Autoblog

Official: Toyota Camry lineup gets interior and tech updates one year in

Danny King — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST

When it debuted last year, the Toyota Camry came in for some criticism over its interior, most centered on material choices - both in quality (not enough) and variety (too much). Thus, Toyota has responded after just one model year, updating both materials and features on its gas-powered and hybrid family sedans for 2013.

The LE version appeared to get the lion's share of the improvements. Specifically, the LE is getting "soft-touch" door materials as well as armrests that match the rest of the interior color (instead of being black). The LE model also gets Toyota's six-inch display screen that helps folks get a better gander at the car's energy usage and fuel economy, among other things. Other changes include adding cross-traffic alert for models equipped with blind spot monitoring

Toyota introduced its latest version of the Camry and Camry Hybrid in the fall of 2011 as a 2012 model. Sales have been solid, and in particular, the Camry Hybrid has improved its fortunes, bumping its US sales almost fivefold to more than 45,000 units. So far in 2013, the latter has carried over much of that momentum, boosting January 2013 sales from a year earlier by 81 percent to 3,826 units.

Looking for more details? Toyota happily goes into a ton of detail on the interior improvements in the press release below.

Continue reading Toyota Camry lineup gets interior and tech updates one year in

Toyota Camry lineup gets interior and tech updates one year in originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Allstate adds 'Watch For Motorcycles' signs in more than 30 cities

Danny King — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:03:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Motorcycle

You might question whether a diamond-shaped yellow sign will make drivers keep an extra eye out for motorcyclists, but if it saves a life, who's to argue?

Insurance company Allstate has added "Watch for Motorcycles" signs at intersections in over 30 cities this year after studying which road markers may be most effective at helping prevent accidents.

One of the signs is in Baltimore, MD at the intersection of Pratt and President Streets, near the city's Inner Harbor. Baltimore is notable because in 2010, the average age of a motorcyclist killed in a traffic accident there was 37 years old, the youngest of any major city and five years below the U.S. average. Overall, almost half of U.S. motorcycle accidents occur at intersections when cars don't see or fail to yield to an oncoming bike.

Motorcycle fatalities have risen the last couple years despite total traffic deaths reaching the lowest point on record. An increase in alcohol-related crashes and untrained riders (higher gas prices got more people out of their cars) are given as the main reasons for the spike in motorcyclist deaths. You can read the complete press release below.

Continue reading Allstate adds 'Watch For Motorcycles' signs in more than 30 cities

Allstate adds 'Watch For Motorcycles' signs in more than 30 cities originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Jul 2012 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2013 Ford Fusion campaign will feature 'Idol's' Ryan Seacrest

Danny King — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:44:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Event Alert

Just when you thought you could get away from Ryan Seacrest...

The host of Fox's "American Idol" will be featured in an upcoming advertising campaign that will pitch the 2013 Ford Fusion.

Seacrest will help spearhead Ford's "Random Acts of Fusion," which will introduce the model to potential consumers across the country prior to its official debut. Ford will run the campaign through radio, broadcast, social media and Internet channels.

"Through this innovative approach, countless people will have an opportunity to take part in once-in-a-lifetime experiences with the Fusion before it even arrives in dealer showrooms," Ford said, and we're still trying to figure out exactly what that means, but that's the power of suggestion.

Ford has been an 'Idol' sponsor since Season 1 a decade ago, and its promos ever since have included providing the two 2008 finalists with new Ford Escape Hybrids, giving away an American Idol Edition Fusion Hybrid (complete with an in-car karaoke set-up) to a contest winner in 2009 and a 2010 promo that let Idol finalists design their own Ford Fiestas.

Last month marked the best May ever for the Fusion, which moved 26,857 units, up 8.9 percent from a year earlier. Through the first five months of the year, Ford sold more than 112,000 Fusions, making it Ford's second-most popular to its F-Series trucks.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Fusion campaign will feature 'Idol's' Ryan Seacrest

2013 Ford Fusion campaign will feature 'Idol's' Ryan Seacrest originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: New owners still struggling to secure rights to use Saab name

Danny King — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:32:00 EST

Filed under: China, Europe, Government/Legal, Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab

Not to state the obvious, but if you're going to buy an automaker, it's probably advisable to secure rights to use the name.

That's what the new owners of Saab are trying to work out after buying the iconic Swedish automaker earlier this month, Automotive News reports.

National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), the Chinese-Japanese conglomerate, acquired the company's physical assets, including its factory in Trollhättan, but didn't get rights to use the Saab name and logo. Truckmaker Scania and defense company Saab AB maintain the name and logo rights, and will need to sign off on NEVS using it, according to the publication. The parties are in discussions.

Saab, which made its first cars in 1947, was acquired out of bankruptcy earlier this month. The new ownership group, led by ex-Volvo Trucks chief Karl-Erling Trogen, is planning on turning the company into an electric vehicle maker and will likely start with a battery-electric powered 9-3 in 2014.

New owners still struggling to secure rights to use Saab name originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: CAFE standards upheld by U.S. appeals court

Danny King — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

No dice, partner.

Federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for 2012-16 were upheld this week by a U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., quashing efforts by certain industries and a number of states to overturn the mandate, The Detroit News reports.

The standards, which have been backed by the Obama Administration, require fleetwide fuel economy to reach 34.1 miles per gallon by 2016. The mandate, made in part to address evidence of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions, has been backed by most major automakers, including Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.

The Obama Administration is expected later this year to settle on CAFE standards proposed last year for 2025. That mandate requires a 54.5-miles-per-gallon CAFE standard, which equals about 40 miles per gallon in real-world terms.

Fleetwide new-car averages neared all-time highs of about 23 miles per gallon earlier this year, though they have fallen slightly during the past couple of months as gas prices have dropped.

CAFE standards upheld by U.S. appeals court originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Fisker loan spurs more questions from senators

Danny King — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:29:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Government/Legal, Fisker, Electric

Um, about that $337 million.

Fisker Automotive and its pending federal government loan has spurred a letter from two U.S. senators to Energy Secretary Steven Chu questioning the appropriateness of the loan, The Detroit News reports.

In their letter to Chu, senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) reportedly question the $529 million loan in part because of Qatar's ownership stake in the plug-in hybrid automaker. The senators also inquired about the loan earmarked for Fisker partner A123 Systems, the company whose batteries have been subject to a recall.

Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher tells The Detroit News that the company is staying out of politics and focusing on creating U.S. jobs. California-based Fisker was granted the loan in 2010 but has drawn down just $193 million to date.

Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera argues the loan was an appropriate part of the federal government's effort to help boost fleetwide fuel economy and said Fisker's delays are "common for start-ups," according to the report.

Last week, Fisker debuted its first national advertising campaign in a multi-page Wall Street Journal ad that included a statement from company founder Henrik Fisker proclaiming that the automaker has "set out to redefine and reshape how the world thinks about cars." Fisker also recently widened its European distribution network.

Upon securing the original loan grant, Fisker was slated to hire 2,000 people at a Delaware factory that was formerly run by General Motors. Production of the Fisker Atlantic shown above, which was originally scheduled to be produced at the Delaware plant, has been delayed until at least 2014.

Fisker loan spurs more questions from senators originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ford Taurus adds 32-mpg EcoBoost option for 2013

Danny King — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Ford

Smaller with engines, bigger with fuel economy.

That's what Ford is doing by adding its 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder to its Taurus lineup that the automaker says will give the model the best highway mileage of any large sedan.

On the strength of its EPA ratings, the new turbo four will beat out the Chevrolet Impala, Chrysler 300 and Toyota Avalon (non-hybrid) in highway fuel economy and deliver 26 miles per gallon combined. On the power front, the Valencia, Spain-assembled engine delivers 240 horses at 5,500 rpm and 270 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 revs.

Ford has also tweaked the Taurus' base 3.5-liter V6, adding 25 horsepower as well as one mile per gallon city and two miles per gallon highway for a rating of 19 city and 29 highway in front-wheel drive trim. The refreshed powerplant churns out 288 hp (@ 6,500 rpm) and 254 lb-ft (@ 4,000 rpm), where last year's model made do with 263/249. For comparison's sake, the 2012 model year Taurus 3.5-liter V6 was rated 28 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.

The 2.0-liter EcoBoost is quickly becoming ubiquitous in the Blue Oval's stables, as it's already slotted in vehicles including the Edge, Escape and Explorer, not to mention the Focus ST and Fusion.

Continue reading Ford Taurus adds 32-mpg EcoBoost option for 2013

Ford Taurus adds 32-mpg EcoBoost option for 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: NY Mayor suggests shaming bad drivers, posting pictures and names

Danny King — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal

Run a New York City red light holding a Super Big Gulp in one hand, and you could find yourself really hosed.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who recently and notably suggested banning the sale of super-sized soft drinks in the city, proposed posting pictures and names of drivers who run red lights and commit other traffic violations in the largest U.S. city, New York-based online publication Capital reported.

Bloomberg, speaking on a radio show, proposed that the city could "shame" traffic offenders in order to dissuade people from breaking laws, according to the publication.

The New York City government had proposed posting as many as 40 speed-monitoring cameras that could be used to levy fines on violators, Capital said. That bill was overturned by legislators in Albany, the state's capital. State approval is required for New York City to instill new methods of dishing out traffic fines.

New York City does have cameras at many intersections in order to catch people who run red lights or use bus lanes.

NY Mayor suggests shaming bad drivers, posting pictures and names originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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