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The American International Automobile Dealers Association has gone through the trouble of working up an informative website to break down which foreign automakers have a presence here in the land of the free. Even after decades of manufacturing products in the United States, automakers from Europe and Asia are still occasionally confronted with protectionist sentiments. Just look at the spate of vandalism toward Toyota vehicles at this year’s Chicago Auto Show as evidence. As the American economy continues to stumble along and unemployment stays high, it’s possible that the AIADA is attempting to educate the public about exactly what it means to “buy American.”

The site allows you to click through the foreign automakers with American manufacturing facilities to see exactly how many employees each have on the payroll and how long they’ve been on U.S. soil. According to the AIADA’s information, there are 21 “import” vehicle manufacturing plants in U.S. that employ a combined 86,507 workers.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some issues with the data. For example, Suzuki is allowed to claim the same Tennessee manufacturing facility as Nissan since the plant cranks out the Equator pickup alongside the Nissan Frontier. You can check out the full site here. Hat tip to Aiden!

[Source: WhatIsAnAmericanCar]

American International Automobile Dealers launches ‘What Is An American Car’ website

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns

Cars have come a long way since 1987, when 60 Minutes sent its dour, gray-suit-clad crew from New York to Italy to have an extended look at the Lamborghini Countach. If nothing else, we’ve become jaded to how much car the Countach actually was, distracted by the fact that its brakes could have been sharper, its road manners more civil and its huge V12 less temperamental.

Yes, this video has made the rounds in years past, but it’s time to revisit it again. We love that Morely Safer gets squired around by a young-looking Valentino Balboni, who takes him to 180 mph on Italian public roads around Sant’Agata. We love that David E. Davis, Jr., then of Automobile Magazine fame, still looks much the same as he does today, waxed mustache and all. The video is strictly non-P.C., and that’s what makes it so good.

From Lamborghini factory drivers terrorizing public roads (they didn’t even have a test track), to its head of marketing breathlessly comparing the Countach to a “beautiful virgin,” the 60 Minutes feature reminds us what Lamborghini should be. If, like some of us, you remember watching this the night it originally aired, clicking past the jump will make for a welcome trip back in time.

[Source: CBS]

Continue reading Video: 60 Minutes takes on Lamborghini, circa 1987

Video: 60 Minutes takes on Lamborghini, circa 1987

Planning on attempting a ramp jump in an automobile? We have a tip for you; don’t use a Dacia 1310. Why? Apparently it can build up too much speed, causing you and your co-driver to overshoot your landing area. Either that, or you need to reconsider your high school math skills…

Check out this clip from a stunt performed in 1995. We believe it takes place in Romania, and we’ve also found reports that say both driver and co-driver were Okay, which seems to be the case if you watch all the way through the end. That last bit is miraculous because the duo manage to soar quite a bit further than they anticipated. Strap in and come fly with us past the jump to view the clip.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: How not to judge your speed in a car jump attempt

Video: How not to judge your speed in a car jump attempt

First Drive: 2011 Aston Martin V8 Vantage S

Only one thing is more enjoyable than driving the new Aston Martin Vantage S through the mountains of Spain – spending a long afternoon with the sports cars on the wide-open Ascari race circuit.

Tsunami in Japan destroys fleet of cars ready for shipping

Clearly, the leveling of a couple hundred automobiles pales in comparison to the actual loss of lives caused by Japan’s most recent natural disaster.

Spy Shots: Latest Cadillac XTS prototype caught inside and out

Our spy shooters get up-close and personal, both inside and out, with the new Caddy flagship.

Also of interest:

• Video: Sights and sounds of Ford’s Mustang Boss 302S race car
• Saturn Vue Chevrolet Captiva Sport announced for U.S. fleet customers
• Spy Shots: Lincoln MKT limo does its best private jet imitation
• Report: Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Nissan close plants in wake of Japanese earthquake

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.11.11

It’s difficult to comprehend, let alone describe, the massive amount of damage an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and closely following tsunami could incur on a densely packed island nation such as Japan. While we struggle to wrap our minds around such catastrophic levels of destruction, one particular image strikes a chord with us auto-obsessive types.

Clearly, the leveling of a couple hundred automobiles pales in comparison to the actual loss of lives caused by Japan’s most recent natural disaster, but, in automotive terms at least, this is the kind of image that can make a big impression on our often one-track minds.

The image seen above (click to enlarge) was taken above Hitachinaka city in Ibaraki prefecture, and we don’t have any information as to which manufacturer’s cars were located here. Thanks to all who sent this in!

[Source: STR/AFP/Getty]

Tsunami in Japan destroys fleet of cars ready for shipping

Distracted driving is an ongoing problem. A new State Farm poll proves once again that the roads are full of idiots. One in five of the 912 drivers State Farm informally surveyed in November admitted to accessing the Internet on their smartphones while driving. The insurance company will conduct a deeper study soon, and the 19 percent who admitted to surfing and driving in this study may actually be low for certain groups of drivers. Teenagers and young adults are more tethered to their phones than just about everyone else, and they’re also the least experienced drivers, a recipe for danger on the roads with a likely higher percentage of smartphone use while driving.

Despite the guilty drivers acknowledging the dangers of paying attention to a device instead of the road, none seem too repentant. “I’m not saying it’s the smartest thing in the world,” says Sean Black, a 38 year old Illinois resident, “but I guess I just do it anyway.” As with texting and driving, or even concentrating more on a phone call than piloting your automobile, many feel that only a near-accident or actual crash is going to modify this behavior. Even then, it will be on a case-by-case basis, and it puts the lives and well-being of innocents at the mercy of those too indolent to change their habits.

[Source: USA Today Image: Corbis]

Survey: 19% admit using Internet while driving

After thousands of years serving as the transportation of choice, the horse was unceremoniously replaced by the automobile. The fact is, cars don’t need food, water or shelter, and thanks to the automobile, a trip that used to take three days can now happen over the course of a couple hours. So the car wins, for ever and ever, right? Tell that to the driver of a massive tanker truck that slid off the road during what looks like a terrific snow storm.

Hit the jump to watch what could be an Amish man and his pack of powerful Clydesdales pull a shining example of modern machinery out of the ditch. If you click through quickly we’ll refrain from boring you with a plethora of lame “horsepower” puns or quips about 16-leg-drive beating all-wheel-drive any day of the week. Don’t make us count to three. Still here? Fine: turns out all the horse power you really need can be counted on just one hand.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Band of horses rescue stuck semi tanker

Video: Band of horses rescue stuck semi tanker

Driving the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell World Tour

Stealing a scene from the Jetsons, our little fluorescent green sedan zooms down the Autobahn at triple-digit speeds, puffing little white plumes of water vapor in its turbulent wake. While this animated family of the future cruised in a bubble-top “capsule car” (it folded conveniently into a briefcase, if you recall), we are whisking through Europe in a hydrogen-powered B-Class F-Cell.

The prime-time Jetsons sitcom was penned by artists in a Hanna-Barbera animation studio in the early 1960s. Not so our transport. The compact F-Cell was engineered and built by the team at Mercedes-Benz – the same German company credited with building the world’s first combustion-powered automobile 125 years ago. This morning, the automaker is leading the charge to introduce the world to hydrogen as it feels the clean technology is finally mature enough for widespread use. Engaging the media to drive its point home, the company has launched an around-the-globe excursion called, appropriately enough, the “Mercedes-Benz F-Cell World Tour.” We’ve been invited to take the wheel during the first leg to Paris, starting at the company’s headquarters in Germany.

Continue reading How the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell left us both stranded and impressed…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Michael Harley / AOL and Mercedes-Benz

Continue reading How the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell left us both stranded and impressed

How the Mercedes-Benz F-Cell left us both stranded and impressed

There’s no easy way to say this, America: You’re getting fatter and older every year. Over a quarter of the population is obese, and the rate of obesity increases 0.5 percent each year. The amount of folks aged 65 and up currently stands at 40 million, but that number will increase to nearly 90 million by 2050. What does any of this have to do with automobiles? A lot – if you’re a safety engineer.

The systems that help keep us safe during a crash will need to be redesigned to cope with our ever-increasing mass and aging bodies. Seatbelts and airbags are being developed that can work with the larger, older occupants of future vehicles. Adaptive airbags and load-limited seatbelts will better conform to the person sitting in the seat.

As we travel down the road to our Wall-E style future, it’s comforting to know that today’s engineers are working to protect tomorrow’s driving population. The solution to our weight problem is, of course, to battle the ever-expanding waistlines found throughout our nation. That, however, is easier said than done. Let’s just hope that the four-wheeled products that result don’t resemble sculptor Erwin Wurm’s ‘fat car’ series, as shown above.

Now if you’ll excuse us, a 20-piece Chicken McNugget meal is calling from the kitchen. Oof, that’s an awfully far walk for our aging bones, though.

[Source: Ward's Auto Image: Dorotheum]

How being fat and old is the newest threat to auto safety

Spyker has announced it is developing a GT racer based on its new C8 Aileron supercar. The Spyker Squadron car will be prepared to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s new GTE specifications and take to the track in 2012.

The car will be available as a fully factory-backed customer race car, with the aim being to increase the commercial potential of Spyker Squadron. According to Spyker, they’re already in talks with a number of possible customers.

Future plans for the C8 Aileron GT, which replaces the C8 Laviolette GT2R, include possible development for FIA GT3, based on demand for the car and its success.

Spyker, you may recall, announced last week that it plans to sell its carmaking operations off to coachbuilder CPP Global Holdings Ltd. as the move will allow it to concentrate on rebuilding Saab.

[Source: Spyker]

Continue reading Spyker announces plans for all-new racecar in 2012

Spyker announces plans for all-new racecar in 2012

Peanut butter and jelly. Beer and brats. Wine and cheese. Subaru and all-wheel drive. It’s true – Subaru has done an enviable job convincing Americans that its automobiles are synomous with all-wheel drive, and the idea of a Subie that eschews four driven wheels for a powertrain sending its horsepower to the rear wheels only sounds like heresey to the diehard WRX driver.

But it shouldn’t… at least, that’s what Subaru is now trying to convince the masses with its new rear-wheel-drive Boxer Sports Car Architecture. It’s worth noting that the automaker has confirmed for the first time here at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show that the upcoming production version of this sports car is coming to America. If all goes to plan, production will commence in the spring of 2012 at a Subaru production plant in Japan.

Follow the jump for more confirmed details and specifications about Subaru’s rear-wheel-drive Boxer Sports Car.

[Source: Subaru]

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Subaru’s RWD Sports Car getting 2.0-liter non-turbo engine, confirmed for America

Geneva 2011: Subaru’s RWD Sports Car getting 2.0-liter non-turbo engine, confirmed for America

Opel reached into the future to tease its Zafira Tourer Concept. Vauxhall, on the other hand, is sticking with tradtional photography for its own iteration of the compact people mover. The sleek, seven-passenger Zafira Tourer Concept is set to make its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show this week.

Vauxhall uses terms like “relaxing lounge” and “automobile oasis” to desribe the interior design of the Zafira Tourer. Its Flex7 seating arrangement is set up to seat seven passengers, or five if you desire extra cargo space. A press of a button adds a third seating arrangment, which turns the Zafira into a spacious four-seater.

Outside, the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer Concept features sweeping body lines and boomerang-style forward lighting. The front glass sweeps back into the panoramic roof allowing plenty of light to enter the cabin.

Power is provided by a 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. As it’s officially a concept, there’s no word yet on what type of mileage the people mover can achieve, but the Zafira Tourer is equipped with start/ttop technology to aid in the quest for great fuel economy figures. Either way, we expect a production version of this car to hit the world’s markets shortly.

[Source: Vauxhall]

Continue reading Vauxhall Zafira Tourer concept rocks up ahead of Geneva

Vauxhall Zafira Tourer concept rocks up ahead of Geneva

The public is getting a chance to slather its eyeballs all over a few choice gems from fashion designer Ralph Lauren’s personal automotive collection. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is planning to exhibit some of the more shining examples of automotive history and design from the Lauren collection from April 28 to August 28, and the crew over at Luxist have managed to get a sneak peek at what exactly will be on display. Visitors to the museum can look forward to seeing a quartet of luscious metal that includes a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Scaglietti, a 1956/1958 Jaguar XKS and a 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300.

Deep breath.

In addition to those lovely ladies, a total of 13 other Lauren vehicles will be on display as a part of the exhibit, titled The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection. Those include two of the world’s most expensive vehicles: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO and a 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupe. Both of those pieces are worth an estimated $30-$40 million each.

[Source: Luxist]

Ralph Lauren car collection going on exhibit in Paris

The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that automakers can be sued over product-liability complaints, regardless of whether or not the vehicles in question meet federal motor vehicle safety standards in place at the time of manufacture. The decision has been handed down in the case of Williamson vs. Mazda Motor of America, in which the family of a woman who perished in a crash involving a 1993 MPV (pictured) sued the automaker, arguing that she would have survived had there been a three-point belt available for her seating position.

The 2002 accident that claimed the life of Thanh Williamson was a head-on crash with another vehicle, and the other occupants of Williamson’s vehicle with three-point belts survived. Ms. Williamson’s family brought suit in California, contending that Mazda should have provided lap-and-shoulder belts, though it wasn’t required by law at the time the vehicle was built and sold. Despite Mazda’s compliance with vehicle safety standards, the ruling makes automakers more prone to lawsuits over issues deemed negligent by consumers.

Wednesday’s ruling opens the door for a reinterpretation of the Geier vs. American Honda Motor Company decision in 2000 that many lower courts read as a prohibition of state-level liability lawsuits pertaining to products ranging from electronics to vehicles. The Federal regulations in place for these products have been seen as precluding any contradictory state statutes, but with this latest decision, the landscape may change significantly, and not just for automobiles.

Reaction to this decision from the stock market was not positive, with Ford and other car companies down one or two percent. Mazda says the ruling is disappointing, but doesn’t assign liability, and the company will defend itself.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal Photo: Wikimedia - IFCAR CC 2.0]

Report: Supreme Court clears path for additional seatbelt lawsuits

Think the Toyota Prius was the first hybrid automobile ever made? Think again. Honda Insight? Keep guessing. In reality, the world’s first hybrid was designed and built by none other than Ferdinand Porsche, founding father of the present-day Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart. That’s right, the same brain that brought us such ingenious machinery as the Volkswagen Beetle and the glorious Auto Union racers built the world’s first fully functional hybrid automobile.

Now that the modern-day Porsche brain-trust is once again showing interest in hybrid technology, the German company has decided to bring back the 1900 Semper Vivus, which literally means always alive. Although the technology behind hybrids has come a long way – Porsche’s first hybrid used about 4,000 pounds of lead acid batteries and could barely climb any kind of grade – the basic principles are actually much the same.

To wit, just like that original Semper Vivus, Porsche’s latest hybrid, the 2012 Panamera S Hybrid, features an engine (in this case a supercharged V6 putting out 333 horsepower), an electric motor (which adds another 47 horses) and a battery pack. All the major bits and pieces are the same, except with massive improvements in power and efficiency.

In celebration of 111 years of hybrid automobiles, Porsche spent the past four years recreating the Semper Vivus, and it will show off the fruits of its labor at the rapidly approaching 2011 Geneva Motor Show. In an effort to whet our appetites, the automaker has released a teaser video that you can see for yourself after the break, along with the requisite press release.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Video: Porsche resurrects 1900 Semper Vivus full-hybrid for Geneva display

Video: Porsche resurrects 1900 Semper Vivus full-hybrid for Geneva display

How do you determine how environmentally friendly an automobile is? Certainly, fuel efficiency will be factored in rather highly, as will all manner of tailpipe emissions. But that’s only part of the story. Consider that there are many ways to power a vehicle; gasoline, diesel, electricity or any combinations thereof. Plus, you have to determine what actually goes into producing the vehicle and getting it into the hands of the consumer.

As you can see, assigning environmental grades to our current crop of cars and trucks is anything but an exact science, and the results will no doubt be swayed by how much emphasis is put on any given factor. And so it comes as no surprise that there are a number of differing opinions concerning the latest green machines to hit the market, and that may apply to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt more than any other.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy publishes a list of green vehicles every year. For the last few, the Honda Civic GX has parlayed its compressed natural gas running gear into a victory on the ACEEE’s report. We won’t argue with that determination, and we also don’t see any issues with the all-electric Nissan Leaf earning the silver position… but that’s where things get murkier. The Smart Fortwo comes in at number three, followed by the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Insight. The next five slots are filled with compact and subcompact sedans and hatchbacks.

Are you asking yourself where the Volt fits in? So was Chevrolet. Speaking to Forbes, GM spokesman Rob Peterson had this to say:

Their logic would escape the majority of consumers. If you look at the EPA ratings for the Smart fortwo at 33 city and 41 highway, it’s actually less than the Volt’s after the electric range is exhausted. We’re being penalized against the Smart because our car is a four-seater with a battery pack and therefore weighs more. And we lose against the Leaf because we have a gas engine. But you really have to look at how the car is actually used – their methodology doesn’t add up.

No matter your personal opinion, one thing is for certain: As more and more category-bending vehicles hit the market, this topic isn’t going to be resolved any time soon.

[Source: Forbes]

Report: GM displeased with Volt’s low rating from ACEEE

Since it opened for business at the turn of the millennium, Spyker Cars has charted an unusual path. Essentially re-inagurating a brand no one had ever heard of in a country not exactly known for automobile production, the Dutch automaker then set about launching its own F1 team. That venture ended up failing, so Spyker pulled another surprise move when it bought Saab from General Motors. And now Spyker is selling its own luxury sportscar business to a British concern.

The sale, it should be stressed, does not include Saab, leaving Spyker ostensibly to run the Swedish automaker without distraction. The buyers, CPP Global Holdings Ltd, is a coachbuilder based in Coventry, England, that has supplied Spyker with the chassis and body panels for all its cars from the beginning, and took over the entire production process of the new C8 Aileron which is just now ramping up.

The transaction has not been finalized, but a memorandum of understanding has been signed at 15 million euros up front and another 17 million over the course of the next six years, which at current conversion rates comes out to a bit over $44m. Official announcement in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Spyker]

Continue reading BREAKING: Spyker sells car unit to coachbuilders CPP

BREAKING: Spyker sells car unit to coachbuilders CPP

Mr. Peanut can’t be relegated to just any automobile. After all, as the face of Nabisco’s Planters division and as one of the most beloved (though just a wee bit creepy, if we’re being honest) mascots in American history, Sir Nut needs a ride suitable of his stature. And, since he’s apparently over 12 feet tall and carries a six-foot-long cane, we’re talking some significant stature.

Fittingly then, Planters has seen fit to replace Mr. Peanut’s old set of wheels with a brand-new Nutmobile. And this is no ordinary Nutmobile… if such a thing actually existed. Based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR truck with a diesel engine running a five-percent mixture of biodiesel (oddly not actually nut-based), this latest Nutmobile will be making appearances all around the country to “promote the peanut lifestyle” and draw support for The Corps Network.

According to The New York Times, this latest Nutmobile is quite the green machine. In addition to the biodiesel blend, it features “a wind turbine, solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts and wood floors reclaimed from a 19th century Pennsylvania barn.” Guess it’s not very nutty after all, is it? Top tip, Jeff!

[Sources: Wired, The New York Times]

Planters cracks open a new ride for Mr. Nut

Detroit automakers have never had much success in Japan’s closed automotive market. That was no doubt a major contributing factor to the Detroit Three’s decision to skip the Tokyo Motor Show in 2009, and at least two of the three apparently won’t be back in 2011.

AutoWeek reports that General Motors and Chrysler have announced they will skip Tokyo later this year. Ford hasn’t yet officially announced if it plans to participate in the event, and a company spokesperson reportedly told AW that the automaker hasn’t “decided where the motor show sits in our priorities.” The move makes sense considering weak sales in the country. GM sells only about 2,000 vehicles per year in The Land of the Rising Sun, while Ford reportedly sold 3,047 units in 2010.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association claims that most European automakers, including the German luxury makes, will participate in the event.

[Source: AutoWeek]

GM, Chrysler reportedly bail on Tokyo Motor Show