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February 10th, 2009
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Trucks/Pickups, Ford
Since a redesigned Ford F-150 was introduced to the world last year, that must mean this year will bring another limited-run Harley-Davidson edition. As with other recent examples of the co-branded truck, the new 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition is largely an appearance package, but certainly a striking one. This is the 14th time that Ford has created a Harley edition pickup with the current series running back to 2000. Over the past decade, some 74,000 customers have opted for the bike-badged trucks. Aside from the unique Harley-Davidson visual elements, this model features most of the goodies you can find on the top-end Platinum edition F-150.
This latest edition brings the custom Harley design ethos, such as it is, to Ford’s latest full-size truck. Starting at the front, yet another grille appearance shows up in the F-150 line with a six-bar billet-style setup. The body work can be ordered in either a deep maroon called Lava or the same Tuxedo Black available on the Lincoln MKS. The latter color features tiny glass balls in the paint that give it even more luster in the sunshine than a conventional metallic paint. Along the flanks, a red sweep adorns the rocker panels and chrome Harley badging stretches just below the top edge of the bed. There’s more about the Harley F-150 after the jump.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Chicago 2009: Ford F-150 Harley Davidson-Edition returns for Round 14
Chicago 2009: Ford F-150 Harley Davidson-Edition returns for Round 14 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 9th, 2009
Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Minivans/MPVs, Green, Commercial Trucks, Ford
Click above for high-res gallery of the Ford Transit Connect
One year after announcing it would bring the compact Transit Connect van to the U.S. market, Ford is now ready to put it on sale. The little van hasn’t changed much since we first saw it, although the styling of the nose has been tweaked a bit, primarily around the grille area. The lower front fascia now has the trapezoidal opening characteristic of Ford’s Kinetic design. The Transit is intended to be a more maneuverable and efficient alternative to the big old E-series full-size vans targeted primarily at commercial customers, although anyone will be able to get one.
American buyers of the Transit Connect will only have one conventional powertrain option, a 2.0L four cylinder Duratec gas engine paired up with a four-speed automatic transmission. Ford has also confirmed that the Transit Connect will be the basis of its new electric van to be offered starting in 2010. The battery electric version is being developed in conjunction with Smith Electric Vehicles from the UK. Follow the jump to learn more about Ford’s latest European transplant.
Continue reading Chicago 2009: Ford ready to offer Transit Connect van in U.S.
Chicago 2009: Ford ready to offer Transit Connect van in U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 6th, 2009
Filed under: Crossovers/CUVs, Audi
Click on the image above for a high-res gallery of the Audi Q5
Audi has finally announced U.S. pricing for its new Q5 mid-sized crossover. For America, there is currently only one powertrain combination available, a 3.2-liter FSI V6 with quattro all-wheel drive, and that comes with a starting price of $37,200.
Just as Starbucks calls a small coffee “Tall”, Audi’s entry level Q5 is labeled as Premium. From there, you can go to Premium Plus specification or Prestige at $41,500 and a lofty $48,200 respectively. Add the $825 delivery charge, taxes, and other ancillary fees, and it should be easy to go well north of 50 grand.
The Q5 comes standard with Audi’s third generation MMI system that adds three-dimensional rendering to the nav display, as well as a 4,400-pound towing capacity. Q5s are expected to start arriving at dealers next week and the vehicle officially goes on sale in March. Official press release after the jump.
[Source: Audi]
Continue reading Audi Q5 hits America carrying $37,200 MSRP
Audi Q5 hits America carrying $37,200 MSRP originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 6th, 2009
Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivans/MPVs, Geneva Motor Show, Kia
Click above to enlarge
When we arrive in Switzerland next month for the Geneva Motor Show, Kia will have a brand new concept to share with the world in the shape of an MPV concept. In this case, Kia claims the MPV stands for “Million Possibilities Vehicle”. Based on what we can see in this teaser image, its flanks share some of the design elements of the 2007 Kue concept mixed in with wheel wells that look inspired by Ford’s Kinetic design language. Kia’s bare bones press release states that the concept has some kind of “unique glass roof treatment”. We’ll have to wait until Geneva to see just what that means.
[Source: Kia]
Continue reading Geneva Preview: Kia teases new MPV concept
Geneva Preview: Kia teases new MPV concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 5th, 2009
Filed under: Motorsports, Trucks/Pickups, Ford
Click above for high-res image gallery of the SVT Raptor R from its debut in BAJA
Ford’s race-ready SVT Raptor R made it’s competition debut last fall in the Baja 1000 and managed a respectable third place finish in its class for its first time out. That same truck is returning to racing soon in the hands of Rob MacCachren and Steve Olliges to run the five race “Best in the Desert” series. The SVT Raptor R has a 500-hp version of the 6.2L V8 that will be available in the production SVT Raptor next year. Underneath, the Raptor R also has a standard Raptor frame and a production spec 6-speed automatic transmission. The initial run of production SVT Raptors that go on sale this summer will use the F-150’s current 320-hp 5.4L V8. Ford will also be using the Raptor R race program to test new performance parts that will offered to regular customers after the truck launches.
[Source: Ford]
Continue reading Ford SVT Raptor R to run 2009 Best in the Desert series
Ford SVT Raptor R to run 2009 Best in the Desert series originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 5th, 2009
Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, SUVs, Chevrolet
Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2009 Chevy Tahoe LTZ 6.2L 4×4
For a long time, gas prices in the United States were literally cheaper than dirt. Seriousl - check out the price of a bag of top soil at your local home improvement store. With such low fuel prices, the cost of operating a motor vehicle was really not much of an issue for most Americans. As a result, the only cost that concerned Americans when buying a vehicle was the monthly payment. People bought what ever they could afford on a monthly basis, not at the pump.
The result was the rise of the personal use truck, and in particular, the sport utility vehicle. It started slowly in the 1980s with the Jeep Cherokee and really picked up steam with the launch of the Ford Explorer. As the Nineties wore on, people moved into even bigger full-size SUVs and the Chevy Tahoe was among the most successful up until the last few years. That’s when sales hit a brick wall as gas prices finally started to climb.
We recently got to spend some quality time with a 2009 Chevy Tahoe LTZ and its big 6.2-lliter V8. Follow the jump to see if this behemoth still has what it takes to charm consumers now that gas prices have ebbed.
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Chevy Tahoe LTZ 6.2L 4×4
In the Autoblog Garage: 2009 Chevy Tahoe LTZ 6.2L 4×4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 4th, 2009
Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, By the Numbers
Click on the image above for a high-res gallery of the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
No one would argue that 2008 was anything but a miserable year for the auto industry worldwide. Even high end brands like Bentley, Porsche and Ferrari were feeling the pain. In spite of all that, there were a couple of bright spots in the high performance sector. Both Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division and BMW’s M GmbH saw big jumps in sales last year.
Sales of AMG models hit their highest levels ever with deliveries of 24,200 cars worldwide. AMG received a big boost from the launch of the new generation C63 which we drove last fall. The C63 accounted for one-third of AMG sales last year.
Over in Munich, BMW’s M division also got a boost from its newest mainline model, the M3. The M3 accounted for 18,000 of the 26,772 sales for M, making 2008 the group’s second best year to date. With the economy showing no near term signs of recovery, it seems unlikely that those figures will be surpassed in 2009, but additional models could change that. Check out the press releases and more galleries after the jump.
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Continue reading BMW M and Mercedes AMG each see huge sales spike in 2008
BMW M and Mercedes AMG each see huge sales spike in 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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February 1st, 2009
Filed under: Convertibles, Ford, Toys
Click the Mustang for a high-res gallery
What we have here is the latest in an occasional series we’ll be doing here on Autoblog featuring some smaller cars. Back in November when Ford unveiled the 2010 Mustang at Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, everyone in attendance got to take home a pony of their own. These, of course, were 1/18 scale models produced by Maisto especially for the event. The models are part of a limited run of 4,000 examples all finished in the same Candy Red Metallic available on full sized ‘Stang. Compared to the 1/64 scale cars produced by Hot Wheels this one certainly incorporates a lot more detail, including opening hood, trunk, and doors.The paint job is also much better than the tiny 99-cent version. Ever since the debut, these cars have been turning up on eBay, with one of them currently listed at $150. There are also numerous examples in other colors at prices in the $20-25 range. It looks like the only thing limited about the one depicted above is its paint color.
Photos Copyright (C)2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
In the Autoblog toy chest: 2010 Mustang GT convertible 1/18 by Maisto originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 01 Feb 2009 17:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 31st, 2009
Filed under: Etc.
Jeff Jarvis may be a really smart guy on a lot of subjects, but the auto industry apparently isn’t one of them. In an excerpt from his new book. What Would Google Do?, Jarvis suggests that Detroit follow the Google model, releasing cars in beta and then letting users contribute to design and functionality. The first suggestion is ridiculous on its face, while the second already happens in the marketplace. Unlike software companies, automakers simply cannot release half-baked cars. The auto industry is among the most regulated in history, and unless governments and lawyers across the land are willing to give Detroit a free pass, they cannot legally release a “beta” product.
Software companies just slap a ridiculous and wordy EULA on a product and say, “we’re not responsible for anything that might happen with this software.” Of course, Gmail isn’t likely to kill anyone if it crashes. When carmakers let out a beta, like the original Cadillac V8-6-4, they quickly get sued into submission.
As for customers contributing to design, they do that with the dollars they spend on cars. There’s a good reason why most mainstream cars tend to converge on a particular design ethos (read: bland) or function set: because that’s what most people buy. Google’s products are really cool, but aside from search, maps and AdSense, most others, including Gmail, actually trail far behind their competitors in market share. Being in perpetual beta may get the attention of us bleeding-edge geeks, but most regular people don’t buy it.
[Source: BusinessWeek]
Jeff Jarvis suggests Detroit should build a beta Googlemobile originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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January 30th, 2009
Filed under: Audi
While the Detroit 3 have all taken a pass on advertising during this year’s Super Bowl, Hyundai and Audi have stepped in to fill the hole left by the domestics. We still haven’t seen the Audi commercial in its final form, but the automaker has released a teaser of the commercial, along with a “making of” video that documents/promotes the ad. Judging from what little is said in both videos, Audi is planning to portray it’s rivals, Mercedes, BMW and Lexus as the champions of the 70s, 80s and 90s, respectively. According to Scott Keogh, Audi’s marketing boss, the message is “today and in the future, it’s Audi’s time.” Will the spot help Audi sell more cars? Who knows? But it certainly has plenty of entertainment potential. Hit the jump to check out both videos.
Continue reading VIDEO: Audi releases trailer for Super Bowl commercial, making of the “Chase”
VIDEO: Audi releases trailer for Super Bowl commercial, making of the “Chase” originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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