Posts Tagged ‘TheDetroitBureau.com.’
Maker uses Bob Marley track in ads to hype new plan.
by Michael Strong on May.17, 2013
Hyundai is letting customers know everything's going to be all right in a new ad campaign.
Bowing to pressure from owners and potential buyers, Hyundai has decided to stop charging for basic safety and security services on vehicles equipped with its Blue Link telematics service — features that include automatic 911 calls when a collision triggers a vehicle’s airbags.
The shift, hinted at during a New York Auto Show new conference earlier this year, is being formally unveiled as part of a new ad campaign featuring music inspired by legendary reggae artist Bob Marley.
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Borrowing from Marley’s “Three Little Birds,” the automaker is telling owners “Don’t worry…about a thing…’cause every little thing is gonna be all right…” in its latest ad introducing the new three-year free subscription for Hyundai Assurance Connected Care.
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Tags: Blue Link, Hyundai, Korean automaker, Korean cars, MBrace2, TheDetroitBureau.com., bmw assist, concierge service, emergency roadside assistance, hyundai blue link, michael strong, onstar, road service, sync, telematics, thedetroitbureau, uconnect
Posted in Automobiles | No Comments »
Engine problems "almost killed me," alleges one owner.
by Michael Strong on May.16, 2013
Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost engines undergo torture testing. The engine is now the subject of two lawsuits.
The lawsuits against Ford Motor Co.’s highly acclaimed EcoBoost are mounting as two disgruntled F-150 owners filed a class-action suit in the state of Louisiana. They make essentially the same claims as were found in a separate suit filed in Ohio last week.
In the Louisiana lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim the 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engine “can shudder, shake and then rapidly lose power while drivers are accelerating.” The suit claims the “aggregated claims…exceed the sum value of $5,000,000…”
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“My Ford EcoBoost almost killed us,” said one of the drivers in the filing. Both plaintiffs drive 2011-2012 Ford F-150 pickups.
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Tags: Ecoboost, F-150, Ford, Ford Ecoboost, Ford Motor Co., Ford class action lawsuit, Lincoln MKS, MKS, NHTSA, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TheDetroitBureau.com., class action lawsuit, flex, ford f-150, ford flex, ford taurus sho, michael strong, taurus sho, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Company will prepay DOE loans with funds.
by Michael Strong on May.15, 2013
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is purchasing $100 million of the $450 million shares the company is selling to prepay government loans.
Tesla Motors is looking to take advantage of the recent jump in its stock price by selling 2.7 million shares of stock and offering $450 million in convertible senior notes to allow the company to pay off the $465 million in government loans.
“Tesla intends to use the net proceeds from the offerings to prepay Tesla’s outstanding loan from the United States Department of Energy, pay the cost of convertible note hedge transactions and for general corporate purposes,” the company said in a release.
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Tesla expects to book $830 million in proceeds. The company will also enter into hedging transactions aimed at preventing dilution from the convertible notes.
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Tags: DOE loan, Department of energy loans, Model S, Model X, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla stock offering, TheDetroitBureau.com., electric cars, electric vehicles, elon musk, government loans, michael strong, stock offering, tesla, tesla motors, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Cadillac CTS also getting beefy twin turbo in 2014.
by Michael Strong on May.15, 2013
The 2014 XTS gets an optional twin turbo V6 that puts out 410 horsepower.
Cadillac is not content to leave well enough alone when it comes to its lineup. Now the XTS is benefitting from a new twin turbocharged V6 that is also available in the CTS. GM’s luxury division confirmed the engine will be available in the 2014 XTS and put out 410 horsepower.
The new engine was introduced at the New York Auto Show in March. At that time, Cadillac executives noted the 420 hp powerplant would be an option for the CTS. To achieve 410 hp in the XTS, the engine block is cast in a new way, stronger connecting rods, domed piston, a higher-than-usual 10.2-to-1 compression ratio and other features.
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Nineteen-inch wheels and Brembo front brakes are also standard. All-wheel drive is available. Pricing was not released, but the 2013 version starts at just under $45,000.
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Tags: CTS, Cadillac, Cadillac CTS, Cadillac XTS, GM luxury cars, TheDetroitBureau.com., XTS, general motors, gm, luxury cars, luxury sedans, michael strong, thedetroitbureau, twin turbo V6, twin turbo cts
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Maker producing sports car at new Ohio plant in 2015.
by Michael Strong on May.14, 2013
Honda announced today it will revive the Acura NSX.
Fans of the Acura NSX began rejoicing today as Honda announced it will spend $70 million to renovate one of its plants in Marysville, Ohio, to build the new NSX hybrid.
American Honda officials said the 184,000 square-foot plant, which will be named the Performance Manufacturing Center, should be up and running by 2015 and will employ 100 skilled trades employees recruited from the company’s Ohio operations. The Marysville site also builds Honda Accord and Acura TL sedans.
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“Thirty years ago, building cars in America was a big dream. Working together, here in Ohio and across North America we turned this dream into reality,” said Hidenobu Iwata, president & CEO of Honda of America and the head of Honda’s manufacturing operations in North America.
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Tags: Acura, Acura NSX, Honda sports car, Japanese automakers, Japanese sports car, Marysville Ohio Auto Plant, TheDetroitBureau.com., acura hybrid, acura sports car, american honda, honda, hybrid sports cars, michael strong, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Agency cites statistics from 100 countries with standard.
by Michael Strong on May.14, 2013
NHTSA is recommending a lower threshold for drunk driving saying the .05 standard will cut traffic deaths.
If federal accident investigators have their way, people are going to have to reassess just how many drinks they can have while out and about. On the group’s recommendation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advised states to cut their threshold for drunk driving from .08 blood alcohol content (BAC) level to .05.
“Alcohol-impaired deaths are not accidents, they are crimes,” Deborah Hersman, National Transportation Safety Board chair, said during a news conference in Washington in early February about the possible standard change. “They can and should be prevented. The tools exist. What is needed is the will.”
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The nearly 50% cut in BAC levels is the standard in more than 100 countries around the world. Traffic deaths related to alcohol usage dropped by half within 10 years of implementing the .05 BAC standard in Europe.
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Tags: BAC, NHTSA, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, TheDetroitBureau.com., blood alcohol content, drunk driving, drunk driving laws, michael strong, ntsb, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Detroit maker to sell cargo van in fall 2014.
by Michael Strong on May.14, 2013
The new Chevy City Express is based off Nissan's NV200 cargo van.
Once again, General Motors Co. is paring with another automaker to help the Detroit-based maker fill a need in its vehicle lineup. GM and Nissan announced today they have signed an agreement for Nissan to produce a small cargo vehicle that GM will sell in the United States and Canada.
However, the automaker recently completed a tie-up with PSA Peugeot Citroen to bolster its Opel subsidiary. GM has a long history of partnering with other companies to produce vehicles, including Suzuki, Toyota and others.
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This time around, GM will procure the vehicle from Nissan and distribute it through the Chevrolet dealer network. GM expects the Chevrolet City Express, based on the Nissan NV200, to be available for sale in the fall of 2014.
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Tags: Canada cargo vans, Chevy van, NV2000, TheDetroitBureau.com., U.S. cargo vans, auto company partnership, auto company tie-ups, cargo vans, city express, general motors, gm, michael strong, new cargo van, nissan, nissan van, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 3 Comments »
Report shows long-term trends are reversing.
by Michael Strong on May.14, 2013
Repossessions rose in the first quarter of 2013.
At the end of 2012, some industry observers predicted the trend of automotive delinquencies and repossessions dropping would reverse in 2013. It didn’t take long for those experts to be proven right.
Repossessions dropped to a 12-year low at the end of last year, according to Manheim Consulting, but the signs for bad news, or loans, were there. At that time, 60-day delinquencies were up slightly, from 0.72% during the fourth quarter of 2011 to 0.74% during the final three months of 2012.
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Experian Automotive today announced that automotive loan delinquency and repossession rates increased in Q1 2013. According to the latest State of Automotive Finance report, 30-day auto loan delinquencies rose 1.3%, 60-day delinquencies increased 12.4% and repossessions rose 16.9% when compared with the previous year.
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Tags: Experian, Manheim, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto loan delinquency, auto loan repossessions, car financing, car loans, michael strong, thedetroitbureau, truck financing, truck loans
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Campaign supports Jag’s new sports car.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.14, 2013
Jaguar is kicking off a new advertising campaign for the F-Type across a variety of media.
Jaguar is kicking off a new advertising campaign featuring its new F-Type that includes both television and a heavy dose of social media to help shape perceptions of Jag’s new sports car.
Dubbed “Your Turn,” the campaign supporting the launch of the all-new F-Type, Jaguar’s first new true sports car model in 50 years, which also represents a return to the company’s heartland, a two-seater, convertible sports car, focus on performance, agility and driver connection.
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“We have built on Jaguar’s sports car heritage which stretches over 75 years, and in the F-Type we have reignited the flame,” said Adrian Hallmark, global brand director of Jaguar.
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Tags: British luxury cars, British sports car, Jag, Jaguar ad campaign, Mindshare, TheDetroitBureau.com., advertising, automotive ads, automotive advertising, f-type, jaguar, jaguar f-type, jaguar sports car, l Joseph Szczesny, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
Second version looks to improve on shortcomings.
by Joseph Szczesny on May.14, 2013
The 2014 Acura ILX received a series of thorough upgrades from last year's model.
After Honda received a lukewarm response to its all-new Acura ILX last year, the Japanese maker elected to revise the luxury sports sedan again this year.
It marks the second time in as many years it has had to go back to the drawing board with a small car. It did the same with the Honda Civic.
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The second-edition Civic received rave reviews from critics when it came out. The company, which also disclosed it is planning a hybrid version of the compact sport sedan, is banking it can strike gold twice.
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Tags: Acura, Honda Civic, ILX, Japanese automakers, Japanese sedan, Japanese sport sedan, TheDetroitBureau.com., acura ILX, civic, compact sport sedan, honda, l Joseph Szczesny, sedan, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automobiles | 1 Comment »
