Monday, October 13, 2014

Toyota and Honda want to Win Back Sales Share from Hyundai Sonata

Not too long ago, if someone told you that a South Korean model would challenge America’s best selling sedan, the Toyota Camry, you would have probably laughed in his or her face.

Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past few years with Hyundai and in particular itslatest Sonata sedan, not only challenging, but this past May even surpassing the Camry in U.S. sales for the first time in history.
Of course, the fact that Toyota’s production capabilities were seriously affected by the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, played a significant role in Hyundai’s accomplishment.
Nevertheless, U.S. sales of the Camry from 2007 to 2010 dropped around 31 percent to 327,804 units, while the new Sonata, which was launched in January of 2010, saw its sales soar 35 percent to 196,623. In the first half of 2011, U.S. sales of the Sonata are up 29 percent to 115,014 units, while the Camry fell 4.4 percent to 147,469 cars.
And of course, Toyota is taking notice.
“Sonata became a very honorable contender in the market,” Yoshimi Inaba, Toyota’s North American chairman, told Bloomberg news on a July 12 interview. “We do have good respect for the model, and the sales figures show it’s increasing quite a bit.”
Toyota is planning to launch a new generation of the Camry later this year. According to the Japanese company, its bread-and-butter mid-size sedan will sport a more modern design as well as improved driving dynamics.
But Toyota isn’t the only Japanese automaker worried about the success of the Sonata; so is Honda which saw U.S. sales of its Accord drop 28 percent to 282,530 in the period from 2007 to 2010.
“We recognize that the Korean models are very competitive because of their good quality and affordable price,” said Keitaro Yamamoto, a Honda spokesperson in Tokyo. “Before, it was Accord versus Camry, but it’s definitely becoming Accord versus Camry versus Sonata.”
Honda is also said to be working on a redesign for its Accord sedan, which should arrive in North American showrooms sometime next year.






New Opel Combo in Passenger Car

Meet the new Opel Combo, GM Europe’s latest offer in the light commercial vehicle segment that will also be available in a passenger car version.

In case you didn’t notice, Opel’s newcomer is based on the Fiat Doblo van with the exterior styling changes over the Italian model limited to the design of the front bumper that somewhat awkwardly incorporates the German firm’s family grille.

The previous generations of the Opel Combo van shared their platforms, interior components and body panels with the Corsa, but last year, GM signed a contract agreement with Fiat for the supply of several commercial vehicles including the Combo.
The Fiat-based Combo will be offered in a variety of models. For example, the panel van will be available with a a choice of two wheelbases, measuring 2,755 mm or 3,105 mm long and providing an overall vehicle length of 4.39 and 4.74 meters respectively, as well as two roof heights, 1.85 m or 2.10m.
Opel said the short-wheelbase model offers up to 3,800 liters of cargo space with the seat folded down, while the long-wheelbase version, up to 4,600 liters.The passenger car model will be available as a minivan with five or seven seats and a paneled or glazed body.
There are six available engines including four diesel, one gasoline and a CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) unit.
The diesel range comprises 1.3 CDTI and 1.6 CDTI motors, each with 90HP, as well as a 1.6-liter CDTI variant with 105HP and a 2.0-liter CDTI unit delivering 135-horses.
The 1.4-liter gasoline engine produces 95HP, while the CNG version, which runs on natural gas, is rated at 120-horses.
The gasoline and 1.3 CDTI engines are equipped with five-speed manual gearboxes, while the CNG engine and the more powerful CDTI units have a six-speed manual gearboxes. The 90HP 1.6 CDTI is also offered with Opel’s ’Easytronic’ automated five-speed manual transmission.
A Start/Stop system is offered on all powertrains expect the CNG and the 90HP 1.6 CDTI when equipped with the Easytronic transmission.
The new Opel Combo goes on sale in Europe this autumn.


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Mercedes Benz E320




Mercedes Benz E320 is one of the newest models in the lineup E-Class Mercedes Benz. Benz E-Class range is currently comprised of three versions: the E320, E350 and E63 AMG. All this makes the use of different machines; 2010 E320 is powered V6 that generates 382 hp, V8-powered E350 has the engine, while the E63 AMG has a 6.3 liter V8 engine that delivers a whooping 518-hp.

A coupe version is available on all trims, but the E320 has a slim trim and AMG both sedan and wagon models. In all of the conventional rear-wheel trims, while all-wheel-drive is optional on the E320 and E550 sedans. All versions use a seven-speed automatic transmission.

The E320 comes with all new luxury items needed such a powerful sound system, front electric seats, electric front seats, dual-zone climate control, and sunroof. It also has a four-zone climate control and adaptive air suspension. AMG model has a special exterior and interior styling, an adaptive sports suspension, upgraded brakes, and sport seats, although they also come with higher prices.

According to a review of Mercedes Benz E320, its performance is very much fun, and it has been widely recognized by customers as well. This impressive luxury sedan to reach 60 miles per minute in less than seven seconds. Balance the drive and handling of convincing customers with hard core of the AMG suspension.

Overall, the E320 definitely increasing in popularity every aspect of the luxury, prestige, security, Mercedes Benz E320 in the automotive market.

Porsche Sales Increase Substantially

Porsche deliveries have increased substantially last month, with the German luxury carmaker selling 10,667 vehicles, up 29.5% compared to June 2010. Porsche's first half of the year sales also increased by 36.8% compared to the same period in 2010, with a total of 60,659 units sold from January throughout June.

Bernhard Maier, Porsche Board of Management Member for Sales and Marketing, was naturally more than satisfied with sales results: “We managed to increase our deliveries significantly again in June.”
“This is accompanied by better-than-expected sales figures. The significant increase in new vehicle orders, especially for our front-engined sports cars, Cayenne and Panamera, also gives grounds for anticipating good sales figures in the coming months”, he added.
In June, Porsche saw its sales increase worldwide. In China, they quadrupled (!) to 2,423 cars compared to June 2010, in Russia the rise reached 63.6% and in the US the growth was 18.9%. Only in Germany its sales of 1,344 units were almost the same as last year’s.
The Cayenne was the best seller of the range, with first half of the year sales doubling to 30,055 cars, 4,994 of which were delivered in June alone.
Second best in June was the Panamera with 2,318 sales (+14.1%) followed by the soon to be replaced 911 (2,015 cars, +1%) and the Boxster/Cayman duo with 1,350 cars (+6.5%).


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Fiat and Chrysler Will Have a Single Management Team

Fiat SpA and Chrysler Group LLC will soon have a single management structure according to the CEO of both companies, Sergio Marchionne. The Bloomberg financial news agency reports that Marchionne told to journalists in Zurich that he intends to implement his unified management team “pretty quickly”, though he declined to specify a date.

This is just another step in Marchionne’s grand plan to further integrate the two carmakers and achieve a revenue of more than $140 billion (€100 billion) by 2014. The firm’s CEO noted that even though a merger of Fiat and Chrysler is in the making, it’s unlikely that it will happen in 2011.
Fiat initially acquired a 20% stake in Chrysler by the U.S. government but aims to hold 57 percent by the end of 2011, having already agreed with the government to pay $500 million for its remaining 6%, and expecting to receive another 5% as payment for developing a fuel-efficient car for the US carmaker.
The United Auto Workers union's trust will have 41.5 percent of Chrysler at that time, and Marchionne said that he doesn’t intend to buy their share too.

Renault UK Launches Gordini Versions of Wind Roadster

The UK market is welcoming the launch of the third Gordini-badged model after the respective versions of the Twingo RS and Clio RS, this time in Wind roadster guise, with buyers having a choice of two engines, the 1.2-liter TCE 100HP and the 1.6-liter 133HP.
In addition to the Wind Gordini models, the French firm also slashed the list price of the Dynamique and GT Line trim levels by up to £2,215, with prices now starting at £12,995, instead of £15,205.

The new Wind Gordini is available in the firm’s trademark Malta Blue metallic paint with twin white Gordini stripes, while Pearl Black and Glacier White are no cost options.
Other special exterior touches include white door mirrors, grille trim and cowls, and 17-inch alloy wheels with a polished face and gloss black inserts. Inside, there are Gordini blue and dark grey leather seats with embossed Gordini logo, numbered Gordini plaque (1-200), satin chrome effect gearknob with blue Gordini badge and blue gearstick surround.
Standard equipment features include Bluetooth connectivity, climate control, multi-functional TunePoint for USB connections and Thatcham category 1 alarm.
Renault also offers three key options such as the Renaultsport exhaust for £450 (1.6 only), 17-inch Gordini alloy wheels with polished face and blue inserts, plus a wind deflector for £200.



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2014 BMW FWD 1-Series GT




It’s no secret that BMW is getting ready to adopta front-wheel drive layout for its smaller modelsincluding certain versions of the next generation of the 1-Series. BMW’s decision has already sparked a lot of discussions whether its front-wheel drive products will remain true to the brand’s “ultimate driving machine” motto or an insult to the company’s heritage.
Now it seems that the day we will see the first front-wheel drive BMW is closer than we thought. According to Autocar magazine, the 1-Series GT, which is said to be a more practical version featuring a high-rising tail like the 5-Series GT, will be the first BMW to adopt front-wheel drive. Its launch is scheduled for 2014.
The 1-Series GT will be based on the BMW Group’s new UKL1 platform, which will first be used on the next-gen Mini, due in late 2012, and in 2018 by the third generation of the 1-Series range.
The all-new platform will use MacPherson struts and the traditional Z-axle multilink rear suspension, while four-wheel drive will probably be an option, opening the road for a small crossover that will sit under the X3 in BMW’s range.
The German brand has big plans indeed for the UKL1, as it will underpin as many as 20 BMW and Mini models. BMW’s head of development, Klaus Draeger, estimated that the Munich-based automaker could manufacture as much as 600,000-800,000 FWD cars annually without the need to cooperate with another manufacturer.
If the report proves accurate, the only models in the 1-Series lineup to stick with RWD will most likely be the Coupe and Convertible and possibly a small four-door sedan.



The 2012 Toyota Camry Mileage Back to Top




Do not reveal the Environmental Protection Agency estimates fuel economy for 2012 models at the time of this review. We are, despite the fact that Toyota is feeling the pressure to make improvements or to be commended for a number of already large family sedan, mileage evaluation is very different numbers 2011, 2010 Please do not expect Toyota Camry years.

22/32, EPA estimated 33/22 mpg for manual transmission (highway / city), with versions for both the 179 hp in 2011 Camry mileage four-cylinder engine with 169, mostly middle-Auto is one of the cars. Offers four-cylinder Toyota Camry 2.7 l in 2012, or even if you leave the evaluation to the mountain or two miles per gallon. Why not? 2.7-liter engine, the fuel supply valve system technology and the benefits of running more complex, but more powerful than 2.5.

Awarded to the latest version of the engine, 6 to take advantage of these improvements - on the other hand, it is expected that the 2012 Toyota Camry V 3.5 liters. Must Ranakere mpg / Highway city of at least one project and 20 mpg file 30/21 and 29 minutes.

This model was introduced in 2010, HS250h $ 35,000 Lexus hybrid luxury cars that are advertised only in the first American to continue using the 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid powertrain. Hybrid system in partnership with four-cylinder 2.4-liter gas-powered electric motor for 187 net horsepower, you can run or a source of strength one needs to plug in the charger is not. 2012 Camry Hybrid is back with the same setup as the Environmental Protection Agency 33 mpg file with the classification of at least 34 minutes (EPA) to find. The 2012 Camry with all the layers are usually 87 octane gas again.

Ferrari Says: No to Plans for New Stratos

“Despite Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo’s excellent assessment of the New Stratos after his test drive at Fiorano, Ferrari does not consent to construction of the planned limited run by either Pininfarina or any other Ferrari-dependent suppliers.”
And with the above short statement, Ferrari announced to Michael Stoschek, the man behind the 21st century interpretation of the famous Lancia Stratos of the ‘70s, that it won’t let him use its chassis, engines nor allow any of its suppliers to participate in the build.

Therefore, if the company wants to build a limited run of the New Stratos, they won’t be able to use the 360 Modena, F430 or 458 Italia as donors, nor rely on Pininfarina to build the carbon fiber bodywork, as originally planned. As Stoschek himself put it, they’ll have to do so “only via companies that are not dependent on Ferrari”. Currently the only car in existence is based on a Ferrari F430 Scuderia.
Come on, Ferrari, your boss said he was so impressed and now you get cold feet? What are you afraid of? Surely, your long waiting lists won’t be hurt by a limited run of 40 or perhaps even less examples of the New Stratos.
We hope some other company, preferably Italian in order to keep the character, will step in and help the New Stratos be built.
What do you say, Lamborghini; are you interested? You already have the hardware – the Gallardo and its V10 would make an excellent donor car. Wouldn’t you like to go against your arch-rival and earn the respect of car enthusiasts all over the world?


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