Automotive News

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Etc., Nissan, Porsche

click above image to see more shots of the Nissan GT-R p0wn the Porsche

We’ll start by saying that it’s not exactly hearsay, but it’s not anywhere near official, either. Take one 997 Porsche Turbo that has lapped the ‘Ring in 7:40, practically fast enough to form one of those Stargate SG-1 vortexes behind it. Then take one Nissan GT-R, benchmarked against that Porsche Turbo, and flog that baby around the ‘Ring as fast as possible. Add a few reporters on hand with stopwatches. And when the GT-R flies past the finish line, the reporters discover those stopwatches have come to rest after just 7:38.

So the story is that the GT-R is two seconds faster than the 911 Turbo on the Nurburgring. And the Skyline in the photos doesn’t even look to be the mad-gunner EVO-spec version. If that’s the case — and yes, that’s a big if — and say you allow for the inaccuracy of handheld stopwatches and add two seconds, so the GT-R did the same time as the Porsche Turbo… Well, we’re not crowning a victor, or speculating about the whats and whys, or what will happen when the real timed laps in production versions are done… we’re just saying that’s pretty good. That’s all.

[Source: KGP Photography]

 

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Filed under: Etc.

In what amounts to little more than a throwaway line in an interesting article detailing the between between the principals of DreamWorks and its current parent company, Paramount, we’re given confirmation on when we should expect to see the sequel to this summer’s Transformers. With the film grossing over $700 million worldwide (and a big DVD release on the way that will shovel more money into the coffers), a Transformers 2 was a foregone conclusion. And now, thanks to LA Times scribe Claudia Eller, we know that Summer 2009 is when it’s set to hit screens. Both Steven Spielberg and Michael Bay are signed on, according to the article.

Those of you who loved/hated the wall-to-wall making-of coverage while the first film was in production should prepare for more of the same in 2008. After all, the TF sequel should include new robots and new cars for us to gab about. Maybe the second time around, GM will even have some on-screen company from other carmakers, too.

[Source: LA Times via MichaelBay.com]

 

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Filed under: Chrysler, Ford, GM, UAW/Unions

The UAW and GM are still chin-deep in negotiations, but perhaps the key item that effects the future viability of the General has been agreed upon. The new labor contract will include a UAW-run trust fund that will get costly health insurance premiums off GM’s books. The fund, called a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, or VEBA, has been a huge part of GM’s plans to level the labor cost playing field vs. transplant automakers. GM and the UAW apparently still haven’t agreed to the amount of cash the automaker will put in the fund, but most experts say the number is somewhere near $30 billion, or 60-70-percent of the General’s total health care liabilities. Ford and Chrysler are likely just as happy as the General, as the contract GM signs will likely be close to what the other two domestic automakers will receive.

This general agreement on health car means that these contract negotiations are as transformational as the automaker said they would be, but more work remains. With the lion’s share of the negotiations centered around the VEBA, wages, pensions, and investment in US plants are still on the table. We may not see a conclusion of these talks for quite some time.

[Source: Freep]

 

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Filed under: Frankfurt Auto Show, Marketing/Advertising, MINI

BMW’s MINI brand has been responsible for some unique ad campaigns in recent years, so when we first read that their latest ad had been banned in Frankfurt, our imaginations went wild. What’d they do this time? Nudity? Vulgarity? Drugs? Rock and roll? Boy were we disappointed to find out the only thing offensive about MINI’s Frankfurt ad was its not-so-mini size.

To emphasize the Clubman’s bigger dimensions, the ad was a bit larger than normal. A 10-story-tall video proclaiming the introduction of the new MINI Clubman was projected onto the side of a downtown Frankfurt building for three days as part of the auto show. A MySpace page dedicated to the banned ad claims the ad was pulled after other automakers complained, but there’s no official word on the decision. If that’s true, then behold the power of controversy on the Internet. Watch the video after the jump to see the ad you can no longer view in Frankfurt.

[Source: Motoring File]

Continue reading VIDEO: MINI Clubman ad banned in Frankfurt

 

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Filed under: Coupes, Euro, Lotus

Click the image above for a couple of wallpaper-worthy shots of the Club Racer Exige S.

The term “Club Racer” is usually appended to some of the most hard-core track-day weapons on the market. In the case of the Lotus Exige S Club Racer, it boils down to an exclusive paint scheme and some added interior bits.

The sky blue and “Phantom Black” exterior ties in nicely with the sports pack black wheels, and harkens back to the heyday of Mr. Chapman’s racing endeavors in the ’60s. Inside, the Club Racer gets a combination of black leather and carbon fiber “effect” coverings, along with an overhead shot of the Hethel circuit embroidered into the headrests.

Only 25 limited editor “Racers” will be sold, with no word on how many will make it Stateside. With a price of £39,950 for what’s essentially a Sport, Touring and Super Touring package equipped Exige S with a Sports Exhaust and air-con, we could think of better ways of building up our own dream Exige.

Lotus’ press release in full is posted after the jump.

Continue reading Lotus Exige S Club Racer: New color, same shtick

 

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Filed under: Gadgets, Motorsports, SEMA, Etc., Japan

The Gran Turismo series is one of the most successful franchises in all of gamedome, and the racing game’s fifth installment will be available in Japan on December 13, just two weeks before Christmas. If that seems like a long time to wait for GT5’s release, we have some good news. Demos of the game with the same great graphics as the final version will be sold on the Sony store, but they cost a despicable $43.10 on Blu-ray. If you want to go cheap, you can download the game from the Sony store for only $38.95. We remember back to a time when demos were given away for free to entice potential customers to buy the full version. If the demo is worth $43, we’re sure that the full game will be worth skipping it in favor of the real thing, even if it takes until Christmas.

[Source: PS3 Fanboy]

 

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Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising

Conventionally, automotive marketers have believed most car shoppers take at least six months to make up their minds on what to buy. That half-a-year of shopping is what marketers call the “sales funnel.” It works like this: First the need for a new car is recognized then six-months later, someone’s driving away in a new car. In between, shoppers do all their research, line up financing, etc.

And that’s the theory around which most automotive marketing departments and ad agencies have traditionally planned their campaigns for either brand building or ads meant to get folks into dealerships.

Google, however, says they’re wrong. Way wrong.

[Source: BusinessWeek]

Continue reading Google says automotive “sales funnel” no longer true

 

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Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

General Motors had a good August, bucking the industry trend with a year over year sales increase. A big part of that success came with zero-percent financing on the Silverado and GMC Sierra, and the General is looking to ride the wave by extending free loans through October first. GM isn’t stopping with pickups either. Several 2007 models are getting an additional $1,000 on the hood, including the Yukon, Impala, and G6.

GM has done a pretty good job of staying off incentives through 2007, but the last few months have been brutal. Even some automakers from across the Pacific, who traditionally shy away from cash on the hood, have felt the pinch. GM hasn’t announced additional production cuts, but if the incentives don’t work, the Detroit-based automaker may have little choice.

[Source: Detroit News]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars

A few students from the College for Creative Studies and the University of Michigan ran with the theme “Inside Out” and created three concepts for the American Iron and Steel Institute’s summer automotive design internship program.

All three designs try to take parts of a vehicle that would normally be obscured by sheet metal and plastic, and instead integrate them into the vehicle’s exterior design. Two of the students, Alok Pradhan and Nicolas Stone, created the Dodge Dendro, which also goes by the moniker Black Mamba. Inspired by the natural design of the snake that shares the same name, the vehicle sports body panels that act as part of the suspension, theoretically soaking up depressions and pot-holes that surround the school’s home turf.

The two other vehicles, dubbed the Pontiac Hematon and Jeep Roanoke, take the theme even further, with the latter inspired by H.R. Giger - which may be a fitting inspiration for the Jeep-branded concept.

More details about all three concepts can be read in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading College students take on an ‘Inside Out’ design theme

 

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