Tag: wait

Official: Brabus’ 730-hp 2014 Mercedes S-Class is for those who can’t wait for AMG

Filed under: Aftermarket, Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

You can’t even buy the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class yet, but Brabus is ready to help you prepare for it. The German tuning house has engineered a suite of upgrades for the sedan that does just about everything but provide a button for its own aftermarket tune. The heart of any Brabus is the engine, and there are three heart transplants to choose from: there’s the B50S for the S550 that adds 65 horsepower, for a total of 520 hp and 604 pound-feet of torque; the B63 takes the S63 AMG up to 650 hp and 737 lb-ft; and the B63S rings the bell with 730 hp and 785 lb-ft. A top-speed limiter allows the option of capping velocity at either 155 mph, 168 mph or 186 mph.

As if the rock-crushing power and eye-watering speed weren’t enough to set the barge apart from others, an aero kit, two styles of monoblock wheels ranging from 19 to 21 inches, a lowered suspension and a sport exhaust will add the florid plumage to your shiny new peacock. Brabus can tell you even more about it in the press release below.

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Brabus’ 730-hp 2014 Mercedes S-Class is for those who can’t wait for AMG originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 27 Jul 2013 17:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Would you wait to buy a Japanese car? [w/poll]

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota

Honda Civic Si

It may be some time before consumers in line for a new Japanese car get their hands on their new ride.

Besides killing thousands of people, shocking the nation’s infrastructure and setting off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the Japanese earthquake disaster has halted car production on the island indefinitely. Added to that, the tsunami resulting from the quake destroyed thousands of cars and trucks awaiting export.

With production halted and parts supplies drying up, waiting lists for new Japanese cars are mounting. According to CNW Research, those in line for new Japanese cars are, on average, willing to wait 90 days for the delays to end.

Only eight percent of Honda buyers would look elsewhere after a 90-day wait, with the figure climbing to 13 percent for Subaru, 14 percent for Toyota and 19 percent for Nissan.

Those may not seem like huge numbers, until you compare them to comparable American brands. Ford would only lose six percent after 90 days for its cars, and a scant 2.8 percent of truck buyers would bail. Jeep buyers proved most-loyal, with 97.2 percent of their customers sticking around after 90 days.

Would you stand in line for 90 days or more for your new Japanese car of choice? Let us know by voting in our poll.

View Poll

[Source: CNW Research via The Detroit Bureau | Image: Drew Phillips/AOL]

Would you wait to buy a Japanese car? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As Audi plants struggle to meet demand, buyers wait months for cars

Filed under: Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz

2012 Audi A6

2012 Audi A6 – Click above for a high-res image gallery

The Volkswagen Group wants to be number one in global sales, luxury sales and, hopefully, profits. In order to reach the auto sales zenith, however, Volkswagen may need to make room for more Audi production.

Bloomberg reports that Audi is struggling to meet demand for the A3 and A6, with buyers waiting three to four months to take delivery of those models. Audi sales boss Peter Schwarzenbauer tells Bloomberg that its factories are running at full throttle and that if sales continue to grow it will be “difficult to say how long it could take to reduce waiting times.”

So why aren’t car buyers leaving Audi for the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz? The line for Germany’s other luxury makes can be just as long. All three automakers reported record sales in January, and that’s with buyers waiting up to six months for hot new vehicles like the new BMW X3. While all three German luxury struggle to keep pace with demand, experts say Audi is in the toughest spot, with wait times up to two months longer than its competitors.

Will the Volkswagen Group address the problem in a timely manner? Since Audi reportedly contributed 47 percent of VW’s overall profits for the past nine months, execs should be eager to take care of their cash cow.

Gallery: 2012 Audi A6: Detroit 2011

2012 Audi A62012 Audi A62012 Audi A62012 Audi A62012 Audi A6

[Source: Bloomberg]

As Audi plants struggle to meet demand, buyers wait months for cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By the Numbers – Sept. 2010: Couldn’t Wait Until After Paris Edition

Filed under: By the Numbers

C4C Aftermath Makes September Sales Look Great

Jeez, automakers. We’re busy enough covering your wares at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Couldn’t you wait until Monday to release sales figures for the month of September? Such is life.

We wouldn’t blame you for thinking that September 2010 was a rockin’ month of sales for the entire U.S. auto industry based on the table below. Look at all that green! Fact is, all those positive percentages are based on comparing last month to September 2009, which was the first full month of sales after the government’s Cash for Clunkers program ended. At that time the buying public was full from binging on federally discounted cars and inventory levels across the nation were low.

Chrysler Group brands also reported off-the-charts improvements, though again, their sales were hardly helped at all by C4C last year, yet each felt the aftermath just the same.

Overall, sales for the entire industry appear inflated, but one thing we can see is that Ford Motor Company will likely end 2010 with a significant gain in market share versus 2009. The company was about 11,000 units short of beating General Motors in September, and keep in mind sales of the Ford brand in September were 90 percent of the three-brand automaker’s sales as a whole, while Chevrolet and its 121,479 units made up 70 percent of GM’s four brands. Translation: Ford is on a nice tear.

Brand Vol. % Sept. 2010 Sept. 2009 DSR %* Sept. 2010 Sept. 2009
Saab 116.12 1,046 484 116.12 42 19
Chrysler 91.78 17,348 9,046 91.78 694 362
Dodge 70.97 36,272 21,215 70.97 1,451 849
Jeep 65.46 28,603 17,287 65.46 1,144 691
Ram 50.92 54,126 35,864 50.92 2,165 1,435
Ford 49.27 147,057 98,516 49.27 5,882 3,941
Hyundai 47.75 46,556 31,511 47.75 1,862 1,260
Acura 47.68 10,720 7,259 47.68 429 290
Subaru 46.86 21,432 14,593 46.86 857 584
GMC 41.59 25,995 18,359 41.59 1,040 734
Kia 39.07 30,071 21,623 39.07 1,203 865
Buick 36.17 12,875 9,455 36.17 515 378
Nissan 35.09 65,900 48,783 35.09 2,636 1,951
Mazda 30.53 18,580 14,234 30.53 743 569
Infiniti 25.64 8,305 6,610 25.64 332 264
Lincoln 25.59 7,510 5,980 25.59 300 239
Porsche 24.67 1,971 1,581 24.67 79 63
Honda 23.83 86,641 69,970 23.83 3,466 2,799
Mercedes 21.67 20,666 16,985 21.67 827 679
BMW 21.14 18,228 15,047 21.14 729 602
Toyota 20.48 130,214 108,076 20.48 5,209 4,323
Chevrolet 18.47 121,479 102,538 18.47 4,859 4,102
Mini 18.31 4,884 4,128 18.31 195 165
Mercury 15.86 6,306 5,443 15.86 252 218
Volkswagen 14.89 19,943 17,358 14.89 798 694
Audi 13.07 8,151 7,209 13.07 326 288
Land Rover 11.81 2,489 2,226 11.81 100 89
Cadillac 11.30 12,620 11,339 11.30 505 454
Jaguar 9.89 967 880 9.89 39 35
Mitsubishi 5.28 4,961 4,712 5.28 198 188
Lexus -5.52 16,948 17,939 -5.52 678 718
Suzuki -11.68 1,641 1,858 -11.68 66 74
Volvo -11.96 4,152 4,716 -11.96 166 189
Smart -48.16 422 814 -48.16 17 33
(Hummer) -61.74 163 426 -61.74 7 17
(Saturn) -99.50 15 2,993 -99.50 1 120
(Pontiac) -99.93 8 11,079 -99.93 0 443
TOTAL 29.57 995,265 768,136 — — —
COMPANIES
Chrysler Group 60.90 100,077 62,197 60.90 4,003 2,488
Ford Motor Company 46.33 160,873 109,939 46.33 6,435 4,398
Nissan NA 33.96 74,205 55,393 33.96 2,968 2,216
American Honda 26.07 97,361 77,229 26.07 3,894 3,089
GM (Core) 22.07 172,969 141,691 22.07 6,919 5,668
BMW Group 20.53 23,112 19,175 20.53 924 767
Toyota Mo Co 16.78 147,162 126,015 16.78 5,886 5,041
Jaguar Land Rover NA 11.27 3,456 3,106 11.27 138 124
General Motors 10.52 173,155 156,673 10.52 6,926 6,267

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 25 selling days in September 2010 and September 2009, so the change in monthly sales volume is the same as the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company.

By the Numbers – Sept. 2010: Couldn’t Wait Until After Paris Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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