J.D. Power has released its 2009 Sales Satisfaction Index, and 29 of 38 brands improved their standing versus last year's numbers. The industry watchdogs at Power say that sales people improved the most over 2008, which isn't surprising given the fact that fewer vehicles are flying off dealer lots and every customer is a precious commodity. Even with the improved standing versus 2008, J.D. Power says that brands still lost 12% of sales on average due to poor service at the dealer level, a statistic that could have automakers cringing.

Jaguar took top luxury honors for the second straight year with an 898 index score, beating second place Cadillac by a scant five points. J.D. Power says Jaguar excels in both salesperson interactions and the handling of the dreaded financing/paperwork. The top five rounds out with Lexus, Mercedes Benz and Land Rover. Audi performed most poorly of any brand studied, while Infiniti and Volvo also fared poorly.

Mercury was the top non-luxury make with a score of 867, followed by Smart, Buick, Pontiac and Chevrolet. Mercury reportedly scored well on all five categories tested, though we're a bit puzzled how Mercury could beat Lincoln by four points in spite of the fact that the two makes usually share a common dealership. Japanese and Korean brand-dealers scored poorly in the survey as Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Kia and Mazda all scored below the industry average of 832.

General Motors and Ford dealers fared very well in the survey, with all of their brands except Lincoln coming in over the industry average. Chrysler brands, however, did not do as well, with all three makes falling under the industry Mendoza line. Mitsubishi was by far the worst dealership to deal with, with an industry-low 778 index score. Hit the jump to read over the J.D. Power press release and click on the gallery below to view the survey scores for both luxury and mass market offerings.



[Source: J.D. Power]

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We're guessing you've heard about Toyota's massive 3.8 million vehicle recall for unintended acceleration. It appears to be an issue that could have potentially resulted in several deaths and reports of hundreds of accidents. Consumer Reports wanted to dig deeper on the matter, studying National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data for the 2008 model year. CR chose 2008 because the claims occurred prior to the widespread media coverage that has resulted in a flood of new complaints.

In studying NHTSA's accumulated 5,916 reports CR found that 166 involved unintended acceleration complaints. Of those complaints, 47 came from Toyota and five from Lexus, representing 41 percent of overall unintended acceleration complaints. That's obviously a disproportionate amount of reports for an automaker with 16 percent of the US market's overall share. Here's one complaint logged by NHTSA.

"I felt the vehicle [2008 Lexus ES 350] increasing in speed to about 90 mph, without depressing the accelerator. I had been on cruise control at about 73 mph... [A] passenger screamed at me to slow down. I was unable to do so, even after stepping forcefully on the brakes."

While Toyota had a disproportionate amount of unintended acceleration claims, the Japanese automaker wasn't alone. Ford received an also high 36 overall complaints, or 28 percent of all U.S. models. The F-150 appears to have been one of the Blue Oval's main culprits, and complaints ranged from a gas pedal that was too wide to an engine that decided to go buck wild.

"The engine immediately increased in rpm to the point where the rear tires began spinning on the gravel. I put the transmission in Neutral and the engine rpm increased. I removed my foot from the brake and the engine continued at a very high rpm. I then depressed and released the accelerator and the engine returned to a normal idle."

While Toyota and Ford have the lion's share of unintended acceleration claims, other automakers have a disproportionately low amount of complaints. Chrysler came in with 11 complaints, GM had seven, Honda had five and Nissan had three. Head over to Consumer Reports for its full report and more information on unintended acceleration.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Consumer Reports has surveyed 380,000 subscribers to rank the most satisfied new car owners and a newcomer came in and dethroned the Toyota Prius. An amazing 92 percent of V8-powered Dodge Challenger owners said that they would definitely buy another Mopar pony car if they had the chance to do it all over again. That's a big-time win for Chrysler, as the Pentastar has been getting dinged badly in recent CR studies. Hybrids have been very popular in the satisfaction survey over the past few years, but the perennial champ Prius wasn't even the number one battery-assisted model. That honor goes to the new Ford Fusion Hybrid, which came in second overall with a 91 percent rating. The Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche 911 and Prius round out the top five. To make the top of the satisfaction list at least 80 percent of customers need to say that they would definitely buy the same vehicle again.

Detroit automakers substantially improved their standing in the annual survey versus last year, as nine percent of overall Motown models were at the top of the list. That's still down substantially against the 12 percent Asian automakers and 23 percent of European automakers scored in the top tier. While GM, Ford and Chrysler each found success at the top, each scoring a hit in the top five, two of the three automakers also filled out the entire bottom ten. Owners of the four cylinder Chrysler Sebring were the least satisfied among all surveyed. In all, GM had seven of the bottom ten while Chrysler had three unlovable losers. Head over to the Consumer Reports site for more details.



[Source: Consumer Reports]

The Dodge Dakota -- as we know it today -- will go away in 2011, but looking at current sales of the mid-size pickup, it may as well be dead already. Chrysler has only sold 10,000 Dakotas this year, with an anemic 663 units cleared in November. But while the Dakota is selling poorly (it's not helped by being too close in price to the much more capable Ram), it doesn't necessarily mean that the enigmatic pickup won't live on in another form.

Coinciding with earlier reports, the Detroit News says Chrysler is contemplating a unibody Dakota to replace the current model. A more fuel efficient car-based platform could yield better efficiency, especially when paired with a turbocharged four cylinder with direct injection. The car-based truck probably wouldn't be a hauler but it would still have a functional bed similar to the Honda Ridgeline, and AWD would likely be an available option. Fred Diaz, the new head of the Ram brand, told the DN that the Pentastar is looking both at Fiat and from within its own stable of vehicles for any platforms that could help make the unibody Dakota a possibility, adding, "The emphasis is going to be on getting a vehicle that is still true to the Ram brand image and also gets excellent miles per gallon rating and at an attractive price point." Chrysler was reportedly already working on a unibody Dakota when money troubles forced the idea to the back burner.

While we like the idea of a fuel efficient pickup that can do most of the things that a body on frame truck can do, we're wondering if the truck-buying public will embrace the idea. The best example of a unibody pickup, the Honda Ridgeline, has been anything but a massive commercial hit and midsize trucks are already a dying breed, with only five percent of the overall vehicle market. But if Chrysler wants to make Ram its own brand, we're guessing that the Pentastar's truck company is going to need more than one vehicle.

[Source: Detroit News]

Just about every time an automaker decides to sell one of its brands, Chinese automaker Geely comes up as one of the potential suitors. Geely executive Lawrence Ang has reportedly told Automotive News that the reason Geely has been present at a lot of negotiating tables is because it wants to grow in part through acquisitions. And while the Chinese automaker has yet to finalize any big-ticket buys, it appears to be the front-runner for Ford's Volvo unit.

Earlier in the year, Geely looked into purchasing the Saab brand, but talks reportedly broke down after Koenigsegg presented what appeared to be the winning bid. But now that Koenigsegg has dropped out of the Saab sweepstakes, the door is open again for Geely. Is the Chinese automaker interested? Ang reportedly gave reporters at a shareholder event the ambiguous "who knows?" as an answer, but he also acknowledged that the company is investigating buying opportunities which have presented themselves during the automotive industry downturns in Europe and the States. Geely is also reportedly interested in purchasing parts and engines, which could be possible if General Motors decides to disband Saab if an adequate bid doesn't present itself by year-end.

While Geely appears to be close to purchasing Volvo and is perhaps in a good position to pick up Saab for a song, the automaker is also looking to increase its presence in its home market. Automotive News is reporting that Geely will increase spending by up to 43% in hopes of increasing sales from 300,000 in 2009 to over 400,000 next year.

[Source: Automotive News – subs req'd | Image: AFP/Getty]

Just when we thought we were going to wait until the end of March to get our hands on Gran Turismo 5, our friends at Joystiq tell us that Polyphony Digital will release a demo version of hotly anticipated racing game on December 17. The demo will be available on the Playstation Network for download both in Europe and North America, giving long-patient fans a taste of what the full game will be like when it finally arrives in stores.

And as cool as it is that the demo arrives within two weeks time, even cooler is the fact that gamers will be given the opportunity to compete for some nifty prizes. All you have to do is post your best time trial by January 24, 2010. The best time from the U.S. and Canada wins a trip to the Indianapolis 500. A sweet prize, no doubt, but it doesn't come close to the top Euro prize. The best driver from select European countries gets to enter the GT Academy. After completing training the lucky skilled gamer will race in the European GT4 Cup in a non-virtual race-spec Nissan 370Z. How amazing is that?

It would be even better if GT5 actually shipped on December 17, but it looks like we won't be racing one of the world's best driving simulators until March at the earliest. Hit the jump to view a slick video that contains more information about the GT Academy.




[Source: Joystiq]

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It's safe to say that 2009 has been the most difficult year in the 101-year history of General Motors. But while most of the news coming out of GM has been tough to swallow, the Detroit, MI-based automaker has had one very good piece of news: its new products are faring well in the marketplace. And of all the new products GM brought to market this year, none has higher volume than its Theta-based crossovers built at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox and the GMC Terrain have been successful enough that The General has added a third shift, scheduled regular overtime for the rank and file and even spent $93 million on a new body shop to increase production capacity by 40,000 units per year.

But GM was spending big bucks and building very important vehicles at a plant that it jointly owned with partner Suzuki. Well, GM changed that last week when it announced that it was buying Suzuki's stake in the Canadian facility. GM has not disclosed the amount of money it paid to take over full interest of the facility, but we're guessing the total wasn't nearly as much as the cost of a new plant, which can cost over $1 billion. But while the news was good for GM and the people of Ingersoll, we're guessing the folks who work at closing plant in the U.S. aren't all that happy about this development. Hit the jump to read over GM's brief press release.



[Source: General Motors]

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Throughout most of the history of the US auto industry, the Detroit Three sat atop of the sales charts with General Motors claiming first, Ford in second and Chrysler placing third. In the past few years Toyota has clawed its way past Chrysler and then Ford, and now it appears that Honda too has now passed the Pentastar. Barring some miraculous (and we mean truly outstanding) development, Honda will officially overcome Chrysler to become the fourth largest automaker in the States. Honda holds a rather insurmountable 200,000 unit cushion against its competition from Auburn Hills, MI -- more vehicles than any automaker sold during the month of November. Speaking of November, Chrysler was the only major automaker to see a sales decline, down 18.5 percent with a mere 65,000 units sold. Honda fared better with over 74,000 products sold.

While Honda's victory on the sales charts is indisputable, neither automaker is making a big deal about it. A Honda exec reportedly told Automotive News that it only worries about it internal sales numbers and doesn't focus on ranks. Chrysler spokeswoman Kathy Graham told AN that the company is on the right track to improve its standing, adding, "We are taking the steps that are necessary to have a good foundation and to build consumer confidence." Graham also said that the company is expecting better results in the future on account of its increased advertising spending. If Chrysler doesn't reverse its sales slide, the next automaker to pass team Pentastar could be Nissan -- the Japanese automaker finished only 7,000 units behind Chrysler in November.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

During last year's holiday season Chrysler's rank and file were faced with extended holiday shutdowns. The reason was simple: Millions of Americans decided to stop buying vehicles due to the economic downturn. While the market is still down, auto sales have stabilized and the Pentastar isn't dealing with an outrageously bloated inventory, but Chrysler vehicles aren't flying off dealer lots. Chrysler was the only major automaker to see year over year sales down by double digits in November and the automaker's short-turn sales outlook is anything but rosy.

The Wall Street Journal reports that for the second straight year many Chrysler workers will be on extended shutdown during the holidays, with five plants taking three week leaves beginning December 21. Vehicles affected by production shutdowns include the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans, the Dodge Viper, Charger and Challenger, the Chrysler 300 and the Jeep Wrangler. Also under consideration for an extended layoff is the Dodge Ram. The Pentastar originally planned to shutter the plants for the typical ten-day holiday shutdown. To help combat continued slow sales Chrysler has increased its advertising budget.

[Source: Wall Streer Journal - sub. req'd]

When we first laid eyes on Infiniti's Essence concept at this year's Geneva Motor Show, we were, quite frankly, smitten by its voluptuous lines. We apparently weren't alone, as Infiniti exec Ben Poore has reportedly told Motor Trend that reaction to the concept was "phenomenal." When the Essence was unveiled, Infiniti told the audience at Geneva that the vehicle was concept-only and that future vehicles would be influenced by its stunning design. We were a bit disappointed by that news, because, of course, the world can never have too many stunning twin-turbo V6 hybrid coupes capable of a combined 592 brake horsepower.

But while we were let down by Infiniti's initial decision on Essence, we're at least encouraged by the fact that Poore recently told MT that that the concept is "only a show piece... for now." Could that mean that we could have a production vehicle based off of the Essence in the future? We hope so. Will it have a twin-turbo 3.7-liter V6 with a lithium-ion backed disc-shaped electric motor? Perhaps not, but we wouldn't exactly be disappointed if it did.




[Source: Motor Trend]