VW asks us to “Think Blue” now that we’re done with “Think Small”
Filed under: Volkswagen
For years, European automakers (mostly) have used the color blue to identify their eco-friendly vehicles and initiatives, forgoing the green emphasis on this side of the pond. We have Hyundai’s Blue-Will, Mercedes’ Bluetec and so on. Heck, back in 2007, advertising agency JWT predicted a lingo shift from green to blue in 2008. Green still rules the environmental word world, but blue is making its presence known.
Volkswagen has heavily promoted its Bluemotion brand for the past few years and the company is now starting a “Think Blue” campaign tomorrow to show that, “Environmental protection is the top priority for Volkswagen.” Conveniently, VW’s logo already contains some blue in it, so if you happen to Think VW when you Think Blue, we’re sure VW salespeople won’t mind.
Back in the 1960′s, VW had a “Think Small” campaign to promote the Beetle, and the company sees this new slogan as an evolution of that successful sales push. VW promises the traditional print and TV ads, as well as “web specials and an e-game for iPhone and iPod Touch.” We’ll think about that what we want to think, thank you very much.
[Source: VW]
Continue reading VW asks us to “Think Blue” now that we’re done with “Think Small”
Inner Beauty: Getaway Weekend With The Acura TL SH-AWD
Sheâs not a looker, unless you dig a Cyrano schnoz and a can-opener smile. Nonetheless, thatâs the face Acura designers gave the fourth-generation TL. So until she goes under the knife in about four years, when Gen V debuts, I say itâs time to accept her mask — for better or worse — and move on. At least thatâs what I attempted to do when I spent a weekend with Motor Trendâs long-term 2009 TL SH-AWD.
Given that it was our first extended stay away from our baby, my wife Diane requested that we take something fancy for our long weekend in San Francisco. âCan we drive up in one of the BMWs?â she asked, referring to our long-term 335d and M3. âBoth taken,â I told her. Oh well. I scanned the sign-out sheet and saw that the TL was still available. Perfect, I thought: She would think it was fancy, what with the sumptuous Milano leather interior, high-end ELS audio, and jumbo nav screen, and I was confident it would be a nice road-tripper for, well, those same reasons (not to mention the 305-horsepower V-6 and âsuper handlingâ all-wheel drive). âI got an Acura,â I told her. âYouâll love it.â Uh-oh. Was I overselling the TL? And if so, did my ultra-perceptive wife sense that I was overselling it? Skepticism was sure to follow.
GM – Hybrids push up prices for non-hybrid cars, Toyota disagrees
GM vice-chairman, Bob Lutz believes that the high costs involved in building hybrid vehicles is pushing up the price of non-hybrid cars. ‘GM will lose money on hybrids,’ he said. ‘We will continue to build them – and the cost will be spread across other cars.’
Lutz also said he thinks hybrid cars will never make up more than 10% of the U.S market. In the UK, hybrids make up 0.8% of car sales, according to figures from the SMMT. GM will start to sell its first extended-range electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, next year.
Consumer Reports releases annual list of American Top Picks, Ford the big winner
Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Sedan, SUV, Truck, Crossover, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, GM
2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery
Each year that Consumer Reports offers up its annual list of Top American Picks, it seems less and less a consolation bracket and more like a reasonable set of choices. To wit, if you wanted the very best family-sized SUV (Chevrolet Traverse) or fullsize pickup truck (Chevrolet Silverado), Consumer Reports will tell you that you’re best off choosing American, regardless of which list its from.
Further, CR has found the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan twins have proven to be more reliable than a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. Blasphemy, you say? To borrow a marketing phrase from the Blue Oval itself, Drive One and find out for yourself. We have, and we found out that it’s a great car. Apparently, it’s also reliable. Not surprisingly, the Fusion managed to earn two more awards in its hybrid guise, including CR’s Best Overall Car.
All told, seven of the 10 awards handed out by CR went to Ford – an impressive performance. Two Top Picks were filled by vehicles from General Motors while Chrysler didn’t have a single model on the list, which isn’t particularly surprising since the Dodge Ram is the only model from the Pentastar that CR even recommends. Click here to check out the rest of the winners from CR.
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Exodus Pictures unveils FireBreather movie car at Detroit Autorama
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM
Classic Design Concepts FireBreather – Click above for high-res image gallery
Earlier today, the folks from Exodus Pictures – a Michigan-based film studio – officially unveiled the FireBreather, a Camaro-based creation built in collaboration with Classic Design Concepts of Novi, Michigan. The one-off Camaro was designed by Ajmal Ahmad, the writer and director of the upcoming sci-fi film Jinn, in which the FireBreather will make its big screen debut.
Underneath the slightly revised sheetmetal is a factory-fresh Camaro SS, but the creative team from Classic Design Concepts have outfitted it with a new front fasica, hood, rear fascia and some incredibly hot-looking wheels. The new nose has a bit of Pontiac Trans-Am nostalgia to it, and we very much approve. No modifications have been made to the Camaro’s 6.2-liter V8, but CDC has outfitted an Elbach Pro-Plus Performance handling package, as well as sticker Pirelli PZero Rosso tires.
Want one? Exodus will be offering up 50 individually numbered FireBreathers for just under $60,000. Orders can be placed at the FireBreather’s sales website, and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Click through our gallery to see high-res shots of the FireBreather from all angles.
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Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG F1 Safety Car unveiled
Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Safety, Mercedes-Benz, Specialty, Racing
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG F1 Safety Car – Click above for high-res image gallery
Sometimes, speed equals safety. Perhaps nowhere else is that more true than on a racetrack when you’re piloting the so-called safety car and you’ve got a pack of Formula One cars riding up your tailpipe. Good thing, then, that the newest safety car to be used for F1 duty is the 571-horsepower Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Interestingly, that tailpipe is the only mechanical change made to the SLS AMG to bring it up to Official F1 Safety Car specs. Mercedes-Benz left everything else on the car, including the engine, suspension and carbon-ceramic brakes, stock. Not that you won’t be able to tell the difference between the Safety Car and a standard Gullwing – a new carbon fiber hood with front-mounted camera, rear number plate with a camera and 700 LEDs and an “aerodynamically optimised roof light bar” (for the first time using all LEDs) ensure nobody can miss this particular SLS AMG.
For what it’s worth, the SLS AMG replaces the SL63 AMG, which had been the Official Safety Car for the previous two seasons. Again, the F1 Safety Car will be piloted by former DTM driver Bernd Mayländer. Also, the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate (that’s wagon to us Americans) will serve as the Official F1 Medical Car. Let’s hope that one doesn’t see too much track time, eh? Click past the break for the official press release.
Get ready for a second time car price hike this year
Reacting to the Govt. decision on increase in the Central Excise duty, more than 10 automobile manufactuers in India have said that they are going to increase the prices of their cars – possibly up to Rs 25,000.
Maruti Suzuki has said it will hike its car prices by 2% where as Hyundai has mentioned a price rise of Rs 6500 to Rs 25,000 depending up on the model.
