Main page | August 19, 2007 - August 25, 2007 »

Oil, Gas Up on Hurricane Worries

Energy futures rose Friday, rebounding from a big drop a day earlier as some new forecasts said Hurricane Dean will turn into the central Gulf of Mexico and threaten oil and gas installations, according to the Associated Press.

The Federal Reserve's interest rate cut and a fire at a big Chevron Corp. refinery in Mississippi also supported energy prices, but storm impact worries were the big news of the day for energy investors, analysts said.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 3:46 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Latest crash tests a blow to the side for BMW

BMW may have a longstanding (and well-deserved) reputation for safety, but the results of the latest round of IIHS crash testing may cloud that perception a bit in the U.S., at least for safety-conscious shoppers, according to thecarconnection.com

In a batch of six sedans recently tested, the 2008 BMW 5-Series sedan was rated 'Marginal' - the next-to-lowest possible score - in the agency's side-impact tests despite having standard head and torso side airbags.

In the side test, a barrier - meant to simulate the bumper of an SUV or pickup - bashes into the side of the car at 31 miles per hour.

On the other hand, Volvo again took the top spot in safety; with the S80's 'Good' ratings and low overall chance of serious injury in this test, combined with its 'Good' ratings in front and rear crash protection, it earns the organization's 'Top Safety Pick' label.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:16 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Car Trivia Quiz

Here is thecarconnection.com's latest auto trivia quiz.

1. What average speed is required to lap the 2.5 mile Indy 500 track in 40 seconds?

2. Which NASCAR track has 29-acre Lake Lloyd in its infield?

3. Which tire brand was on all Indy 500-winning cars from 1920 to 1966?

4. What car did James Bond drive in For Your Eyes Only and The Spy Who Loved Me?

5. This term may apply to pizza and certain automotive wheels.

6. Some cars have a special left-foot resting place. What is it called?

7. Which 1961-1963 General Motors model had an unusual flexible driveshaft?

8. In 1999, the Great Race cross-country event terminated in Anaheim, Calif . Where did it commence?

9. What car does Bob Seger mention in his song Night Moves?

10. Where is the Automotive Hall of Fame located?

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:12 AM to Fun | Permalink | Comments 0

Porsche Cayman Goes All-Black

Buy a car and get a briefcase, watch, pocket knife, sunglasses, pen and keyring for free. That's the deal with the launch of the Porsche Design Edition 1 of the Cayman S, according to thecarconnection.com.

Exactly 777 of the two-seaters will be built by the German firm. The car has been developed in conjunction with Porsche Design Studio, created by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche 35 years ago.

The Design Edition 1 is only available finished in black. Inside there's leather and Alcantara upholstery, centre console, fascia and door trims, all finished in black. The Porsche badge is embossed on the seat head rests.

It's now a top international industrial style firm working on luxury items and consumer goods. And because of that each car comes with the briefcase of unusual extras.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:05 AM to Porsche | Permalink | Comments 0

GM says new Malibu could be answer to Camry

With the newly redesigned Chevrolet Malibu, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says General Motors finally has the high-volume midsize sedan that can win buyers away from other models -- even the Toyota Camry, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Lutz characterizes the new Malibu's ride and handling as "silent and silky" and for somewhere in the high-teens to low-$20,000 range, it drives like something that costs $35,000 to $40,000.

The newly redesigned Chevrolet Malibu is arguably General Motors Corp.'s most important new car launch this year, as the automaker defends its title as the world's largest against fast-growing Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp.

GM allowed journalists the early peek at its latest sedan on the condition they not write about their driving impressions until Nov. 2, when the car is expected to hit showrooms.

Chevrolet's director of car marketing Cheryl Catton confirmed this week that the automaker will spend at least $100 million to promote the Malibu against the Camry.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:55 AM to GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler's boss shows his metal at car rally

Bob Nardelli, chairman and CEO of the new Chrysler, made his first public appearance yesterday since taking charge, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The former GE executive and Home Depot chief drove his black-and-silver Prowler onto the company's museum parking lot in Auburn Hills, a little self-conscious that his is a simple stock version of the eye-catching coupe. There he rallied with fellow Prowler owners.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:53 AM to Chrysler | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Prices Climb After Overnight Slide

Oil prices rose today after an overnight slide, signaling diminishing concerns about a possible U.S. economic downturn and declines in world stock markets, according to the Associated Press.

Yesterday, the Nymex crude contract fell $2.33 to settle at $71 a barrel as investors turned their attention to the cooling U.S. economy and falling stock markets. In the U.S., the stock market tumbled in intraday trading as concerns about economic conditions were exacerbated by more bad news from the mortgage sector, and by dismal reports on housing construction and employment.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:37 AM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Hybrid Camaro is a dream cruiser, for now

It could be the future of cruising, a muscle car for the 21st Century: A Chevrolet Camaro that could approach 40 m.p.g. on the highway and 30 m.p.g. in the city, according to the Detroit Free Press's Mark Phelan.

It might glide silently through future Woodward Dream Cruises, running on battery power up to 25 m.p.h. but with a beefy V8 engine poised to leap to life for a 0-60 sprint.

This Camaro, wedding Chevrolet's legendary small-block V8 engine to General Motors' advanced new hybrid system, isn't on the drawing board yet, but it is feasible, a knowledgeable GM source told the Free Press. GM has the parts on the shelf to get this dream car cruising. It would combine production-ready hybrid technology that hits the road this fall in some GM vehicles with the celebrated new Camaro that is to go on sale in early 2009.

"The Camaro is Chevrolet and GM's halo car," said Joe Phillippi, principal of AutoTrends Consulting, in Short Hills, N.J. "It projects an image that reflects on the whole corporation. To offer all the performance aspects of a classic Camaro and still be environmentally friendly ... that's a real plus from an image point of view.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 11:00 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment , Fuel economy , GM , commentary | Permalink | Comments 0

Oil Prices Fall in European Trading

Oil prices fell today, reacting to a drop in global stock markets and expectations that a tropical storm would miss key oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Associated Press.

The storm concerns overshadowed Wednesday's U.S. weekly government report that showed larger-than-expected declines in oil and gasoline inventories last week, but an increase in refinery activity that was in line with expectations. The decline in crude inventories supported higher oil prices, though the rest of the report was viewed as largely neutral, analysts said.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery lost $1.38 to $71.95 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange by midday in Europe. The contract had risen 95 cents to settle at $73.33 a barrel Wednesday.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:55 AM to Crude oil market | Permalink | Comments 0

Stability Control Has Ways to Go

The U.S. federal government has mandated electronic stability control for the 2012 model year.

But while it's on the way as standard equipment, its installation is spotty - and often, as it is around the world - stability control is prevalent in big expensive cars, and less so in smaller compact cars where it could make a big difference in safety, according to thecarconnection.com.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 1:07 PM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Museums Get Lively With Sleepovers and Films

Auto museums face the same challenge as other collections of historical artifacts: how to keep people coming back for more, according to the New York Times.

New exhibits, rotating displays and traveling shows may help, but a basic problem — convincing the public they have more to offer than rows of motionless cars that appeal mostly to boys of various ages — remains.

The most visible strategy to change that perception involves holding club events, including meets of national groups dedicated to a single car brand, which draw families to the museums and their grounds. But museums know they have to do more than preach to the gearhead crowd.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 1:01 PM to Auto museums | Permalink | Comments 0

Energy Futures Rise on Storm Fears

Energy futures surged this morning on concerns that Tropical Storm Dean will turn into a hurricane and strike oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the Associated Press.
Prices got a late morning boost when a second tropical depression, located in the Gulf south of Texas, strengthened and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Erin.

The storms overshadowed a weekly inventory report from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration that usually sets the tone for several days of trading. Traders worry that Dean, bearing down on the Caribbean from the central Atlantic, will damage oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf, cutting supplies. While Erin was also supporting prices, it is not expected to have much impact on production.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:55 PM to Oil | Permalink | Comments 0

Italian Pride Is Revived in a Tiny Fiat

Following in the tire tracks of the latter-day Beetle from Volkswagen and the Mini Cooper from BMW, Fiat this month began selling an updated version of the classic 500 of 1957, according to the New York Times.

At 11 feet 6 inches in length, it is about 4 inches shorter than the Ka, Ford’s tiny runabout, but 18 inches longer than the original 500.

More than a year before the car arrived, Fiat started marketing it as a return to everybody’s childhood. In Italy, advertisements appealed to patriotism, with slogans like, “The new Fiat belongs to all of us.”

In less than a month, Fiat has sold more than 57,000 of the cars.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:31 AM to Design | Permalink | Comments 0

Ford Fusion hydrogen fuel cell car hits 161 m.p.h.

Two years ago, a group of Ohio State University students asked Ford Motor Co. if it was interested in building a hydrogen-fueled race car. On Sunday, the result of that proposal made history, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Ford Fusion 999, a hydrogen- and electric-powered car designed to whip across the salty white desert during Bonneville Speed Week, zoomed across the infinite horizon at 161 m.p.h. It was the first time a hydrogen-powered car had ever competed at the salt flats, where all manner of modified, souped-up vehicles come every August to break land-speed records.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:21 AM to Alternative fuels , Environment , Ford , Racing , Technology | Permalink | Comments 0

Chrysler sets Wednesday for a rebirth celebration

Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealerships across the country are planning to celebrate the automaker's ownership change tomorrow night, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management took majority ownership of Chrysler LLC on Aug. 3 and two days later put in a new CEO, Bob Nardelli, the former head of Home Depot.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:18 AM to Chrysler | Permalink | Comments 0

Exploding frogs tout tire safety in new NHTSA ad

A new television ad from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration featuring frogs apparently exploding on a hot road is aimed at teaching motorists about tire safety, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The spot, released Monday by NHTSA, features parody of a nature TV show with a narrator describing the “perilous journey” that frogs face crossing the road — especially in the summer heat. The frogs then appear to explode.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:15 AM to Safety | Permalink | Comments 0

Low gas prices could mean more vacation time; some hybrid credits are about to expire

If you're considering an end-of-summer vacation, go ahead and unfurl your road maps.
The average price of a gallon of regular gas this week is $2.77, down nearly 23 cents from this time last summer, according to the Energy Information Administration and reported by USA Today columnist Sandra Block.

Oil analysts warn, however, that a major hurricane or refinery breakdown could send gas prices sharply higher. In addition, the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis has prompted some lawmakers to propose raising the federal gas tax to pay for bridge repairs. (President Bush said he opposes the idea.)

And if you're counting on the tax credit to reduce the cost of buying a hybrid, pay attention to the calendar. The tax credit begins to phase out after an automaker sells 60,000 vehicles.

Once a manufacturer's sales hit the limit, buyers are eligible for the full credit until the end of the quarter in which the threshold was reached and through the next quarter. Then they're eligible for half the credit for six months. For the next six months, the credit will shrink to 25% of the full amount, then it will disappear.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:01 AM to Alternative fuels , Gas prices | Permalink | Comments 0

Report: Ex-Ford execs bidding for Jaguar, Land Rover

Another former Ford executive has joined the bidding for Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover brands, a person familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press on Friday, according to USA Today.

Nick Scheele has joined Ripplewood Holdings in its bid for the luxury brands that cash-strapped Ford is trying to sell, according to the person, who requested anonymity because the bidding is ongoing.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:00 AM to Ford | Permalink | Comments 0

GM: Deal could put it in lead in electric car race

General Motors has signed an agreement with a battery maker that could propel it ahead of Toyota in the race to bring plug-in hybrid and electric cars to market, a top company official said Thursday, according to USA Today.

A123 Systems, based in Watertown, Mass., already produces thousands of nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries for use in cordless power tools, and it plans to apply the technology to automobiles.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:58 AM to Alternative fuels , Design , Environment , GM , Technology | Permalink | Comments 1

Buick jumps atop dependability chart

In a major coup, Buick landed a spot at the top of the influential J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, tying with Lexus, as reported by USA Today.

It was the first time in more than a dozen years that any brand other than Lexus had been at the top of the study.

General Motors, (GM) which owns Buick, has been targeting quality improvements as a way to win back customers who fled domestic car brands for their import rivals. GM's July market share was 23.9% in the USA, its most important market, down from 27% just a year ago. That makes winning new customers a more critical goal than ever before.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:55 AM to Auto industry , GM | Permalink | Comments 0

Car Buyers Give Toyota Lexus Top Score

U.S. car buyers appear to be more satisfied with their purchases than ever, despite some quality stumbles by Asian brands, according to a survey released Tuesday and reported by the Associated Press.

The consumer satisfaction rate for vehicles rose 1 point this year to a score of 82 out of 100, a record in the 12-year history of the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 9:51 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0