El Safwa

Filed under: Euro, Marketing/Advertising, Hatchbacks

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SEAT and Shakira have teamed up to raise funds for the singer's charity, the Fundación Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet Foundation), which raises money for Colombian children in need. SEAT is the primary sponsor of the European tour in support of her Oral Fixation record, and the automaker worked with Shakira to produce a one-off edition of the Leon Cupra hatchback called the Leon Pies Descalzos. Throughout the tour, there will be a concerted effort in several European markets to get fans and supporters to donate to the charity via SMS messaging or with a credit card through a dedicated website. On May 15th, one of the donors will win the Leon Pies Descalzos, which is customized with a purple finish and interior trim, black chrome wheels, two tone seating, and Pies Descalzos badging. At the unveiling of the car in Berlin, SEAT presented Shakira with a check for the retail value of the car to kick off the campaign.

As you'll see in the attached photo gallery, Shakira was probably the most casually-dressed person at the presser, but we'll let it slide. The sheer Abbey Road t-shirt she sported didn't seem to have anyone at the event -- including SEAT prez Erich Schmitt -- complaining...

Press release after the jump.

[Source: SEAT]

Continue reading Shakira goes barefootin' with SEAT

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Aftermarket, Gadgets, Euro, BMW

This particular nugget came from our sibling site Engadget, which reported on the "multimedia car radio of the future."

In conjunction with a few select partners, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing an entertainment system that will feature "built-in satellite radio and generous timeshifting functionality" too. It comes via a special antenna that will likely become a factory-installed option on certain vehicles. It's described as a "flattened mobile antenna integrated into the bodywork," that will pick up "Ku" band signals already used by communications satellites.

Obviously, using existing satellites makes this much cheaper and more feasible. The best bit, however, and the part that makes this different than current US satellite radio services, is that the service will include timeshifting. You know, just like TiVo. The ability to listen at a later time. It is likely that the service will feature a "cache or hard drive-based system" so listeners can pause or rewind broadcasts. Not a lot of other details right now, but word has it you might spot a prototype system mounted in a BMW if you happen to be near the Noordwijk Space Expo in the Netherlands.

[Source: Orbitcast via Engadget]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Earnings/Financials

So how exactly can a company with the heritage and scope of Ford Motor Company manage to lose $12.7 billion in one year? Or, for that matter, how could GM lose $10.6 billion last year? All while Toyota continues to soldier on, racking up profits and closing in on number one. Well, it's more involved than most people realize. Sure we can gripe about product and quality all day long, but as CNN tells us, there's a lot more to it than that. Using a report by the Detroit consulting firm of Harbour-Felax, they paint a pretty bleak picture for the domestics. Some of the numbers in the findings are staggering.

Domestics trail the Japanese by $2900 in per vehicle profit. The main reason there's such disparity is labor costs. Sure we've been hearing that line for a while, but check out the data supporting it. Health care alone accounts for $1,635 per vehicle for GM. That's how much they spend on every active AND retired worker. Toyota on the other hand doesn't have many retired workers, doesn't spend a dime on them, and only pays about $215 for health care for active workers. Add to that the $630 per vehicle GM spends on other union related costs like work rules, line relief and holiday pay, plus the $350 per vehicle pay UAW workers get for not working when plants are shut, and you start to see where part of the problem lies.

We highly recommend reading the whole fascinating story on the other side of the read link.

Thanks for the tip, Stedwoo!

[Source: CNN Money]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Videos, Supercars

Earlier this week, we were blessed with more information about the Melling Hellcat and how the original prototype has evolved into a 1,175 HP beast, befitting of its name. However, we'd never seen the man behind the machine talking about his creation, until we came across this video of Melling discussing his pride and joy. It's a short flick, but it gives credence to the old adage of a thin line between genius and insanity.

Click through for the video.

Continue reading VIDEO: Melling Hellcat concept

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Tech, BMW

When Automobile got their paws on a six-speed manual version of the M5, they were none too pleased that BMW's engineers wouldn't allow drivers to fully disable the traction control. At the time, we assumed that BMW's legal boffins pictured overly enthusiastic Americans, stomping the go pedal and promptly winding up in a ditch.

Not so, according to Car. The magazine learned that the M division had no way of controlling clutch plate actuation, which would normally quell the axle tramp caused by the V10's prodigious power delivery. Acceleration times would rise and drivetrain components' lifetimes would fall. Hence, the only conceivable solution was to make the DSC a permanent fixture within the Bimmer's brain.

Still, you can partly disable the system in M Dynamic mode within iDrive (if you dare), but that may not be enough for those who want to test the limits of adhesion of the 285s in the rear.

[Source: Car]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen

Motor Authority came across an article in XFN-Asia that says VW won the bidding contest for controlling stake of Malaysia's Proton. Although the report is light on details, it seems that a source who was privy to the deal confirmed that Volkswagen will be purchasing the required 51-percent of Proton's manufacturing arm and that an official statement will be released on February 8th.

If the source is to be trusted, that means that both GM and PSA Peugeot-Citroen were ousted from the runnings, which is little surprise, as VW has had a long standing relationship with the state-owned automaker.

[Source: Motor Authority]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: CES, Etc., Government/Legal, Volkswagen

Back in the summer of 2005 the headlines of international magazines and newspapers were peppered with a scandal that included bribery, sex, and corruption. No, Dallas wasn't making a comeback, it was automotive giant VW and the scandal involved 2.5 million dollars in payoffs to VW Works' Council Chief Klaus Volkert and another $500k to Volkert's Brazilian lover. Those payments were used between 1994 and 2005 to bankroll sexcapades and lavish trips to Brazil and Lisbon.

In the first of four trials linked to the elaborate scandal, former Chief of Personnel Peter Hartz has confessed to paying the bribes and will receive a suspended two year sentence and a $750,000 fine. Hartz insists he acted alone in arranging the trips, yet the VW management trials will continue later this year. We're sure VW executives can't wait for all of this negative press to end. Maybe a trip to South America will help to ease the pain. We kid.

[Source: Business Week]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Recalls/TSBs, Chevrolet

If you have a Chevy Cobalt built between 2005 and 2006 that doesn't have the optional roof-mounted side impact airbags, you could be getting a recall notice in the mail soon. Apparently Chevy (and presumably the NHTSA) discovered that there isn't sufficient padding to meet federal requirements in these vehicles, and unacceptable head injuries could result in a collision. Scary to think there's an acceptable amount of injury that would be tolerated, but anyway. As a fix, dealers will add "energy absorbing plastic" to the headliner trim to help soften the blow should your head strike the headliner in a crash. The recall affects 98,000 Cobalts on the road.

[Source: NHTSA via The Auto Channel]

Related Posts:

• Cobalt gets low crash test rating
• Reviewing a Cobalt reveals some surprises
• Chevy Cobalt sales on the rise
• 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt: In The Autoblog Garage Day 1

 

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