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According to research by Edmunds.com, the $19,711 average transaction price of the 2012 Hyundai Elantra is besting that of its chief rivals, the Toyota Corolla by $1,500 and the new Honda Civic by $500. The great big cherry on top of that sundae for Hyundai? Elantra sales were up more than 40 percent last year.

The sales success of the Elantra wasn’t much of a surprise even before the car went on sale, the transaction-price story is an eye-opener. We don’t have a breakdown on model mix, but a base Elantra with a six-speed manual is $17,220 and the Limited is $21,320 (both prices include $725 destination). The Elantra’s small-money options, like an iPod connector, match those of the competition, and even its three upmarket packages, two for the GLS and one for the Limited, contain features mostly available on the Corolla or Civic.

Point being, the Elantra doesn’t have a single killer app to explain its position. But all of its touches – one extra gear on the manual, two extra on the automatic, its newness and its design, its competitive gas mileage and its rearview camera that can’t be had on the competition, for instance, appear to be the cause. There’s also the fact that dealers don’t have to put much (if anything) on the hood since the factory still can’t make enough of them to satisfy demand.

Nor is this only a tale of the Elantra; the Sonata has narrowed its average transaction price to within $900 of both Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. And according to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, we aren’t anywhere near the end of the company’s aspirations: “We’re in the middle of a very long journey.” Indeed, even new Elantra itself hasn’t reached top speed yet – a new Coupe and five-door GT are on the way to round out the family for 2013.

Customers paying more for Hyundai Elantra than Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla

The Fiat group has a knack for (or a habit of) dressing up its most affordable hatchbacks in tribute to its most expensive exotics. Alfa Romeo did a special MiTo and Giulietta for Maserati dealers, and Abarth did a special 500 to honor Ferrari. But since the latter has run its production run, the Scorpion marque is celebrating Maserati with this latest version.

Destined for unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the new Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati features the same 180 horsepower 1.4-liter turbo four as the aforementioned Tributo Ferrari, but with different 17-inch alloys. The Maserati version also adopts the 500C’s retracting roof panel and a more elegant design approach than the previous Ferrari edition, topped by a three-layer burgundy paint job and sand beige Pontrona Frau leather.

Only 499 examples will be offered, and probably spoken for in quick order. But whether you think this gussied-up Cinquecento is any more worthwhile than the Mini Goodwood edition or the Aston Martin Cygnet will probably depend mostly on whether you’ve ever tried to drive a GranTurismo or Quattroporte through Europe’s notoriously crowded city streets. Check it out in the trio of high-res images below and the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special

Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special

With co-branding arrangements in place with an increasing array of luxury labels, Bentley doesn’t limit its brand just to cars these days. But of all the sunglasses, wallets, pens, skis and cashmere scarves licensed by the British purveyor of super-luxury automobiles, few are as well established as its partnership with Breitling.

The Swiss watchmaker has been with Bentley for years, and has celebrated every milestone along the way. So with the introduction of the new V8-powered Continental GT, Breitling wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to dazzle us with another piece of shiny wrist candy.

Limited to just 250 examples, the Breitling for Bentley GMT V8 chronograph features an additional hour hand that displays the time in a second time zone, and a rotating red inner bezel displaying major cities in time zones around the world. It’s powered by a COSC-certified chronometer mechanism with a 30-second sweep, encased in steel and affixed to the wrist with either a metal bracelet or unique rubber strap.

We wouldn’t dare ask how the timepiece sells for, but considering the Bentley customers they’re selling to, we’d expect suitably Bentley-like prices.

Breitling celebrates new Continental GT with GMT V8 chronograph

A year-and-a-half-ago we heard that the model to replace the Ferrari Enzo was peeking over the fence at the Bugatti Veyron for inspiration. Then we heard, nearly one year ago, that this Ferrari would also be a hybrid. Add those two ingredients to a 7.3-liter V12 and stir in Ferrari’s talk of light weight, and the resulting supercar will be a 920-peak-horsepower celestial stallion that weighs just 2,500 pounds, according to a report in Automobile.

The V12 will be responsible for 800 of those horses, 100 more than the 599 replacement, the F620, that will use a 6.2-liter version of the same V12 and that we’ll see at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. The supplemental 120 hp will be provided by a KERS hybrid setup.

The carbon fiber body is expected to hold largesse down to around 2,500 pounds, which – if all of these numbers come true – would mean a supercar that weighs 500 pounds less than 651-hp Enzo, and about the same as the 2,546-pound, track-only FXX, but that has about 100 more ponies. If all goes to plan we’ll see it in the fall – until it starts moving, at least, when we’ll just have to listen for the sonic booms.

Ferrari Enzo successor to churn out 920 horsepower, weigh 2,500 pounds

Seasons may change, time may pass, but the internet never forgets. It’s been six years since then-14-year-old Joey drove his father’s brand-new Ford Shelby GT500 through the back wall of the family’s garage. Video of the event and the ensuing carnage has racked up an astonishing 3.6 million views on YouTube on one account alone, and the clip remains a perennial classic. Now it looks like Joey is finally ready for a little redemption courtesy of the good people at Tosh.0. The show routinely features people who are internet stars for all the wrong reasons in the “web redemption” segment.

Daniel Tosh, the show’s host, allows those maligned by the power of the internet one more shot at infamy while reenacting the event that made them infamous to begin with. Joey will explain his side of the GT500 calamity on the newest episode of Tosh.0 airing on February 21. Click past the jump to see the crash one more time. Trust us, it never gets old.

Continue reading GT500-crashing kid to get Tosh.0 web redemption [w/video]

GT500-crashing kid to get Tosh.0 web redemption [w/video]

It was only a matter of time before someone took a crack at parodying the most recent Super Bowl commercial from Chrysler. Saturday Night Live has stepped up to the plate with a new skit featuring none other than Bill Hader in Clint Eastwood’s shoes and scowl. The spot pokes fun at the unintentionally political ad, with Hader scowling his way through a third-quarter speech. We won’t ruin the ending for you, but we will say the skit features the phrase “tiny little chicken legs.” Comedy gold.

Chrysler came under fire shortly after the company’s game-day spot aired. The commercial featured Clint Eastwood drawing parallels between the fall and resurrection of Detroit and the rest of America. Critics complained the spot was a thinly veiled argument for a second term for the Obama Administration. Eastwood, a republican who was vocally against the auto bailout, quickly denied those claims. Hit the jump for both the SNL skit and the original ad.

Continue reading Saturday Night Live mocks Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood Super Bowl ad

Saturday Night Live mocks Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood Super Bowl ad

Aftermarket smartphone integration leaves plenty to be desired. Most systems limit the usability of your device and require a tangle of cords or battery-sucking Bluetooth. Then there’s the headache of trying to figure out how to access your files and applications via the stereo’s cryptic controls. A new Kickstarter project aims to fix all that. Dash is a standard double-din head unit that uses a unique magnetic CNC-aluminum faceplate to dock your phone straight into your vehicle’s dashboard. From there, accessing GPS, sending texts (by voice, of course) and playing music is as simple as swiping your screen. Pretty slick.

Dash features a video pass through so users can play video on external monitors, and the system keeps your phone charged while in use. The unit pumps out 4×50w of power and includes two preamps for front and rear subwoofers.

We typically get antsy any time we see technology that encourages distraction. To that end, Dash also includes an app to make all of your auto-themed applications easily accessible from one home screen. While that should cut down on the amount of time spent flipping through the main menu, it still appears that drivers will have to squint at their phones from behind the wheel.

The system features some interesting innovations, too. In addition to carrying the traditional FM tuner and an AUX in, Dash will eventually allow users to connect to their vehicle’s computer. That, we can get behind.

The system is expected to begin shipping in June 2012. At first, Dash will only support the iPhone 4 and 4S, but Devium, the company behind Dash, hopes to support other smartphones in the future. Check out the Kickstarter page for more information, and click past the jump for a quick video of the system in action.

Continue reading Dash marries your car and iPhone [w/video]

Dash marries your car and iPhone [w/video]

Apparently, being the Official Automotive Marketing partner of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit property was just the excuse Lexus needed to get in touch with swimsuit model Tori Praver. And we can hardly blame them.

But what could Praver’s statuesque body and perfectly feminine features have to do with cars, you ask? That’s a very good question, and it’s one we’re sure the Lexus marketing team spent hours considering. The answer, interestingly enough, is all in the curves.

Following up on the video Lexus brought us showing two racers drifting a 2013 Lexus GS F Sport around a makeshift track drawn around the gigantor-size body of Ms. Praver, the luxury wing of the Toyota conglomerate has delivered a video game of similar intent for Apple’s ever-popular range of iDevices.

The TORI 500 racing app allows players to pilot GS sedans around digitized 3D renderings of Praver’s body. Sounds… curvy. Check out the official press release after the break, where we’ve also reposted the video of Praver and the (real-life) racing drivers.

Continue reading Lexus launches TORI 500 iPhone app racing game [w/video]

Lexus launches TORI 500 iPhone app racing game [w/video]

As much as we love the 2012 Hyundai Veloster, it’s the 2013 Turbo model that really gets our juices flowing (especially in matte gray, for the record). It takes that unique three-door (four-door?) configuration one step further with the addition of some more aggressive aero bits, a revised front end and new wheels; not to mention a potent 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-four underhood, good for 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.

The Veloster Turbo goes on sale this summer, and while official pricing hasn’t been released, the folks at Inside Line have apparently confirmed that the car will start at $21,500 – $22,280 when you factor in the $760 destination charge. That’s $4,205 more than a base Veloster, but in addition to more power, we expect that some of the base car’s optional features will be fitted as standard kit on the Turbo.

What’s really interesting, however, is Inside Line’s report that the Turbo model was never even part of the original Veloster product strategy here in the United States. No big deal, because we’re still getting the forced-induction hatch regardless. But the real reason why this is important is it explains why the Turbo is being offered with a six-speed automatic (in addition to a six-speed manual) rather than the dual-clutch unit found in the base car. Guess that in-house dual-clutch unit can’t handle the full 195 lb-ft of the Turbo.

We expect Hyundai to release official Veloster Turbo pricing closer to the car’s on-sale date this summer. And if this $21,500 base MSRP stands true, then the affordable end of America’s hot hatch pool just got a lot more interesting.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo to start at $21,500?

Company: BMW of North America

Medium: TV and the Internet

Ad Agency: Kirschenbaum, Bond, Senecal + Partners

Product: 2012 BMW 3 Series

Campaign: “The Ultimate Driving Machine”

What We Like: There is no joy in Bimmerville. Not any more. In truth, BMW has not really been advertising “Joy of Driving,” or “Joy” anything, for about a year. It had already returned to using the world’s best ad slogan, “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” after many months of defending “Joy,” as well as some executive changes. But a new ad effort for the all-new 3 Series puts UDM center stage again in a way that underscores the company’s commitment to an ad slogan everyone seems to love.

There are six video shorts running mostly on the web, but also as TV ads. In fact, one of the shorts, touting the car’s system that reads email aloud to the driver, ran as a local ad during the Super Bowl. Each “short” ad, which focuses on a single feature of the car, ends with a hunky-sounding voiceover asserting with no doubt in his voice: “We only make one thing. The Ultimate Driving Machine.”

BMW has a raft of new products coming this year and next, as well as rolling out two complex platforms of technology – EfficientDynamics and BMW ConnectDrive. It seems like a good idea to spotlight one product benefit per ad the way this campaign does, and have each play off a few bigger TV ads for the 3 Series that focus on the image of the whole car, and its reputation as the best sports sedan in the world.

What We Don’t Like: The focus on individual features like a heated steering wheel, adjustable seats or emails read aloud in the car seems more Volkswagen than BMW. The voiceover sounds like he drinks whiskey, but the overall feel of the ads and the focus on “fun features” feels more Brandy Alexander.

We note that Cadillac advertised its soon-to-be launched ATS sedan during the Super Bowl, and referred to the 3 Series as “The best in the world.” We are looking for more ads from BMW’s new ad agency that have some guts, majesty and the faint aroma of burning rubber and brake dust.

Strategy: BMW seems to shy away form the guts, grit and red-blooded desire for a great driving machine that is the heart of its brand image. Yeah, yeah… we know… women are looking for a more approachable BMW. Married men need for their wives to bless the Bimmer purchase. And this collection of video shorts is a step in the right direction. A 30-second ad that shows us the 3 Series zipping around city streets and hairpin turns is even a bigger step as the TV spot also spotlights the 3’s surprising 36 mpg highway few economy. We’d still like to see BMW guts and glory show a nit more often.

Grade: A-

Watch the ads after the jump and give them your own grade below.

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Continue reading AdSpotting: No Joy in Bimmerville

AdSpotting: No Joy in Bimmerville

Capitalizing on the allure of attractive models for automotive advertising is anything but a recent phenomenon. Inventing a supermodel, on the other hand, is one of the more inspired tactics we’ve stumbled across in recent memory.

According to the marketing gurus at Adweek, Ford has placed a full-page advertisement in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition that includes a beautiful blue Mustang posing alongside what appears to be an equally beautiful and scantily clad model named Dalena Henriques. A quick Google search on her name, not surprisingly, brings up dalenahenriques.com as the top result.

Here’s where things get a bit tricky. It seems Dalena Henriques may not be a real person at all. A visit to her website shows the stunning brunette in pose after pose with the 2013 Mustang, and her face is never fully in the frame. The Mustang, though, is front and center in every single image. Clever, Ford. Very clever.

Ford’s clever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit ad features phantom model

Motorsport is full of amazing spectacles, and many of them are directly caused by the various peculiarities of specific race tracks. To wit, Laguna Seca is known for The Corkscrew, Le Mans will always be linked to the Mulsanne Straight, The Nürburgring has The Carousel, and the ability to take Spa’s Eau Rouge and Raidillon corners flat-out is what separates the men from the boys.

And then there’s The Mountain at Cadwell Park. Though not nearly as well known outside the U.K. as many other race track features, The Mountain may be one of the most exciting places to point a video camera in all of motorsport. It’s a small hill that comes up directly after a tight left-to-right S-turn, and it routinely launches the bravest riders high into the sky as they try to get the best drive from the corner possible… and it spits many of them sprawling back out the other side on their bums.

If you’re not familiar with The Mountain, we suggest you watch the video after the break. Aim high, boys and girls.

Continue reading Watch as motorcycle racers leap over The Mountain at Cadwell Park

Watch as motorcycle racers leap over The Mountain at Cadwell Park

Ten years wouldn’t seem like much of an anniversary for an automaker, or even a sub-brand. But we’re not talking about a make here, we’re talking about one model. That’s right: the current Range Rover has been on the market for a decade. Which is a rather long life-cycle for any automobile, but Jaguar Land Rover isn’t the least bit embarrassed. In fact it’s celebrating the anniversary with a series of special edition models.

Picking up where the Vogue model leaves off, the Westminster Edition features a cabin decked out in leather trim, thick carpeting and piano lacquer veneers, with illuminated treadplates, polished pedals, a 19-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system with Dual View display and heated and cooled front seats. JLR’s 4.4-liter turbodiesel V8 pulls all four 20-inch, 10-spoke wheels through an eight-speed automatic.

Meanwhile the Autobiography edition is available with the same engine, or with the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with six-speed automatic. The Range Rover Design Pack distinguishes the exterior, while the Range Rover Seat Style Pack makes the cabin an even more opulent place to bee with the reclining rear seats and moveable front passenger seat you’d expect to find in a limousine.

Full details can be found in the press release after the jump, including pricing in Land Rover’s native market, but so far no word on US availability.

Continue reading Range Rover celebrates 10th anniversary with special editions

Range Rover celebrates 10th anniversary with special editions

Modern advertising has conditioned us to associate a wide array of strange images with beer in a can. The Rocky Mountains, silver bullets, Clydesdale horses and blue ribbons all do their best to peddle cheap brew, but Chinese drinkers now have a new mascot for their favorite cold one. Hubei Jeep Brewery Corporation has turned out a new light beer featuring everyone’s favorite off road machine. The logo even features a Jeep Wrangler silhouette, complete with the brand’s iconic/trademarked seven-slat grille. What does Jeep Beer taste like? Fresh mountain streams? Muddy hill sides? Licking a Chrysler interior? No one is saying for certain.

Hubei Jeep Brewery Corporation has completely adopted the Jeep brand as an emblem of rugged manliness, and the company even went so far as to giveaway a Jeep Compass to the highest-selling distributor. The winner managed to move 60,000 liters of suds to take home the prize.

Don’t get us wrong. Beer and vehicles go together about as well as fenders and telephone poles, but we’re just curious enough about the notion of Jeep Beer to want a bottle or three. Besides, you can’t argue with a tag line like, “JUST FOR MAN.”

Save China’s Jeep beer for the end of the trail

Mopar didn’t leave Jeep out of the customized fun here at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Based on the Compass, the 2012 Mopar True North boasts a two-inch suspension lift from Rocky Road Suspensions and 16-inch matte black wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich All Terrain tires. Other exterior tidbits include a matte black grille surround and lower body cladding.

There aren’t any changes to the standard Compass drivetrain that we know of, but the interior is fitted with a custom center console that features pitch and roll inclinometer gauges. Finishing it off is an audio system sourced from Kicker that Jeep says “transform [it] into a rolling high-end sound studio,” which would appear to be completely unrelated to its intended purpose.

Continue reading 2012 Mopar Jeep Compass True North points… north?

2012 Mopar Jeep Compass True North points… north?

Look very, very closely. This is the 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser, which, though not immediately apparent, is different than the 2012 model. How, exactly? The updated SUV has new features like LED running lamps up front, a revised taillamp design and some new wheel options. Inside, there’s a brand new hard drive-based navigation system complete with Toyota’s fancy new Entune infotainment system.

Aside from that, there isn’t much else in the way of newness for Toyota’s stalwart off-roader. Under the hood is the automaker’s 5.7-liter V8 with 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque, and a standard Multi-Terrain Select system keeps things in check for when the pavement turns to dirt… or sand… or mud.

Check out the full scope of Land Cruiser goodness in the press release after the jump, and click through our gallery of images live from the Chicago Auto Show to see all of those ever-so-slight design tweaks.

Continue reading 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser has been updated, apparently

2013 Toyota Land Cruiser has been updated, apparently

During the Detroit Auto Show, Toyota said the new Prius C would start at under $19,000. Today, we learn that this is like a lesson from Obi-Wan: what Toyota told us was true, from a certain point of view.

The base level Prius C One’s MSRP is indeed $18,950, but that doesn’t include a $760 destination charge, and you can easily spend north of $23,000 for the top-of-the-line Prius C Four. Still, that’s a raging deal for a car estimated to get a fuel economy rating of 53/46/50 miles per gallon (city/highway/combined) from the EPA. As Toyota is quick to point out, those numbers make the C the, “highest rated city fuel economy of any vehicle without a plug.”

As you might have surmised, there will be four trim levels for the Prius C and, unsurprisingly, some of the best features are only available on the upper ends. The Four, for example, is the only version that has fog lights and that can be optioned with 16-inch, eight-spoke alloy wheels (all others make due with 15-inchers). Also, neither the One, Two or Three can be equipped with an important cold-weather feature: heated front seats. At least things like automatic climate control, Bluetooth phone controls and remote keyless entry all come standard. The Prius C goes on sale in March. Full details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Toyota prices 2012 Prius C under $19K*

Toyota prices 2012 Prius C under $19K*

More room, more power, more fuel efficiency and more advanced all-wheel drive are the four unique selling propositions for the 2013 Acura RDX. As with the 2013 ILX, the productionized version of Acura’s people-hauler is very, very similar to the RDX Concept from Detroit with a new set of wheels and a new paint job.

The 3.5-liter V6 throws 33 more horsepower into the mix versus the previous generation’s turbocharged four, and a brand new six-speed automatic transmission helps return an estimated 20 city/28 highway mile-per-gallon rating for the front-wheel-drive model. The AWD version only takes a slight knock from there, getting 19 city/27 highway.

The longer wheelbase and wider track equate to more room inside, and additional levels of luxury have been added features like Keyless Access, Pandora and an available power rear liftgate. There’s plenty more information on it in the press release after the jump, and we’ll have live shots from the Chicago Auto Show soon.

Continue reading 2013 Acura RDX gets more of the good stuff

2013 Acura RDX gets more of the good stuff

More room, more power, more fuel efficiency and more advanced all-wheel drive are the four unique selling propositions for the 2013 Acura RDX. As with the 2013 ILX, the productionized version of Acura’s people-hauler is very, very similar to the RDX Concept from Detroit with a new set of wheels and a new paint job.

The 3.5-liter V6 throws 33 more horsepower into the mix versus the previous generation’s turbocharged four, and a brand new six-speed automatic transmission helps return an estimated 20 city/28 highway mile-per-gallon rating for the front-wheel-drive model. The AWD version only takes a slight knock from there, getting 19 city/27 highway.

The longer wheelbase and wider track equate to more room inside, and additional levels of luxury have been added features like Keyless Access, Pandora and an available power rear liftgate. There’s plenty more information on it in the press release after the jump, and we’ll have live shots from the Chicago Auto Show soon.

Continue reading 2013 Acura RDX gets more of the good stuff

2013 Acura RDX gets more of the good stuff

Here’s a Super Bowl commercial that most of us probably missed, even those of you who stayed on the couch for all four quarters and didn’t even get up during halftime.

It’s a fantastic car-chase commercial that features a first-generation Cadillac CTS-V and a pair of iconic Panther-platform Crown Victoria Police Interceptors. The ad is promoting high-speed Exo service for Canadian cable provider Shaw, which explains the couch potatoes and flatscreens riding atop each car.

Check it out after the jump, and get another chuckle now that the newness of the U.S.-market spots has worn off.

Continue reading Canada’s Shaw creates a Super Bowl commercial, Canadian-style

Canada’s Shaw creates a Super Bowl commercial, Canadian-style