The auto industry has long been a cyclical business, and though this last trough was a deep one, the coming boom has economists excited. According to Bloomberg, the auto industry’s comeback contributed fully half of the 2.2 percent national economic growth in the first quarter of this year. , the best pace in four years.
Production is up at all three domestic carmakers, which has a ripple effect throughout the economy. Bloomberg cites Chad Moutray, chief economist of the National Association of Manufacturers, who estimates that every dollar spent on a new vehicle leads to an addition $2.02 in economic activity. The industry’s share of gross domestic product for the quarter was 2.8 percent, which is nearly as high as it was in 2007, before the economic crisis that devastated the industry, according to the report.
Yet despite the rise in fortunes for carmakers, stock prices have yet to follow suit. A key automotive index is up just 1.5 percent so far this year, but is down 31 percent in the past 12 months, according to the report. The U.S. Treasury Department recently indicated that because of lagging stock prices, anytime soon.
Now that the title of world’s largest maker has become a clear and eager battle, we can expect more regular updates on the progress of the combatants. Bloomberg reports that snagged the #1 crown in Q1, taking it away from with 2.49 million units sold across its five brands compared to 2.28 million for GM. was just another tenth down at 2.19 million units sold.
What all three might appreciate even more than the crown – except for VW, who is monomaniacal about the No. 1 tag – is that sales volumes and profitability are up, at least in America. Toyota’s sales rebound from the catastrophes of last year (and indeed, the last few years) is being underlined by its performance here, where the is against a background of the nation’s . Even with double its usual fleet sales in Q1, Toyota expects this financial year’s .
The year isn’t over yet and it remains close, but for now it looks like there’ll be good news for everyone. Well, until 2016, when Volkswagen is all challengers at the top of the podium, two years ahead of its own ridiculously ambitious schedule.
Beneath the gorgeous and impossibly long looking hood of the Mazda Takeri Concept lies plenty of real estate. By our estimation there’s room for any number of powerplants, from a high-revving to a twin-turbo V6. However, when launches the new 2014 , which will , it will only contain a measly little four-cylinder, according to Autoweek.
So that’s being a bit harsh, as despite the reported demise of a V6 engine option for the Mazda6, at least it will be getting a four-banger, according to the report. Skyactiv is, of course, Mazdaspeak for its suite of technologies that includes its next-generation powertrain with direct injection and a fancy new automatic transmission design, a combination we when we sampled it in the .
With , , and having dumped their V6’s in favor of an all-four-cylinder lineup for their midsize sedans, we’re not surprised to see Mazda follow course. We do, however, wonder how the intends to compete when it comes to performance.
With 155 horsepower and 150 lb-ft of torque, the 2.0-liter Skyactiv four in Mazda’s new crossover isn’t particularly powerful, so we hope we might see a slightly larger displacement version with a few more ponies for the bigger sedan. Or one with forced induction. Or how about a diesel engine option? Mazda has promised a diesel for North America, though it hasn’t specified which vehicle it will arrive in. The automaker has making 173 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque for the CX-5, at least in Europe. Now that might be just the ticket to make a top-trim Mazda6 get up and go.
How important is the auto industry to state and federal governments? According to the Center for Automotive Research, the industry accounts for $135 billion in annual taxes. In fact, a reported 13 percent of all state taxes comes from the automobile, or $91.5 billion in total.
Just as impressive is the overall money that Americans pour into their four-wheeled transportation. CAR estimates that auto sales come in at $564 billion, and parts, repairs and other services add in another $173 billion. And those are the staggering numbers generated in an auto market of only 12 million units per year. So far, 2012 auto sales appear to be moving closer to 14 million units, which should help push the $735 billion total closer to the $1 trillion mark.
The income generated by cars and trucks is certainly significant, but a good portion of that income goes toward new roads. Of the $43 billion that ends up in federal coffers, $29 billion comes from fuel taxes. On the state level, two-thirds of the $91.5 billion comes from taxes on fuel. Still, that amounts to 10 percent of California’s overall revenue and a knee-wobbling 23 percent of revenue in Oklahoma.
Auto jobs also contribute serious coin to Uncle Sam, with Michigan leading the way. Uncle Sam took in $2.2 billion from The Mitten State, followed by Ohio and California. to read the CAR press release.
The Detroit Free Press reports that the United States Treasury has exercised its power to put a cap on executive compensation at General Motors by freezing CEO Dan Akerson’s pay at last year’s levels. Akerson brought home a total of $9 million last year including salary, stock and restricted stock.
The executive’s $1.7 million salary will remain unchanged this year, with the rest of his earnings coming via performance-based stock salary. Meanwhile, some 25 of the company’s most highly compensated executives will also see their compensation limited for 2012. All told, the Treasury says executive pay dropped by around 12 percent from 2011 to 2012.
GM has warned meddling with executive pay could result in a talent exodus from the company, but so far, The Detroit Free Press reports only two leaders have walked away from the automaker. GM says the cuts may also make it difficult to hire new talent moving forward.
GM currently owes the U.S. Treasury around $25 billion.
How does Akerson’s pay line up with other auto executives? CEO Sergio Marchionne takes home a combined $22.2 million for his efforts both at the American automaker and while CEO Alan Mulally earned an impressive $29.5 million in 2011.
of Europe has officially unveiled the production version of the that made its debut at the earlier this month. The Tourneo won’t be coming to the United States, but according to Ford, it’s part of the automaker’s plan to refresh its entire commercial vehicle lineup by 2014. The production model will officially debut at the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show in April.
This front-wheel-drive van is available in both short- and long-wheelbase versions (measuring in at 195.7 and 210.2 inches, respectively), and can be had in either eight- or nine-passenger configuration. Ford also touts the Tourneo’s car-like interior with its “stylish, sculpted driver-focused instrument panel,” as well as onboard tech like SYNC, a rear-view camera, lane-keeping assist and driver alert.
Under the hood is an updated version of Ford’s 2.2-liter Duratorq inline-four, offered in 99-, 123- and 153-horsepower variants, all of which are paired exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. There’s also auto start/stop on board, meaning the Tourneo can deliver a combined fuel economy rating of 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers – about 34 miles per gallon on the U.S. cycle.
Again, we won’t be seeing the Tourneo in the States – our all-new van will be based on the heavy-duty, rear-wheel-drive commercial line that’s set to debut later this year. Nevertheless, for the full details in Ford’s press release.
The world needs more relatively compact people movers. While those of us living in the United States are blessed with an almost limitless supply of square footage, our friends in Europe, Asia, South America and the rest of the world need machines that can haul people and their stuff while still fitting into the tight confines of urban life.
Enter the . This eight-passenger van previews the Blue Oval’s next front-wheel-drive passenger van for overseas markets (not the U.S.). A trio of 2.2-liter diesel engines put out as much as 153 horsepower along with more torque than a hundred obstinate mules.
Inside its Kinetic-inspired sheetmetal sits an opulent leather-lined cabin and a full brace of technologies that include Sync, Lane Departure Warning and a Driver Alert system that lets you know when to take a break. Read all about it in the press release and see it for yourself in our high-res image gallery of live photos from the .
Ah, Europe: The land of forbidden wagons. Automakers like and may have taken a chance and brought out new wagons in the United States over the past few years, but it doesn’t mean that the Yankee market will be flooded with useful premium cargo-haulers anytime soon. A shame, too, since Jaguar’s new is an estate we’d love to see parked at Autoblog Towers. She’s pretty.
We love the look of the refreshed-for-2012 , and thankfully, none of the cat’s sleekness has been tainted with the addition of a larger hind quarters. The car goes on sale in Europe in the third quarter of 2012 with a choice of two diesel engines measuring 2.2 and 3.0 liters. Either powerplant is matched with an eight-speed automatic and sends its power exclusively to the rear wheels.
Take some time to drool over the XF Sportbrake by clicking through our attached high-res image gallery and for the details in Jaguar’s press release.
It’s the battle of 1986: The best Shelby “Goes Like Hell” extant or a four-wheel-drive Vanagon powered by a flat six from a . Both of these awesome rides popped up in our inbox this morning, thanks to our favorite automotive classifieds site, Bring A Trailer. Argument ensued, with good cases made for both.
The Shelby Dodge is, of course, based on the Omni econobox. But with a turbocharged 2.2-liter four making 175 horsepower and a curb weight around 2,200 pounds, the GLHS was a real performance car. With a bit of tuning, the turbo Dodge engines were capable of topping 200 hp; this in an era in which V8 GT’s were barely pumping out 200 horses. Given that only 500 Shelby GLHS’s were built, we’ve got to imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find a better example than this one, claimed to have just 6,600 miles on the odo. It’s for sale by a Michigan dealer .
The Vanagon is the sort of project we all dream of undertaking in our backyards. With a 3.2-liter, air-cooled six pulled from an ‘89 911, we don’t imagine this Syncro will have any problems making it up any mountain passes. Dumping the VW wasserboxer is a favorite Vanagon owner pastime, and given the historic relationship between the companies, we think it’s only right to source power rather than the more common Subaru engine swap. The Syncro is for sale on .
So help us resolve the Autoblog Staff Argument of the Day and vote in our poll, and click on the galleries below to see lots of photos of these two sweet vehicles.
Chrysler Wins Again, Small Car Battle Brewing and Mustang Beats Camaro
Automakers love Leap Year. And why wouldn’t they? Who doesn’t love an extra day for selling? Actually, it turns out the extra day that Leap Year provides didn’t make that much of a difference, as there were 25 selling days in February of this year versus 24 last year. A variance of one day is not out of the norm for any month. Still, sales were so good last month that you’d think each automaker had an extra week.
Like last month, the best performer was again , both the brand and company, which saw sales rise 113.87 and 40.39 percent, respectively. The in particular, which just won our versus the , saw sales rise 480% to 7,670 units versus the same time last year.
Indeed, nearly every major automaker had positive news to report, except for General Motors and . While posted a positive 5.78-percent increase in sales and a narrow 0.14-percent rise, GM as a whole was dragged down by and especially , which reported drops of -11.29 and -27.04, respectively. In aggregate, GM reported a sales gain of just 1.10 percent, though its daily average sales rate was 2.94 percent below February of last year. In other words, GM sold about 254 vehicles less per day on average in February of this year than last.
If we go one level deeper and look at the sales of some individual models, the most interesting numbers were in the small car segment. Both the and have been leading the segment lately, but February saw the resurgence of both the and . Focus sales were up 115 percent to 23,350 units while Civic sales rose 36 percent to 27,086 units. Both vehicles sold more than the Corolla at 22,148 units and Cruze at 20,427 units. And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the finally posted a better month of sales than the : 7,351 to 6,923.
*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in February 2012 versus 24 selling days in February 2011, so there will be a difference between monthly sales volume and the average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.
If you’re of the opinion that the world needs fewer bloated crossovers and SUVs and more station wagons, first of all, you’re in good company. Wagons can offer all the cargo capacity and most of the versatility of their taller siblings, only without the wobbly handling and excess weight. Secondly, today’s your day, because has unleashed its new XF Sportbrake.
Based, as you might have guessed, on the sedan, the Sportbrake offers the longer roofing and extra space embraced by European buyers over their saloon counterparts. In fact, the XF Sportbrake offers 550 liters (19 cubic feet) of cargo space with the rear seats in place, or 1,675 liters (59 cu. ft.) with the rear seats folded flat. That’s roughly comparable to the Estate (20.5/57.4 cu. ft. with seats up/down) and (25/58), or in crossover terms, about what you get in an (29.1/57.3) and a bit less than the back of a (23.7/62.9).
Jaguar in turn says structural integrity is just as stiff as the sedan’s, and rear seat headroom has incidentally increased by 48 mm (1.9 inches). All that, and the Sportbrake weighs just 70 kg (154 pounds) more than its four-door counterpart, offset by a self-leveling air suspension. Couple that with a torquey diesel – with either 2.2 liters of capacity in four cylinders or 3.0 liters in six – and an eight-speed automatic transmission and you’re looking at an intriguing alternative for towing the motor launch down to the yacht club.
What Jaguar isn’t saying, however, is what (if any) of its gasoline engines will be offered in the Sportbrake – most pertinently the V8 and supercharged mills – or for that matter if there are any plans to bring the stately estate to the U.S. market, but we wouldn’t hold our breath (that whole wagon thing didn’t work out too well last time). What you can do, however, is scope out the high-res images in the gallery and the press release after the jump until next week when the long-back cat debuts under the floodlights of the .
Seventeen days after the Super Bowl and we’re still talking about the commercials. Crazy, we know, but that’s how significant these ads are, and why the $3.5 million price tag for airtime during the game seems almost justified… almost.
Yesterday we reported that YouTube had crowned Chrysler’s “Halftime in America” as the most watched car commercial from the Super Bowl (an M&M’s ad nabbed the #1 most viewed overall spot). But YouTube views don’t mean much to automakers that are trying to sell cars. They want to know if their multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad directly increased interest in the vehicles they’re selling.
To answer that question we have this infographic from car-shopping website . While we wouldn’t blame you for guessing that and Clint Eastwood drummed up the most car-shopper interest, you’d be wrong. According to the numbers crunched by CarWoo!, received the highest lift in consideration after the big game at 61 percent. Chrysler was second with a 26-percent lift and third at 25 percent. Brands with big ads like , and , however, saw no lift in interest after the Super Bowl.
Chevrolet’s performance here can be partially attributed to the volume of ads it ran before, during and after the Super Bowl. It was by far the most prolific auto advertiser. But not all of its ads were winners. While commercials for the , and contributed positive lift, the ad for the did nothing to help raise the bottom line of consumer interest.
Also interesting to note is the back-of-the-pack performance of , which, despite boasting that its ad for the was the , only saw a six-percent lift in interest.
Let’s clear the air. This is not – we repeat, not – that will be next year. According to our contacts at , this Tourneo Custom Concept previews what the next generation of front-wheel-drive, passenger-friendly Transits will look like when they go on sale in Europe and other world markets. The North American-spec van will be based off of the heavy-duty, rear-wheel-drive Transit that’s set to debut later this year.
So, let’s talk Tourneo. This eight-passenger van is essentially Ford’s answer to vehicles like the or Volkswagen Caravelle – more butch than a minivan, with a higher ride height and more interior space. Ford says that the Tourneo Concept boasts a rich, comfortable, leather-trimmed interior with seats that can be rearranged into a number of different configurations.
Ford has only released this one image as of now, but it’s clear that the automaker’s Kinetic design has found a home on even its largest vehicles. Up front is the Blue Oval’s signature trapezoidal grille, and strong profile lines on the sides swoop upward toward the rear in an effort to make this barn-on-wheels look as fluid and sleek as possible. Under the hood, a range of 2.2-liter turbo-diesel powertrains are available, in 98-, 123- and 153-horsepower variants, all of which are mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
We’ll see the Tourneo in person in just a few weeks at the . As for the U.S.-spec Transit, it’ll be a while before that officially breaks cover. for all of the juicy Tourneo Concept details in Ford’s press release.
Remember when we said that the (worst name ever) shown in Tokyo was basically the next ? We weren’t lying. The 2013 Outlander will debut next month at the , and has released the first photo of the new crossover. What’s more, the fancy PX-MiEV II concept apparently wasn’t a vaporware showcase; Mitsubishi says that a plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander will join the roster later in 2012.
The Euro-spec Outlander launches this summer with 2.0-liter gas and 2.2-liter turbodiesel power, three seating rows, and an eco-driving coach feature designed to help drivers eke out the best possible fuel economy. Furthermore, the diesel version will offer an automatic start-stop feature to help maximize efficiency and minimize emissions.
Available driver aids include Forward Collision Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning, and Adaptive Cruise Control systems. There’s not much else to tell right now, other than that Russia gets the new Outlander first, followed by a global rollout that includes North America. to read the press release, and click the image above to see a larger version.
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 will tell you, you just can’t beat a huge global audience: it’s ad last year had 119,628,000 viewers, making it the most watched ad of all time, according to Nielsen. for more details on Nielsen’s breakdown.
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 , 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? , 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 compared to 2010.
and , 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. , 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 .
The 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.
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 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 .
may be in no rush to bring diesel variants to the United States for anything more than a . But overseas the marque’s oil-burning selection keeps growing. The 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 ’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. for the full press release.
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, to check out the disturbingly fast SLR for yourself.
Automakers love Leap Year. And why wouldn’t they? Who doesn’t love an extra day for selling? Actually, it turns out the extra day that Leap Year provides didn’t make that much of a difference, as there were 25 selling days in February of this year versus 24 last year. A variance of one day is not out of the norm for any month. Still, sales were so good last month that you’d think each automaker had an extra week.
