We’re not sure how we missed this while attending the centennial event for yesterday, but apparently a cyber prankster got the better of General Motors while we were busying reporting on , the and the to Detroit.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, visitors to the company’s headquarters yesterday would see the word “sucks” on their computer screens after any mention of certain competitors when using a particular Wi-Fi network in the building. The targeted competitors were , , and .
A GM spokesman confirmed that the automaker had nothing to do with the prank, which was quickly fixed. The prank’s perpetrator? A subcontractor who had helped set up the network. When pressed on why he/she did it, the prankster reportedly said it was intended to be humorous. We’re betting the subcontractor’s employer won’t find it funny when GM takes its business elsewhere next time, which will probably make life suck for the subcontractor.
It’s official, ladies and gents: the Caterham SP/300.R is coming to America. (What, the ladies read Autoblog too. Right?)
The SP-what-now, you ask? The . It’s the newest product from Caterham, and one of the few it has ever done that has nothing to do with the . It’s a track car in the mold of an LMP racer. It debuted at the beginning of the year with a 300-horsepower turbocharged Duratec, and you can place an order for yours any day now.
Intriguingly, the factory opted not to go with Caterham USA, the company that imports and distributes all manner of Sevens across these United States, but gave the SP/300.R contract to Dyson Racing. If that name sounds familiar, it should. The racing team just tied up both the driver and team titles in the American Le Mans Series, a feather in the team’s cap that has, since 1974, competed in everything from Grand-Am and Trans-Am to Champ Cars and Indy.
The America-bound examples of the SP/300.R will be shopped partially completed to Dyson’s facility in Poughkeepsie, New York, where they’ll undergo final assembly before delivery. So why Dyson over Caterham USA? The SP/300.R is built around a Lola chassis, and few have the kind of experience with Lola that Dyson Racing does.
Details about the deal announced this morning between the and United Auto Workers union have surfaced, and it’s apparent that the smaller, less financially stable automaker has given away the least compared to already struck with the UAW by cross-town rivals General Motors and .
First up is money. Automotive News reports that each of Chrysler’s hourly workers will receive at least $5,750 in bonuses and other payments under the new agreement, which still requires ratification by the union’s rank and file. That includes a signing bonus of $3,500, which is markedly less than the $5,000 bonus offered by GM and $6,000 by Ford. AN also reports that the signing bonus will be paid out in two parts, one now and another when Chrysler “achieves financial stability.” Other available bonuses include a yearly performance bonus of $500 and another $500 if quality targets are met, as well as a $1,000 bonus for hitting “world class manufacturing metrics.”
Wages for entry-level workers will also rise, with the base rate of $14 an hour increasing to $15.78 immediately and then steadily increasing to $19.28 an hour by the end of the four-year contract. Better benefits, tuition assistance and a more generous profit-sharing plan are also part of the deal.
Finally, Chrysler has agreed to billions of dollars of new investment in its U.S. manufacturing base and expects the new deal will create 2,100 additional jobs. The biggest investment of $1.3 billion will be made in Chrysler’s transmission plants in Kokomo, Indiana, which are slated to build the company’s next-generation eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions. Other big winners include the assembly plant in Belvidere, Indiana that currently makes the , and and is scheduled to receive a new small vehicle in the future; it would receive a $600 million investment. Chrysler’s plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan that makes the , and would also get an $850 million investment.
is celebrating 100 years of history in England this year. While a number of celebrations and special events are scheduled to mark the occasion, the automaker has also commissioned some unique jewelry as part of the centennial bash.
Designer Katherine Hawkins was tasked with crafting a piece from components lifted from the and came up with a special necklace design. The piece uses dials, buttons, needles and springs from the hatchback as well as seat material. Hawkins doesn’t drive herself, and had little idea of what the parts were actually used for in the vehicle.
We’re not quite sure what to say about Hawkins’ design other than we wish we could see what the designer could come up with using pieces lifted from ’30s Lincoln instead of a 2012 Focus. Given that we aren’t entirely smitten by the dial pad mounted in the middle of the vehicle’s dash, we’d likely cringe a bit seeing the pieces dangle around anyone’s neck.
China is filled with lots of people and things – including lots of bizarre laws and regulations. One child per family is perhaps the most well known, but did you know you have to pay homage by bowing to the elderly on the street, or that you’re actually prohibited from stopping your car at crosswalks? This next one may seem sane by comparison, but has got automakers vying for a piece of China’s growing car market jumping through hoops.
Apparently foreign carmakers wishing to manufacture in China for local consumption by joint venture have to set up a new brand under which to sell. , and are already setting up Chinese brands of their own, and now is reportedly joining the fold.
The Blue Oval is teaming up with and Chinese automaker Chang’an on the joint venture that is targeted to help Ford catch up to GM, whose two million units sold last year nearly quadruples Ford’s figures in the Chinese market. No word yet on what name the Ford sub-brand will carry, but it’s a bit of an interesting development considering how many brands under the once sprawling Ford Motor Company have been jettisoned in recent years.
At the 2009 , Vaughn Gittin Jr. wowed us with his . With a full carbon fiber body, supercharged V8 producing 550 horsepower and a custom interior, it was easily one of the coolest modern pony cars we had ever seen. The only problem was that to buy one of your own, you’d need a six-figure sum burning a hole in your “fun money” account. That’s a lot of cash for any car, let alone a . The solution is the , a much cheaper version of the RTR-C that’s actually fairly affordable for the average sports car buyer.
The question you might be asking, though, is whether there is room in the automotive marketplace for yet another specialty Mustang. It seems a new variation comes across our desks at least once a week, and there are already endless aftermarket options for those wishing to build their own personalized pony car. Plus, many of those same Mustangs have well-established names like Shelby, Saleen and Roush emblazoned on their sides, all of whom are legends in the storied history of motorsports (and the Ford Mustang in particular).
Even so, Gittin is hoping to bring something new to the table. As a series champion and one of the most popular figures in Formula Drift, he believes that he can offer something different to a new generation of car enthusiasts. When Gitten first began competing with a Ford Mustang, he felt a disconnect between the car’s aftermarket and the crowds of fans who were attending drifting events. “Since I fell in love with being behind the wheel of a Mustang in 2005, I noticed that most of the aftermarket was offering parts that were so traditional and, for the most part, not really my style – nor most of my generation’s style” he told Autoblog. “I wanted to introduce something fresh and aggressive to the market that would engage a new generation of Mustang owner and appeal to traditional Mustang enthusiasts at the same time.” That vision became a reality at SEMA in 2009 with the debut of his RTR-C and RTR Mustang.
Still, the question remains. Is there room for yet another Mustang tuner to enter the mix? We took a quick spin in an RTR Mustang to help find out.
Maybe it was the Detroit Tigers decisive win in game three of the American League Championship Series, but something put the United Auto Workers and negotiators in the mood to compromise last night. The Detroit News is reporting that the union announced a deal just before 7:00 AM today.
Chrysler is the last of Detroit’s traditional “Big Three” automakers to come to terms with the UAW, as negotiations had been rockier than those with the other car companies. Last month Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne accused UAW President Bob King of playing favorites with General Motors, and putting his own political agenda ahead of the interests of union members. The UAW then to negotiate with , last week.
What effect this gamesmanship had on the contract remains to be seen, however, The Detroit News says that the agreement with Chrysler is expected to resemble those reached with GM and Ford. Those contracts call for replacing wage increases with a revamped profit-sharing system. But the Chrysler deal might have some substantial differences due to Chrysler’s weaker financial health, says the report.
Chrysler has 26,000 hourly employees in the U.S., but that number should go up under the new deal. The UAW says the agreement would add 2,100 new jobs by the end of 2015. Other sources told the newspaper that new workers are likely to be paid more, as well, with one of the key provisions of the contract being a raise for second-tier employees, to $19.28 an hour.
In addition to , a recent UAW release states that will be adding an “industry-leading small V6″ to its powertrain lineup. Car and Driver reports that, while the automaker has yet to confirm the development of such an engine, Ford stated that adding a smaller-displacement V6 would make sense based on its current powertrain strategy.
Ford has long said that it plans to offer EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its North American products by 2013, so the safe bet is that this new V6 will be of the forced-induction type. C/D suggests that a 2.5- or 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 could produce around 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque, and that it could be used as a replacement for the naturally aspirated 3.5- and 3.7-liter V6 engines currently used throughout Ford’s product portfolio. Additionally, such an engine would make sense in a vehicle like the next-generation , or even a range-topping .
On this day in 1901, Henry Ford took his home-built race car named “Sweepstakes” and entered a 10-mile race at the Detroit Driving Club against the favored Alexander Winton. Ford ended up winning the race and the victory garnered attention from investors that would help launch the just a couple of years later. Since that first race, Ford has achieved a multitude of successes in a variety of motorsports including wins at the Daytona 500, Indy 500, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Baja 1000 and more.
As part of their celebration of 110 years of racing, Ford will be bringing together some of their more historic race cars to display at the upcoming show in Las Vegas next month. The lineup is truly impressive, including the Le Mans-winning 1967 GT40 MkIV, Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Mustang Boss 302, Jim Clark’s Lotus that won the 1965 Indy 500, various John Force Funny Cars and the winning race car from this year’s Daytona 500 just to name a few.
Next month, we’ll bring you live coverage of the historic display of Ford Racing cars as well as the rest of the 2011 SEMA extravaganza. Until then, to read more about Ford’s 110-year racing history.
What do John Entwistle, Rutherford B. Hayes, Hugh Jackman and Hennessey Performance Engineering all have in common? Very little, we imagine, outside of celebrating October birthdays.
HPE is turning 20 this month, giving the Texas-based tuner the perfect excuse to build a celebratory . The company blog tells us the 20th Anniversary Edition HPE650 Camaro will be limited to 20 black over black examples, and yes, that “650″ in the model name is an indication of horsepower. The lofty number is achieved by fitting a supercharger, new heads, a new cam, headers, and intake and exhaust upgrades. HPE says their mods are good for 655 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, which is enough to push the Camaro to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds.
Other upgrades include custom wheels, front splitter and side skirts, embroidered headrests, and a coilover suspension system. Of course, floor mats and the obligatory numbered dash plaque are yours as well, so long as you’re willing to pay the $79,500 asking price for a coupe, or $84,500 for a convertible.
and have come under fire from the Made in the USA Foundation over certain advertisements. The foundation has filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission for misleading ads, claiming that both automakers have advertised vehicles as made in America that were actually imported from foreign countries.
The filing points out that Ford advertises the as an American car, when the vehicle is actually assembled in the automaker’s facility in Sonora, Mexico. The complaint goes on to say that the advertisement is misleading and gives consumers the wrong impression about the sedan’s origins.
Chrysler fared no better. The Made in the USA Foundation specifically took issue with the company’s new commercials for the . The spots carry the popular “Imported from Detroit” tagline, which the foundation says leads buyers to believe that the sedan is American built. In fact, the 300 is assembled in Ontario, Canada using an engine built in Mexico.
So far, there’s no word on how the FTC will proceed with the complaints, though we can imagine the automakers’ defense. While both vehicles may be assembled elsewhere, the bulk of their engineering took place right here in the States. Plus, both Mexico and Canada are indeed both in North America, just not the United States of America. for the Made in the USA Foundation press release.
For years, Detroit automakers would argue that the Japanese yen was artificially devalued, and that the value of the currency was a big competitive advantage to the likes of and . To erase this gap, The Detroit Three pressured suppliers to lower costs in any way possible, which caused ill-will within their supply bases. In fact, Japanese automakers routinely scored higher in supplier relation studies, while , and hovered at the bottom of the list.
One massive global recession and a fast-rising yen later, it appears that the shoe is on the other foot. Automotive News reports that Toyota has made it clear to its 219 largest domestic suppliers that costs must be cut or business will be lost to countries with cheaper labor.
Toyota reportedly loses $343 million in profit for every one yen the currency rises against the dollar. Given that the Japanese currency has risen by 13 versus the dollar over the past year, Toyota could be looking at a staggering $4.5 billion in losses. For perspective, that’s more than half of Toyota’s total research and development spending for any given year. Ouch.
And Toyota isn’t alone in looking for ways to combat the rising yen. Honda that it was going to build more vehicles outside of Japan. CEO Carlos Ghosn recently asked the Japanese government to adjust the issue of the rising yen, or risk losing a great deal of the country’s industrial base.
Given its currency conundrum, we can’t blame Toyota for looking for more cost-effective ways to build vehicles. But when GM, Ford and Chrysler were in the same predicament, corners were cut and many vehicles were less competitive than they could and should have been. As a result, The Detroit Three had to add heavy incentives just to move product and their reputations suffered. Here’s hoping history doesn’t repeat itself.
While has never enjoyed the same stellar reputation for quality as its Japanese compatriots at and , it has lately found itself in danger of acquiring the opposite rep. Nissan’s performance on influential J.D. Power quality and dependability studies has been below average lately, as many of its rivals have improved. Nissan will be launching a new quality plan in November, but Automotive News has the scoop today.
The most immediate change in Nissan’s quality approach is a shoot-the-messenger measure requiring dealers to present car buyers with a two-page quick-reference guide that’s part of 2012 owner manuals. The manual insert will seek to address some of the common threads that have cropped up in J.D. Power survey results. Nissan will also be addressing some of the most frequent customer complaints, like poor shift quality from its new seven-speed automatic transmissions used in products. Nissan tells AN that it is already upgrading the software in the transmissions.
While that’s a start, Nissan has a long way to go to hit its stated goal of having both Nissan and Infiniti brands in J.D. Power’s top three in their respective categories by 2016. Nissan ranked just 24th in the , and managed only 25th in the Vehicle Dependability Survey, according to AN.
Other issues that have bothered Nissan customers include difficulties with HVAC controls, confusing rear wiper controls, and using hands-free phone systems. Kazumasa Katoh, Senior Vice President of Global Quality, said that these kinds of customer complaints are the result of Nissan customers’ embrace of new technology, which can be complicated.
We’ve heard this line rather often, ever since saw its J.D. Power scores plummet almost a decade ago. Yet automakers seem to continue to struggle in designing in-car systems that are simple and intuitive. Earlier this year, Ford’s MyFord Touch system led Consumer Reports to from the and .
Automakers fared extremely well in Interbrands’ Best Global Brands 2011 Report. The study, which ranks the financial strength of all kinds of brands around the world, was topped by Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, Google and General Electric. Most automakers either held fast or moved up in the top 100, with the exception of , which fell from 91 to 99. Despite having a rough row to hoe these last two years, still leads the automaker pack on the list, sitting tight this year at number 11, after , followed closely at 12 by .
popped back on to the list this year, making a surprise comeback at 90 after a four-year absence. According to Interbrands, both Nissan and Toyota showed enough resilience in the face of both the earthquake and Toyota’s quality control issues that their brand value actually increased for 2011.
Funnily enough, was the only one of the Detroit automakers to make the list.
Others on the list included , which held fast at 15, , which jumped one place to 19, which climbed from 53 to 47, , which held fast at 50. and both moved up four places, into 59 and 61, respectively. held its footing at 72, while Nissan and brought up the rear. for a press release, click to see the whole list.
If numbers compiled by the Institute of Advanced Motorists are accurate, you better start a successful Internet business as a teenager in the UK if you want to afford your first year of driving. In the guise of the “average” 17-year-old male driving a 2007 (”57-plate” in UK parlance) Picanto economy car, the IAM discovered that a year behind the wheel would run a staggering £11,500 ($17,890 U.S.).
While every single fee but the price of the car was more expensive than those American teens encounter, the insurance premium stood like Everest above the others. Driving lessons were £1,128 ($1,755 U.S.), the driving test was £100 ($156 U.S.), the Picanto rang up at £3,000 ($4,667 U.S.), and road tax and MOT (Ministry of Transport) fees came out to £180 ($280 U.S.). Insurance for Mr. Teen for one year, though, required £7,091 ($12,292 U.S.). That’s a year of college – at a pretty good college. And we haven’t even got to the inevitable accidents, speed camera tickets and parking infractions.
Said an IAM executive, “When insurance premiums match university tuition fees, innovative thinking is needed.” Or perhaps a few years abroad: the average annual cost of insurance for a Ka MkII for a 17-to-20-year-old is a paltry £1,651 ($2,569) by comparison.
As expected, General Motors has just announced that the company’s global is, in fact, headed our way. The company says that the vehicle’s fuel efficiency, design and capability all make it ideal for American buyers, and that the excitement surrounding the truck’s earlier this month helped push the company to decide to bring it to the States. Unfortunately, GM isn’t saying where the truck will be built or what kind of drivetrain(s) it will offer when it arrives. We have our fingers crossed for the 2.8-liter turbo diesel Duramax four-cylinder engine with 356 pound-feet of torque.
Of course, we have a hard time believing that GM would be willing to sell a mid-sized truck with that kind of power given that the engine bests the torque figures provided by the base V8 currently available in the , but that won’t stop us from lighting a candle, as we
think the U.S. market is itching for a reliable diesel mid-sized truck.
When it arrives, the Colorado will face diminished small- and mid-size pickup competition now that is finally calling it quits with the and has the . for GM’s official press release.
has announced that the world’s most powerful production droptop* – the 2013 Chevrolet Convertible – will officially debut at the in November. Like its coupe kin, the ZL1 Convertible will pack 580 horsepower and 556 pound-feet of torque from its supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8, besting the Convertible’s power figures of 550 hp and 510 lb-ft.
Good thing is working on that for the next-generation GT500. The horsepower wars are anything but dead.
GM tells us that it has added a whole host of supports and reinforcements to the ZL1 Convertible’s body structure in an effort to reduce droptop demons like cowl shake. The improvements include things like a front X brace and rear V brace, a transmission support reinforcement brace, underbody tunnel brace and tower-to-tower brace under the hood.
The Camaro ZL1 coupe goes on sale in early 2012, and we’d expect the convertible to arrive shortly thereafter. We’ll have the full details in Los Angeles next month, but for now, for GM’s official release.
*Apparently cars like the don’t count in GM’s world.
Cobras, Tigers and… Ferrari’s? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the that took to the track at the , you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be. And it gets even more interesting as the value and historic significance of the cars increases.
For proof, we suggest you check out the two videos after the break to see vintage prototypes like the , various and a smattering of take to the track. Then, to top it all off, we have the ’60s sports car class, which includes such iconic masterpieces as the (in both hardtop and Daytona Coupe guises), models that include the famous GTO and the so-called Breadvan (a short-wheelbase 250 GT), plus a slew of machinery from and .
Did we mention these priceless classics are racing well-to-wheel in the pouring rain? Enough already, click to watch the slip-sliding action for yourself.
UPDATE:Sadly, the embedded videos are not playing, but we still hope you to take in the historic racing action.
Cobras, Tigers and… Ferrari’s? Oh my! If you happened to miss our post on the that took to the track at the , you may not realize just how amazing vintage racing can be. And it gets even more interesting as the value and historic significance of the cars increases.
For proof, we suggest you check out the two videos after the break to see vintage prototypes like the , various and a smattering of take to the track. Then, to top it all off, we have the ’60s sports car class, which includes such iconic masterpieces as the (in both hardtop and Daytona Coupe guises), models that include the famous GTO and the so-called Breadvan (a short-wheelbase 250 GT), plus a slew of machinery from and .
Did we mention these priceless classics are racing well-to-wheel in the pouring rain? Enough already, click to watch the slip-sliding action for yourself.
Spy photographers have managed to snap a fairly clear look at what the next iteration of the will bring to the table. If these photos are any indication, the crossover will wear a mild facelift that includes updates to the vehicle’s grille, fog lights and front fascia as well as new badging. Expect to see new brightwork surrounding both the grille and the vehicle’s headlights along with a restyled bumper cap. If that’s not pulse-quickening enough for you, it looks as if will also roll in a new fog-light design with a slimmer housing.
The rear of the vehicle will also receive a quick nip and tuck with a reworked bumper cap. We’re guessing the rear hatch area may see some attention as well given the heavy camouflage present on this particular test vehicle. Word has it Flex buyers will also get a shot at MyFord Touch for the first time when the vehicle makes its way to dealer lots. Stay tuned.
