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All-electric Mercedes-Benz S-Class being considered

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Electric, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

Jaguar built an electric XJ last year, Rolls-Royce showed off an electric Phantom this year, now Autocar reports that Mercedes is open to considering an electric offering. To be precise, Autocar said such an S-Class “is not being ruled out” and that Mercedes’ technical head Thomas Weber said, “We are looking at customer demand.” All that really means is that it’s on the table, probably alongside a whole lot of other things that might or might not ever happen.

However, Mercedes is part-way there with its S400 Hybrid, and the next S-Class due in 2013 will add a plug-in hybrid option. Until then it’ll be up to Fisker to – eventually – bring ionized motoring to the luxury sedan masses.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid

All-electric Mercedes-Benz S-Class being considered originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 May 2011 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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R.L. Polk: Toyota top brand considered among African-Americans

Filed under: Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Toyota

African-Americans purchased 641,090 new vehicles in 2010, accounting for 7.4 percent of all new vehicle sales. That’s a significant portion of overall sales, and a population segment that Toyota appears to be winning over.

R.L. Polk released a study showing that Toyota accounted for 15 percent of all new car sales to African-American car buyers last year. Ford came in second at 11.7 percent, followed by Chevrolet, Honda and Nissan. The top five automakers accounted for nearly 60 percent off all new vehicle sales to African-Americans.

The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that the African-American population will grow by 25 percent by the year 2030. In 2010 alone, auto sales among African Americans rose by 11.5 percent versus 2009. That’s 68.6 percent faster than the non-ethnic market increase of 6.8 percent, meaning that automakers would do well to reach out to this burgeoning customer segment.

“With the U.S. population growing faster in the African-American segment than others, there’s a significant opportunity for automotive manufacturers and dealers to begin to align marketing initiatives toward this specific audience,” said Marc Bland, product strategist at Polk. “Those companies that are ahead of the curve, like Toyota, are already reaping the rewards.”

While it appears that Toyota has already gotten the message that African-Americans represent a fast-growing market segment, others are beginning to get the picture. Buick sales, for example, are up 72 percent, while Hyundai and Kia area second and third at 53 percent and 34.2 percent, respectively.

On the other end of the spectrum, R.L. Polk says that Acura, Land Rover, Mercedes and BMW are not making inroads with African-American buyers. Hit the jump to read over the R.L. Polk press release.

[Source: R.L. Polk]

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R.L. Polk: Toyota top brand considered among African-Americans originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 May 2011 14:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept being considered for production

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Truck, GMC, Diesel

GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve already crawled all over the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, and Mike Levin from PickupTrucks.com took an extensive look at the interior and exterior with designer Carl Zipfel. The questions we really wanted to get answered were, of course, “Are you going to build it? And if not, can we build it?”

As to whether GMC is considering bringing it to market – built on a GMC line or by a partner firm – Zipfel suggested that the company is considering the possibilities. However, right now it remains a concept only and there are no plans to build it.
In its favor is that Zipfel’s team started with a production truck. “It’s the best of the Duramax HD with more off-roading capability,” he said, “built with an existing Duramax diesel and existing supplier connections.”
When asked if a customer could build it, Zipfel said an HD owner could replicate “everything but the lights.” You can’t get the 5’8″ bed on the 2500 Duramax HD, and widening the track by four inches would be a slightly lesser challenge. Otherwise, the chassis wasn’t chopped to create the shortened front end, and Zipfeld said, “We think we’re in striking distance for crash testing if GMC decided to build it.”

Follow the jump for more revelations about the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept.

Gallery: 2011 Detroit: GMC Sierra All Terrain Concept

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GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept being considered for production originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickup, crossover and RWD coupe being considered for Scion?

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Truck, Crossover, Hatchback, Scion, Toyota

Toyota A-BAT Concept – Click above for a high-res image gallery

Scion is about to expand its initial three-model lineup with a rather intriguing new vehicle that’s set to take on the Smart Fortwo as the microcar of choice for those looking to downsize as far as humanly possible. While the upcoming iQ is a pretty nifty machine, it won’t be quite practical for a large number of drivers here in the United States.

Hence, it’s not entirely surprising that Scion is reportedly considering a possible fifth, sixth or even seventh model. As before, talk of a small pickup truck is apparently on the table. Interestingly, Scion vice president Jack Hollis suggests that something like the Toyota A-BAT concept could be revived in Scion guise.

Another possible Scion model could be based on the love-it-or-(more-likely)-hate-it Hako Concept from the 2008 New York Auto Show. Finally – and certainly most interestingly for enthusiasts – a small, rear-wheel-drive sport coupe is also on the table for consideration. We know where we’re casting our vote…

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Pickup, crossover and RWD coupe being considered for Scion? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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