Last Auto News Blog: июля 2009

Hot Dog Anyone!

This past Friday the 22 year old driver of the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile accidentally crashed into a home in Racine, Wisconsin. There were no injuries, but some serious damage to the house. Via Associated Press.

The Future of BMW: 1 Series, Two New Crossovers for U.S.

BMW has a new CEO and he isn’t shy about discussing future products. In the ultra-secretive world that is the automotive industry, we don’t get candid Q&A’s from executives too often, but AutoWeek scored a good one with new BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer. Reithofer used to head up BMW’s U.S. production in South Carolina, so he has a pulse on the American market.

What exactly did he say? Well, for one thing the U.S. will see future 1 Series models. The 1 Series is currently on sale in Europe as a hatchback (shown here). Reithofer says the U.S. will not get a hatchback, though; look for a 1 Series sedan, coupe and wagon instead. The 1 Series could be a huge hit in the U.S. as a successor to the classic BMW 2002.

The other news is that the South Carolina plant will add a new crossover vehicle in 2008 that will be built alongside the X5 SUV. Reithofer calls it a “so-called SAV coupe.” We don’t know what that means either, but the term SAV — Sport Activity Vehicle — is what they use for the X3.

A second crossover is in the works, but the CEO was much more vague about that. All he would say is that it won’t be a luxury minivan like the Mercedes-Benz R-Class.

It’s always fun to speculate about what will be on the roads in the future, and now we know a lot more than we did yesterday.

[Interview With Norbert Reithofer, AutoWeek]

Bill and Connor in Detroit

I kinda want Bill and Connor Miles to keep exploring the country. Following their trip has been great, as we’ve already seen, and since we last left them in the desert out West, they’ve made their way across the heartland, across one of the Great Lakes, and into Detroit, where they spent a couple days this week taking in the museums founded by and related to the Ford family. Sure, for two guys rambling about in a GMC, Dearborn is technically enemy ground, but Bill has owned a couple Model As in the past, so they let ‘em in.

Porsche backing off from taking majority stake in VW this year

Filed under: Porsche, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Looks like Porsche won't be feasting on more shares of VW for Thanksgiving. Porsche has apparently decided to postpone its move to buy a majority stake in Volkswagen due to the global economic crisis. CEO Wendelin Wiedeking said he still wants that 75% share of VW, but that it's just too difficult at the moment. It doesn't help that VW shares are trading for "economically ridiculous" prices according to Porsche finance chief Holger Haerter. Porsche shares are trading at 57.261 euros, while VW was up 12.2 percent to 286.0 euros. Porsche told us last week in L.A. that it's vulnerable to the current slump in demand and that they expect 2009 to be a slow year. Controlling Volkswagen's movements and profits could help Porsche stay in the black over the next year, but it would simply be too risky right now.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Porsche backing off from taking majority stake in VW this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It Came From… Alex Tremulis?

Alex Tremulis hood ornament

The jet-age styling of the 1950s produced some of the most memorable automotive designs ever, but we have a hard time recalling ever seeing a hood ornament such as this, which reader William J. Dubiel recently sent us photos of, hoping to find out a little more about it. He claims that Ford, Cord, and Tucker designer Alex Tremulis designed the ornament, which seems plausible: Tremulis sketched what is considered the first-ever flying saucer conceptual drawing, and he’d presumably take on some filler work such as this to pay the bills between big clients. All we know is that we’d like to see some ’50s car roll up to one of our cruise-ins sporting one of these.

Jaguar Dealers Really Satisfy

2007jaguarxk

J.D. Power is all about ranking stuff. It doesn’t matter what you buy, they want to rank it. When it comes to cars, they even rank customers’ satisfaction with the dealership where they bought their new car. A surprise occurs in the latest such study. Of all automotive brands in the land, folks were most pleased with Jaguar. We say that with a smirk because Jaguar has just one significantly new model in its showrooms — the sexy XK — and isn’t known for overall product quality, either. According to J.D. Power, half of all customers who walk out of a dealership point to poor treatment as the cause, and that means Jaguar is keeping walk-ins happy enough to sell them a car, sexy or not.

Cadillac, Lincoln, Porsche and Toyota filled out the top five, but we’re giving Jaguar its moment in the spotlight.

[Jaguar Tops in Buyers' Dealership Satisfaction, Detroit Free Press]

Ariel Atom 500 - Street Legal Space Shuttle

The Ariel Atom 500, is a V8-powered mini-space shuttle that pulls out figures of over 1,000 bhp per tonne. This from a 2.4-litre V8, which is perhaps paying homage to current Formula One rules. It is supercharged and revs to 10,000 rpm.

With over 500 hp in a 500 kg package the Atom 500 will boast one of the highest power to weight ratios ever for a production car. The Atom will have over 1000bhp per tonne (compared to a Bugatti Veyron’s 521bhp per tonne tonne) and will be built in limited numbers.

Read The Rest of The Article

This Week in Photos: 4-28-2008 - 5-3-2008

Miss any photo galleries from this week? Worry not because we always compile a list of photo galleries we’ve posted throughout the week at the end of every week. Check out pictures of the new BMW M1...

2010 Volvo C70 Convertible: First Look

2010 Volvo C70 Convertible: First Look
Although these pictures don’t showcase the car in it’s convertible form, this is very much a hard top convertible. This roomy, yet sporty convertible seats four, and some of it’s most prominent assets seem to be in the headlights, of all place.

2010 Honda Crosstour: Spotted in Public

2010 Honda Crosstour: Spotted in Public
This is Honda’s solution and answer to Toyota’s recently launched Venza crossover, Honda will be preparing this new CUV that is based off of their always popular Accord. Not too much is known yet on the actual specs of this car, but for now enjoy the pictures and let us know what you think of the new design.

Is it time to buy a gas-guzzler?

2005-expedition I’m surrounded, I’m outnumbered, and I’ve finally had enough.

The people next door to me have a GMC Sierra and a Chevy Tahoe. Across the street from them are an ‘07 Tahoe and a Ford F-250 Super Duty. The people across from my house have a GMC Envoy XL, a Chevy Silverado, and just added a Ford Expedition. (Yes, I live in soccer-mom suburbia.)

Needless to say, I’m feeling inadequate as I pull out of the garage in my comparably minuscule Suzuki SX4.

When gas prices were over $4 a gallon, I was the one making fun of them and their outrageous fuel bills. While they were spending an easy hundred bucks per fill-up, I was driving out of the station for under 40.

The price of fuel isn’t that big a factor anymore, though, and I’m tempted to get something bigger. This morning I browsed through the CarGurus reviews of some bigger rigs and checked prices on some pre-owned vehicles in my area. Here’s what I found:

I know I could get one heck of a deal on any of these, and I’m pretty sure I’d be happy in one while making unnecessary road trips just to see how much I could pack into it.

I need your advice, though. I’ve read every comment that’s come through on our blog and I know there are a lot of smart car gurus out there. This CarGuru could use your advice.

Do you think it’s a good time to buy a bigger vehicle? Which one would you get?

-tgriffith

Audi: Kevin Costner picked up his new car

Seems like Hollywood loves Audi, as do you and me. Kevin Costner has now picked up his new Audi S8 and a new Audi Q7 for his son. He joins the club of proud Audi drivers like Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, just to name a few.Related news: GermanCarBlog, P4MR, AudiSource: Fourtitude

Ford Stock Nearing $2.00; UAW Stock, $0

big3-negotiation Well, they had to do it—sign a deal with Ford, that is, and make the concessions needed to keep the company alive, even if many UAW workers hated the deal. They gave back hard-won gains the union had negotiated years ago.

One of these was the retiree trust fund for health care (VEBA). The company will now fund half its $3.2 billon contribution due next year with its high-flying $2.00 stock instead of cash. And yes, that will likely soon make VEBA kaput. Other concessions include:

jobs bank ended
no cost-of-living increases
no performance bonuses
cuts in break time; other work rule and schedule changes.

Most important for the company, hourly labor and benefit costs will resolve to $55 an hour, compared to $48-49/hour for transplant auto workers. Ford will reach parity with them, the company says, in two years.

Ford's Rouge Plant

Ford will also close some plants, move production to others, and, for the moment, avoid having to beg like its Big Three cohorts for government aid. The new pact clearly will set the pattern for negotiations with GM and Chrysler. But the VEBA deal Ford struck—half cash, half penny stock—won’t work for Chrysler, a privately held company owing almost $10 billion to VEBA by year’s end.

Last week Ford offered its bondholders a similar cash-and-stock deal. It’s doubtful that GM can match this. And so the dance continues.

The VEBA deal will net Ford about $500 million in annual savings. How quickly do you think they will burn through that?

—jgoods

Callaway C16 Speedster to be unveiled at Pebble Beach

Callaways latest rendition of the Corvette strips away all barriers between you and the road with its open cockpit design. The new Callaway C16 Speedster shares the redesigned lines of the C16 but with far less glass and much more punch beneath the hood. The first production Speester will be delivered to its buyer at the Pebble Beach Conours de’Elegance that runs August 15th through the 19th.

Callaway C16 Speedster

Like all Callaway cars the new buyers of the C16 Speedster can make their choice of color and interior leather for the car, but all cars come with the supercharged 6.2 liter engine. Not only will the driver of this car have the wind in his or her hair they will also have the power of 700-hp pushing them headlong into that wind. That is an 85-hp increase from the regular Callaway C16 already on sale.

Pics Aplenty: 20 new Porsche Panamera photos pop up online

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Euro, Porsche

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Porsche Panamera

Nearly two dozen more photos of the Porsche Panamera have emerged following the first official pics that arrived late last week. The latest images show a rear-wheel-drive, 400-hp 4.8-liter Panamera S (in graphite), an all-wheel-drive Panamera 4S with optional PCCB ceramic brakes (in blue) and the 500-hp Panamera Turbo (in silver). We'll assume the Panamera Turbo, like the current 911 Turbo, will also be fitted with permanent AWD. The adaptive HID headlights, LED tail lamps and four bucket seats are also clearly visible in the photography. We are also catching glimpses of an optional roof rack, fitted luggage and the Turbo's trick rear spoiler. It appears that the floodgates have apparently opened on the Porsche Panamera -- of course, we'll keep adding images to our gallery as they arrive.

Gallery: 2010 Porsche Panamera

[Source: Carscoop]

Pics Aplenty: 20 new Porsche Panamera photos pop up online originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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