator viewing in the garage area.

"In bringing the F1 car to Monterey, Toyota wants to provide an unusual and exciting opportunity for race participants and spectators to view an F1 car up close on the track and in the garage," said Jim Farley, Toyota vice president of marketing. "Other than the recent United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis, this is the only appearance the F1 car will make in the U.S. and the only time it will be easily accessible for viewing by spectators."

The term "F1" refers to the Formula One World Championship, the pinnacle of formula series racing governed by the International Automobile Federation. The F1 World Championship is a major world sporting event that travels to 16 countries, running a total of 18 grand prix races, is televised in 200 countries, and viewed by a cumulative 2 billion viewers over the course of the year.

Continue reading "Toyota F-1 Car Coming From Germany to Attend Monterey Historic Automobile Races"

'Hybrid-It' Over to Your Favorite Renaissance Hotel or Resort

60 Renaissance Hotels & Resorts in North America Offer Free Parking to Guests Driving Hybrid Cars

WASHINGTON -- Renaissance Hotels & Resorts is making it easier for travelers to be "green" and save some green, by offering complimentary parking to all guests who drive hybrid cars. Current hybrid cars can get up to 60 miles to the gallon and have lower greenhouse gas emissions. Effective now through December 31, 2006, guests staying, attending a meeting or dining in the restaurant at a participating Renaissance can park their hybrid for free.

"We think this is a fun and constructive offer to our guests who are helping the environment by driving hybrid vehicles," said Hank Biddle, senior vice president, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts North America. "Our hotels are finding new ways to conserve energy, and this is a unique way to involve the customer."

Renaissance Hotels and Resorts is a sophisticated, upscale brand of Marriott International, Inc., which has been named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an ENERGY STAR(R) Partner of the Year for implementing programs that save more than 83 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electric energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68,000 tons annually. Marriott is the only lodging company to be recognized and the only company to receive the EPA's highest honor for two consecutive years.

Continue reading "'Hybrid-It' Over to Your Favorite Renaissance Hotel or Resort"

Toyota Announces Recall Campaign on Selected Echo and Prius Vehicles

TORRANCE, Calif. -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., will launch a voluntary Special Service Campaign with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to replace the crankshaft position sensor on certain 2001 through early 2002 model year Echo and Prius vehicles. The connector for the crankshaft position sensor may become disconnected.

The campaign, which does not involve any hybrid components, involves approximately 34,700 vehicles (26,200 Echo and 8,500 Prius) in the U.S. There have been no reported cases of accidents or injuries related to the affected vehicles, and no cases of this condition have been reported to Toyota in the U.S.

In certain 2001 through early 2002 model year Echo and Prius vehicles, due to improper molding of the resin body of the crankshaft position sensor, engine oil may penetrate the seal and enter the connector. In addition, the shape of the locking tab to secure the sensor's wire-harness connector may be improper. In this condition, the oil may expand due to heat from the engine and deform the connector, as well as create pressure on the locking tab causing the crankshaft position sensor to become disconnected. In the worst case, if the crankshaft position sensor becomes disconnected while the vehicle is being driven, the engine will stall and will be unable to restart.

Toyota will notify owners of the involved vehicles via first class mail beginning in late-July. Owners are requested to contact their local Toyota dealer for diagnosis and repair upon receiving their notification. Replacement will be done at no charge to the owners of the vehicle.

Customers with questions or concerns should contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota recalls over 418,000 vehicles

Automaker's hybrid Prius model eyed for faulty engine part

TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it was recalling 418,570 vehicles globally, including some Echo and Prius models sold in the U.S., over a faulty engine part.

The faulty part is the latest in a string of problems requiring recalls by Toyota, raising doubts over whether the automaker can maintain quality standards amid booming sales.

The recall affects 268,570 vehicles sold in Japan across 12 models manufactured in 2001, including Corollas, the compact cars Vitz and Platz and the hybrid Prius, the company said in a statement submitted to Japan's Transport Ministry.

The recall also affects about 150,000 cars sold overseas, mainly in the United States and Canada, Toyota spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto said. These autos were also manufactured in 2001.

In the United States, 24,490 cars sold under the name Echo and Yaris, as well as 8,476 Prius vehicles are affected by the recall, she said.

Link.

Clarion to Supply Major Audio Program at Ford Motor Company

Clarion Corporation of America, a leading manufacturer of mobile entertainment systems, announced today they have been awarded a significant audio program for future Ford Motor Company vehicles.

The audio program awarded to Clarion Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Clarion Company Ltd., will commence in 2008 and will include single CD and 6 CD radios.

"We are extremely proud to have been awarded this major Ford audio program and are excited about the potential for future business growth at Ford," said Matt Matsuda, President of Clarion Corporation of America.

Clarion first began supplying audio components for various Ford-affiliated companies throughout North America and Europe in the early 1980s.

2007 Dodge Caliber Earns Top Safety Ratings in Government Crash Tests

-- Caliber Becomes 12th Consecutive New Chrysler Group Vehicle to Receive Five Stars for Frontal Crash Protection

-- Caliber Also Earns Top Rating for Side-Impact Protection

The 2007 Dodge Caliber has received the government's highest ratings for side- and frontal- impact crash protection from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Dodge Caliber's five-star rating for frontal crash protection makes it the 12th consecutive new product from Chrysler Group to achieve the top safety rating in the government's frontal crash tests.

In addition, Caliber received the government's highest crash ratings for protecting the driver and rear passenger in a side impact.

Dodge Caliber is equipped with many safety and security technologies including high-strength steel structure, all-wheel-drive capability, Electronic Stability Program (ESP) with traction control, standard advanced multistage driver and front passenger air bags, standard side-curtain airbags, and a standard driver's side inflatable knee blocker.

Starting with the Pacifica in 2003, Chrysler Group has recorded five stars for frontal crash protection for 12 consecutive new product launches. These vehicles include: Pacifica, Chrysler and Dodge minivans, Dodge Durango, Dodge Ram 1500, Dodge Ram Quad, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Dakota, Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee, Dodge Charger, Jeep(R) Commander, and Dodge Caliber.

BMW Releases 2007 3-Series Pricing

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - Arriving in US showrooms this September, the newest BMW Coupe once again sets the standard for design, luxury, and performance in its class. The 2007 3 Series Coupe will have a starting MSRP of $35,995 including destination and handling.

As is typical for BMW, significant enhancements to the standard features as well as the value of the new 328i and 335i have been made, compared to their predecessors. In addition, BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive will be available for the first time in a Coupe in the 328xi. While base prices have increased versus the outgoing versions, the new 3 Series Coupe models now include a substantial number of additional features including:
- More powerful engines (230 and 300 hp vs. 184 and 225)
- More differentiated styling from the sedan
- Xenon adaptive headlights with cornering lights standard
- Rear side head protection system (airbag curtain)
- Enhanced DSC benefits (including brake drying, brake stand-by, brake fade compensation, and start-off assistant)
- Enhanced interior ambiance lighting
- Run-flat tires with Tire Pressure Monitor

The 328i also receives the following additional standard equipment:
- 17” wheels and tires
- 6-speed manual transmission

In fact, compared to the top-of-the-line 2006 330Ci Coupe, the entry-level 2007 328i Coupe not only offers greater style inside and out, as well as a number of safety enhancements, it also offers even better performance – all for $2,500 less.

The list of options for all models now includes a six-speed STEPTRONIC automatic transmission. Option packages for both models represent even greater value with added content as well.

Ownership value has been enhanced with the announcement of BMW Ultimate ServiceTM , a suite of services that includes the BMW Maintenance Program (formerly called Full Maintenance) , Roadside Assistance, the New Vehicle Limited Warranty and BMW AssistTM with Teleservice. The new 3 Series Coupes will have BMW AssistTM available as a stand-alone option or as part of the optional Premium Package. As before, included with BMW AssistTM is Bluetooth hands-free phone connectively which includes hands-free access to your phonebook. Starting with model year 2007, BMW AssistTM will be provided for four years. Most other similar services cover only the first year of service.

The 2007 BMW 328i Coupe will be priced at $35,995 while the 335i Coupe, with its 300 horsepower twin-turbo inline six cylinder engine, will have an MSRP of $41,295. The new 328xi Coupe, with BMW’s advanced xDrive all-wheel drive system, will retail for $37,795. All prices include a $695 destination and handling charge.

XM Satellite Radio's Nightshift Hits Chicago with Drifting, Drag Racing and the Ying Yang Twins

HIN's Nightshift event brings more live entertainment and motor sports to Chicago for their second stop this season

XM Satellite Radio's Hot Import Nights (HIN) returns to Chicago for its second stop this year, this time for a Nightshift event, with drifting, specialty cars and all-star performances from the Ying Yang Twins, T-Pain and Da Muzicianz. Presented by Valvoline Synpower, Nightshift visits Soldier Field on July 29 from 4-11 p.m. for a Nightshift unlike any other so far. Media are invited to arrive at 3 p.m. to experience the Chevy Cobalt Coupe SS Supercharged, equipped with GM Performance Parts' Stage II supercharger kit on the Chevy auto cross course.

D-Roc of the Ying Yang Twins will perform with fellow Ying Yang Twin, Kaine, and his true-life brothers, Da Birthday Boy and Mr. Ball of Da Muzicianz. Nominated for a Grammy as the "Best Rap Performance for a Duo or Group" in 2005, their most recent album, United State of Atlanta, is certified platinum. Fellow southern rapper, T-Pain, will join the pair onstage. His Gold debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, features the radio hits, "I'm Sprung," and "I'm N Luv (Wit A Stripper)."

Continue reading "XM Satellite Radio's Nightshift Hits Chicago with Drifting, Drag Racing and the Ying Yang Twins"

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Toyota recalls 268,000 cars in Japan over faulty engine

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it was recalling 268,000 vehicles in Japan over a faulty engine.

The recall affects 268,570 vehicles, including Corollas and the compact car Vitz, the company said in a statement submitted to Japan's transport ministry.

A faulty engine part could lead to an oil leak within the engine and cause it to stop completely, the statement said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether the recall affected cars sold outside Japan.

Mercedes to field hybrid in 2008

FRANKFURT - DaimlerChrysler's luxury Mercedes brand plans to market its first hybrid car in 2008, a magazine said on Saturday.

"We're well on track and will bring a competitive concept to the market at the start of 2008," DaimlerChrysler's research chief Thomas Weber told the Wirtschaftswoche magazine.

Hybrids combine an electric motor and batteries with petrol or diesel engines to boost fuel economy and cut emissions.

Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corp. has aggressively promoted its top-selling Prius hybrid model.

The magazine said Mercedes was planning to launch a "mild" hybrid version for its S-class model line in 2008.

Such a "mild" hybrid can boost acceleration and make engines work more efficiently in stop-and-go traffic, but costs less than a full hybrid.

Audi Looks to Set Sales Records in U.S. and Worldwide

Audi is positioned to set a sales record both in the United States and worldwide if the first half of 2006 is any indication. In the U.S., both new vehicle and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales are ahead of last year's pace.

Through June, Audi of America, Inc. sales increased 7.3 percent over the first half of 2005. New car sales figures for the first half of 2006 were released June 1 and totaled 40,455 units. Robust sales of the A3, A4, A6 and Audi Q7 model lines have helped contribute to the record sales pace.

AUDI AG recently announced that worldwide sales through June reached 463,500 units, a 9.8 percent increase over 2005's record setting performance.

"Audi has made great progress during 2006," said Johan de Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America, Inc. "U.S. consumer and media reaction to our new vehicles has been outstanding, and we are on course to set a sales record this year. Sales in the United States alone has accounted for nearly nine percent of AUDI AG's worldwide sales this year. With the Audi Q7 performance SUV now on sale -- a vehicle specifically designed for the U.S. market -- I think we can make an even larger contribution to company's global growth."

CPO sales in the U.S. have also reached record levels. With 12,178 total sales, Audi CPO sales increased 5.0 percent over last year. The majority of Audi CPO sales have been to customers in the west and east coasts, yet the southern and central regions have shown impressive gains of 22.0 percent and 7.0 percent respectively over 2005 CPO sales. A4 models show the largest increase for 2006 with 5,682 CPO sales, a 6.7 percent increase over last year. A8 CPO sales have also been strong at 487 units, a 3.2 percent increase.

Audi's history in America dates to 1969, when the brand was first introduced to the U.S. market. Today, a network of over 260 Audi dealers currently offers a line of premium vehicles that include the nimble Audi A3; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the all-new Audi Q7 performance SUV; the all-aluminum Audi A8; and the award-winning TT Coupe and Roadster.

Fuel surcharges swamping Hawaiian islands

HONOLULU -- Visitors to Hawaii may be in for a surprise -- the high cost of getting around doesn't end after that long and expensive airline flight from the mainland.

From air travel to exotic sea expeditions, rising fuel prices are making a Hawaii vacation an even pricier affair.

Hawaii has the most expensive gas prices in the country, and many of those escalating costs are passed on to unsuspecting tourists. The average for a gallon of regular gas here this summer is nearly $3.40, according to AAA's fuel gauge report.

"It's forced everybody to raise their prices a little bit," said Dan Peavy, owner of Aqua Adventure Charters on Maui, which offers snorkeling and diving trips. "Most people don't even realize it."

Link.

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July 17, 2006

Cars heavier, faster but fuel economy unchanged

WASHINGTON, July 17 - New vehicles in the United States are the fastest and heaviest in three decades, with the fleet's fuel efficiency no better than the figure for 1994 -- about 21 miles per gallon, the government said on Monday.

The mileage estimate for 2006 passenger vehicles -- cars, sports utilities, pickups and minivans -- continues a recent trend even though gasoline prices have risen steadily and now average $3 per gallon, the Environmental Protection Agency said in an annual efficiency report.

Gains from gas-electric hybrid engines and other fuel saving technologies -- mainly seen in compacts, sedans and other passenger cars -- were noted. But these technologies represent a fraction of what is available in showrooms and bigger models continue to blunt efficiency.

Link.

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Automakers say talks will be private

The two-week tornado over the possible alliance between General Motors Corp. and automaker allies Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. -- marked by round-the-clock news coverage, analysis and anxiety -- moved Saturday into what is likely a quieter phase.

Friday evening's face-to-face meeting between the chief executives of the companies, Rick Wagoner at GM and Carlos Ghosn at Renault and Nissan, resulted in a time line and pledge of public silence that should, briefly at least, calm the furious speculation over the fate of the companies, their leaders, the auto industry and its global workforce.

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Ford plans $1.84 billion hybrid car investment in Britain

LONDON -- Ford Motor Co. will invest 1 billion pounds ($1.84 billion) in Britain within six years to develop hybrid cars, a senior executive said Monday.

"We have 9,500 engineers working in the U.K. -- about 35,000 employees in total -- so this is our investment," Lewis Booth, Ford's executive vice president for European operations, said in a British Broadcasting Corp. radio interview.

Ford reportedly is aiming to produce a Focus model capable of delivering 70 miles per gallon with reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Link.

Ford buyouts speed up

Ford Motor Co. expects to shed between 22,000 and 24,000 hourly jobs in North America by the end of next year and likely will exceed its goal of cutting some 30,000 factory jobs by 2012, according to company sources.

They say the company's downsizing effort is proceeding more rapidly than analysts had projected. The apparent success of Ford's buyout program is one sign of progress amid an otherwise deteriorating financial situation, and could go a long way toward helping the company rein in its legacy costs. Ford has 87,000 factory workers.

Link.

Audi R10 TDI Claims Victory in US Comeback

TOOELE, Utah - Only four weeks after its historical victory as the first diesel sportscar at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Audi R10 TDI celebrated another success: In the comeback in the American Le Mans Series on the new race track outside Salt Lake City, UT, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela triumphed in an exciting finish with a gap of only 0.318 seconds ahead of the Porsche drivers Lucas Luhr and Sascha Maassen.

The two Audi R10 TDI sportscars of Audi Sport North America started the fifth race of the American Le Mans Series from the front row. After 61 minutes of the race, Allan McNish handed over the leading #2 R10 TDI to co-driver Dindo Capello. With a pit-stop on the 40th lap, the Audi R10 TDI took enough Shell V-Power Diesel for the remaining 25 laps of race distance. Shortly before the end of the race, a Safety Car period destroyed the advantage of the Italian. A slow puncture on the rear left forced the leading Audi to make an unscheduled pit-stop during the caution period and Capello/McNish had to be content with the fourth position.

Continue reading "Audi R10 TDI Claims Victory in US Comeback"

ARRRR! 52,000 Participate in Volvo Treasure Hunt

Seven Finalists Worldwide Will Join in Final, Frantic Search for a Volvo XC90 V8 SUV Buried Somewhere in the World; Part of Volvo's Promotion With Disney's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'

Volvo Continues Pirates Promotion Through August With Local Retailer Radio Events and Product Sweepstakes

Seven would-be pirates from around the world will converge in a secret location next month as Volvo Car Corporation's global, multi-media treasure hunt for a Volvo XC90 V8 SUV that has been buried somewhere in the world reaches its final leg.

The hunt, in which Volvo is conducting as part of its official promotion of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," drew more than 52,000 U.S. participants. The individuals participated for about a month in a challenging, engaging and fun-filled online adventure at www.volvocars.us/thehunt to solve a series of online clues and puzzles using an official treasure map obtained at Volvo dealerships nationwide.

Continue reading "ARRRR! 52,000 Participate in Volvo Treasure Hunt"

Will Toyota Make a Play for GM?

Toyota may be considering foiling Renault-Nissan by making a surprise move to hook up with GM

Could Renault and Nissan have a competitor in their effort to form an alliance with General Motors? Top executives at Toyota Motor are mulling their own overture to GM to head off rival Nissan from forging an alliance that could help the Japanese-French car company, according to people with knowledge of the Japanese auto maker's plans.

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Toyota keeps '07 Corolla prices down

DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that it is keeping U.S. Corolla prices almost flat for the 2007 model year despite rising material and energy costs. Analysts say Japan's No. 1 automaker may be fearful of yielding market share to low-cost Asian rivals.

The $100 sticker-price increases, well below the rate of inflation, come as Toyota's share of the American market continues to grow, mainly at the expense of U.S. makers General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG.

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July 14, 2006

Classic Rabbit returns as VW shifts spotlight back to value

The Rabbit is back.

And along with it, perhaps Volkswagen's common sense, as well.

The automaker that gave us the venerable, affordable Beetle, the people's car, then tried to persuade us to buy vehicles such as the $68,000-plus Phaeton luxury sedan, seems to have rediscovered its roots and plans to go back to them, at least for now.

After years of declining U.S. sales and having its cars relegated to virtual niche status in the U.S. market, the German automaker that also brought us such icons as the VW Microbus and Thing wants to carve out a bigger piece of the American automotive pie.

To that end, VW is introducing the 2006 Rabbit this summer, with a starting price of $15,000 and a name that means something to Baby Boomers. It's the name Volkswagen used in the 1980s on the entry-level vehicle that replaced the Beetle.

In a related move, Volkswagen also will cut by $1,410 the starting price of its 2007 Jetta sedan, the automaker's best-selling model in North America.

Link.

Hyundai Chief Out of Jail, Back to Work

SEOUL - Hyundai Automotive Group Chairman Chung Mong-koo returned to work on Friday, ending a more than two months management vacuum at the nation’s largest auto company.

His official return, after a hiatus of about 80 days due to imprisonment on a bribery scandal and hospitalization, will allow the conglomerate to re-ignite its overseas projects.

Chung restarted work at his office in Yangjae-dong, southern Seoul, meeting with U.S. Alabama State Governor Bob Riley, who is on a business trip to South Korea, on the issue of Hyundai Motor’s business project in the state, according to Hyundai.

Link.

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Chrysler Beefs Up Pacifica Wagon -- and Cuts Price

Chrysler Group said the 2007 Pacifica will have a starting price of $24,890, including a $730 destination charge.

That is a $1,255 price drop from the 2006 Pacifica. The company said a top-of-the-line Pacifica Limited with all-wheel drive will be priced starting at $36,205, including shipping.

The redesigned Pacifica hits showrooms in the fall. The family wagon is equipped with a new 4.0-liter V6 aluminum engine with 255 horsepower and 265 pound-feet of torque, mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission. The previous base model was equipped with a 3.5-liter V-6 that made 250 hp and 250 lb-ft of torque.

New standard safety equipment on the Pacifica includes three-row side-curtain airbags and electronic stability control with traction control. The vehicle also is offered with optional new Yes Essentials cloth seats that resist stains, as well as a rear backup camera.

The Pacifica receives modest styling changes for the new model year, including "hood strakes" or grooves, which are inspired by the ones on the Chrysler Crossfire.

Ford extending warranties to boost sales

Ford is extending engine and transmission warranties by two years for 2007 model vehicles. Powertrain warranties for Ford and Mercury cars and light trucks will increase to five years or 60,000 miles, from three years or 36,000 miles, the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker said Thursday.

The warranty on Lincoln vehicles will be six years or 70,000 miles, compared with the previous guarantee of four years or 50,000 miles, Ford said. The company is trying to increase sales without resorting to incentive programs that reduce the price and hurt profits. Ford's U.S. sales fell 4.1 percent in the first half of 2006.

GM: Health overhaul elusive

In D.C., Wagoner says it's up to politicians to fix

WASHINGTON -- Despite prodding from lawmakers Thursday, General Motors Corp. chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner refused to endorse specific proposals to overhaul the U.S. health care system.

Testifying before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Aging, Wagoner said there were many ideas on how to reform the system and although GM has made strides in reducing its costs, its health care costs remain burdensome. The company spends $1,500 per vehicle sold on health care, more than steel.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 11:14 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

GM’s future in balance at meeting of CEOs

Nissan CEO, GM chief Wagoner discuss potential alliance in Detroit

DETROIT - The chief executives of General Motors Corp. and Renault-Nissan are scheduled to meet on Friday in Detroit, a formal first step in complex talks that could change the face of the global auto industry.

The high-profile meeting between Rick Wagoner and Carlos Ghosn comes two weeks after GM’s largest individual shareholder, billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian, went public with his surprise bid to broker a sweeping alliance that would see Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. take a substantial stake in GM.

Link.

BMW's Naked Street Bike

Viral Campaign Taps into Motorcyclists' Passion for Street Fighter Bikes

BMW Motorrad USA announced today the roll-out of its newest advertising campaign for its K 1200 R, an aggressively styled, new generation model of "naked" street bike. The high energy campaign includes print ads, a micro website, promotional give-away and a viral spot developed in conjunction with Northern Lights Post to generate online buzz among motorcycle enthusiasts. Launched on July 11, 2006, the campaign will begin directing bikers to the website www.theworldsmostpowerfulnakedbike.com where they can experience the raw power of the K 1200 R.

"The K 1200 R represents a completely new breed of motorcycle for BMW, so we knew that we had to depart from our own marketing conventions in order to break through our current brand perceptions," said Laurence Kuykendall, Community and Communications Manager, BMW Motorrad USA. "The Concept Farm, our advertising agency of record, saw this as an opportunity to leverage the deep passion that people have for this bike. They created a sharp, tightly focused campaign that provides opportunities for fans of the bike to express, share and build on this passion, starting with small but intriguing, well-placed ads that entice them to the K 1200 R site."

Continue reading "BMW's Naked Street Bike"

Mitsubishi to Offer Rockford Sound Systems in Six Future Models

Rockford Corporation today announced that Mitsubishi Motors will offer the high-output Punch(R) sound of Rockford Fosgate and the high-definition and clarity of Rockford Acoustic Design audio systems as optional upgrades on six upcoming Mitsubishi vehicles.

These six vehicles are in addition to four previously announced vehicles in which Mitsubishi currently offers Rockford sound systems: the Eclipse coupe, the Eclipse Spyder, and the all-new global Outlander offer Rockford Fosgate systems. The Galant will be the first vehicle in which the Rockford Acoustic Design system is factory installed.

"We are pleased to broaden and extend our partnership with Mitsubishi to give their customers what they want in a sound system," said W. Gary Suttle, president and CEO, Rockford Corporation. "They have acknowledged the positive impact, to date, of the high performance Rockford Fosgate sound systems on their customers' purchases and selection of upgrades. We expect this trend to continue with the six new models."

Suttle continued, "It is important to note that several of these programs will be for global vehicles, as well as vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Japan. This is a positive reflection of the value that Mitsubishi places on the worldwide appeal of the Rockford brands. As with the current programs, these new programs will run for multiple years."

Additional information on specific models will be available as Mitsubishi announces its programs for these cars.

www.rockfordcorp.com.

Bentley Motors Launches New Website

Bentley Motors has put out a new website that is a lot easier to navigate while salivating.

www.bentleymotors.com.

Posted by Frank at 10:56 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

July 13, 2006

Zipcar Launches Midwestern Hub in Chicago

Chicago neighborhoods to enjoy the economic and environmental benefits of car sharing through cost-effective alternative to car ownership.

As dozens of its new cars hit the street, Zipcar, North America's largest provider of self-service cars for use by the hour, officially embraces the 'City of Neighborhoods' and makes Chicago the center of its midwestern operations.

By joining Zipcar, Chicago residents and businesses now can have access to a fleet of fuel-efficient, cost effective vehicles in convenient neighborhood locations. Zipcar's low rates include gas, insurance, reserved parking and other benefits such as XM Satellite radio. Zipcar is currently taking applications for membership in Chicago at www.zipcar.com.

"Chicago is ready for Zipcar. When it comes to key initiatives that improve urban life and the environment, Chicago is at the forefront," said Jerry Roper, President and CEO of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. "With the cost of fuel skyrocketing, more and more consumers and businesses are feeling the pain at the pump. Zipcar offers anyone who lives or works in the city a proven alternative to the high cost of vehicle ownership and puts those savings back into our local communities. Zipcar will transform our collective thinking on urban transportation."

Continue reading "Zipcar Launches Midwestern Hub in Chicago"

Posted by Frank at 8:28 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Momentum Continues for Certified Sales

As consumer awareness about manufacturer-sponsored certified programs climbs, sales continue to push higher. The majority of automakers who reported CPO results by press time said June was another strong month for sales.

General Motors gave the first hint that June would shape up to be just as strong, if not stronger, than May in terms of sales. Executives announced that GM Certified Used Vehicles, which sells Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC and Oldsmobile models, hit the 2 million mark in June. Executives highlighted the fact that GM Certified dealers sold more than 1 million units since 2004.

Looking at all brands, GM posted sales of 43,352 for the month, which is comparable to last June's sales, but down slightly from 44,522 vehicles sold in May. Year-to-date sales for GM brands came in at 263,597, up 1.5 percent from the same timeframe of 2005.

Link.

Posted by Frank at 8:23 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

Research plays down ethanol's potential

WASHINGTON -- Ethanol is far from a cure-all for the nation's energy problems. It's not as environmentally friendly as some supporters say and would supply only 12% of U.S. motoring fuel -- even if every acre of corn were used.

A number of researchers, the latest in a report Monday, warn about exaggerated expectations that ethanol could dramatically change America's dependence on foreign oil by shifting motorists away from gasoline.

As far as alternative fuels are concerned, biodiesel from soybeans is the better choice compared with corn-produced ethanol, University of Minnesota researchers concluded in an analysis Monday.

But "neither can replace much petroleum without impacting food supplies," the researchers concluded in the paper, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Link.

Toyota Corolla to keep its design for record sixth year

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Corolla, the world's best-selling small car, will keep its current design for a record sixth year, until 2008, as the automaker focuses on rolling out other new models.

"There was a decision to be made regarding engineering resources," John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota's U.S. unit, said Monday. "We decided to let Corolla go a little longer, mainly because Corolla has been such a huge sales success compared with where we thought it would be at this stage of its life cycle."

U.S. sales of Corolla sedans and the related Matrix hatchback climbed 13% in the first half of 2006 as U.S. gasoline at almost $3 a gallon helped propel demand for compacts such as Corolla and its key competitor, Honda Motor Co.'s Civic.

Toyota has sold more than 30 million Corollas since the model debuted in Japan in 1966. None of its previous designs has been on the market for more than five years, according to Toyota's Web site. The current version was released in March 2002.

Link.

Average Gas Price Reaches Highest Level This Year, AAA Says

Rising global tension has pushed gasoline prices in the United States to their highest level of the year, and near their all-time high reached in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina last September.

The nation's largest organization for motorists said today's nationwide average price for self-serve regular gasoline is $2.968 per gallon, according to AAA's daily, on-line Fuel Gauge Report (www.aaafuelgaugereport.com). Prior to this week, the previous high price for the year was $2.934 per gallon reached on May 16. On Sept. 5 of last year - Labor Day Monday - prices hit an all-time record high of $3.057 per gallon.

AAA said events in Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Israel, India and North Korea have energy markets on edge and oil prices at elevated levels. The motor club urged motorists to do what they can to conserve fuel during their day-to-day activities, and to listen closely to what congressional candidates are saying about global security and cooperation, and their plans for America's energy future.

The average price of self-serve regular was $2.899 one month ago. One year ago the price was $2.291 per gallon, AAA said.

Posted by Frank at 8:16 AM | Email to a friend | Permalink | Comments (0) | Filed under Auto News

GM deal should boost Renault/Nissan-Ghosn

PARIS, July 13 - Any deal with General Motors Corp needs to boost the existing alliance between Renault and its partner Nissan and would only make sense if they took a stake in GM, Carlos Ghosn was quoted as saying on Thursday.

On the eve of meeting GM chief executive Rick Wagoner in Detroit, the chief executive of both Renault and Nissan gave an interview to France's Le Monde.

Ghosn said there was no point in entering detailed negotiations if the willingness to look seriously at a deal was not there on both sides. "Without any hunger, (talks) would be a waste of time," he was quoted as saying.

"We have to overcome the optimism of some and the scepticism of others in order to evaluate objectively the potential of an alliance," Ghosn was quoted as saying.

Link.

BMW says independence, not mergers, key to success

MUNICH, July 13 - Germany's BMW, on track for record car sales and earnings, says its independence is to thank for its status as the world's largest and most profitable premium carmaker.

BMW Chief Executive Helmut Panke

Car Buyer's Notebook

Recent Stories

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July 31, 2006

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July 31, 2006

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Ghosn rules out hostile GM takeover bid

Detroit-based carmakers try friendly ads

Gadgets driving motorists to distraction

Recalls dent Toyota image

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VW Jetta, Rabbit, Passat lead the field in safety

July 30, 2006

Ex-Nissan boss: Move is mistake

Nissan California headquarters building is all but empty

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Goodyear Tires Selected for New Dodge Nitro

West Virginia Honda dealer trying to block new franchise

Arizona man lifts car off injured teen

Prince Harry's alleged driving spurs fear

Mel Gibson charged with DUI, blames Jews

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San Diego employees won't drive Honda FCX

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Saleen store open in Orange County

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Hyundai Brand Value Rises

8 year old takes driving test, uncle goes to jail

July 27, 2006

Vehicle leasing: the ten most requested models

Exxon Mobil earns $1,318 a second

Acura announces 2007 Acura RDX pricing

The 2007 Acura RDX SUV

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Mapping function for eBay Motors

Trade advertising on your car for free gas

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Small cars help Honda profits soar

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New Cadillac DTS ads

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Miss America STOPs to save lives

Drunk drivers targeted

July 26, 2006

Ford Bold Moves #6: The Future of Fuel, the Future of Ford

Ford Bold Moves #5: Meet the Press

Ford Bold Moves #4: The Build

Ford Bold Moves #3: The Legend of Carroll Shelby

Ford Bold Moves #2: Commitment to Design

Ford Bold Moves #1: Change or Die

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Volvo C30 - running video footage

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