If you love sports cars, you’re always hoping for the chance to drive some of the best. Well, what if your job involved driving amazing supercars and posting the videos on YouTube? If that sounds like fun, then you have to follow Supercar Blondie on YouTube.
The political ads are over, so now we can be bombarded with ads for luxury cars during the holiday season.
Car shoppers will see so-called “loyalty” and “conquest” discounts in this year’s holiday sales campaigns. These deals essentially reward consumers for shopping the competition, even if they intend to stay with the brand they already drive. For example, a customer who owns a Mercedes could get an additional $750 discount for agreeing to buy or lease another. If the same owner went to a BMW showroom, he or she would likely be offered a similar amount to switch teams.
About 20% of shoppers on Edmunds.com who looked at a Mercedes C-Class during the last week of October also looked at a BMW 3 Series, according to data from the site. Among those considering the 3-series, 10% looked at a C-Class, and 10% looked at the Audi A4.
Dealers say discounts specifically tied to retaining existing customers have an impact. “It gives us something else to discuss, to look at a customer and let them know they are special to us,” says Robert Camastro, owner of Mercedes of Danbury, Ct.
The loyalty and conquest discounts vary by model and brand. Some Audi dealers are advertising discounts of up to $2,500 if you are trading in a rival luxury brand.
Lincoln, a brand of Ford Motor Co., is offering no-money-down lease deals on its MKX sport utility. Cadillac’s deals vary, but the brand is offering no-money-down, $399-a-month leases on its just-launched ATS model, which is designed to compete with the 3 series and Mercedes C Class.
It’s interesting to see Lincoln get in on the action, as their ad looks very similar to ads for the other luxury brands, but they need to do something.
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INGOLSTADT, Germany — The revised Audi S4 and new A4 Allroad Quattro will arrive in the U.S. next June, Audi of America confirmed to Inside Line, most likely as 2013 models.
The updated S4 sedan and wagon and A4 Allroad wagon were unveiled, along with the face-lifted A4 sedan and A4 Avant wagon, today in Germany.
In response to a query Wednesday from Inside Line, an Audi spokesperson said the A4 Allroad would be added to the U.S. lineup next June, joining the revised S4 and A4.
The German models get few visual changes — mostly modest revisions to bumpers, grilles and lamps — with some mild updates in trim and equipment inside the cabins. Exterior dimensions have barely changed. Audi says it is offering new wheels, new steering wheels, upgraded upholstery and a revised MMI nav system with four buttons instead of eight. Wheel sizes range from 16 to 19 inches. The newest piece of hardware is an electromechanical power steering unit.
In typical German fashion, the big news is under the hood, where Audi offers European A4 owners the choice of six TDI diesel and four FSI gasoline engines, all of them featuring supercharged direct injection with standard stop-start systems, and many with increased power and torque.
The most efficient power plant is the A4 2.0 TDI, which makes 136 horsepower and returns an average 56 mpg.
Today, Dashboard brings you a video from Evo magazine. For three minutes, you can imagine yourself free from traffic, inattentive drivers, and worries on one of the world’s best driving roads in some of the world’s best cars.
Buying a new car is still one of life’s most exciting moments, and with 2012 just around the corner, the new models are starting to hit the show floors right now. Everyone has an idea about what makes the perfect car, but no matter which model you choose, 2012 cars are the first to have to comply with the stricter gas usage requirements (an average of 33.3 mpg) set by the National Highway Safety Administration.
Here are seven 2012 models from traditional car manufacturers that are anything but traditional.
Volkswagen Golf R:
Good gas mileage and Volkswagen have always gone hand in hand. The Golf R model promises to continue that tradition, plus include all-wheel drive and a six-speed transmission.
