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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;Has the thought ever crossed your mind about importing a car from another country into the United States? Maybe a specific model we can’t get here, or even another brand. Well, don’t bother looking into it much further – you can’t bring anything over unless the car is 25 years or older. The idea has crossed our minds before, possibly as a business venture, but bureaucratic red tape makes it a near-impossibility.
To most the 25-year requirement is ridiculous, as it eliminates a lot of cool cars from being imported. Nissan GT-R fans thought of a way to bring some attention to the issue. The White House has a new “We the People” initiative that says they will address any petition that garners 25,000 signatures in a month’s time. Unfortunately, the petition failed, as only 5,000 signatures were collected. We wish we would have known about it and could have helped push it when it was active.

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If automotive sites around the web had all did that, the petition might have hit the required goal. But, we digress. What’s interesting is the history behind the restriction.
There used to be a thriving grey automobile market in the U.S, particularly in the 1980s. At the time, 50,000 cars a year were being brought into the country. Many times buyers could source cars for a lower price. This practice hurt Mercedes-Benz dealers, as a sizable grey market developed for its cars. As many as 22,000 grey market Mercedes were brought into the U.S during the course of one year.
To put a stop this, Mercedes-Benz USA led a charge to change importation laws, funding a million lobbying effort. After that effort, the government implemented a 25 year restriction, which has remained to this day. The benefit is clearly to the automakers, and not to those who want to import cars not available here. So that’s your automobile history lesson for the day folks. Will the law ever get changed? Who knows. We doubt it is high on the agenda in Washington.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;Does the world need another crossover SUV? Audi thinks so, and they look to be adding a few new ones in their quest to unseat BMW. Like it or not, BMW seems to continually be in the driver’s seat of the luxury segment. Which is fitting because you know, they’re the Ultimate Driving Machine right?
BMW has steadily increased its lineup with X crossover vehicles, as well as the “out there” 5-Series Gran Turismo. Most of these (save for the Gran Turismo) have met sales success. Audi wants a piece of that pie. They intend to be the world’s largest premium manufacturer by 2015, another piece of the Volkswagen Group’s goal to be number one by 2018.

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To be the world’s largest, Audi will need a diverse lineup. So, what’s next for the company that recently introduced new models like the like the A7 Sportback, A5 Sportback, Q3 and A1? A Q6 apparently, which will go head-to-head with BMW’s segment-blending X6. Q6 and X6 seems a little to close for comfort as far as monikers go, but we’ll let Audi’s planners determine that.
Most of the aforementioned models are for international markets only (at least for now), but the Q6 would be a global product. At the Bologna Auto Show, VW Group design head Walter de’Silva confirmed the new addition to the lineup.
“We will definitely launch a sportier crossover in between the Q7 and Q5,” said de’ Silva. Sources say the Q6 will be based on the hot-sellng Q5, but will feature a rakish roofline, aggressive design and performance slant. The Q6 isn’t the only crossover in the works though. Audi is also said to have an Q4 slated compete against – you guessed it – the BMW X4 that is confirmed to go on sale in 2014. Crossovers are where it’s at. In the United States, Audi only offers two at the moment: Q5 and Q7. You can count on that figure to increase in the near future.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;It seems like everyone is trying to lose weight, but most don’t follow through with their lofty ambitions. it is no different in the automotive industry. New vehicles get heavier and heavier with each passing generation, as they add on safety features and things like sound deadening to improve noise, vibration and harshness.
And we’d take those improved qualities any day over the alternative when it comes to mainstream vehicles. Performance vehicles need less weight for better handling and acceleration, but thanks to their price tags often have the ability to use lightweight materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber. The mainstream? Not so much. General Motors is looking to change that though, with a new carbon fiber partnership with a company called Teijin Limited.

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The two companies will open a joint technical center in the United States that will “facilitate collaborative development.” The plan is to use these composite technologies for “potential volume use globally in GM cars, trucks and crossovers.” We like the sounds of that. Teijin’s innovation is carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) technology. CFRTP has a cycle time of under a minute.
Conventional carbon fiber methods use thermosetting resins and take around 10 minutes to set. This makes them impractical (as in, too expensive) for usage in mainstream cars. For Tejin, this partnership is a way to increase sales of its technologies beyond the boutique market.
GM gets to reduce weight in its vehicles, something it has been criticized for. We’ve seen a lot of enthusiasts complaining about weight in GM cars. At the same time though, GM’s new models are safer, better built and achieve better fuel economy figures then ever. Carbon fiber is a way to reduce weight without sacrificing those attributes.The material is 10 times stronger than steel, while being one quarter of the weight. Tradeoffs are few; imagine the mileage our cars would get with a widespread use of carbon fiber. That’s the thinking behind the move. We’re looking forward to seeing what comes out of this partnership.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;Eight-speed, ten-speed; it wasn’t long ago that these were gears primarily found in mountain bikes. In the automotive industry, we’re reaching these levels with automatic transmissions though. While just a few years ago most cars had four- and five-speed units, a gear arms race has been started with the goal of improving fuel economy at the heart.
More gears means more ratios, some which can be ultra efficient ones for highway cruising and the like. It is part of the reason a lot of today’s cars idle at much lower levels once at speed on the highway. Producing automatics with a lot of gears began at the upper strata of the market, but it is spreading downmarket quickly. Want proof? Today, Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne announced the new 2013 Dodge Dart would be offered with a nine-speed (!) auto.

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Yes, you read that right. The tranny will be a new unit sourced by ZF and built at a factory in South Carolina. Rather than develop its own unit, Chrysler chose to partner with ZF.
The Dart won’t debut with the nine-speed though, but rather a six-speed dual-clutch unit from Fiat. The nine-speed should help the Dart achieve a fuel economy rating of over 40 mpg. Producing a 40 mpg car is highly important for Fiat. The U.S government is hinging a remaining 5 percent of Chrysler shares on a U.S-built car with a 40 mpg rating or higher. Pretty interesting, and that gives an added impetus for the Dart to arrive. The addition of 5 percent will take Fiat’s ownership in Chrysler to 58.5 percent, with the rest held by a UAW retirees fund.
Recently we heard about the Fiat MultiAir engine that was going to be used in the Dart, but Automotive News has shed some light on the rest of the engine lineup. The Dart will get 2.0 and 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines that Dodge has curiously branded “Tigershark.” Are they going to use that in marketing materials? We certainly hope not…..
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;Toyota has been getting most of the attention for the new 86 (Scion FR-S) sports car, but Subaru played a huge part of the development process. In fact, the car’s horizontally-opposed boxer four-cylinder was developed by Subaru. It’ll be an interesting sales race to watch in the United States and around the world.
Word is that the BRZ’s engine will be used in future products at Subaru. We aren’t sure what the situation will be at Toyota; we’d be surprised the four-cylinder make its way into anything else there. Motor Trend reports that the first application of the engine in another car will be the next-generation WRX and STI.

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Currently, the WRX is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder making 265 horsepower. Next time around, it will drop to 2.0-liters, adding 5 hp while improving fuel efficiency. The FA20 engine in the BRZ is lighter, more compact and more fuel efficient than any of Subaru’s engines.
It uses an advanced D4S direct and port fuel injection system that helps it improve economy. The engine is a different series than the 2.0-liter unit in the current Impreza. That will give the next-gen WRX and STI a step further in separation from the standard Impreza. This will separate WRX and STI from the Impreza line even further; the company recently dropped the “Impreza WRX” name. Look for the next-generation car to have more distinctive styling as wellg.
News about a turbocharged variant of the FA20 engine is quite interesting, because it means that turbocharging could be added to the BRZ (and Toyota 86/Scion FR-S) quite easily. For now executives don’t want to talk about that possibility, but we’d be shocked if something didn’t come of it. Enthusiasts are begging for more power in these rear-wheel drive cars, and we think Subaru and Toyota will be happy to oblige….they just aren’t confirming anything right now. Makes sense, why reduce sales right now by confirming anything? Besides, the aftermarket will provide some solutions I’m sure.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;An Observation for Japanese abundant drive in design and innovation creativity, the Tokyo Motor Show has been a location symbolizing forward thinking. The Tokyo Motor Show has served as a unique showcase of cars, trucks and motorcycles depicting bold ideas along with the occasional bizarre attraction. Giving consumers a peek at new arrivals for dealerships, the 2011 show is presenting the world a look at new production vehicles such as Toyota GT-86, Subaru BRZ and Mazda’s car displaying I-ELOOP hybrid technology. Cars like Volkswagen’s Cross Coupe Concept and the most extreme design study of the year, the Toyota Fun-Vii provides a strong statement to a wide-open vision for global motoring. Presenting the future of motoring, the 2011 edition auto exhibition at Tokyo’s Big Sight venue serves importantly in the recuperation during a difficult present.
Held first in 1954, the Tokyo Motor Show was held to highlight the products created by a people recovering from their imperialistic errors of the 1930s that ultimately led to direct combat with the United States during World War Two. Demonstrating modest and utilitarian vehicles for an new, evolving culture, the Tokyo Motor Show beginnings would see Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi (a diverse corporation that debuted their very first vehicle at the 1959 event) gain steps into the Japanese marketplace. As Japanese auto brands became increasingly more global, the Tokyo Motor Show grew into a spotlight event for the car business when European and even American manufacturers fought for exhibition space. The precursor vehicle to the Audi R8 (the Avus concept sports car) was a significant world premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1991. In recent years, the Honda FCX and the Nissan GT-R were some of the high-profile production cars the Japanese exhibition brought to light.
 

 
As automotive entities arrived at the Tokyo Big Sight venue for the 2011 exhibit, this show staging came just short of nine months after Japan’s worst environmental disaster. On March 11, a 9.0 magnitude underwater earthquake shook the Asian country violently. The Earthquake spawned an equally as destructive tsunami that ultimately led to the lives of almost 16,000 people being lost (including an employee at the Honda R&D Center in Tochigi). Placing second below the human loss of Japan’s worst natural event, a country’s massive industrial complex was brought to a halt due to damage and power interruptions.
The Japanese auto industry shutdown not only slowed productivity on the Asian island but surged worldwide as vital vehicles and parts were unable to flow out of the country for almost a month. Possessing large North American assembly capacity, American and Canadian workers at Honda as well as Nissan plants operated under reduced capacity for months following the disaster. For Honda, it wasn’t until August when Honda’s supply to North American plants for the Civic and Accord returned to full capacity. Toyota, Subaru, Suzuki, Mazda and Mitsubishi also suffered global productivity setbacks throughout 2011 year.
Nearly nine months since the disaster, Japanese auto companies have returned to full operations for the most part but continued to haunted by sales sheet declines through 2011. With production hindrances more than likely playing a role, many of the leading Japanese automakers are heading into the end of the year posting regional and even global losses. Toyota has recorded a 7.5 percent decline in United States vehicle sales in 2011 compared to previous year. In the 11 months of this year, the top Japanese automaker’s Lexus division (consisting largely of cars built in Japan) holds a 14.2 percent drop over 2010. Honda’s tightened supply through much of this year has also been a contributing factor to a 5.5 percent drop in American sales for the 11 months of 2011. Mitsubishi Motors production for the first six months within the country of Japan fell by 12.6 percent. One of the few bright notes was Nissan that actually bettered Japan corporate rivals by increasing global sales by 18.8 percent for 2011. Nissan’s success could be owed to sizeable amounts of part and vehicle sources outside of Japan. However, the electric Nissan Leaf’s production in Japan slowed the distribution of the very hot new vehicle.
 
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While Japanese auto companies returned to normality over the summer of 2011 in the production of vehicles, the effects of the earthquake and tsunami left these companies in-line with their national community. Five of the major Japanese auto manufacturers immediately donated the equivalent of over 13 million dollars US of aid on top of other provisions including blankets, generators and forklifts. Showing unity, autoworkers and other individuals of regions outside of Japan were also generous to their colleagues. American Honda Motor Company and the Red Cross teamed up to raise money to help aid the Japanese people. For days following the earthquake, Nissan provided their headquarters in Yokohama City as a temporary shelter. A wonderful scene of humanity overcoming the typical coldness of corporation allowed the first steps following this natural disaster aftermath to be made for all Japanese citizens still dealing with hurt.
A much-needed public celebration of engineering marvels, Japanese auto companies are seeking a lot of support from the biennially scheduled world-class event. Similar to the auto shows proceeding after the government-assisted bailouts of General Motors and Chrysler little more than a year ago, the Tokyo Motor Show for 2011 is something more than a display of cars, trucks or motorcycles. The auto companies of Japan are the compilation of people who have committed themselves to move forward. Without forgetting the past, the present and future seeks to carry on an overall spirit of progressive innovation. The attending crowd for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show have witnessed first-hand the resilience of an auto market seeing the optimism with every vehicle presentation. Unlike several North American auto shows in Chicago and Los Angeles that remain secretive on actual event attendance, the 2011 Tokyo grandly announces the daily count at the turnstiles. After 8 days of public exhibition, the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show has entertained 513,200 admirers of the transportation culture.
Enduring from what has been a year of struggles, the auto manufacturers of Japan are positioning themselves to overcome hard times with a driven intention.
 
Information source: American Honda Motor Company, Nissan Americas, Tokyo Motor Show Photo source: Unnamed photographers via Newspress UK
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;General Motors has always been a global company, with vast holdings around the world. After all, it has been the world’s largest automaker for decades. After briefly losing the title, it appears GM will regain that spot for 2011. While being international in scope, GM never fully took advantage of that to create product synergies.
Every unit acted as if they were a standalone entity. That has begun to change over the past few years; the Cruze was one of the first truly global products at GM. The Malibu is a followup, as the first global mid-size sedan developed at GM. It will be sold in nearly 100 countries spanning six continents.

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The result is that before the Malibu goes on sale here in the U.S, over 1 million test miles have been logged on 170 hand-built prototypes. And – you guessed it – they were tested on six continents, subjecting them to a variety of climates and conditions. The testing began the first quarter of 2010, which means 45,450 miles a month on average were logged on the roads of the United States, Canada, Australia, South Korea, China, England, Dubai and Germany. Mark Moussa commented saying:
“You learn a lot about a car when you spend so much time in it – and that’s exactly the point….in the last year and a half, during every minute of the day, a 2013 Malibu has been driving somewhere around the world – all to make it the best car it can be.”
That is an exhaustive development program, and it will benefit the company’s bottom line in numerous ways. The widespread availability will mean the car gets a lot more total sales in its run, paying off costs faster. Economies of scale also go up, decreasing per unit costs. Ford is working to create a similar process with its “One Ford” project. The 2013 Malibu went on sale in South Korea in October. The Eco model will be arriving in the U.S early next year.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;At the Paris Auto Show in 2010, Lotus showed off grand plans for the future. They included new model additions like the Elite, Eterne, Esprit as well as a radically different next-generation Elise. Lotus is clearly planning to move upmarket and away from its lightweight-only focus of the past decade. For many, the Elise is the car that got Lotus on the map again here in the United States and around the world. We’ll see how forging a new path works out for them; we think they carved out a pretty good niche before.
In August, Lotus announced Elise and Exige final editions for the U.S. They are no longer able to be sold here due to a few issues; one being the fact that Toyota discontinued the 1.8-liter 2ZZ four-cylinder that powered them. The other is that NHTSA exemptions that enabled the sale of both cars expired.

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The engineering to replace their airbag system was too expensive to undertake, especially when they were nearing the end of their lifecycle. We are going to have to wait for the next-generation versions of these cars. However, DuPont Registry is reporting that a new track-only Exige is under consideration in the U.S.
The model in question is the Elige S, which instead of a four-cylinder is powered by a 3.5-liter V-6 making 345 horsepower. Selling as a track car would be a way to get around the governmental requirements. The Elise and Exige were perfect track-day cars; in fact they were better track cars than road cars.
DuPont says the car would be sold for around -90,000. Not cheap, that’s for sure, but it offers a lot of performance and kit. Top speed is 170 mph, and 0-60 arrives in 3.8 seconds. Track specs include a full roll cage, racing seats/harness and an electric cut-off switch. Lotus still has the bigger, more luxurious Evora to sell in the U.S for those who want a Lotus they can drive on the road. No word on when the Exige S will be made available for order.
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;Auto show season in the United States primarily revolves around these shows: Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago and New York. Sure there are many others but these are the biggest in terms of vehicle debuts and attendance.
The North American International Auto Show in Detroit has always been the biggest. Despite proclamations that others would overtake it, Detroit has remained the biggest for years. 2012 looks to be no different, and four launches have been confirmed from General Motors. They include the Cadillac ATS, Buick Encore and two concepts. We’re looking forward to the Cadillac ATS the most. Cadillac has been hard at work on this car for the past few years, and it is being developed on GM’s Alpha rear-wheel drive architecture.

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The ATS is aimed squarely at the 2012 BMW 3-Series, unlike any Cadillac that has preceded it. A car has to be good to be compared with the 3-Series, and we’ll see next month if the ATS really has what it takes. The ATS and XTS are part of a “book end” strategy at Cadillac next year, which will offer new sedan entries and the low and higher ends of the market.
According to GMInsideNews, GM’s other production debut is the Buick Encore. It has been referred to as a “Baby Enclave.” The Encore will be the latest addition to the expanding Buick lineup, occupying the small luxury crossover category. Buick’s latest move have been in the compact space; a forward looking approach for the resurgent luxury brand.
The Buick Verano and Encore should help power significant sales gains for Buick in 2012 and 2013. The other two debuts are said to be concepts at Chevrolet. Aside from GM there looks to be a lot of other important debuts at the show as well, such as a concept preview of the Lincoln MKZ. Stay tuned!
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google_ad_client=”pub-8213487891390535″;google_ad_slot=”5591521468″;google_ad_width=300;google_ad_height=250;There are a lot of enthusiasts in the United States who like what’s going on in the European automotive scene. Italian exotics like Ferrari and Lamborghini, German sports and luxury cars, hot hatches, wagons, manuals – you name it. Something exciting from Europe has been in the works to head to our shores for a while – Formula One. F1 hasn’t been in the U.S for five years. Texas – specifically the city of Austin, has been selected to host it. Recently though, the operation hit a snag.
On November 15th, it seemed as if the deal to have the race hosted at the new track fell through. One company was building the track, and the other held the contract from Formula One to hold the race. The contract wasn’t delivered because F1 failed to receive a million bond it was due to receive from the state of Texas. Apparently the Texas state comptroller decided the public money wouldn’t be delivered until after the race.

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F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone set today as the deadline for receiving the funding. According to KXAN, the state didn’t deliver the money, but rather an disclosed source put the money up front. There is no details other than that, except to say construction is back on track and will be completed in time for the scheduled race next year.
Circuit of the Americas is a highly ambitious project, the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the U.S. It is designed for all types of racing, with the centerpiece being a 3.4-mile circuit track. The track will include public transportation, bike lanes, a medical facility, executive meeting suites, a conference center, banquet hall and outdoor music space. Other things in the works for the future include a driving/riding experience, motorsports driving club, kart track, Grand Plaza event center/tower, along with a trackside RV park. With all the tourists coming into the area, we can see why Texas would be putting up some public money to support the endeavor.
People coming to the event are expected to spend 0 per day per person (!). Circuit of the Americas said it has already received 100,000 expressions of interest to purchase tickets for Formula One alone. For more information you can head to the project’s website, www.circuitoftheamericas.com.
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