2010 ChevroletCorvette Grand Sport Convertible – Click above for high-res image gallery
Even though it was just named the not even a month ago, a story from WLNS speculates that production could move from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Lansing, Michigan. The UAW president and economist who brought it up apparently didn’t suggest that it would happen, they were really just throwing out possibilities to the WLNS reporter.
General Motors’ Corvette rep David Caldwell, though, has doused any idea of this happening. When Autoblog asked him about the story, Caldwell told us that there had been a roundtable about what the Lansing Grand River plant might produce, and various cars were mentioned, including the Corvette. However, as Caldwell notes, “Corvettes are born in Bowling Green,” and “nothing going on in the foreseeable future changes that long-time fact.”
In other words, all of you in the Bluegrass State can relax now.
Gallery:
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid, Max Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
2011BMW M3 Frozen Gray Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery
If you were one of the 30 Bimmerphiles to snag a last month, expect to fill out another round of paperwork before you take delivery of your new matte gray baby.
is apparently requiring all owners to sign a “maintenance agreement” that insists the is never polished or waxed, ran through an automatic car wash or even strongly rubbed. Additionally, BMW politely asks that you immediately remove bugs, bird droppings, tree sap and fuel spills with a soft sponge, and naturally, dealers are more than willing to sell you appropriate products for maintaining the matte finish.
According to enthusiast site Bimmerfest, BMW explicitly states the M3’s warranty won’t cover any damage due to owner neglect and it notes that all exterior repairs must be performed by a BMW-authorized shop. What’s more, if you don’t sign the agreement, no Frozen Grey M3 for you. That’s a lot of disclaimers. All of which could be easily solved for less if you simply went down to your local custom vinyl shop and wrapped your (decidedly less expensive) standard M3 in a 3M coating. But how do you put a price on exclusivity?
Ralph Gilles reports that the halls of are abuzz with enthusiasm since Fiat rescued . In an interview with The Detroit News, Gilles conveys his enthusiasm for the Dodge brand and the new direction it’s headed. Among the most significant changes? 100,000-plus fans on Facebook for Dodge. To many, that figure may be nowhere near as important as the divorcing of Ram into its own sub-brand, but Gilles notes there was virtually no social media presence for Dodge just months ago. Brash moves like the during the World Cup are also harbingers of what we’re likely to see from Dodge, Gilles says.
Nuts-and-bolts developments like the horsepower rating of the in the new , the name and the possibility of a new Viper find Gilles being more coy. It’s an encouraging chat for anyone concerned with the future of Dodge. Gilles seems genuinely enthusiastic about the different directions Dodge is going to get its brand engaging with fans and customers. There’s an apparel line that’s done surprisngly well, , more grassroots focus and it all means that you should expect to see Dodge popping up in unexpected places. The most important, and perhaps still unexpected place you’ll see Dodge showing up soon is the auto show stand. Dodge and parent Chrysler are set to introduce a slew of new models in the coming months. If they’re as good as they need to be, we’ll be giddy like Gilles, too.
Would a by any other name smell as sweet, if the name were K3 and those judging the smell were American buyers? That’s the question Kia executive are mulling as they decide whether to switch to alphanumeric model designations in the U.S. Some of the company’s cars that go by names in other markets wear letter-number identifiers in South Korea, such as the Optima, known in South Korea as the K5. Others, such as the Soul and Sportage, retain their proper names in South Korea.
According to Automotive News, Kia’s vice chairman, Chung Eui-sun, believes that alphanumeric names can strengthen a brand as long as buyers don’t get confused, but he also notes that Americans may prefer proper names. Kia would probably do well to study Acura’s long road from “Legend” and “Integra” to its current system, and Infiniti’s period of trial-and-error with its alphanumeric concoctions.
From where we sit, we think that Kia should think long and hard about the equity continuing to build in solid offerings like its and new , and if they’re going to go alphanumeric, they ought to do it sooner rather than later to avoid adding to the confusion. If it were us, we’d leave well enough alone – the automotive landscape is rapidly devolving into an alphanumeric soup and we’re not in favor of another automaker reaching into the Scrabble tilebag. How about you? Have your say in ‘Comments.’
Bentley Dynamo Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
Skeptics, naysayers and pessimists, you can go ahead and skip this post. It’s not for you. The rest of you out there, let’s take a moment to imagine a world in which had remained as dedicated to its quest for speed as it was in the late ’20s. What would have happened if the company now known more for how many hides it can cram into a cabin than its -besting racers had stuck to creating truly innovative automobiles? What if Bentley suddenly decided its heritage was worth more than a badge on the hood and some fancy luggage?
Chances are, the luxury coupe world would be a much more interesting place, populated by the likes of the Bentley Dynamo Concept. Marc Senger decided to sketch out what a modern interpretation of the automaker’s infamous would look like. We’ve got to say, we’re completely smitten. The car hits plenty of the right notes – open wheel, massive 4.3-liter blown four-cylinder engine and Continental GT haunches just for good measure. What’s not to love? The concept even uses a double-hinged hood. You can check out the rest of Senger’s work on his .
The ain’t what it used to be. The organized labor outfit has seen membership fall off over the past ten years, and as a result, it’s cutting staff at both its domestic and international headquarters. Last year’s membership figures were pegged at a little more than 355,000 workers – down from over 700,000 in 2000, and a fraction of the 1.5 million members the boasted in the mid ’70s. To cope with the resultant dip in cash flow, the union has nixed around 130 positions overseas and slimmed its workforce in the U.S. to 325, according to The Detroit Free Press. The Union also closed a handful of small regional offices to help conserve cash.
The majority of the workers were sent on their way via early retirement incentives, according to , UAW president. Gettelfinger is the union’s outgoing leader, and was instrumental in paving the way for some of the concessions that have allowed for unionized plants to be more competitive with their non-unionized counterparts. Still, The Detroit Free Pressnotes that a mere seven percent of all American workers are unionized, and that some UAW delegates are pushing for the repeal of those concessions.
If you thought was going to cool its jets after rolling out the , you’ve got another thing coming. A quick hit of information has crept out of a sales managers’ meeting that says we can expect a rash new models to head our way soon. Supposedly, Stuttgart is eying the creation of a new Speedster with a $200,000 price tag and a 408 horsepower mill at the tail end. If true, the car will sport widebody sheetmetal and come equipped with the PDK and two-wheel drive.
There’s more. Early 2011 just might bring the to the US. Buyers will have the option of equipping the car with carbon fiber fenders, but that will likely add to its $245,000 base price.
If that’s a little too rich for your blood, you can always opt for a widebody version of the Carrera called the GTS. With center-lug wheels, a sport exhaust and 408 horsepower, the coupe will set you back a still heady $103,100. Porsche also supposedly mulling a with the same sort of treatment given to the Boxster Spyder – less weight, more power – for around $65,300.
And what of the mighty ? According to the post, dealers haven’t heard word either way, but they expect a final answer by the time Pebble Beach rolls around later this summer. We’ve asked Porsche to verify the above claims, but have yet to hear back, so stay tuned.
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Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
It’s been far too long since ’s products have been imbued with anything short of clinical, appliance-like precision. Handling prowess and communicative steering has taken a back seat to ruthless efficiency, especially true when you turn to the company’s eco-friendly vehicles such as the , where the . Toyota chief executive officer Akio Toyoda doesn’t believe this is a viable path to the future, and has ordered company engineers to spice up the brand’s products.
Before the Pedalgate debacle, Toyoda gave several speeches where he constantly talks about “seasoning” the company’s lineup of bland vehicles and points out that future products will be “fun to drive.” Toyoda notes that the company’s hybrid sports car concept, a , is exactly the type of thing to expect from Toyota in the near future. As Toyoda said of the MR2 hybrid concept, “I wanted a car that shows what we are aiming for, something affordable, fun to drive and good for the environment.” Making eco-friendly cars is something that’s apparently quite easy for Toyota, but upping the enjoyability quotient from behind a Toyota steering wheel still presents a challenge. Still, we’re definitely looking forward to the time when the combination of “fun-to-drive” and “Toyota” are no longer diverging concepts.
Honda Civic: A History in Pictures – click above for a high-res image gallery
Vice President John Mendel recently admitted to AutoWeek that the next-generation Civic will be from the Fall of 2010 to sometime in 2011. Mendel said in the interview that the Civic was delayed because of tightening emissions standards and he also noted that changing market conditions were partly to blame. AW also notes that the Civic’s design was changed along the way, as Honda’s second biggest selling model was originally scheduled to be larger for 2011. Happens all the time, right? Well, not to Honda it doesn’t.
Michelle Krebs over at Edmunds Auto Observer has taken a deep-dive look at the broader implications of the Civic redesign, and came up with some very interesting points. For starters, Krebs speculates that the next Civic was delayed in part because it wasn’t competitive compared to the new, vastly improved competition from companies like , and . While some analysts feel that the Honda redesign shows that the Japanese automaker is willing to swallow some humble pie and get things right, Krebs counters that going back to the drawing board shows that Honda has lost its touch with the car-buying public. Further support for her theory centers around the lackluster greeting for the by both consumers and pundits, Acura’s polarizing styling language and the love/hate and its . Analyst John Wolkonowicz of Global Insight appears to agree with Krebs, saying that Honda is living off of its reputation from the 1980s and 1990s.
Where do we stand on the Honda Civic design pushback? We’re thinking that as long as the Civic continues to sell in big numbers with relatively small incentives, Honda is smart to head back to the drawing board, especially as it is still selling strongly five years into its lifecycle. However, we’ve been worried that Honda has been losing its engineering-led focus for a while now, so we’ll be looking to the next-gen Civic for some level of redemption.
Be sure to take our poll and check out our high-res gallery of Honda Civic history before heading over to the for some very interesting analysis.
Last week, we heard rumors that had finally decided to produce the but no official announcement came from General Motors headquarters.
This morning as U.S. media gathered to drive the Regal in California, the GS officially became a reality. And while our man Michael Harley is on the launch, we also just received an email from Dayna Hart in GM communications proclaiming:
“At wave 1 of our drive program for Regal we just confirmed that the Regal GS will be added to the Buick portfolio. We are not providing any additional details at this point.”
As the quote notes, Buick isn’t sharing any other details about the GS such as timing, or what engine will be in the car. We’re expecting that Buick will stick with the 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected Ecotec inline-four that was listed on the spec sheet for the shown at the Detroit Auto Show last January. However, now that has announced the with 276 horsepower, we’re expecting that Buick will try to ensure that the Regal GS will have more than the 255 hp announced back in January.
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Live photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
Along with eight-cylinder engines and manual transmissions, six-cylinder motors appear to be on the outs, relatively speaking. In the first quarter of this year, USA Todaynotes that four-cylinder lumps made up 46.5 percent of new car sales, almost a five percent jump over the same period last year.
This movement to fewer cylinders is likely to continue, as more and more mainstream models like the , and are only being offered with four-cylinder powerplants. That’s partially because modern technologies, including direct injection and forced induction, have closed the power deficit, and partly because automakers’ need to raise their CAFE figures and play to growing consumer appetites for better fuel economy.
The trend has caused J.D. Power to raise its four-cylinder sales prediction for 2012 from 48 percent to 51 percent. If that ends up being the case, that will leave 35 percent for six-cylinder cars, and just 17 percent for V8s.
2010 Chrysler 300C SRT8 – Click above for high-res image gallery
If the economic downfall of 2008 had happened just a few years earlier, the probably wouldn’t exist. Think about it: when the nation was on the verge of $4.00/gallon gasoline and people were doing everything possible to get out of their fuel-sucking SUVs and into smaller, more efficient vehicles, a 425-horsepower flagship sedan with a free-breathing 6.1-liter Hemi V8 doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But then again, did it ever?
The 300C SRT8 is the product of a pre-castrated . This was a time of -powered , Hemi-powered and SRT-badged Neons. “You want it, you got it.” Chrysler wanted the 300C SRT8 to start a new trend of muscle sedans – a land where quarter-mile times reigned supreme, and booming exhaust notes were all that mattered. This trend never really caught on (save the , which has been honed to be one hell of a machine), and at the end of the day, Chrysler was left with a big, heavy, powerful sedan that didn’t offer much in the way of refinement and carried a near-$50,000 price tag.
But despite its flaws – and there are quite a few – we still think of the 300C SRT8 as a guilty pleasure. It has all the ingredients of an American muscle car wrapped in a four-door, luxury(ish) package. We’d probably never buy one or recommend buying a new one to a friend, but if we’re totally honest, there’s still something about the SRT8 that gets us all giddy when one comes through the Autoblog Garage. Make the jump to find out why.
Gallery:
Photos by Steven J. Ewing / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
: 2010 Chrysler 300C SRT8 remains a guilty pleasure
The free press? It ain’t so free. It’s no secret that most publications face rising costs and declining revenues, both of which combine to create bottom lines that would shiver even cash-strapped timbers. So it should come as no real surprise that Consumers Digest makes manufacturers pay for licensing associated with the publication’s illustrious “Best Buy” awards. But that hasn’t stopped the from drawing a correlation between the number of nods the magazine hands out and how much cash the winners spend on licensing and advertising.
Here’s how it works: Consumers Digest hires freelance auto writers to review vehicles each year. Those vehicles are supplied by manufacturers through short-term loan agreements. Once all of the reviews are in, the editors choose which vehicles are deserving of a “Best Buy” award and which aren’t. Once the awards are announced, manufacturers typically want to toot their own horn and brag in advertising. Thing is, Consumers Digest won’t allow the carmakers to use their name without paying the piper first. In this case, that means handing over $35,000 for the mention of a first-place win.
Consumers Digest isn’t the only publication handing out awards that operates with this business model, but the Wall Street Journal compares the practice to – a squeaky-clean institution that buys every car it tests from dealerships and refuses to allow manufactures to cite its awards. It’s not exactly an apples to apples job.
Even so, the article notes that the number of “Best Buy” awards handed to increased by 17 percent compared to last year, and that Consumers Digest recommended around half of the vehicles it tested even in the midst of a wave of recalls from the company.
The Wall Street Journal piece does do a fine job of underscoring the fact that everything you read is best taken with a healthy helping of skepticism. Any publication that ranks products walks a fine line between credibility and keeping the lights on. Consumers would do well to remember that.
Imagine this: You’re in a public restroom, tidying up in front of the mirror, and you notice a message (written in red lipstick, of course) that says, “I’ll make your heart pound,” or, “My body is absolutely stunning.” You’d want to learn more, right? of Canada is hoping that men between the ages of 25 and 45 will agree, as the automaker will be launching a new ad campaign for the using AddMirror technology that will display these risqué messages in public restroom mirrors across the country.
So, how does it work? As a patron approaches the mirror, motion detectors sense the person’s movement and displays a sequence of messages urging readers to send text messages for photos of the subject leaving the flirtatious notes. When BMW receives the text, a link is sent back, leading readers to a landing page with downloadable beauty shots of the 3 Series Coupe, under the headline, “We were made for each other.” Ooh la la!
The marketing campaign runs until May 16th in different venues throughout Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. For the full listing, BMW’s press release is available after the jump, as is a video that shows the AddMirror technology at work.
Midsize sedans don’t have it easy anymore. In addition to packing tons of features (technology, safety, comfort) into a relatively affordable package, these vehicles have to be relatively good to drive, functional and not too bad on the eyes. We’ve seen all sorts of family sedan comparisons, and now Cars.com dishes up its own eight-car test, featuring the , , Chevrolet Malibu, , , , and .
The eight sedans were not only tested by members of the Cars.com team, but by an actual family of four in an attempt to see what real-world drivers look for the most in these sedans. The family, comprised Ben and Jill Tiernan of Los Angeles, as well as their two children, an infant and a toddler. The family drove the cars on highways and city roads, and took their time poking and prodding through the cabins of each tester. Ben and Jill’s notes were compiled and included in the end result data, with father Ben liking the Kizashi the best, while wife Jill raised her hand for the Camry.
What’s more, the overall question of fuel economy was put into greater focus. Efficiency is one of the strongest selling points in this segment, and it’s no secret that automakers tout the highway mileage numbers of these cars in an effort to attract buyers. Cars.com went a step above – not only noting the EPA estimated fuel economy, but recording what the cars’ trip computers displayed, as well as calculating the actual at-the-pump fuel economy. The Hyundai Sonata’s 35 mpg might be the highest number on the monroney labels, but in the actual calculations, the Ford Fusion’s 32.1 observed mpg trumps the recorded 27.8 mpg in the Sonata.
What’s most interesting, though, are the end results. We won’t spoil the final findings, but it’s important to note that the Ford Fusion – a car which has garnered a ton of praise (, etc.) – came in dead last amongst the group, with the Chevrolet Malibu not falling very far behind. On top of that, Toyota’s Camry is usually the top pick in these tests ( would agree), but it doesn’t take first place honors here. How does the well-received Honda Accord fare in all of this? What about newcomers Sonata and Kizashi? for yourself at Cars.com.
You can’t sell everything on . Case in point: The auction site has a pretty stiff policy against the selling of what it calls “murderabillia” or anything “closely associated with notorious murders within the last 100 years.” We can debate whether euthanasia qualifies constitutes actual murder, but regardless, Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s 1968 Van evidently falls into that category on eBay, as it was the site of several of the infamous doctor’s reported 130 assisted suicides throughout the years.
As for the van, The Detroit Newsnotes that Kevorkian gave it up to be back in 1997. Somehow, the VW escaped its fate and wound up in the hands of Jack Finn, a retired Volkswagen parts dealer. Finn says the vehicle may run and stop, but it isn’t safe to drive on public roads and is in need of a full restoration.
Since eBay Motors gave the boot, Kruse Auctions has agreed to sell the vehicle at its May 14-16 event.
Kevorkian was convicted of second degree murder in 1999 and subsequently served eight years in prison. He has recently become the focus of attention once again thanks to the new You Don’t Know Jack movie staring Al Pacino.
If has his way, he’ll never be behind the controls of the Ford Motor Company ever again. It’s not that the former CEO loathes the idea of holding the reigns to one of the biggest car manufacturers on the planet, notesAutomotive News, it’s just that he’d rather spend his time focusing on the company’s future than dealing with day-to-to-day concerns.
So who’s going to take the tiller when current head-honcho steps out for good? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, though Ford believes that the company now has a strong enough management structure to pull a candidate from within. Mulally, who’s currently 64 years-old, took over as CEO back in 2006, and there has been some speculation as to how long the man will stay in charge.
One thing’s for sure though, odds are whoever jumps in the saddle at the Blue Oval after Mulally likely won’t be of the Ford bloodline.
The Yugofone and other interesting creations – Click above for image gallery
Remember Jason Vuic’s book about the ? Apparently, the inspiration for it came from the fact that an artist was able to buy 39 Yugos for $92 each. Those Yugos were given to students at The School of Visual Arts in New York and they were told to make something useful out of them.
And that’s how you get the Yugo accordion from the book, the Yogofone (pictured above), and a Yugo grand piano with a plate reading “89 KEYS.” This Yugobilia was displayed in New York’s Grand Central Station and on a U.S. tour – probably the best things to happen to any Yugo anywhere. Ever.
BMW probably doesn’t need to be worried about its art car franchise just yet, but the Bavarians might take some notes, just to be safe. Check out a few of the pieces in the gallery below, or click the link to check out another two dozen works of Yugo art.
Saab 92010 Sixten concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
It’s good to see that not only has the “Save “bandwagon not hung out a “Mission Accomplished” banner and gone home, they’re still working hard to give new owner Spyker ideas for what Saab should be. There’s even a on Facebook trying to get the company to jump into the economy-sized car market. We have no idea, though, how feels about all this.
Added to the list of contributions is this, the 92010 Sixten concept by Eduard Gray, a modern take on designed by Sixten Sason. It’s a rather attractive three-door, four-seat compact hatchback that updates the 92’s ‘teardrop’ form. Gray argues that his creation could use a hybrid drivetrain and give Saab flavor to the buffet of little premium cars on the way. We wonder if Victor Muller will be setting it next to the sketch of the possible new 9-2 he’s been showing off before taking a few notes…
Gallery:
[Source: Eduard Gray - images reproduced with permission]
BMW M1/1 M/135is – Click above for high-res image gallery
The oft-speculated M version of the appears to be getting closer to production reality if our latest batch of spy pics is anything to go on. Exactly what badge it will were remains unknown at this point. It seems improbable that it will actually be called M1 since BMW likely wants to preserve the badge for its original M supercar. However, it is possible that the hotted up 1 could follow the pattern of the X5/X6 and be called the 1 M – and it might not even get an M badge altogether. Perhaps it will just be dubbed 135is like the – or even a shown by BMW.
1 Series enthusiasts’ forum has an FAQ of unknown provenance that indicates the car will be launched late this year and on sale in the first half of 2011. Power is expected to come from a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline six which perhaps indicates that the 135is branding is the most likely scenario. A convertible may also be part of the plan.
Our spy shooter notes that this car is clearly further developed from the previous prototypes with tacked-on black fenders. The front spoiler, widened fenders, and big alloys shrouding oversized drilled discs appear to be near-production items too. Given that the current 135i puts offers 300 horsepower, and going speculation has the hotter model delivering 350-370 horsepower.
All of which begs the question: What do you want the new top-rung 1 Series to be called? Take our survey below and let us know what you think.
[Sources: CarPix, ]
: Best look yet BMW’s forthcoming hi-po 1 Series [w/poll]
