HOME OF CARS: March 2011

Report: Akerson's leadership, pricing strategies at GM drawing more fire

We know he's not a "car guy" but some think General Motors CEO Dan Akerson might not be a guy fit for a car company period. Akerson comes from the telecommunications world, and it seems some analysts believe it's that background that's driving him to cut costs and drive sales by means of heavy incentives and rebates.

GM has seen strong sales to start 2011, but other automakers are quick to point out these gains come courtesy of instant gratification tactics. By initially devaluing its product, GM also diminishes its future resale value. Additionally, customers shopping for a General Motors product will expect an incentive or rebate when they show up at their local dealership.

We haven't seen March sales figures yet, but as it was the month GM ended its current run of incentives and rebates, it will be interesting to see if sales take a dip as a result. Early estimates say that's the case, but we'll have to wait for the monthly By the Numbers to be sure.

[Source: MSNBC]

Report: Akerson's leadership, pricing strategies at GM drawing more fire originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mazda dealers in U.S. asked not to order cars from Japan

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Mazda

Automotive News is reporting that Mazda has suspended U.S. dealers from ordering vehicles made in Japan. The automaker is apparently preparing to close down plants once more after briefly opening doors after the earthquake and tsunami activity on March 11.

This doesn't mean that Mazda vehicles are going to dry up overnight, though. The automaker says that the ordering would only cover vehicles to be allocated for May, and that the company has decent vehicle stockpiles for U.S. buyers. As of right now, there's no indication as to when ordering will resume.

Mazda is reported to have had a 93-day supply of vehicles on dealer lots at the beginning of this month. While that figure is down from a 123-day supply in February, Automotive News says that a 60-day supply is considered normal for the industry. The automaker currently imports the Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, MX-5, RX-8, CX-7, and CX-9 models

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Mazda dealers in U.S. asked not to order cars from Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infographic: Gas is still cheap

Filed under: Etc.

Gas prices compared to other common items

See? Gas really is cheaper than you think... Click above to enlarge

Nationwide, motorists are shelling out an average of $3.55 per gallon of petrol. That's a lot more cash than you were paying last year at this time, but - stop us if you've heard this one before - an interesting graphic from Good shows that gas is a real bargain compared to other liquids we consume every day.

For example, a gallon of freshly brewed coffee from Starbucks will set you back $32. Move up from coffee to Guinness and you're looking at doubling your tally to $64 for every 128 ounces consumed. We know you won't be shocked that Dom Perignon is $755 per gallon, but did you know that nail polish is $1,015 for the same portion size? If you want a consumable with comparable per-gallon pricing, you'll have to pick up some Coca-Cola, which retails for $3.84 per gallon.

Okay, so you probably don't feel any better about gas prices (we sure don't), but you click on the image above to see how other items you use every day compare to the price of a gallon of gas.

[Source: Good via Kicking Tires]

Continue reading Infographic: Gas is still cheap

Infographic: Gas is still cheap originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Win an autographed Audi flag from this year's Twelve Hours of Sebring

Filed under: Motorsports, Audi, Racing

2011 59th Annual Twelve Hours of Sebring - Click above for high-res image gallery

Audi invited us to warm and sunny Florida for the 59th annual Twelve Hours of Sebring, the opening round of the 2011 American Le Mans Series that was held this past weekend. While the French racing team Oreca took the surprise win in the LMP1 class (beating the factory Peugeot 908 HDi team in their older first-generation Peugeot 908 HDi-FAP), Audi held on through punctured tires and collisions to deliver both the fourth and fifth spot in matching R15++ diesel-powered prototypes (Audi will run its brand-new R18 prototype at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June). In the GT class, BMW proudly nailed first and second place with its hot M3 GT.

Spending time behind-the-scenes with a race team offers a completely different perspective, especially when it comes to an endurance event. While huge crowds of spectators down cold beer and blister from sunburn at Sebring's huge infield and midway (with some seriously creative camping accommodations), dozens of Audi Sport Team Joest crew sweat out the long hours working on the minute details - everything from track concrete composition to atmospheric barometric pressure is taken into account. During our glimpse into a whirlwind 48-hour period (encompassing qualifying and the race), the pace was maddening whether the drivers were attending signing events or the crew was rehearsing pit stops.

Check out our extensive photo gallery with coverage of the 56-car field. Note the amount of race telemetry delivered in real-time to the team engineers in the hot pits, and the exhaustion of the crew in the 85-degree ambient temperatures (who capture shut-eye only while the car is running well). A special shout-out to Xander Walker, who we bumped into hanging with the folks in Turn 10 - see you guys next year!

Audi's Sebring drivers (Dindo Capello, Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish, Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller) signed a flag for us before the race. While it looks great on our wall, we're going to give it to one of you (official rules). Leave a comment on this post to enter (only one comment or else you're disqualified), and we'll choose one lucky recipient for the win.

How to Enter:

Leave a single comment on this post (if you leave two or more, all of your comments will be disqualified)
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec)
Limit 1 entry per person during entry period
This entry period begins 7:30 PM EST on Friday, March 25 and ends at 7:30 PM EST on Saturday, March 26. We'll randomly select 1 winner at that time to receive an Audi flag signed by the team's 2011 Sebring drivers.
For a list of complete rules, click here

UPDATE: We have a winner! The Audi Sebring flag goes to reader "Xenu." Thanks for all of your comments.

Gallery: 2011 59th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

The 2011 59th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

Win an autographed Audi flag from this year's Twelve Hours of Sebring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.25.11

First Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes executives couldn't have hoped for a better environment to launch the best Baby Benz, and for buyers unable to pony up for an S, the C-Class easily fits the entry-level luxury bill.

2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate joins Autoblog's Long-Term Garage

We're eager to see how Hyundai's new range-topping model stands up to the day-to-day rigors of American life, so we've just added a $65,400 Equus Ultimate to the Autoblog Long-Term Garage.

2012 Buick LaCrosse dropping trim levels, V6 available as no-cost option

CX, CXL and CXS trim level designations will be replaced by option packages that encompass all of the available amenities.

Also of interest:

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 3.25.11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota FT-86 II Concept goes in for some glamor shots [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Toyota

Toyota FT-86 II Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Toyota FT-86 II concept brings us one step closer to a production rear-wheel-drive Toyota that promises to be fun to drive and great looking at the same time. We don't have a whole lot in the way of hard specs, but we do have plenty of high resolution pictures of a really hot-looking concept.

Toyota trotted out its black beauty in front of the all-seeing camera lens for an in-depth studio shoot, and we've got the pictures to prove it. Check out full compliment of high-resolution photos in the gallery below, then hit the jump to check out the video of the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit-style photo shoot. If the production FT-86 looks this good, we can't wait for hit to hit ~~news stands~~ dealers everywhere.

Gallery: Toyota FT-86 Concept Studio Shots