Filed under: Car Buying, Toyota
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. The Detroit News is reporting that Toyota will continue offering its current sales incentives through April. And why not? Those deals helped boost sales some 40 percent in March, and after the dip in sales that resulted from its headline-hogging recalls, Toyota is anxious to keep sales rolling. Somebody has to pay for that $16 million fine the government is collecting, so more sales are always a good thing.
The deals include discounted leases on popular models like the Camry, Corolla and RAV4. And if leasing isn’t your thing, Toyota Motor Corp. will also extend its zero-percent financing program. Even better, the company plans to expand its two-year free maintenance program to all customers. It was previously available to return customers only, but based on its popularity, Toyota has extended the offer to any new car customer.
[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images]
Report: Toyota will continue heavy incentives through April originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Hatchback, Ford, Racing
Well, that didn’t take long, did it? We knew the new 2011 Ford Focus RS500 would move fast, but not quite this fast. Powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder that produces 345 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque, Ford’s hottest hatch one-ups even the already bonkers Focus RS with its piddly 305 horsepower and 325 lb-ft. Considering that the RS is capable of a 0-62 mile per hour sprint of under six seconds and a top speed of 163 mph, the RS500 should clock in around 5.6 seconds.
What we didn’t expect was the fact that the RS500 would sell so quickly. With their matte black paint, 19-inch wheels and all that performance on tap, we certainly expected them to be a hot commodity, but if Autocar is to be believed, the whole run of 500 units has already sold out – some 12 hours after the reveal. Sales will be spread out over 20 European markets, with the UK getting 101 units, Germany getting 55 cars, France receiving 50 and Belgium scoring 50 units, with Denmark, the Czech Republic and Greece getting five units each, while Ireland receives three.
The best part of the story is the fact that all 500 units are already spoken for, even before prices have been announced. Ford is said to be sorting through the letters of intent from customers to figure out dealer allocations. And don’t forget, the order books don’t formally open until May. With the regular RS trading above sticker on the used car market, we’re guessing there will be more than a few flippers in the initial owner group.
Gallery: 2011 Ford Focus RS500 (Europe)
[Source: Autocar.co.uk]
Ford Focus RS500 already sold out? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, China, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury
The Chinese market has always had a penchant for stretched-wheelbase versions of luxury sedans, adding a bit of wheelbase to everything from Buicks and Volvos to BMWs and Audis. The most recent vehicle to go on the rack is the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Apparently the Benz is lagging a bit in the sales department, trailing even Audi, a company it usually bests handily.
For that reason, China Car Times is reporting that Mercedes is planning on giving the E-Class some “Chinese characteristics.” Beijing-Benz is said to be readying a Chinese-built E300L, pictured here. Audi has had a lot of success in China with its recently introduced A4L and A6L, while BMW has already released a lengthened 5 Series and is said to be planning a similarly elongated 3 in the near future. Being chauffeur driven is a sign of wealth in China, so having a mini limo shows status, hence the longer-wheelbase versions of luxury sedans being so popular. But just like the A4L and stretched 5er, there’s no chance that the E-Class L will make it to the States.
[Source: China Car Times]
Spy Shots: Long-wheelbase Mercedes-Benz E Class spotted getting ready for China originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Technology, Videos, Toyota
You knew it wouldn’t be long before somebody tried to install the new Apple iPad in their ride. Well, it’s already happened, and the “somebody” in this case is Doug Bernards of SoundMan Car Audio in Santa Clarita, California. The team’s ride of choice for what is claimed to be the world’s first automotive iPad install is a Toyota Tacoma pickup. SoundMan decided to use a McIntosh amp for the build, naturally. The team was among the first to receive an iPad, and they got to work immediately. The video chronicling the installation is after the jump.
Besides the iPad, the system consists of an Audison Bit One processor, the McIntosh six-channel amplifier, an Onkyo ND-S1 and “a special iPod dock which allows the digital signal to be pulled from the iPad and distributed to the BitOne via optical output.” As the blurb on the company’s website puts it:
We chose to use the iPad as the only source for the vehicles entertainment system. The dock connector will plug into a cable that runs to a Onkyo ND-S1 which will send the digital signal from the iPad directly into an Audison Bit One. The Bit One will then act as the D/A converter, and will also process the audio signal. The Bit One also has a great controller for adjusting the volume and audio settings. The amplifier we chose is the McIntosh MCC406M. Stay tunned for the rest of the build. You’ll be able to find all the pictures and videos on this page as they become available.
Follow the jump to follow the installation from unboxing the components to firing it up. While the screen looks enormous in the dash, it actually doesn’t look out of place and at first glance, it almost appears factory installed. The placement of the controller is a bit of a tell, and the rounded edges of the iPad need a bezel perhaps, but job well done on job number one. The team still needs to fully wire it up, but the mockup is finished. Stay tuned for part two after the rest of the components arrive. Great tip, VJ!
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Video: World’s first Apple iPad in-car installation looks pretty clean
Video: World’s first Apple iPad in-car installation looks pretty clean originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Etc.
At many auto shows there are usually several hundred – if not thousand – images that we’ve taken that don’t make it into our posts. Sometimes we categorize them and create several themed galleries, other times we create megagalleries of all of the random sites from the auto show and the surrounding soirees, sights and scenery. New York 2010 was such a case.
At the 2010 New York International Auto Show, we saw some cars that we’ve lusted after before but now saw in a new light, race cars that didn’t necessarily deserve a separate post but still revved our engines, models who smiled just long enough to give us hope… for the future of the industry at least, and just random sights that helped create the overall atmosphere of excitement we felt at this year’s event.
While the number of press conferences seemed down, the number of debuts actually seemed to increase (see here). There wasn’t the sense of gloom and doom we’ve felt at other recent shows, the parties actually felt like celebrations for a change and the announcements didn’t sound like words of desperation. Perhaps it’s the spirit of the city that never sleeps, but New York 2010 seemed like a signal that the industry is really starting to make a turnaround. Click below to get started on your tour of the rest of the show’s random impressions.
New York 2010: Random sights from the Big Apple originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Motorsports, Mazda, Celebrities, Event Alert, Racing
Actor Patrick Dempsey is no stranger to racetracks, nor to the pages of Autoblog. We’ve run into the Gray’s Anatomy star at various races and automotive events over the past few years, most recently piloting a ’90s Mazda RX-792 LeMans racer in the Historics at Laguna Seca. We’ve even seen him run at Long Beach, although that was in their annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity race that usually features as many crashes and spins as a roller-derby match.
This year, Dempsey is set to return to the streets of Long Beach, but not in a Scion tC, nor even his usual ride, the Mazda RX-8 he runs in the Rolex Grand-Am GT series. No, Patrick will instead be driving the wheels off a 2010 Mazda3 prepared by Tri-Point Motorsports for the World Challenge race during the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach weekend. So what was it like going from a push-me to a pull-me? Dempsey says he was impressed with the Mazda3, the first front-driver he’s ever raced, though not surprised, as his daily driver is a Mazdaspeed3.
We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for him when we head to Long Beach in a couple of weeks to cover the racing activities, which will include IndyCar, World Challenge and ALMS action. There’s a longer press release from Mazda after the jump, with more details about the weekend of racing from Long Beach.
[Source: Mazda]
Continue reading Patrick Dempsey to race at Long Beach… but not in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race
Patrick Dempsey to race at Long Beach… but not in the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Etc., Safety, Chrysler, Specialty
Although the Chrysler Group still has a rather large amount of floor space here at the 2010 New York Auto Show, the company didn’t have a lot to offer this year…at least not just-baked stuff for the assembled media. Instead of showing off a new 300 or maybe even a 200C hybrid, they merely gathered up a bunch of older concepts and special editions and dropped them off at Javits. Chrysler at least had the good sense not to have a press conference. To be fair, the Pentastar is struggling and we don’t mean to kick them when they’re down so we’ll focus on the positive instead.
One new vehicle we found amidst the recently unveiled specials was a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country with seemingly every one of Chrysler’s latest safety and security features. The press release, which you’ll find after the jump, says the package includes the company’s Rear Cross Path (RCP) and Blind-spot Monitoring systems (BSM) to help drivers in making “safe lane changes and backing out of high-traffic parking situations.” Both features are apparently firsts in this segment.
This new “SafetyTec” package, as it’s known, is an option on the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Touring and new Touring “Plus” models, and will be standard on the Town & Country Limited. The grouping includes standard and optional safety and security features like multi-stage airbags, seatbelt pretensioning, constant-force seat-belt retractors (CFR), active head restraints and supplemental side-curtain air bags. There are also accident-avoidance features like Smart Brake and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), plus security features like an anti-theft alarm and the Sentry Key engine immobilizer among other things. If Chrysler knows anything, it’s minivans and the importance of safety to minivan buyers.
The new SafetyTec package will be available late spring at an undisclosed price. Follow the jump to read the long laundry list of included features and take a look at our gallery below.
[Source: Chrysler]
Continue reading New York 2010: Chrysler shows off new SafetyTec package for Town & Country
New York 2010: Chrysler shows off new SafetyTec package for Town & Country originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 17:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Etc., Celebrities, Specialty
Are these the ultimate performance cars? Maybe not in 0-60 or quarter mile times – although we wouldn’t count a few of them out at the dragstrip – but in terms of actually being performers. Some of the random cars and trucks we found at this year’s New York Auto Show are perhaps just as famous as their on-screen co-stars of the human variety.
While the A-Team van parked right smack dab in the middle of the entryway was an easy target, we delved a little deeper and found a Mach 5, K.I.T.T., Batmobile, Monkeemobile, and Grandpa Munster’s Dragula sitting in a booth in the lower level of the Javits Center. Oh, and your eyes aren’t deceiving you…that is the VW Beetle from Uncle Buck that was on eBay last year…just in time for Easter. After the star car turnout at Chicago, this was a nice encore.
Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
New York 2010: Hero cars invade Gotham originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Hyundai, Luxury
Hyundai showed off its new Sonata Turbo and Sonata Hybrid yesterday at the New York Auto Show, two vehicles that should help keep the brand’s mid-size sedan moving up the sales charts with a bullet. With March sales figures just trickling in, it looks like the Sonata is now the third best-selling mid-size sedan behind the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. With its high level of equipment, style, quality and performance, it’s not surprising to see this Korean doing well. Today in New York, the automaker showed how it can take that level of refinement found in the Sonata and its bigger brother, the Genesis, and ratchet it up another notch for a new flagship, the Hyundai Equus.
The Equus actually showed up last year in New York, sent over in world-market form to gauge customer interest. Apparently, it went swimmingly for Hyundai, as the production Equus will officially go on sale here towards the end of the year – well an oxymoronically named Equus, minus its signature hood ornament. Looking slightly less like the Lexus LS460 than the previous version of the car we’d seen, the U.S.-spec Equus has a shape that fits right in with upscale sedans from Buick, Lexus and Infiniti, if not Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Particularly at the rear fender, there is a swoop that doesn’t quite speak luxury like the rest of the car though, reminding us more of a Dodge Charger than a Euro sedan. This production version though, particularly with its cleaner hood and grille, definitely has a refined look.
CEO John Krafcik wouldn’t give us a firm number but did promise that the 385-horsepower sedan will come in with a base price somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000. The Equus will also launch a new luxury ownership experience being sold through select dealers in a dedicated area that will also include Genesis and Genesis Coupe. It will be available in four- or five-seat configurations with a mini fridge splitting the rear bucks on the rear twosome. Those backseats are also extremely comfortable, with power ventilation, heating and massage, plus a Maybach-like foot rest. Very nice.
Hyundai has also said that the Equus buying experience will be a step up from other models, with an iPad-like tablet device replacing the traditional owner’s manual. We’ll have full details on this interesting bit of kit shortly. For the moment, we have live shots for you below and the official press release after the jump so you can get the rest of the lowdown on this highbrow Hyundai.
Gallery: New York 2010: Hyundai Equus
Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Equus
Live photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Hyundai]
Continue reading New York 2010: Hyundai Equus debuts in U.S. production trim
New York 2010: Hyundai Equus debuts in U.S. production trim originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Coupe, Budget, Hybrid, Performance, Etc., Hatchback, Audi, Chevrolet, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen, Ferrari, Citroën, Design/Style
Awards season is finally winding down with the 2010 World Car of the Year and World Performance Car of the Year being handed out this morning at the 2010 New York Auto Show. After whittling the fields down to three finalists in each category, the panel of 59 international journalists voted one last time to crown the World Car of the Year.
While the Toyota Prius, Volkswagen Polo and Mercedes-Benz E-Class were nominated, it was the Polo that took home the gold for 2010 World Car of the Year.
On the performance vehicle front, the nominees were the Audi R8 V10, Porsche 911 GT3 and Ferrari California, with the Audi winning top honors.
They also handed out a Design award for a group of finalists including the Citroen C3 Picasso, Kia Soul and Chevrolet Camaro. That honor went to the Camaro. (U-S-A! U-S-A!)
The Green category saw Volkswagen’s line of diesel-powered BlueMotion vehicles beat out the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight hybrids. (Die-sel! Die-sel!)
Click below for a gallery of all the winners.
New York 2010: Volkswagen Polo wins 2010 World Car of the Year award originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 09:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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