Automotive News

Filed under: Etc., Videos

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This week on Autoblog, we were first to show you full-scale images of the 2008 Honda Accord Sedan, and the pictures garnered plenty of interest. Some of the other pictures of note included the Toyota FT-HS concept, shots from inside GM’s Bowling Green Corvette plant, and spy shots of an upcoming RWD coupe from Hyundai.

Getting a recap of the best pictures on Autoblog from the past week is easy, just hit play on the video above. We’ve also added links below to some of the more significant galleries from the last seven days. This week, music comes from Junior with “NASCAR Man“. It is actually a serious song, so we couldn’t resist. Enjoy!

 

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Filed under: Chrysler, GM

Less than a week ago, we brought you a report saying Magna is the only serious bidder for Chrysler and that Cerberus was brought in to make it look like more parties were interested in buying. According to the Associated Press, if the plan was to throw reporters off the scent, it worked. The Detroit News and the Wall Street Journal both reported that private equity firm Cerberus is the front-running contender to take Chrysler away from the Germans.

The papers list Magna as an also-ran along with GM and Kirk Kerkorian.

So, if you were the German owner of a partially-restored, vintage American car company, who would you rather sell to? Your Russian-backed, Canadian parts supplier that has years of automotive experience or a U.S. equity firm with years of, um, private equity experience?

[Source: AP via Breitbart.com]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Videos, Porsche

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Someone with a video camera obviously spent quite a bit of time tracking the Porsche development engineers in Arjeplog, Sweden. At least three different Panameras are visible in this video — one blue example and two black copies — and they were filmed in various locations. One feature that may not have been apparent before is the Panamera’s hatchback, which is clearly visible as the car is being loaded up.

[Source: MotorAuthority via GermanCarBlog]

 

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Filed under: Economy, Mitsubishi

While Mitsubishi just claimed its first profitable quarter in four years, its president, Osamu Masuko, says the company will now go after the potentially huge profit in untapped Asian markets with a super-affordable vehicle. If it happens, Mitsubishi would join a score of other companies with the same goal.

Nikkei Business Daily speculates the car would sell for around $8,500 and could possibly be based on the Colt, seen above.

If the company’s efforts to tap into that market are succesful, Mitsubishi can plan to see many more profitable quarters.

[Source: Nikkei Business Daily via Economic Times via Rising Sun of Nihon]

 

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Filed under: Podcasts, Videos

Autoblog Podcast #65 part 1>
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The enhanced version of Autoblog Podcast #65 is off the burner and onto your plate. In part one, we talk about the possibility of a car-based, RWD pickup from Hyundai’s BH platform. In the podcast’s second section we talk about the ridiculous auction for the General Lee, and the proliferation of Dodge advertising in the new Fantastic Four movie. In the last part of the podcast, we discuss Zeta (it’s on again) and the Chevy Volt.

Check it out. Per your suggestions, we cut the podcast into three sections for smaller downloads, and we’ve also embedded sections two and three of the podcast after the jump. If you have any more suggestions on how to improve the enhanced version of the Podcast, let us know in the comments. We’re working on a better distribution system than shoving all three in our current RSS feed of the audio-only version, so soon you’ll be able to subscribe just to the enhanced version’s RSS feed.

DOWNLOAD Part One to your desktop (Car-based RWD Hyundai Pickup)
DOWNLOAD Part Two to your desktop (General Lee, Fantastic Four)
DOWNLOAD Part Three to your desktop (Zeta is on, Chevy Volt)

SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog YouTube video channel

SUBSCRIBE to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
ADD the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator

Continue reading VIDEO: Autoblog Podcast #65 (enhanced)

 

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Filed under: SUVs, Honda, Toyota

It looks like the age of the traditional body-on-frame SUV is coming to a close for most mainstream customers. While there will continue to be a market for big SUVs like the Tahoe and Expedition for customers who actually need to haul or tow stuff, many customers in the high volume mid-sized segment are realizing they can get by with something a little smaller and lot more fuel efficient.

The Ford Explorer dominated SUV sales charts throughout the 1990s and into the first part of this decade with sales of 445,157 in 2000. In the last couple of years, however, Explorer sales have tanked seeing it drop from first to fourth on the sales charts. Last year ,sales dipped to 179, 229 and the freefall shows no signs of letting up. The numbers are down another twenty-three percent so far this year.

On the flipside, sales of the redesigned Honda CR-V are up forty-two percent so far this year and it has jumped to the number one spot on the chart followed by the Toyota RAV-4 and Ford Escape, with the new Ford Edge coming on strong as well. The CR-V is doing so well that Honda is having to consider how to increase volume to meet the demand. For the first time, the automaker has started importing extra units from Japan to supplement the main production facility in East Liberty Ohio. Ford has already announced plans to move the Explorer to a unit-body crossover platform, which can’t happen soon enough. The only problem will be finding a place to fit into a lineup already filled with the Escape, Edge, Flex and Taurus X.

[Source: Bloomberg]

 

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Filed under: Etc.

In a case of turning the mundane into modern art, Crystal Lounge in Bangkok has bathed a tuk-tuk in Swarovski crystals. For those of you who don’t know, a tuk-tuk is a kind of motorized, covered pedicab. There’s an entire tuk-tuk customizing culture in Bangkok, and if the look of a tuk-tuk isn’t crazy enough, you can be sure the driver and the ride will be. The sample you see here is just for display at Crystal Lounge — actually, the Crystal Lounge Cafe/Restaurant/Jewelry Boutique/Cocktail Lounge — which gives a range of items the same treatment. Their gallery also has a Harley Davidson given the same crystal bath. In light of the uncontrolled chaos that is Bangkok traffic, we wouldn’t expect to see either one of them on the road.

Thanks for the tip, Austin!

[Source: Jetsetr]

 

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Filed under: Gadgets, Etc., Renault

From the too much time on his hands file, we bring you this unfortunately customized Renault Clio. The owner of this little French runabout has a serious sticker fetish, and a hankering for knicknacks, too. This car is just bristling with stuff and we’re surpised that it passes any kind of safety inspection. The outside is covered in more logos than a race car with actual sponsors, and looking underhood reveals zip-tie mania. There’s either a small nuclear plant providing electricity, or lots of little wiring additions to run the various lights, gauges, neon bulbs, Star Wars action figure shrines, whatever. At least we know that the United States is not the only place where people do asinine things to their cars. We can only imagine how all that schnokery rattles around when the big subwoofer’s moving air. Yikes. Enough words, check out the gallery and let the images speak for themselves. Hide the children.

[Source: caradisiac]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertibles, Economy, Sports/GTs, Hatchbacks, Chevrolet, GM

Updated gallery links: Camaro Convertible, Chevy Beat

GM knows that we all like to look at car porn photos, and we have to give El General some credit: he knows how to keep his stuff in front of the public. It’s as simple as sending one or two buzzworthy concepts to sweet locations accompanied by people armed with cameras, tripods and the like. Those folks take spiffy new glamour shots of the rides and post them on the corporate media site. Then we notice them up there, download them, and stick ‘em up in a gallery for your consumption. Or, in this case, Jalopnik does. Then we see them on Jalopnik’s RSS feed, say “Oh, cool” to no one in particular, go grab the pics from GM, and post them — just like you see here. Phew.

Welcome to weekend blogging, made that much easier thanks to the Camaro Convertible and Chevy Beat.

[Source: GM]

 

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Mazda

More spy shots of the next generation Mazda6 have turned up across the pond at Auto Express — this time with more angles than we’ve seen before. From the images it does look like the new model is a bit larger and more aggressive looking than the current version. As with the Mazda3 it looks like they get to share another of the more highly thought of European Ford platforms, in this case the new Mondeo and will include several engine options up to and including the new Ford 3.5L V-6. The new 6 may be making it’s debut in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Related:

• Spy Shots: More Mazda6 pics

[Source: AutoExpress]

 

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