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Ford Continues To Terminate Lincoln Dealerships
Ford‘s quest to trim the fat from Lincoln‘s dealer network continues as the company aims to cut another 100 dealers in what it calls “major markets”, from 500 to 325. So far the brand is down to 434 as for December 31, 2010. With more roughly 4 times as many stores as other luxury brands…
BMW M5 Concept To Debut At Shanghai Auto Show
The long awaited next generation BMW M5 will get its first showing in (lightly disguised) concept form at the Shanghai Auto Show. With China becoming a rapidly important market for BMW (read: sales are booming), the new car, codenamed the F10, will surely be a hit with performance-minded buyers in China and the world over….
Chrysler Plant Workers Arrested For Suspected Drug Use At Work
Mere months after workers at Chrysler’s Jefferson North factory were caught drinking and smoking marijuana on their lunch breaks, three employees were arrested by law enforcement agencies after Chrysler tipped off police regarding workers who continued to abuse substances while on the job. The workers were arrested on January 24th, but have yet to be…
Chevrolet To Introduce New Camaro-Based Car At Chicago Auto Show, New Caprice Almost Certain
During our drive of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible, we chatted with one engineer about GM’s Zeta platform, which underpins rear-drive full size cars. Among remarking how much we adored the Pontiac G8 sedan and how we longed for a revival of the car, the engineer broke into a broad grin and said “well, these things…
Volkswagen Super Bowl Ads Use The Force, Insect Imagery
With two new major debuts in 2011, Volkswagen is hoping to raise their profile in the United States with a coupe Super Bowl commercials that show off their new Passat and give a hint at what the 2012 Beetle will look like when it bows at the end of the year. The Passat spot evokes…
Hyundai Superbowl Spots Highlight Elantra, Sonata Hybrid
This year’s Super Bowl is heavy on automotive ads, with Hyundai, Audi, Volkswagen and Chevrolet all spending megabucks to get a coveted ad slot at television’s biggest event of the year. Hyundai’s spots largely focus on their new superstar, the 2011 Elantra, with Hyundai calling for an end to hypnotizingly dull compacts. A fourth spot…
BMW MegaCity May Be Offered On Lease Only Basis
BMW is looking for an alternative to traditional purchasing options for their upcoming MegaCity urban vehicle, as the high cost of developing substantially new technology may result in the vehicle becoming prohibitively expensive for consumers. Among the projects being considered are a car-sharing service similar to the one operated by Daimler for their Smart car…
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Leaked Ahead of Debut
Our first look at the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan comes from an Italian car blog, and even though we don’t speak the language, we can surmise that no details have yet to appear. What we do know is that the styling apes the big brother Touraeg with its new corporate VW front end. You’ll have to…
IRS Tax Credits For Electric Vehicles Backfired, Fraudulent Claims Abound
An estimated 14,000 taxpayers claimed $37 million in tax credits meant for buyers of plug-in or electric vehicles, while attempting to pass of vehicles like the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Camaro and “golf cart” as worthy of the credit. Among the most ignominous offenders were 88 prisoners and IRS employees who attempted to claim the credits….
BMW To Launch 13 Front-Drive Models By 2016
The thought of a front-drive BMW was inconceivable less than 5 years ago, but the Bavarian luxury car maker appears to be planning an onslaught of front-drive models for launch by 2016, including a couple crossovers, a sports car and a new compact. The first front-driver will be a 1 Series GT, another pointless crossover, but one…
Ford To Focus On Rural China With New Sedan
Speaking to Autocar Magazine, Ford‘s European design chief Martin Smith said “Our marketing people are telling us there’s demand for an affordable family saloon,” and Ford appears to be moving in that direction for the Chinese market. The Blue Oval will prepare a concept for the Beijing Auto Show, but rather than target the wealthy…
2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe To Debut In Shanghai
With the 2012 BMW 6-Series Convertible already unveiled at Detroit, BMW needs to throw a bone to its markets in the far east, and will likely unveil the 2012 6-Series Coupe at the Shanghai Auto Show at the end of April. Powertrains are likely to be identical to the 6-Series Convertible, though the extra rigidity…
BMW M Car Sales Up 14 Percent In 2010
BMW‘s M division saw sales of its sports cars increase by 14.2 percent in 2010, to 16,967 units. The M3 remained the brand’s most popular car, with the coupe, sedan and convertible making up 10,116 units. In second place was the X6M with 3,082 units and X5M with 2,778 units. The US led the world…
2010 Porsche 911 Turbo Crashed By Canadian Journalist’s Son Now For Sale
Back in the summer of 2010, a Porsche 911 Turbo that was part of Porsche Canada’s press fleet was put through a garage door by the son of Canadian Auto Journalist Peter Cheney. The story generated all kinds of feedback, from those shrugging it off as “boys will be boys”, to righteous indignation bordering on…
Volkswagen Group To Display 7 Concepts At Geneva Auto Show
Although Volkswagen and their respective brands occupied a massive section of the Paris Auto Show’s main hall, they were a little light on new product. This won’t be the case at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show in early March, as the Volkswagen Group will debut 7 concept cars at Europe’s main auto show. Details are…
Lexus In Danger Of Losing Sales Crown To BMW, Mercedes-Benz
Although Lexus managed to snatch the U.S. luxury car sales crown away from its German rivals for the 11th straight year in 2010, the company is off to a slow start, already being outpaced by BMW and Mercedes-Benz. While Lexus sales are down 17 percent, Mercedes-Benz is up 11 percent and BMW is up by…
Wealthy Collector Buys All 14 Gulf Oil Races Cars
The Gulf Oil orange and blue livery is an iconic paint job that has transcended Gulf Oil’s demise into relative obscurity, with the classic colors still appearing on all kinds of racing merchandise, and even the Ford GT road car during its production run. One collector of fine automobiles decided he liked the Gulf paint…
Jaguar Discusses Future Product Plans, XJ Coupe Set To Rival Mercedes-Benz CL
A fascinating interview with Jaguar‘s Adrian Hallmark, that appeared in Automobile Magazine, gave some key insights into Jaguar’s future, and the rapid changes in the auto industry that have taken place in the latter half of the 2000’s. Hallmark, formerly of the VW Group (where he was posted at Bentley) and Saab, discusses not only…
Toyota Land Cruiser Celebrates 60th Birthday
Forget the Hummer, the Chevrolet Suburban or the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. The Toyota Land Cruiser is bar none the off-roader. Whether it’s serving UN peacekeepers in far-flung conflict zones, traversing the Australian Outback or ferrying American kids to grade school, the Land Cruiser has done it all, and we salute its six decades of…
Four-Cylinders Powered Over 65% Of Cars Built In 2010
The Ford F-150 and its 8-cylinder bretheren may have a lock on America’s auto market, but rising gas prices and improving technology have helped the once-pedestrian 4-cylinder engine dominate the automotive world, with 65.4% of cars built in 2010 powered by a 4-banger. About 18 percent of light trucks were similarly equipped. While we lost…
Chevrolet Super Bowl Ad Features Transformers, Donuts – Did You Expect Anything Less?
We have to hand it to Chevrolet; rather than an overblown blockbuster ad proclaiming their supremacy, they’ve opted for a somewhat ironic, tongue-in-cheek spot lampooning small-market car dealers. Of course, Chevrolet had to milk their association with Transformers, and the real Amurrican sport of doing burnouts in crowded areas just to make things complete. But…
Buick Regal eAssist Hybrid To Debut At Chicago Auto Show
General Motors will reportedly unveil a Buick Regal Hybrid at the Chicago Auto Show that uses similar eAssist technology seen on the its Lacrosse stablemate. With the Lacrosse capable of returning 25 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, a 25 percent boost in fuel economy. eAssist also provides an extra 15…
Honda Fit Overtakes Toyota Prius In Japanese Car Market After Hybrid Subsidies End
The best-selling car in Japan is about to change as government subsidies on hybrid cars has lead to a drop off in sales of the Toyota Prius. Analysts expect the Honda Fit to take the top spot. Prius sales began to dip in September after the government subsidy program ended, but Fit sales remained strong, buttressed by the introduction…
Ferrari 458 Italia Crushed By Ford F-150 In Florida
Brand new Ferraris are notoriously hard to buy. Not only do you have to endure a massive waiting list, but you also have to jump through hoops with your local dealer just to merit a spot, among them, owning a brand new Ferrari previously, or paying more than sticker price for the privilege. One unfortunate…
