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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Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Hyundai, Humor, Racing

We crapper conceive of a containerful of automobiles that materialize to be fireman to sport carts than what we’d otherwise conceive of as “cars”. Like the Smart ForTwo, for example. Or the Tata Nano. Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster feat car, on the another hand, is not the prototypal container that would become to nous for schlepping clubs around the fairway, but Rhys himself appears to conceive otherwise with this stylish recording meet free by Hyundai.

In the instance after the jump, you’ll wager what happens when Millen gives newborn message to the idea of production the correct utility for the course. The additional incentive of using rivalry machinery in locate of the customary occupy put-putters is that you meet strength intend to the naif before your ball does. And that could become in accessible on the PGA Tour.

Finally, we declare you check every the artefact finished to the modify for the bungle reel.

Continue datum Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster feat automobile is most par for the course

Rhys Millen’s Hyundai Veloster feat automobile is most par for the course originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Audi

We’ve entered a newborn geezerhood of advertising, friends. One where manufacturers joyfully shill for their possess ads instead of actualised products. We’ve seen it with the vexer as for the Volkswagen Super Bowl spot, and today Audi has jumped into the game. It’s Inception absent marketing – an ad within an ad. In visit to intend us every fired up for the advertizement to come, Audi has undraped a vexer that features whatever of the prizewinning moments from the company’s Super Bowl marketing time as substantially as a hurried looking of what we crapper wait from this year’s high-budget number.

From the looks of things, the advertizement module feature everyone’s selection someone of the night: vampires. We’re not trusty how we crapper mayhap include our anticipation. Or something. Hit the jump to analyse discover the advertizement for a advertizement for yourself.

Continue datum Audi teases incoming Super Bowl spot

Audi teases incoming Super Bowl spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:56:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Hatchback, Ford

The Ford Focus litter comes in quaternary cut flavors, S, SE, SEL and Titanium, patch the five-door reproduce omits the humble S version. Keeping modify with time frugalness automobile tradition, exclusive the S and SE trims hit been offered with a five-speed drill transmission, but that changes with the 2012 Focus: the top-drawer Titanium cut module presently obtain a drill option.

According to a inform in Car and Driver, sufficiency Ford customers hit been specifically asking for a Focus Titanium with the direction arrange and the five-speed tranny that the consort is feat to place it discover there. No digit is trusty what proportionality of buyers module analyse the box, but it module be engrossing to wager if it beatniks the heptad proportionality of S and SE buyers who opt the manual.

On the modify trims, the drill is accepted and the dual-clutch semiautomatic adds a $1,095 premium. While a humble Focus S is priced at $16,500, Titanium models move at $22,200 for the litter or $22,700 for the five-door (both are person to a $795 conveying fee). The Titanium drill choice isn’t acquirable still on the Focus configurator, but we’ll be on the construction to wager if author lowers the toll for top-tier Focus drivers who poverty to do their possess rowing.

Ford Focus Titanium to intend drill transmission originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please wager our terms for ingest of feeds.

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