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J.D. Power has become a household name thanks to the organization’s yearly awards based on in-depth consumer surveys about all manner of goods and services. In the automotive industry, manufacturers constantly struggle to best each other for top honors, and that struggle has helped push the industry toward ever-better quality. But as Ward’s Auto points out, few people know the man behind the name.

James David Power III began licensing manufacturers to use his award in advertisements in 1986, two years after Subaru dropped the J.D. Power name in a Super Bowl ad.

In 2005, Power sold J.D. Power and Associates to publishing giant McGraw-Hill, but stayed on with the company until 2009. Even after his departure, Ward’s Auto says Power is proud of the empire he helped build. While outlets like Consumer Reports have gained a substantial following, the organization only polls its own subscribers, while J.D. Power takes its data from a larger cross section of consumers.

Using a separate operation to keep conflicts of interest at bay, companies must pay a fee to be able to use the J.D. Power name in their ads. Yet J.D. Power is not without controversy – auto companies pay substantial fees for access to its various quality metrics and counsel, leading critics to suggest there’s a conflict of interest in having a quality auditor paid by the very companies it monitors. In addition, critics note that the company’s much ballyhooed Initial Quality Study isn’t purely a study of manufacturing defects, but rather an arcane formula that mixes actual owner problems with design flaws (think: cupholders that can’t hold a Venti Frappucino from Starbucks). As most consumers are likely to equate the idea of quality with a product free of problems, the thought is that this is somewhat misleading methodology.

Either way, there’s no doubting J.D. Power’s impact on the auto biz – both the company and the man who bears its name. To learn more about him, check out the in-depth Ward’s Auto article at the link below.

Who, exactly, is J.D. Power?

Ram is out to make both Ford and General Motors sweat with the Auburn Hills automaker’s newest pickup, the 2013 1500. Debuting at the 2012 New York Auto Show, the half-ton pickup bows with less weight, an efficient new 3.6-liter V6 option and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Chrysler projects the V6 alone should help yield 20 percent better fuel economy over the old 3.7 lump, thanks in part to a start/stop system. While there are no solid EPA numbers as of yet, our estimations put the vehicle at around 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Throw in aerodynamic tweaks like an active shutter system that closes off the engine bay and a standard air-ride suspension that lowers the vehicle by as much as 1.2 inches for better efficiency, easier loading and load leveling and you have a force to be reckoned with.

The Pentastar churns out 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, besting the 3.7-liter V6 in the Ford F-150 by around three ponies. Chrysler has also increased the output of the optional 5.7-liter V8, from 390 hp to 395 and 407 lb-ft of torque. Engineers managed to free up the extra grunt by using an electronic power steering system in place of the old belt-driven unit. Interestingly enough, the V8 will also boast 20 percent better fuel economy thanks to an eight-speed automatic.

In addition, the new 1500 features a tweaked interior, complete with the company’s excellent 8.4-inch UConnect touch screen interface. We love the system in vehicles like the Dodge Charger, and the tech should be right at home on the big pickup.

Chrysler also managed to trim a significant amount of weight from the 2013 Ram 1500. In V6 guise, the truck now uses aluminum control arms, an aluminum hood, a new bed and frame design as well as lighter bumpers for a combined weight savings of around 147 pounds over the previous generation. V8 models get away with a more modest trimming. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading 2013 Ram 1500 ups the pickup ante with new V6, less weight

2013 Ram 1500 ups the pickup ante with new V6, less weight

When we read through the press materials for the new 2013 Toyota Avalon, we had to double-check… had we downloaded the release for the wrong car? Because right here it says, “In Sport mode, throttle response is enhanced and steering effort is weighted… to offer a sportier character.” And what’s this about paddle shifters? This is the Avalon, the car that replaced the Mercury Grand Marquis in the hearts, minds and garages of Florida retirees.

But yes, we had the right car. Apparently Toyota is serious about developing more interesting and youthful products, and it’s off to a good start with the Avalon, based on what we have heard and seen at the New York Auto Show today. The car was developed, styled and engineered in the United States, and it will be built here too, at Toyota’s Georgetown, KY, plant. While that doesn’t mean much without a product that can deliver the goods, we like most of what we see. From the A-pillar on back, the new Avalon looks long and sleek and seems to have a lot of BMW inspiration in its design. The front grille, however, has way too much Hyundai Genesis Coupe in it for our tastes. Inside the Avalon, we see what looks to be a pretty stunning instrument panel design, and we’re intrigued by the capacitive touch controls Toyota has included.

While Toyota is declining to say anything about what powers the new Avalon other the fact that the engine will have six cylinders, we can’t imagine it will be anything other than a version of its corporate 3.5-liter. The big question is how much horsepower this new, sportier Avalon might be packing. The current car has 268 horses, though another derivative of the engine in the Lexus GS boasts 306. The 2013 Avalon goes on sale late this year, and we must admit, this is the first Avalon we might actually be excited to drive. Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading 2013 Toyota Avalon looks to shed geriatric image

2013 Toyota Avalon looks to shed geriatric image

Yes, Infiniti has indeed made a habit of teasing the masses with exotic and eco-friendly concepts at some of the world’s largest auto shows over the past few years, notably with the Emerg-E and Essence Concepts. But, unlike those rolling showcases, the automaker claims its latest reveal, known rather cryptically as the LE Concept, will hit dealerships within the next two years in nearly unchanged form.

According to Infiniti, the LE Concept boasts a 24kWh lithium-ion battery made up of 192 cells, positioned under the passenger compartment floor. For those keeping track, this sounds like the same battery used in the Nissan Leaf. The 100kw electric motor, however, is upsized for this application. The LE’s 134 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque represent increases of 24 horses and 30 lb-ft over its less powerful sibling.

Infiniti is quick to point out that the LE Concept is not a small car. At 186.4 inches, its length is roughly the same as Infiniti’s G sedan. Atop the EV platform sits a highly streamlined body, which pays dividends with a .25 coefficient of drag that ought to help the LE reach its estimated 100-mile range (the latter being the same as the Leaf).

Inside, Infiniti uses words and phrases like double-wave and “Hamon” (ripple) design to describe the LE’s purposeful cabin. Ahead of the driver sits both analog and digital readouts showing speed, distance remaining and even the location of available EV chargers in the vicinity, all powered by an Intel Atom processor.

There’s plenty of technology packed into the LE Concept, including what the automaker calls Infiniti Connection, which includes Infiniti’s Personal Assistant 24-hour concierge service, navigation, and POI search. Also on the menu is a wireless charging system in addition to the standard DC 50 kW quick charger.

Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore says the company expects the LE to “be the first home-based wireless charging system if adapted for the production version.” Yes, we noticed the ‘if,’ too. Guess we’ll have to wait and see about that bit. In any case, feel free to read all about the LE Concept in the press release below and to check out our high-res image galleries.

Continue reading Infiniti LE Concept will spawn production electric sedan within two years

Infiniti LE Concept will spawn production electric sedan within two years

Shortly after Jaguar announced that the production F-Type will be coming to market in mid-2013, we sat down with Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director, to discuss some of the finer points of the new sub-XK sports car. The F-Type is more or less the production version of the C-X16 concept that debuted at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but instead of sticking to the concept’s coupe body style, Jaguar said that the production F-Type will launch as a two-seat roadster. But that doesn’t mean a coupe isn’t coming.

Jaguar “certainly won’t stick to just a convertible. If you get a convertible right, it’s easy to do a coupe.”

“C-X16 was a vision car,” Hallmark stated. The intent of C-X16 was to show off a new design language, and it’s easier to completely realize the full capacity of a new styling direction on a coupe body style rather than on a roadster. But when we asked Hallmark about the possibility of a hardtop F-Type, his response was that Jaguar “certainly won’t stick to just a convertible. If you get a convertible right, it’s easy to do a coupe.”

Jaguar’s director of design, Ian Callum, added that there are no plans to offer a folding hardtop version of the F-Type roadster – it will use a standard soft top. A folding hardtop “would ruin the shape of the car,” Callum told us.

As we reported earlier, the F-Type will use a new powertrain family, possibly previewed by the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and electric motor combination found under the hood of the C-X16 concept. Hallmark stated that in terms of driver involvement and performance, the F-Type “will start where the XKR-S finishes, even with less power.” In other words, the F-Type will be more of a focused sports car rather than a luxury GT. As for pricing, Hallmark stated that the F-Type will be priced below the XK but above competitors like the Porsche Boxster/Cayman, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK.

Moving away from the F-Type, Hallmark spoke briefly about plans to add all-wheel drive into the Jaguar lineup. “We’re very interested in all-wheel drive,” he stated, later adding that the company will likely offer it in its next-generation products rather than fitting it to the vehicles that are currently available. Hallmark assured us that it will be “not more than two years” until we see an all-wheel-drive Jag, and that prototype vehicles are already in the on-road testing phase.

Jaguar confirms F-Type coupe, AWD coming within two years

Carlos Ghosn is not backing down.

Giving the keynote speech at the 2012 New York Auto Show today, the president and CEO of Nissan said that he stands behind his prediction that EVs will make up 10 percent of the market by 2020 in the places they are available. He also said that he expects Nissan to sell 1.5 million zero emission cars by 2016.

Ghosh brushed off a question about somewhat slow Leaf sales by pointing out that the Leaf is still constrained by supply, given the earthquake and tsunami in Japan last year as well as the strong yen. Leaf production in the UK and U.S. that will start in the near future (later this year for Tennessee, early 2013 for Sunderland) will make the car more available to more people. “I don’t want you to take a one-month or two-month sales result in one particular market to try to make your opinion about the evolution of a very important technology for the industry,” he said. “I think the electric car will hold its promises. All the stars are lining up to make it a very important segment. … I am not at all changing my bullish approach.”

Ghosn has reason to be bullish. Nissan has sold 27,000 Leafs worldwide since introducing the car in late 2010, and 11,000 of those sales were in the U.S. And, he added, “The Nissan Leaf has had no quality problems.”

Looking forward, Ghosn also said that the challenge is to reduce the cost, size and weight of the battery and “we have to do it fast” because government incentives will not last forever. Luckily, the industry has changed enough in the last half-decade to make this possible. He said:

One of the biggest evolutions we are seeing in our industry is the battery. As you know, when we started our electric car goals, it was in 2006, there were not a lot of battery makers in the world. Fortunately, with our drive and with the drive of other carmakers, the number of battery makers and companies investing in batteries has really been impressive. Today, you can find very good batteries, extremely competitive, in Korea, in Japan, in the United States. The Chinese are investing in batteries. … The life of the battery is going to be longer than the life of the car.

Carlos Ghosn: Still bullish on battery electric vehicles

General Motors has just unveiled its facelifted 2013 Chevrolet Traverse at the New York Auto Show today. The big crossover has abandoned the company’s corporate grille in favor of a new design that’s expected to eventually make its way to the rest of the Chevrolet utility vehicle stable. With three chrome-finish bars across the upper grille inlet, more expressive headlamp arrays and a new foglight design, the 2013 Traverse looks a bit more conservative and polished than it did before, at least from up front. Move past the A-pillar, however, and the vehicle looks plenty familiar. Even with a new hatch, redesigned taillamps and a modestly massaged rear valance, the 2013 Traverse hasn’t strayed too far from its family-minded original recipe.

Likewise, the 2013 model’s drivetrain remains untouched as well. The same 3.6-liter V6 puts down 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque through either the front wheels or an all-wheel drive system and the six-speed automatic has been reworked for quicker shifting.

Buyers will be able to opt for Chevrolet’s new MyLink system, complete with Internet-based applications like Stitcher and Pandora as well as Bluetooth voice and audio capability. Like its fellow Lambda-platform sibling, the reworked Buick Enclave, the Traverse will also be available with a new center airbag that bisects driver and front-seat passenger. Hit the jump for the full press release and peruse our live shots for more views of this Chevy staple.

Continue reading 2013 Chevrolet Traverse loses the family nose

2013 Chevrolet Traverse loses the family nose

Electric vehicle owners like to think of themselves as green, but that color may be taking on a more glowing, radioactive hue in Japan.

The ecologically friendly reputation of electric cars in Japan is taking a hit since last year’s meltdowns of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant have made more people concerned about a primary source of electricity throughout the country, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.

The meltdown – caused my last March’s earthquake and ensuing tsunami – created a 12-mile radius around Fukushima where people are barred because of radiation issues. Before last year’s disaster, the Japanese government planned on having nuclear power eventually supply half of the country’s electricity, up from a third, but those plans have been put on hold.

Nissan, which has said it expects to sell 1.5 million electric vehicles around the world by 2015, has sold just 12,000 battery-electric Leafs in Japan since launching the model in 2010, according to the report. There have been positive associations drawn between the EV and its role in the earthquake relief efforts (between the Mitsubishi i and the aftermath, too) and Nissan even touted the way some battery packs that were damaged in the quake survived intact.

Rising gas prices make charging an EV in Japan about 90 percent less expensive than filling a tank. That said, electricity prices may spike expenses stemming from fixing the Fukushima plant increase. The higher cost might be the way EVs could get lumped together with nuclear energy in some consumers’ minds.

Reputation of electric cars takes a hit in Japan due to tsunami aftermath?

Chrysler Keeps Winning, Hyundai and Kia Set Records

Another chapter has been written in the comeback story of Chrysler, which reported a 69.7-percent sales increase in March compared to a year earlier. We’re starting to wonder, though, what will happen if gas prices continue rising. If consumers begin to shift their tastes back to smaller, more fuel efficient cars, Chrysler will find itself without much to offer. The promising Dodge Dart is coming but not here yet, and Chrysler doesn’t offer any passenger vehicles as hybrids or diesels. The Ram 1500 is of course available with a diesel, but we doubt consumers will flock to it for a respite from rising fuel costs.

Hyundai also had a good month of sales in March. Actually, it had the best month of sales in its history of selling cars in the U.S. Nearly all of its high-volume products are selling well, while the Veloster is picking up momentum and adding all-new sales to the mix. Soon, the completely redesigned Azera will go on sale, which means this new all-time sales record likely won’t last long. Its Korean counterpart, Kia, also enjoyed its best month ever.

A couple of automakers who seem to be teetering on the edge of trouble are General Motors and Honda. GM can be happy with positive performances last month from Chevrolet and GMC, but Buick and Cadillac continue to falter and find themselves on the very bottom of our sales chart trends this month. Honda, meanwhile, hasn’t seemed to have found its footing as well as rival Toyota, despite both companies reporting that their production lines are completely restored following a year of disruptive natural disasters.

Check out how the rest of the industry did in our monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 28 selling days in March 2012 versus 27 selling days in March 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.

March 2011 - Fool on a Hill Edition

Steve Saleen is back to feeling himself again. That’s because he’s once again at the helm of the the marque that bears his name. As you may recall, the racer and performance part guru walked away from the Saleen brand empire he nurtured for 23 years back in 2007. The Saleen brand was then sold to MJ Acquisitions, along with the right to produce S Line and Racecraft Ford Mustang models. Saleen himself, meanwhile, went on to create SMS Supercars, which produced notable creations like the SMS 570 Dodge Challenger, 302 Ford Mustang and 620 Chevrolet Camaro.

But when MJ Acquisitions and Saleen, Inc. refused to honor warranties for vehicles purchased before the company took control of the Saleen brand, SMS Supercars stepped in to take on that burden, even without any legal obligation to do so. Steve Saleen and SMS Supercars then sued MJ Acquisitions to get the company to stop using the Saleen name in order to protect the brand’s reputatoin.

Today’s announcement means Saleen was successful in his quest. Moving forward, all of the products sold under SMS Supercars will be available under the Saleen banner. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Steve Saleen reacquires Saleen name and brand

Steve Saleen reacquires Saleen name and brand

10,000 General Motors owners can make an impact.

After being confronted with a petition against the money that the GM Foundation gave to the Heartland Institute – known as one of the biggest funders of climate-change denial – following an exposé on DeSmogBlog, CEO Dan Akerson said earlier this month that he would review the situation. Based on a press release put out by the group that organized the petition, Forecast the Facts, it appears that GM will no longer give the Heartland Institute any money. In 2011, the GM Foundation donated $15,000.

Forecast the Facts’ petition was signed by over 20,000 people, including 10,000 who own or owned a GM vehicle. Following the announcement, Forecast the Facts campaign director, Daniel Souweine, said in a statement, that, “We applaud GM’s decision and the message it sends: that it is no longer acceptable for corporations to promote the denial of climate change, and that support for an organization like Heartland is not in line with GM’s values.”

Continue reading GM ends donations to climate-change-denying Heartland Institute

GM ends donations to climate-change-denying Heartland Institute

The strength of the Yen is forcing many Japanese automakers to consider building cars for export markets outside their home country. Honda is no different, and has confirmed that it will build the Fit hatchback at its new plant in Mexico starting in the spring of 2014.

The plant in Mexico is not the only location where Honda will build the Fit, but it will be used to supply the small hatchback to the large United States, Mexican and Canadian markets. Honda expects to build up to 200,000 subcompact vehicles per year at its plant near Celaya, Guanajuato.

Honda already builds a huge number of vehicles in North America. In fact, as pointed out in the press release after the break, more than 85 percent of the Honda and Acura models sold in America were built in the United States, Canada or Mexico. What’s more, the addition of the Fit to the Accord, Civic, and CR-V means that all four of Honda’s global nameplates will be produced in North America.

Continue reading Honda announces Fit production moving to Mexico

Honda announces Fit production moving to Mexico

Do you consider yourself a driving enthusiast? If so, does the thought of handing control of your car over to a series of computers scare you to death? We understand. But perhaps it’s time to remember that those of us who love to drive aren’t the only ones who want to use the road.

As you’ll see in the video after the break, autonomous cars hold out hope for some men and women who are simply unable to drive themselves. Take, for instance, Steve Mahan, who lost 95 percent of his vision over the course of several years, leaving him clinically blind. Obviously, Mahan isn’t able to drive.

What Mahan can do, however, is sit behind the wheel of an autonomous car, in this case, a Toyota Prius converted to operate sans driver by Google. And when he does, he directs the car to take him to Taco Bell before picking up his dry cleaning.

Questionable food choice aside, we hope that one day in the not-too-distant future people like Steve Mahan will be able to regain the kind of mobility made possible by the automobile that most of us take for granted. Just so long as we can share the road in our old-fashioned drive-it-yourself cars, too. See the video after the break.

Continue reading Watch Google’s autonomous car drive a blind man to Taco Bell

Watch Google’s autonomous car drive a blind man to Taco Bell

Chrysler today is launching a continuation of its Halftime In America ad effort for the Ram pickup, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Jeep Wrangler.

The new ads do not feature Clint Eastwood, as the February Super Bowl ad did.

The Ram ad, titled “Tommy and The Ram,” is a vignette that depicts a wife’s admiration for her husband’s hard work and determination to provide for his family in any economic environment. There is a great line in this ad as he drives his Ram to a job site: “Where there’s a truck, there’s a job.” The idea here is that as long as he has a reliable truck, he always has a chance to earn.

The ad for the Chrysler 300 is told through a father talking about his pride in his son making his own way in life, while the Wrangler spot is told through the story of a young daughter adapting to a new life and new city with her family.

The ads will be breaking during the NCAA Men’s basketball semi-finals, NHL games, NASCAR, Mad Men and the American Country Music Awards.

Watch all four ads below.

Continue reading Chrysler turns to ground game with new “Second Half” ads post Super Bowl

Chrysler turns to ground game with new “Second Half” ads post Super Bowl

If you have a phone, you’ve probably been offered a (last, final, only, etc.) chance to extend your car’s warranty. Hopefully you realized an anonymous caller from an unknown number had no idea what kind of car you drive much less when your warranty expired and promptly ended the call.

Way back in 2008, several state attorneys general teamed up to hang up on the auto warranty scammers, and the next year a federal judge ordered two companies to cease the annoying, probably illegal calls.

Finally, yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission slammed the hammer down on LA-based SBN Peripherals (aka Asia Pacific Telecom, Inc.). The FTC’s report says the company made more than 2.6 billion random calls in less than 20 months. Unfortunately, 12.8 million of those calls paid off with some consumer being scammed.

For their many, many, many telephonic transgressions, the company was ordered to pay $5.3 million. The company is conveniently unable to pay that amount, of course, so the FTC is claiming more than $1 million from a Hong Kong bank account, a $357,000 lien on a house, 50% interest in a Saipan office building, interest in seven tracts of land, a 2004 Corvette, a 2005 BMW X5, a 2004 Dodge Durango, a recreational vehicle and a partridge in a pear tree. We’re betting the extended warranties on those cars is not transferable. All defendants are also ordered to never, ever again engage in telemarketing. EVER.

But if you’re still in need of an extended warranty for your car, email us with your credit card number and we’ll get right back to you. (We’re joking of course! We prefer cash.)

You can read the full FTC report here.

FTC shuts down auto warranty robocaller

Chrysler made the difficult (and controversial) decision in 2009 to close 789 dealerships leading up to the automaker’s abbreviated bankruptcy. The move helped Chrysler eliminate some redundancies and limit in-brand competition, but many of the dealers who lost their franchises weren’t at all pleased with the move.

It didn’t take long for many of those dealers to sue Chrysler for the right to stay in business, and the court cases are still being settled in 2012. The Detroit News is reporting that a federal judge has ruled that Chrysler doesn’t have to immediately reinstate eight dealers suing for the right to reopen their doors.

The eight dealers are among 82 that received arbitration after the forced closings. Fifty of those dealers were offered arbitration by Chrysler and another 32 retail outlets won arbitration in court. The arbitration didn’t give those dealers the rights to re-open immediately, but it does set up boundaries to discuss agreeable terms for reopening.

While Chrysler can probably count this decision as a victory of sorts, the automaker still has 11 more lawsuits from U.S. dealers. So far, only 43 of the 789 dealers have been fully reinstated, and another 14 are still negotiating.

Judge says Chrysler doesn’t have to reinstate closed dealers

This year, Pikes Peak will, once again, be crawling with electric vehicles. Mitsubishi will be there with its i-MiEV-based racer, and the Pikes Peak EV Challenge Committee has just announced it will bring a new all-electric car to scale the 14,110-foot peak in Colorado this July.

The prototype vehicle will be developed by Team APEV, where APEV stands for the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles, and will be driven by the legendary Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima. Tajima has won the contest six years in a row, breaking the ten-minute barrier for the first time last year.

But that was in a gas-powered Suzuki, which isn’t nearly as eco-chic as doing it with zero emissions. The coolest part, for real, is that Team APEV and Monster Sports will be participating to help victims of the 2011 Japan earthquake disaster as well as promoting environmental education projects for children and “projects to promote active participation from the senior citizens of Japan.”

In 2011, two EVs, a Nissan Leaf and a custom EV from AC Propulsion, made the climb.

Monster Tajima to tackle Pikes Peak in an all-electric prototype

Those of us who are fortunate enough to have never suffered through cancer likely don’t realize how the disease can turn some of life’s simplest acts into huge hurdles. Just getting to treatment appointments can be daunting with the onset of symptoms and side effects. One cancer survivor in Austin, Texas has set up a network of exotic and classic car owners to make getting to the hospital a little bit easier and more fun at the same time.

Ken Adams noticed a large number of cancer patients who were forced to take public transportation or rely on friends and family to make it to treatments while he was waiting for his own doctor. Adams then hatched the idea for volunteers to help get those patients from home to the hospital, and Your Ride Is Here was born.

Patients get to ride in everything from vehicles like the Aston Martin Rapide to the Chevrolet Camaro and even the Ferrari Enzo. For patients who may be going through some of the darkest days of their lives, the chance to ride in some of the world’s greatest pieces of engineering is also a chance at a valuable smile.

We’ve been plenty guilty of balking at supercars in the past, and while they remain firmly out of grasp for the vast majority of the human race, they also represent just what mankind is capable of with the right motivation. We’re just glad to see some of their owners have a similarly impressive capacity for compassion.

If you don’t own a supercar but still want to help, Your Ride Is Here relies entirely on donations, which can be made here. They’ve also made an excellent video that best explains their purposes, which can be viewed farther down the page.

Continue reading Your Ride Is Here gives cancer patients a ride to treatment in style

Your Ride Is Here gives cancer patients a ride to treatment in style

As a European auto giant with a strong presence in the North American market, there are some products that the Volkswagen group doesn’t offer on this side of the pond. Like the entire Skoda and Seat brands, for example. With the exception of the Scirocco, there aren’t many that we really feel like we’re missing over here. That, and perhaps the Skoda Yeti.

Highly praised by a publication so performance-oriented as Evo (among many others), the Yeti is said to be an excellent little sport-ute, and a cost-effective one at that. And no, there are no plans we’re aware of to bring it Stateside. But as if to rub salt in the wound of its absence from American showrooms, Volkswagen’s Czech brand has announced a new version of the capable soft-roader in the UK.

Called the Skoda Yeti Urban, the special edition is based on the SE trim level but features a number of special touches and optional extras bundled in. Two-tone black and chrome 17-inch alloys, fog lights, flared fenders, and an interior with black or red sports seats and a whole mess of electronics are all part of the package, available with either a 1.2-liter TSI with 104 horsepower or (for a premium) a 108hp 2.0-liter TDI.

British buyers – or 750 of them, anyway – can also choose between black, white, silver or grey, but the Yeti Urban can be had only in front-wheel drive with a manual. Check it out in the high-res image gallery and the press release below the fold.

Continue reading Skoda makes us hungry for some Yeti with new Urban edition

Skoda makes us hungry for some Yeti with new Urban edition

We’re already familiar with the Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system that’s slowly making its way across the brand’s entire portfolio, but today, we were able to get our first look at the next big feature being added to General Motors‘ Bowtie tech. First available on the 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Sonic, GogoLink is a smartphone-based app that works with the car’s touch-screen display to provide a fully functional navigation feature to the MyLink system.

We spent some time with Sara LeBlanc, GM’s program manager for global infotainment systems, who showed us exactly how the GogoLink app works. When your smartphone is tethered to the car, the app can be launched from the MyLink interface and works just like any other high-quality navigation system. GogoLink includes things like points of interest, 3D mapping, emergency information (police, fire, etc.), local search via Google and live traffic details. Disconnect your phone from the car, and your maps and routes are available right on your phone. (Note: Even though that last part doesn’t show up in the video, trust us, it works.)

Pricing for the GogoLink app has not been announced as of this writing, and will be confirmed closer to the system’s on-sale date this fall. The 2013 Spark will go on sale before the GogoLink app is available, so the first round of Sparks will require a simple MyLink upgrade that can be installed for free at Chevy dealers.

Now, take a closer look at the MyLink head unit in the video below – there’s no CD player. LeBlanc provided this explanation for us:

We talked to our Sonic and Spark customers and we asked them about the features they were looking for. They wanted connectivity. They said, “We have all that music on our smartphone, can’t you just find a way to transfer it? We don’t want CDs. We don’t use that.”

Of course, LeBlanc assures us that this is only for the Sonic and Spark MyLink system right now. The rest of the Chevrolet products will continue to be offered with CD players.

The MyLink system with GogoLink arrives this fall, and pricing has yet to be announced as of this writing. Follow the jump for a tour of the new system, as well as the official release from GM.

Continue reading Chevy adding navigation to Sonic, Spark with GogoLink smartphone app

Chevy adding navigation to Sonic, Spark with GogoLink smartphone app