Automotive News

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Spy Photos, Hatchbacks, Pontiac

Looks like Pontiac might be losing their Vibe for 2008. And we don’t mean the two versions of the Vibe they already killed off. What will be showing up in its place is likely to be a similar vehicle, but the name will change. In place of “Vibe” we are likely to get a “G” something or other, to fit with the current naming formula being employed within Pontiac. Maybe we will get the VVT-i versions back if they release a GT down the road.

There’s also a spy photo of the new vehicle courtesy of KGP Photography, and although it is heavily cloaked at the front and rear, you can see a revised side that somehow manages to be different and the same all at once. Think evolution instead of revolution. Rumor has it Toyota will again get its own version of this vehicle, but we aren’t sure whether or not it will retain the “Matrix” moniker. “Vibe” might be available, if they’re interested.

[Source: The Car Connection]

 

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Filed under: Garage, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, Chevrolet, GM

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With cars, first impressions carry a lot of influence. Bad first impression? Then it’s on to the next candidate. But when a car connects at that first meeting, you’re inclined to hang around a bit to see what else it has to offer. And so goes the story of my time with the Chevy Aveo.

The Aveo arrived after we spent a week with the luxurious and capable Cadillac SRX. To say that personally-held expectations regarding the rebadged Daewoo were low would be understating the matter. The previous generation, despite being a strong seller for GM, was stylistically uninspiring, and it would not have been the least bit surprising to find more of the same in the new one. Upon taking delivery of Autoblog’s shiny blue loaner, we were taken aback. The Aveo, you see, makes quite a good first impression.

Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Chevy Aveo LT

 

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Filed under: Etc.

Imagine you’re on vacation. You rent a car for your month-long stay in Mexico. You feel pretty comfortable passing on the optional insurance and go along on your merry way. All goes well until one stormy evening. Somewhere in the night you have a blowout. You phone it in and the people at Hertz tell you, “No problem, just bring it back and we’ll replace the tire.” Done. Report filed, agent tells you no worries again, there won’t be any charges.

You finish your vacation and return to the airport to drop off your little blue Chevy. But there’s a slight hitch. The manager now insists you fork over an additional $60 for the tire damage. Not wanting to miss your flight, you agree and go on home. You probably see how this is going to end up. Rather than adding $60, which was already more than you felt you should have had to pay, the final charge for the rental shows an additional $499.48. Zoinks!

This very sad tale was recently reported by one unhappy customer identified only as Kathy on the consumer advocate site, Consumerist. When the inflated bill arrived, she contacted the company and Hertz allegedly told her that it is fully in keeping with standard practices of the car rental industry in most countries. Oh really? $500 seems a bit steep for a tire, even in Mexico. And for a manager to say $60 and then charge $500? We don’t suspect that is standard operating procedure for any rental agency.

As far as we know the issue hasn’t been resolved, but suggestions have been made to contact her credit card company and possibly approach the problem as fraud, because the employees had said no charge, then $60 before charging an unauthorized $499.48. Perhaps this serves as a warning to carefully consider rental insurance options, especially while abroad, or maybe just to steer clear of Hertz and its impressively expensive tires.

[Source: Consumerist]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Coupes

With nearly all of its other sister companies - Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Ferrari, Fiat and even Abarth - getting on track, the attention at the Fiat group should be turning to its ailing Lancia division next. But don’t expect Fiat to drag its feet about it much longer, as Lancia may have a new car ready to show us as soon as September.

Emerging reports suggest that Lancia is preparing a new Fulvia, in full pre-production guise, for the upcoming Frankfurt motor show in the fall. The last time we saw a Fulvia it was the show car above, a retro styling exercise from the Lancia Centro Stile, that didn’t make it to production because they didn’t have the money or the right platform on which to build it. But the Fiat group has headed into a new era of growth, and the time may be coming for a new Fulvia to spearhead Lancia’s regeneration.

Insiders suggest that instead of the retro-styled Fulvia concept from 2003, the new car will feature a thoroughly modern design. This should be interesting.

[Source: WindingRoad]

 

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Ford

We bring you yet another example of people getting bent out of shape over what appears to us as innocuous advertising. This time it’s Ford of Europe, which has been running a commercial for its Focus Zetec Climate model using clips from the movie Casino Royale. As we all know, Ford had great product placement in the new Bond flick, which featured Aston Martin’s new DBS as 007’s main ride, as well as a new Ford Mondeo as his rental car of choice. Unfortunately, some people complained that this new commercial is misleading, insinuating by association that the Focus Zetec Climate appeared in Casino Royale, which they reason would make it more attractive to some.

If you buy a car because you think it’s in a movie that you obviously haven’t even seen, then you’re a piss poor shopper. Though most consumers aren’t that dumb, Ford has been ordered by the Advertising Standards Agency to quit running the commercial just in case someone out there believe Bond rolls in a Focus. Sigh.

You can see if the commercial is misleading for yourself after the jump.

[Source: Guardian.co.uk, Carscoop]

Continue reading Double-O Uh-Oh! Ford forced to yank “Casino Royale” ad for Focus

 

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Filed under: GM, Earnings/Financials

If you pay attention to the Business section of the newspaper, then you’re no doubt aware of how many public companies have been restating their earnings as of late. You can thank the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for that, which was passed in the wake of accounting scandals at such companies as Enron, WorldCom and Tyco. General Motors has restated its earnings in the recent past, and in its annual 10-K report of results for 2006 revealed that its ability to effectively and accurately report its finances is inadequate.

This might sound like a shocker, that a company doesn’t have the resources to accurately report its numbers to shareholders and the public, but Sarbanes-Oxley changed the accounting game in a big way and major corporations are still trying to catch up to its requirements. GM has vowed to address the problem by hiring six new accounting officers and restructuring its accounting and tax departments. Throwing bodies at the problem is really the only solution, as it’s a practical impossibility in many cases for a company as large as GM to keep track of every single penny on its balance sheet. Nevertheless, it’s required to at least try and that’s what it’s doing. Don’t expect accounting errors to go away overnight, however. As long as the automaker is forthcoming about errors and moves to correct them quickly, however, these snafus aren’t likely to affect its stock price or image with investors.

[Source: Money.cnn.com]

 

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Filed under: Etc.

Does a three-hour marathon session of Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 give you the urge to go wreak automotive havoc on an unsuspecting public? Perhaps not, but you might be more inclined to run a red light or wantonly speed according to a new study that confirms the correlation between racing games and risky behavior behind the wheels. While surveys have been done to establish this correlation in the past, this is one of the first hardcore studies conducted to back up this theory.

Conducted by Peter Fischer at Ludwig-Maximilians University and the Allianz Center for Technology in Germany (Allianz is one of the largest insurance companies in the world), the study took a very scientific approach. Published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, it began with interviewing a number of subjects on their driving habits and how often they played video games that featured driving in a real-world setting. Next, researchers actually compared the effect of playing games like Burnout, Midnight Racer and Need for Speed on the brain. It was found that such games did increase cognitions that relate to risk taking and arousal/excitement. Finally, the study gauged whether these types of driving games actually translated into risk-taking behavior by using the widely accepted Vienna Test System. Sure enough, it was found that men (though not women) were more likely to take risks in traffic after playing these games.

The linked article from Arstechnica makes the good point that the study steered clear of driving games like Project Gotham Racing, Forza and Gran Turismo that take place on virtual tracks in controlled environments. Such games, if studied, might be found to promote increased motor skills and concentration since the goal is to get the best lap time and not run over granny in your Gremlin.

What’s worrisome, however, is if the correlation between these types of driving games might eventually give the insurance industry cause to increase rates for gamers that like to indulge in a little Grand Theft Auto.

[Source: Arstechnica]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertibles, Sedans/Saloons, BMW

While the BMW M3 Coupe was all-but unveiled in Geneva, we have had to rely on spy photographers for images of the M3 Sedan and Cabrio. Hans Lehmann has captured a few shots of each for Winding Road, and you can see them in all their Technicolor splendor by clicking through the read link.

We’re still not sure when and where the production M3 sedan will make its debut, but Frankfurt or even New York are still possibilities. As we told you before, the sedan will get a front fascia that is nearly identical to the one on the coupe, and since the coupe is both sleek and mean at the same time, this can only be taken as a very good thing. Knowing a 400ish-horsepower V8 is under the hood makes it even better.

The cabrio pics show the metal drop-top to be a handsome beast, as well. That’s to be expected since the hardtop allows it to mimic the lines of the coupe to a tee.

We are guessing the sedan will appear by the end of the year and that we’ll have to wait until spring 2008 for the convertible M3. But wait we will, with bated breath.

[Source: Winding Road]

 

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Filed under: Ford, Earnings/Financials

We’re getting mixed signals from Ford. One week ago the automaker announced it was distributing bonuses to every single one of its salaried and hourly workers, just to say thanks for helping the company reduce costs, improve quality and reduce the ranks. Today we learn that Ford President of the Americas Mark Fields has told his workforce in a weekly webcast that the company earned poor marks on its own internal report card. The poor marks resulted from missing sales targets and not cutting material costs enough in February. We were under the impression that successful cost cutting was one of the reasons for paying out at least $36 million dollars in bonuses to its workers.

We made the argument last week, and again in this week’s podcasts, that we bet many Ford workers would much rather have their bonus money go back into the company to ensure all the right moves are made during these uncertain times and their jobs remain secure. This seems even more evident today in light of Ford’s failing to meet its own targets for February. Those many millions could pay for the next niche vehicle that sparks a renaissance, or any number of things that could help save the company. Heck, it could pay for a Taurus SHO!

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

 

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Filed under: Car Buying, GM

General Motors has decided to bring back 0% and reduced-rate financing on many of its models to save its sales efforts for March. No doubt the General is keen on putting up positive numbers for the month to compliment the other bits of good news that have signaled its turnaround may have turned the corner. The new incentives start today and include 0% financing for 36 months and reduced-rate financing for up to 72 months, in addition to an extra $1,000 rebate that can also be used by the customer. The vehicles eligible for the new incentives, which will last through April 3rd, include the usual suspects, as well as the new 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, which is a bit of a surprise. The automaker no doubt senses an opportunity to hit its main rival, the Ford F-150, where it hurts. Considering the current F-150 is now an older model than the new GMT900 trucks from GM, as well as the new Toyota Tundra, its position as King of the Hill in the truck country is in serious jeopardy this year.

[Source: Automotive News]

 

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