Smart Move: Hyundai Sonata Wagon Spied

All the luxury automakers have their wits about them as most are offering or are about to offer more wagon variants for us to choose from.

Unfortunately for normal folk, the non-luxury mid-size wagon market is quite dry. There used to be lots to choose from such as the Ford Taurus wagon, Mazda6 wagon, the Camry Wagon and the Dodge Magnum. But all of those have bitten the dust and as a result the mid-size wagon segment has been mostly abandoned. If you want a mid-sized wagon these days without spending north of 30 grand, you are pretty much limited to the Subaru Outback or the Volkswagen Jetta Wagon.

Hyundai is apparently seeing the huge gap in the market, and thus lots of potential. Its newly redesigned Sonata is receiving high praise of late, so they figured they could pull off a similar trick with a wagon version. I’m willing to bet that they will. People won’t be forced into buying an SUV if they need versatility, but it will also serve as a good solution for many businesses and would take up the company car role nicely.

Expect the Sonata wagon to receive a 2012 release date.

[Autoblog]

GM Not Above Blatant Publicity Stunts, Uses New Born

Okay, we’re all in agreement that the Chevy Cobalt sucks badly, right? Even GM themselves think it’s horrible. So if you are one of the thousands of suckers that ended up buying one, you’re probably getting what you deserve. However, if you are a Cobalt owner and you are preggers, then perhaps there is one pro to owning own. Free diapers.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Cobalt owner Amanda McBride of Michigan was quite preggers and was out for a drive when her baby decided it was time to leave her womb and there would be no stopping it. McBride had her husband with her, but he was not able to drive her to the hospital because he was on medication which did not allow him to operate a motor vehicle safely. So McBride gave birth to her baby right in the driver’s seat. Apparently it “just slid out”. Gross.

Anyway even though GM themselves hate the Cobalt, that won’t stop them for somehow taking credit for McBride’s easy birth. Since it happened so easily and it was in one of their cars, GM decided it could gain some free press by offering McBride  a year’s supply of baby diapers, a stroller, a baby seat and an unspecified amount of baby toys.

So basically, if you own a GM and you are quite pregnant, make sure you give birth in your car because it will actually be worth your while. And if GM doesn’t give you free diapers, you can call them out on their blatant publicity stunt and ensure they stay in the media for all the wrong reasons.

This isn’t the first time GM has used people and situations to gain press. Remember that stupid MLB Silverado that GM made to take advantage of their own charity work?

[Detroit Free Press]

Woman Sues Renault For Using Her Name

French automaker Renault is going to be among the many to put an all-electric vehicle into production in the very near future.  The concept you see above is tentatively called the ‘Zoe’ and will likely see the light of day in 2012. Sounds fairly standard, right?

Well a woman named Zoe Renault isn’t too happy with the choice of name for Renault’s new EV. In fact she’s so upset that Renault is using her name, she is suing the company! The 23 year old has hired lawyers that are demanding Renault drop the name and come up with something else. Apparently Zoe (the human) could not bear the thought of people saying “Zoe broke down” or “We need to get Zoe overhauled”.

What’s even more ridiculous is this isn’t even the first time that Renault has been sued for using the name Zoe.  They used it back in 1995. Nothing ever came of the lawsuit.

Renault has only stated that the name “Zoe” is not a definite choice as other names are still being thrown around in their marketing department.

[MSN Autos]

Automakers Loving Obama Again

This is a bit of a turn around, isn’t it.

Just a short while ago, automakers were up in arms with the new, more stringent fuel efficiency standards that were going to come into play in 2016. Some thought they were too short on time to develop the technology necessary to meet the new standards, while others even asked to be exempted from the new standards.

However, with newly announced mileage requirements for light trucks and vehicles running through 2018 to 2025, automakers are breathing a sigh of relief as the pressure is relieved slightly with the extension. On top of it all, the new standards will be national which means manufacturers won’t need to abide by different state laws. For instance, California has the strictest emission laws in Amurrica and they have long been a thorn in the side of automakers.

This is an interesting move. Something definitely needs to be done with how much gas our cars use, but time is rapidly running out for a solution, especially considering how much oil is being lost as you read this post from the leak of the States shoreline. Is it better to force automakers into coming up with fuel efficient cars in a short period of time and risking unforeseen problems because they were rushed? Or is it better to give them time to develop good technology while we suck up more and more of the earth’s non-renewable resources?

What do you think?

[Autoblog Green]

Karl Strake For President (of GM)

He has already publically said what we all were thinking about the Cobalt and now Karl Strake, the vice president for global engineering of GM has stated publicly what we all are thinking about the Corvette.

The Corvette has quite a loyal following and anyone who tries to criticize it or make fun of it will get quite the lashing. In fact, it appears some within GM are quite sensitive when it comes to Corvette criticisms. Not Strake though. He tells it like it is.

Strake said of the Corvette interior “I want to be at Audi quality. Audi is the benchmark for interiors. I’ve driven the Corvette Grand Sport and I like it a lot, but the interior is not convincing.”

Bang on. Since I’ve never driven a Corvette, I can’t comment on how it drives, but I’ve definitely sat in one and the interior is pretty sub-par for a vehicle of its price.

If Strake gets his way with these GM products, GM will be the ones setting the benchmarks.

Now tell us what you really think of the Aveo, Strake.

[Auto North]

Told Ya: Lupe Fiasco Jumps Aboard Camaro Infatuation

I really should be some sort of marketing guru because I predicted that the new Chevrolet Camaro will be the new Cadillac Escalade among rappers. And you know it’s true if Lupe Fiasco is doing it. Lupe tends to not care so much about materialism or fame, in fact he has gone on record as saying he never wants to be famous (even though he kinda is already). Thing is, he still has a love for all things traditionally popular, he just doesn’t let it all cloud his judgment.

The traditionally anti-traditional rapper posted this pic of him and a Camaroo SS on his blog and I must admit, I was a little taken aback by Lupe’s choice of ride, despite all the hoopla surrounding the Camaro in the hip hop world. I expected him to be in some sort of Japanese rocket like a Nissan GT-R. Lupe claims he’s “American mentally with Japanese tendencies” so I guess this is just his inner American coming out. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with that.

But what makes it even more forgivable than that is he is using the Camaro for a charity run called ‘Run to the sun’ where he and Caleb Garrett will drive from Chicago to Los Angles in order to raise money for homeless shelters.

Oh, and Lupe already named his Camaro. It’s called ‘Skull Leader Zero’. I kinda thought that was a stupid name at first, but for some reason it’s growing on me. I totally admire him for keeping the Camaro stock and resisting the temptation to put ridiculously massive rims on it like some people.

[Lupe Fiasco]

Audi Plays the Stereotype Game With…Everyone

Audi and BMW have long been German rivals as they have both taken pretty funny shots and jabs at each other from time to time. This time, Audi has decided to take a few additional shots at two other rivals: Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.

The 3 minute spot is called “Meet the Beckers” and although it’s an oldie, it’s a goodie. The whole point of the spot is that Audi is for normal people and its rivals are for walking stereotypes.

First Audi naturally takes aim at BMW. We see a blue E46 M3 convertible speeding down the road. It is driven by a stereotypical (in Audi’s mind anyway) BMW driver which is a douchebag wearing a blutooth headset, blasting European techno music with a rather dim witted female in the passenger seat. Driving very aggressively, they catch up to a slow moving Toyota Prius which angers the BMW driver so he lays on the horn, passes on the right, cuts off the Prius without signalling all while giving the Prius driver the middle finger. Basically Audi is showcasing the stereotype that BMW drivers are inconsiderate, aggressive driving pricks who show off to girls and blast loud questionable European techno.

Then Audi picks on Mercedes owners where we see an old man who is obviously not with the times and seemingly has lots of money. He has a gold digging wife much younger than he and has trouble operating all the gadgets and gizmos in the Benz as he leaves his parking spot with the wipers on and the right turn signal on…as he turns left. We also see them splash puddle water into a homeless man begging for money as they make a turn. So basically Audi’s stereotype in this case is that all Mercedes-Benz owners are old rich white guys who have young trophy wives and don’t know how to operate their cars (insinuating they only have a Benz for the badge).

Then Audi turns its eye to Lexus owners as we see a preppy family who seemingly is happy, normal and wholesome, but really they are a bunch of freaks. The daughters aren’t quite what you’d call normal with a gothic heavy metal tendency. Meanwhile the father is clearly a neurotic nerd who may or may not be a hypochondriac. So basically Audi sees Lexus owners as boring, nerdy people who are freaks deep down inside.

Of course, Audi sees their drivers as completely normal level headed people.

Do you think all the stereotypes are accurate? Check out the video above and sound off in the comments.

Lexus LS 460 & LS 600h On Stop Sale Probation

Yup, another Toyota recall.

This time the automaker’s luxury flagship is causing the headaches. The LS 460 and the LS 600h have been issued a stop sale from Toyota due to electric steering problems.

Apparently when making a turn in the LS, the wheel does not return to its original position quickly enough after the turn is made. Obviously this could cause a few problems.

Toyota has already addressed the issue for all new LS’s rolling off the assembly line in Japan, but existing LS’s unsold on dealer lots are not to be sold until the repair needed to fix the problem is completed.

The LS joins the HS 250h and the GX 460 for brand’s latest recalled vehicles.

Spied: 2011 Volkswagen Jetta

Don’t let that strange looking badge on the trunk hood fool you, it is very likely that this is the new Jetta caught tooling around in Michigan. Since the car is wearing nearly no camouflage, the badge is likely there to throw people off.

The dimensions of the car are a bit hard to tell, but as is the trend, it will likely be bigger than the current generation Jetta. Though the current gen Jetta is pretty big as it is (some say too big).

Front pic added after the jump.

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FAIL: Prius Driver Jailed for Racing?!

Huh?

I recently tested the 2010 Toyota Prius, and even though it isn’t the car for me, I came away quite impressed. One of the things that impressed me was its unexpected power. The Prius can get from 0-100 in 9.8 seconds. That isn’t fast enough to induce any sort of thrills, but for a hybrid, that’s pretty damned good. I even pondered whether I should even mention the Prius’ 0-100 time because I figured no one remotely interested in a Prius would really care. Speed = lots of fuel consumption after all. Apparently I was wrong.

Timothy Hird from Georgia seemingly had a fit of road rage as he was unimpressed with the way a Honda Civic was driving. He then decided to show non-hybrid owners just how fast his Prius could go by racing the Civic. There was lots of back and fourth yelling, and the Prius was apparently able to hold its own, but in the end, a close call with a police officer ended the Civic vs Prius affair.

Both drivers were booked for wreckless driving and Hird even got thrown in jail for it. All this just to prove your Prius is faster than people think?

[Top Speed]

McLaren Choses Toronto for First Canadian Dealership

McLaren has just released a list of new dealerships around the world where it hopes to sell quite a few more of their exotic hypercars. Unsurprisingly, the centre of the universe Toronto was the lone Canadian city on the list.

The States managed to snag seven cities, Europe got 12, the Middle East got two, and South Africa got one.

I suppose we should be thankful that McLaren believes such a market exists in Canada – enough to sell cars here.

McLaren will be announcing 12 new dealer locations across the world next year, so we may even see more McLaren dealerships on Canadian soil.

(Pick Halifax!)

Mazda3 Was Best Selling Car in Canada in April

Mazda’s 3 took top selling car honours in Canada last month.

The Honda Civic usually beats its competitors by a fair margin, but it seems as though Canadians are feeling that the Civic is a bit long in the tooth as Volkswagen was able to unseed the Civic back in February.

But don’t expect the new tougher competition to force Honda into redesigning its Civic. Even though Honda rigorously completely redesigns almost every model on a strict five year schedule, the Civic will be missing its redesign by a year or so. Honda claims new efficiency standards are to blame for the delay, but clearly it’s because the competition is churning out some decent product, and Mazda besting Toyota is the perfect example.

The Golf, the Corolla, upcoming Focus and Cruze aren’t going to wait around for you to reclaim the top spot, Honda.

16 Year Old Crashes $180,000 Porsche Press Vehicle

Peter Cheney, an automotive journalist for the Globe & Mail, was lucky enough to get the new Porsche 911 Turbo for a week. Cheney has a 16 year old son. Porsches and 16 year olds don’t mix at all, a fact that was proven as soon as Cheney brought the amazing 911 home.

To make sure nothing happened to the 911 while it was in Cheney’s possession, he parked it in his garage. When his son got home, Cheney told him what car he was reviewing for the week and naturally, his son had to take a closer look. Cheney told him it was parked in the garage and could go look at it.

Moments later, Cheney’s son came back inside the house, his eyes as “wide as dinner plates”. His son only managed to spit out “Dad, the Porsche….the Porsche”. Cheney thought it had been stolen so he rushed into the garage only to find it half in the garage and half out with a door wrapped around it. Turns out his son had more than just a look.

The resulting damage was $2800 to fix the garage door and $11,000 to fix damage to the 911. Needless to say, Cheney’s son got an earful from his dad, but strangely enough, not from Porsche.

Rick Bye, press fleet manager for Porsche Canada, was immediately contacted and he came out to survey the damage. All he said to Cheney’s son was “Stuff happens. We’re glad you’re okay. This is only a car. You don’t need a lecture. You already know.”

I’m glad no one was hurt either. I’d like to selfishly take this opportunity to let Mr. Bye know that Car Driven would very much welcome the opportunity to review a Porsche 911 Turbo and we don’t have any 16 year olds that will mess it up. Just sayin’.

[The Globe & Mail]

Only In Dubai…*

As obnoxious and dangerous as this is, it is incredibly entertaining to watch. I can only imagine what it was like to see this in person. Or does this sort of thing happen every day in Dubai?

*UPDATE: It turns out the two drivers were arrested for the foolery in the video. The two males of course are in their 20s and were booked thanks to the video identifying their license plates. No word on what the penalties are for car stunting.

[Youtube]

Oh Hi: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS

The CLS has sort of set up camp on the proverbial back burner of Mercedes’ stove, but not for too much longer as the big sedan that started the whole four-door coupe craze has been caught at a photoshoot.

The new CLS will get more eye catching tail lights, a reworked front end more in line with the rest of the Mercedes family and an assortment of LED’s to make sure people know just how flashy the car is.

Surprisingly, despite its size and weight, the CLS is quite competent in the performance department – it’s not all just about showing off to your neighbour. To ensure performance doesn’t take a back seat to styling the CLS  350 (pictured) will get a 3.5 direct injected V6 making 306 horsepower. A 4.7 litre V8 will also be offered making a rumoured 435 horsepoer and 516 pound feet of torque. This begs the question: what will the AMG version will have under the hood? We’ll just have to wait and see.

A few more pics after the jump.

[Inside Line]

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