Archive for July 2006
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 5:04 PM
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Judging by Forbes’ latest automotive list, luxury motoring has its price, and it isn’t always listed on the window sticker.
The magazine’s website has just released its compendium of 2006’s ‘Least Reliable Luxury Cars On The Market,’ and the list is loaded with higher-dollar vehicles, not just $35K entry-level luxury players.
Based upon an amalgam of findings from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates, Forbes has determined that the following vehicles are prone to significant reliability issues:
- Land Rover LR3
- Land Rover Range Rover
- Lincoln Navigator
- Saab 9-3
- Volkswagen Touareg
Of note, four-out-of-five of the vehicles in question are SUVs, which tend to have more complex drivelines than conventional two-wheel drive cars. Additionally, feature count traditionally rises in lockstep with MSRP, leading to an increased number of systems (and as a result, problems).
More details at the link.
Forbes: Least Reliable Luxury Cars 2006
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 4:06 PM
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Truth time: We’re not entirely sure what this, either. The frighteningly crude anti-spy camouflage made out of cardboard, duct tape, and yellow mesh is comically haphazard at first glance. In actuality, however, the disguise does an excellent job of concealing the mystery hatchback’s proportions and manufacturer origin (that, and we’re particularly fond of the ad-hoc flying buttresses).
According to our spy shooter Antoine Guilbaud over at Hidden Image, this is actually a prototype of an upcoming Toyota two-door hatch, which could be a Corolla or Scion. The small fixed vent windows in front of the side mirrors are certainly reminiscent of the Prius, but we’re not altogether convinced.
(Click through for more shots and rampant speculation)
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Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 3:10 PM
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Ford design’s schizophrenia with the US-market Focus appears set to continue with a coming 2008 restyling.
When first introduced in North America as a 2000 model, Ford’s compact was a stylistic risk taker inside and out. Marked by bold curves intersected with hard lines at unusual angles, the original iteration took major chances in the design department (especially with the 3-door), and by most accounts, it succeeded.
Then in 2004, the Blue Oval’s engineers sobered-up, noticeably squaring off the car’s styling and adopting more ‘mature’ cues with both the exterior and interior.
Judging by the latest spy pic courtesy of Brenda Priddy’s snappers and the Detroit News, model year 2008 will bring with it another facelift, this time going in the opposite direction by adopting the bold horizontal chrome grille bars of Ford’s Fusion, giving the Focus’ countenance an edgier schnoz.
The D-News is also betting on some mechanical revisions and styling updates, which will have to keep the Honda Civics and Nissan Sentras of the world at bay until “at least 2010.” By that time, the Euro-market Focus is expected to be on its first facelift… of the NA car’s replacement.
U.S. version of Ford Focus to get mild facelift
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 1:22 PM
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Like seemingly every other business these days, Ford Motor Company’s marketers have been trying to use unorthodox advertising efforts to capture the attention of consumers when they aren’t involved with traditional media like television, print, and radio. To that end, the Blue Oval has announced that it is set to roll out on to breakfast tables nationwide.
The automaker has worked out a deal with with retailer Target to slip a Ford Fusion Hot Wheels car into 600,000 Kellogg Co. cereal boxes. Naturally, one lucky spoon-holder will find a red Fusion emblazoned with a Target logo in their box, and that person will win a 1:1 scale Fusion.
Tellingly, Ford isn’t placing the spiffs in products that skew toward mature consumers (e.g. Crispix and Smart Start); it’s going for products like Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, and so on. Consider this to be partly because the company is giving away toy cars, and partially because the company is vying for the affections of young gearheads-to-be who influence the buying decisions of those around them.
Finding a diecast car in a cereal box is something of a time-honored breakfast tradition, but this is the first we’ve heard of a car manufacturer doing this explicitly for marketing ends.
+ The Associated Press: Ford to Put 600K Toy Cars in Cereal Boxes
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 11:13 AM
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The folks over at The Car Connection report that someone kindly plunked images of the next Mercedes-Benz C-Class in their inbox today, remarkable considering that the marque’s entry-level luxury sedan isn’t slated to debut until the 2007 Geneva Motor Show.
The sedan is reportedly set to get a sportier bent, though it will share more of its unseen bits with the company’s mid-level E-Class. The move should make it a better foil for the BMW 3-Series and upcoming Infiniti G35 replacement.
(Drivetrain details and link after the jump!)
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Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 9:33 AM
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Over the weekend, super car builder Steve Saleen opened up his first lifestyle retail outlet in Orange County, California.
The S7 exotic builder and leading Mustang aftermarketer is selling everything from branded clothing to memorabilia and posters. In addition to the items on sale, there are interactive displays that are designed to educate patrons about automotive performance, including an S7R race simulator.
(Click through for more details and a link)
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Written By: Chris Paukert
July 31st, 2006 7:00 AM
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Volkswagen is reportedly set to debut its latest concept, dubbed the IROC, at this fall’s Paris Motor Show. What does VW have to do with the International Race of Champions, or the production models it inspired? Very little, actually — it’s more of a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact the car will be the world’s first glimpse at a scIROCco successor.
First reported by the Wolfsburg fanatics over at VWVortex, the concept reportedly looks like a two-door coupe amalgam of the Eco-Racer with a Concept A greenhouse slapped on the top.
VW has already said that the hot wind will be built in Portugal, but no official U.S. launch has been confirmed.
VWVortex: Volkswagen to show “IROC” concept at Paris Auto Show (via Autoblog)
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 30th, 2006 10:32 AM
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Feast your eyes on what could be the world’s first glimpse at the next Chevrolet Impala.
Sighted undergoing hot weather testing in the Southwest, the full-size sedan mule looks quite far along in its gestation, with a bold new front graphic that matches nicely with the noses on Chevrolet’s GMT900 SUVs. Our shooter indicates that it is definitely a Chevy, having gotten up close and personal with it at a gas station, and seeing the outline of the brand’s fabled Bowtie underneath the camouflage tape. It could also be argued that the front-end has been influenced by 2003’s Chevrolet SS Concept that debuted in Detroit, though the vehicle seen here lacks the showcar’s racy roofline, short rear deck and pronounced fenders.
In fact, Hans Lehmann’s people over at Hidden Image even managed to sneak a look under the mystery machine, confirming that it is indeed front-wheel drive. Oddly, this doesn’t doesn’t gibe with prevailing rumors indicating that the next Impala and Monte Carlo will switch drive axles. The photog also was able to discern that it was both wider and longer and the current model, a fact that appears readily evident from the photos. Strangely, however, we don’t have any interior shots at this time.
(Click through to the jump for a ton of addition photographs and details!)
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Written By: Chris Paukert
July 29th, 2006 11:24 PM
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Today’s proof that you can find anything and everything on eBay? A jet powered go kart.
Based on a shifter kart with disc brakes, a JFS100 turbine was set up by “Turbo” Tim Arfons, son of the legendary Art Arfons, best known for setting a series of land speed records in his “Green Monster” jet-powered racers at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
According to the seller, the 72,000 rpm JFS100 started life as… well, a starter—for the A-7 Corsair fighter plane (we’re presuming he means a Corsair II), and it’s a flex-fuel setup that can run on jet fuel (natch), kerosene or diesel. The afterburner features bits from a McDonnell Douglas DC-9.
(More details and a link to the auction after the jump!)
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Written By: Chris Paukert
July 28th, 2006 4:20 PM
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Ford offered the only chance collectors may get to purchase the company’s new Shelby GT-H. Of the 500 examples being minted, just one of them was made available for public purchase (the other 499 being available for rent exclusively at Hertz Fun Collection outlets), and a well-heeled bidder claimed the limited edition ‘Stang with a $250,000 bid.
Held at the EAA Airventure 2006’s “Gathering of Eagles” fundraiser in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, proceeds from the event will go to the group’s aviation education efforts. EAA’s initiatives include the Young Eagles, a program that has seen some 1.2 million youths take flight since its inception in 1992.
See www.airventure.org for more information on the EAA AirVenture 2006.
Written By: Chris Paukert
July 28th, 2006 1:23 PM
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Okay, so you’ve got a weakness for origami and a hankering for an open-topped Meyers Manx-esque cruiser, with the front-end of a second-gen Volkswagen Scirocco and a split-hinge hood. What’s a guy with a leftover Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor and an arc welder to do? Ring up American Hot Rod Corporation, evidently.
Alright, so you’ve got to admire their creativity. Taking a 1992-1997 Panther platform Blue Oval and turning it into a half-door convertible with gabled hood and partial fenders is spectacularly unique stuff.
(Click through to the jump for many more images and a link!)
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Written By: Reilly
July 28th, 2006 10:34 AM
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The internet is hot to pick up any rumor that generates page views, but some are just flat wrong. At least that’s what Bentley is saying about the circulating computer-generated shots of the supposedly forthcoming Bentley SUV.
Bentley recently named a new general manager for public relations, David P. Reuter, and we had the opportunity to have lunch with him in Ann Arbor a few weeks ago. He’s a thoroughly good guy and a true car enthusiast. DPR was adamant that the circulating Bentley SUV spy shots were a sham. When new shots crossed our desk last night, we went back to him with the same question and asked if he still stands behind his position from three weeks ago.
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