Video: New Ford promos get cozy with 2011 Mustang engines
Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Ford
2011 Ford Mustang GT promo – Click above to watch video after the jump
At this point, we know all there is to know about the 2011 Ford Mustang. The fact that the all-new 5.0-liter V8 delivers a heady 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque is scrawled on our collective consciousness for good. Likewise, it’s old news that the base car has been transmuted from rental fodder into a genuine sports car thanks to its new 305 horsepower 3.7-liter V6. Needless to say, Ford has a bit of a challenge ahead of it when it comes to marketing its reborn pony.
How do you advertise a car that has been so thoroughly dissected by every auto rag and site on the planet? If you’re the Blue Oval, you do it by showing the adoring public exactly what makes the car so special. Ford has rolled out two new promos for the 2011 Mustang, both of which pour over every detail of both the mighty GT and respectable V6. There’s plenty of awesome CG to take you deep into each car’s drivetrain, and a burly voice over to remind everyone just how manly you’ll be when you hop behind the wheel.
Hit the jump for your daily dose of engine p0rn.
[Source: Ford via YouTube] Read more…
All new BMW 5 Series (F10) launched in India
BMW today launched its latest model ‘5 Series’ (F10) in India at a ceremony at Hotel Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. The new BMW 5 Series is priced between Rs 38.9 lakh to Rs 45.9 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).
The new 5 Series is available in two petrol variants – 535i and 523i and two diesel variants – 530d and 525d. It can be ordered at any BMW dealerships across the country.
Whoohooo! Fuel efficiency rules
Dumping big
A new survey demonstrates that 53 percent of new car buyers will buy a more fuel efficient vehicle than their current model, while 54 percent are willing to downsize their vehicle choice. Likewise, 78 percent of respondents believe alternative vehicles are not a temporary fad, and 34 percent are considering an alternative vehicle as their next purchase.
Not surprisingly, the key reason for not buying an alternative vehicle in the interim was price.
Via Hybrid Cars
2011 Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon
The Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon first made its appearance at the New York Auto Show. Since then, it has received accolades from several acclaimed car experts. The Cadillac’s V series boasts of its unrivaled performance, while its CTS Sport Wagon is known for its design. This new model is a product of the combination of [...]
Via Supercars – Sweet & cool car site for super fast sport car
China controls key ingredient for NiMH batteries, supply may run short as hybrids gain popularity
Filed under: Hybrid, Green Daily
Lanthanides. What are they and why do we care about them? Well, lanthanides are rare-earth metals that are a key ingredient in nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. More specifically, lanthanides make up an entire row on the periodic table which includes 15 elements, some of which are utilized in the NiMH batteries found in hybrid vehicles. Okay, now that the chemistry class is over, why should we care about this metal with a funky name? Well, China controls an estimated 95 to 100 percent of the world’s supply of lanthanides. Yep, you read it right, China may be home to the world’s entire supply of these essential hybrid battery additives.
The real problem revolves around just how much of these materials are available. A U.S. Geological Surveys predicts that total lanthanide reserves are about 99 million tons. Annual usage right now is at 124,000 tons, but that is increasing each year as hybrids gain popularity and regulations demand more efficient vehicles. The Toyota Prius, for example, uses 25 pounds of these rare-earth metals in each vehicle and other hybrids aren’t far behind.
China is no fool when its comes to these rare-earth metals. The country understands its position as the world’s only real supplier and is playing its cards right. As China’s former Communist Party leader Deg Xioping said, “There is oil in the Middle East, there are rare-earths in China; we must take full advantage of this resource.” To take advantage of its position as the world leader in this resource, China is reducing exports and increasing tariffs to convince companies in need of the lanthanides to locate production facilities within the country. China’s reasoning is simple: they would rather become the world’s largest hybrid vehicle production site than just a leading exporter of lanthanides. Can you blame them?
One more thought to ponder, the U.S. has found potential lanthanide sites in several states, but extracting the rare-earth metals from these locations could prove pointless as China has the immediate ability to undercut our price big time. So, what’s the lesser of two evils, relying on oil from the Middle East or lanthanides from China?
[Source: Ward's Auto] Read more…
2010 Subaru Outback 2.5i: The Quiet Achiever
It’s been months since I had any extended wheel time in our somewhat controversial 2010 SUOTY, Subaru’s Outback, but after more than 600 miles this weekend in our Outback long termer a single word kept popping into my head: Honesty. It’s an increasingly rare commodity in the SUV segment, where more and more sport utes are morphing into little more than tall station wagons with testosterone-friendly faux-4WD styling and barely more off-road ability than the Wagon Queen Family Truckster.
I thought about this as Mrs MacKenzie and I watched the guy in the New Hampshire-registered Jeep Liberty come to a wheel-spinning halt as he attempted to negotiate a diagonal washout on a trail in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California. We’d come through the same washout an hour earlier in the Outback without breaking a sweat. The Outback might have looked a bit like a Mini-Me Family Truckster to the puzzled, red-faced Jeep guy as he wrestled with his rig while we patiently watched and waited to go back across the washout, but it had an inch more ground clearance and a more sophisticated all-wheel drive system than his Liberty.
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Suzuki re-starts the free gas spiff, extends offer to full model range
Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Suzuki
2010 Suzuki Kizashi – Click above for high-res image gallery
Last year, Suzuki offered its “Free Gas for Summer” promotion on SX4 Sport and Crossover models. Apparently, it was a bit of a success, since the automaker is not only reviving this campaign, but is spreading the promotion across its full model range (Kizashi, Grand Vitara, Equator and SX4 models). Since fuel prices commonly rise in the summer months, we can see many shoppers becoming excited about any promotion that involves free fuel, and with the hot new Kizashi just now hitting dealers, this incentive could indeed boost sales of the hot new midsize sedan.
Customers who purchase a new Suzuki vehicle between May 1st and August 31st will receive a pre-paid debit card which should, theoretically, pay for one summer’s worth of fuel. The pre-paid cards range in value from $280 to $442, and are calculated based on the vehicle’s EPA fuel economy estimates, and on the Federal Highway Administration’s estimated average of 1,000 miles driven per month. Still, even if owners exceed this mileage, having a couple hundred bucks in free gas is nothing to be upset about. The full details are available in Suzuki’s press release, after the jump.
Gallery: Review: 2010 Suzuki Kizashi GTS
