Tag: years

Report: Akerson says Cadillac will get a larger sedan within two years

Filed under: Sedan, Cadillac, Luxury

It seems that during a recent affair showing off the 2014 Cadillac CTS, General Motors CEO Dan Akerson confirmed reports regarding a new Cadillac flagship sedan. According to USA Today, which Akerson was visiting, he said that a sedan larger than the XTS would debut within the next two years.

This matches up with what we heard earlier in the month about a Cadillac model that will go up against the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class (not a pricier, low-volume sedan also discussed in that article). But this is the first time a high-profile executive name has been attributed to such a report, and the first time a broad timeframe has been mentioned. This article adds that the unnamed car will be rear-, and all-wheel drive with a platform “loosely based” on the new CTS, with styling closer to that car than recent Cadillac concept vehicles. The XTS will continue production of course, as well.

Akerson says Cadillac will get a larger sedan within two years originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 17:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chevy’s famed Bowtie still looking dapper at 100 years

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Chevrolet

2014 Chevrolet Camaro front end - focus on Bowtie emblem

The Chevrolet Bowtie, that iconic badge that’s adorned an estimated 215 million cars and trucks, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Bowtie originally debuted on the 1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail and H-4 Baby Grand.

Rumors have long surrounded the Bowtie logo’s origins, with some claiming it was borrowed from the wallpaper of a French hotel and others saying it came from Chevrolet founder Louis Chevrolet’s homeland of Switzerland. William Durant, co-founder of Chevy, even had family members say differently.

Regardless of where the logo came from, since its first appearance on a pair of 1914 models and its appearance with the Chevrolet name in a 1913 edition of The Washington Post, it’s become one of the most identifiable symbols in America, even though it has gone through a number of subtle evolutions (check out the gallery above to see what we mean). We look forward seeing it for a long time.

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Chevy’s famed Bowtie still looking dapper at 100 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Jul 2013 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Honda takes us through 50 years of automobiles in 60 seconds

Filed under: Japan, Videos, Honda

Honda’s wonderfully simple, fun ads are not in short supply right now. We showed you Hands, the followup to 2003’s The Cog, last week. If you haven’t had a chance to look at those two great videos, we strongly encourage you to head over that way and give them a watch.

The latest minute-long commercial is a bit more dear, though. And while it may be in Japanese, it’s still a cool look back at Honda and its car-building history.

This is also a great video if you’re a fan of odd, vintage Japanese vehicles. Honda’s T360 and a few old Civics are featured heavily, although we can’t help but notice that a few very big names are missing. Where’s the NSX or the S2000? How about the original Insight, a car so revolutionary it still has a cult following today? Honda has made some great cars, we just wish it’d show off more of them. Check out the video below.

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Honda takes us through 50 years of automobiles in 60 seconds originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years

Filed under: Classics, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Jeep, Military

Earlier this month, a very significant Jeep was celebrated at the Toledo North Assembly plant. No, it wasn’t the upcoming reincarnation of the Jeep Cherokee, but instead it was a 1943 Willys MB that visited the Toledo grounds where it had been built exactly 70 years ago to the day.

Of course, the actual building where the MBs rolled off the assembly line before heading to Europe for World War II no longer exists, but that didn’t stop Italian owner Vittorio Argento from having the vehicle shipped to the US to make its trek back to its birth place. According to Chrysler, Argento’s MB is still 95-percent original and it drove 1,000 miles from New Jersey to Toledo.

The whole adventure was chronicled on a blog aptly named A Jeep Comes Home. Scroll down for a brief video from Chrysler and for some photos of the Toledo visit and be sure to read more at Argento’s blog.

Continue reading Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years

Watch this Jeep Willys return to its birthplace after 70 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ETC: Buick celebrates 110 years by naming most significant model of each decade

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Buick, Design/Style

1963 Buick Riviera

In May of 1903, Buick began work on its first vehicle, the 1904 Model B, the first example of which was sold to a doctor in Flint, Michigan. That first sale was appropriate since later on, Buick became known as a “doctor’s car.” The Model B is the first of 11 cars chosen by Buick to highlight each decade of the company’s 110-year history.

The 1916 D-45 Touring with a six-cylinder engine was Buick’s highest seller that year, and helped push overall sales past six figures for the first time, making Buick the top-selling automotive brand. In 1931, Series 50 got an eight-cylinder engine, which helped the company survive the Great Depression. The 1936 Century was the first Buick that could hit 100 miles per hour, the 1949 Roadmaster had a supporting role in Rain Man, the 1953 Skylark had Italian wire wheels and the owner’s name engraved on its steering wheel.

Then we have the iconic 1963 Riviera, the V6-powered 1975 Regal, and in 1987, the legendary GNX. With a turbocharged, intercooled V6 pumping out 276-horsepower it could hit 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds. In 1999 Buick built the first car in China, the Century, and that country remains the brand’s largest market.

To represent the current decade, Buick chose the 2008 Enclave because it introduced the company’s current design language and brand focus to the market. You can see photos of all these memorable Buicks in the gallery and read more of the brand’s history in the press release below.

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Buick celebrates 110 years by naming most significant model of each decade originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 23 Jun 2013 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche celebrates 10 years in China with special edition 911 Turbo S

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, China, Porsche, Design/Style, Luxury

2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S China Edition

2011 Porsche 911 Turbo S China Edition – Click above to enlarge image

To celebrate its tenth anniversary in the ever-hungry, ever-growing Chinese market, Porsche is unleashing a special edition version of its 911 Turbo S. The car comes with the Turbo S’ 530-horsepower, twin-turbo flat-six, mated to Porsche’s PDK sequential gearbox.

Rather than go crazy with mechanical mods, Porsche is sticking with an appearance package for the commemorative 911. Outside, there’s special Gold Bronze Metallic paint set off with flat black and carbon fiber accents. The car rides on sexy black 19-inch Fuchs-style alloys borrowed from the 911 Sport Classic.

Inside, customers get a gold commemorative plaque, and all the Alcantara you could ever want. Porsche sets off the acres of black fabric with contrasting gold stitching.

If you want one, you’re pretty much out of luck. Porsche is only going to build 10 examples, and they’re all going to China.

Porsche celebrates 10 years in China with special edition 911 Turbo S originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Used car prices highest in 16 years, but might not stay that way

Filed under: Car Buying, Earnings/Financials

Car buyers

If you’re looking to purchase a used car or truck, you may have noticed that the prices have been a bit higher than you may have expected. Maybe the salesman in the used car lot isn’t willing to dicker as much as you may have expected. According to USA Today, the reason for this phenomenon is that pre-owned vehicle prices are at a 16-year high.

The national paper claims that the average transaction price for a used vehicle is $11,660; up 30 percent since 2008. If that total still seems palatable, consider that four-year-old Honda Accord sedans are selling for $16,175, or about $373 per month with the typical four-year loan and five percent interest. While it’s not the same as buying, USA Today notes that a brand-new Accord can lease for about $250 plus taxes, title and plates.

And while we’re on the subject of leasing, the U.S. recession and the sharp decrease in leasing has helped cut down on the used vehicles available, further depleting stock while demand remains strong. The price hikes are also being felt at the auction houses, where prices have soared to levels not seen in over a decade. Owners are keeping their vehicles longer as well, as the typical vehicle is now 10.6 year old, up from 9.8 years in 2007.

But while the used vehicle market is strong, many feel that the trend can’t last forever. Car buyers are leasing more now. 21 percent of all vehicles moved off of new car lots are being leased – up from 11 percent in 2009. That means more vehicles will become available once those leases run their course. Credit has loosened a bit as well, so potential new car buyers with less-than-perfect credit are now more likely to find themselves in a new vehicle.

Used car prices highest in 16 years, but might not stay that way originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 May 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Lamborghini to roll out 800-hp Aventador SV a few years down the line?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini, Rumormill

Lamborghini Aventador SV renderingThe Diablo had one. The Murciélago did, too. So it’s only safe to assume that, a few years down the line, Lamborghini will create a Super Veloce version of the new Aventador. But an assumption is about all this is amounting to at this point.

Consider, if you will, two factors in anticipating the next SV: timeline and output. The Diablo SV arrived in 1995 (five years after the Diablo was first introduced) and packed 510 horsepower (compared to the standard Diablo’s 492, though there was a more powerful Diablo SE30 Jota with nearly 600 horsepower before the model was phased out). The Murciélago SV, meanwhile, debuted as the most powerful version some eight years after the original with 661 horsepower to the first model’s 572.

Apply the same logic to an eventual Aventador SV and we’re looking at nearly 800 horsepower, if and when it arrives some five to eight years from now (several years after the anticipated roadster comes along). Now that’s a mouthful and a half, and though there’s not much weight to be trimmed off the new Aventador’s carbon-fiber monocoque chassis (compared to the Murcielago’s steel frame), who knows what kind of new materials might be developed by the time the Super Veloce comes rumbling along.

Until then we’ll just have to make do with the current version and its 691 horsepower, 2.9-second sprint to 60 and 217-mph top speed, and try not to get ahead of ourselves. Which is just as well, because with those kinds of numbers, not much else will be, either.

Lamborghini to roll out 800-hp Aventador SV a few years down the line? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeep and Tommy Hafey both 70 years young

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Jeep, Australia, Celebrities

2011 wrangler tommy hafey 70th anniversary commercial

Jeep 70 year anniversary commercial – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Jeep is celebrating its 70 year anniversary this year, and the festivities won’t be relegated to these United States. The off-road capable brand is celebrating its milestone anniversary in Australia with the help of 79-year-old Australian rules football legend Tommy Hafey.

The retired football star is also a very motivated exercise aficionado with a can-do spirit; attributes Jeep marketing types are hoping translates well to the brand’s “Don’t Hold Back” mantra. Hit the jump to watch the one-minute ad.

Hafey may be 79, but the commercial shows that he can likely kick some serious butt if the need ever arose. After all, the man appears to have more energy than most men half his age, and it’s not like he’s famous for his knitting skills. Jeep is hoping utility buyers will see the ad and think that Hafey’s Wrangler is almost as tough.

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Jeep and Tommy Hafey both 70 years young originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Car and Driver details ten years of Alfa Romeo delays

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Alfa Romeo, Fiat

Alfa Romeo U.S. launch delayed... again

Fiat has been talking seriously about bringing Alfa Romeo back to these shores since early 2000, making a decade of delays in the brand’s relaunch. Most recently, the company’s debut has been pushed back to sometime in 2013. To commemorate the anniversary of Fiat’s colossal history of setbacks, Car and Driver put together a time table of the promised Alfa Romeo launch.

The story begins on March 27, 2000, when Fiat announced it had partnered with General Motors to bring Alfas to the States by 2003. The first delay came less than a year later, when Fiat and GM announced that Alfas would move through Cadillac and Saab dealers starting in 2005.

Obviously, none of that came even remotely true. In 2002, the relaunch got pushed back to 2007. In 2004, it was killed altogether. The Italians changed their minds again in 2005, going back to 2007 as the year of the Alfa. Need we go on? The promises, cancellations and delays have carried on this way through two wars, two presidents, an economic nosedive and the odd oil crisis thrown in for good measure.

At this point, we’d really like to believe that we’ll see an attainable Alfa in the USA by 2013, but history makes the time table hard to believe. Head over to Car and Driver to see a full infographic of Fiat’s waffling.

Car and Driver details ten years of Alfa Romeo delays originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 May 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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