Auto Plus News

by Jonathon Ramsey on Dec 31st 2008 at 1:01PM

Our take: Toyota has a chip on its shoulder and it has something to do with prestige. Like so many other companies, it is taking an unprecedented beating in the current market (well, unprecedented for Toyota, at least). Whereas other companies are scaling back to the nitty-gritty, Toyota refuses to say “No” to the glamorous side of the auto business. First it reaffirmed its commitment to F1, now it has reaffirmed its commitment to the Lexus LF-A supercar.

But what exactly does that commitment mean? The continued development of the LF-A is supposedly only meant to include a few examples built in 2009 to campaign in global races. There is still no date on any production vehicle, and four months ago, people in the business were saying that the LF-A will only be a development platform, nothing else.

If that’s the case, Toyota’s continued investment in a 500+ horsepower, 200+ mile-per-hour supercar testbed is a question begging for answers. What is more likely, however, is that Toyota is merely keeping the pot simmering until the economy turns around, at which point it could quickly unleash a production version. Either way, sticking to F1 and the LF-A (two programs that could hardly pay dividends for the company or its road cars), indicates that Toyota has the guts, and won’t stop until it has the glory. Thanks for the tip, Joker!

[Source: Auto Express via Motor Trend]

by Noah Joseph on Dec 31st 2008 at 7:00AM

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the MINI JCW CHALLENGE racer on eBay

There are a lot of one-make racing series’ being held around the world using exotic equipment like Porsche 911 GT3 Cups, Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeos and Ferrari F430 Challenges, but devastatingly fast as they are, none are as impossibly adorable as the MINI John Cooper Works CHALLENGE, rivaled only by the Fiat 500 Abarth Assetto Corse for go-fast cuteness. But while the series takes place in locations around the world, the U.S. series has yet to take off. For most American MINI racing enthusiasts, that will mean holding out a while longer to get their hands on the hottest MINI yet. But at least one sufficiently motivated buyer can have one now.

This solitary American example was privately imported by a buyer in California, who drove it for two hours around Infineon Raceway at Sears Point before deciding to put it up on eBay. The car’s features a full race package, including 17″ Borbet alloys, adjustable competition-spec suspension and aero kit, electronic telemetry system, AP Racing brakes, competition exhaust, fire suppression system, Recaro buckets with 6-point harnesses and more. Of course, the car is in no way street legal, but it can be had for a Buy-it-Now price of $64,900. Act fast, though… the auction ends today.

Gallery: MINI JCW CHALLENGE racer on eBay

[Source: eBay via MotoringFile]

ZHEJIANG, China, December 31, 2008: SORL Auto Parts, Inc. , a leading manufacturer and distributor of commercial vehicle air brake valves and other auto parts in China, today announced that China’s State Administration of Taxation has officially confirmed that the Company’s subsidiary, Ruili Group Ruian Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (”Ruian Auto Parts”), is entitled to preferential tax treatment, which resulted in a tax refund that SORL included in its income statement for the second quarter of 2008. As a result, for the years 2007 and 2008, Ruian Auto Parts is entitled to an income tax exemption on all pre-tax income generated by the company above its pre-tax income generated in the fiscal year 2006. Additionally, the Company will enjoy a 50% exemption from the applicable income tax rate of 25% on any pre-tax income above its 2006 pre-tax income, to be recognized in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The Company increased its investment in Ruian Auto Parts as a result of its financing in December, 2006. In accordance with the Income Tax Law of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign-invested Enterprises and Foreign Enterprises, Ruian Auto Parts is eligible for additional preferential tax treatment and the application for such treatment was submitted in 2007.

Xiaoping Zhang, SORL Auto Parts’ CEO and Chairman, said, “We are very glad to be granted the preferential tax treatment, which benefits our bottom line through 2011. We will continue to strengthen our corporate tax planning efforts and keep abreast of any future developments of the relevant tax law to realize any potential of enhancing our profitability and bringing our shareholders additional returns.”

Bumper prototypes don’t usually get us excited, but this one for the 2010 BMW 5-Series is very revealing. If this photo is correct, then the styling may be a little tamer and less 7-Series-like than we were all expecting.

Until now most sites, including ours, pegged the next 5-Series to have a rounder take on the 2009 7-Series’ front end styling. From this picture, the front end seems to keep similar headlights to its bigger brother, but it will use smaller kidney shapes in the grille and will be flatter overall than expected.

True BMW fans should be happy about this front end. The company built its reputation on tame-looking sedans that had sports car performance. This bumper may be a step back into BMW tradition.

by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Dec 30th 2008 at 3:56PM

Click above for a high-res image gallery of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro
Back in October, General Motors reported that it had already received some 6,000 advance orders for its new fifth-gen Camaro. Despite the fact that the first car has yet to be delivered to a paying customer (that’s scheduled to take place in February, with the first one selling at the upcoming Barret-Jackson auction next month), pre-orders are not slowing down, with GM now reporting a total of 10,000.

According to the automaker, 84 percent of the first 6,000 requests were for V8 models, but GM is now suggesting that a larger percentage of its latest orders are for V6 models. Sounds like those jonesing for a new V8-powered muscle car were the first ones turning in their order forms. Now that those initial buyers have all reserved their Camaros, the model mix may be getting closer to what The General had expected in the first place.

Hopefully, GM and supplier Cadence, LLC get their disagreements worked out in time and these initial pre-orders can be filled in a timely manner. The last thing GM needs right now is a botched launch of its revived pony car, especially since GM has been promoting the new Camaro hardcore for the last few years.

Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

LONDON, United Kingdom – December 31, 2008: Potentially large reductions in road deaths and injuries - thought to be as dramatic as 29 per cent - could result from a widespread adoption of the new ‘Intelligent Speed Adaption’ (ISA) proposals put forward today, said the IAM, the UK’s largest independent road safety charity.

The IAM, contributors to the government’s Motorists’ Forum, has backed the scheme but would like to see new digital speed maps at the heart of the ISA system prioritise potentially lethal rural roads.

IAM Director of Research and Policy Neil Greig cautioned that motorists may well resist initially a system that dictates how fast they can drive.

“ISA may be able to ensure that all cars observe speed limits, provided that critical safety conditions are met and tested. However, even with these assurances, an understandable deep-rooted concern about ‘Big Brother’ will have to be overcome.”

Mr Greig said that the report today showed that fleet managers showed a general lack of support, as they did not believe that exceeding speed limits necessarily reduced a driver’s safety.

Like an in-car navigation system, ISA uses global satellite positioning (GPS) and a digital map to establish a car’s location and what the speed limit is at that point on the road. This information can be used to:

by Jonathon Ramsey on Dec 30th 2008 at 4:31PM

We all know we shouldn’t mess with Texas. And Houston, Texans shouldn’t mess around with statistics, because the folks running the show are going to come to any conclusions they want no matter what the statistics say. This is the easy part: a study of red light cameras in the city shows that accidents have actually increased at intersections with the cameras.

These are the parts that are open to interpretation: most intersections only have one camera looking at one (out of four) directions of traffic, but the accident rate went up for traffic in the other three unmonitored directions; and, in the one monitored direction, “accidents remained relatively flat or showed only a slight increase.” What do you make of that?

Mayor Bill White and the study authors say the city in general is experiencing a swell in the number of collisions, and claim that collisions at the monitored intersections haven’t risen as much as the wider municipal rate. Yet they have no data to back up an increase in citywide collisions, and no year-on-year accident data at intersections (let alone an explanation for the uptick). White said that a 40-percent year-on-year drop in red light citations in the month of October shows the program is working and keeping drivers more safe. Critics say that the program is nothing but a cash register for city government. The study’s authors plan to study insurance industry findings to come up with more substantive conclusions.

[Source: Houston Chronicle]

How do you do!
NAIAS Crowds to be Introduced to Four More Debuts

The list of product debuts continues to grow for the North American International Auto Show 2009 as the world’s auto manufacturers and more than 6,000 international journalists are set to converge on Detroit in less than one month.

Chevrolet and Kia Added To NAIAS 2009 Debuts
Chevrolet and Kia are the latest automakers to reveal worldwide debuts for NAIAS 2009. Chevrolet will premiere the 2010 Equinox and Kia will take the wraps off a new concept.

Kia is keeping secret until its NAIAS 2009 press conference the name and details of its concept. But as the sketch indicates, the concept is intended to demonstrate the flexibility of the newly introduced 2010 Kia Soul, originally shown in concept form at NAIAS 2006.

General Motors and Smart Bring Paris Debuts to Detroit for North American Premiere
General Motors and Smart have announced they will use the NAIAS 2009 stage for the North American debut of a number of new production models that made their world premiere at the 2008 Paris auto show.

Smart division will display in Detroit the electric-powered ForTwo it is working on and showed in Paris. Smart plans to equip the electric ForTwo with advanced lithium-ion batteries.

Washington DC December 30, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that former Pennsylvania congressman Pat Toomey writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer today that the misleadingly named the Employee Free Choice Act would take away workers’ basic rights to a secret-ballot vote on union representation.

It would allow unions to organize through a poorly regulated “card-check” process instead. Many politicians have been falsely characterizing the card-check law as an essential part of an economic-recovery program.

In reality, it would deepen the recession. By stripping workers of their rights, the act would undermine businesses and workers, causing further declines in American employment and productivity in an economy that desperately needs both.

The Big Three car companies are a case in point. Unfortunately, if card check becomes law, some of the factors behind the collapse of Detroit’s automakers may help ruin the employers in your town, too.

Even though most Americans - and even a majority of union members - think fair workplace elections conducted by secret ballot are preferable to card check, Congress doesn’t seem to be listening. And given the economic crisis, this is precisely the wrong time to be sacrificing the interests of American businesses and workers.

To read the full editorial, CLICK HERE.

CANTON, Mich., December 30, 2008: Richard LaLonde, dealer principal of Summit Place Kia in Waterford, Michigan, announced the addition of a second Kia dealership with the acquisition of Dick Scott Kia, a retail auto dealership located at 41840 Michigan Avenue in Canton, Michigan. The dealership, which will be renamed Summit Place Kia, has been at its current location since 2001.

Mr. LaLonde said, “This acquisition, located in one of Metro Detroit’s most progressive suburbs, reflects our commitment to build Summit Place Kia in tandem with one of the finest and most affordable automotive brands in the United States. Our commitment to customer sales and service satisfaction is second to none in the Detroit Metro market. I also attribute much of our sales success, particularly in these challenging economic times, to our dealership’s philosophy of catering to the needs of customers in a very broad credit range — from those consumers with the best credit to those customers who are in the process of re-building their credit.”