The Auto Blog .ru

Company: Kia Motors America

Brand: Kia

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: David & Goliath

Product: 2012 Kia Sorento

Campaign: “Joyride II”

What We Like: It’s getting pretty hard to stand out. Seriously… another crossover? Kia has established a signature sound, look and feel for its ads. This ad, in fact, is a sequel to a TV ad that ran last year, and scored well with consumers. And anyone who knows anything about advertising will tell you that establishing a recognizable ad signature is very important if a brand wants to have an ongoing dialogue with car shoppers. Agency David & Goliath has done a really nice job the last two years of creating a presence on the airwaves for Kia. The ads are silly, of course. But they are fun to watch, and give you the idea that this is a premium outfitted vehicle with a decent interior and all the connectivity you really need. Lots of brands struggle with what they want to say and be. Kia is not one of them.

What We Don’t Like: It’s guilty pleasure, like actually opening the link of the kitten video one of your friends posted on Facebook.

Strategy: Over here! Over here! Notice me! Pay attention! When I come on the screen, pause and watch. Don’t get a soda, or go to the john! Kia’s vehicles have come a long way. The Optima, for example, is a huge surprise and for our money is actually better fitted out than its Korean cousin – the Hyundai Sonata. Kia’s problems are two-fold: It still lags in third party quality rankings from outfits like J.D. Power and Associates, and it is not getting enough serious consideration from people who have decent credit scores.

Seriously, why else would you turn to hamsters and stuffed animals in commercials? It’s to be remembered, and liked, especially by female buyers. After these ads run, online searches for Kia go up, and that’s exactly the point of the exercise.

Grade: A-

Watch the commercial after the jump and give it your own grade below.

View Poll

Continue reading AdSpotting: Kia “Joyride II” is warm, fuzzy and memorable

AdSpotting: Kia “Joyride II” is warm, fuzzy and memorable

Just what is a “world record” drift? That is the question posed by 2010 Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr. and many of his fellow professional drifters, following the announcement by Mercedes-Benz that it had set a new drifting record over this past weekend. According to the German automaker, Mauro Calo drifted a C63 AMG around a skidpad for 7,572 feet, topping Gittin’s original record of 6,285 feet set in December of 2008 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Impressive, but maybe not so much. Is circling a flat skidpad in a continuous loop until one of the tires blows considered drifting? Or, is real drifting a skill that requires a lot more talent?

Guinness World Records defines drifting as, “driving a car with rear slip angle that is greater to the front.” Vaughn Gittin, Jr., and fellow Formula Drift competitor Michael Essa, call that a “donut.” After watching the C63 circle the concrete pad for more than two minutes, Gittin was unimpressed. “There are about 60 drivers that show up to Formula Drift every month, as well as thousands of grassroots drifters, that can do giant donuts until the tires pop, as well.”

It is time for Guinness World Records to recognize the talent behind drifting, not the spectacle of a smoky donut. To put credibility back into the attempt, Gittin suggests redefining the record as, “drifting without intersecting your drift line.” This is the way Formula Drift operates, with competitors tossing their vehicles into turns at 100 mph and holding the car sideways throughout a challenging course. Most importantly, adds Gittin, “This result would be a record that took a lot of skill, balls, and wouldn’t put you to sleep watching the video of it.” We couldn’t agree more.

Vaughn Gittin, Jr., unimpressed with drifting “world record,” suggests raising the bar

Peter Ronchetti is the general manager of Legoland in California. He drives a Volvo XC60, but the Legoland staff decided he should jump up to the XC90. Seeing as the Legoland staff is rather skilled at turning interlocking plastic bricks into art, they decided to give Ronchetti a full-size Volvo. Sort of…

The result is one amazing, and lighthearted, prank. See the team’s hard work by watching the clip posted after the jump.

Continue reading Legoland California staff pranks their Volvo-driving general manager

Legoland California staff pranks their Volvo-driving general manager

This may come as a shock, but most car buyers figure dealers and, by extension, manufacturers are up to something fishy when it comes to warranties. Kia Belgium wanted to prove that there were no catches, strings or loopholes to the automaker’s transferrable seven-year bumper-to-bumper warranty (remember, this isn’t the same as Kia’s 10-year/100,000-mile warranty here in the U.S.), so they handed CEO Benoit Morrene over to Legal Connections – a company that specializes in polygraphs. Once Morrene was strapped to a lie detector, he was asked a number of questions on the details surrounding his company’s warranty. Not surprisingly, Morrene told the truth.

But that wasn’t enough for skeptics, so Kia Belgium repeated the exercise during a live webcast, displaying the real-time results of the polygraph at the same time. The public even got a shot at asking the executive their own questions about Kia vehicles and the warranty. Once again, Morrene told the truth. The whole stunt makes for some pretty compelling viewing. Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

Continue reading Kia Belgium CEO wired to lie detector over seven-year warranty

Kia Belgium CEO wired to lie detector over seven-year warranty

Most of us are aware of Bill Ford, Jr.’s obsession with green technology that will help conserve fossil fuels while at the same time preserving the environment, but what you may not know that the Ford family scion is also very much interested in the future of gridlock.

Ford spoke at the Technology Entertainment and Design 2011 conference (better known as TED) to discuss the growing problem, and it appears the traffic buildup has just begun. The Ford Motor Company Chairman said in the post-jump video that the population of the planet is expected to jump from 6.8 billion people to about nine billion by mid-century. And with other countries around the world continuing to prosper, we could see cars and trucks on the road grow from today’s 800 million vehicles to between two and four billion by 2050. That’s a big jump, and when you consider that the typical commute in Shanghai is now about five hours, you can see how big a problem gridlock can become.

Hit the jump to read Ford Motor’s TED conference press release, then feel free to watch video of Ford’s speech. Towards the end of the video, Ford shows that some solutions to gridlock are beginning to present themselves, including smart vehicles that can communicate traffic information to one another in real-time, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Continue reading Bill Ford is worried about traffic, talks to TED about it

Bill Ford is worried about traffic, talks to TED about it

The name Richard Heene ring a bell? He’s the man behind the “Balloon Boy” hoax from 2009. Heene is also the man behind a new product for pickup trucks, which is called the Heeneduty Truck TransFormer. What’s most interesting about it? The thing is actually pretty damn interesting.

Heene knows that some folks don’t like the permanence of heavy-duty equipment in the bed of their trucks. The Truck TransFormer gets around that by serving as portable loading dock, tool shed, work bench, power scaffold and pretty much anything else you could need when using your truck for work. When you don’t need it, you can remove it and tuck it away for later use.

We do have one serious question for Mr. Henne, however. Does the Truck TransFormer somehow lock safely into place? We can see it creating an awfully big mess in an accident…

Would you be willing to shell out nearly $14,000 to put one of these multipurpose babies in the bed of your pickup? You might, after watching the video posted after the jump. A word of caution, though: turn down your computer volume a bit beforehand… Heene can be a wee bit enthusiastic.

Continue reading Balloon Boy’s dad full of hot air over his new truck bed system

Balloon Boy’s dad full of hot air over his new truck bed system

We’re just days away from the start of the new series of Top Gear, and we’re all excited to see what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have in store for us this summer. Last week we brought you the first teaser commercial, and now the BBC has released a second to tantalize us with what’s to come.

So what have we learned? James will be showing us the new Aston Martin Virage, the McLaren MP4-12C which Jezza was driving is pitted against the Ferrari 458 Italia, the BMW 8-Series is up against the Mercedes-Benz CL, a Chevrolet Corvette is for cowboys, and Richard really appears to like the Fiat Abarth 500C. Follow the jump to watch the brief 30-second video for yourself.

Continue reading Top Gear unleashes second trailer for series 17

Top Gear unleashes second trailer for series 17

A Supercar Without The Bad Attitude

Regardless of the frequency, our pulse still races every time we fire up a ten-cylinder engine. It’s not just the unique sound or the warbled vibration that gets the blood flowing – it’s the anticipation. Whether the badge says Gallardo, Viper or M5, a V10 under the hood promises intoxicating power and frenzied excitement.

The new Audi R8 GT packs just such an engine – a 5.2-liter V10. Mid-mounted in an aluminum and magnesium monocoque chassis, the powerplant is rated at 560 horsepower. With all-wheel drive and a sequential gearbox, the coupe rockets to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds before hitting an aerodynamic wall just shy of 200 miles per hour. It is, notes Audi, the lightest, fastest and most powerful supercar in its lineup.

Constructing the R8 GT was hardly a mild undertaking. Audi first put the R8 on a diet, shedding 180 pounds. They then turned their attention to the powerplant, where engineers were able to coax the 5.2-liter V10 into delivering another 35 hp. The suspension, brakes and underpinnings were upgraded, while the automatic gearbox and all-wheel-drive system received their own new set of commands. Lastly, unique cosmetic touches were applied that not only improved the R8’s appearance, but boosted performance.

As Audi has limited production of the R8 GT to just 333 copies worldwide (with only 90 examples falling into very lucky hands within the United States), we consider ourselves fortunate to be one of just a handful of journalists at Sonoma, California’s Infineon Raceway to put the world’s newest exotic through its paces on a race circuit.

Continue reading 2012 Audi R8 GT [w/video]

2012 Audi R8 GT [w/video]

Vehicle theft in the U.S. fell by 7.2 percent in 2010. Around 737,404 vehicles were stolen last year, compared to the 794,616 autos pilfered in 2009. That marks the lowest number of stolen vehicles in the U.S. of A. since 1967, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Why the decline? New York City, Detroit, Dallas, Miami and Los Angeles – all previous hot beds for grand theft auto – saw their numbers drop in 2010, and Automotive News reports that new anti-theft technology is going a long way toward curbing the crime.

With several insurance companies offering discounts to customers who install anti-theft systems from LoJack or Ravelco, there’s more incentive than ever to protect yourself from car thieves. In addition, the NICB says that cars today are simply more difficult to steal than they were 10 years ago.

Law enforcement has also stepped up its game by using bait vehicles to lure in possible thieves. Officers stake out a vehicle with its windows down and its keys in the ignition and wait for crooks to come by. It’s apparently working.

Auto theft drops to lowest level since 1967

It’s amazing how much things can change in just a few years. Back in 2006, the American Family Association began a two-year-long boycott of Ford over the automaker’s decision to market its products in gay-centric media outlets, as well as its policy of extending health insurance to same-sex couples. The boycott was largely ineffective, though reactions of that nature by social conservative groups were exactly why many automakers didn’t advertise their connections to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Some five years have passed and automakers appear to have largely gotten over their fear of inciting similar backlash. General Motors sure has, as evidenced by this video produced for the It Gets Better project. In the near seven-minute-long video, GM employees connected to the LGBT community talk about their life experience either being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender or knowing someone who is, like a son, daughter or friend. View it after the jump.

The It Gets Better project was started in 2010 by columnist Dan Savage after a number of LGBT teenagers took their own lives as a result of bullying in school. In the project’s own words, the videos created are meant “to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach – if they can just get through their teen years.” Along with over 10,000 ordinary people, GM joins a large group of companies and organizations that have also contributed videos, including Pixar, Google and The Gap, as well as the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox.

Continue reading GM employees contribute to “It Gets Better” project

GM employees contribute to “It Gets Better” project

The 2012 Mini Cooper Coupe is hot off the presses, with unique sheet metal, upgraded power numbers and a promise to become the fastest production Mini on the market. We can live with that, and Mini is hoping coupe shoppers can, too.

To kick of the latest ride in the Mini stable, the advertising team came up with a fun little video with the tagline “Another Day. Another Adventure.” The 49-second video shows the Mini Coupe as it travels (in a spirited fashion) through Iceland, Rio and Hong Kong. The idea, of course, is that the fresh-faced coupe + a willing co-pilot = fun anywhere the open road takes you.

Hit the jump to watch the video for yourself. You won’t hear any voice-overs and the sales pitch is definitely set to low, but you will see plenty of gorgeous shots of the Mini Coupe on twisty roads.

Continue reading 2012 Mini Coupe makes its motion picture debut

2012 Mini Coupe makes its motion picture debut

Bradley Hasemeyer has driven some unique vehicles. We’ve seen him take the helm of a Tango EV, the dolphin-shaped Seabreacher and the electric Z-Kart. Now, Hasemeyer gets behind the wheel of a vehicle that hits a little closer to our Autoblog hearts, the Lexus LFA.

Don’t expect a smoky, sideways review of the car – after all, this is Translogic, and the gist is to dive into the technology behind the machine. What you can expect, though, is a well-made video filled with great information… and that’s exactly what’s waiting for you after the jump.

Continue reading Lexus LFA gets broken down by Translogic

Lexus LFA gets broken down by Translogic

First Drive: 2012 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 R-Spec

Despite having arrived in 2008 as a 2009 model, the Genesis received a mild refresh in 2010, and 2012 brings a range of improvements across the line. Those include more power and fuel efficiency for the entry-level 3.8-liter V6 engine, aesthetic tweaks and the arrival of this range-topping Genesis 5.0 R-Spec.

Opinion: Luxgen EV puts Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on notice

Part of the reason for Luxgen’s anonymity is that it’s a start-up from Taiwan. Even so, this little company could soon make a big splash in the automotive world.

Official: 2012 Mini Coupe priced from $22,000, other models get $100 bump

That $22,000 price tag is reserved for the base Coupe, while the mid-range S Coupe commands $25,300 and the JCW Coupe will set you back $31,900.

Also of interest:

• Spy Shots: BMW 7 Series nip/tuck spotted
• Report: Chrysler finally gets a compliment from Consumer Reports
• Report: Ford pumping $1 billion into Lincoln revival
• Video: Travis Pastrana takes a page from the Ken Block school of marketing
• Report: Nissan adapting hybrid drivetrain for next-gen Altima Hybrid

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What you missed on 6.21.11

Volvo is known for many things. Well, safety technology, mostly, but not so much performance. Sure, the Swedish automaker has tricked out the occasional sport wagon, but muscle is not really its forte. So where did the extra 25 horsepower and 29 pound-feet of torque come from when Volvo upgraded the latest R-Design S60 and XC60 models? Polestar, if the latest reports are to be believed.

The Volvo tuner, as you may recall, is responsible for Volvo’s works touring car racing effort, and also gave us that rip-roarin’ baby-blue C30 concept last year. Pretty Swede stuff, if you ask us. And according to Swedespeed.com, it was to Polestar that Volvo turned for those modest, but notable performance upgrades on its R-Design models.

What’s more is that Volvo is reportedly looking into ways to offer Polestar performance upgrades to existing customers – say, owners of the pre-boosted S60 and XC60 R-Design, for example – and potentially offering more upgrades on future models. We wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that Polestar is becoming to Volvo what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz or the M division is to BMW, but Brabus and Alpina – that is to say, quasi-works-endorsed tuning houses – could be models to look to here.

Volvo turned to Polestar for S60 and XC60 R-Design performance upgrades

We don’t want much in this world, but a tract of land with 400 acres or so in its borders wouldn’t hurt our feelings. Aside from giving us a comfortable buffer between ourselves and any irritating neighbors, a slice of earth that large would allow for one very entertaining driveway – a driveway like the one in the video after the jump. We can’t attest to just how much property is attached to the sprawling manse in the clip or whether or not the pilot of the Porsche 911 Turbo can actually lay claim to the kingdom, but we do know the guy has a blast getting around the estate.

The short clip covers a quick loop around the house’s exquisite concrete driveway, complete with a small jump, plenty of elevation changes and at least one hairpin. Sounds like a mighty fine way to make the drive to work a little more appetizing each morning. Hit the jump to check it out for yourself.

Continue reading Porsche owner turns long driveway into racetrack

Porsche owner turns long driveway into racetrack

A Quick Spin In A Chinese EV Raises Eyebrows And Expectations

Whether flashing down the highway or wending my way through Taipei’s notoriously chaotic rush-hour traffic, I was duly impressed by Luxgen’s battery-electric MPV. Quick, luxurious, and bristling with electronic technology, I was astonished at how well this car has been developed.

Acceleration from this seven-passenger minivan can only be described as brisk. Though I wasn’t able to do any kind of timed runs, my seat-of-the-pants reaction is that it sure feels faster than a Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf. And with its aggressive re-gen, I was pretty much able to drive in stop and go traffic without using the brakes. That sure makes traffic jams a whole lot easier to take.

The only thing that detracted from my test drive was an annoying whine in the drivetrain, which my Luxgen hosts said was due to an issue that they’re working on with the transmission. They assured me that noise would be gone before the vehicle goes on sale. I have no reason to doubt them.

John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

Continue reading Luxgen EV puts Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on notice

Luxgen EV puts Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on notice

The 2012 Lamborghini Aventador has officially arrived in the United States, and we’re not sure if it arrived by boat or simply left the ground and flew across the Atlantic (it could do that, you know). Jordan Shiraki (ShirakiPhoto), working for Las Vegas Lamborghini and eGarage.com, was the lucky lensman who got to spend time with the newest angry bull. Shiraki scored the exclusive photo shoot, and we’re happy to share the photos, which can be viewed the attached high-res image gallery.

We think Europe has had enough time to play with the car, and we look forward to more video and photography of the Aventador having fun here in the States. For now, Shiarki’s shots will help satiate our Lambo desires.

First Lamborghini Aventador touches down on U.S. soil

Travis Pastrana may have jumped over to the world of NASCAR, but he clearly didn’t forget how to drive a rally car. He’s prepping for the upcoming 2011 X Games, and was looking for a way to show off the new livery on his 2011 Subaru WRX STI. Taking a page from the book of Block, Pastrana has decided to go with a marketing video that looks, um, awfully familiar.

Pastrana has called upon the Mad Media production company, the same crew responsible for a Ken Block clip from earlier in the year. Block’s video showcased the new livery for his 2011 Ford Fiesta WRC car, as well as some scantily clad ladies, pumping music, quick focus changes and snappy cuts. The formula is clearly a simple one: Hot Chicks + Cool Cars = Maximum Views, and that’s the very title of Pastrana’s video.

Ken Block also produced another video to hype his Gymkhana contest, which gave him an opportunity to take a friendly jab at Travis. Pastrana is looking to return the favor, and, unless he decides to do a barrel roll with the car, our money is on the Subie to take gold at the 2011 X Games.

Check out Pastrana’s shiny new WRX, and his take on the Block school of marketing in the clip posted after the jump.

Continue reading Travis Pastrana takes a page from the Ken Block school of marketing

Travis Pastrana takes a page from the Ken Block school of marketing

Kazunori Yamauchi, the creator of the Gran Turismo franchise, has jumped back into real-world racing. The mastermind behind one of the most popular racing video game series on the planet recently campaigned a Nissan GT-R in the four-hour Nurburgring VLR alongside Tobias and Michael Shulze and the founder of Opera Performance, Yasuyoshi Yamamoto. The team’s car is reportedly the spitting image of the GT500 Stealth GT-R from Gran Turismo 5, and word has it that the four-man team is out to compete in this year’s Nurburgring 24 Hours.

Last year, Yamauchi raced a specially-prepared Lexus IS-F in a number of VLN races. His efforts netted his team a class victory in a four-hour race, and GTPlanet reports that the gaming mastermind took home fourth in his class at the 2010 Nuburgring 24 Hours. Look for Yamauchi and his crew in the #71 car when the green flag drops.

That is, so long as the team isn’t delayed from arriving until Christmas 2015…

Gran Turismo 5 creator competing in 24 Hours of Nurburgring

Autoline Detroit recently played host to Bob Lutz, and, as is always the case, the former General Motors vice chairman dished out some great commentary. Lutz was promoting his new book Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business, and talk quickly turned to his role as it related to product development and high-level decision making at GM. While on the topic of brand management, Lutz revealed a few rather interesting tidbits about his former employer:

• All Chevrolet vehicles were required to have five-spoke aluminum wheels and a chrome band up front, as part of the Bowtie brand’s overall image.
• Pontiac was required to utilize “see-through” headrests, despite the fact that they cost more to produce while offering no consumer value.
• All Buicks required a sweep spear in the exterior design language.
• Cadillac considered building a 550-horsepower supercharged Escalade.
• Saturn was working on a seven-passenger Vue.
• Many of the non-car person GM board members preferred to drive imports.
• Proportion and shape didn’t matter as long as all the brand-image boxes were checked.

Lutz provides an interesting look at the type of decision making that forced GM into a position of bankruptcy. The automaker was being run solely by folks focused on techniques and ideals that don’t work in the industry. We don’t want to give away the entire interview, but it’s worth watching all 26 minutes. Click past the jump to see for yourself.

Also, judging solely by the above screenshot, we’ll cast a vote for Robert De Niro to play Lutz in the inevitable movie about this period in General Motors’ history.

Continue reading Lutz dishes dirt on GM in latest Autoline Detroit

Lutz dishes dirt on GM in latest Autoline Detroit