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Chinese women buying disproportionate percentage of exotic cars?

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, China, Maserati, Luxury

Maserati GranTurismo

The number of Chinese millionaires is growing rapidly, and women account for a third of that rising, affluent population. This is good news to exotic car manufacturers because wealthy Chinese women are snatching them up like Italian pastries.

Sales of high-end automobiles rose 60 percent last year and analysts are already pegging a 35 percent climb for 2011. Maserati reports that 30 percent of its Chinese sales are to women, compared against just 10 percent for European sales. China is now on track to pass Italy as the automaker’s second largest market.

It’s not just Maserati, either; Ferraris and Lamborghinis are being purchased in large numbers. The wealthy women of China account for 20 percent of local Ferrari sales, which is double the global average. The rise in exotic vehicle sales has even gotten the attention of Bugatti, and the Volkswagen Group is now discussing a potential sales plan for China.
Thanks for the tip, Art!

[Source: Bloomberg]

Chinese women buying disproportionate percentage of exotic cars? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Icy Pittsburgh hill claims half a dozen cars

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Icy hill in Pittsburgh causes vehicular mahem

Icy Pittsburgh hill becomes the scene of automotive carnage – Click above to watch video after the jump

The east coast is under attack. The assailant? Mother Nature. Snow and rain continue to hammer this part of the nation, and when a downhill section of a road in the Pittsburgh town of Squirrel Hill became covered in ice yesterday, vehicular mayhem ensued.

Less a road and now more an Olympic-spec bobsled run, motorists had a hard time competing against physics and slick asphalt. Fortunately, no one was injured and a camera was rolling to capture the carnage as the hill consumed about a half dozen vehicles. Follow the jump to watch the clip, and when you do, remember this winter driving tip: Sometimes your brakes can actually work against you.

[Source: YouTube]

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Video: Icy Pittsburgh hill claims half a dozen cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too!

China Automaker BYD is in no hurry to launch in the U.S., and it shows in its plan.

BYD has been showing cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for three years now, originally planning to launch an electric car by the end of 2012 to consumers. Now that’s looking like 2013, according to Mike Austin, VP of BYD’s U.S. division.

In the meantime, BYD is testing some cars in a fleet with the Housing Authority of Los Angeles.

The plan is for the company to find at least five dealers who are willing to not only sell a BYD e6 electric and a plug-in hybrid, called the f3DM, but also BYD LED lights, solar panels and other products related to “green” living. “We aren’t pursuing the typical sales and distribution model,” says Austin.

BYD has gained notoriety for its rapid rise in China and for the investment in the company made by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, which owns 10% of the company best known for lithium-ion batteries for cellphones and other consumer electronics.

BYD last year sold 520,000 vehicles in China, impressive but well short of the 800,000 it stated as its goal.

Austin says the company has not selected dealers yet, but acknowledged that the business model for selling BYD’s other products will not appeal to some dealers. “That’s okay, because we are doing something unique here. We are in not in a hurry to launch in the U.S.,” says Austin, who noted the growth in the Chinese market that BYD is trying to manage.

The five dealers BYD is looking for to launch is the start of a network planned to grow to 20 and according to Austin not all of the dealerships at launch will be in California.

BYD: Want to sell our cars? Sell our light bulbs too! originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia Optima wins Cars.com ‘Best of 2011’ award

Filed under: Sedan, Kia

2011 Kia Optima

2011 Kia Optima – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re big fans of the swoopy new 2011 Kia Optima – in fact, some of us here at Autoblog even prefer the Kia sedan to its Hyundai Sonata cousin. Apparently we aren’t the only ones who think highly of this fiercely competitive mid-sizer, as Cars.com has just honored the Optima with its ‘Best of 2011’ award.

The editors of Cars.com cited the Optima’s outstanding fuel economy and excellent driving experience. Specifically:

“With its value, sharp packaging, outstanding fuel efficiency and lofty features, the Optima gives all family-car shoppers a shot at something far more compelling than the segment represents.”

Runners-up include the BMW 5 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt (which was recently named North American Car of the Year), Honda Odyssey and Nissan Leaf. All good vehicles, yes, but the Optima’s strong presence within the mid-size sedan segment – the most-shopped segment in the auto industry – is a huge achievement for Kia. Head over to Cars.com to read the full story.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima 2.0T: First Drive

2011 Kia Optima 2.0T

[Source: Cars.com]

Kia Optima wins Cars.com ‘Best of 2011’ award originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Australian flood sweeps away parking lot of cars

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Australia

Australian parking lot flood

Australian parking lot flood – Click above to watch video after the jump

Australia is under assault by rain and undergoing one of its worst natural disasters in its history. Flood waters in the state of Queensland have ripped through numerous cities. Over 30 lives have been lost and many others are still missing. Homes are ruined and many more are at risk as the surge heads into Brisbane; Australia’s third largest city. Damage estimates are already being pegged as high as $13 billion. One person was recently able to capture just how quickly a stream of water can turn into a raging river.

Filming from the balcony of their Toowoomba office, the video recorder watched as water levels grew higher until they were high enough to begin picking up parked cars (including a hapless Subaru WRX STI) and carrying them away. Hop the jump to see the clip, which includes a bold SUV driver at around 1:10 that refuses to lose his 4×4 to the rising waters (note how he appears to take the time to lock the front hubs on his Nissan). Also, If you feel like helping out, Australia could certainly use it right now.

[Source: YouTube]

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Video: Australian flood sweeps away parking lot of cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Top ten most and least expensive cars to insure in 2011

Filed under: Etc., Aston Martin, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota

2011 Chrysler Town and Country minivan

With the calendar year changing from 2010 to 2011, insurance adjusters have recompiled their actuarial tables and that means a new list of the cheapest and most expensive vehicles to insure for the new year. In this case, Insure.com recently conducted a survey of the nations six top insurance carriers and complied a list of 40 vehicles that take top honors in each category.

The study goes past the specific model and narrows down vehicles by trim. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the least expensive vehicles are dominated by minivans, while the most expensive list is filled with high-powered German machines. We cut down the list of 40 to show you the top 10 from each side of the fence and included the average annual premium for each vehicle after the jump.

[Source: Insure.com]

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Top ten most and least expensive cars to insure in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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America’s best-selling cars and trucks of 2010 are…

Filed under: Car Buying

shaking on a new car

We know… the suspense was killing us, too. We’ll spare you the sleepless nights and get right to the list of America’s best-selling cars and trucks for 2010:

1. Ford F-Series (528,349 +27.7%)	6. Honda Civic (260,218 +0.8%)
2. Chevrolet Silverado (370,135 +16.9%)	7. Nissan Altima (229,263 +12.6%)
3. Toyota Camry (327,804 -7.5%)	8. Ford Fusion (219,219 +21.3%)
4. Honda Accord (311,381 +8.1%)	9. Honda CR-V (203,714 +7.2%)
5. Toyota Corolla (266,082 -9.8%)	10. Dodge Ram (199,652 +13%)

As you can see, the Ford F-Series was the best-selling nameplate in 2010 for the 34th straight year, followed by the Chevrolet Silverado. The Toyota Camry, which managed to edge out the Silverado for second place in 2009, came in as the third-best-seller in 2010, its numbers down by about 7.5 percent from 2009. Also down were sales of the fifth-place Corolla (by nearly 10 percent).

We’re just speculating here, but we’d guess there’s one rather obvious reason Team Toyota’s sales figures have fallen, and it’s spelled R-E-C-A-L-L. Even so, those are still mighty impressive numbers, particularly in light of the amount of bad ink the Japanese automaker has endured this year. Every other vehicle in the top ten was up in sales, with the two Ford models earning gains of over 20 percent each. For reference, click here to see last year’s list of best-sellers.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

America’s best-selling cars and trucks of 2010 are… originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog’s Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010

Filed under: Concept Cars

Lamborghini

Autoblog’s Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010 – Click above to read the list

Just under 70 concept cars were rolled out by automakers from around the globe at this year’s major auto shows. These swoopy, futuristic showstoppers usually preview what’s to come in terms of new designs and technology, and in some cases, concept cars directly foreshadow full-on production models that aren’t too far down the pipeline.

We’ve scanned back through our full raft of concept car coverage over the past year to pick these examples, our ten best concept car and truck reveals from 2010, ranked in order as judged by our staff. See what we were most eager to point our cameras at after the jump, then sound off with your own favorites (or take us to task for ours) in Comments.

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Autoblog’s Top 10 Concept Cars of 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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History’s land-speed record cars profiled in poster

Filed under: Etc., Design/Style

Land Speed Record Holders by Stefan Marjoram

As a species, we’ve been obsessed with pushing ourselves ever faster since we first took to two legs. It should be no surprise, then, that the internal combustion engine and the land-speed record have evolved at roughly the same pace over the last century or so. In order to celebrate the Bloodhound SSC’s quest for land speed supremacy, designer Stefan Marjoram took on the ambitious project of creating a massive poster commemorating and comparing history’s official land-speed record holders. Even better, if you have the wall space and are so inclined, you can pick up a massive 16.5 x 23.4-inch copy for yourself.

Marjoram says that he did his best to keep the vehicles size relative to one another in order to underscore just how much land-speed record vehicles have changed over the years. While the drawings are simplified, stylized interpretations of the quickest machines throughout history, this sucker is something we’d be proud to hang on our wall. If you’re interested, head over to StefaanMarjoram.com for more details.

[Sources: Stefan Marjoram, Hemmings]

History’s land-speed record cars profiled in poster originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tomica returns to U.S. with 20 diecast cars

Filed under: Toys/Games

Tomica’s 1:64-scale die-cast playset cars – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s official: the Tomica transport ship has made the trans-Pacific journey and achieved landfall. In this case, the Tomy ship would be just about as long as a compact car, and its cargo of die-cast models is getting ready to take you on a 1:64-scale run down Nostalgia Boulevard. The company gave us an exclusive high-res look at the 20 vehicles that will come with the new playsets (you can’t buy them individually), so follow the jump to check them out and get ready to blow that wad of cash you got for the holidays.

Gallery: Tomica’s U.S. Diecast Set

Tomica Mazda RX-8 Tomica HCR Police Mazda RX-8

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Tomica returns to U.S. with 20 diecast cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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