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Last domestic car dealership in San Francisco shuts its doors

Filed under: Etc., Ford, Earnings/Financials

San Francisco Chrysler closed sign

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, the very last domestic dealership in the greater San Francisco area closed its doors a little over 10 days ago. Previously, San Francisco Ford, Lincoln, Mercury was the only dealership selling new products with an American badge on the grille in all of the 47.6 square miles of the city (the Chrysler-Jeep dealer shown above went bust in 2008). Ford took over operations at that dealer almost three years ago after the original owners walked away. After talks with various other local franchise owners fell through, Ford has finally cut off the lights for good.

But domestic dealers have faced a tough climate in San Francisco for years thanks to a much larger share of import sales compared to the rest of the country. According to one source quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle, import vehicles outsell their domestic counterparts 4:1 in the Bay area.

Those rare San Francisco domestic owners will now have to travel outside of the city for their factory maintenance and repair, which likely won’t do anything to help American manufacturers better their outlook in the near future.

Last domestic car dealership in San Francisco shuts its doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi A9 to come with two doors before four?

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Sedan, Audi, Rumormill, Luxury

Audi A9 design by Daniel Garcia

Audi A9 design by Daniel Garcia – Click above for high-res image gallery

With every number from A1 to A8 having already been assigned, Audi is rumored to be working on an A9 to top its ever-expanding range.

Earlier reports indicated that the A9 would arrive as a four-door coupe to take on the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLS. But while a four-door model may be in the cars, the latest word from Autobild is that the A9 will arrive first as a two-door coupe and convertible.

Platform underpinnings are still tipped to be shared with the upcoming Lamborghini Estoque, as well as the next-generation Porsche Panamera, Audi A8 and possibly the next Bentley Continental GT as well. If a four-door model follows, the A9 could follow a similar derivative rollout scheme as the A5, which came first as a coupe before being turned into the five-door Sportback version. Either way, we suspect it won’t look anything like the rakish A9 concept conceived of by independent designer Daniel Garcia shown above.

Gallery: Daniel Garcia’s Audi A9 Concept

[Source: AutoBild]

Audi A9 to come with two doors before four? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Detroit Preview: Mini Paceman concept relieves Countryman of extra doors

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupe, Crossover, Mini

Mini Paceman

Mini Paceman concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

How many Minis is too many? Mini’s about to find out as its product portfolio expands faster than a jilted lover’s waistline. The hatchback that (re)started it all and the cabrio that followed shortly thereafter have since been joined by the Clubman wagon and the Countryman crossover, with WRC and Dakar rally versions, speedsters and coupes and more in the production pipeline. But that doesn’t even take into account some of the concept derivatives that haven’t (yet) made it to production, and this is the latest.

Called the Paceman, it’s essentially a Countryman minus a couple of doors. It’s set to be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January as a concept car, but could very well make it to production as well. Taking a page out of its parent company’s BMW’s playbook, Mini calls the Paceman a “Sports Activity Coupe” (sort of like the BMW X6) and insists it’s the first of its kind in the small premium segment. A “first” is pretty easy to achieve when you define the category yourself, but to our eyes the Paceman, with its sloping white roof, looks set to take on the likes of the three-door Range Rover Evoque, only smaller.

Under the hood, Mini’s fitted the JCW turbo four with 211 horsepower, mated to the same ALL4 all-wheel drive system used in the Countryman. More details are available in the press release after the jump, along with the initial images in the gallery below. We’ll be on hand at Cobo Hall to bring you live impressions from NAIAS, so stay tuned.

Gallery: Mini Paceman Concept

[Source: Mini]

Continue reading Detroit Preview: Mini Paceman concept relieves Countryman of extra doors

Detroit Preview: Mini Paceman concept relieves Countryman of extra doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Car and Driver gets bored, does doors-up donuts in Benz SLS AMG

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG donuts

2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG – Click above to watch the video after the jump

To some, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a demure looking beast, but don’t let the classy lines fool you. Beneath that long, elegant nose is a 6.2-liter, 563 horsepower AMG V8 that propels the top Benz to supercar status. But while the SLS can hold its own on the race track against some of the world’s finest automobiles, it also has the punch to take on low-brow muscle cars at their own game.

While the folks at Car and Driver no doubt have the resources to hit the track, they instead opted to take the SLS AMG out for some donuts. We’re not talking polite, single turn donuts, either. This is the kind of donut that leads to a fast trip to the tire store for some very expensive Continental ContiSportContact rubber. And just for kicks (and visual flair), the C/D gang has left its gullwing doors ajar for maximum tire smoke inhalation. Hit the jump to watch the tire-shredding action for yourself.

[Source: Car and Driver via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Car and Driver gets bored, does doors-up donuts in Benz SLS AMG

Video: Car and Driver gets bored, does doors-up donuts in Benz SLS AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LA 2010: 2012 Range Rover Evoque sprouts a set of rear doors

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Crossover, Land Rover, Luxury

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Five-Door

Range Rover Evoque Five-Door – Click above for high-res image gallery

We first met the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque at this year’s Paris Motor Show, and its five-door sister makes its official debut today at the LA Auto Show. The Evoque is a huge departure from what we’ve commonly known of things that wear the Range Rover name, and it’s poised to be a real hit amongst the urban, luxury lifestyle set. Power comes from a range of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines, and all-wheel drive is standard – it is a Land Rover, after all.

Both the three- and five-door Evoques go on sale in the summer of next year, and Land Rover states that pricing will start around $45,000. See the new five-door Evoque for yourself in the high-res image gallery below and/or peep the mega-sized press release from Land Rover after the jump.

Gallery: LA 2010: Range Rover Evoque Five-Door

Range Rover Evoque Five-Door

Gallery: Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 5-door

Continue reading LA 2010: 2012 Range Rover Evoque sprouts a set of rear doors

LA 2010: 2012 Range Rover Evoque sprouts a set of rear doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Nov 2010 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scion officially opens its doors for business in Canada

Filed under: Car Buying, Scion, Toyota, Canada

Scion to be sold in Canada

2011 Scion tC – Click above for high-res image gallery

Scion is a youth-oriented brand that was developed by Toyota to capture a younger North American demographic. By “North America,” Scion was referring to the United States – until now. Happy Youth-Oriented Car Day, Canada! Scion has just announced that the brand is hopping the border and ready to be purchased by “young, style-conscious Canadian drivers.”

The initial roll-out is set to take place in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Scions will be available through 45 dealerships spread between those cities. As the brand builds strength in the country, more dealerships and locations will be springing up.

A full list of the original 45 dealers can be found at ScionNation.ca/scion/dealers. The full 2011 lineup is available, including the recently-driven 2011 Scion tC. Thanks for the tip, Paul!

Gallery: 2011 Scion tC: First Drive

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Scion officially opens its doors for business in Canada originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OnStar turns 15, has unlocked 4.7 million doors

Filed under: Etc., Technology, GM

Founded in 1995 and officially launched at that year’s Chicago Auto Show, OnStar has just hit its 15th birthday. After unlocking 4.7 million doors and providing over 59 million turn-by-turn routes, the tech centerpiece found in General Motors’ vehicles is not ready to sit back and revel in the past. Ford is constantly improving its Sync system and The General is looking to move OnStar into the same league. The major details of it plans are not yet available but we recently learned that OnStar is testing two interesting new features; voice texting and the ability to update your Facebook status simply by speaking.

As OnStar moves into the future, let’s take a look at what it has accomplished over the last 15 years.

More than one million responses to Emergency Service alerts, assisting drivers, first responders and local police departments in many life-threatening situations.
More than 146,000 responses to Automatic Crash Notifications where OnStar sent emergency personnel to a vehicle whose driver was unresponsive after an airbag deployment.
198 different coastal communities helped with hurricane preparedness through OnStar’s Crisis Assist.
More than 59 million Turn-by-Turn routes delivered. What was seen as a preliminary step against distracted driving, Turn-by-Turn Navigation allows an advisor to send directions directly to a subscriber’s Driver Information Center or radio.
More than 4.7 million doors have been unlocked by OnStar’s Remote Door Unlock service. OnStar unlocks 1,833 doors every day, a huge convenience for people who accidently lock their keys in the car. (It happens.)
More than 147 million monthly e-mails have been sent to subscribers since launch, giving them real-time diagnostic reports of their vehicles.

Besides just helping those in need, OnStar can also “help” those with greed – the type of greed that would lead them to steal a car. If a thief manages to swipe a vehicle equipped with GM’s big blue button, it can be slowed down remotely or, in other cases, OnStar can remotely block the ignition.

OnStar is a service that makes the lives of millions of customers a little easier, and we at Autoblog would like to wish it a happy birthday… as long as GM promises not to throw it a MTV-style Sweet Sixteen next year. Follow the jump to read more about OnStar in its official birthday press release.

[Source: OnStar]

Continue reading OnStar turns 15, has unlocked 4.7 million doors

OnStar turns 15, has unlocked 4.7 million doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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