2009 Mazda6 s Grand Touring – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Flat Rock, MI plant that and currently share is the only facility in the U.S. where the Japanese automaker currently builds vehicles. But sales of the were down to 45,000 units in 2010, and, combined with production, the facility is only able to run one shift. That’s just not profitable.
Automotive News reports that the Japanese automaker is weighing it’s options at the facility. Those choices could include overhauling the facility to produce a greater variety of models, handing over the facility to Ford or something a bit darker. AN reports that, when asked whether the plant could be closed, Mazda CFO Kiyoshi Ozaki replied, “Never say never.”
Complicating the issue is the fact that Mazda already exports 80 percent of all vehicles from Japan. That’s a problem since the Yen has risen to a 15-year high, which could make profits difficult to come by. In fact, Mazda lost $32.5 million in the last quarter of 2010.
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Kevin Hart’s 2011 Ford Explorer commercial – Click above to watch
Company: Ford Motor Co.
Brand:
Medium: TV
Ad Agency: The UniWorld Group,
Product:
Campaign: “Crazy Kevin.”
What We Like: Humor often works better than painful earnestness to spotlight certain vehicle features in a typical SUV. Kevin Hart has a certain poor man’s Chris Rock likability. The ad has a story, with a beginning and an end instead of a prattle of feature benefits.
What We Don’t Like: Not much except the ad could be funnier to really take advantage of Hart’s talents. The jokes aren’t quite sharp enough. There was probably funnier stuff that came out of working with him, and that may have been left on rejected storyboard. Ford has a habit of smoothing out what might have been an edgy idea creative because it’s too afraid of being risky with ad content.
Strategy: Ford wants to capitalize on Kevin Hart’s brand of humor, which typically centers on his life as a husband and father. The ads will extend into TV, radio, print and digital. Each ad is meant to play up some aspect of the redesigned 2011 Explorer, such as its “Terrain Management System” (TMS) and inflatable rear seatbelts. The kickoff features Hart showing up shockingly late for his brother’s wedding in a . As he speeds into the wedding he creates a disturbance where the Explorer steals the spotlight from the bride and groom. During the ad, Hart highlights TMS and how he traveled through sand and mud to arrive at the wedding. He also shows off Explorer’s seven-passenger seating capacity by packing the entire rear of the vehicle with wedding gifts – all while cheering on the “crazy” factor of the SUV.
2011 Chevrolet Cruze – Click above for high-res image gallery
Both and have something to brag about at the 2011 Canadian International Auto Show. The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada named the the Canadian Car of the Year; the took Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year honors. According to General Motors, AJAC members cited the compact sedan’s efficiency, refinement, and price as the key factors, and that added bonuses like 10 standard air bags helped seal the award for the Cruze.
The 2011 Ford Edge crossover, won over journos with its extensive redesign and came out ahead following both road and track tests. Additionally, the Edge’s onboard technology features helped drive home the win. for both press releases.
We headed to the Fujitrans warehouse in Carson, California to watch the ultra expensive and exclusive Lexus LFA star in its own kabuki performance. Minus the make-up.
Rumor has it that these super Jaguar XKR prototypes could be named the XK-E in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaguar’s legendary E-Type. Just try to look past all the swirlies…
Mastretta MXT – Click above for high-res image gallery
Mexican sportscar manufacturer Mastretta is making the best of a bad situation. The company is attempting to capitalize on the furor over that the presenters of Top Gear made about the automaker and Mexico in general. According to Drive.com, since the incident, traffic to the company’s website has skyrocketed, and more importantly, orders for the Mastretta MXT have leapt as well. According to Carlos Mastretta, the company’s general manager, the manufacturer now has orders from countries in Europe as well as Brazil and Chile. Mastretta has recently begun to receive inquiries from the States, as well.
The jump in attention is thanks solely to the dust up over the Top Gear comments. According to Drive.com, the MXT was a relative unknown – even in its home country. While Mastretta is a well-known manufacturer of public-transportation vehicles, few knew that the company is also responsible for this new sportscar before hearing about the confrontation between the BBC and Mexico’s ambassador to the UK.
The Mastretta MXT is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four-cylinder engine with around 250 horsepower, and the company says that the vehicle should be good for 0-60 mph dashes in the high four-second range thanks to its lightweight design.
Polish Mustang gathering – Click above to watch video
It’s easy to dismiss the muscle-car phenomenon as a fluke of American excess. With our miles of open freeway and sinfully cheap gasoline, the inexpensive, high-horsepower V8 machine was a creation that could have only come from our neck of the woods. But that doesn’t meant the rest of the world doesn’t appreciate of our contribution to automotive history. Just look at the thriving community in Poland.
That’s right, Poland.
A devoted group of pony car lovers recently got together for a little meet up and happened to cook up one of the best fan videos we’ve ever laid eyes on. There are plenty of special-edition Mustangs in the mix, including at least one Bullitt, a Shelby GT500 and even a P-51 Edition. But these horses aren’t all standing around in a parking lot somewhere. Oh, no. Instead, the owners set to sending their rear tires spinning in the best way possible, and there’s plenty of high-definition tire smoke to go around. to check the flick for yourself. Hat tips to Brent and Mateusz!
[Source: ]
owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie
Chevrolet MyLink – Click above for high-res image gallery
is finally bringing the smartphone battle to with the introduction of MyLink, an integrated infotainment system that connects to your smartphone and allows you to access apps through either the steering wheel controls or the console-mounted touchscreen.
The wraps officially came off at tonight’s and boasts similar functionality to and recently revealed system. MyLink connects your Android or Blackberry device over Bluetooth, allowing you to wirelessly access apps. And if you’re partial to Apple’s iOS devices – namely the iPhone or iPod Touch – you get the same functionality, but can only be controlled by plugging it in via USB.
At launch, MyLink is only compatible with and radio, with other apps due to be released later this year. The and will be the first two models to come equipped with the new system, and in addition to voice-control functionality courtesy of , both models will be available with , so you don’t have to worry about your Bluetooth-tethered phone running out of juice. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but expect MyLink to be available within the next few months. for the official release and get more details at our tech-obesessed sibling site .
Motor Trend tests three sub-$100,000 supercars – Click above to watch video
Motor Trend is on a quest to determine the best budget supercar. , and stepped up to the challenge with the , and . Total cost of the vehicles used in this 1,585-horsepower shootout? $244,290… or $37,040 less than the . Perspective, folks.
This comparision is not about high-dollar exotics, however, because M/T is looking for the best sub-$100,000 performer. The 2012 Nissan GT-R develops 530 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6. The American muscle machines perfer V8 power with the supercharged 5.4-liter GT500 producing 550 horses and the 7.0-liter Z06 pumping out 505.
The Shelby GT500 certainly represents the best bang-for-your-buck due to its $55,330 as-tested price tag. Yet both the Z06 ($98,010 as-tested) and GT-R ($90,950) offer equally appealing performance at a relative bargain.
Motor Trend took all three super coupes to the drag strip and the Streets of Willow road course. The winning car is not much of a surprise (hint: it’s not American) but the resulting videos are still fun to watch. for clips of the drag race and the road course testing, then head over to Motor Trend to read about the test.
, but the well-heeled readers of the Robb Report have a considerably different set of priorities when it comes to picking the best of the best. That’s why the luxury magazine has decided to name the Ferrari 458 Italia as its Car of the Year.
The 458 scores high marks for its exterior design, interior materials and overall performance, and the Prancing Horse beat out thirteen other vehicles for the award. Says the magazine:
The stunning Italian sports car topped (in order of finish) the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG, Bentley Mulsanne, Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, Audi A8L, Aston Martin Rapide, BMW Alpina B7, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Jaguar XJ Supersport, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, and Lotus Evora.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has come under fire for failing to condemn efforts by the state’s Sons of Confederate Veterans to institute a license plate commemorating Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Historically, Forrest has been both hailed for his military brilliance and condemned for his brutality both during and after the Civil War. The general infamously slaughtered black Union troops that surrendered at Fort Pillow Tennessee in 1864 and became a Grand Wizard in the KKK after the war ended.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans, meanwhile, say that the license plate is meant to commemorate those who lost their lives in the war and that a number of black soldiers served under the general during his command.
Those words apparently aren’t doing much to console members of the NAACP, however, who argue that Forrest should be counted among terrorists like Osama bin Laden for his heavy involvement in the KKK.
Mississippi currently offers a license plate to commemorate the Civil War, and funds from those plates go toward maintaining the state’s collection of Confederate battle flags and restoring Beauvoir – the final home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. The current plate features the estate, while future designs include everything from the Battle of Corinth to the Siege of Vicksburg. The Forrest commemorative license plate is slated to debut in 2014.
Governor Barbour, meanwhile, says that he isn’t interest in denouncing people or the license plate proposal, even though he feels there’s little chance of the plate making its way into production.
If you can afford their monthly payments, the latest minivans to hit the market will likely suit your needs just fine. But what if you want something small, efficient and, perhaps most important, inexpensive?
Our crack team of camera-wielding warriors managed to lay their lenses on the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 while the vehicle was undergoing extreme weather testing near the Arctic Circle.
Ouch! Good thing the driver was wearing a helmet, because this does not look like a minor collision. Epic. Fail.
Also of interest:
beats Nissan, Ford proposals among New Yorkers [w/video]
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There’s some big news buzzing around the at the moment. We’ve known for a good while now that is planning to to convert any pickup into the desert raiding beast seen above, but according to PickupTrucks.com, the company’s engineers have managed to pull a few stunts to make the vehicle completely street legal.
The biggest hangup was that the conversion kit widens the vehicle’s track from 68.2 inches up front and 67.5 inches out back to 77.5 and 74.5 inches respectively. In order to make everything right as rain with Jonny Law, Chrysler had to throw in a couple of illuminated fender markers in the name of safety.
That’s great news and all, but there’s more. It turns out Chrysler is mulling the notion of selling the Ram Runner as a turn-key vehicle instead of as a pile of parts available from your local dealer. If the automaker decides to go that route, you can expect the company to turn to an outside builder to convert standard Ram 1500 models into a full-blooded fighter.
Gallery:
Gallery:
Live photos copyright (C)2010 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL
Hold onto your hubcaps. One very devoted enthusiast in the UK has set about reenacting one of the most famous car chases in the history of internal combustion – the versus battle in Bullitt – with a bit of a twist. Instead of taking to the streets of San Francisco, artist Emigre has decided to film the whole thing in stop-motion on a 1/32 scale slot car track, complete with a handmade San Francisco background to match. There’s an obscene attention to detail in everything from the sidewalks to the cars themselves and the audio from the chase lines up nicely with what’s been created so far.
The finished product is set to debut later this year, but for now, Emigre has been so kind as to show off a quick teaser for the flick. There are burnouts, the rumble and bark of two meaty V8s and two very stern-looking bad guys just waiting to give Frank Bullitt a run for his money. to check out the clip for yourself.
Karsan V1 New York City Taxi – Click above for high-res image gallery
The people of New York City have spoken, and they’ve found the taxi designs from both Ford and lacking. You may remember that the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission recently set about polling residents on which of a handful of taxi designs they preferred for the future of transportation in the city. Automakers from around the world submitted their designs for a cab that was safe, offered a small environmental impact, complied with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements and was physically smaller than the tried-and-true . Well, the votes are officially in, and a cab from the Turkish company Karsan is the winner.
Around 66 percent of respondents either liked or loved the design of the Karsan V1, and that was enough to seal the vehicle’s fate as the people’s choice for the Taxi of Tomorrow. The V1 boasts a number of appealing unique features, including a panoramic glass roof and wheelchair ramps on both sides of the vehicle for easy access. It’s also a hybrid, which means that cabbies can expect to save fuel in the future if the commission picks the V1 as the city’s new cab, and it is easily adaptable to other fuel sources as needed, including diesel, natural gas or fully electric.
The city is likely to take the results of the survey into consideration as it makes a final decision later this year, though popularity with the public provides no guarantees that NYC cabbies will soon be talking Turkey. Check out a video detailing the finer points of the Karsan V1 New York City taxi concept .
Ford MustangNASCAR Nationwide Race Car – Click above for high-res image gallery
Forget the , is making a move to bring the to Nascar’s Sprint Cup Series. Ford has informed NASCAR decisionmakers that it wishes to begin racing the Mustang in the highest level of left-turning motorsports.
Replacing the is a process that could take all year, and Ford is required to show that the Mustang is a competitive equal to the cars it will race against. The reason behind the move is that Ford wants to show fans they can buy a car right off the showroom floor that mimics the one they watch every weekend on TV.
As fans of the roundy round are already aware, the Blue Oval already races a Mustang stock car in NASCAR – in the Nationwide Series. The pony car shown above made its during the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona International Speedway.
We understand you can’t purchase the same exact Mustang that will be hunting down rival racers around the county. In fact, we already know that you won’t be able to purchase anything like a Sprint Cup Mustang for street use. But Ford knows that millions of people tune-in and show up to support their favorite drivers and brands. At least on some level, adding the Mustang to the mix makes more sense since the production car provides real driving thrills for its owners. Besides, unlike the Fusion, it’s actually available in a coupe bodystyle like those used in NASCAR.
Now… if we can get to bring in the and to show up with the , we could be on the cusp of something special. Thanks for the tip, JR!
Mazda’s Pint-sized Minivan Gets Better, Not Bigger
2012 Mazda5 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Way back in 1983, shocked the world with the introduction of the Caravan and Plymouth Voyager. The upstart family haulers took the auto industry by storm, driving a stake through the heart of station wagon sales while setting the table for Chrysler to own the minivan segment for decades to come. But that segment has evolved in the last several years, leading to a redefinition of family transportation.
First and foremost, the minivan has gone through an HGH-fueled growth spurt, adding a host of whiz-bang features like a second sliding door and ridiculously handy storage options along the way. The other big development has been a rising tide of SUVs and crossovers, which focused consumers’ attention away from minivans to the point where many automakers don’t even offer one anymore. But as America’s suddenly all-new or heavily refreshed batch of minivans illustrate (see: , and ), many automakers have responded by evolving the mundane van into the automotive equivalent of a family spa day. These new vans contain near-luxury levels of comfort and convenience, and it’s not at all uncommon for them to crest $40,000 or more.
If you can afford their monthly payments, the latest minivans to hit the market will likely suit your needs just fine. But what if you want something small, efficient and, perhaps most important, inexpensive? Something more like the original Caravan? Right now, there is only one choice on the market: the . While the rest of the auto industry zigged with larger and more opulent choices, the Zoom-Zoom automaker zagged with a minivan that’s nearly the size of the original Caravan, and with a price tag starting under $20,000. We took the reins of a nicely equipped 2012 Mazda5 Touring to see if Mazda’s nifty little van has the chops to take on the big boys.
Joey and Chandie Lawrence help you pick out a new car – Click above to watch the video
Shopping for a new car (or truck, for that matter) in a crowded segment can be a bewildering task, especially when you’re talking about mid-size SUVs and crossovers. There’s a plethora positioned under the 30-grand mark, and most of them have comparable features and specs. So which one to choose?
Our friends over at Cars.com recently assembled a selection of nine such vehicles – the , , , , , , , , and – and pitted them against each other. Now you may be thinking, Really? A Journey against a Sportage? What gives?
True, they’re vastly different vehicles, but Cars.com arrived at its selections through a different kind of methodology. They checked with J.D. Power & Associates to find a median price – $29k – and then let the automakers choose which of their products to field in the test. Then they assembled a panel of testers, including members of their own editorial staff, plus Chris Woodyard of USA Today, Brian Robinson from MotorWeek and – wait for it – Joey Lawrence. Yes, he of Blossom and Melissa & Joey fame. Whoa!
So what did the B-list celeb (along with his wife Chandie and two daughters) and his auto-journo fellow jurists select? Hit the source link to find out, but we’ll give you a hint: we listed them above by score from 1st to 9th. Bonus: for a video featuring Joey and Chandie.
may have given up on the here in the United States, but it looks like has big plans for the mid-size pickup market. According to PickupTrucks.com, The General is currently hard at work on the next-generation of both the and the . The current generation Colorado/Canyon is slated to end production by mid-2012, and from what we hear, GM is likely to base the next-gen pickup on the GMI 700 body-on-frame global small truck platform. Those bones are set to get an unveil at this year’s Thailand International Motor Show in Bangkok.
PickupTrucks.com reports that GM had originally planned to dead-end Colorado and Canyon production altogether after this generation, but those plans seem to have changed. Even so, it looks like it’ll be at least two and a half years before the newest versions of the General Motors mid-size pickup shows up, which means there may be a bit of a gap in production between the time the old line dies and the new one gets up and running.
MyFord Touch – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Blue Oval’s is a powerful bit of kit, so it’s perhaps understandable that there’s proving to be a fairly substantial learning curve attached to it.
Thus, it’s no surprise that salespeople are . But as the old sales chestnut says, time is money, so Ford will reportedly compensate its sales force by providing $75 for every vehicle sold with the MyFord Touch system. This also applies to models sold with the MyLincoln Touch system. In addition to the $75 MyFord Touch bounty, Ford is also providing $50 for any vehicle sold with Sync. The move by Dearborn is to assure that sales people take the necessary time to teach buyers how to master the system, and thus avoid disgruntled owners.
Despite the , Ford is forging full steam ahead with its MyFord Touch system. By 2015, the automaker plans to make it available on 80 percent of its lineup.
