Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Picture of the Day: Home of the Taurus finally torn down]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/11/picture-of-the-day-home-of-the-taurus-finally-torn-down/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/11/picture-of-the-day-home-of-the-taurus-finally-torn-down/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/03/11/picture-of-the-day-home-of-the-taurus-finally-torn-down/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Ford assembly plant in Hapeville, Georgia - Click above to enlarge

Ford's assembly plant in Hapeville, Georgia stopped producing the last generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable back in late 2006. At that time, Ford had long since ceased selling the Taurus to the general public, as the last remaining units went directly into fleet service.

Autoblog reader Drachen sent us these images recently of the Hapeville plant that produced the original Taurus, or rather, what's left of it. The site was purchased by Jacoby Development in June 2008 and demolition of its buildings began last August. On February 12 they tore down the final standing structure, which happened to be the main assembly building. Commuters on nearby I-75 had driven past the building countless times and seen the large blue oval and "Atlanta Assembly - World Acclaimed Home of Ford Taurus & Mercury Sable" on its side.

Times have changed. The Taurus name was resurrected a couple of years ago to replace the Five Hundred moniker on Ford's large sedan, which has been significantly redesigned for the 2010 model year. That car, however, will obviously not be built in the 60-year-old plant that proudly pieced together the last model, but rather Ford's Chicago Assembly plant.


Gallery: Demolition of Ford Atlanta Assembly plant

Picture of the Day: Home of the Taurus finally torn down originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atlanta assemblyAtlantaAssemblyfordford taurusFordTaurusgeorgiahapevillemercurymercury sableMercurySablepicture of the dayPictureOfTheDayWed, 11 Mar 2009 15:32:00 EST<![CDATA[Spy Shots: 2010 Kia Sorento]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/11/spy-shots-2010-kia-sorento/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/11/spy-shots-2010-kia-sorento/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/11/spy-shots-2010-kia-sorento/#commentsFiled under: ,

Not due to go on sale until next year, the 2010 Kia Sorento has been spied and photographed, by an Autoweek.nl reader. While the two pics don't reveal much, the front end bears more than a striking resemblance to the Kia KND-4 concept from the 2007 Seoul Motor Show. Unlike the current Kia Sorento, currently built on a body-on-frame platform, the next Sorento will share a unibody platform with the Hyundai Santa Fe. Engine choices are only speculative, but we're betting the Sorento will receive either 3.3-liter or 3.8-liter V6 powerplant options. The next-gen Sorento is scheduled to start production in Kia's new plant in West Point, Georgia, in 2009.

[Source: TheCarBlogger]

Spy Shots: 2010 Kia Sorento originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2010 Kia Sorento2010KiaSorentoGeorgiaKia SorentoKiaSorentospy picspy picsSpyPicSpyPicsUnibody KiaUnibodyKiaWest PointWestPointFri, 11 Jul 2008 08:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Maximum Burt: celebrating the acme of manliness at the Burt-a-thon]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/17/maximum-burt-celebrating-the-acme-of-manliness-at-the-burt-a-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/17/maximum-burt-celebrating-the-acme-of-manliness-at-the-burt-a-th/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/17/maximum-burt-celebrating-the-acme-of-manliness-at-the-burt-a-th/#commentsFiled under:

Guys, if you look a little more hairy and feel a bit more manly at 8:45 PM August 14, don't be alarmed. That's when the 2007 Rolling Roadshow Tour Burt-a-Thon begins in Atlanta, Georgia "celebrating the manliest being in human history." Gruff-voiced festivities will begin with a drive-in triple feature of Smokey and the Bandit, Sharky's Machine and White Lightning. The next day features an actual competitive scavenger hunt from Atlanta to Texarkana, ending at another drive-in screening of the film and refreshment provided by a semi trailer full of Coors. The two most incredible things about the festival, however, are that the grand prize in the scavenger hunt is "an actual 70's era Pontiac Firebird," and that there's a picture of Burt Reynolds on the web site... naked. If you're in the Southeast, and you appreciate real men, sign up now. If you go VIP, you'll even get a free mustache.

Thanks for the tip, Mehugtree!

[Source: Original Alamo]

Maximum Burt: celebrating the acme of manliness at the Burt-a-thon originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>atlantaburt reynoldsburt-a-thonBurtReynoldsgeorgiasmokey and the banditSmokeyAndTheBandittexarkanaTue, 17 Jul 2007 14:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Supreme Court rules that police can chase, even if it endangers lives]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/01/supreme-court-rules-that-police-can-chase-even-if-it-endangers/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/01/supreme-court-rules-that-police-can-chase-even-if-it-endangers/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/05/01/supreme-court-rules-that-police-can-chase-even-if-it-endangers/#commentsFiled under: ,

Common sense dictates that if you run from the police, it will end badly. In our oft-litigious society, suing as a means to evade responsibility is a popular option. In 2001, 19-year-old Victor Harris engaged Coweta County deputy sheriff Timothy Scott in a dangerous chase on rain-slicked roads. To end the chase, deputy Scott rammed Harris's car, which then crashed down an embankment. Mr. Harris was left a quadriplegic from the injuries sustained in the wreck, and subsequently sued on the contention that the sheriff used unreasonable deadly force.

The case made its way to the Supreme Court, which ruled 8-1 against Harris's claim. Lower courts had ruled in favor of Harris, but the Supreme Court overturned that opinion. The reasoning for the decision was that while police chases are dangerous, doing away with them ensures perpetrators a means of escape by merely driving erratically at high speed. Either way, there'll still be someone running from police, endangering other innocent bystanders. While the outcome of Mr. Harris's chase is tragic, it doesn't change the fact that instead of stopping and accepting a citation for travelling 73 mph in a 55 zone, he chose to run. It's terrible that someone so young will have to live out the rest of his days with paralysis, but that could have been prevented by a more thorough examination of the consequences at the time he attempted to evade the law. The most damning bit of evidence was the video of the chase, which shows how reckless Mr. Harris really was, and likely led to the near-unanimous decision from the court.

[Source: NYTimes]


Supreme Court rules that police can chase, even if it endangers lives originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 May 2007 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>4th amendment4th amendment rights4thAmendment4thAmendmentRightschaseconstitutionalgeorgiaPITpolice chasePoliceChasespeedingsupreme courtSupremeCourtvictor harrisVictorHarrisvideoTue, 01 May 2007 13:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Rampaging driver takes a ride inside GA mall]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/08/rampaging-driver-takes-a-ride-inside-ga-mall/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/08/rampaging-driver-takes-a-ride-inside-ga-mall/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/03/08/rampaging-driver-takes-a-ride-inside-ga-mall/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Road rage hits the shopping mall. Augusta police have one Stephen Scott Lowe in custody following a pursuit through the Augusta Mall in Georgia. Apparently Lowe drove his SUV through some locked doors at one end of the mall, and in his best Blues Brothers impression had police pursuing him as he drove along the second floor. After breaking through another set of doors leading into the food court area, he was boxed in by officers and had a brief altercation with them before being subdued with pepper spray and a well-placed baton. The 47-year old suspect was arrested and charged with criminal damage to property in the first degree, felony obstruction of a law enforcement officer and driving under the influence. Under the influence of what remains to be seen. No word yet on why he hated the mall so much or what the voices in his head had told him to buy at that late hour. Perhaps someone in the food court had cut him off or stole his parking space.

[Source: Augusta Chronicle]

Rampaging driver takes a ride inside GA mall originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Augusta MallAugustaMallBlues BrothersBluesBrothersGeorgiaroad rageRoadRageStephen Scott LoweStephenScottLoweThu, 08 Mar 2007 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Maserati follows Ferrari, opens North American school]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/26/maserati-follows-ferrari-and-opens-north-american-school/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/26/maserati-follows-ferrari-and-opens-north-american-school/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/26/maserati-follows-ferrari-and-opens-north-american-school/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Remember in February when we reported Ferrari opening a driving school in Canada? Now 'sibling' Maserati (both manufacturers are owned by Fiat) is opening a school as well, but located a little bit south in the Red, White and Blue.

Luxist, our own sibling, reports that the Master Maserati North America Driving School opens its doors at the Road Atlanta racetrack in Georgia next month. The student body of 18 will have their choice of driving the Coupe, GranSport and Quattroporte. The cost is $1,800 for a one-day session while the two-day course costs $3,400. The latter includes dinner and a stay at the Chateau Elan Inn and Resort. Fancy.

[Source: Maserati America via Luxist]

Maserati follows Ferrari, opens North American school originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Apr 2006 19:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Atlantadriving schoolDrivingSchoolGeorgiaWed, 26 Apr 2006 19:50:00 EST<![CDATA[Georgia's peach of an offer to secure Kia plant draws criticism]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/16/georgias-peach-of-an-offer-used-to-secure-kia-plant-under-criti/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/16/georgias-peach-of-an-offer-used-to-secure-kia-plant-under-criti/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/03/16/georgias-peach-of-an-offer-used-to-secure-kia-plant-under-criti/#commentsFiled under:

Korean automaker made headlines this week by announcing it had selected Georgia as the home state for its first-ever North American plant. The new facility will mean up to 2,500 jobs for the area.

But as with virtually every big contract landed like this, there's a story behind the fight to be the winning locale. ABC News tracked down the story behind the political dance between the automaker and local and state officials.

In the end, local and state government handed Kia about $400 million in incentives- around $160,000 for each job that the plant is expected to bring to Georgia.

As job creation is likely to be among the key issues in this year's gubernatorial election, sitting Governor Sonny Perdue is drawing accusations of politically-motivated corporate welfare.

Click through to read more about the Kia situation, as well as further details on the contentious debate surrounding business incentives.

[Source: ABC News]

Georgia's peach of an offer to secure Kia plant draws criticism originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Corporate WelfareCorporateWelfareFactoryGeorgiaKiaPlantThu, 16 Mar 2006 11:30:00 EST