By Harmon Leon

Celebrities love a smooth ride. Where would celebrities be without their wheels? Sure they have the money to be toted around in limos, but a celebrity with an awesome car shows not only their status, but also their sensibilities; be it a massive SUV or fuel efficient electric vehicle—it’s their statement to their fans. Celebrities are larger than life, and so should be their vehicles.

Here are a few celebrity cars that really turn heads on the road:

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The Big 3 will not be participating in this year’s biggest advertising event—the Super Bowl. For the last eight years, we could always count on at least one of the American carmakers to run at least one ad during the game. But, this year all three will be sitting on the sidelines.

To me, it represents one of the reasons why the Big 3 is hurting. Sure, the economy is limping along. And yes, Super Bowl ads are very expensive. But, to stop marketing your vehicles at this point is a big mistake.

Many businesses are doing the same thing—advertising is down all over the country–on the Internet, in publications, on TV and radio. But, to halt advertising efforts during rocky economic times is not forward-thinking. Now is actually the ideal time to ramp up your advertising. Audi, Hyundai and Toyota will be running ads. What do they know that the Big 3 can’t see?

Why retreat and admit defeat when you can be more aggressive with your advertising and marketing and take a shot at capturing a segment of the market you might not otherwise have a shot at? Things are wide open right now and people are going to have to buy new cars eventually, so why not make sure you’re on their radar when they do? When this recession ends (and it will some day) those companies that were proactive in their advertising efforts will come out of it in better shape than ever.

Pulling in the reins on your advertising is a knee-jerk reaction and will not solve anything. If you don’t toot your horn and tout your company, who will? This move illustrates clearly that the Big 3 is scared and has lost its confidence in its products. It’s a sad day.

Article that appeared in the Detroit News today after the jump:

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Uh-oh, another recall, and this is a big one.

Toyota, largest automaker in the world has to recall one of its most popular models, the Yaris. As a matter of fact, they are recalling 1.3 million of the little buggers, so this is a pretty big deal (BTW, just what IS the plural of Yaris? Is it Yarii? Or is it both singular and plural, like moose?). A lot of people find the Yaris an unattractive ride, but a lot of people, especially women, we’ve noticed, are really taken by its cuteness and proportions. It’s also inexpensive, well laid out on the inside gets great mileage and has been a big hit for the company. So if you own a Yaris, read on.

On Wednesday Toyota said the recall involves 134,900 of them residing in the United States. The recall is due to a seatbelt defect. In extreme front-crash situations, the defective seatbelt unit could cause a foam pad to ignite. However, no cases of fire have been reported to Toyota or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall includes 2006 and 2007 model year Yaris vehicles. Owners will be notified of the recall next week via a letter from Toyota.

Well, we guess the good news is that” … no cases of fire have been reported … “, but still, if you own a Yaris, and you don’t hear from Toyota, call up your dealer.

Safety first kids, safety first.

Source: LeftLaneNews

Ah, the Porsche GT series … such fun. The kind of fun that keeps lawyers employed, tire dealers stocking up on new meats and cops waiting with their radar guns at the ready.

Let’s take a deeper look at Porsche’s new performer, shall we?

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Needing cash fast, Ford wants to unload Volvo. The first move is to show that the car line is making money. Who is going to purchase a company that’s losing money? Sales are down by almost half, which will most likely scare away even the most speculative investors.

Volvo is a popular car with families, because they’re so safe. I bought a used Volvo wagon in the late ’80s. It had 100,000 miles on it when I bought the vehicle, and I got another 50,000 out of it without a major repair. Solidly built and structurally sound, I see a lot of upwardly mobile families driving Volvos with car seats in the back. Ford is reportedly going to ask for $5-$10 billion dollars for the brand, but they could be dreaming with that price, especially in a recession.

Ford has too many car lines, so selling Volvo makes sense. Hopefully, the move will provide them with some much-needed funds that they can use to make better cars that are greener, more affordable and family friendly. They say that of the Big 3, Ford is in the best shape. They’ve been the most proactive in making greener cars, and by offering attractive deals, they’ve been selling new cars when most Americans are content to drive the cars they have currently have, while they wait and see what’s going to happen with the economy.

Detroit News article after the jump:

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Imagine a world where cars never collide; where accidents just don’t happen; and where cars talk to each other and to the road. Yesterday, Michigan officials announced that they’ll be working with the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) to test two emerging technologies–vehicle connectivity and intelligent highways–that would make cars virtually crash-proof within the next five to seven years.

I predicted a long time ago that cars would drive themselves by the year 2020. Now it looks like it might happen sooner.

These technologies, when fully developed and taken all the way, will eventually permit drivers to jump in their cars and essentially tell them where to go. The car does all the work while the passenger is free to sleep, work, or eat. I’d probably use the time to answer e-mails and watch movies. Suddenly, commuting won’t be such a pain anymore. Sure, people who enjoy driving will not give it up easily, but eventually no one will be operating their own cars. With this new technology, car accidents could be reduced by 80%. Insurance rates will most certainly plummet.

Original article that appeared in The Detroit News after the jump.

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On the heals of the Fiat/Chrysler quasi-merger, word is out about which products will be coming to the U.S.

According to Automotive News, the companies will bring seven new vehicles to the U.S. market. Four wearing badges from a division of Chrysler, and three as Fiats or Alfa-Romeos. The vehicles will be built in North American Chrysler plants and sold through Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers.

Here’s what Chrysler gets:

The A-Class: the successful 500 mini-car.

The B-Class: the wide-eyed subcompact from Alfa-Romeo, called the MiTo.

The C-class/D-class: Two vehicles from Fiat’s up coming C-Evo platform. One is a possible replacement for the unloved Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring duo and also the next generation of the Alf-Romeo 147 hatchback.

At the moment, this is still largely speculation. The FEC has to approve the deal, and there’s always safety and emissions hoops to jump through, but nothing here seems to be too fanciful or out of line. So, pretty soon, we could see some fun and interesting cars from Italy in Chrysler showrooms.

Source: Edmunds

One of the annoying, on going problems with owning a sports car can be ground clearance. You know, speed bumps and sloped driveways and potholes and what not.

Well worry no more, or at least you can stop worrying about ground clearance issue if you’re the proud owner of a Porsche 911 or an Audi R8.

Porsche tuner Cargraphic has come up with a solution for this problem in the form of the “Airlift Suspension System”. Available for the Porsche 996/997 and in the near future, the Audi R8, patented automatic level control system enables the car’s front suspension to rise by 55m.

Cargraphic’s “Airlift Suspension” will automatically lower the car back down to normal ride height once it has reached a speed of 50 km/h (31mph), which is a common feature on other aftermarket systems of this sort.

One unique feature of Cargraphic’s suspension system is that in the 911, it can work with the Porsche factory PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management). There are 2 versions of the Cargraphic Airlift Suspension available, a complete kit that includes BILSTEIN B16 suspension or as an upgrade kit for OE coil over suspensions

OK you lucky owners of Porsche 996/997 or Audi R8s, get cracking.

Source: CarScoop

By Kurt Gensheimer

Whether or not you’ve grown up as a car buff, unless you’re a troglodyte who still walks barefoot from point A to point B, you’re probably familiar with who “The Big 3″ automakers comprise. And if you’ve watched any of the executive groveling before our esteemed panel of D.C. dunderheads we call our “leaders”, then you’re absolutely familiar with The Big 3. However in the aftermath of Toyota’s recent ascension past GM to become the number #1 selling automotive brand in the world - in addition to its involvement in NASCAR and multiple American manufacturing plants - the old Big 3 moniker may need revision to include Toyota.

And who would be “The Other 2″? Honda and Nissan seem to fit the role quite well, with similarly expanding market share and multiple U.S.-based factories. Yes, it seems that when people nowadays refer to “The Big 3″, there needs to be some level of clarification - New School or Old School?

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The good news is that Mercedes-Benz is going to bring a diesel/electric hybrid out later this year. The bad news is that it will be in their M-Class SUV.

Mercedes-Benz is bringing a hybrid version of its S-Class sedan, the S400 BlueHYBRID, to market first, that’s true, but the FIRST hybrid Mercedes wanted released was their SUV. A hybrid version of the automaker’s M-Class SUV was supposed to make production last June, but a supplier glitch delayed that plan.

The M-Class hybrid will share the same hybrid drive system found in the S400 BlueHYBRID, only it will be diesel-powered, using the same 3.2L clean turbo-diesel found under the hood of the ML320 BlueTEC.

The M-Class hybrid will crank out a combined 340 horsepower, which is very comparable in power to the V8-powered ML550. Thanks to the electric motors fuel economy should be improved by about 30 percent. The ML320 BlueTEC already achieves 18/24 mpg city/highway, so the new model should be even better, particularly in city driving.

The hybrid M-Class is expected to hit showrooms sometime during the fourth quarter of this year.

Source: LeftLaneNews

A futuristic looking electric car with three wheels, called the Aptera 2e, is supposed to start production in October. Aptera Motors describes their 2e as a two-seat commuter vehicle that will feature a driving range of more than 100 miles per charge, go from zero to 60 m.p.h. in under 10 seconds and hit speeds of 90 m.p.h.

The Vista, Calif., company is one of several new start-ups hoping to sell electric cars. The 2e will be sold only in California initially with plans to sell it elsewhere in the United States by late 2010. Aptera gave a wide range for the price–$25,000 to $45,000.

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By Harmon Leon

Donate your car, fool! Why go through the hassle of trying to make a little extra scratch trying to sell that old clunker when you can be a doer of good? That’s right, by being a doer-of- good you can also get a good size tax reduction while at the same time helping out a charitable cause. It’s fast! It’s easy. There’s no muss! There’s no fuss! There’s no unsightly panty lines!

So, which of the following are good reasons to donate?

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OK, now I’m not so jealous anymore, or at least a little less.

It seems that there’s some problems with two of the prettiest cars you can buy in America at the moment.

Number one, the Alfa Romeo 8c Competizione, with all those luscious curves and slightly retro styling that hearkens back to when Alfa was a racing marques to be feared has some issues. It seems that some of the Alfas left the factory with incorrectly torqued front and rear suspension upper and lower ball joint nuts. Oops! That could be a problem.

Number two is the same issue affecting MY 2008 Maserati Gran Turismo and Quattroporte which share the same platform with the Alfa.

According to the Maserati factory, the incorrectly torqued ball joint nuts may loosen with consequent steering wheel vibration, a growing metallic noise and progressive loss of driving precision in the transients. If you continue to use the vehicle in these conditions, it may lead to damage of the suspension lever, which in the long term and depending on vehicle usage, may cause the ball joint/suspension arm to break.

So, if you’re one of the 7,912 Maseratis and Alfa 8c Competiziones to be recalled in the States, contact your dealer or contact Maserati for more information at 1-201-816-2600.

Source: CarScoop

Fiat is purchasing a 35% stake in Chrysler as its private equity owner Cerberus attempts to save the troubled US car manufacturer. The Italians are stepping up to help because they see great potential in Chrysler and believe that the United States car market will rebound. Maybe some of the Italian magic will rub off on Chrysler and help them get back to the coveted position they inhabited for so long.

It’s a win-win situation for both companies. Fiat has been chomping at the bit to expand into U.S. markets more aggressively and Chrysler covets Fiat’s production expertise and high-tech innovative approach. Fiat will direct Chrysler on how to make smaller, greener vehicles and Chrysler will learn how to cut costs in manufacturing. At least that’s the idea. Hopefully in the end, President Obama will also be more receptive to the idea of helping the carmaker out, knowing that they’re now partially owned and partnering with a respected name like Fiat.

The Italians have long been fans of the United States and have given us many great things—including gelato, panini sandwiches, carpaccio and the actress Sophia Loren — not to mention Lamborghini, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Lancia – all owned by the aforementioned Fiat, by the way. Fiat is a smart company. This is not a Mother Teresa charity gesture by any means. The Italian carmaker is banking on a Chrysler comeback and it’s all about the money, no doubt.

I know several parts managers at Chrysler dealerships, and they’re ecstatic about the acquisition. “We need some good news right about now,” said an unnamed source. “This is good for the company, but one of the best things is that it will give Chrysler employees a little more faith and confidence. We’ve been around a long time and this is an indication we’re not going anywhere.

Article originally posted in the Wall Street Journal after the jump:

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In the land of aftermarket “tuning” there’s no such word as excessive.

Or so it would seem when it comes to South Side Performance and their 820 hp turbo upgrade for Nissan GT-R. Obviously what the GT-R lacks is power, right?

The tuning firm, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, of all places, is offering a set of upgraded stock turbochargers for the GT-R that could boost output to 820 hp when used with other unspecified performance mods.

The technical details go like this: You swap out the stock turbos’ center section with a remachined compressor and turbine housings, (sized 68mm and 53.8mm, respectively, in case your interested). The aluminum compressor wheel is good for up to 32 psi of boost. Yikes! Counterintuitively, the swap appears to be a simple bolt-on affair since the basic hardware is the same. South Side Performance says the turbos make more power at stock boost levels and provide a linear power band throughout the rev range. Right. Color me skeptical, but I’m betting the throttle response is like a light switch.

If you’re interested and have $6,499 for the upgrade, you can get the GTR820RR kit from GT-RR.com who distributes the kits for South Side. Owners can send their stock turbos for the upgrade, and the approximate turnaround time of one week.

Best of luck explaining this to your wife, your judge and/or your insurance rep.

Source: AutoBlog