The Auto Blog .ru

August was quite the month for our long-term Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Not only did our diesel darling roll over the 10,000-mile mark, it did so while making its journey across the United States – Detroit to Los Angeles – with AOL Autos‘ Michael Zak behind the wheel.

Before hitting the road, we took the Jetta in for its first scheduled maintenance appointment, all of which was covered under Volkswagen’s carefree maintenance program (no-cost scheduled maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles). We had the oil changed, tires rotated, fluids topped off, and other key points inspected. Simple stuff. Upon dropping the car off at the dealership, though, we found out that there was an open recall on our car for – wait for it – wind noise. The service technicians told us that the driver door’s sound deadening materials would be inspected and replaced, and to be honest, there wasn’t any noticeable difference in wind noise when we picked the car up from service later that day.

In any case, the Jetta was now primed and ready for its cross-country voyage, which meant saying goodbye to the Jetta as we handed the keys over to Michael Zak. After four months of service with our east coast staff, it was time for the Jetta to head west. Click through the jump to read more.

Continue reading 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: August 2011

2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: August 2011

Ford and the United Auto Workers are apparently getting along so well in current contract negotiations that the union reportedly contemplated skipping a scheduled vote for strike authorization altogether. As you may have guessed, that authorization is required before the UAW can order its members to strike – one of the more effective bartering chips in the organization’s arsenal. But Gary Walkowitz, a union committeeman at the Ford Rouge plant, is urging workers to use the threat of strike to help the UAW gain back concessions that the union made during the tough economic period of just a few years ago.

UAW President Bob King has already alluded to the fact that his organization may have to settle for profit-sharing agreements instead of wage increases during this round of talks. Walkowitz, meanwhile, says that he’ll wait to read exactly how the new agreement is phrased before deciding whether or not a strike is prudent.

Despite how well negotiations are progressing, union workers at Ford have agreed to vote on the strike authorization. Conversely, workers at Chrysler and General Motors have both taken the possibility of a strike off the table.

Despite positive negotations with Ford, UAW will vote on strike authorization

Can a million dollars hold Elon Musks’ feet to the fire? That’s the value of a bet that Wall Street Journal auto journalist and all-around interesting guy Dan Neil and the Tesla Motors CEO reportedly have going over the release of the upcoming Model S.

According to Green Car Reports, the bet hinges on Neil’s 2009 comment that the Model S is “ambitious” and that Musk’s promised delivery date of late 2012 was, “an audacious timeline that makes many in the car industry roll their eyes.” Musk, also a bit of a boisterous one, apparently emailed Neil in 2009 to say: You wanna bet? The exact emails have apparently been lost, but GCR says the details, according to Neil, are as follows. For Musk to win, the Model S:

• Needs to start series production and be delivered to the first paying customers by the end of 2012.
• Have to be certified by NHTSA with a four- or five-star safety rating and it has to have seven seats.
• Needs to be priced at $57,400 (for the base model with the 160-mile range), $67,400 (230 miles) and $87,400 (300 miles).

These are all targets that Tesla itself announced, so Neil is simply asking the company to follow through on its promises. There is one final sticking point, and for this we’ll quote GCR directly:

[The Model S] has to have a battery pack that allows en-route swapping at a highway roadside station, similar to the Better Place battery swapping scheme.

We hope, for Musk’s sake, that someone got their wires crossed here. As far as we know, the Model S was never supposed to have Better Place-style batter swap capability. Instead, the plan has always been, “When [Model S drivers] take an occasional two-way long distance trip, they’ll get a replacement pack and then pick up their original one on the way back,” with the swaps done at Tesla dealerships.

We have to assume Musk would like this clarified, too, since Neil claims that Musk will have to donate a million dollars to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) if Tesla doesn’t hit these targets. If Neil loses, he’s willing to donate a more modest, journalist-level $1,000 to MSF. Which side of the bet would you rather be on?

Elon Musk bets Dan Neil $1 million he can get Tesla Model S out on time

We have something of a hard time applying the term “hot rod” to the Caresto T6 R. The unusual Volvo-based retro one-off has simply transcended the art. Whereas most builders start with chassis manufactured by one of the illustrious Big Three, the T6 R is a clean-sheet design with a mid-engine turbocharged I6 swiped from the XC90 that puts power to the rear wheels via a five-speed Geartronic transmission. With a handcrafted aluminum body and a removable polycarbonate roof, the machine is better executed than most auto show concepts. We aren’t alone in that assessment, either. Conceived by Leif Tufvesson, a former Volvo and Koeniggsegg development man, Hot Rod Magazine famously called this Caresto one of the “most spectacularly-crafted hot rods to ever grace the pages of this or any other magazine.”

Big praise.

Now the Caresto T6 R is up for sale via the miracle of eBay Motors. The Swedish machine has racked up bids of over $23,000 as of the time of writing with just over three days left on the clock, though the reserve has yet to be met (and is probably far higher). If you’re skittish about purchasing a vehicle based in Sweden, the seller assures would-be buyers that he’ll be happy to help arrange shipping. You can check out the auction by cruising over to eBay Motors, and learn more about the Caresto and how it came to be by watching the Fifth Gear Europe video after the jump.

Continue reading eBay Find of the Day: Caresto T6 Roadster, 2004 Hot Rod of the Year [w/video]

eBay Find of the Day: Caresto T6 Roadster, 2004 Hot Rod of the Year [w/video]

Being from the Boston area means you learn handful of facts specific to The Hub. One of them is that Kevin Youkilis (A.K.A. “The Greek God of Walks,” “Youk”) is a great pro baseball player with a few years left in the tank (despite his 2011 woes). Another fact is that you can’t throw a stone in New England without hitting a Herb Chambers dealership. As a former resident of the great state of Massachusetts, your author is an Escalade-sized Red Sox fan and also worked a summer shuttling rental cars between two of Chambers’ dealerships.

It seems Chambers and Youk are working together now, but their approach is… unique. Sitting at a piano, the duet attempts to warble out a version of Biz Markie’s classic Just A Friend. Predictably, it’s not exactly Grammy worthy. Hell, it’s not even worthy to make the first round of American Idol auditions. Luckily, Mr. Markie isn’t far away and steps in to help the pair get the song just right.

The message? Herb Chambers has got what you need, thanks to his 48 dealerships located around New England. Click past the jump for the clip.

Continue reading Kevin Youkilis, Herb Chambers and Biz Markie walk into a car commercial…

Kevin Youkilis, Herb Chambers and Biz Markie walk into a car commercial…

Jeep is expanding the availability of its body-color hard tops on the Wrangler for 2012. The company says that last year, 80 percent of Wrangler Sahara buyers selected the base hard top, while of those, 20 percent went all-in for the body-color option. Next year, Wrangler Rubicon buyers will also be able to get their off-road bruiser dressed to the nines. According to Ward’s Auto, the Wrangler recently experienced its best sales month in the history of the model last month, with 14,355 units rolling off of showroom floors.

Roof supplier CSP recently retooled to handle the larger capacity, and as such, the 2012 roof features a few changes compared to those found on the 2011 Wrangler. Those include slightly larger openings at the rear hatch and side glass for more interior light and added finger grips to help with removal. Buyers will also be able to option up their Wranglers with color-matched fender flares for a complete monochrome look. Pretty snappy.

Jeep Wrangler’s body-color roof option taking off

Company: Kia Motors America

Brand: Kia

Medium: TV, In-Cinema, Social Media

Ad Agency: David&Goliath

Product: 2012 Kia Soul

Campaign: “Share Some Soul”

What We Like: There’s no denying that consumers associate the Hamstars with Kia and the Soul. Even if you came upon this commercial part of the way through and saw a giant dancing hamster in hip-hop gear, you’d know what was being shilled. Like previous Hamstar spots, the music here is undeniably catchy. The track by LMFAO is called Party Rock Anthem and recently enjoyed a six-week run atop the Billboard Top 100.

What We Don’t Like: The overall concept is pushing further into the realm of ridiculous. Yes, we’ve already come to a place in our lives where we can accept dancing hamsters as successful spokesanimals. We can’t, however, see them using their shuffling skills to end a futuristic war waged by vicious robots/warriors/aliens that are open to the idea of getting foot loose. Also, we already mentioned that the track is catchy, and that is a positive… but it’s one that will turn into a negative over time.

Strategy: Kia is reaching out to the demographic it believes is most interested in the Soul. This spot will make its television debut during the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), where tweens, teens and college folk will soak it in just as they would the latest episode of The Jersey Shore. The song will resonate with the demographic, and David&Goliath believes those future or current car shoppers will associate it with the 2012 Kia Soul. Still, while we understand the agency wanting to push the Hamstars in a new direction, having them establish galactic harmony through dance is a bit much.

Grade: C

Watch the video after the jump and give it your own grade below.

View Poll

Continue reading AdSpotting: Kia and LMFAO introduce new Soul

AdSpotting: Kia and LMFAO introduce new Soul

To say that Saab has had a rough 2011 would be one heck of an understatement. Sales are trickling slowly, the automaker’s Trollhättan plant hasn’t consistently produced vehicles since late April because suppliers weren’t getting paid, and a failed alliance is making the Swedish automaker look like it has cooties.

Now it appears as though Saab is taking legal steps to keep the company going, as Reuters is citing a public radio report that claims the automaker will soon apply for court protection from creditors. If the courts grant temporary creditor protection, Saab will begin a process of corporate restructuring at the hands of an administrator and company management.

Though Saab has yet to officially confirm its intention to enter creditor protection, the move would seem to make sense given the automaker’s string of disappointments and dire finances. The automaker announced earlier this week that it would delay its second-quarter report until August 31, perhaps to buy time until Saab officially engages the courts. That news followed Saab’s announcement that August salary payments to employees may be late.

So what would creditor protection do for Saab? The move would likely buy the automaker additional time to drum up more alliances and raise more cash. If Saab still can’t secure additional money or find new partners (there has been some success on this front), it appears all but inevitable that the company will dissolve.

Saab to file for protection from creditors

There are some days at work that are rougher than others, and we all have them. Thankfully for most of us, those days and moments aren’t typically captured by video camera. For one worker at an auto repair shop, however, that wasn’t the case. He got to experience a new low recently, which involved a routine task, an awkward moment and giggling coworkers.

We can practically see Exxon Valdez captain Captain Joseph Hazelwood and BP public relations agents blanching from here. Click past the jump to soak it all in.

Continue reading Auto repair shop Valdez moment captured on security camera

Auto repair shop Valdez moment captured on security camera

You don’t have to be born in the 1960s or 1970s to be able to recognize the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard and the Pontiac Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. These old school four-wheeled stars seem to transcend demographics thanks to the miles of film that show the orange 1969 Dodge Charger and the jet-black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am performing seemingly impossible stunts.

The folks at Hot Rod magazine are obviously hip to this fact, and they put together a fun video in tribute of the instantly recognizable duo. Hit the jump to watch on as Sam Young and James Smith replace Bo Duke and The Bandit for a bit of dirt-road shenanigans in a pair of otherwise well cared for classics. We’re not so sure we’d call it the best chase scene ever, but it sure looks like a lot of fun.

More importantly, which of these two cars would you rather own? Have your say in our poll below.

View Poll

Continue reading General Lee takes on Bandit T/A in classic Hollywood car showdown [w/poll]

General Lee takes on Bandit T/A in classic Hollywood car showdown [w/poll]

Front Runner Improves On All Fronts

The Kia Soul certainly didn’t need a refresh. With more than 10,000 units flying out of showrooms each month and a growing list of awards and accolades under its belt, the Korean automaker’s boxiest compact is a success story regardless of the angle.

Yet, after just two model years, Kia has invested significantly in its little four-door. Emerging at the 2011 New York Auto Show earlier this year was this considerably updated 2012 Soul sporting a freshened look, innovative new technology and two new powertrains.

These aren’t maneuvers from an automaker scrambling to play catch-up. Rather, these are the actions of a company not satisfied with being merely competitive in this important youthful segment. Kia doesn’t want to play. Kia wants to win.

Last week, we crossed the expansive Pacific Ocean to get an early drive of the vehicle that promises to leave many Scion xB, Nissan Cube and Honda Fit engineers flustered – scratching their scalps – wondering how to close the gap.

Continue reading 2012 Kia Soul [w/video]

2012 Kia Soul [w/video]

Willy T. Ribbs is reportedly jumping back into the cockpit of an IndyCar racer next month. According to Inside Line, the first African American driver to qualify at the Indianapolis 500 is set to take to the track in a preliminary race in Baltimore next month. The 56-year-old Ribbs launched a race team earlier this year with driver Chase Austin behind the wheel, and he will take Austin’s slot at the Firestone Indy Lights race. It will mark the first time since 1999 that the driver has been behind the wheel of an IndyCar.

Ribbs famously qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1991, though his efforts were hampered by a blown engine, finishing 32nd in a field of 33 racers. He fared somewhat better when he returned in 1993, where he finished 23rd. Ribbs then spent some time in Formula Ford in Europe and NASCAR, though he hit his stride in Trans Am. He collected five wins during his time in that series. At this point, it’s unclear whether Ribbs will continue in IndyCar after the Baltimore race.

For some background on Ribbs and to catch up with what he’s been up to, check out an interview conducted by Indycar earlier this year by clicking on the jump.

Continue reading Willy T. Ribbs to rekindle racing career? [w/video]

Willy T. Ribbs to rekindle racing career? [w/video]

Never underestimate the power of the middle finger. After a rain-delay restart ordered by IndyCar officials at New Hampshire Motor Speedway resulted in a crash, driver Will Power chose to express his displeasure by giving those officials a taste of universal sign language with both hands. The event happened on August 14, and chief race steward Brian Barnhart eventually issued an apology for the decision to get the competition underway again after calling the race off. Still, that hasn’t stopped IndyCar from levying a $30,000 fine against Power for his display, which was caught by television cameras.

Power was given the option to either pay the fine out of pocket or work it off through appearances on behalf of the Izod IndyCar Series. The racer has reportedly chosen to do the latter, noting that $30,000 is a lot of money. We’re inclined to agree.

Interestingly, other drivers have come to Power’s defense by urging fans to donate one dollar to the Penske team to help offset Power’s fine. Power, meanwhile, says that he’ll donate any money that comes in to the families of the victims of the Indianapolis fair disaster and the victims of the recent flooding in his native Australia.

Will Power fined $30,000 for flipping off Indycar officials in New Hampshire

In July, at the Association for Computing Machinery MobiSys conference, research teams from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Princeton University took home an award for a fuel-saving system in cars that relies on dash-mounted smartphones.

MIT says the system saves fuel by monitoring and logging the timing of traffic signals to alert drivers when slowing down could help them avoid idling at lights. By reducing idle times, MIT says the system can save gallons of gas. In tests conducted here in the States, drivers saw a massive 20-percent reduction in fuel consumption.

Dubbed SignalGuru, the idle-reducing system relies on countless images captured by the phones’ cameras. SignalGuru is able to analyze these images to predict when traffic lights will change. Somehow, the fuel-saving system works on both fixed-schedule lights and on signals that vary in duration based on traffic flow. The only downside to Signal Guru seems to be that its light-predicting accuracy varies depending on the number of vehicles outfitted with the system, which makes sense.

Oh, and, as all good scientists should, the researchers did model the impact of instructing drivers to accelerate to beat the red lights, just to see what would happen. They concluded that running the red light could be disastrous for economy figures, so the system now recommends slowing down. Science wins again! Check out more details of the study in the official press release after the jump.

Continue reading MIT, Princeton find smartphones can improve fuel efficiency by 20 percent

MIT, Princeton find smartphones can improve fuel efficiency by 20 percent

The price of a gallon of gasoline has been a major downer so far in 2011, and data shows that it may be affecting driving habits. According to The Detroit News, the Federal Highway Administration claims that Americans drove 1.453 trillion miles in the first half of 2011. That’s down 1.1 percent compared to the first six months of 2010, or an eye-popping 15.5 billion fewer miles compared to the first half of last year. In fact, the government report shows that total miles are down to the lowest level since 2004.

Traffic was down on both rural and urban roads during that time span, though the greater drop occurred outside our nation’s cities. Rural roads dropped by 1.7 percent, while urban roads declined by only one percent.

There is no telling if economic woes and pricey petrol will continue to keep Americans out of their vehicles in the second half of 2011, but it’s a solid bet that we’ll fall short of the 3 trillion miles traveled in 2010.

Americans driving less, log fewest miles since 2004

Even in the vehicle-hungry Chinese automobile market, there are winners and losers. SAIC has seen its passenger vehicle sales fall to just under 91,000 units for the first seven months of 2011. That’s a two-percent drop versus 2010, and the company is making several moves to reverse that trend. Forty-five billion Yuan will be poured into research and development over the next four years, and the sales figure are also likely to get a shot in the arm from the July showroom debut of the Roewe W5, the first SUV for SAIC.

On the heels of the new W5 SUV, and joining other SAIC models like the Roewe sedans and several MG models will be a new midsize sedan that’s based on the Buick Regal. Codenamed BP31, the new Roewe sedan will be yet another model to employ the widely-used General Motors Epsilon architecture. General Motors already works with SAIC building Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles, as well as Wuling vans. It’s not going to stop with this sedan, either; there will be a total of nine new or redesigned vehicles rolling out between now and 2015.

Roewe to get own version of Buick Regal

Back in July, General Motors thought it would have enough demand for new full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks to add a Saturday overtime shift at the Flint, MI truck plant. A contingent of 700 extra workers were brought on for the extra shift, which GM predicted would last for at least five weeks when it announced the move back in July. It began on August 7th, and now it’s over.

On Wednesday, August 24th, the extra shift at the truck plant was cancelled to avoid unsold trucks piling up in storage lots. A weak economic recovery and swings in fuel prices kept the damper on the anticipated sales. Businesses and truck-dependent individuals may want and need new trucks, but economic uncertainty has kept them skittish.

Even with these moves, there’s more than the 60 day supply of vehicles that’s recommended just hanging around. With the recent accolades earned by the new 2012 Chevrolet Silverado and 2012 GMC Sierra HD, which just started rolling out the door at Flint on Monday, August 22nd, General Motors is understandably proud of its product, and we’d bet it would be even prouder if it could connect more of these trucks with buyers.

General Motors scuttles overtime plans for Flint truck plant

Wards Auto is reporting that China is attempting to put a stop to rampant corruption by its government officials, especially when it comes to automotive purchases and embezzling. The People’s Republic currently spends somewhere between $46.5 billion and $62.1 billion at current conversion rates maintaining its fleet of 3 million official vehicles. Those figures mark between 6 and 12 percent of the government’s total costs. According to Wards, 464,000 of the 4 million vehicles registered in China in the first five months of the year were purchased for official use by government workers. That’s a little over 11 percent of every vehicle on the road.

In response, China has enacted new legislation to limit the number of official vehicles on the road. Moving forward, there will only be one governmental vehicle for every 20 workers. Engine size will also be limited to 1.8 liters and the total cost can be no more than $27,950. Currently, workers can snap up any vehicle with an engine up to 2.0-liters of displacement with a cost of $38,280 or less. This year, government buyers have favored models like the Audi A6L, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat.

Chinese officials tied to growing gray market

While you might find some buyers who’ve stretched their finances from the S-Class or Jaguar they were going to buy to afford a Bentley, something tells us most Bentley drivers have got cash to burn. Burn on stuff like dinners at private clubs, plush leather smartphone cases, custom tailored suits and solid gold sunglasses.

Wait, what was that? That’s right, solid gold sunglasses – just the thing every Bentley driver should have, especially when riding in the new Continental GTC. Fortunately, Bentley offers just such an item, in conjunction with its (rather unfortunately named) merchandising partner Estede.

The sunglasses won’t keep you from contracting herpes or some other VD, but they will set you back at least $11,000 for the 18-karat white or rose gold frames, or upwards of $45k for the platinum ones. They’re all hand-made in Germany with Zeiss polarized lenses, and feature Bentley-designed details and individual numbers.

Only 100 examples of each will be made in various precious metals, and have apparently been selling out in markets like China, Hong Kong and Russia. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Bentley’s solid gold sunglasses will cost, make you look like a million bucks

Bentley’s solid gold sunglasses will cost, make you look like a million bucks

Like it or not, summer is slowly sinking to a close. School is back in session and days are getting shorter by the moment, so you better get all of your beach-going shenanigans in while you still can. In the case of one very intrepid remote-control vehicle enthusiast, that means cruising the sand in an RC Jeep, complete with a first-person camera and intercom system for stirring up all sorts of trouble. That includes attempting what could very well be the word’s first remote-controlled flirtation.

Is it a little creepy to invite a young lady back to your beach house via an RC GI Joe and camera? Undoubtedly. The whole thing looks a bit like the intro to a slasher flick to us, but what do we know? The moral of the story is that you can still play with toys without being condemned to a life of eating Easy Mac alone in your parents basement. Either that, or don’t go in the house. One of the two. Hit the jump to see the videos for yourself.

Continue reading Size doesn’t matter when using your car to flirt

Size doesn’t matter when using your car to flirt