Filed under: Aftermarket, Hirings/Firings

A discrimination suit has been filed by a former executive of Irvine, California based Meguiar's Inc. Meguiar's is one of the leading car care product makers in the industry, and is led by founding family member, Barry Meguiar. Barry is the well-known host of the cable program Car Crazy, as well. One former exec seems to feel that being car crazy wasn't enough to keep his job, though.

Former COO Atticus O. Firey says he was fired over religion. Firey alleges that company president Barry Meguiar urged him to attend church and told him he was "robbing this company of the blessing of God by not being on your knees and on fire for Jesus." He had been with Meguiar's for nearly 10 years before being fired in July.

Meguiar's lawyer, Richard Ruben, responded to the suit by saying religion was not the motivation for Firey's firing. Ruben says that company management felt Firey's attitude and performance were less than adequate and decided to make the move because of it. "The company was suffering economically, and Mr. Firey was not showing up at the office and was only sporadically attending to his duties," Ruben said. He even described the lawsuit as a "publicity stunt."

[Source: L.A. Times, sub req]

 

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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: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Green

For those who don't read AutoblogGreen on a daily basis (shame on you), you may not be aware that Tesla Motors has officially announced it will be opening a Michigan Technical Center in Rochester Hills, MI where all development work for its next all-electric vehicle, a sedan codenamed Whitestar, will take place. Technically, however, the 2007 Tesla Roadster isn't scheduled to be delivered to customers until later this year, presumably because testing on it is still taking place. Testing like drifting the little EV Elise-clone around a frozen lake bed in winter. This video (1 of 3) was posted recently on YouTube by Tesla and shows some (eh hem) serious testing in the colder regions of northern Sweden. Click here to view the two other videos on AutoblogGreen.

[Source: Tesla, AutoblogGreen]

 

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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, Sports/GTs, Audi

Click the photo for more images of the ABT TT-R

Perhaps because of the more striking and rapid R8 in the corporate stable, it's kind of easy to be underwhelmed by the new Audi TT's 250 hp. We don't expect 420 hp like the baby Gallardo offers, but something a little closer maybe. Something in the 300 range perhaps. Well the folks at ABT have read our minds. With their newest offering, the Audi TT-R, they managed to boost horsepower to 355. That should be enough power to get this little speedster to 60 from naught in about 5.1 seconds. And the engine isn't the only thing to change from its trip to ABT. A two-tone body, a new rear spoiler, different 5-spoke wheels, a new sporty interior and Audi TT-R badging are all also part of the package.

[Source: ABT via EGM Car Tech]

 

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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: Convertibles, BMW

Winding Road's adding credence to the belief that the new M3 convertible coming from BMW will be a ragtop. As in cloth instead of a retractable hardtop, which seems to be de rigueur these days. Even though the 330i and 335i E92 platform mates have a retractable hardtop, the extra weight is considered anathema to the M Group philosophy. The extra 440 pounds of that folding top is a big sacrifice for the noise and safety benefits. So a soft top seems to be plausible. If a soft top is used, however, it will need to be pretty strong. The added speed promised from that new V8 is going to require extra work from the Bavarian engineers. If the cloth can't stay quiet and sealed at speed, another option apparently being considered is a carbon fiber version of the hardtop. Sounds expensive. But cool.

[Source: Winding Road]

 

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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, Ford, Earnings/Financials

It probably shouldn't come as a big surprise considering yesterday's announcement of the largest loss in company history, but Ford is about to close seven day-care centers at various plants in the U.S. The day-care facilities are located in Michigan, Missouri and Kentucky, and are jointly run by Ford and the UAW. These are the only seven "Family Service and Learning Centers" of the 29 nationally that provide day-care and the only ones that are affected. It looks like they will stay open until June and then parents will have to find other day care help. Nearly 900 kids will be affected. This probably means Ford won't see a repeat appearance on Working Mother Magazine's 100 Best Companies list.

[Source: Detroit Free Press via Jalopnik]

 

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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: Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Ford

Every company that produces a consumable product wants to make its mark during the Super Bowl with a sweet commercial. Automakers are no different, and you'll see plenty of spots during the big game from your favorite OEMs. Ford is planning on pushing its new 2008 Super-Duty pickup, and will be sponsoring the Super Bowl "Built Ford Tough Pre Kick" show on CBS. Three commercials are set to air, including two 15-second spots and one extended 60-second spot. We have the two short ones for you here, one of which shows the Super-Duty's new 6..4L twin-turbo Powerstroke diesel being assembled out of this air and the other showing off the truck's unique Tailgate Step. The longer commercial will show the whole truck and its susbsytems being assembled in a similar manner. All three spots were created by Ford's ad agency, JWT Detroit, and done using CAD-based engineering data on a computer. Hence, you won't see a finger print smudge anywhere during the commercials, as this was a totally hands-off production. Check out the Tail Gate spot after the jump and check back after the game when we'll have the 60-second spot posted.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford Super-Duty ads set for Super Bowl debut

 

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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: Motorsports, Government/Legal

Uh-oh. Little Al is in trouble again. AP is reporting that Al Unser Jr. is under arrest and facing DUI charges after leaving the scene of an accident on the Las Vegas Beltway. He was ID'd as the driver of a car that sideswiped another car around 11 Thursday morning. Unser's car didn't have much damage but the other car hit the center median. Neither driver reported any injuries.

Nevada Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Honea said Unser failed sobriety tests before they took him in. Among the charges Little Al faces are driving under the influence, misdemeanor hit and run, failure to render aid in an accident and failure to report an accident. Junior has had previous problems with alcohol and even went through treatment after the 2002 incident where he allegedly hit his girlfriend in the face.

Thanks for the tip, mavkato!

[Source: AP via Sports Illustrated]

 

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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: Coupes, Auction Action, Bentley

It's hard to believe that it's been almost 11 years since Evander Holyfield whooped Mike Tyson for his first of three heavyweight championships. Evander won the sweet-looking '97 Bentley Continental T shown above along with enough cash to fill the trunk of a Ford Five-Hundred from that fight.

This Bentley isn't just your run-of-the-mill super-luxury either. It's one of a select few coachbuilt Mulliner Park Ward editions. The listing says it's just one of two built (for the '97 model year, we presume). Jealous? No need to be. You can just fork over a cool $1 Million (or more) to make it your own. Now, while this is a nice car with a legit celebrity connection, that sounds like a ridiculous amount of money.

However, if you're still intrigued and you have the money to burn, there's more: Your million-dollar purchase also lets you travel to the Real Deal's 200 acre complex to meet the champ himself and take delivery from him personally. We're sure that if you're nice he'll even teach you some of his sweet dance moves. We'd recommend against a sparring session with him, though. That'd probably end badly for you.

Thanks to Mike G. for the tip.

[Source: eBay]

 

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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: Car Buying, SUVs, Ford, Mercury

Today Ford announced pricing for both of its redesigned compact sport utility vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape and 2008 Mercury Mariner. The Escape will start at $19,245, including $665 for destination charges, which is $740 less than the base price of the current model. The Mariner begins at $21,345, again including $665 for destination, which is $460 less than the current model. Across each lineup, Escape prices will drop an average of $1,100 and Mariner prices $1,300. The hybrid versions of each model will also see their prices drop. The Ford Escape Hybrid falls from $26,320 to $25,740, while the Mariner Hybrid drops from $28,615 to $26,430.

Obviously both the Escape and Mariner are all new for 2008, which means you're getting more for less if you've waited this long to buy either.

2008 Ford Escape: $19,245 (inc. $665 destination)
2008 Ford Escape XLT V6: $22,545
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: $25,740

2008 Mercury Mariner: $21,345
2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid: $26,430

Follow the jump for the official press releases distributed today for both vehicles.

Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Ford Escape.
Click here to see a gallery of the 2008 Mercury Mariner.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading 2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner priced below outgoing models

 

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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: Car Buying, Etc.

This isn't one of those "dealer takes innocent widow for all she has" stories. Nor another "Seattle dealer steals disabled man's cash and cars" post. Today's post is only slightly unsettling. This is a tale of a British Daihatsu dealer that helped a little old lady find a more practical and reliable vehicle for her motoring needs. Mrs. Margaret Hackett from Fenay Bridge, Nr Huddersfield, went with a friend to Cross Keys Garage, Morley, in Leeds to try to find a vehicle that would meet her current needs. Garage owner Anthony Dawson convinced her that a new Daihatsu Sirion 1.0 SE was the car for her.

Mrs. Hackett agreed and so Mr. Dawson arranged to deliver her new car and pick up her trades. Along with her 1999 Rover 400, a tow truck was dispatched to collect her late husband's project car - a 1935 Daimler Lanchester. Dramatic pause. A Daimler for a Daihatsu. In all fairness we don't have the details about the financial aspects of the transaction, but we do know that the Daimler wasn't in running order. It was a project that went unfinished when Mr. Hackett passed away. The engine in the Daimler had seized from sitting for 11 years, but after a new battery was fitted and a quick tune-up was completed, the hand crank managed to turn it over and it runs well now. Doesn't seem fair to us, but then again, we haven't been able to sample a new Daihatsu for years.

[Source: Daihatsu]

 

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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