Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Earnings/Financials

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It’s that time of the year again, kids. Manufacturers are busy trying to put people in cars in order to move leftover stock and make room for incoming models, and many are doing so with ridiculously low financing rates. But who’s the fairest of them all? As it turns out, that depends entirely on where you live. The crew over at Kicking Tires has compiled average loan interest rates from across the country and organized the data into the incredibly handy map you see above.

As it turns out, car buyers in places like Los Angeles and Las Vegas are getting the short end of the financial stick when it comes to their loans, with buyers dealing with 9.55 percent and 9.58 percent APR, respectively. Meanwhile, those in places like Oklahoma City are shouldering a much more reasonable 3.65 percent APR.

The Kicking Tires study is based on a $22,000 loan for 60 months, with 10 percent down. It also assumes a borrower with a credit score of 700 or better.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Who pays the highest auto loan interest rates in the country? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Chevrolet

General Motors will be expanding Chevrolet of Europe’s lineup by adding a five-door Cruze, and while we won’t get our first look at this new hatchback for a few weeks, GM has decided to preview it early with a few pictures on the web. Sure to be one of the major draws at the Paris Motor Show in just a few weeks, the liftback ought to compete nicely with the 2012 Ford Focus five-door, but don’t expect GM to offer the more functional Cruze in the United States. “Americans don’t like hatchbacks,” remember?

Much like the Aveo RS and Buick Regal GS from this year’s Detroit Auto Show, GM calls the Cruze hatchback a “show car,” but in this case, that means that it’s somewhere between the stages of concept and prototype. Don’t expect the body to change, but we can easily see the front LED light bar and larger wheels being scrapped for the sake of cost-cutting.

Chevrolet says it will begin selling the Cruze hatchback across Europe in mid-2011 and pricing will be announced closer to the model’s on-sale date. Follow the jump for the full details in GM’s press release. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe

Paris Preview: GM unveils Chevrolet Cruze hatchback for Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Safety, Ford

Ford’s second-generation Explorer has just cost the company $131 million. Despite the popularity of the seminal SUV, it’s had more than its fair share of legal scrapes regarding its rollover resistance. And while the Explorer/Firestone tire kerfuffle has long since exited the headlines, the Blue Oval continues to get its pocketbook dinged by the SUV. According to Autoblog sister site AOL Autos, this week, a jury in Jackson, Mississippi was to decide on possible punitive damages in the lawsuit over the death of Brian Cole, a promising baseball player headed for the New York Mets. Ford settled with the family over the matter of the 2001 rollover accident after a jury awarded $131 million in damages. Punitive damages were the next decision the jury was to consider before Ford settled.

Ford apparently disagrees with the blame placed on its vehicle, saying that the 22-year-old Cole was speeding and not wearing a seatbelt. Cole died from injuries sustained after being ejected from his Explorer during a rollover accident on a Florida highway. His cousin, Ryan Cole, survived the accident, which Ford attributes to the use of a seatbelt and the Explorer’s crash performance. While a settlement can be taken as a de facto acknowledgement of the Cole family’s claims that the Explorer is inherently unstable and its safety belts can fail in rollovers, the automaker maintains that it didn’t receive a fair trial, and settled to bring closure to the issue.

[Source: AOL Autos]

Ford settles $131m Explorer rollover case originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Toyota

If you want a job at Toyota’s still under construction Mississippi assembly plant, you’d better get in line. In fact, you’d best fill out an application post-haste, because the Japanese automaker reportedly received 9,600 applications in its first week. Anyone surprised? Americans want and need jobs, and they’re chomping at the bit for a chance to earn a steady income of $15 to $20 per hour.

According to Edmunds Auto Observer, applications came from 33 different states in the Union, with 8,000 of the applications originating from the state of Mississippi. David Copenhaver, vice president of administration at Toyota, reportedly told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger newspaper that the majority of the jobs will go to applicants who reside within 100 miles of the facility.

Nearly 10,000 applications in a week’s time is plenty impressive, but it’s not like they’re applying for a handful of jobs. Toyota is hiring approximately 1,350 hourly and 150 salary employees to build the Corolla, with the chance for an even larger workforce if the automaker decides to increase production down the road.

[Source: Edmunds Auto Observer]

Report: Toyota gets overwhelming response for new hires at Mississippi plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM

If you’ve been wondering what former General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson has been up to since getting the boot, The Detroit News has the skinny for you. Henderson is now headed to Sunoco to fill in as the company’s senior vice president, at least for now. The company is currently planning to spin off its SunCoke Energy arm during the first half of 2011, and when that happens, Henderson will become the subsidiary’s chairman and CEO.

SunCoke produces metallurgical coke used to manufacture steel. The company currently operates plants in Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, and is currently building a second, high-capacity facility in the Buckeye State. That plant, in Middleton, is slated to produce 550,000 tons of coke while at max capacity.

Coke is formed by super heating coal to bond carbon and ash. The process burns off contaminates like water and coal tar to create an energy-dense fuel. Byproducts of the process are typically used to generate electricity, as in the case with the Middleton plant.

Henderson, a long-time GM man, held the company’s reins for a short time starting in 2009, but was replaced with Ed Whitacre amidst concerns that the company’s turnaround wasn’t moving fast enough.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Joe Raedle/Getty]

Report: Former GM CEO Fritz Henderson to lead Sunoco spinoff originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Performance, Europe, BMW, Luxury

Occasionally, we find ourselves wondering why manufacturers continue to insist on testing their prototype vehicles at the infamous Nürburgring. Yes, the track is 13 miles of some of the most abusive variations in elevation and apex around, but it’s also flooded with legions of hungry spy photographers just waiting to publicize the carmakers’ latest efforts. You’d think they’d come up with a locale with a smidge more privacy.

But the truth is that the Nürburgring offers a unique combination of length, speed and legality that’s difficult to come across elsewhere in the world. Those three factors combine to allow engineers to push vehicles well past what the common buyer will ever experience, and sometimes, that means pushing a vehicle all the way to mechanical failure. We aren’t exactly sure what caused this particular BMW M5 mule to go lame, but we’re guessing that the testing was well worth what was bound to be the mountain of paperwork facing these guys when they get back to the office.

At least the X5 seems to be up to the task of pulling its sportier brother around.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: BMW M5 prototype gets towed off the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Technology, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz and its partners at Hughes Telematics have released an updated version of its Mbrace app for the iPhone, and 2.0 brings along a new line of location-based services.

In addition to the usual array of safety and convenience features (locking and unlocking doors, finding the Benz in a parking lot, etc.), the app now includes Mercedes-Benz’ Concierge service which can pull down everything from driving directions and traffic updates to movie times and restaurant listings and then ports them directly into the navigation system. The Roadside Assistance program has also undergone a rework and Mbrace Plus subscribers can download it now from the App Store. Full details in the press blast below the fold.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz updates Mbrace app with ‘Concierge’ service

Mercedes-Benz updates Mbrace app with ‘Concierge’ service originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Chrysler, Fiat

We’ve been anxiously awaiting the availability of Fiat’s 500 bubble bauble in the States for so long that we’re beginning to feel like we’re waiting for Godot and that the four-wheeled confection will never actually arrive at all.

But there appears to be hope on the horizon.

Earlier this week, Chrysler hosted hundreds of potential dealers at its Auburn Hills, MI headquarters as it is working to pull together a network, and it’s understood that the automaker wants to sell 50,000 units per year through 165 dealers. While we think the Cinquecento is small and cuddly enough to pop out of a few strategically placed vending machines, Fiat will definitely need a cohesive countrywide network to sell its planned full lineup of vehicles. So where are they thinking about planting their flags? Fan site 500Freaks.com thinks they know, as they indicate they’ve gotten hold of a Chrysler-provided list of the best minicar markets in America.

Predictably, certain states like California and New York have an abundance of cities listed, while some states only have one, and others aren’t represented at all. Click on the link below to see if your city of choice is on Chrysler’s preliminary list. Appreciate the lead, Mike G!

[Source: 500Freaks]

Cities under consideration for Fiat 500 sales outlets listed? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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	Tesla Roadster eligible for $38,000 clean energy rebate in Japan Not a bad discount, right?		GM says Chevy Cruze Eco with an automatic will hit 36 mpg highway This slushbox won’t hurt too bad at the pump.
	Coda will sell electric sedan in Hawaii in late 2011 The line is forming that-a-way.	Other news: Donnie Bowles scores first win in propane-powered Roush Mustang Motive doesn’t Bogart cannabis car info, passes us more details Mazda’s “uniquely engineered” Sky engines will offer best-in-class fuel efficiency

AutoblogGreen for 09.03.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Crossover, Dodge, Ford

The SUV is dead. Long live the SUV!

The 2011 Dodge Durango and Ford Explorer are big departures from the models that they replace. Aside from the usual styling and refinement differences, the biggest changes for these vehicle are that they both ditch the traditional body-on-frame sport-utility vehicle DNA in favor of unibody constructions. By our definition, these once-SUVs are now CUVs, though their respective parent companies continue to brand them as being traditional sport-utes through and through.

Both the Durango and Explorer offer available seating for seven and all-wheel drive, but that’s where the similarities start to taper off. Each vehicle offers a choice of two different powertrains, but while Dodge has opted to go a more traditional route with by fielding the Durango with both 3.6-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 engines, Ford has gone in the opposite direction by equipping the Explorer with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost inline-four and a 3.5-liter V6. There are pros and cons for each – the Explorer may prove to be more fuel-efficient, but the Durango ought to tow more.

Each of these new crossovers tries to stay true to the traditional SUV mindset, just in different directions. Ford’s Terrain Management system will surely come in handy for people who need more off-road prowess, though the end result remains that the Explorer is arguably more of a tall wagon than an honest SUV. The Durango keeps things a bit more and has a strong, presence that we suspect will still be well-received by people who prefer honest-to-goodness sport-utility vehicles.

We could debate the pros and cons of each vehicle all day, and indeed, we’re still waiting for the Full Monty-worth of details and specifications, but we still want to know: What do you think? If you had to choose either the Explorer or Durango, which would get your pick? Cast your vote in the poll below and be sure to sound off with your thoughts in Comments.

View Poll

Poll: 2011 Ford Explorer vs. 2011 Dodge Durango – What’s your pick? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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