Halfway down a press release announcing that Shigeki Terashi was named president and COO of Motor North America, Inc. (TMA) was this: Jim Lentz is named CEO of Toyota Motor Sales, effective April 1. Lentz is the first American to take that position in the company.
TMA is the holding company under which all of Toyota’s North American operations are grouped. Terashi will fulfill two roles when his new appointment is official on April 1, the new one and his current one as president of Toyota Engineering and Manufacturing, NA.
Lentz will rise from his current position as COO. He became one of the prominent faces of Toyota during the company’s recent recall issues, publicly making the interview rounds and testifying before Congress to address the situation.
for Toyota’s press release on the management shuffle.
For the first time in the life of the , the company is offering a two-tone color scheme as a “bespoke” factory option. This comes as a surprise to us because we didn’t know there was something you couldn’t get on a Ghost.
The company’s stand at the Show was used to display the first two examples: one with Infinity Black topped by Cassiopeia Silver and another in Baynunah Brown capped by Arizona Sun, with a gold-plated hood ornament and a gold double coach-line (read: pinstripes). The Infinity Black model carries the contrast to the interior, with black leather offset by a seashell headliner and steel pinstripes set into black ash veneer.
If this is why you’ve been holding back on a Ghost purchase, first admire the handiwork in the photo gallery, and then pick up your phone: your local dealer is waiting on line two.
In a lineup packed with new and/or freshly styled vehicles, Hyundai’s two larger crossovers, the and its all-but-forgotten three-row counterpart, the , still wear the automaker’s last-generation styling language. That will be addressed (in part, at least) at next month’s New York Auto Show when Hyundai unveils the 2013 Santa Fe.
To get people talking, Hyundai published of its new CUV this evening via its Twitter feed. Predictably, the 2013 Santa Fe gets sharper lines that are much more in keeping with the rest of the model lineup, and the new face .
Hyundai calls the crossover’s fresh styling language “Storm Edge,” saying it’s an evolution of the “Fluidic Sculpture” theme it’s been using the last few years.
Based on the the , which shows a very small window aft of the rear doors, it appears that the Santa Fe will, for the time being, continue to be a two-row crossover (its optional third row was canned after the 2009 model year) that’s designed to battle the likes of the , , and .
Whether Hyundai will also use the occasion to formally confirm the to replace the Veracruz remains to be seen. It’s clear the automaker knows that it’s .
has assembled its talent roster for this year’s Pro/Celebrity Race. Names from all corners of entertainment will go head to head against pro drivers in identically-prepared racers during a 10-lap battle over a 1.97-mile course on the streets of Long Beach, California. 2012 marks the 36th running of the event, which will feature comedian and podcast personality , Top Gear USA host and friend of Autoblog Rutledge Wood, and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Pros like Frederic Aasbo and Bryan Clauson will also go fender to fender with the amateurs on track.
While we love to watch celebrities bash into each other, the real point of the event is to raise money for charity. Toyota donates $5,000 per entry to the winner’s charity of choice, and kids from various children’s hospitals all around the country get a chance to hang out with their favorite celebrities before the race kicks off on April 13. Check out the press release .
Scott Burgess, former auto critic for The Detroit News, has joined the AOL Autos / Autoblog team. He is a veteran automotive journalist with six years in Detroit covering the auto industry and a Michigan native. Each month he’ll dig deeper into the industry’s sales figures and file this By The Numbers special report.
Now that I’ve figured out how to open my email, what in fact my email address is, and where the office is, I’ve been able to catch my breath and go through the February sales figures.
Lots of people were excited over the February sales numbers, which were the highest since 2009, declaring the end of tough times and announcing only big profits ahead.
Then again, that may not be exactly true. Yes, it was a 15-million-a-year sales pace, outperforming everyone’s expectations with sales jumping 15.7 percent compared to the same month last year. But people are waiting to buy cars like never before. The average age of a vehicle on the road is over 10 years old, a trend growing for nearly 20 years, according to a Polk research firm study. Polk says that people are just hanging onto vehicles longer because they’re worried about the economy. To think about how different times were 10.8 years ago – Motor Co. had just (re)introduced the all new Fabulous , which, someone is holding onto right now.
So the depression/recession party may not be over, but times are still good. Here are the things I learned by examining the February sales figures.
1. LOTS OF PEOPLE WANT CARS
This February, cars outsold trucks 53.3 to 46.7 percent.
Throughout the industry, car sales jumped 23.9 percent compared to February last year. (Truck sales rose 7.6 percent.)
There are lots of reasons for the jump, though my gut says that people buying new vehicles are also listening to the fear mongering concerning climbing gas prices. Don’t expect either trend to end any time soon.
A more important trend might be that in February 2011, trucks outsold cars 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. This February, cars outsold trucks 53.3 percent to 46.7 percent.
However, the big difference between 2008 and 2012, the last time gas prices skyrocketed, are that Detroit’s carmakers have a solid collection of little cars ranging from the and to the and soon-to-be released . More on the later. The key for Detroit is to see if people associate fuel efficient vehicles with those brands. When times get tough, people tend to go with the brands they assume are the most efficient, even when they’re not.
It looks as if work is officially underway on the next . Our spy photo friends managed to click the first few images of a pre-production prototype stretching its legs on public streets. The four-door is covered in enough cladding to successfully obscure any hint of new body work, but from what we’re told, there’s a whole new chassis under there. The rear-wheel-drive architecture is built to accommodate all-wheel drive as well. Where, perchance, would secure the engineering to put power to all four corners? If the whispers we hear are true, the tech could be lifted from none other than the .
Speaking of , the next-generation Quattroporte will likely continue to get its thrust from the same beefy Italian V8 found in the current generation, though adjustments for either power or fuel consumption would be a smart guess. We’ve even heard hints of a hybrid drivetrain in development. Stay tuned. With prototypes on the road, it’s only a matter of time before we spot one with a little more metal showing.
is getting closer to the next generation “tire” that could be used on wheeled rovers for space exploration. We highlight the word tire because those on the original lunar rover were made of piano wire with treads made of titanium cleats – no rubber, no air. A few years ago , the project another co-development with Goodyear, which made the originals.
The modern version is called the Spring Tire, so-called for the 800 load-bearing springs that make up its bulk, mounted to a six-spoke metal hub. The springs can conform to the varying terrain of other planets and satellites without transferring undue shock to the vehicle, and a malfunction is likely to damage only a few of them, leaving the tire operable.
for more info from Goodyear on the tire, and check it out in the gallery of high-res photos. When it’s time for another group of astronauts to go “ridin’ dirty,” this is likely how they’ll do it.
We don’t typically lose control of our faculties at the sight of the latest supercar. In most cases, the vehicles are slightly different shades of the same theme: high horsepower, low slung, two seats and a super-exclusive price tag to match.
While the certainly fulfills all of those criteria, the roofless wonder also boasts the sort of brash ostentatiousness that’s been missing from the upper echelon of automotive engineering recently. The roadster design is so perfectly over the top, we can’t help but love it. has crafted a quick montage depicting the vehicle’s development, from lowly CAD design to the untold multitude of parts and pieces that go into assembling the final product.
This clip is too brief to satiate our manufacturing geekery, but it’s better than nothing. to check out the video for yourself. It may be the closest any of us actually get to glimpsing the 700-horsepower behemoth.
Form follows function, so it’s easy to find one element of a vehicle that explains everything you need to know about it.
Look at the widened haunches of a and you know there’s serious hardware in the Porsche’s rump. Check the elongated bed of an and its obvious the should be roaming free on the ranch. Look at a … Actually, don’t. It’s for your own good.
So when I opened the door to the , a single feature stood out: the cupholder. Encircled in a chrome ring and mounted dead-center in the massive armrest, this lone receptacle was the defining feature of the interior. As it should be. The Prius is the commensurate commuter and the V variant’s raised roof and enlarged hatch make it even more practical for Mommy and Daddy carpool duty. At least in theory.
has officially served up the details on the upcoming . Buyers will be able to snap up the latest work rig with in a new Platinum trim level that throws in niceties like SYNC, MyFord Touch, navigation and a rear-view camera as standard equipment. Power telescoping mirrors are also part of the package.
Unfortunately, the Platinum trim will only be available in Super Duty Crew Cab configuration. Even so, the cabin is swaddled in high-quality wood grain trim and premium leather seating. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is also heated for those really frosty mornings.
Outside, a smattering of chrome trim work sets the 2013 F-Series Super Duty Platinum apart from the rest of the trucks on the job site. Chrome door handles, mirror caps and running boards all add a bit of splash, as do the sizable 20-inch wheels that are newly designed for 2013.
Ford says the MyFord Touch at work in the new Super Duty is truck specific with features like a massive eight-inch touch screen display which has been optimized to function even when users are wearing thick work gloves. for the full press release as well as a brief video.
We may not have found much to like about the redesigned 2012 sedan when , but here’s something in its favor: A Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
While the old subcompact never made it to the top of the IIHS rankings, the new sedan earned its award by scoring “good” ratings in front, side, rollover, and rear tests and coming equipped with standard stability control, according to the IIHS. The 2011 and earlier Versas only scored “acceptable” in side impact and roof strength tests.
Keep in mind that the Top Safety Pick only applies to the new sedan, as a has not yet launched. The is the same design that’s been on sale since the 2007 model year.
for a video of the IIHS side impact test on the Versa sedan.
Two months with our is enough for me to know that history will not look back kindly on this generation of VW’s long-running compact sedan. As has been covered, rather exhaustively I might add, the 2011 refresh of the Jetta brought with it a significant reduction in interior fit, finish and overall quality. Sadly, the more time you spend in the Jetta, the more its interior bits and pieces wear on your senses, as does the dour black color palette.
Perhaps the interior deficiencies of the 2011 Jetta wouldn’t be so noteworthy if hadn’t set such a heady precedent in past models, offering an upscale alternative to its competitors at a slightly higher price. As you’re likely aware, VW’s latest strategy puts its products on an equal footing with more mainstream brands while boasting a highly competitive price. Based on the brand’s , the plan is working to perfection.
We hate to harp on the point, but have to wonder if moving downmarket will have long-lasting repercussions with diehard VW fans.
Keep your eyes locked on the official for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (, look for the hashtag).
Like pretty much any driver, we’ve had our share of car trouble over the years, both with vehicles loaned to us for review by automakers and our own private rides. What we haven’t experienced is being the first media outlet to plunk down over $100,000 for a luxury plug-inhybrid, only to have it konk out before we even put 200 miles on it.
That “honor” goes to Consumer Reports and their brand new , which broke down during calibration tests, just a few days into CR’s ownership period. After the dashboard flashed a warning, the driver stopped to see what was wrong, and then couldn’t get the PHEV into gear again. Self-repairs (i.e., let’s leave it alone for an hour and see what happens) didn’t work and the manual was no help, so the nearby dealer sent out a flatbed truck to haul the Karma away. As CR writes:
We buy about 80 cars a year and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.
The Karma’s problems are widespread. It has been plagued by a variety of problems, including two recalls, one for a and one for , following a long delay getting the car to market. Owners commenting on the FiskerBuzz forum are also . Not exactly behavior that leads to a “Recommended” rating.
Morgan and OAK Racing have put together a video to showcase the car that Morgan will be in a jubilee celebration its GT2 class win in 1962. It’s got just about everything you’d want from an LMP2 teaser: engine guts, carbon fiber, track time and roaring.
It might be missing an actual Morgan, though: the car is built by OAK’s Onroak Automotive constructor division with a Pescarolo chassis and a Judd engine. When they’re finished painting it, though, it will at least say “Morgan.”
Even without the stickers, however, the video is still totally worth it.
When we say we’re obsessive, we mean it. The list below of 90 vehicles that Autoblog covered at the 2 is proof positive that we stand behind our tagline.
The Geneva Motor Show is always the biggest international auto show of the year in terms of vehicle debuts, whether they’re production cars, forward-thinking concepts or outrageous tuner vehicles. This year we got super-sized helpings of all three.
Special thanks go to our crew of five who were on the ground in Geneva, as well as the large support staff here at home who backed them up. We love covering auto shows, and after so many years doing it, we think we’ve gotten pretty darn good. Look below and you’ll see why.
There are a lot of ways to describe the Valmet Dawn you see pictured above, but our favorite could be mouthed by Keanu Reeves: Whoa. And then we would expand it to WTF? As in, “Whoa the F?”
That’s because Valmet Automotive – the makers of the , among other vehicles – has wrapped its electric vehicle engineering chops in what is perhaps the most impractical and odd-looking concept vehicle we’ve ever seen. The Dawn concept is meant to show that Valmet can both research and develop EV components like drivetrains and batteries and put them together into a vehicle, a two-prong approach that Valmet says is a new strategic focus area for the company. With that in mind, perhaps it not a total surprise that Valmet hasn’t released any sort of information about the range, power or really any real-world details about the Dawn. Like, for example, what’s that blue disc in front? An inductive charger? A 21st Century cow catcher? An Identity Disc?
Valmet says this test bed vehicle “integrates both the component developer and integrator roles. Displaying the battery pack, drivetrain, control unit and charging options, it also shows what ultimately can be achieved in the world of electric mobility, by integrating solutions in an innovative fashion.” Innovative. Yeah, that’s the word.
Carbon Motors, maker of the purpose-built E7 police car, won’t receive the $310 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program that it applied for almost three years ago, and said that it’s a victim of politics.
“We are outraged by the actions of the DOE and it is clear that this was a political decision in a highly-charged, election year environment,” Carbon Motors William Santana Li said in a statement. The company added that it was “actively examining its strategic and financing alternatives.”
Carbon Motors says its vehicles will save government entities money because they get better fuel economy and they’re purpose-built, meaning that factory vehicles don’t need to be retrofitted. Carbon Motors has said its diesel-powered cars may cut law-enforcement fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 40 percent, and that building such cars may create as many as 10,000 jobs. The car was to feature a BMW 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine.
The company says it’s received about $200 million worth of financial commitments from private and public sources and has taken orders from more than 500 law-enforcement agencies for more than 20,000 cars.
Last December, the company urging the Obama Administration to push the DOE to approve the loan.
The federal loan process has vexed other automotive companies. Bright Automotive, which was to make extended-range plug-in utility vehicles, publicly pleaded with the government to process its application for a $400 million loan in January. Last month, that company .
Meanwhile, , maker of the extended-range plug-in sports sedan , has been fielding questions about its future after the company in early February and halted production. Fisker has received less than $200 million of the $529 million loan it was slated to get from the DOE.
Please excuse us while we banish thoughts of – Magna; MILA… Uma; Oprah – and instead focus on what this concept car brings to the table. This is , the Austrian arm of Canadian auto parts giant Magna International, and it’s meant to showcase the capabilities of the supplier.
First and foremost, the MILA Coupic’s two-door crossover shape can convert into a convertible or a pickup truck, depending on the configuration of the rear seat. There’s seating for as many as five occupants in full CUV mode, and the two glass roof elements can be opened or closed independently.
The MILA Coupic is an impressive engineering exercise, and, since Magna builds such production machines as the , Fiat 500C and , it’s one that could potentially see a roadway near you at some point in the not-too-distant future. See for yourself in our image gallery above, and read more in the official press release .
Wide, chunky, low-down and matte gray. There aren’t many things for which we’d consider that a flattering descriptive, but the concept is just such a thing.
Developed by Citroën Racing and a step up from the , it’s 35 millimeters lower, 55-mm wider than the production car and sits on two-tone wheels hiding massive brakes. Under the hood is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 256 horsepower.
Galleries of high-res photos are above and , along with the official press release.
If on the McLaren MP4-12C was a fiery sunrise, then this is the other side of dawn: the Gemballa GT. Gemballa is campaigning a McLaren in this year’s GT3 series, and the company’s motorsport experience has been “distilled into a state-of-the art super sports car.”
That means new front and rear clips, side skirts and rear wing, plus Gemballa wheels that go an inch bigger than standard – 20 inches up front and 21 in back. Inside, there’s white leather trimming and a reworked steering wheel. No engine upgrades have been applied to the GT, but Gemballa says its’ working on a power program. Check out all of its angles in the gallery of high-res photos.
