Review: 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Convertible is just right Bridging the gap between the base Corvette and the track-focused Z06, the Grand Sport – unlike the aluminum chassis Z06 and ZR1 – is available in both coupe and convertible form, giving ‘Vette lovers another way to enjoy motoring al fresco.		Review: Moto Guzzi V7 Classic is an Italian beauty you can live with With the V7 Classic, Moto Guzzi has created the most Italian UJM ever. And while that might be a contradiction in terms, its blend of power and comfort can’t be denied.
	Grassroots Motorsports’ Tim Suddard picks ten future Japanese collector carsk What if future collector cars weren’t limited to American muscle or exotic Europeans? What if relatively cheap and reliable Japanese cars were the new must-haves at auction? GRM’s Tim Suddard lists off the top ten Japanese vehicles bound for collectors’ garages, and we weigh in with our own take on his picks.	Other news of import Penske walks away from Saturn deal, brand to “wind down” Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo concept ready to move your eco-friendly goods Revamped for 2010 Nissan Altima says hello, gets priced from $19,900 Officially Official: Fernando Alonso signs with Ferrari F1 for three years Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV comes with a plug, extra cocochi

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 9.30.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A statement by the Israeli military admitted the jeep ran into the youth but insisted it was an accident.

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Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Audi, BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GM, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Saturn, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo

Although auto industry money is a bit tight at the moment, in order to sell vehicles, automakers have to buy advertising. Lots of advertising, in big, expensive campaigns with high production values and creative that’s at the vanguard of style. Advertising agencies that can handle the needs of giant clientele with international brands are still happy to welcome automotive accounts through the doors.

Advertising Age has taken a look at the still-big auto advertising business and what fifteen assorted manufacturers drop on advertising per year. Landing one of these big vehicular fishes would surely make an account executive smile, though AdAge rightly posits that some of are sexier than others. Toyota spends the most at more than $800 million, with Ford coming in second at nearly $700 million. The biggest accounts don’t seem to be in any danger of having their deals come up for review, however, so it may be easier to poach someone who’s already looking, like Chrysler or Volvo. Hit the link for all the figures.

[Source: Advertising Age]

What’s Worth What? AdAge looks at values of automakers’ marketing accounts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Saturn

Saturn fans will be saddened to hear that the brand is about to be history. Penske Automotive Group (PAG) and General Motors have been in the final stages of negotiations to transfer the brand, but late this afternoon, both parties issued statements that Penske was walking away from the deal.

The reason cited by Penske for the deal’s demise is difficulty in securing a supply of product beyond the end of 2010. GM had agreed to continue supplying the Outlook, Aura and Vue until the end of next year, at which point Penske would get other automakers to produce vehicles to sell through the Saturn dealer network.

It was originally believed that Penske had a deal with Renault, possibly supplying vehicles from its South Korean subsidiary, Renault-Samsung Motors. However, the other automaker’s board of directors rejected the deal, leaving Penske out in the cold. In the wake of the news, GM announced that it would wind down Saturn and close all the dealerships. After Saturn dealers close, Saturn owners will be able to get service from other GM dealers. You can read the official statements from both Penske and GMchronicling the demise of Saturn after the jump.

[Sources: Penske Automotive Group, General Motors | Image Source: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Continue reading BREAKING: Penske walks away from Saturn deal, brand to “wind down”

BREAKING: Penske walks away from Saturn deal, brand to “wind down” originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Technology, Ford

PickupTrucks.com has snagged photos of a Ford F-150 powertrain prototype with a brand new engine under the hood. And if the rumors are to be believed, it’s the new 5.0-liter “Coyote” V8 due to debut in 2010.

The Coyote is thought to be a twin cam, four-valve per cylinder motor with an output of 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The new V8 will replace the long-in-the-tooth modular V8, joining the 6.8-liter V10 it’s derived from.

The 5.0-liter will be used in both the light duty F-series pickups and the Mustang, and it should be interesting to see if Ford markets the EcoBoost V6 in trucks against the V8 when they’re outputs are so similar.

Pickuptrucks.com also notes that one of the trucks was equipped with seven-bolt wheels, indicating a heavy duty payload version. This fits with comments made by Ford at the launch of the new F-150 last year, where Ford’s marketing people indicated that some buyers whose needs were on the edge of the Super Duty were actually moving down to the F-150 for lower cost and better fuel efficiency. A light duty truck with an enhanced payload would help bridge the gap to bigger trucks, giving buyers more options.

[Source: PickupTrucks]

Spy Shots: Ford’s new “Coyote” 5.0L V8 caught in F150 engine bay originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Government/Legal, Hyundai, Police/Emergency, Specialty, Luxury

By now, vehicles like the Genesis and Equus have convinced most of how far Hyundai’s come from bring the purveyors of punchline hatchbacks. But in case that wasn’t enough, Hyundai has dropped the bigger-than-the-average-bear Equus VL500 limousine on the home market. Still not enough? How about presidential-grade armored versions, then?

That’s precisely what Hyundai has built for Cheong Wa Dae, the seat of the South Korean president. Three of them were built and handed over to the Korean Presidential Security Service, and they’ll be used at the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to be held in South Korea next year. Few details have been released, but the trio of armored Hyundais are said to be capable of withstanding the blast of 15 kilograms of TNT, putting it around the sixth or seventh level of the police certification which Mercedes-Benz and BMW use for their armored vehicles. The armored Equus stretches may not measure up to President Obama’s Cadillac, but they are certainly a long way from the Getz, and they are apparently the nation’s first-ever homebuilt armored limos.

[Source: The Chosun Ilbo]

Trio of bulletproof presidential Hyundai Equus limos are first-ever armored stretches built in Korea originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Hatchback, Jaguar, Rumormill, Luxury

We’re not exactly sure when this trend will end, but it now looks like Jaguar is preparing to join the five-door coupe club. Inside Line is reporting that a compact hatch, similar to Audi’s new A5 Sportback, is in the works. An evolution of the R-D6 concept first shown back way in 2003, it is being called the RD7, and will feature rear suicide doors and an E-Type aping side-hinged rear hatch. Now that’s one heritage element that would definitely look cool, but might not be too practical – we’ll have to reserve judgment until we see the final product.

As Jaguar’s X-Type is finally being phased out overseas, the logic is that the Gaydon firm needs an entry-level model to compete in the compact premium segment. Apparently Jag is considering both a three-door and a five-door version of this X-Type replacement, which would most likely be built on a slimmed down XF platform. Power is rumored to come from a 2.7-liter diesel V6.

Whatever the final form of the RD7, we’ll have to wait a while to see it in showrooms. Next up for Jaguar is the spiritual successor to the XK-E, which is expected some time in 2011, the 50th anniversary of the original E-Type. Cash coming in from the popular XF and the recently revealed full-size XJ might help speed things up a bit, too.

[Source: Inside Line]

Rumormill: Jaguar working on all-new five-door “coupe” originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The US military commander in Iraq says American troops are being withdrawn faster than expected, as security improves.

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Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Fiat

On Thursday, Fiat is expected to put its John Hancock on a preliminary agreement to close its purchase of Carrozzeria Bertone, the coachbuilding arm of the Bertone company. In August Fiat won the right to acquire the builder, and it will throw €150 million at its operations over the next three years to return it to glory… or at the least allow it to begin producing new models.

Specific vehicles haven’t been mentioned, but when (if) the Bertone factory reopens in late 2011, it’s expected the production center will make the car that replaces the Euro-spec 300C. As a side note, that could be interesting because the European 300C is currently built by Magna, in Austria, and if Fiat brings production in-house that would mean more contract work taken from Opel’s new papa. Jeep knockdown kits could also be shipped over and built for European consumption.

The purchase gives Fiat no stake in Stile Bertone, the now independent design firm that brought out the Mantide, so don’t get your hopes up about wildly styled Chrysler supercars being built in northern Italy. Yet.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

REPORT: Fiat to close Bertone purchase this week originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Safety, Volvo

Volvo has publicly stated that it would like to eradicate accident-related injuries and deaths per year by the year 2020; an extraordinarily lofty goal that would obviously save countless lives. But in the next ten years, hundreds of thousands of drivers will die in traffic accidents in the U.S. alone, and Volvo feels that anti-distracted driving legislation passing through Washington right now could save quite a few.

To support the legislation, Volvo took out full-page ads in yesterday’s Washington Post and USA Today. Volvo points out in the ads that it has long been committed to avoiding distracted driving accidents, and safety tech like adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning are evidence of the Swedish automaker’s track record. The ads are purposely being run at the same time law makers, safety advocates, law enforcement and transportation officials converge in Washington for a distracted driving summit.

Volvo Cars North America President and CEO Doug Speck underscores his company’s commitment to distracted driving laws, stating the need for “reasonable laws that help focus a driver’s attention on the road will help reduce collisions, just as laws to enforce seat belt use have helped save lives.” And when Volvo is talking about distracted driving, it’s not just worried about text messaging and cell phones. The Swedish automaker also counts passengers, rubbernecking, driver fatigue, reading newspapers, books, and maps, adjusting the radio and looking at scenery as potential driving hazards.

We’re definitely with Volvo with the book reading and the rubbernecking, but we’ll take majestic scenery wherever we can get it. And if Volvo wants to eradicate map reading in the car, it can start by improving its own cloyingly contrived navigation system interface. Hit the jump to read the Volvo press release.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation

Volvo buys full-page ads to pledge support for distracted driving legislation originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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