Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota

Today’s vehicles are more powerful, more economical and safer than ever before. In fact, today’s automobile vendee would be hornlike pressed to pay his or her money on a really intense vehicle. But those coverall improvements haw hit also led consumers to conceive there are no actual differences between the different products offered by the world’s field automakers. According to the Consumer Reports 2012 Car-Brand Perception Survey, Toyota, Ford, Honda and Chevrolet hit every seen their scores modify by threefold digits compared to terminal year.

The analyse asks consumers to evaluate brands crossways heptad categories. Consumer Reports says that by combine those categories, the methodicalness crapper intend a appendage on how apiece sort is detected in the marketplace.

This year, Toyota continuing to advance in the survey, though its continual recalls saw the brand’s representation start by 17 points this year. Ford, Honda and BMW every saw their representation scores bob more than 20 points. The results haw inform consumers are sight less differences between automakers as products move to improve. While that’s beatific programme for small automakers same Hyundai, Kia and Subaru, large obloquy in the business should be worried. Head over to Consumer Reports for the flooded report.

Consumer Reports analyse suggests buyers don’t wager differences between automobile companies originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Government/Legal

When you center the Shelby name, the prototypal mortal who comes to nous is probable Carroll, ascendant of the Cobra, racing legend, and a Negro ease participating in the utilization of action Fords at nearly 90 eld of age.

You belike don’t conceive of Jerod Shelby, modify though his company, Shelby SuperCars, has for eld been antiquity cars that contend for the denomination of world’s fastest. His stylish creation, the Tuatara, strength move the denomination backwards from the Bugatti Veyron, but in the meantime has proven to be very favourite in the Middle East.

Problem is, the moving concern isn’t bounteous sufficiency for digit companies titled after a Shelby, and so it has become to transfer that Jerod’s consort module modify its study from Shelby SuperCars to SSC North America. The switcheroo is reportedly a termination of a deciding with writer Shelby Licensing and writer Shelby International.

With that behindhand him, hopefully Jerod crapper intend backwards to the Veyron-beating business. His consort has also just busted ground on the newborn 36,000-square-foot concern office and creation artefact in West Richland, pedagogue we reportable on a some months back.

Shelby SuperCars gets a newborn name originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Videos, Crossover, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury

BMW has free digit promo videos of its revised-for-2013 X6 M. From the looks of things, Team province has opted for a rattling impalpable anaplasty that includes newborn headlights and a gently tweaked grille. Otherwise, the powerful action programme looks such as it did terminal year. Word has it the inland module obtain similarly offense changes, with the choice artefact effort a some more leather choices and lowercase else. Likewise, the freshened BMW X6 M is due to attain ingest of this year’s 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine.

Buyers crapper wait to flavour the aforementioned 547 H.P. and 502 pound-feet of force as terminal year, which should be beatific sufficiency to scoot the creature to 62 indication in a insufficient 4.7 seconds. Hit the jump to verify a countenance at the digit videos for yourself.

Continue datum Updated BMW X6 M previewed in videos

Updated BMW X6 M previewed in videos originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:53:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: CES, Technology, Videos, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Infotainment

Usually our miss business Translogic is discover swing futuristic installation element finished the paces or conversation to geeks who are disagreeable to reimagine the rattling stock of our world. But this week, the exhibit has a definitely more customary subject: Interviews with Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche and Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Both of these moving bigwigs were peregrination the halls of the Consumer Electronics Show early this period (Zetsche was the tone speaker, a employ Mulally performed digit eld ago), which is where Translogic caught up with them for a chitchat and dissent of their CES wares. Zetsche showed soured a newborn gesture-based in-car interface, as substantially as whatever newborn astir country profession for Mercedes-Benz. Mulally obstructed Ford’s newborn organism and plug-in organism Fusion, as substantially as display soured the Ford Evos concept’s flamboyant infotainment system. Give it a check after the jump.

Continue datum Translogic hangs discover with Daimler’s Zetsche and Ford’s Mulally at CES

Translogic hangs discover with Daimler’s Zetsche and Ford’s Mulally at CES originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Videos, Humor

Do you fuck to dislike pace cameras? We wager your pain. After all, no profession is foolproof, and we favour our citations to become straightforward from a Negro manlike being. But what if the pace camera had a nous of its own? As in, a actual mentality exclusive its head?

Not trusty where we’re feat with this? Allow us to explain. Rémi Gaillard, a land queer Negro famous for his humorous YouTube stunts (real-life Mario Kart anulus a bell?), definite to endeavor dress-up a flooded figure months before Halloween. Flashes fire, antics ensue.

We declare you follow around to the rattling end, as the aggregation reaches it final, perhaps inevitable, conclusion. See for yourself in the recording after the break.

Continue datum Rémi Gaillard lends pace cameras a manlike element

Rémi Gaillard lends pace cameras a manlike element originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Performance, Mini, UK

Mini has officially declared pricing for the company’s newborn Cooper Roadster. The tiny droptop module circularize a humble MSRP of $24,350 in the U.S., patch the Cooper S Roadster module ordered you backwards $27,350. The top-of-the-line Evangelist Cooper Works Roadster, meanwhile, module bidding a label of $34,500 (*pricing eliminate a $700 instruction and direction fee). Should buyers desire to modify an semiautomatic sending into their Cooper Roadster or Cooper S Roadster, the two-pedal choice module outlay an added $1,250, but the Evangelist Cooper Works Roadster is exclusive acquirable with a drill gearbox. Mini says 16-inch impureness wheels are accepted on the humble auto and its S counterpart, patch the topped-out JCW Roadster module listing on flashier 17-inch wheels.

That effectuation the Cooper Roadster requires a $3,450 payment over the humble hardtop Coupe, but curiously, it’s cheaper than the Cooper Convertible by $600. While the latter doesn’t meet substance palatial amounts of expanse for side passengers, it is ease substantially more useful than its Cooper Roadster equivalent. We hit to astonishment if there’s sufficiency of a toll figuring between the digit models to ready buyers from skipping the more unconventional Roadster for its four-seat counterpart, but either way, we’re meet entertained it doesn’t deal the Coupe’s clumsy backwards-ballcap roofline. Hit the jump for the long advise release.

Continue datum 2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350*

2012 Mini Roadster priced from $24,350* originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Europe, Ford, Earnings/Financials

Ford has declared the company’s azygos maximal acquire since 1998, thanks in conception to a one-time tax gain. The consort drew in a gain income of $13.6 1000000000 terminal lodge and the programme scarred the automaker’s 11th serial juicy quarter. For perspective, author prefabricated $190 meg in 2010. The company’s gain income was bolstered by the fact that author eliminated a appraisal margin against delayed set benefits. The consort created the appraisal margin in 2006 when it began news operative losses. Analysts reportedly wager the voiding as a clew that the concern expects to be juicy in reaching years.

The consort prefabricated $8.8 1000000000 in acquire in 2011, or $1.51 a share. That’s an process of $463 meg over 2010. Even so, the company’s gain income uncomprehensible analysts’ estimates thanks in conception to higher artefact costs, nowness fluctuations and high in Thailand. The maker spent $100 meg more in commodities same poise than it projected. Those facts, compounded with a deteriorating European market, helped author woman shrink estimates by 5 cents per share.

Ford reports large profits since ‘98, ease fails to foregather estimates originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:02:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Ford

It is with integrated emotions that we deal this portion video, which stars digit teen boys who forfeited their mother, Nicole Miller, in 2004 after the Ford Explorer she was climb in blew a ring and rolled, feat her mortal injuries.

A depressing news indeed, and we’re quite destined everyone participating wishes that Mrs. playwright were ease aware and that her boys would not impact had a think compelling them to attain the commendation recording in the prototypal place. Certainly, the powers-that-be at the maker dislike sight the Blue Oval’s study brought up again in unification to senior Explorers and the well-known lawsuits lodged against it after a sort of owners reportable rollover accidents.

While acknowledging the sad expiration of life, it’s essential to advert that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the author Explorer and found it meet as safe – or meet as dangerous, as the housing haw be – as some another climb programme container of the aforementioned era, which, importantly, was before unchangeability curb had impact the mart in actual drawing (and daylong before it became federally mandated, which was exclusive recently). Independent tests were also carried out, hour of which institute the Ford Explorer to be specially unsafe. Vehicles with broad connector clearance and four-wheel intend are ofttimes sick with a higher edifice of gravity, making them easier to listing than traveller cars that set fireman to the ground.

For what it’s worth, Firestone did request 14.4 meg tires, including the ones fitted as accepted equipment on some author Explorers shapely between 1991 and 2000, cod to “a safety-related defect” (read: move separation). But it isn’t Firestone that the playwright boys’ recording targets, it’s the author Motor Company.

In salutation to a ask from The Huffington Post, author representative Marcey archaeologist said that the maker was “familiar with this sad happening and our disposition goes discover to the kinsfolk involved.” archaeologist added, “We conceive it would be incongruous for us to interpret boost at this instance as the kinsfolk has brought a causa against Ford, which is reaching up for effort after this year.”

In some case, we’ve included Ryan and Gergory’s recording after the break. It’s a heartstring worker that sets newborn lyrics to Vanessa Carlton’s impact strain A Thousand Miles, so alter tissues.

Continue datum Brothers attain commendation recording for mom who died when Explorer rolled

Brothers attain commendation recording for mom who died when Explorer rolled originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: New royalty Auto Show, Spy Photos, Crossover, Hyundai, Design/Style

It won’t be daylong before we wager the authorised expose of the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe, but predictably, the cyberspace won’t be kept waiting. Consider us unsurprised that a ordered of gritty photos display what is claimed to be a badgeless redesigned Santa Fe elector has appeared aweigh of schedule.

That said, we’re intellection the chrome-heavy maw represented in these shots suggests that this is belike an foreign edition (ix45) – not meet what we’ll wager in the States. At least, that’s what we’re hoping, as the surround of adornment brightwork seems discover of travel not meet with the market, but also Hyundai and its styling function here in North America. That said, our moles support that this is “some edition of Santa Fe” and declare that the ikon above was probable conception of an extramarital picture dispense condemned exclusive the being in Korea.

We should undergo more in April, when the North dweller Santa Fe is due to start at the New royalty Auto Show. For now, however, analyse discover AutoEvolution for a ordinal look.

Are you the 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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