The Viper will stay in the Chrysler family.
Chrysler Group said today that it is no longer trying to sell its Viper sports car business, which it put on the block last summer in an attempt to raise cash and stave off bankruptcy.
Industry-watchers had speculated in recent weeks that Chrysler’s new owners, Fiat of Italy, would opt to keep the hand-built super-car in its lineup, at least for the time being. That, and the fact that no viable buyer emerged, may have pushed Chrysler to hang on to the Viper.
That’s good news for fans of the distinctive growler, which, according to one press report, holds the unofficial sports car lap record at the Nurburgring course in Germany of 7 minutes, 22 seconds.
Viper sales slumped badly in 2007 but rebounded strongly last year after Dodge put a new 8.4 liter V-10 engine under the hood. Last year, Dodge sold 1,172 Vipers, which have a starting sticker price of around $88,500, although sales slumped 48% in the first half of this year amid a general collapse in auto sales.
“The Dodge Viper has successfully captured the hearts and imagination of performance enthusiasts around the globe,” said Mike Accavitti, head of Dodge. “We’re extremely proud that the ultimate American-built sports car with its world-class performance will live on as the iconic image leader for the Dodge brand.”
-- Martin Zimmerman
Photo: Chrysler Group
-- New Lexus IS convertible demand is outpacing supply. Lexus planned for 1,600 a month globally but sold 1,200 in first month in U.S. alone. Leftlanenews.com -- Engineers from Mercedes-Benz AMG are developing a plug-in electric version of the upcoming SLS supercar tentatively planned for production in 2015. Autoweek -- Previous rumors of GM changing blue logo to green are denied. Edmunds -- GM launches pilot program with EBay and will allow consumers to "bid on vehicles, including a predetermined buy-it-now price." Edmunds -- Shelby unveils Super Snake package on Ford Shelby GT500 that can produce up to 725 horsepower. Leftlanenews.com
-- Joni Gray
These days buying a used-vehicle is going to cost you more.
According to an article in Automotive News, the average wholesale price of a used vehicle in June was $10,167, which was the first time since 2008 that the monthly average price exceeded $10,000.
The chief economist at auto dealer auction house Manheim, Tom Webb, said that the wholesale used-vehicle price increases are a result of a shortage of vehicles at auto auctions in the beginning of 2009.
One industry analyst said the prices for used vehicles are rising due to “universally bad” causes: fewer retired rental cars and fewer trade-ins due to weak new-car sales.
For consumers, however, the higher prices could be an early sign of a perk in the economy. The strong price increases are also “universally good” because they give consumers more equity in their trade-ins, Webb said. Buyers and sellers of wholesale used vehicles are also benefiting from the rising prices.
Vehicles auctioned by dealers and those retired from rental fleets both declined more than 15% through June, Webb said.
"The changes, given the normal stability in this industry, were big," Webb said. "They definitely had an impact on pricing in the wholesale market."
-- Kelsey Ramos
Photo: Ken Hively, Los Angeles Times
Although your mind may be on other things, namely politics and the still-faltering economy, some people are thinking of summertime vacation and expensive cars. We like to combine the two.
The week of Aug. 9-16 is looking to be a busy one for lovers of expensive new and vintage automobiles. Hot on the heels of Porsche’s announcement of showing its new four-door Panamera at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, comes the news that Bentley will be showing its expensive new Grand Bentley, the replacement for the aging Arnage. The teaser photo the company provided is not enough to judge the design of the car, but by the looks of it, it will be a decidedly different Bentley.
Read more Grand Bentley and Aston Martin One-77 launch at Pebble Beach »
-- GM logo may go from blue to green in an effort to show consumers that it is leaner and greener. MSNBC -- Dealer closure battle rages as legislation is introduced that would "force Chrysler and GM to restore franchise agreements." Detroit News -- China passes the United States as the world's largest auto market in the first half of 2009 vehicle sales. Edmunds -- Study Shows L.A. as the most congested area for traffic with an average of 70 hours spent in traffic per commuter. Kickingtires.com -- GM officials pull a Camaro marketing video targeting gay consumers because it was "not appropriate and not in good taste." Autoblog -- Unveiled: 2010 Jaguar XJ flagship sedan. Leftlanenews.com
-- Joni Gray
The city of Los Angeles, not known for its good drivers, placed a distant eighth among cities with more than 1 million drivers in the "Allstate America's Best Drivers Report."
However, the more gentle folk tooling around Sioux Falls, S.D., are reveling in their superiority as safe drivers as they top the list for the fourth consecutive year. Also, Eugene, Ore., and Boise, Idaho, have broken into the national top 10.
So how are these places so different from L.A.? Dare we guess that their less-stressful lifestyle and the resulting lack of traffic jams in these charming, Willoughby-esque towns may give them a huge advantage in this contest of 'niceness' and aid in the resulting lack of collisions reported by the Allstate actuaries?
The rankings are based on in-depth analysis to determine the likelihood that drivers in America's 200 largest cities will experience a vehicle collision compared with the national average. A weighted average of the two-year numbers determined the annual percentages. The report defines an auto crash as any collision resulting in a property damage claim.
Nationwide city and overall rankings ...
Read more Surprise: Los Angeles does not rank as safest in driving report »
-- Delinquency rate on new car loans jumps to a record high, mainly due to job losses. Leftlanenews.com -- Solemn Michael Jackson motorcade includes Range Rovers and Rolls Royce Phantoms. Edmunds -- Google phone designers plot "The End of Driving" with what's being called the autonomobile concept. Autoblog -- Researchers study "personality traits" of cars and say each car has a "face." Detroit News -- General Motors pitches Chevrolet Camaro to gay men with beefcake video. USA Today -- Autoblog reader spies the next-gen Hyundai Sonata in Dubai. Autoblog -- Joni Gray
 Really, who doesn’t love a Porsche? If we had our druthers, it would be the only name plate in our personal livery. Porsche’s range of cars – the Boxster, Cayman, Cayenne and the ne plus ultra of the stable, the 911, have provided automotive awesomeness for generations and inspired many a film producer, lawyer and dentist to ecstatic heights. But, alas, as the song goes, you take the good, you take the bad, and, it’s a fact of life, that Porsche has had its fair share of derision of late. When the Boxster was first released, some skeptics claimed it was the reincarnation of the 914; it went on to become a bestseller. Same went for the Cayman, which critics complained was dumbing down the 911 range. It too went on to stellar sales. And the Cayenne, perhaps the most vilified Porsche ever released, even more so than the 928. Best. Selling. Porsche. That said, may we introduced the new Porsche, the Panamera, a four-door Gran Turismo model, that will make its North American public debut during Monterey’s Classic Car Week.
Read more Porsche Panamera at Pebble Beach »
-- Lawmakers say they plan to revisit the 'cash for clunkers' program in the fall to consider an extension beyond the $1 billion that is currently set aside. Leftlanenews.com
-- GM and Ford major parts supplier Lear files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. AP
-- Former Ford executive and architect of the Vietnam War Robert McNamara dies at 93. Autoweek / LAT
-- Honda confirms rumors that a new 2010 Accord called the Crosstour is coming this fall. Car and Driver
-- Mini set to launch a 60 mpg Cooper called the 'One D' in Europe: a diesel with regenerative braking and start-stop engine. Leftlanenews.com
-- Audi to begin an online pro-diesel movement with the motto "Diesel: It's no longer a dirty word." Wall Street Journal
-- Joni Gray
-- Chrysler's new board includes a former Michigan Governor and U.S. Congressman, but no representation from the United Auto Workers. Autoblog -- That muscular symbol of Americana, the Chevrolet Camaro, is headed to Europe in 2010. Leftlanenews.com -- Japan’s Nikkei reported Saturday that Toyota plans to build up to 30,000 plug-in hybrids by 2012. Leftlanenews.com -- A Facebook user and Alfa Romeo enthusiast has published in-factory spy photos of the Milano possibly slated for sale in the U.S. Carmagazine -- A Smart car "Cash for Clunkers" lease for $99/month sounds good, but
lessor beware, there's a $6,667 payment due after 36 months. Autoblog -- Not willing to wait three more weeks for "Cash for Clunkers" to take affect, Hyundai offers $4,500 incentive on trade-ins now. Leftlanenews.com -- New Navigation from Magellan Maestro 4700 touts 4.7-inch display and lane assist. Digitaltrends.com -- Joni Gray
 Our neighbors to the north are known for their impeccable manners, searing slapshots and driveways filled with General Motors sedans with bench seats and snow tires.
Not anymore.
For the first time in more than half a century, Canadians bought more Fords than GM vehicles last month.
Despite a market as weak as the one the U.S. is enduring, Ford dealers moved 27,408 cars and light trucks in Canada in June, according to numbers released today. That's a 24.6% increase compared with June of last year, a truly shocking result considering what has been happening to the auto business.
Bankrupt GM, which has been the sales leader in Canada since time immemorial, saw its June sales in the Great White North drop 31% on a year-over-year basis to 22,334 units.
Chrysler, the other bankrupt U.S. automaker, meanwhile suffered an even greater decline, selling just 9,211 vehicles in Canada, a nearly 59% drop compared with last year. It blamed a company-wide production shutdown that limited inventories.
Read more O Canada! Ford's No. 1 »
-- Camaro trounces Mustang and Challenger in June sales. Edmunds -- CEO Elon Musk says he's obligated to stay at Tesla until the Model S launch. Reuters -- Fiat is considering co-branding Dodge and Alfa Romeo when product comes to U.S. LeftLaneNews -- Mazda reportedly working on a smaller Miata: the MX-2 Roadster. Motor Authority -- Toyota has entered into talks with Daimler about a potential partnership. LeftLaneNews -- Joni Gray
The automotive market is a lot like the personal technology market -- if you really need to upgrade, you can snag something that’s super-cool, way different or just plain awesome. These, mind you, are all technical terms used in reviews of cellphones, bleeding-edge computers, hi-def LCD TVs and the new video game system of the moment, but they occasionally can be used in automotive journalism, too.
If silicon-based gadgets are to fly off the shelves, they had better be great, and the same goes for cars. That said, Volkswagen recently announced that last month it sold 19,027 units, an 18% decrease over June 2008 sales, but the drop was to be expected in today’s "new economy."
There is a bright side to those numbers. Ladies and gentleman, may I present Volkswagen's version of the Apple iPhone 3GS, the TDI turbo diesel line-up of cars.
Volkswagen's clean diesels posted their best sales month ever since their re-introduction to the American market earlier this year, with 5,072 units sold last month alone. That represents a whopping 26% of Volkswagen sales, which is an amazing number for American diesel sales, but not so much for Europe, where in some countries diesel sales hover around 60%.
Jetta SportWagen TDI sales lead the pack with 1,982 units sold in June. Clean-diesel TDI models, according to Volkswagen, accounted for 81% of Jetta SportWagen sales, 40% of Jetta sedan sales and 29% of Touareg sales.
We’ve driven all three models and have to say that compared with the anemic Toyota Prius, we’d take a torque-heavy and fuel-sipping TDI any day of the week over a gas-electric hybrid.
Perhaps Southern California will soon equate diesel with automobiles instead of overpriced, cheesy Euro denim.
-- Jon Alain Guzik
Guzik is editor-in-chief at DriverSide.com.
Photo credit: Volkswagen
-- General Motors must complete sale of "good assets" by July 10 or risk full government funding. Leftlanenews.com -- Hundreds of 2005-2008 Prius owners are using social networking to complain about defective HID headlights that Toyota won't cover. Autoblog -- The Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni is unveiled, named after its legendary, recently retired, test driver. Edmunds -- R.L. Polk study says states that vote Republican buy more American cars, and sates that vote Democratic buy more imports. Autoblog -- Joni Gray
 If you're planning a big driving trip this holiday weekend and you happen to be in the Los Angeles area near Hollywood Boulevard and Bronson Avenue, today's your lucky day -- between the hours of noon and 2 p.m., that is.
To promote its latest car-buying spiff, Hyundai is running a $1.49 gas promotion at one gas station in Los Angeles, one in New York and one in Chicago -- for two hours only. Because we aren't allowed to announce this until 11 a.m. today, your proximity to the location, or your willingness to use your existing tank of gas to travel there, will save you more than half the current cost of regular gasoline. Where?
Hollywood 76 gas station
5890 Hollywood Blvd. (southeast corner of Hollywood and Bronson)
Los Angeles, CA 90028 When?
Today, July 1, from noon to 2 p.m. How much?
Regular-grade gasoline: $1.49 a gallon (a savings of $1.58)
Mid-grade gasoline: $1.64 (a savings of $1.55)
Premium gasoline: $1.79 (a savings of $1.48) Why is Hyundai doing it?
What Hyundai hopes is that you will now be aware of its summer incentive program called Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock, which begins today and runs through Aug. 31. All new Hyundais purchased during that time qualify to receive a special credit card that Hyundai helps to pay at most major gas stations, keeping your regular gas prices at $1.49 a gallon for one year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first. John Krafcik, chief executive and president of Hyundai Motor America, is convinced that this promotion, in conjunction with other Hyundai programs, will help stimulate new car buying this summer. “Our research shows that nearly 40% of potential new car buyers are staying out of the market specifically due to uncertainty around future gas prices.” -- Joni Gray Photo credit: Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times
-- Obama administration/EPA approves California's bid to set its own tough standards for vehicle tailpipe emissions. Reuters
-- Popularity of "Transformers" movie creates bigger wait list for 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. Edmunds
-- Aston Martin teams up with Toyota to create a new baby luxury car -- the Cygnet. Edmunds
-- Consumer Reports takes a shot at the Honda Insight, ranks it 21 out of 22 vehicles tested. AutoBlog
-- "Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock: Buy a New Car, Get One Year of $1.49 Gas." Jalopnik
-- Another luxury car coming from Hyundai -- the Equus is U.S.-bound in 2010. LeftLaneNews.com
-- Joni Gray
-- GM offers to take on future product liability claims. LAT via AP
-- Jaguar and Land Rover will now sell in India. Edmunds
-- Confirmed -- four versions of Fiat 500 in the U.S. by 2011, including Abarth. Autoblog
-- RM launches its first online car auction. Autoblog
-- Photos leaked of the new Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2. Leftlanenews.com
-- Joni Gray
Like most forms of transportation in 2009, scooter sales are down this year after seeing their biggest sales ever in 2008. One in four on-road two-wheelers sold last year was a scooter, aided by $4-a-gallon gas and an economy that had yet to implode.
With gas a buck short of the scooter-buying tipping point and accessible credit an increasingly distant memory, scooter sales have declined more than other categories so far in 2009, but that isn’t stopping Honda from bringing two new models to the U.S. this summer, the first being the immensely practical SH150i.
I had the chance to spend a morning on Honda’s newest scoot, which was designed to appeal to new riders of all ages, about a quarter of whom are expected to be women. I’d say the SH150i has hit its mark with a user-friendly scooter that has enough juice off the line that it isn’t likely to be roadkill for surrounding four-wheeled traffic, even if its uppermost speed is only about 70 mph.
Lightweight and easy to throw around, the SH150i seems to have been designed to be as non-intimidating as possible. Its seat is a confidence-inspiring 30.9 inches, and its wheels are a stability-conscious 16 inches instead of the more characteristic 12- to 14-inchers found on most other mid-size scooters. The brakes are also responsive without being so powerful that new riders will get in trouble by over-braking.
Read more Europe's bestselling Honda SH150i scoots onto U.S. market »
As many potential car buyers across America take a break from impulse
buying, Rolls-Royce saw the opportunity to get people dreaming big -- err, virtually at least. With the
launch of their new RR4 model, named "The Ghost," RR put together
an online "dream machine" to give everyone a chance to create and customize the Rolls that best suits their discriminating taste.
And why not, since all of us are dreaming of driving something that costs
about as much as an ocean-view condo, med school tuition for two people, or, to
put it in perspective, 1,450 3GS iPhones?
The 200EX itself is an experimental car designed to carry over to the
production RR4 model, which will debut in Frankfurt, Germany, in
September. The Ghost is set to go on sale in North America in 2010. In the real world, this latest offering from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is far from a bargain at its
estimated price of $280,000 to $300,000 (which is still cheaper than the big
Phantom’s $382,000 price tag), but the interactive website gives
you some luxurious fun for absolutely no money.
As you tool around the site, you'll see features that simply don't exist on
more affordable vehicles: folding picnic tables for your backseat passengers
to enjoy a meal en route, a panoramic sunroof covering two-thirds of the roof,
and rear-hinged coach doors that swing open 83 degrees for a movie-star exit.
Read more Design your own $280,000 Rolls-Royce 'Ghost' »
-- Orion, Mich., assembly plant beats out the Janesville, Wis., and Spring Hill, Tenn., plants to build GM's next subcompact. Edmunds -- Tata Motors loses $520 million after purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover. Bloomberg
-- Michael Jackson's death could create a boom for memorabilia hunters and sellers. Edmunds -- Ford to boost production as sales stabilize. Leftlanenews.com -- Joni Gray
« Previous Posts
|
|
