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2010 Kia Optima biggest star at 2010 New York Auto Show

March 31, 2010 /

The 2011 Kia Optima might be the biggest “sales” star of the NY Show. The styling, power and finish are very impressive with this car that shows like a much more expensive vehicle.

From AutoGuide.com:

For 2010 the New York Auto Show has a bit of everything and continues to deliver with a concentrated presence of luxury vehicles. But this year the luxury fits into numerous niche segments. On one end, there’s the world premiere of the 2011 Infiniti QX56 SUV, while on the other there’s the North American debut of the Lexus CT200h hybrid hatchback. Luxury even takes wagon form, with Acura announcing the TSX Sport Wagon and Cadillac unveiling a CTS-V Sport Wagon concept. Heck, Hyundai even unveiled a flagship luxury sedan, called the Equus, that is designed to compete with cars like the Mercedes S-Class. Aston Martin is showed its four-door Rapide and Porsche has on display its Cayenne S Hybrid SUV.

In more traditional luxury, BMW unveiled the all-new 2011 5 Series for the first time in North America, flanked by the facelifted 3 Series, sporty 335is, 2011 X5 and Alpina B7.

Read the full article here.

Car Reviews, New Cars, News

Hyundai Equus to Rival S-Class, but priced in the Mid $50,000 Range

March 31, 2010 /

This is not a misprint. Hyundai to bring luxury vehicle to challenge BMW, Mercedes and Lexus. That’s right, the Hyundai Equus is on it’s way to the U.S. with all of the goodies inside and out to take on the big boys. Will the Equus be a hit in the mid 50k range? We’ll know soon enough.

From AutoGuide.com:

It certainly looks like a flagship luxury sedan, created to rival established German saloons like the 7 Series and S Class, but it costs roughly half the price and… it’s a Hyundai? Yes, debuting at the New York Auto Show, Hyundai will now offer its flagship luxury sedan from Korea in the U.S. aiming to, “compete with the best luxury sedans in the world on all levels.”

Pricing for the Equus has yet to be locked-down, but Hyundai says it expects to be able to sell the car in the mid $50,000 range. And while the Equus isn’t likely to win over many buyers from Mercedes, the package is an attractive one for Lexus LS shoppers, with the LS460 riced in the mid $60,000 range.

The Equus more than just looks like a proper luxury barge, using a powerful V8 engine and riding on a proper rear-drive architecture (an elongated version of that used for the Genesis Sedan). The Equus is actually 7.2-inches longer than the Genesis at 203.1-inches. That makes it longer than the extended wheelbase Lexus LS, plus it’s wider than either the S-Class or 7 Series.

Read the full article here.

Car Reviews, New Cars, News

Ford sales up 39%

March 30, 2010 /

U.S. auto sales gained more momentum in March with Ford sales up 39%; Chrysler down 8%; GM up 21%. The big winner appears to be Toyota with an increase of almost 41%. Some analysts expected sales to come in even stronger with the heavy incentive wars kicking in last month but hey, it beats 2009 by miles….

From the Detroit News.com:

Toyota posted a nearly 41 percent increase in sales last month after boosting incentives amid recall problems plaguing the world’s largest automaker.

Ford Motor Co. sales rose 39.8 percent last month while Chrysler Group LLC posted an 8 percent decline.

Meanwhile, General Motors Co. said today its vehicle sales jumped 21 percent sales in the U.S. last month, led by a 76 percent increase for its Buick brand and popular new launch vehicles.
010 U.S.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers sold 178,546 vehicles last month and the Dearborn automaker said its retail market share rose for the 17th time in the last 18 months.

Read the full article here.

Chrysler, Ford, Lincoln, New Cars, News

A chuckle about Geely’s Volvo deal

March 30, 2010 /

The always entertaining Peter De Lorenzo at the Autoextremist.com gets a chuckle from Geely founder and chairman Li Shufu’s analogy regarding the Volvo deal. Hey Peter, I would be giddy as well if I just purchased a company like Volvo for what Geely just paid. When we get that excited we do tend to get silly…

(Posted 3/28, 5:00PM) Detroit. Part of what makes this business so enjoyable at times is that just when you think you’ve heard absolutely everything there is to hear, and seen everything there is to see, along comes someone like Li Shufu – the founder and chairman of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group – who signed a deal to buy Volvo from Ford for $1.8 billion this past Sunday after two years of on and off negotiations.

With plans to project Geely as the first great Chinese automobile manufacturer, Li went off the deep end with his giddiness and excitement over the deal, equating Volvo to a tiger that needs to be freed of its shackles and constraints.

Read the full article here.

News, Volvo

Toyota sales up 30 percent in March

March 30, 2010 /

Looks like Toyota will be bouncing back in March with a projected 30 percent increase in sales! Apparently the hefty incentives are blunting any further erosion in sales from the acceleration issues so you have to give Toyota sales/marketing some credit here. More people are now talking about their rebates than the gas pedal debacle and that’s exactly what Mr. Toyoda probably ordered.

From AutoNews.com:

NEW YORK — Perhaps seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, Toyota expects March sales to be up 30 to 35 percent over year-ago figures, outpacing industry gains, its top U.S. executive said today.

Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said the “biggest surprise has been the RAV4,” which saw sales surge to an expected 22,000 units in March, far above the crossover’s typical sales. Lentz theorized that perhaps RAV4 incentives were a bit high.

While both car and truck sales have risen, “it’s really light trucks that are driving the business,” Lentz told journalists gathered outside the NADA/IHS Global Insight Forum here.

Read the full article here.

News, Toyota

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