Keeping You Informed of Automobile News
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01/28/12 12:04 Koreans Want A Bigger Share Of Europe, U.S. Automakers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan are getting increasingly worried about the Korean Twins, Hyundai and Kia. Both had already outpaced the U.S. and European market last year. Today, Kia announced aggressive plans for both regions. This year, Kia wants to lift sales in Europe by 22.8 percent to 356,000 vehicles. U.S. sales of [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Toyota Reports 2011 Global Production. Now Really, Honestly In 3rd Place Today, Toyota announced its official December and end of calendar year production numbers. In December, Toyota’s worldwide production was up 13.1 percent to 757,226 units as ToMoCo hustles to make up for sales lost under Japanese tidal waves and Thai floods. For the year, worldwide production of all TMC divisions (including Daihatsu and Hino) dropped [...] 01/28/12 12:04 New or Used: THE PRICE IS WRONG! Bing writes: I am a financially stable 27 year old engineer living in the Bay Area, where it seems BMWs and Audis are about as pedestrian as Camrys. I’ve been getting the car itch, but I don’t like the idea of getting an entry level luxury car like everyone else. Almost by accident, I stumbled [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Junkyard Find: 1979 Chrysler LeBaron By early 1979, Chrysler was really circling the drain. Lee Iacocca was in, the “too big to fail” government bailout loan wasn’t a sure thing, rebadged Simcas and Mitsubishis weren’t luring many subcompact shoppers into showrooms, and the front-wheel-drive K platform was still a couple of years from showrooms. Let’s follow up yesterday’s Chrysler Malaise [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Consumer Union Urges California to Adopt Stricter Emissions Laws The California Air Resources Board, the state agency in charge of emissions laws, is voting this week on whether it is to adopt the Advanced Clean Cars Program. The Consumer Union, parent company of Consumer Reports, let its voice known that it wants California to vote approve the strongest measures possible. In an open letter, [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Video of the Day: Hyundai Veloster Goes Golfing, Hole in About Forty-Six Today’s video of the day comes from the fairway, where a Hyundai Veloster Rally Car subs in for a traditional golf cart, and ace driver Rhys Millen does some expected drifting (shocker), and even a doughnut or two. But the payday comes at the end of the short video. Set to some tranquil springtime-has-arrived-and-we’re-golfing-in-idyllic-New-Zealand music, [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Ram Unveiling Laramie Limited Trim at Chicago Auto Show When Ram first shed its “Dodge” moniker back in 2009, many were scratching their heads in bewilderment. Almost three years later it appears Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne knew something everyone else didn’t as the Ram brand has flourished on its own. Ram currently offers 12 trim packages that can be outfitted on the [...] 01/28/12 12:04 The Last Chevy Corvette? Time to Legalize Stoning False Prophets John Rosevear of The Motley Fool asks if the upcoming Chevrolet Corvette will be the last one produced by General Motors. The answer, of course, is “no,” and we can move on to more probable predictions like the world ending this December. You don’t believe us? Rosevear argues that the Corvette’s dropping sales will have [...] 01/28/12 12:04 Report: Blaser outfits special edition Land Rover Defender for hunting Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Land Rover, Off-Road The Land Rover Defender may be nearing the end of its line, but over the course of its lifetime it has become the go-to vehicle for any number of off-road applications. They're used on safaris and expeditions, by military forces and humanitarian organizations. And yes, they're used by hunters. That's why German firearms manufacturer Blaser has outfitted this special edition Defender for just such a market. The Blaser edition Defender includes roof rack, underbody skid plates, trailer hitch, power winch, spotlight, snorkel intake, custom-embroidered leather seats and more. It's decked out in what's called Keswich Green, but to us looks more like Panzer green, and packs a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four with 122 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque on tap. But the party piece is the custom armory built into the back that can carry as many as five hunting rifles plus ammunition. Only 60 examples will be made available exclusively in Germany, each carrying a €49,500 ($64,400) price tag.Blaser outfits special edition Land Rover Defender for hunting originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments 01/28/12 12:04 Study: J.D. Power: More car buyers base purchases on brand reputation than ratings and reviews Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising Reputation is everything, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates. The 2012 Avoider Study found that 43 percent of buyers who steer clear of a particular model due to quality concerns do so merely because of common knowledge. Ratings and reviews - our stock in trade - were cited by 38 percent, while previous ownership of a model caused scorn in only 14 percent of respondents. "The fact that so many new-vehicle buyers may be basing their opinions about quality and reliability on pre-conceived [sic] notions, rather than concrete information or data, demonstrates how important it is for automakers to promote the quality and reliability of their models," said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates, in what reads like a nakedly self-serving press release. Other interesting data from the survey included an all-time high for xenophobia, with respondents who avoided import models because of their origin rising to 14 percent, the highest in the nine years of the study. Buyers avoiding domestics for the same reason dropped to six percent, the lowest in the study's history. The most influential reason for purchasing a specific model in 2012 was fuel economy, trumping reliability, "the deal," and exterior styling, which were tops in 2010. To read the entire press release, click past the jump.Continue reading J.D. Power: More car buyers base purchases on brand reputation than ratings and reviewsJ.D. Power: More car buyers base purchases on brand reputation than ratings and reviews originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments 01/28/12 12:04 Report: BMW planning to slot i5 minivan into new range Filed under: Minivan/Van, BMW, Electric, Luxury Imagine you're an auto exec launching a new line of cars. One's a sportscar, the other a city car - pretty much opposite extremes on the spectrum of automotive bodystyles. Do you give them alphanumeric nameplates close to one another? Of course not. You assign them disparate numbers to make room for more models to slot in between. That's just what BMW is doing with its upcoming "i" range, with an i3 at one end and the i8 (star of the recent Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol). So what does it have planned to fit in the middle? According to Autobild out of Germany, an i5. The third model in the range is tipped to come in as a compact MPV in a similar mold as the Toyota Prius V - only probably significantly more expensive. Underpinnings would likely be borrowed from the i3, but stretched out a bit to make extra room for people and stuff. For that matter, we wouldn't be surprised to see an i2 come in as a two-door version of the i3 with the Smart ForTwo in its sights, or an i6 or i7 electric sedan, either.BMW planning to slot i5 minivan into new range originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments 01/28/12 12:04 Official: Honda Crosstour four-cylinder to start at $27,655* Filed under: Crossover, Hatchback, Honda Back when Honda launched the Crosstour in 2010, it fielded questions from the media asking why it chose to forego a four-cylinder model. At the time, officials indicated that a four-cylinder engine would result in minimal fuel economy improvements, noting that the company's aim was to target premium-minded customers for whom the 3.5-liter V6 seemed more appropriate. But with the fog of slow sales often comes a need to rethink strategies, and Honda has responded to sluggish demand for the Crosstour with a new four-cylinder model for 2012 with a just-announced base price of $27,655 (*plus $810 in destination charges). That's about $2,500 less than a comparable six-cylinder model. Despite Honda's earlier assertions, the new 192-horsepower, 162 pound-feet of torque 2.4-liter model actually does receive a rather substantial bump in fuel economy performance. The new front-drive trim nets 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway - the V6 only manages 18/27. Both the new four-cylinder and 271-hp/254 lb-ft V6 come with a five-speed automatic as standard kit. In equipment news, all Crosstour models will now receive standard auto-dimming mirrors, a USB hookup, Bluetooth telephony and standard backup camera, among other features. Honda shifted 17,974 Crosstour models last year, down 37.9 percent from its 2010 total of 28,851 units. The company had targeted sales of 40,000 units annually.Continue reading Honda Crosstour four-cylinder to start at $27,655*Honda Crosstour four-cylinder to start at $27,655* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments |
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