A look back at the Super Bowl’s green car sides
Filed under: Etc., Green Daily
This year, the green car angle for the corporate adgasm / replay event that is the Super Bowl – we hear there may be as much as 11 minutes of game played today – has been the hoopla surrounding Audi’s Green Police commercials. Previous years, though, have had a little more going for them. So, between plays during the big game is on this evening or when the victor has been crowned, feel free to click around in the archives and see what was.
2007:
- Honda to talk up superior fuel efficiency in Super Bowl ad
- It’s the Colts, the Bears and Segways in Super Bowl action this weekend
2008:
- Yukon Hybrid Super Bowl ad includes imagery from 1976 animated short
- Trying to find the green at the Super Bowl – it’s there if you look for it
- Malibu, Vue hybrid Super Bowl ads might not air because of low inventory
- Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning choses Escalade hybrid as his prize
Ford Suisse rolls out special edition Focus RS WRC
Filed under: Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Ford
Ford Focus RS WRC special edition for Switzerland – Click above for image gallery of livery proposals
While the rest of us think “rallying”, the Swiss look at their snow-capped mountains and think “skiing”. That’s largely because the Swiss are not known to be car people. But for every rule there’s an exception.
In Switzerland those exceptions include the efforts of notable speed-freaks like Peter Sauber (of F1 fame), Frank Rinderknecht (Rinspeed) and Franco Sbarro (the flamboyant coachbuilder – not the food-court pizza guy). And we can now add Ford to that list, as the Detroit automaker’s Swiss subsidiary is rolling out a special edition Focus RS to pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of the company’s iconic RS division, exclusively for the Swiss market.
Although mechanically identical to the existing Focus RS – not much change needed there – the Focus RS WRC edition wears a special livery submitted and chosen through an online forum. Black and green decals overlay a white background, complimented by blacked-out 19″ OZ Superturismo GT alloys, while inside, a special plaque carries the Hancocks of Ford’s top rally ace Mikko Hirvonen and his co-pilot Jarmo Lehtinen.
Only 50 examples will be offered, exclusively in Switzerland at a price of 55,900 Swiss francs – equivalent to about $53k in American greenbacks and representing a 2000-franc premium over the standard Focus RS. We’ll see if we can grab a closer look when we descend upon the multilingual alpine nation for the Geneva Motor Show next month, but in the meantime you can view the top liveries proposed in the gallery below and, if your French, German or Italian is up to the task, check out the press release after the jump. After all, while “speed” is not among the languages commonly spoken in Switzerland, neither is English.
Report: Saab 9-3X now available for order at U.S. dealers
Filed under: Wagon, Saab
2010 Saab 9-3X – Click above for high-res image gallery
The good news for Saab loyalists is that dealerships have been told they may start placing orders for the Saab 9-3X. The bad news for Saab loyalists is that if the deal with Spyker falls through, that brand-new Saab you are dreaming about will never arrive in your driveway. In a nutshell, dealers are allowed to take orders for the cars, but there’s no pricing information and nothing will be officially submitted until the Saab/Spyker deal closes (as of now, this is scheduled for February 15).
The announcement isn’t completely unexpected. After all, we reported just a few days ago that Spyker had big plans for the Saab lineup, including full range of 9-3 models for 2012. These will follow on the heels of the new 9-5, and the 9-4X, due in the U.S. market during 2010 and 2011, respectively. Whatever the case, if you believe in Saab, now’s the time to scoot down to your local dealer, open your checkbook and place an order!
[Source: Saab History]
Report: Saab 9-3X now available for order at U.S. dealers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Video: 2011 BMW X5 blasting around in the snow, starting at $46,675
Filed under: New York Auto Show, Videos, Crossover, BMW
2011 BMW X5 – Click above for high-res image gallery. Click here to watch video.
Yesterday we learned about the refreshed 2011 BMW X5 which goes on sale right after the New York Auto Show in April. Shortly after yesterday’s announcement, BMW dropped over 150 new photos of the X5 on us, along with some video footage of one on the new models running around in the snow in Arjeplog in northern Sweden.
When the updated X5s arrive, the vehicles won’t be any lighter, but the base window stickers will. The xDrive35i carries a base price of $46,675 including destination charges. That’s almost $1,800 less than a 2010 xDrive30i. We’re not sure if the equipment level has changed to achieve that lower price point, but any time you get a price drop it can’t hurt. On the other hand, no good deed goes unpunished as the $59,275 twin-turbo V8 powered xDrive50i will cost you about $2,100 more than the starting point for the outgoing xDrive48i model.
Check out the video after the jump along with all the new pics in the gallery.
Social Experiment? Digg community to interview Toyota President on Monday
Filed under: Etc., Recalls, Safety, Toyota, Event Alert
Digg, the “what’s popular” website that allows users to share and rate links to stories they’ve discovered online, also offers a feature known as “Digg Dialogg,” wherein it hosts a streaming exchange between prominent public figures and the masses (those that frequent Digg, at least).
Monday’s Digg Dialogg will be with Toyota’s U.S. President & COO, Jim Lentz, who will presumably answer questions about that hot new 2011 Sienna. He might field a few queries on the recall woes afflicting the company right now as well. We’re just guessing.
The description of the event gives us some indication of what will be covered and why Toyota is reaching out in this unique manner:
“Toyota is one of the most admired and recognizable brands in the world. With this recall, Toyota is facing intense scrutiny around how they will manage and get past the crisis. With social media channels such as Digg emerging as primary sources for news and engagement, Toyota is taking the unprecedented step of putting its senior executive in a direct dialogue with consumers, using social media to address Toyota’s response to this extraordinary challenge.”
Incoming search terms:
- toyota recall Digg
Suzuki Cervo caught testing in India
Maruti’s much hyped small car Cervo was caught testing in India, thanks to the picture from Autocarindia.com. Since the car is undergoing on road testing, we can expect it to be launched soon. Cervo might get the 1litre K series its hood. It is likely to be placed just above the Alto. The Suzuki Cervo originally comes with a 660cc engine that outputs 54bhp of power and 64Nm of torque.
Incoming search terms:
- suzuki cervo caught india
Video: Brett Favre talks blueberries, fishin’ rodeos and the moon for Hyundai commercial
Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Hyundai, Celebrities, Humor
Brett Favre for Hyundai – Click above to see full video after the jump
What do blueberries, fishin’ rodeos, the moon, and 400-pound linemen that run 4.3-second 40s have in common? They’re among the wide range of things Brett Favre discusses in this locker room interview shot for an upcoming Hyundai Super Bowl commercial. Used to hype Hyundai’s 10-year warranties, it’s a funny look at what the NFL might be like in the future.
The year is 2020 and a gray-haired Favre fields questions from reporters about how things have changed during his 29 seasons in pro ball. While holding the 2020 MVP trophy, Brett echos some of the sentiments he’s put out there in the past few seasons while being traded from the Pack to the Jets, retiring, and ending up in Minnesota, where he almost made it back to today’s big game. Follow the jump to see a hilarious five minutes from the four-hour shoot, most of which will end up on the cutting room floor by game time.
[Source: Hyundai Motor America]
Continue reading Video: Brett Favre talks blueberries, fishin’ rodeos and the moon for Hyundai commercial
