Automotive News

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc.

The J. D. Power Escaped Shopper Study examines why customers look at one model of car, but ultimately buy another. The result: when it came to choosing a domestic or an import vehicle, shoppers chose one or the other for different reasons.

According to J.D. Power, almost 80% of new-vehicle buyers limit their considerations to only domestic or only imported cars. (A recent Wall Street Journal piece on Detroit’s perception gap said 54% of buyers are “import intenders,” who only consider foreign cars.) Buyers who chose American generally did so because they simply didn’t want to buy an import, with price — the lack of incentives, say — being a secondary consideration. Import buyers cited issues with interiors, reliabibility, gas mileage, and resale value as reasons for not buying domestic.

[Source: J. D. Power]

Continue reading REPORT: “Buy American” still sways shoppers

 

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Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Police/Emergency

High speed chases with cops and robbers may make for great TV, but the dangerous activity puts lives and property in danger, and sometimes the bad guy gets away. The LAPD has some of the most elaborate pursuits ever put on tape, but the new StarChase Pursuit Management System may help them nab suspects without as much risk to those around them. The device is mounted on the front end of the police cruiser, and a laser target helps with aim. When the police have the suspect in range, they simply fire a projectile at the fleeing vehicle. Once the small GPS device, battery, and cellular radio are attached to the vehicle, the fuzz can track the perp without having them in plain site, which means the police can keep pedestrians from being a statistic.

Only time will tell if the device will truly work, but it’s good to see that the Police are coming up with new technology to keep up with ever-improving criminal tech. Hit the StarChase website to check out a product video demo, it looks pretty cool, but as of right now it doesn’t look like the projectile firing device kicks out enough force at high speeds for the tracking device to stick. It’s a good thing that such a device wasn’t in existence 30 years ago, however, because Smokey and the Bandit would have been one short, uneventful movie.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

 

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green

Fisker Tramonto shown for demonstration purposes

Although it barely registered on most of our radars when it was announced a few weeks ago, Fisker Automotive is set to debut an all-new hybrid vehicle. Best known until now as a custom coachbuilder that adds a new suit of custom tailored duds to Mercedes SLs and BMW 6-Series cars, Fisker is set to debut a unique hybrid at the Detroit Auto Show next year. While we reported the basic idea a little while ago, now we have a few more details to share, but still no photos. The car will be a sedan. It will be a plug-in hybrid. It will start at around $80,000. It will debut at NAIAS in January and go on sale sometime in 2009.

Fisker Coachbuild is the company that Henrik Fisker founded after leaving Aston Martin as chief designer. His designs are some of the most elegant and stylish in recent automotive history. The Aston Martins alone earn him a spot in the automotive hall of fame, but he was also with BMW for a while, helping with the Z8 among other projects. So now you might better understand why we eagerly await a glimpse of this new plug-in sedan, that could conceivably beat the big manufacturers to market.

[Source: Fisker via Fortune]

 

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Filed under: Etc.

Is it just us, or are more high profile folks having more high speed encounters with large, high density objects? Next up in the queue is Tom Ford, presenter for Fifth Gear, who crashed while drifting a van. And not just any van, but a van painted like the A-Team van, home to Hannibal, Murdock, Face, and Monsieur T.

But it wasn’t the van above, which is a GMC G-Series model like the one on the show. No, it was more like the one to the right, which is someone else’s Bedford Rascal van painted to look like the A-Team chariot. The Bedford normally comes with a 4-cylinder Suzuki engine, is 10 feet long, and takes ten seconds to get to 30 MPH. That’s right, 30 MPH.

During his drifting maneuver, Ford put the van on two wheels and then plowed into a safety barrier. Due to a hefty amount of safety gear in the van and on his body, his only major injuries appear to be three broken toes. Crash footage will air during the next season of the show.

[Source: Motor Authority]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Euro

It’s rare that we cover motorcycles on Autoblog, but a new Ducati Monster is too big to pass up. Ducati has rattled off a string of successful new model launches as of late, including the SportClassic range, the 1098 and the Hypermotard. But its true bread-and-butter model remains the Monster. Introduced way back in 1993 with a 900cc 90° V-Twin engine, the Monster is what many think of when they hear the word Ducati. Being that the Monster practically invented the naked bike genre, Ducati doesn’t want to mess too much with success when it introduces its totally redesigned Monster in 2008. Rumor has it that the Monster range will include only air-cooled engines with a separate naked bike line featuring versions of Ducati’s water cooled engines, including the awesome 1098’s Desmo twin.

Take a look at the spy photo here of the new Monster undergoing testing. Little detail can be seen in the super-grainy photo, but a few things that jump out are the high mounted exhaust and the currently in-thing-to-do on naked bikes: a chopped tailsection. We wonder if Ducati should be setting trends, not following them; but we’ll wait for official pictures to make any final conclusions on the design. To be sure, though, Ducati has a tough act to follow based on the success and cult following that its current Monster range enjoys, and deservedly so. We’re anxiously waiting for November’s show in Milan to see the real thing!

[Source: Motorcycle News]

 

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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Dodge, Misc. Auto Shows

click either image to view full high-res gallery of 2008 Resistol Edition Dodge Ram

General Motors unveiled its two-mode hybrid Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Ford unveiled a 60th Anniversary package for the F-150 and Super Duty, as well as the 2008 Harley Davidson editions. Finally, Dodge has taken the stage at the Texas State Fair, the new de facto venue for truck announcements, and unveiled the 2008 Dodge Ram Mega Cab Resistol Edition. For those like me who had never bothered to Google “resistol” before, it’s a hat, a cowboy hat to be precise. The company who makes them is Dodge’s newest co-branding partner, and the resultant love child is a giant truck with a cowboy hat theme. And yes, for your $48,310, Dodge will give you a Resistol Black Gold 20X felt cowboy hat with your truck, but you’ll have to buy your own chaps and spurs.

The truck itself is a Ram Mega Cab with dual rear wheels, and is available as a 4x2 or 4x4. 17-inch chrome wheels turned by the company’s 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel with a six-speed automatic are standard. What makes this a Resistol truck, however, is the two-tone color scheme of Dark Khaki Metallic and Light Khaki Metallic (who knew cowboys liked khakis so much?). The requisite spate of special badges adorns the exterior, along with a set of new stainless steel tubular running boards. Inside the cab awaits Yuma and Graystone leather seats embossed with the Resistol cowboy hat logo, as well as premium floor mats that have been branded with the company’s logo in stitch.

Dodge is only producing a limited run of the Resistol Edition Ram Mega Cab, but declined to reveal how limited, so if you’re a cowboy who needs a new horse, might want to mosey on over to your nearest Dodge dealership and make acquaintances with the purveyor.

[Source: Dodge]

Continue reading Last but nowhere near least, Dodge unveils 2008 Resistol Edition Ram Mega Cab

 

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Filed under: Auction Action, Etc., Dodge

The second Dodge Challenger to roll off the assembly line is currently being auctioned on eBay, but only to Dodge dealers. (The first Dodge Challenger produced will be auctioned in January 2008 by Barrett Jackson in Scottsdale.)

The winning dealer bidder will get the orange-and-black-pinstriped Challenger SRT-8 with the 6.1-liter HEMI and 5-speed Autostick transmission. The winner also gets VIP passes to the Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington next May, with first class airfare and lodging, plus a meet-and-greet with Kyle Petty.

Oh yeah, if you win, you have let Dodge take your picture with the vehicle and use it any way they want. Bidding is at $75,000, and all proceeds will go to United Way of Southeastern Michigan.

Thanks for the tip, C.!

[Source: eBay]

 

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Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Etc., BMW

So BMW is considering expanding its reach by including a fourth brand, and Rick Kranz, columnist for Automotive News, thinks he has the answer: Triumph. By playing off the retro-chic invasion started with the new MINI, Kranz maintains that there is a place for Triumph, specifically a small, rear-wheel drive ride that could continue the legacy of TRs and Spitfires from the past.

Using the existing platform that underpins the 1-series and selling Triumph at the scores of MINI dealers seems entirely plausible. BMW’s got the technology and incorporating Triumph into the MINI’s network could ensure dealer profitability into the future. Plus, BMW already owns the name. Either a Spitfire or TR revival could slot in nicely between the MINI and the Z4, but the only rub is that exact niche is where the new 128i and 135i plans to do battle. Expansion is one thing, but brand cannibalization is another - something that’s not addressed in Kranz’s column.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req’d]

 

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Filed under: Chrysler

When the former CEO of Toyota North America (a successful venture, wouldn’t you say?) talks, people tend to listen. Press recorded an internal interview that’s hosted over at Chrysler’s media-only Firehouse blog, which reveals some interesting sides to the man that many hope will be integral in Chrysler’s turnaround.

Most media outlets are focusing on his revelation that despite decades on the Toyota payroll, he never once owned a Toyota or Lexus. Currently he owns only a Yamaha motorcycle. That’s going to be impractical during a Detroit winter, so he plans to be driving a Chrysler product very soon.

Press also makes the strange comment that if he were to ever participate in a bar room brawl, he’d pick Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers to have his back. We’re not sure if Press is expecting fisticuffs at the Firehouse this January, but he seems to be preparing a posse early.

That’s just ancillary information, though. We want to hear about what Press is going to do to fix Chrysler, and surprisingly he indicated that a lot of what needs to be done is not in his power to do. Press makes the good point that Chrysler dealers are closer to the customer, and near-term changes have to start with them. His priority appears to be empowering them to make those changes.

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Jim Press never owned a Toyota, wants to form gang with Chrysler dealers

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Rolls Royce

Just announced earlier this morning by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer, this mule for the upcoming Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe was spotted wearing the disguise of a drop top. We’re told not to let the convertible looks fool us, as this is not the already available Phantom Drophead Coupe. It is, however, remarkably similar to the 101EX Concept unveiled at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show. The production version should feature the Phantom’s massive 6.75L V12 engine producing prodigious amounts of power in the neighborhood of 450 to 500 HP. Whereas the Drophead Coupe is a cruiser, expect the Phantom Coupe to be a driver’s car unlike anything we’ve seen from Rolls-Royce in recent memory. That is, until a new line of smaller, less expensive Rolls-Royce models begin rolling out of Goodwood to take on the Bentley Continentals of the world.

[Source: World Car Fans]

 

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