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Eye candy still helps sell cars

October 28, 2011 / Staff

The auto industry is always evolving, but some things never change. A commitment to style and beauty has always been an important aspect of the business, and brands like Ferrari, BMW and Lamborghini are examples of brands that embrace this ethos.

With the beauty of cars often comes beautiful women as well. As you can see from the photo above from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, many brands understand this connection very well. This photo has two models in the Lamborghini display. Now that Chrysler is owned by Fiat, you have this trend reappearing in the United States as well with all of their brands. Some brands are more conservative, but you wonder if they’re missing something.

The result is that the car business keeps the calendar printing business going, as calendars featuring stylish cars with attractive models never seem to go out of style. While much of the marketing and PR business has gone digital, beautifully printed brochures and calendars are still an important part of the equation. And for some, it’s a great business as these calendars never go out of style.

Car Sales, Lamborghini, Lifestyle

2011 Frankfurt Motor Show car calendars

2013 Audi S4 and A4 Allroad Arrive Next June in U.S.

October 27, 2011 / Staff

From InsideLine.com:

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.

Read the full article.

Audi, New Cars

Toyota FT86 Leaked

October 27, 2011 / Joe Gustafson

Normally, scans from an automaker’s internal parts catalog would not make headline news; unless they showed a hotly anticipated new car that is. Scans from Modellista, a Toyota parts magazine, seem to show the brand new Toyota FT-86. Like those of bigfoot, these grainy images show hope that the car is out there, and will not be bloated up and dumbed down for production. Toyota has not commented on the leak, but the production version of this car should be seen at the Tokyo International Auto Show next month.

Source: FT86club

New Cars, Scion, Sports Cars, Subaru, Toyota

Leak Scion spy shots Subyota Toyota FR-S Toyota FT86

Hertz First Car-rental Company to Deploy A Zero-emissions All-electric Bus

October 25, 2011 / Staff

This is great news for the advancement of green vehicles. From Market Watch:

The Hertz Corporation, the world’s largest general use airport car rental brand, announces today the use of BYD’s eBUS-12 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the first such use to be conducted by a rental car company. Hertz is testing the all-electric on its main routes to gain data on this new platform.

“Hertz is aggressively moving forward with its Global EV program, introducing electric vehicles into its worldwide fleet and testing other electric vehicles as they become available,” says Mark P. Frissora, Hertz Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Hertz’s mission is to provide the most technologically advanced mobility solutions to our customers, including the buses we use as part of our everyday operations at airports. We continue Hertz’s track record of innovation by being first to deploy an all-electric shuttle bus in the US.”

The BYD pure electric eBUS-12 is able to run 155 miles on a single charge in urban conditions, more than enough for Hertz’s use at its airport locations, and its energy consumption is less than 100 kWh per 60 miles. The eBUS-12 is designed with the customer in mind, with a low floor and ample space to allow easy passenger loading and unloading and the bus has specially engineered sound insulation for a quieter cabin experience. The eBUS is being tested at Hertz’s Los Angeles Airport location, shuttling car rental customers between the terminals and Hertz’s rental facility. With a lower cost of ownership than a traditional gas powered bus, replacing just one traditional bus with the eBUS will reduce emissions by over 320 kg of CO2 (per 150 miles traveled) and save Hertz an average of $76* per day, per bus in fuel costs! (*32 gallons of diesel at $3.20/gal are replaced with $25.92 in electricity for $0.08/Kwh — the night time EV charge rates in LA).

Read the full article.

Green

all electric bus green cars Hertz Hertz all-electric bus Hertz rental car

2012 Cadillac SRX Car Review

October 24, 2011 / Staff

Bullz-Eye.com breaks down the 2012 Cadillac SRX from inside out. Find out what a staff member had to say about the new Caddy below.

I was looking forward to testing the 2012 Cadillac SRX AWD Premium Collection model for many different reasons. One reason was that I have seen these Cadillac Luxury Crossovers on the road and I liked the styling but had never driven one before. Another reason is that I wondered whether this Cadillac handled as good as it looks, so my curiosity was peaking. After a week behind the wheel, I have some strong feelings about this offering from Cadillac and I suppose there are thousands out there who share my observations.

Exterior
The 2012 Cadillac SRX AWD Premium Collection has plenty of bling and sleek styling for a combination that flows well together. Some of the SRX’s exterior features include a multi-piece shield grille, Cadillac’s huge iconic vertical headlamps with light pipe technology, and available adaptive forward lighting technology that turns the lamps in the direction of the front wheels. The wide stance of the SRX with minimal overhangs coupled with the wheels pushed to the corners equates to a chiseled look similar to the exterior of the SRX crossover. Our black ice metallic test model boasted 20 inch premium bright aluminum painted wheels, which are standard on the Premium Collection SRXs. From just about every angle one can see that this is a Cadillac and a good looking Cadillac at that!

Read the full review.

Cadillac, Car Reviews, New Cars