REPORT: GM preparing to give more dealerships the axe

REPORT: GM preparing to give more dealerships the axe

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Pontiac, Earnings/Financials, Rumormill

On top of the 1,124 General Motors dealers that will be closed next year, the ailing automaker is reportedly going to announce another round of dealer closings on Monday when its bankruptcy declaration is expected. According to two Automotive News sources, 450 dealers will not see their dealer franchises renewed. For his part, Mark LaNeve, GM's VP of North American sales, said the number would be "less than half that."

No matter the number, it's more of the same bad-yet-necessary news being spread around. LaNeve notes that the dealers who won't be renewed "have very specific issues" including "specific performance issues." Among them are supposed to be some stores that are skewed exclusively or heavily Pontiac. These dealers will be shutting up shop when their franchise agreements expire in October 2010.

[Source: Automotive News -sub req'd | Image: Mark Ralston/Getty]

REPORT: GM preparing to give more dealerships the axe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 May 2009 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda MX-5 to celebrate 20th birthday at Le Mans

Filed under: Time Warp, Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Euro, Mazda, Event Alert

Mazda MX-5's 20th Anniversary at LeMans - Click above for a high-res image gallery

It's hard to believe it's been two decades since Mazda first showed the world how to build a classic British sports car right. The roadster known as the Miata and MX-5 at different times and places around the world is 20 years old and to celebrate, Mazda has invited 200 examples and their owners from across Europe to a party in France next month at the 24 Hours of LeMans.

Over the course of two decades and three generations, Mazda has sold over 850,000 MX-5s and it remains one of the most entertaining roadsters available. While it's never been the most powerful sports car and some dismiss it as a secretary's chosen chariot, the compact, lightweight roadster has won over even the most insecure alpha males with taut handling, a balanced drivetrain and one of the simplest convertible mechanisms known to man.

European MX-5 owners who want to participate in the party should contact their national MX-5 club or Mazda France. The 200 attendees will watch the race from the Mazda camp alongside the circuit and a best in show will be awarded, along with plenty of goodies.

Gallery: Mazda MX-5 20th Anniversary Le Mans

Continue reading Mazda MX-5 to celebrate 20th birthday at Le Mans

Mazda MX-5 to celebrate 20th birthday at Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 May 2009 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Toyota questions demand for plug-ins, cost, range, durability concerns

REPORT: Toyota questions demand for plug-ins, cost, range, durability concerns

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Tech, Toyota

We all know that there is a hardcore group of consumers out there chanting the mantra of "No plug, no sale!" Okay, well, at least a few of you. The problem is that, like commenters on the internet, the loud fringe makes most of the noise, but often actually represents a very small percentage of the total population. For the rest of the car buying public, the realities of choosing a new car go well beyond the ability to "refuel" from a plug in the garage. This is the reality that Toyota, General Motors, Nissan, Mitsubishi and others have to face in planning for future electric vehicles.

How many people are actually willing to pay the price in purchase cost, range, and utility for a plug-in vehicle?

While Nissan and Mitsubishi are (publicly at least) very bullish on EVs, Toyota apparently remains more skeptical. Bill Reinert, Toyota's U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington that the company doesn't expect PHEV demand to top 50,000 units a year, and the total could be as low as 3,500. So far, the argument goes, in most real-world testing, PHEVs are showing relatively little benefit to justify the significant extra battery cost. Unless plug-ins are designed as such and able to operate through most of their range on electric power (unlike conversion PHEVs), the real world benefits may only be visible to dedicated hyper-milers.

Gallery: EVS23: PHEV Prius prototype

[Source: Bloomberg]

REPORT: Toyota questions demand for plug-ins, cost, range, durability concerns originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: Mooted Mini Speedster could be beaten to market by Mini Coupe

Rumormill: Mooted Mini Speedster could be beaten to market by Mini Coupe

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertibles, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Green, MINI, UK, Rumormill

We've already heard widespread rumors about a forthcoming speedster variant of the cheeky little Mini, but the Cooper crazy folks over at MotoringFile have reason to believe that the racy roadster will be beaten to market by a "notch-back coupe version of the car."

According to MF, the coupe figures to be the fastest and tightest offering in BMW's Mini stable, with their source reportedly saying: "Think of this model as the [BMW] Z4 Coupe of the MINI line-up."

The coupe is expected to be based on the current R56 platform, and although there was apparently talk of making the car a John Cooper Works-only model, plans are now afoot to sell both standard Cooper and Cooper S versions in order to help parent BMW generate better fleet-wide fuel economy averages.

According to MotoringFile, Mini will probably debut the roadster in concept form in Frankfurt this Fall (as we reported earlier), but the fixed-head coupe is likely to beat it to market - even though that model doesn't figure to arrive until late 2012.

[Source: MotoringFile | Image: L'Automobile]

Rumormill: Mooted Mini Speedster could be beaten to market by Mini Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 May 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Blind man realizes dream to drive new Ford Mustang

Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Ford

Click above for a high-res gallery of Roger Keeney's dream Mustang drive

It was Roger Keeney's dream to drive a new Ford Mustang. It sounds pretty simple - go down to your local Ford dealer, tell them you're interested in a new 2010 GT, and they hand over the keys, right? Well, there's one problem. Keeney has been blind since 1990 and hasn't been behind the wheel of a car in nearly two decades.

Despite his disability, the Athens, GA native thought it was worth a try to enter Ford's '10 Unleashed contest, a promotion for pony car fans to tell Ford how they would unleash their Mustang side. Despite his doubtful expectations, Keeney received a call from Ford a few weeks later and was on his way to their proving grounds in Phoenix, AZ to fulfill his dream of driving a new Mustang.

With some assistance from racing driver Tommy Kendall, Keeney was able to perform acceleration and braking tests, as well as a trip around the skidpad that naturally turned into a gleeful shredding of the tires. Think you've got a dream Ford can fulfill? Head over to the '10 Unleashed web site and tell them in 250 words or less how you would unleash your Mustang side.

Gallery: Roger Keeney's 2010 Mustang Drive

[Source: Ford]

Blind man realizes dream to drive new Ford Mustang originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 May 2009 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fritz: Chevy will be competitive, top-quality brand in two years

Fritz: Chevy will be competitive, top-quality brand in two years

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Crossovers/CUVs, Chevrolet, GM

2011 Chevy Orlando: Click above for gallery

General Motors is in the middle of a massive restructuring, and if it manages to escape catastrophe without going belly-up, good news could be in store for the Chevy brand. GM CEO Fritz Henderson told AutoWeek that the bowtie will emerge as the big winner in two years, with great quality and plenty of new product. The 2011 model year will (assuming there are no changes to the product calendar -- something that's hardly guaranteed) bring a variety of fuel-efficient vehicles to the Chevy brand with the arrival of the Cruze, Spark, Volt, and Orlando.

The Volt, with its purported extended-range electric capability, will get the limelight. But the Cruze, Spark, and Orlando are likely to be more impactful, since they're designed to be high-volume sellers with very competitive fuel economy figures. The new cars, combined with the drop-dead gorgeous Camaro (29 mpg hwy), the new Equinox (32 mpg hwy), and the Malibu, give Chevrolet a a significantly transformed, far more efficient product lineup.

With four new Chevys set to hit production in the next 19 months, the future of the brand looks bright... as long as GM can survive the tumultuous present.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Fritz: Chevy will be competitive, top-quality brand in two years originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 09 May 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: 2011 Audi RS3 gunning for Focus RS, hybrid A3 on the way

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Euro, Green, Hatchbacks, Audi

The all-new Audi A3 is right around the corner and that means a new RS3 will follow soon thereafter. According to Autocar, the new four-ringed hot hatch will be motivated by the TT RS' twin-turbocharged, 2.5-liter five-cylinder, putting out approximately 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque through a new, beefed-up seven speed dual-clutch gearbox. Naturally, motivation will be sent to all four wheels through Audi's Quattro system, and a new torque-vectoring differential will be tasked with getting all that grunt to the ground. The new A3 is expected to debut in 2011, with the RS3 variant coming the following year.

Also in 2012, Audi is rumored to begin fleet trials of its new A3 equipped with TwinDrive - the same system set to be employed on the hybrid Golf - which utilizes a 105 hp, 1.6-liter diesel-powered four-pot that joins a 30kW motor to aid the front wheels and another set of 30kW in-wheel motors to power the rears. A 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack will be mounted in the floor of the trunk, receiving electricity from a combination of regenerative braking and (supposedly) a plug-in charger. When equipped in the Golf, the TwinDrive system will reportedly power the hatch up to 31 miles on electricity alone.

[Source: Autocar (1) (2)]

REPORT: 2011 Audi RS3 gunning for Focus RS, hybrid A3 on the way originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 May 2009 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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