Automotive News

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Contests, Etc., Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler

Carmakers pay their ad agencies a great deal of money to come up with concepts that will bring buyers to the brand. We hope they kept the receipt for this one. But for those of you who want to win a new Sebring, and we know you are out there, here is what you have to do: 1. Be at least 18 years old. 2. Have a baby exactly at 2:03:04 AM on 5/6/07, or be the adopted parents or guardians of a baby born at that exact moment. 3. Send the birth certificate in to enter the random drawing. Ready for this? It’s called the “Chrysler Sebring Bundle of Joy” promotion.

For some reason Chrysler wants to celebrate the birth of a baby born on the twice-every-century 2-3-4-5-6-7 date combination, and thinks a free Sebring is the way to do that. Even though it happens two times — am and pm — only the early birds will get the… Sebring. No word on how much of the baby has to be “born” at the time. We also wonder if there will be enough babies magically born at the chosen hour to create a Sebring Generation.

[Source: Detroit News]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc.

Design sketch by program director, Vance Hanna

Dude, I would not be blogging right now if this were offered to me in high school. Actually, more than one of us had that reaction to this news item. High school students with a desire to get into automotive design are being offered a unique summer camp opportunity from Lawrence Technological University this summer. The Southfield, MI tech school has been providing Detroit with mechanical engineers for more than 75 years, but as a way of introducing the world to its new Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation Design, Lawrence Tech will be offering its first automotive design summer camp for high school juniors and seniors. The one-week camp runs June 25-29 and runs $200, or $350 for students who choose to stay on campus for the week.

The camp will be run by practicing automotive designers, Vance Hanna and Keith Nagara. They are the co-directors of the new transportation design degree program at Lawrence Tech. Campers will learn about designing and developing concept cars, and will actually produce sketches and scale models. They’ll see how the pros do it and will have their own work professionally evaluated, as well. “Top Camp” students can even win scholarships for the transportation design degree program with their work. Follow the Read link for full details and the application form if you’re interested.

[Source: Lawrence Technological University via TopSpeed.com]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Time Warp, Tuner Tuesdays, Porsche, Volkswagen

Looking for a good way to waste time? There’s no shortage out there, but here’s one that’s good for a few hours you’ll never get back.

BusSelecta.com gives you the tools to customize any of a variety of classic German cars. As the name suggests, the site started out a few years back with the classic VW bus, but now includes the Beetle, the Type 3 and a whole variety of classic Porsches. You can customize a wide range of features, including the wheels and tires, suspension height, change the color, add decals and accessories… enough variety to keep you busy for a while. Check out the Porsche Selecta that lets you chose from a range of 911, 914, 356 and 550 bodystyles. Deck it out and then change to another model to see how the scheme you worked out for James Dean’s Speedster would look on a 912 Targa.

While you can print out your design, we were disappointed to find that the printout is only on paper. To get your hands on a real one might take a bit more. If you’re proud of your work, take a screen grab and send it to abresearch at gmail dot com. If we get enough, we’ll make a gallery in the same vein as our CARS gallery.

[Source: BusSelecta.com via PistonHeads]

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Nissan

Like Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront, the Nissan Maxima was once a scrappy fighter that “coulda been a contenda.” In the 80s it was the car that talked to you — the one Eddie Murphy made fun of, wishing that instead of saying things like “Your door is ajar,” it would say something useful like “Hey man, someone stole your battery.” Then it really found form as the 4DSC (4-Door Sports Car) that looked good and went good. That was when it had the brand new 300Z for a sibling, back when Super Bowl commercials were worth watching. But that was the early 90s. Now the Maxima is, as they say in middle America, a lost ball in high weeds.

Nissan has decided to change that. Come 2009, Nissan has promised a Maxima “unlike anything we’ve ever done.” It will be based on the VQ engine family, but will be FWD so as not to ruffle Infiniti feathers. With next year being Nissan’s 50th anniversary, expect a concept to join the parade circuit along with the ready-for-sale GT-R and new Z.

[Source: Automobile Magazine]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, Ford

Click image to enlarge

Look! It’s a Roush….and it isn’t a Mustang! Roush Europe has pulled the wraps off its new Ford GT-based 600RE for Europe and the UK. It’s super-limited — only 10 will be built, and on the technical side, the conversion includes a pulley upgrade for the blower, Tubi exhaust, and a transmission oil breather. Appearance modifications include black powder-coated wheels, a lighting package, tinted glass, and the expected limited-edition plates and badging. Engine hoses get the color-coordination treatment as well, and optional 4-point harnesses are available for the car’s two occupants. No power number is given, but we wonder if the car’s name offers a clue. Roush Europe doesn’t give a price, either, but you know how that goes: if you have to ask…

[Source: Roush Europe]

Continue reading Roush 600RE launches in Europe

 

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Filed under: Earnings/Financials

Chrysler and Toyota gain while GM, Ford fall

As you scan the interweb for news of April sales numbers today, be careful. There were two less selling days in April of this year compared to 2006 (24 vs. 26). On account of this, other media outlets are painting a bleaker picture by comparing the raw numbers for April in 2006 and 2007. When you compare the daily average sales rate (DSR), as we have, it’s apparent the month isn’t as bad as some are saying.

The Chrysler Group deserves the biggest kudos for its 10% gain last month compared to last year, made possible by the incredible 40% jump in DSR by the Jeep brand. Chrysler and Dodge were both up too by 7.2% and 2%, respectively. While Toyota’s raw numbers were down compared to last April, the automaker’s North American operations actually improved its DSR by 3.7%. Given another two days, Toyota would’ve easily beat last year’s numbers on the 14.1% and 2.3% improvements made by its Lexus and Toyota divisions.

At General Motors, only GMC (up 16.7%) and Saturn (up 28.5%) had a good April. The rest of the General’s brands dragged it down to a loss of 2.2% as a whole for the month. Over at Ford, only Lincoln (up 15.8%) and Land Rover (up 22.1%) improved in April, though neither brand sold enough units to change fortunes for Ford, which fell as a whole by 5.7%.

Biggest Winner
Jeep 40% at 41,200 (4/06: 31,885)

Biggest Loser
Buick -28.2% at 13,234 (4/06: 19,971)

BRANDS
Acura -15% at 15,193 (4/06: 19,372)
Audi 18.5% at 8,106 (4/06: 7,412)
BMW 8.6% at 25,310 (4/06: 25,250)
Buick -28.2% at 13,234 (4/06: 19,971)
Cadillac 1.8% at 16,839 (4/06: 17,916)
Chevrolet -3.9% at 185,759 (4/06: 209,320)
Chrysler 7.2% at 51,441 (4/06: 51,979)
Dodge 2% at 100,463 (4/06: 106,231)
Ford -6.9% at 185,553 (4/06: 215,824)
GMC 16.7% at 41,748 (4/06: 38,769)
Honda .6%% at 1111,226 (3/06 119,752)
HUMMER -12.4% at 4,375 (4/06: 5,413)
Hyundai 3.3% at 39,137 (4/06: 41,025)
Infiniti 12% at 9,945 (4/06: 9,618)
Isuzu -7.1% at 1,059 (4/06: 1,235)
Jaguar -22% at 1,424 (4/06: 1,991)
Jeep 40% at 41,200 (4/06: 31,885)
Kia 1.32% at 26,007 (4/06: 27,807)
Land Rover 22.1% at 4,211 (4/06: 3,736)
Lexus 14.1% at 25,995 (4/06: 24,679)
Lincoln 15.8% at 11,832 (4/06: 11,067)
Mazda 1.9% at 21,060 (4/06: 22,385)
Mercedes 6.4% at 20,895 (4/06: 21,270)
Mercury -7% at 17,481 (4/06: 20,368)
MINI 10.6% at 3,382 (4/06: 3,313)
Mitsubishi 20.4% at 12,047 (4/06: 10,841)
Nissan -14% at 61,179 (4/06: 77,102)
Pontiac -13% at 26,346 (4/06: 32,793)
Porsche -2.2% at 3,015 (4/06: 3,341)
Saab -19% at 2,350 (4/06: 3,144)
Saturn 28.5% at 19,977 (4/06: 16,843)
Subaru -7% at 13,786 (4/06: 16,073)
Toyota 2.3% at 184,462 (4/06: 195,286)
Volkswagen .7% at 19,086 (4/06: 20,528)
Volvo -9.6% at 8,122 (4/06: 9,736)

Not reported:

Suzuki

COMPANIES
BMW Group 8.8% at 28,692 (4/06: 28,563)
Chrysler Group 10% at 193,104 (4/06: 190,095)
Ford Motor Co -5.7% at 228,623 (4/06: 262,722)
General Motors -2.2% at 311,687 (4/06: 345,404)
Honda America -1.6% at 126,419 (4/06: 139,124)
Nissan North America -11% at 71,124 (4/06: 86,720)
Toyota Motor Co. 3.7% at 210,457 (4/06: 219,965)

 

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

On any given Sunday morning, if I were offered the keys to either a Saturn Sky or a Chevy Tahoe with a big boat hitched to the back, 110 times out of a hundred I would put down that gnarly top on the Sky and make my way to the beach via the twistiest road I could possibly find. Once there, I would much rather go for a swim and lay on the beach than mess around with trying to launch a boat and later haul it out of the water.

Having made my own personal biases clear on this subject, there are clearly a great many people who would make the opposite choice. Many people choose to drive big SUVs for a wide variety of reasons, and with gas prices again at $3 a gallon and rising around most of the most of this country, those people would surely like to get a bit better gas mileage. After a long wait, they will soon have the option of a full-sized General Motors SUV with a new two-mode parallel hybrid setup, and AutoblogGreen has just had the opportunity to take a first drive in one. If this first application of the new hybrid system jointly developed by GM, BMW and DaimlerChrysler is of interest, check out ABG’s detailed report by clicking here.

 

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Filed under: Etc.

The book Freakonomics sat atop the New York Times Best Seller list for an ungodly amount of time a year or two back and one of the Big 2.5 is looking to tap into the knowledge imparted by the author, Steven Levitt.

Levitt’s thesis in the book was that the staid methods of analyzing data aren’t always the best way of interpreting trends and the factors that contribute to the world we live in. Much of Freakonomics was an attack on conventional wisdom and, at times, common sense, which Levitt maintains can hamper the true meaning behind many of the developments that have affected everything from consumer choice to crime rates.

According to the author, his unique perspective has been utilized by one of Detroit’s finest, with regard to plant productivity, marketing, healthcare and other day-to-day challenges that face this unnamed automaker. Levitt wouldn’t reveal which particular exec he convened with, but he admits to meeting with a “visionary leader” within the industry.

Whether or not we’ll be able to see the fruits of this union played out in the mystery manufacturer’s business plans remains to be seen, but it reminds us of that friend in college that was insistent that whatever book he was reading at the time had all the answers to the world’s ills. It wasn’t true then, and we doubt anything has changed in the meantime.

[Source: Just-Auto.com - Sub. Req.]

 

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Filed under: Wagons/Estates, Etc., Subaru

After seeing a midnight showing of Ghostbusters in early October of 2005, a couple of friends hatched a plan. The self-described “nerdy near-adults with interests in “science fiction, computers, technology, and filmmaking” decided that with Halloween just around the corner, they might as well dress as Ghostbusters. Kevin and his friend Will wanted to build homemade backpacks and uniforms, then go into a local hotel on Halloween to prank them. “Essentially we would run out with smoking ghost traps, handing the hotel manager a bill for $5000, and then run away. Then it hit me. ‘Will… I’ll make you a deal. You build the packs, and I’ll build the car.’ A few months later Will moved to New York and the plans were shelved.”

The following spring, Kevin and his roommate, Austin, got the project started. They started with Kevin’s white 1998 Subaru Outback and went to town, adding lightbars, tubes, packs, decals and a lot of hours to make the car into the Ecto-1K. But just days before Halloween, the Ecto was rear-ended by a semi and written off. A replacement 2003 Outback was located, and with insurance money and donations in hand, they rebuilt the Ecto-1K in just a few weeks. The car has made quite a splash in and around Fort Collins. Car shows, comic conventions, parades, and the like. You can read the whole story and see lots of pics by following the Read link. Funny anecdotes abound. We especially liked the idea of just driving it through town at random on weeknights, making those who caught a glimpse of it wonder if they had perhaps been seeing things. Or using it to help snow-stranded motorists get unstuck. Always nice to see someone with an appreciation for fine art, a great sense of humor, and a Subaru putting it all together for the betterment of mankind.

[Source: NASIOC via DieselStation]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Sports/GTs, Ford

Click image for high-res photo gallery of the Steeda GT500

Yes, kids: it’s another Mustang. Today’s addition to the ever-lengthening list of ponycar variants offered by Ford, Shelby, Saleen, and others comes from big-time Ford aftermarket presence, Steeda. The Pompano Beach-based company has unveiled the Steeda GT500, which, as you’ve correctly surmised by now, uses Ford’s 500-horsepower Shelby GT500 as its starting point.

As you’ve also probably guessed, the Steeda-modified ‘Stang is pushing over 600 horsepower to those rear wheels. No solid number is provided in the press release, but given that the Steeda GT500 incorporates the company’s cold air intake, ECU tune, and pulley upgrade, we figure on the output being somewhere between 625 and 644 horsepower. At least.

Engine work’s just part of the deal, as the GT500 also benefits from a full suite of new suspension components, upgraded brakes, a new shifter, and a new exhaust. The full list of mods can be seen after the jump or via the “Read” link below. The price? $13,995 for the whole shebang (you supply the car, natch).

Thanks to Drew for the tip!

[Source: Steeda]

Continue reading More Mustang Madness: Steeda uncorks its own GT500

 

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