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[AZ-Wagon: Mazdaspeak for "Suzuki Wagon R"]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/30/az-wagon-mazdaspeak-for-suzuki-wagon-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/30/az-wagon-mazdaspeak-for-suzuki-wagon-r/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/30/az-wagon-mazdaspeak-for-suzuki-wagon-r/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

2009 Mazda AZ-Wagon
Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Mazda AZ-Wagon

Late Sunday night, Mazda issued a press release from the mothership in Japan touting the arrival of the new home-market AZ-Wagon kei car. Those of you who paid attention to Autoblog last week may be experiencing twinges of deja vu as you look at the enclosed photos. Yes, you have seen this car before: the new Mazda AZ-Wagon is simply a rebadged version of the new Suzuki Wagon R, just like it was before. The regular AZ-Wagon is the standard Wagon R, while the AZ-Wagon Custom Style (above) is the Wagon R Stingray. We'd happily sign up for one, but alas, Mazda's Stateside rebadge-o-rama is limited to the Tribute and B-Series.

Gallery: 2009 Mazda AZ-Wagon


[Source: Mazda]

AZ-Wagon: Mazdaspeak for "Suzuki Wagon R" originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AZ WagonAZ-WagonAzWagonCustom StyleCustomStylekeimazda AZ-WagonMazdaAz-wagonrebadgeStingraySuzukiWagon RWagonRTue, 30 Sep 2008 09:29:00 EST<![CDATA[2009 Pontiac G3 Wave: Excitement has left the building]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/18/2009-pontiac-g3-wave-excitement-has-left-the-building/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/18/2009-pontiac-g3-wave-excitement-has-left-the-building/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/18/2009-pontiac-g3-wave-excitement-has-left-the-building/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for a hi-res gallery of Pontiac G3 Wave

For a little while there, it looked like Pontiac was getting its mojo back. The G8 is terrific, the Solstice GXP Coupe is ready to join the roadster, and the even more awesome G8 GXP is waiting in the wings. All rear-drive. All meant to be fun. And then GM goes and does this.

Behold, friends, the 2009 Pontiac G3 Wave. Yes, that's an Aveo5 with Poncho nostrils, and it reeks of product strategy that's more 1989 than 2009. Why not just call it G3 Le Mans? You know, in honor of the last Daewoo-sourced trashback that helped turn that whole "We Build Excitement" thing into a punchline. By comparison, this makes the equally distressing Pontiac G5 look like a Corvette ZR1 on the cool meter -- and trust us, this is the only scenario in which you'll ever see those two models mentioned in the same sentence again.

The press release after the jump explains that, "More than ever, fuel economy is an important factor in Pontiac's formula of style and performance." In the G3 Waveo, "performance" means red gauge lighting and 106 horsepower channeled through a 5-speed manual or cutting-edge 4-speed automatic. It also gets over 30 mpg highway, so we're supposed to bust out the Veuve Clicquot and celebrate this new era of efficiency at the Pontiac division. Thanks, but we'll skip this party.

The G8 and Solstice are genuinely exciting, desirable cars that had restored some luster to the Arrowhead, but this...

Gallery: 2009 Pontiac G3


[Source: Pontiac]

Continue reading 2009 Pontiac G3 Wave: Excitement has left the building

2009 Pontiac G3 Wave: Excitement has left the building originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>aveobreakingg3pontiacrebadgewavewaveoThu, 18 Sep 2008 01:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Weekend Photo Fun: Adventures in re-branding]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/02/weekend-photo-fun-adventures-in-re-branding/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/02/weekend-photo-fun-adventures-in-re-branding/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/08/02/weekend-photo-fun-adventures-in-re-branding/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click image to enlarge and see the front view, too

Identity crisis? Repressed brand allegiance? People who intentionally rebrand their rides have reasons all their own. Take this pickup I encounted on my drive home yesterday. Maybe the giant bowtie on the tailgate is trying to compensate for something, but size doesn't matter here; there's no hiding the fact that this thing's still a Ford Ranger. Bowtie stickers also get applied to the front fenders, but the proverbial cherry on top revealed itself when I pulled ahead. Yep, that's a genuine gold bowtie badge where the blue oval ought to be. If you want to make your car or truck a member of the transbranded community, all you need is a few badges, some adhesive, a sense of humor, and maybe an ASE certified technician. Hey, everybody's doing it.

Gallery: Ford Ranger Identity Crisis


Photos Copyright (C)2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

Weekend Photo Fun: Adventures in re-branding originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bowtiefordfunnyidentity crisisIdentityCrisisrangerrebadgerebrandSat, 02 Aug 2008 17:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Maximum Bob talks about Invicta and how not to rebadge cars]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/maximum-bob-talks-about-invicta-and-how-not-to-rebadge-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/maximum-bob-talks-about-invicta-and-how-not-to-rebadge-cars/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/05/01/maximum-bob-talks-about-invicta-and-how-not-to-rebadge-cars/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Click above for high-res gallery of the Buick Invicta Concept

GM Vice Chairman Bob "Maximum" Lutz published a new post today on the corporate GM Fastlane Blog that addresses the automaker's newest concept that debuted recently at Auto China 2008 in Beijing: the Invicta. The concept heavily hints at what the next-generation Buick LaCrosse will look like, but Bob points out that the global architecture underpinning the vehicle will be the basis of new cars for Chevy, Saab, Opel/Vauxhall and more. In the past, we would've expected those accompanying models to be rebadged versions with different grilles, headlights and taillights, but Bob explains how GM's new global platform sharing process is different than the rebadging of old. In a nutshell, he says that the money saved from sharing common platforms see will be put into making everything that customer's will see - exterior and interior design, specifically - completely different. While it's great to hear Bob talk about how GM finally "gets it" when it comes to producing common products across an empire of brands, it's something that other automakers like VW/Audi have been doing for years while the General kept feeding us "triplets" of every model it made. So kudos to GM for finally getting it, but it took 'em long enough.

Gallery: Buick Invicta Concept


[Source: GM FastLane blog]

Maximum Bob talks about Invicta and how not to rebadge cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 May 2008 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auto chinaauto china 2008AutoChinaAutoChina2008beijingbeijing 2008beijing motor showbeijing2008beijingautoshowbeijingmotorshowbob lutzBobLutzbuick invictabuick invicta conceptbuick lacrosseBuickInvictaBuickInvictaConceptBuickLacrossegm fastlane blogGmFastlaneBlogrebadgerebadgingThu, 01 May 2008 12:34:00 EST<![CDATA[USA Today discovers the poseur art of rebadging]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/15/usa-today-discovers-the-poseur-art-of-rebadging/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/15/usa-today-discovers-the-poseur-art-of-rebadging/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/15/usa-today-discovers-the-poseur-art-of-rebadging/#commentsFiled under: ,

BMW Nightmares photo

In his article entitled "Car owners can fake it with add-on luxury emblems," USA Today's Chris Woodyard tells us all about how people will buy items like AMG or M badges to try and pass off their cars as something they're not. Now, before jumping all over Chris for reporting news that we already know, keep in mind that the average USA Today reader sitting down with his complimentary paper as he digs into the free continental breakfast at the Day's Inn is probably not as attuned to the trends as we enthusiast-types are.

Sadly, this business of highlighting your inferiority complex by trying to pimp your vehicle as a better model than it is is really nothing new. Over the years, I'm certain that I've seen more standard-issue BMW's wearing the M badge than actual bona-fide M cars. And it's not just BMW. It happens with everything -- AMG badges on stock Benzes, 5.0 badges on 4-banger Mustangs -- the list goes on (and on and on). I've even seen a GT-R badge off a Skyline on a 1st-gen Altima. it was very jarring.

One of my favorite repositories for this kind of thing is the BMW Nightmare page, where the host, Jimmy540i, captures some particularly horrifying examples of rebadging and posts them for the world to see.

I always had more respect for the debadgers, myself. These are the people who would (usually) buy a lower-end version of a car -- a 320SL, for example -- and then remove the identifying badges completely, eliminating their identity concerns without sacrificing the classiness of the vehicle itself.

As for those who try to transform their car into a completely different vehicle, well, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

{Source: Chris Woodyard, USA Today via Luxist]

USA Today discovers the poseur art of rebadging originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fake AMgfake MFakeAmgFakeMposersposeursrebadgerebadgingWed, 15 Nov 2006 10:34:00 EST<![CDATA[Next Pontiac Grand Prix beholden to Holden Commodore SS V?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/16/next-pontiac-grand-prix-beholden-to-holden-commodore-ss-v/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/16/next-pontiac-grand-prix-beholden-to-holden-commodore-ss-v/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/07/16/next-pontiac-grand-prix-beholden-to-holden-commodore-ss-v/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Since the unveiling of the new Holden VE Commodore range yesterday, Australian website Drive.com.au has uploaded a dizzying amount of content on the new car. Amongst the press releases, photo galleries and videos is a small piece about how General Motors of North America may use the Commodore in its U.S. line up.

Drive.com reports that pending a sample drive by the GM board in early August, the Holden Commodore will likely appear in the U.S. as the next Pontiac Grand Prix. And it won't be just any Commodore, the next Grand Prix will be the Commodore SS V with a 6.0L V8, six-speed auto or Tremec manual transmission, and available 19- and 20-inch wheels.

Continue reading Next Pontiac Grand Prix beholden to Holden Commodore SS V?

Next Pontiac Grand Prix beholden to Holden Commodore SS V? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 16 Jul 2006 19:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AustraliaAustralianCommodore SS VCommodoreSsVGrand PrixGrandPrixHoldenrebadgeSun, 16 Jul 2006 19:52:00 EST