Jeremy Korzeniewski
- http://www.autobloggreen.com
2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight
2011 Ford Fiesta for America revealed, hits 40 mpg-
2010 Hyundai Tucson makes the drive to America
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2011 Ford Fiesta priced from $13,320, special deal for reserving early
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BREAKING: Mitsubishi Colt is coming to America
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Green:
LA 2009: Bob Lutz keynote: "The automobile industry simply can no longer rely on oil"
Suzuki's Kizashi Test Drive Challenge offers $100 to Audi A4 and Acura TSX buyers
2010 Suzuki Kizashi – Click above for high-res image gallery
It's best to aim high, right? While most of the automotive world (ourselves included) are busy comparing the rather wonderful Suzuki Kizashi with logical competitors like the Volkswagen Jetta – not to mention larger cars like the Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Ford Fusion – it seems the Japanese automaker itself has its sights set a bit higher... all the way up to the Audi A4 and Acura TSX, point of fact.
Called the "Kizashi Test Drive Challenge" incentive program, Suzuki is offering sport sedan buyers $100 if they test drive the Kizashi first and still end up purchasing either a 2010 Audi A4 2.0T or four-cylinder 2010 Acura TSX within 10 days of the test drive. The program ends runs through January 31, 2010. Says Koichi Suzuki, executive vice president of American Suzuki Automotive Operations:
Like we said, aim high. Read the full set of terms and conditions in the complete press release pasted after the jump.With styling, performance characteristics, luxury features and a new advanced All-Wheel-Drive system on par with the Audi A4 and Acura TSX, we're excited to extend this unique offer to consumers across the country, providing potential sport sedan buyers another reason to consider the all-new Kizashi-at a substantial savings. We're definitely putting Kizashi's premium without the premium moniker to the test.
Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi
Photos copyright ©2009 Jonny Lieberman / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Suzuki]
REPORT: U.S consortium now in lead for Volvo purchase
Just about a month ago, news hit the interwebs that Chinese automaker Geely officially became Ford's preferred bidder for Volvo once concerns over intellectual property were sorted out. Today, though, we're hearing that Crown, a consortium led by former Ford director Michael Dingman, former Ford and Chrysler LLC executive Shamel Rushwin and ex-Volvo CEO Roger Holtback, is gaining momentum in its bid for the Swedish automaker after submitting a revised proposal.
If reports from The Wall Street Journal and Reuters are accurate, Crown's new bid is "on par" with Geely's $1.8 billion offer and is backed by both Swedish and Chinese investors and banks. Not surprisingly, Ford has yet to comment on the speculation, though it has said that talks with Geely are already at an advanced stage. Stay tuned.
[Sources: The Wall Street Journal; Reuters]
2011 Ford Fiesta priced from $13,320, special deal for reserving early
2011 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery
Surprisingly, Ford decided to slip out U.S. pricing for its hotly anticipated 2011 Fiesta with no fanfare at all. No major announcements at the LA Auto Show, no wordy press releases... nothing. But, if you head on over to Ford's official page for the new Fiesta, you'll see that it starts at $13,320 (plus a $675 destination charge).
Even better, the full Build and Price section is available, meaning you can see each and every individual option and its price. We went ahead and spent some time perusing the options list, and we see that the low base price is for the base S model, which comes exclusively in sedan form. The least expensive hatchback model is $15,120 (about $800 more than a comparably-equipped sedan).
Step up to a hatchback with Ford's new six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and you're looking at $16,190, and the uprated SES hatchback starts at $17,120 ($18,190 with the auto). Click past the jump for more interesting little tidbits that we noticed when pricing out our own Fiestas, including what Ford is offering for reserving one early.
Gallery: 2011 Ford Fiesta
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Ford Motor Company
Driving Skills for Life
Ford hosted another Driving Skills for Life driving camp in Washington D.C. just before a two-day summit created by the U.S. Department of Transportation on the topic of distracted driving. The connection of the two is a natural.
REPORT: NHTSA proposing new side airbag standards expected to cost $54 per car
Naturally, safety is a top priority for both automakers and consumers alike. It's also of paramount concern to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, which is the government body that sets standards for automobile safety here in the States. According to The Detroit News, NHTSA is currently drafting up new legislation that would make side curtain airbags more robust.
NHTSA projects that the modified airbags would save some 402 lives and prevent 302 serious injuries per year, with the bulk of those made up of motorists who are not properly wearing their seat belts. The new rules would mandate curtain airbags that cover up more of the window opening and stay inflated longer, helping to ensure that occupants are not ejected during a rollover accident.
What price safety? Current estimates peg the upgrade at about $54 per vehicle, which equals roughly $920 million annually. Under the proposal, 20 percent of every major manufacturer's fleet would need to comply by 2014 and all vehicles would need to be so-equipped by 2017.
[Source: The Detroit News]
A Game of Chicken: Mitsubishi wants to import Triton pickup and Delica van - but can it afford to?
According to a report from Automotive News, Mitsubishi's North American CEO Shin Kurihara would like to bring over the Japanese automaker's funky little Delica van (right) and Triton pickup (above), believing that the two work-ready models may fill a desirable niche here in the States. So, why not wave a magic wand and make that happen? In a word: Chickens.Sorry, come again? What do chickens have to do with vans and pickups? It's all a bit odd, but back in the early Sixties, the United States levied a 25% tax on potato starch, Dextrin, brandy, and light trucks in response to French and German tariffs on imported U.S. chicken. Yes, really.
As such, importing any light trucks from overseas into the States can be an expensive proposition, taking away pretty much any chance of profitability. There may be ways around the issue as Ford has found with its Turkey-built Transit Connect, and Mitsubishi is currently considering its options, which, we surmise, may include bringing the vehicles in only partially assembled and finishing them here in the U.S. We'll see.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book best resale value awards
According to the experts-of-such-things at Kelley Blue Book, the average vehicle will only retain about 35 percent of its original value after the initial five-year ownership period, often making depreciation the greatest expense incurred by drivers over that time period. That's a hefty chunk of change to be sure, so a vehicle's anticipated resale value should be of prime concern when shopping for your next car or truck.Since 2003, KBB has published its Best Resale Value Awards, which seek to inform consumers of projected resale value for any particular model after five years and 75,000 miles worth of service. Considering its historic reputation for quality, it comes as little surprise that Toyota takes home the trophy as the brand with the best projected resale value and that its subsidiary Lexus grabs the award in the luxury category. We have to wonder, though, how the company's many current woes might damage its perceived value down the line.
Making up the Top 10 Models for 2010 are the Audi A5, BMW M3, Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro SS, Honda CR-V, Mini Cooper and Clubman along with the Prius, RAV4 and Tacoma from Toyota. See here for a more comprehensive list and make the jump for the official press release.
[Source: KBB]
REPORT: Chevrolet Cruze SS being pushed for hard by company insiders
2011 Chevrolet Cruze - Click above for high-res image gallery
Still mourning the death of Chevrolet's pint-sized pocket rocket, the Cobalt SS? According to a report from Motor Authority, you're not alone, and a number of those fellow fans come from right inside Chevrolet's own hallways. This begs the question: With the Cruze set to replace the aging Cobalt for the 2011 model year, is there any chance that General Motors will revive the SS nomenclature for a high performance version? Could be, though we're certainly not holding our breathe.
The powerplant for the supposed Cruze SS is ripe for the picking in the form of the excellent 260-horsepower turbocharged and direct injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder called Ecotec and six-speed manual gearbox as seen in the defunct Cobalt SS and still-available HHR SS, including the very cool Launch Control and No-Lift Shift technology. Of course, the Cruze's rear torsion bar suspenders may limit the car's handling prowess a bit, but a wholesale redesign would cost way too much for a low-volume SS model.
In any case, if the car ever does come to market – and, like we said, we're not holding our breathe – it won't appear right away, perhaps instead for the car's planned mid-cycle refresh in 2014.
Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
[Source: Motor Authority]
What Price One-Upmanship? 2011 Bentley Mulsanne available from $285,000
2011 Bentley Muslanne - Click above for high-res image gallery
With a starting price of $285,000, Bentley's newest flagship model won't come cheap. Nor should it, with its 505-horsepower, 725 lb-ft, gasoline-fed 6.75-liter V8 engine sitting behind the automaker's trademark mesh grille and four round lights.
Also included in that price will be an eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, 16.54-inch front and 15.5-inch rear carbon ceramic brakes and 20-inch wheels. And lest we forget, it will also come with a 2,200-watt stereo and the brand's new Driver Dynamics Control system, which comes with "Bentley," "Sport," "Comfort" and user-definable "Custom" modes.
Want one? Production is slated to begin at the Crewe factory in England in the second quarter of 2010, and the first deliveries will make it to America later than year in the fall. Get yours in one of 114 available paint colors, 21 carpet shades, nine wood veneers and 24 interior leather hides, but get your order in fast – Bentley reports that early customer interest has already exceeded 2010 production targets. Click past the break for the official press release.
Gallery: Monterey 2009: 2010 Bentley Mulsanne
[Source: Bentley]
BREAKING: GM CEO Fritz Henderson steps down
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Dec 1st, 2009 at 4:45PM 
Well, that was quick. Fritz Henderson, the recently appointed CEO of General Motors, is stepping down. Company chairman of the board Ed Whitacre (remember the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" commercials, that's the guy) is set to act as the interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found.
This marks the second CEO that beleaguered automaker General Motors has lost this year, the first being Rick Wagoner, who was asked to resign by the Obama Administration's Task Force for Autos. Over the last few months, deals that GM had made to offload Opel, Saturn and Saab have all fallen through, and some have reported on clashing styles between Whitacre and Henderson.
General Motors has just confirmed the news via a press conference being held as we speak. Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
UPDATE: Official Statement from Ed Whitacre, GM's new interim CEO, added after the jump.
[Source: Free Press, GM | Image: Philippe Lopez/Getty]
"Viridian Joule" picked as winner of Chevy Volt Paint Color Contest
2011 Chevrolet Volt in Viridian Joule - Click above for high-res image gallery
The votes have been cast, the tallies tallied and the winner determined: Viridian Joule will be the official name of the silvery-green hue as seen on a slew of Chevrolet Volt marketing material for what seems like the last decade or so. So, um, what does Viridian Joule mean? We'll let the winner himself, 40-year-old David Thomas of Sanford, Florida, explain:
We needed a bit more help, so we looked up the word 'viridian'. So says Dictionary.com: a long-lasting, bluish-green pigment, consisting of a hydrated oxide of chromium. OK, fine. Joule wasn't so hard to figure out, but here's the definition anyway: a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere is passed through a resistance of one ohm for one second. So, there you have it.I looked at the photo of the Volt on the contest web site and thought it looked emerald in color, which led to jewel and then to an alternate yet appropriate play on that word – joule.
Want to know more? Click past the break to read the official press release, and see the image gallery below for more views of a Viridian Joule Chevrolet Volt.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Chevrolet]
GM confirms Chevrolet Volt to be introduced in California before nationwide rollout
2011 Ford Fiesta priced from $13,320, special deal for reserving early
VIDEO: 2011 Ford Mustang with 305-HP V6 gets seen and heard in motion
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
LA 2009: 2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight
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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...
Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.
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