Autoblog

Automotive research site Edmunds.com has taken a cue from the popularity of fantasy sports and applied it to what the site knows best: car sales. It has created what it calls the Car Stock Exchange, or CSX – an online game where members can buy and sell stock in upcoming automobiles, which is valued based on predicting the sales of particular models in the U.S. The money used in CSX exists only in the virtual world and new members receive $1,000,000 in funny money for joining. A stock price of CSX$1 equates to 1,000 units of predicted sales. Users can buy stock in vehicles, like the 2008 Smart fortwo or 2008 BMW M3, that they believe have a price below what the actual market sales numbers will illustrate. Stock can also be sold if the price increases beyond one's expectations. Currently the range of vehicle stocks available is not very wide, but IPO release dates are scheduled for more stock choices. The market software has a plethora of complex features, but the key feature of note is the prize giveaway. Yay, prizes! Each month the member with the highest percentage gain receives a reward, and a Nintendo Wii is on the line for the month of March. Edmunds gets points for a clever and original idea, and we've signed up hoping that our lunch hour will soon be supplanted by bouts of Wii Bowling. Thanks for the tip The Terrible Pig!

[Source: Edmunds.com]

Each month, 13 million visitors use Edmunds to research cars and trucks, and once again Honda and Toyota dominate the site's list of top searches. The Honda Civic and Accord along with the Toyota Camry lead the hit parade, followed by six other Japanese models and the BMW 3-Series. The two Japanese juggernauts also owned the top truck searches, with the fuel efficient Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 taking first and second, respectively. The only other automaker to crack the truck/SUV/minivan category was GM, with the GMC Acadia coming in at number five, and the Saturn VUE rounding out the top ten.

It's interesting to note that the vehicles car shoppers research most aren't exactly the the ones that produce the highest sales volume, as evidenced by the Mazda3 besting the economy car sales champ Toyota Corolla by three spots. Also worth noting is that automotive stalwarts have a much larger presence on Edmunds than do new models like the Chevy Malibu or the Cadillac CTS. To check out the complete car and truck top ten from Edmunds AutoObserver, click the read link below.

[Source: AutoObserver]

It's nice to know that people read your blog, and it seems that this information can be learned at the oddest of times. Edmunds blogger and editor in chief, Karl Brauer, discovered that the police read his blog, and that the information written within Karl's sacred place of rambling was used against him in a court of law. Brauer was pulled over for speeding in Ventura County, and like any good scribe, he mentioned as much in his blog. Unfortunately, the officer is also a reader, and the policeman highlighted the damning evidence and presented it to the judge. It didn't really matter if the officer had the blog as his smoking gun, as any "good" judge will side with the police far more often than not.

In the end, Brauer lost his case and paid the fine. So how did he win? Well, Brauer was told by the officer that any time someone fights the ticket in court, the officer gets paid for overtime (a common practice in most cities) and any money from the ticket is used for court fees. In Brauer's mind, and in ours, that means when anyone fights a ticket in court, the government doesn't profit from turning police officers into revenue. We guess that's a win, except that when you go to court you still have to pay for the ticket, while at the same time you're likely losing more money by taking time off of work. At least you're sticking it to the man while also sticking it to yourself.

[Source: Edmunds]

At first blush, the Altima coupe sounds like a Japanese Monte Carlo -- firmly midsized, front drive, fast roofline -- but that's where the similarities end. Inside Line put an Altima coupe with the lusty 270 HP V6 under the microscope and proclaimed it the best of the field. While the performance figures and spec sheet may reflect solid numbers that don't necessarily best the competition, there are some cars that have a je ne sais quoi that defies measurement. The Inside Line folks laid down the clipboard on the passenger seat and discovered that the Altima Coupe experience is more about how the whole of the machine works. It sounds to us like the Altima is channelling the G37, and thusly, it outclasses its peers.

Thanks for the tip, Mehdi!

[Source: Inside Line]

The next-generation Audi A4 doesn't come out for another model year, but the folks at KGP Photography are doing their best to get shots of Audi's best-selling vehicle in the wild. The KGP crew got something, but it wasn't a whole lot, as it looked more like an Enterprise commercial than a spy shot. We can see, however, that the basic shape of the vehicle is a lot like the current-generation model (surprise), but we expect the front and rear to get a more sculpted shape.

Audi is in a big hurry to become the biggest luxury manufacturer on the planet, and an outstanding execution of the A4 is key to its success. We do have to give kudos go out to the folks at Audi, for coming up with an interesting new way to cover up a pre-production model. Very stealthy.

[Source: Straightline]

This is what we're truly all waiting for – someone to get their hands on the best-of-the-best pickups for 2007 and stage a knock down, drag out comparison test with the new 2007 Toyota Tundra. Well, Edmunds has come closest by being the first to compare the new Tundra with a 2007 Chevy Silverado and an '07 Nissan Titan. While we really want to see a Tundra vs. Silverado vs. F-150 vs. Ram match, we'll take what we can get.
Much to our surprise after seeing the Tundra in person at the Detroit Auto Show, Edmunds chose it as the winner of its half-ton comparison test by a slim margin over the Silverado. The Edmunds editors seemed to like the Tundra's styling and love its 381-hp 5.7L V8, but like us were not impressed with the interior. The Silverado, meanwhile, was impressive in all areas except for drivetrain. It's 6.0L V8 was less powerful than the Tundra's motor, and a trip to the dyno revealed a quirky fuel management trick that hampers the Silverado's power delivery for four seconds when the throttle is mashed. Only after four-seconds of full-throttle has elapsed does the Silverado produce its advertised power numbers. As it turns out, the fact that the Tundra's big motor and slick six-speed could haul it to 60 mph in only 6.3 seconds was the ultimate deciding factor. Toyota's big T just brought more power to the table.

The three year-old Titan never stood a chance and brought up the rear.

Do we agree with Edmunds? Having never driven the Tundra, it's hard to say. We're convinced at this point that the Tundra's mechanicals aren't as beefy as the domestics', but its engine is a force to be reckoned with. However, we were so disappointed with the interior design and fit and finish of the Tundra we saw in Detroit, that we'd still probably pick the Silverado in this instance.

Click the read link to review the comparo and also see a video of it produced by Edmunds.

[Source: Edmunds]

Every year, the Edmunds staff creates a list of Most Wanted vehicles. Typically, at the top of the list sits what the staff proclaims as "Most Significant Vehicle of the Year." For 2007, this honor is bestowed upon the 2007 Toyota Tundra. Now, look past the whole list, which can be found after the jump, and check out the site's analysis of Toyota's full-size truck evolution. There is no question that the Tundra is aimed squarely at the Big Three's domination of the full size market, especially in comparison to the current Tundra, and dare we even bring up the long dead T100.

It's hard to argue with Edmunds' conclusion, the new Tundra might turn out to be the most significant vehicle of 2007. Not that it's anything special in and of itself, but because everyone will be watching how the market reacts to it. For the first time, an 'outsider' is bringing a full-line full-size truck, complete with three cab options, 3 bed options, and 3 engines (Sorry Nissan, the Titan didn't come to play). Detroit will be watching, Wall Street will be watching, the media will be watching, as will consumers themselves. Could Toyota unseat one of the major players in this segment, like it did to Ford and the Taurus? Time will only tell.

Maybe Edmunds is right on this one, but we must take umbrage with the Infiniti G35 Coupe being the most wanted Coupe Under $40,000. They need to raise that price point to $45,000 and throw out the Infiniti for the BMW 335i Coupe, but we digress.

[Source: Edmunds]

The Detroit Free Press reports that GM's new pricing plan--less discounts but lower prices--seems to be working.

Various automotive marketing and monitoring services confirm the news. Edmunds.com, for example, shows that GM vehicles are selling faster than its other domestic competitors, with turnaround time for new vehicles around 63 days versus Ford's 70 days. While the figure is not close to Toyota's 30 day turnover time, it's an improvement over GM's 76 day period last year.

Consumers also seem more willing to pay a higher price for GM vehiclea than those from Ford or Chrysler, the domestic arm of DaimlerChrylser.

"It (GM's pricing strategy) is working," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research. "It's absolutely essential that they keep it up. We're seeing it on the floor traffic."

[Source: Detroit Free Press]