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Video: Audi Canada surprises out-of-warranty owners in a good way

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Audi

2014 Audi R8 dealer courtesy car - video screencap

One of the worst parts about going to a dealership is sitting around waiting for the courtesy shuttle to show up and transport a group of strangers to their places of work or homes. Well, Audi of Canada found a nice way to surprise customers who brought their out-of-warranty vehicles in for a scheduled Health Check by replacing dealer’s normal shuttle with a 2014 Audi R8 V10.

The R8, painted to resemble a safety car or police car, gave the customers a ride home – even stopping at a coffee shop along the way. Needless to say, the stunt got plenty of attention from passers-by and was quite a hit with the Audi customers, too. Scroll down to watch video of the customers getting the ride of a lifetime, which we’re sure left some of the in-warranty customers at least a little jealous as they drove off in dealer loaner cars.

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Audi Canada surprises out-of-warranty owners in a good way originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Toyota Prius owners targeted by tire-slashing VA vandal

Filed under: Hybrid, Videos, Toyota

News report on Prius tire slasher in Arlington, VA - video screencap

Toyota Prius owners aren’t bad folks. With a few exceptions, they’re just normal people who appreciate the comfortable, high-mileage hybrid. Someone in Arlington, Virginia doesn’t see it that way, though, as 14 examples (and one Smart) had at least one tire slashed last Sunday night.

The serial tire-slasher didn’t swipe any items from the vehicles, but he or she has left owners with substantial bills and sour dispositions. According to a report from ABC affiliate WJLA, some citizens are considering the matter a hate crime.

Despite the targeting of Toyota hybrids and the acquisition of one fingerprint, police have been unable to make any arrests, as the slasher has targeted vehicles across the county. Take a look at the local news report from WJLA below.

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Toyota Prius owners targeted by tire-slashing VA vandal originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Take a look into the past with a posse of DeLorean owners

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Videos

A couple of months ago, 49 DeLorean DMC-12s were part of the Celebration of Autos held at and around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Put together by the Indiana DeLorean Motor Club, the parade of stainless steel gullwing coupes was furthermore captured and detailed by Kassim Norris, who spoke to club president Jason Sharkey and club member Rick Vermillion about their love of the cars and the event.

The word in advance was that Epic Electric Vehicles was going to bring its first electric DMC-12 to the event, but it’s not clear from the video whether that happened. Still, there nearly 50 DeLoreans all in one place – the video below.

Continue reading Take a look into the past with a posse of DeLorean owners

Take a look into the past with a posse of DeLorean owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Jul 2013 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota offers free badge of honor to Prius owners

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Hatchback, Toyota

To commemorate the epic milestone of one million Prius hybrids sold in the United States, Toyota is literally giving away “Prius Goes Platinum” badges to more than 11,000 current Prius owners.

If you own a Prius, don’t delay. Starting today, only the first 1,000 Prius owners who sign up at ToyotaPriusProjects.com will get their hands on a free custom-molded, adhesive-backed vehicle badge. The next 10,000 takers get their badges in sticker form, while everyone else gets their badges digitally. The auto-generated badge reflects, in an artistic sort of way, the CO2 emissions saved by each individual Prius.

Attention Prius owners: Click here to claim your one-of-a-kind “Prius Goes Platinum” badge.

Toyota offers free badge of honor to Prius owners originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Why some Nissan Juke owners are getting a $400 check in the mail

Filed under: Crossover, Hatchback, Nissan, Earnings/Financials

2011 nissan juke

2011 Nissan Juke – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Nissan Juke is offered in two different drivetrain flavors: front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. When marketing the Juke early on, Nissan listed the gas tank capacity at 13.2-gallons. That’s true… for the front-wheel-drive model, however, the all-wheel-drive Juke has a smaller 11.6-gallon tank. Nissan caught the error and corrected it, but not before approximately 4,000 Juke owners purchased the all-wheel-drive Juke and assumed they had the larger tank.

Not content to simply issue an all-encompassing apology, Nissan is sending out letters to each one of those 4,000 Juke owners (out of the 22,000 folks who have so far purchased a Juke). But there is more than just a letter inside the envelope. Nissan is also including a check for $400. Head over to ConsumerSearch.com to read the letter that Nissan sent, then feel free sound off in the ‘Comments’ regarding the 400 bones.

Do you think this is a cool move by Nissan or would you still be upset as a Juke owner?

Why some Nissan Juke owners are getting a $400 check in the mail originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Judge’s ruling paves way for owners to sue Toyota over economic losses *UPDATE

Filed under: Government/Legal, Toyota

toyota emblem

If Toyota was hoping to end its ongoing unintended acceleration-related legal issues, the latest bit of courtroom news will make the automaker quite unhappy. U.S. District Judge James Selna has ruled that vehicle owners can sue Toyota over economic losses. Some Toyota owners claim the automaker is responsible for diminished resale value of vehicles wearing the Toyota badge.

“A vehicle with a defect is worth less than one without a defect,” said Selna.

Toyota, however, has stated that it remains confident it will emerge from the courtroom victorious. Selna’s ruling moves the burden of proof over to the plaintiff’s lawyers, and Toyota believes that no such proof of wrong-doing on its part exists. Lawyers for the plaintiffs will be tasked with proving that the automaker was aware of a defect and chose to ignore it.

One particular issue from Toyota’s point of view, with regards to James Selna’s ruling, is the judge has applied a California law to the case. One that may make it easier for plaintiffs to recover damages. Toyota argues that vehicle owners from all over the country are involved in the lawsuit, and therefore local state laws should be applied with respect to the owner’s location. Either way, it appears that Toyota’s legal drama is going to continue for quite some time.

*UPDATE: Toyota reached out to Autoblog.com for clarification. It appears the ruling has not yet come down, but that Selna is merely considering the application of California law to a case that reaches across the entire country.

Judge’s ruling paves way for owners to sue Toyota over economic losses *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Pickup owners prone to pilfered tailgates

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety

F-150 Tailgate

The Detroit News reports that tailgate thieves are overrunning southeast Michigan, costing truck owners and insurance companies between $1,200 and $3,600 per theft. The problem is so bad in part because stealing a tailgate only takes a few seconds when unlocked, and under a minute when they are locked. Thieves can reportedly remove a tailgate using only their fingers or with the aid of a regular old screwdriver – no specialized tools are needed.

To combat this problem, some auto dealers are displaying their trucks sans gate, or parking those trucks right up against a wall so thieves don’t have room to operate. Not even a law making tailgate theft a felony worthy of up to five years in prison appears to be scaring off thieves. St. Clair Shores, MI police detective Dave Centala adds that the speed of the crime makes thieves difficult to catch, adding “they come at night, make no noise and we have never caught one in the act or recovered the part.” Centala tells the DetNews that five were stolen in one night in St. Clair Shores, and in other cities the tailgates are being stolen in chunks.

Tailgate thefts are nothing new, and The Detroit News is only reporting on thefts in Michigan, but given the ease with which tailgates are being swiped, we’re inclined to believe this continues to be a problem on the national level. Owners looking to protect their trucks can purchase an aftermarket lock, or they can park their vehicle in a garage or in a spot that gives thieves little room to remove the tailgate. Hopefully automakers will tune into this situation and make stealing tailgates far more difficult in the future.

[Source: The Detroit News]

PSA: Pickup owners prone to pilfered tailgates originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Ford Mustang owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Ford

Polish Mustang gathering

Polish Mustang gathering – Click above to watch video after the jump

It’s easy to dismiss the muscle-car phenomenon as a fluke of American excess. With our miles of open freeway and sinfully cheap gasoline, the inexpensive, high-horsepower V8 machine was a creation that could have only come from our neck of the woods. But that doesn’t meant the rest of the world doesn’t appreciate of our contribution to automotive history. Just look at the thriving Ford Mustang community in Poland.

That’s right, Poland.

A devoted group of pony car lovers recently got together for a little meet up and happened to cook up one of the best fan videos we’ve ever laid eyes on. There are plenty of special-edition Mustangs in the mix, including at least one Bullitt, a Shelby GT500 and even a P-51 Edition. But these horses aren’t all standing around in a parking lot somewhere. Oh, no. Instead, the owners set to sending their rear tires spinning in the best way possible, and there’s plenty of high-definition tire smoke to go around. Hit the jump to check the flick for yourself. Hat tips to Brent and Mateusz!

[Source: MotoFilm]

Continue reading Video: Ford Mustang owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie

Video: Ford Mustang owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nissan luring business owners to buy new van with free upgrade packages

Thanks to its new NV series of body-on-frame vans, Nissan now has a stake in the commercial cargo moving market. But how will the Japanese automaker entice fleet buyers to stop their scheduled orders for tried-and-true options like the Ford E-Series and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter in favor of unproven models like the NV 1500, 2500 and 3500? The answer appears to be some clever incentives.

Instead of just dropping cash on the hood, Nissan is instead offering the choice of several no-cost options to help NV buyers convert their vehicles into a cargo-carrying juggernaut. Customers who purchase an NV can choose from a cargo management systems consisting of three 44-inch shelving units, a steel cabin/cargo partition, or an exterior standard roof utility rack or an interior rack for high roof models. NV buyers more interested in marketing than cargo enhancements can opt for a personalized graphics package from Original Wraps that spans up to 70 square feet. And if none of those options sound good, Nissan will cut $300 from the new van’s $24,590 starting price. Hit the jump to read over Nissan’s press release.

[Source: Nissan]

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Nissan luring business owners to buy new van with free upgrade packages originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Polk: Ford owners are most loyal buyers this year

Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, Toyota

Ford logo

Polk, the company that has been examining customer loyalty for 15 years, as Ford claiming the top spot in its most recent survey. After polling nearly 5 million “return-to-market” events, Polk found a majority of Ford customers returned to the brand for their next vehicle.

Ford didn’t stop at winning Polk’s Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer title, though. The Blue Oval also took top honors in the Overall Loyalty to Make, Ethnic Market Make (African American) and Mid/Full-size Pickup Truck categories.

Toyota also fared well in Polk’s survey, earning four awards. For the full list of winners, check out the press release after the jump.

[Source: Polk | Image: Drew Phillips/Autoblog/AOL]

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Polk: Ford owners are most loyal buyers this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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