Eat It, Alex Roy: Group Hits 48 States In 106 Hours
May 9, 2008
If you thought Alex Roy's run from NYC to LA was impressive, get this: Three guys reportedly drove through all 48 states in 106 hours and 43 minutes with no helicopter support, no pull-overs, and a 2005 Scion xB rather than a BMW M5. The trip, which began in Vermont and ended at the four corners--one point where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado meet--was 7008 miles long at an average speed of 65.69 mph and an average fuel economy of 31.26 mpg. Unfortunately the female phone numbers per state average of just .062 wasn't so impressive, perhaps due to a reported shower count of zero. Check out the full trip report at the group's blog site and congratulations to the three guys involved.
Cadillac CTS-V Breaks Nürburgring Sedan Record
May 9, 2008
7:59.32
Think about that time for a minute. Don McLean's American Pie is 8:37. Roberto Benigni's Oscar acceptance speech for Life is Beautful ran longer than that. But Cadillac's new CTS-V just completed a lap of the 12.9-mile Nordschleife today in just that. That's faster than Billy Blanks can get you through your Tae Bo, and faster than any four-door sedan recorded to date.
Behind the wheel was professional driver and GM Performance exec John Heinricy, and the car was completely stock — its suspension and supercharged LSA 6.2-liter V-8 identical in every way to the car that's going on sale this fall. Video of the run will be posted at Cadillac's Blog in the coming days.
Chrysler Scrambling to Bring Small Cars to Market
May 9, 2008
Spot the leaden thread connecting these two seemingly unrelated pieces of information: The average fuel price in the United States is $3.70 a gallon. 65.8 percent of Chrysler's vehicle sales are trucks.
It kind of brings into crystal clarity why Tom LaSorda, Chrysler's co-president Tom LaSorda has told Automotive News that the company is rushing to bring compact cars to market. Chrysler has inked a deal with Nissan to provide compact cars starting in 2009 as 2010 models, and there's still the whole promise of buying microcars from ascendant Chinese automaker Chery, although those cars aren't ready for primetime yet.
Until then, Chrysler is trying to lure buyers into the fold with gas cards that guarantee buyers $2.99 fuel for three years. Under the program, gas is charged to the credit card at full price, then the card processing company sends the customer a statement at the end of each month with their fuel billed at $2.99 per gallon — the rest of the balance is paid by Chrysler.
Introducing the Mazda Biante... Kinda
May 9, 2008
And you thought Volkswagen had the monopoly on goofy names. Enter the Mazda Biante, its name extracted from a bastardized version of "ambient" to "create the impression of a unified interior space that contributes to an enjoyable and comfortable in-car experience for all the vehicle’s occupants."
And that, good folks, is all Mazda is saying about the Biante in English. The van is made specifically for Japan, and if you want to take a crack at reading the hiragana, you can check out the Biante microsite here. Otherwise, click though to our gallery for a few pictures of a van that you'll likely never see on the road.
Fiat Messes With Nature to Sell OEM Parts
May 8, 2008
In 1844, Samuel Morse sent a famous message - the first by telegraph, as it was - from the Capitol in Washington to Baltimore, declaring, "What hath God wrought?"
In 2008, the staff of Motive magazine looked over a new Fiat ad campaign from Giovannni + DraftFcb, São Paulo, and declared "What in God's name is wrong with Brazil?"
The ads, designed to tout genuine Fiat maintenance bits, state simply that "A Fiat is only a Fiat with genuine parts." And to get that point across, the campaign offers an owl sprouting peacock feathers, a spider sporting a ladybug shell, and a rabbit being pulled out of a... tortoise shell. The complete set of pictures can be seen here. Evidently factory parts are a big thing in Brazil. So is ayahuasca. We think the two may be related by tangent.
Photo of the Day: Precision Parking
May 8, 2008
We'd like to think we've made some pretty impressive parking performances here at Motive, but this photo from Japan puts any stories we might have to shame. This Daihatsu Hijet either fell off of a building into a very fortunate spot or its driver has one giant set of chestnuts. It is not only sandwiched between a building and a pole, its balancing on each edge of a moat. Yes, wow indeed. Click through to our forums below for the full photo, and thanks to oj1480 for posting it up.
Straight Outta Ontario: First Production Challenger Built
May 8, 2008
Chrysler's Brampton assembly plant, built by American Motors in 1986 and acquired by Chrysler in 1987, fired up a new line today. The first production version of the Dodge Challenger, built alongside the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 with which it shares its mechanicals, rolled out of the facility this morning.
The actual process leading up to the launch of the car included a run of hand-built prototypes using hand-built parts for initial vehicle and component testing, working its way through bodies and other "partial properties" built with "soft tools" for evaluation and design teams, and finally ended up with dozens of PVP, or production verification pilot, cars being built using production tooling and interiors. Today's ceremony marked the first "V-One", or volume production with serial number, car.
Volvo V70 Goes Sporty with R-Line Package
May 8, 2008
Little known is that Holden's entire production run of cars for Australia is done at a single factory. That plant - probably located in a city with a name like "New Wooloomooloo" or "Little Puking" - is tasked not only with producing every Holden car sold on the continent, but also with Vauxhalls for the U.K. and Pontiacs for the United States. It's a setup which brings with it its own sets of conundra. To wit: The addition of the Pontiac G8 was already taxing the facility's output, so when GM wanted to add new variants to the G8 lineup, they could only pick one: A sporty wagon, or a car-based pickup truck. GM went and chose the pickup, because sporty wagons have been welcomed in the United States with all the same enthusiasm as free herpes.
Nevertheless, Volvo has now added the R-Line trim package to its stalwart V70 wagon (a Volvo PR rep recently handed us the keys to a V70 and said, "we don't really advertise this any more, but... uh... enjoy driving it!"). The package comprises some stiffer and lower suspension bits, satin metal mirror caps and foglamps, air dams front and rear, a grippy steering wheel, and racier upholstery. To show off the V70 R-Line's "sporting character," Volvo went one step further and removed the roof rails. We're actually stoked for the V70 R-Line, mostly because of our being car queers and not Joe Lunchbucket, but we have a sneaking suspicion that you'll be able to round up everyone who buys a V70 R-Line over the next year and still not be able to field a rugby game. Read more about the new package from Volvo after the jump.
UAW Continues Storied Tradition of Cutting off Nose, Spiting Face
May 5, 2008
The logic is simple: General Motors' new Malibu is a helluva nice car that sells in respectable numbers and is garnering positive reviews from the press. Which, of course, means that Malibu production is one of the short hairs that the United Auto Workers can hold its corporate benefactor by.
As if it wasn't bad enough that a supplier shortage threatened Malibu production due to a lack of rear suspension components, now UAW Local 31 has walked off the line this morning, after a 9 AM CDT strike deadline. So, if you thought that buying the hot-selling North American Car of the Year was difficult before, just remember: The muscle behind the American auto industry is pushing you towards that Honda showroom to buy an Accord.
Photos: 2009 Nissan Maxima Away From The Show Stand
May 2, 2008
The first 2009 Nissan Maxima reviews won't be seen for a while still, but we recently got another look at the sleek sedan away from the artificial light of the New York Auto Show. We must say, it looks better outside in its natural habitat. Click the headline above to see four photos of the Maxima out under the sun.
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MotiveMag.com is an independent media publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any automobile manufacturer.