Car Blog

New Campaign will Rely Heavily on Owners’ Everyday Stories

For the first time, Porsche is challenging many Americans’ perception of Porsche sports cars — and in particular the 911 — in a new campaign launching today. The “Engineered for Magic. Everyday” campaign, via agency Cramer-Krasselt/Chicago, seeks to show the many dimensions of the iconic Porsche 911 and the brand’s other storied sports cars through the lens of daily driving.

“The magic of Porsche is how thoroughly the cars transform your everyday, routine driving,” said David Pryor, vice president of marketing, Porsche Cars North America. “It’s not only about the weekend joyride. It’s the only car in the world that combines true sports car exhilaration and the drivability for daily use. This campaign brings this fact to life, painting a bigger picture of the real Porsche value proposition, in some cases through the words and images of owners themselves.”

Spanning TV, print, online, mobile, direct mail and a cinema promotion, the campaign drives home the engineering genius that allows these coveted sports cars to be everyday drivers.

“When most people think of Porsche, they think ‘magic’ — and the cars certainly are,” said Marshall Ross, chief creative officer, Cramer-Krasselt. “What is markedly different about this campaign is we’re not selling the dream-car mystique of Porsche — that’s already a given. The creative challenge here was to tell the truth of the drivability of the car and still make it feel as special as it really is.” Read the rest of this entry »

Nissan Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Original Datsun 240Z and Long Racing History -

Nissan announced that it will continue its year-long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the icon Nissan Z with a display of historic Z racers at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, August 12 – 15 at Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, Calif.

Four of the six Zs appearing at the event, formerly known as the Monterey Historic Automobile Races, have significant racing histories – including SCCA National Championships, IMSA Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championship and victories at LeMans, Daytona and Sebring. Among the well-known drivers who have piloted these vehicles are John Morton, Bob Sharp, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Sam Posey, Paul Newman and Steve Millen. The other two vehicles are a production 40th Anniversary Nissan 370Z and a specially prepared Brock Racing Enterprises 370Z tribute car.

In addition to the display vehicles, a number of vintage Nissan race cars have been entered in competition. John Morton will drive the #46 1970 Datsun 510 in the “1966 – 1972 Trans Am under 2 Liter Cars” class and a pair of 1985 Nissan GTPs (#83 and #84) owned by Toluca Lake Classic Motorsports will compete in the “1981 – 1989 FIA Mfg Championship & IMSA GTP” class.

Following are brief descriptions and histories of the Nissan display vehicles: Read the rest of this entry »

Suzuki enhances Kizashi lineup with world introduction of ‘Sport’ version.

2011 Kizashi Sport adds even more flash and class to content-packed Suzuki sport sedan.

Competition in sporty hatch segment heats up with 2010 SX4 SportBack. -Suzuki’s New York International Auto Show exhibit (First Floor 311).

American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) arrives in Manhattan – a city known for and populated by its many imports – for the global introduction of its 2011 Kizashi Sport at this year’s New York International Auto Show. Offered exclusively on Kizashi GTS and SLS trim levels, Suzuki’s new ‘Sport’ variant of its sleek and sophisticated sport sedan is scheduled to go on sale in the United States this August. Pricing for the all-new 2011 Kizashi Sport will be announced closer to the vehicle’s arrival in dealer showrooms.

“We’ve been thrilled with an enthusiastic reaction to the 2010 Kizashi, and we look forward to offering sport sedan buyers the newest iteration of our stylish sport sedan later this year,” said Koichi Suzuki, executive vice president American Suzuki Automotive Operations. “The Kizashi Sport provides us with an opportunity to build on the sport sedan’s short-term accomplishments and further engage driving enthusiasts looking for an affordable alternative to luxury performance vehicles.”

Based on the recently introduced 2010 Kizashi (pronounced “Kee-Zah-Shee”), already acclaimed for its near-luxury content and Euro-tuned platform, the 2011 Kizashi Sport moves the excitement meter upward with a host of external mods. These include a more muscular front fascia (with chrome accents) and lower grille, body side sill extensions, lower body side molding with chrome accents, a trunk mounted spoiler, custom light weight 18-inch alloy wheels and a 10mm lower ride height for a combination of better aerodynamics and a lower center of gravity for enhanced grip and sharper handling.

Inside, the new Kizashi gets a distinctive designed sport steering wheel with perforated leather grip and contrasting stitching on the leather seats, shifter boot and emergency brake boot (when equipped with black leather interior). Interior upgrades speak to the Kizashi’s sporting intent, with form-fitting sport seats and driver-centric cockpit.

2010 Kizashi

The 2010 Kizashi is available in four trim levels, ranging from the well-equipped entry-level Kizashi S priced between $18,999 for FWD and $21,899 for AWD, to the luxuriously appointed SLS model ranging from $24,499 for FWD M/T to $26,899 for AWD Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). Prices do not include the $735 destination and handling charge.

2010 SX4 SportBack

In addition, Suzuki will showcase America’s most affordable “Hot Hatch”, the all-new 2010 Suzuki SX4 SportBack. Sharing its base configuration with the all-wheel-drive SX4 Crossover, the SX4 SportBack offers an all-new 2.0-liter engine delivering 150 horsepower with its standard six-speed manual transmission. For those with a preference for action with less interaction, a performance-tuned CVT (with paddle shifters) is optional. Suzuki’s new hot hatch also features an aero package, larger rear, fog lamps, spoiler, lower ride package (when compared to the SX4 Crossover) with KYB performance shocks, keyless start, stability control, all-new instrument cluster and a class-exclusive standard navigation system.

2010 Suzuki Auto Product Line

Suzuki Auto’s versatile line of vehicles includes the spirited four-door SX4 Sport, all-wheel-drive five-door SX4 Crossover, refined Grand Vitara compact SUV, award-winning Equator pickup truck and all-new 2010 Kizashi and SX4 SportBack. Every vehicle in the line provides Suzuki’s standout virtues of durability, leading-edge style and high-end features at very competitive prices. All 2010 Suzuki automobiles are backed by America’s #1 Warranty: a 100,000-mile/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.

The Audi S5 provides the best residual values to its owners, more than other luxury sports cars, according to ALG. The Audi brand also ranks among the top 3 luxury brands for predicted residual value for the second consecutive year, the highest amongst German luxury competitors.

ALG’s 11th annual Residual Value Awards, for the 2010 model year, honored the vehicles in each industry segment that ALG predicts will retain the highest percentage of their original price after a three-year period.

ALG determines the award winners after carefully studying the competition in each segment, historical vehicle residual value performance and industry trends. Vehicle quality, production levels relative to demand, and pricing strategies are among the key factors that affect ALG’s residual value forecasts.

“Audi residual values rank amongst the highest in the luxury segment,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “The recognition from ALG further confirms that owning an Audi is worthwhile for our customers in many ways.”

“We believe Residual Value remains the best metric for evaluating the overall strength of an automotive brand, and we congratulate Audi for the proven success of their brand and S5 model,” said James Clark, General Manager of ALG. “The ALG Residual Value Awards are recognized throughout the industry and by consumers as the mark of a healthy brand; winning this award is a testament to an exceptionally strong product and all of us at ALG are pleased to recognize that accomplishment.”

Source: Audi

BMW has announced details of the new BMW M3 Coupé, a model that 21 years ago created an entirely new segment for super-high-performance compact cars. In the past two decades and three previous generations, the M3 has proved a success on road and track. Originally powered by BMW’s first 16-valve four-cylinder engine and subsequently by 3.0-litre and 3.2-litre powerplants, BMW M3 engines took top category honours on a record six successive occasions in the Engine of the Year awards. Racing derivatives have also won more Touring Car titles than any other car as well as numerous Endurance races.

Engine and Drivetrain

With DNA connecting the new M3’s engine to that of the BMW Sauber F1 Team, the racing link is maintained in the fourth generation M3. The new M3 Coupé engine develops 420hp at 8,300rpm and 400Nm of torque at 3,900rpm from its 3,999cc V8-power unit, and red-lines at 8,400rpm. To highlight the flexibility of the engine, 85 per cent of torque is available from 6,500rpm. Power is transferred to the road by BMW M’s six-speed manual gearbox and variable M differential which conveys up to 100 per cent of available power to the wheel with most grip.

Like its predecessor, the new V8-powered BMW M3 easily breaks through the magical 100hp per litre barrier, offering 105hp per litre. This engine powers the car from zero to 62mph in 4.8 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 155mph. However, these supercar levels of performance do not compromise economy with the car still delivering 22.8mpg on the combined cycle, being an eight per cent improvement over the outgoing car.

12 tips to pay less in auto insurance. Some unexpected factors play a role in how much you pay in premiums.

With automobile insurance costs on the rise, it pays to periodically review your insurance costs and coverage to make sure it is the best deal for your current situation. The strategies presented below will generally position you for the best auto insurance deals.

Read more about  Reduce Your Auto Insurance Premium