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It shouldn’t be surprising that, during the Super Bowl, the biggest single U.S. sporting event, automotive and beer companies spend the most on advertising. What might surprise you – before you give a thought to your Super Bowl diet – is the fifth biggest advertiser: tortilla chips. Ratings agency Nielsen broke down the advertising numbers over the past five Super Bowls and found that automakers cumulatively spent $172.2 million, versus beer companies investment of $126.9 million over the same period.

The increased cost of Big Game ads, even against a backdrop of decreasing first-quarter primetime advertising, hasn’t slowed anything down. The cost of Super Bowl ads rose nearly 40 percent from 2007 to 20011 (to $3,100,000 on average) while primetime television advertising in the first three months of the year dropped nearly 10 percent to $96,807.

But as Chevrolet will tell you, you just can’t beat a huge global audience: it’s “Wild Ride” ad last year had 119,628,000 viewers, making it the most watched ad of all time, according to Nielsen. Follow the jump for more details on Nielsen’s breakdown.

Continue reading No one advertises more during the Super Bowl than autos

No one advertises more during the Super Bowl than autos

Business was a-boomin’ in the auto industry last year, and while a number of factors conspired to keep cars moving through dealerships, chief among them was discounts. How do we know that? This infographic contains part of the answer.

Compiled using data from car-shopping website CarWoo!, the infographic tells us which automakers gave the most discounts last year, where they were given, who got them, and more. Which automaker doled out the most discounts? Jeep, which CarWoo! says was selling its vehicles at a 17.7-percent discount in 2011. Which automaker also posted the largest percentage gain in sales last year? Jeep, whose sales jumped over 44 percent compared to 2010.

Mitsubishi and Kia, which posted the second and third largest percent increases in sales last year, also make CarWoo!’s list by having offered high discounts of 11.7 and 12.1 percent in 2011.

Big savings didn’t always equal big sales, though. Infiniti, for instance, is on record offering discounts of 12.2 percent in 2011, but still saw its sales fall 4.8 percent.

Check out the rest of what CarWoo!’s infographic has to say about savings after the jump.

Continue reading Infographic: Which automakers gave the biggest discounts?

Infographic: Which automakers gave the biggest discounts?

The Land Rover Defender may be nearing the end of its line, but over the course of its lifetime it has become the go-to vehicle for any number of off-road applications. They’re used on safaris and expeditions, by military forces and humanitarian organizations. And yes, they’re used by hunters. That’s why German firearms manufacturer Blaser has outfitted this special edition Defender for just such a market.

The Blaser edition Defender includes roof rack, underbody skid plates, trailer hitch, power winch, spotlight, snorkel intake, custom-embroidered leather seats and more. It’s decked out in what’s called Keswich Green, but to us looks more like Panzer green, and packs a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four with 122 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque on tap. But the party piece is the custom armory built into the back that can carry as many as five hunting rifles plus ammunition. Only 60 examples will be made available exclusively in Germany, each carrying a €49,500 ($64,400) price tag.

Blaser outfits special edition Land Rover Defender for hunting

For the first time since 1973, a Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow has gone up for auction. Just five of these historic machines were ever built, and only three are known to exist today. So, it’s rare. But it’s also fast. In 1933, when the Silver Arrow went on the market, its top speed of 115 miles per hour was extremely impressive.

So, when a Pierce-Arrow rolled down the block at the 2012 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, there were plenty of eyes glued on the stage. And there were also bidders. Deep-pocketed bidders, in fact. Before the gavel fell, bidding quickly passed the million-dollar mark, with several interested parties.

The final bid came in at an even $2,000,000 and that means the final selling price was $2.2 million. Check out our live photo gallery of the 1933 Pierce-Arrow above and watch it cross the break on video after the break.

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1933 Pierce-Arrow sells for $2 million [UPDATE: w/video]

Barrett-Jackson 2012: 1933 Pierce-Arrow sells for $2 million [UPDATE: w/video]

Jaguar may be in no rush to bring diesel variants to the United States for anything more than a cross-country demo run. But overseas the marque’s oil-burning selection keeps growing. The XF is already available in its home market with a 190-horsepower 2.2-liter diesel four, not to mention a 3.0-liter diesel V6 with 240 or 275 horsepower. But if those weren’t frugal enough, Jaguar has now introduced an even more cost-effective alternative.

The same 2.2-liter diesel four can now be had in a cheaper 163-horsepower trim for a grand less, at £29,950 on-the-road price (OTR, inclusive of the 20% Value Added Tax). Considering, however, that – at 9.8 seconds – the new version takes more than a second longer to reach 62 mph from a standstill (compared to the 190hp’s 8.5-second run), yet returns the same 52.3 mpg combined rating on the UK scale, we’re not sure the cheaper price makes this a good value.

What the new diesel spec does offer, however, is an intriguing id to the XFR’s ego: Compared to the top-of-the-line supercharged model’s £65,350 OTR price, 22.5 mpg UK combined rating and 4.9 second sprint to 62, the bottom of the range is now less than half the price off the top, gets more than twice the fuel economy, and takes twice as long to reach highway speeds. Follow the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Jaguar rolls out cheaper diesel for XF

Jaguar rolls out cheaper diesel for XF

Behold what could very possibly be the world’s quickest Mercedes-Benz. The good people at Renntech managed to get their hands on a Mercedes-Benz SLR, and quickly set to nudging the power to obscene levels.

According to DragTimes.com, the vehicle boasts 160 horsepower over stock form, which puts the final output in the neighborhood of 680 ponies at the rear wheels. Throw in a set of Hoosier drag slicks and you have a vehicle capable of dashing to 60 in a scant 2.2 seconds. That’s plenty quick, and the vehicle doesn’t give anything up as it heads toward the quarter mile.

In the video after the jump, shot at Palm Beach International Raceway, the Renntech Mercedes-Benz SLR pulls through the quarter mile in 9.76 seconds at 140.8 mph. As best we can tell, that time makes the vehicle the quickest Mercedes-Benz in the world. Let us know if you know of a quicker Silver Arrow out there. In the meantime, hit the jump to check out the disturbingly fast SLR for yourself.

Continue reading This is the quickest Mercedes-Benz ever

This is the quickest Mercedes-Benz ever

A plethora of new diesel offerings is driving sales, according to a new report from the Diesel Technology Forum. Sales of diesels rose 27.4 percent in 2011, according to numbers from HybridCars.com and market researchers Baum and Associates.

The Diesel Technology Forum pegs the overall market growth in 2011 at 10.2 percent, putting diesels’ increase considerably ahead of the curve. Interestingly enough, the group says hybrid sales were down 2.2 percent. The non-profit coalition of diesel engine and technology companies includes such auto industry heavyweights as Chrysler, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Mazda and Volkswagen.

Diesel sales are expected to grow to over six percent of the U.S. market by 2015, according to the report, and could reach as high as 7.4 percent by 2017, as more diesel models hit the market. Diesel-powered versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cadillac ATS, Porsche Cayenne, Chevrolet Cruze and Mercedes-Benz S-Class are slated for near-term U.S. release, according to the group.

To read the entire release, click past the jump.

Continue reading U.S. diesel auto sales up 27% in 2011 while hybrid share shrinks

U.S. diesel auto sales up 27% in 2011 while hybrid share shrinks

A new study by Warranty Direct in the UK claims Honda makes vehicles that are the least-susceptible to damage from potholes. According to the company, only 1.4 percent of Honda owners submit a warranty claim for repair due to pothole damage. Compare that figure with the 12.2 percent of Chrysler owners who submit claims – the American automaker found itself the least resilient to pothole damage alongside luxury makes like Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Surprisingly enough, Smart actually landed itself in second place for the number of claims submitted as a result of pothole damage.

Economical brands like Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia all fare well against rough pavement, however. We’re not surprised by the outcome. Luxury vehicles are more likely to be equipped with low-profile tires and large, expensive wheels that can easily be bent or broken under the right circumstances. Budget vehicles, meanwhile, make due with meaty sidewalls and sturdy steel wheels. Head over to What Car for the full rankings.

UK survey says Honda models most “pothole-proof”

U.S. auto sales during the month November were up on the backs of companies like Chrysler, Volkswagen and Kia, all three of which reported major gains for their respective brands. The Chrysler Group in particular posted positive numbers for all four of its brands, including a spectacular 92.23-percent rise in sales for the Chrysler brand itself. Volkswagen and Kia didn’t perform quite as well, but each managed gains of around 40 percent.

This time, Honda stands alone as the only major automaker to post a sales decline in November. The Japanese automaker’s brands (Honda and Acura) together posted a drop of 6.35 percent. Toyota, which had been keeping Honda company they each struggled with restoring production after this year’s series of natural disasters, had a relatively decent November with identical gains of 6.68 percent for both Toyota and Lexus.

Being the second-last month of the year, you may be interested to know how some close model-to-model sales races are shaping up. Here are the year-to-date sales races that will be decided in the last month of sales, as well as always-interesting Camaro versus Mustang numbers.

• Best-Selling Minivan: Toyota Sienna (99,865) vs. Dodge Caravan (98,983)
• Best-Selling Pony Car: Chevrolet Camaro (81,495) vs. Ford Mustang (65,381)
• Best-Selling Small Car: Toyota Corolla (219,250) vs. Chevy Cruze (215,057)
• #3 Best-Selling Mid-Size (behind Camry and Altima): Ford Fusion (226,445) vs. Honda Accord (217,958)

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in November 2011 and 24 selling days in November 2010, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

November 2011: Black Friday Edition

While Porsche styles its own sports cars, SUVs and sedans, its consumer goods division, Porsche Design, styles all manner of goods: watches, phones, yachts, bars, appliances, tools, toys, clothing and accessories… even condominium buildings. At least it does now as a new project on Miami Beach prepares for construction.

Called Porsche Design Tower, the project is a joint effort between the design studio and real estate developer Gil Dezer. The 57-story block on 2.2 acres of prime Collins Avenue real estate is set to incorporate 132 housing units, each with its own parking spaces. That bit is straightforward enough, but it’s where the slots are situated that is the novelty.

Rather than have residents park downstairs and take elevators up to their condos, the project includes three robotic car elevators that allow residents to take their cars right up to their pads. It’s not the first project that incorporates car elevators, but is the first planned by Porsche Design, and could lead to similar projects across the United States. So even if you don’t want to live in your Cayenne, you can still live with it.

Porsche Design Tower opening in Miami complete with car elevators

It’s not every day that you see a diesel Jaguar XF on these shores. In fact, at least officially, there’s only one. And it just completed a cross-country road trip that took it from New York to Los Angeles.

The trip kicked off last week in the Big Apple and just wrapped up earlier this week in LA. Over the course of the eight-day journey across eleven states, three time zones and 2,884 miles, the bone-stock XF with the 2.2-liter diesel four averaged a highly impressive 62.9 miles per gallon (even better than the previous European tour), hitting a peak of 67 mpg as it approached the West Coast.

Not too shabby, especially for a luxury sedan that is, at the end of the day, anything but a lightweight. Check out the updated image gallery to see how the oil-burning Jag progressed, and follow the jump for the official press release.

Continue reading Jaguar completes coast-to-coast U.S. road trip in diesel XF

Jaguar completes coast-to-coast U.S. road trip in diesel XF

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency and the White House have announced new fuel economy standards for model year 2017-2025 vehicles that will require cars and light trucks to yield a combined 54.5 mpg, as was proposed back in July.

According to the government, these new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards will help save as much as 2.2 million barrels of oil per day by 2025, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and saving vehicle owners plenty of money at the pump. In fact, the fed says that a consumer purchasing a new car in 2025 will save $6,600 in fuel costs over the lifetime of that vehicle. Of course, the technologies required to achieve these new targets will make vehicles more expensive too, but the agencies claim that consumers will still save $4,400 over the life of a vehicle after factoring in those extra costs.

The new CAFE rules will follow current 2011-2016 standards that call for cars and light trucks to hit 34.1 mpg combined by 2016. The rule is backed by over 100 members of Congress, and if adopted will undergo a 90-day comment period before becoming official.

Some members of Congress believe that the rules haven’t been evaluated thoroughly enough, however. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California) has expressed concerns about the technical feasibility of the new standards. While most automakers have backed the 54.5 mpg goal, Volkswagen has been vocally against the plan in the past. While the new standards are strict, the plan does provide one single national standard for the industry to follow, unlike before where automakers met a minimum national standard as well as separate, tougher standards adopted by individual states led by California (the dreaded “patchwork” of regulation).

We’re all for better fuel economy, though the tight time frame likely means that automakers will resort to costly hybrid and alt-fuel options over the next 18 years to boost their fuel economy figures, and those substantial research, development and production costs are sure to get passed on to car buyers. It will be interesting to watch how eager shoppers are to hop onto this new, greener bandwagon.

Continue reading Fed proposes new fuel economy standard: 54.5 mpg by 2025

Fed proposes new fuel economy standard: 54.5 mpg by 2025

The first diesel Jaguar XF has arrived in the United States. But it’s not destined for a showroom, and it’s not headed to a waiting customer. No, Jaguar has slightly more ambitious plans for this particular oil-burning sedan.

The 2.2-liter diesel four will propel this XF on a cross-country journey that will take it from New York to Los Angeles – a trip across eleven states covering 2,800 miles – over the course of seven days. The goal is to see how far the car can travel on a single tank of fuel, and follows a similar exercise undertaken in Europe that took a different XF diesel across 816 miles from Castle Bromwich in the UK to Munich, Germany, on a single tank, returning an average of 57 miles per gallon on the EU cycle.

Observers can track this trip’s progress on the company’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, and we’ll be sure to report on the venture’s results once it’s reached the Pacific coast. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Jaguar driving diesel XF across the U.S.

Jaguar driving diesel XF across the U.S.

As is generally the case, we once again find ourselves swooning over the European Honda Civic hatchback that made its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new-for-2012 North American-spec Civic hasn’t exactly resonated well with us (or the rest of the media), and while we haven’t had the chance to drive the new Euro Civic, our thought is that it simply must be better than the milquetoast slab of economy car that we’ve been served here in the United States.

We’ve always liked the Euro Civic’s five-door shape, with its rear door handles integrated into the C-pillar. But as for the rest of the 2012 model’s design elements, there’s a bit of overall weirdness, especially around its rump. Nevertheless, it’ll likely do well in Europe, where bold designs are more widely accepted (just look at anything by Peugeot or Citroën).

Powering the Civic are a range of three different engines – two fueled by gasoline, one by diesel. The top-end diesel powerplant is Honda’s 2.2-liter engine with 148 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and below that, the two gasoline engines measure in at 1.4 and 1.8 liters, putting out 99 hp and 140 hp, respectively.

Take some time to scroll through our giant high-res gallery of the 2012 Euro Civic. After that, follow the jump to watch a promo video for the new car and check out Honda’s indulgently long press release.

Continue reading Pics Aplenty: Honda releases a boatload on the 2012 Euro Civic [w/video]

Pics Aplenty: Honda releases a boatload on the 2012 Euro Civic [w/video]

USA Today reports that Americans are driving less today than they were one year ago. According to a new study by the Department of Transportation, travel on U.S. roads has declined by around 1.3 percent through the first eight months of the year compared to the same period in 2010. That equates to around 26 billion vehicle miles, or the lowest figure since 2003.

The report also indicates that travel varied by area somewhat. The Northeast, for example, curtailed its travel by 2.2 percent in August compared to the same month in 2010, while drivers in the West cut back by just 1.2 percent.

There’s no clear indication as to the reason behind the decline, though as USA Today points out, higher fuel prices likely played a part. A gallon of regular gasoline cost driver $3.68 in August; up a full dollar from the same period last year.

Americans driving fewest miles since 2003

With the Mazda6 sedan on its last legs, the Zoom-Zoom automaker is rolling into its home exhibition at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show with the Takeri concept you see here.

The midsize sedan concept adopts Mazda’s latest Kodo design language in a conventional three-box shape that could provide a preview of what to expect from the next 6. The show car packs the company’s SkyActiv-D diesel engine (a 2.2-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder with a lowered compression ratio for a 20% improvement in efficiency over a conventional oil-burner) with stop-start engine management and regenerative braking – a new feature for Mazda.

The Takeri show car will be officially unveiled (along with the CX-5 and Shinari concept that make their Japanese debuts) when the doors open at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center on November 30. In the meantime you can check out the images in our high-res gallery and read the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Mazda Takeri concept to debut at Tokyo Motor Show

Mazda Takeri concept to debut at Tokyo Motor Show

There is a lot to love about the 2014 Audi e-tron Spyder. It’s a compact roadster with a torque-happy, twin-turbo diesel V6 mated to two electric motors capable of more instant twist. When we recently took the e-tron Spyder for a spin, we were limited to just 40 miles per hour, but the Four-Ringed automaker tells us that a trip to 62 takes only 4.4 seconds.

And because this Spyder is a green monster, it can travel up to 30 miles on electric power alone. Using a mixture of the diesel and its lithium ion battery, it will consume on average a scant 2.2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

That sounds like a lot of “too good to be true,” but Audi promises to be the leader in luxury electric cars by 2020, and a production version of this vehicle is expected for 2014. Hit the jump to watch new footage of the e-tron Spyder in motion. It might not be ready to go on sale, but it at least looks mighty fine on the roads of Malibu, California, near where we drove it.

Continue reading Audi e-tron Spyder struts its stuff in Malibu

Audi e-tron Spyder struts its stuff in Malibu

Autocar reports that the Land Rover Defender will be around a good bit longer than we thought. The vehicle may stay on dealer lots until at least 2017 thanks in part to a new 2.2-liter diesel engine that can meet more stringent EU6 emissions standards. Originally, a successor to the long-running Defender was expected to show up as soon as 2015. Land Rover also says that there may be a loophole in the emissions legislation that could keep the standard from applying to the globe-crushing SUV until a much later date.

But emissions legislation wasn’t the only thing pushing the Defender out the door. With its abrupt, vertical grille, the vehicle couldn’t help but fail new pedestrian collision tests. Even so, Land Rover may have found another exemption that may save the Defender from the ire of lawmakers until 2020 on that front. Given the small number of Defender vehicles running around, we can’t help but think that’s all good news.

Land Rover Defender to soldier on until 2017

In the sixth major software update to Ford’s SYNC system, the automaker is extending Message Access Protocol (MAP) Bluetooth support to select 2011 and 2012 models, giving drivers the ability to have text messages and emails read aloud in their SYNC-equipped vehicles.

MAP Bluetooth support has been available on a number of Ford vehicles since its introduction this year, but the software update (G1 V3.2.2) extends the functionality to supported a number of bluetooth equipped smartphones to allow users to hear SMS, MMS and email messages over the stereo. The update is set to roll out later this month and you can get all the details in the press blast below the fold.

Continue reading Ford extending MAP text support to more models

Ford extending MAP text support to more models

Ford has been in the UK for a full century now, but for fans of its workhorse Transit van, the past four years have been the most exciting. That’s because, since 2007, the Blue Oval automaker has released successive special edition SportVans that give the big wagon an added dose of attitude.

Each version has been distinguished by its color combination, and all have sold out: blue with white stripes (500 examples), grey with silver stripes (80), black with silver (500), white with blue (80), dark blue with silver (150) and, most recently, red with white stripes. Now Ford has released the latest edition in Moondust Silver with graphite stripes.

Aside from the paint scheme, the Transit SportVan also gets graphite alloys to match the stripes, dual exhaust and an aero kit. Based on the short-wheelbase 260 model, the SportVan packs a 2.2-liter turbo-diesel with 140 metric horsepower channeled to the front wheels through a six-speed manual. The cabin also packs all the bells and whistles, but only 180 examples will be offered, and you can bet they’ll all sell out faster than a Transit can haul its cargo through London’s busy streets. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Ford unleashes latest Transit SportVan on Britain

Ford unleashes latest Transit SportVan on Britain