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Volkswagen celebrates the 21st century Beetle with Pete Wentz

April 19, 2011 /

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Jonathan Browning, President and CEO of Volkswagen Group America greeted media and guests from around the world alongside celebrity music artist and DJ Pete Wentz to unveil the third generation, 21st Century Beetle yesterday. The morning kicked off with a personalized spin session from Wentz featuring songs from longtime friend and business partner Travis McCoy, and of course hip hop selections. Cheering Volkswagen fans sipped mimosas and noshed on mini bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and other morning favorites.

The sleek new 2012 Volkswagen Beetle, only the third generation of this beloved iconic car, showcases the company’s style, performance, and the latest advances in German engineering. The 21st Century Beetle debuted on three continents this morning starting in Shanghai, China followed by events in Berlin and Lower Manhattan.

“I’m stoked to be here celebrating the unveiling of the 21st century Beetle,” Wentz remarked, before heading over to the chic red model for a second mini-session. “I love that the new Beetle is so sleek—it’s totally a guy’s car and I could see myself driving this updated version of the classic.” When asked if he had any cherished Volkswagen memories, as so many Americans do, Wentz smirked and divulged, “My favorite Volkswagen memory is getting to second base in the back seat!”

The event featured an introduction from Jonathan Browning and remarks from Luca de Meo, head of Global Marketing, and Klaus Bischoff, Head of Design for the brand. For more information on the 21st Century Beetle, visit vw.com or media.vw.com.

Photo credited to: Johnny Nunez

News, Volkswagen

Fiat continues to integrate fuel efficiency into Chrysler products

April 18, 2011 /

The Detroit News writes that Chrysler’s new powertrains will focus on fuel efficiency with Fiat technology.

Chrysler Group LLC is bolstering its lineup of fuel-efficient powertrains, thanks to initiatives under Fiat SpA management.

Many of the advances involve Fiat technology; the Italian automaker is known as a small-car and small-engine specialist.

Paolo Ferrero, the former Fiat executive who now heads Chrysler powertrain, said work is under way on a variety of propulsion systems, ranging from improved gasoline engines to diesels, hybrids and electric vehicles.

And new transmissions will further improve fuel efficiency, he said Thursday after a presentation at the 2011 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress.

Chrysler’s new Pentastar V-6 is proliferating across the lineup and is being considered for the Ram 1500 pickup as well, Ferrero said. That would allow the Ram to compete more directly with the new Ford F-150. The Ram currently has an older version V-6 as well as a V-8.

The Auburn Hills automaker also is improving its four-cylinder engines with Fiat’s MultiAir technology, which improves combustion. The engine in the Fiat 500 has MultiAir, and it will be expanded to more engines in Chrysler vehicles. Turbocharging also is expected in the future.

Read the full article.

Chrysler, Fiat

Can GM get on track and attract new investors?

April 18, 2011 /

Hopes for a really quick buck on GM stock has faded along with a huge sales month in February. Rising gas prices may fuel the General into bringing back big incentives to move those trucks and SUV’s.

From AutoNews.com:

DETROIT (Bloomberg) — The new General Motors made its Wall Street debut with much fanfare last November. The initial public offering that was supposed to max out at about $10 billion ended up raising more than double that amount.

CEO Dan Akerson had a good story to tell: The Detroit automaker had posted a $4.8 billion profit for the nine months ended Sept. 30, and new models like the Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX SUV were selling well. Two weeks after the IPO, GM was worth just $1.6 billion less than Ford Motor Co., and by mid-January the stock ran up 20 percent, to almost $40 a share, giving GM a value of $59.3 billion.

GM’s feel-good moment didn’t last. Since the beginning of January the stock has fallen more than 18 percent, to close Friday at $30.24 a share, which is $2.76 below its IPO price. GM’s market valuation now trails Ford’s by almost $8 billion. Analysts fret about the churn in GM’s management ranks, the aggressive use of incentives to sell its cars, ongoing losses in Europe, and a softening in the Chinese market, where GM is the leader.

Read the entire article.

GM

Leaked 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

April 15, 2011 /

The Detroit Bureau takes a look at the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu.

It’s been said that there are few secrets in Detroit, a town that has, historically, leaked like the proverbial sieve. And General Motors certainly proved that point when it inadvertently let a sneak peek of the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu appear on its media website today.

Ironically, the maker had intended to run the classic teaser campaign, first showing off a shot of the rear taillights and, for this morning, sending out a release with an image of the midsize sedan’s new radio face – which, it revealed, articulates up or down to reveal hidden, illuminated 6-inch storage compartment.

But the above image, which we first spotted on Autoblog.com, tells a much more complete story.

The look should be familiar to fans of the Malibu, which took honors as North American Car of the Year in 2008. There’s a somewhat update version of the bowtie grille, accented by new multi-element headlamps that wrap into the fenders.

Read the full article.

Car Reviews, Chevrolet

Can Ford catch up in China?

April 15, 2011 /

Is it too little too late for Ford in China? The Truth About Cars discusses.

Ford is finally waking up from sleeping through the fact that China became the world’s largest car market 2 years ago, and that China will most likely grow explosively for the next 20 years. Ford will introduce 15 new vehicles in China by 2015, the company told Automotive News [sub]. Ford will also more than double the number of its 340 dealerships in China by 2015. Ford furthermore is looking at doubling the work 1,200 strong workforce at its joint venture with China’s Chang’an.

This year will see pretty much nothing of these ambitious plans. The first of the 15 new cars for China will be the all-new Ford Focus compact. Ford will start Chinese production of the new Focus in 2012. An initial capacity of 150,000 units is planned at a new joint venture plant with Changan in Chongqing. AN says that Ford is “expanding rapidly to close the gap on rivals such as Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. in the world’s largest auto market.”

Read the full article.

Ford

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