2014 Kia Optima Hybrid Gets Up To 40 MPG

The 2014 Kia Optima Hybrid mid-size sedan, available in LX and EX trims, has a 47 horsepower electric traction motor, a Hybrid Starter Generator and a 47 kW lithium polymer battery with a combined gas-electric 199 horsepower rating and combined 235 lb.-ft. of torque giving the LX model an EPA estimated 36 mpg city, 40 mpg highway and 38 mpg combined and the the EX model an EPA estimated 35/39/37.

2015 Kia Soul EV With 80-100 Mile Range in Third Quarter

The 2015 Kia Soul EV, scheduled to go on sale in the third quarter of 2014, utilizing a highly energy-dense 27kWh, air-cooled, 200 watt-hour/kg 360 volt 96-cell lithium-ion polymer battery is expected to yield a range of approximately 80-100 miles of real-world driving on a full charge, with internal testing and evaluation results exceeding 100 miles in some instances. Recharging times vary from 24 hours for a fully depleted battery using a standard 120-volt outlet and under five hours when plugged into a 240-volt outlet.  An 80-percent charge can be achieved in as little as 33 minutes with a 50 kW-output charger. The Soul EV, Kia’s first all-electric, zero-emissions car sold in the U.S., will initially be sold in California and Oregon in the West and several Eastern states including New York, New Jersey and Maryland, the regions with the largest EV markets and infrastructure.

Consumer Reports' Annual Car-Brand Perception Survey

Consumer Reports survey ranks the seven key factors by how important they are to consumers when buying a new car. The percentage is based on the number of respondents who said the factor was among their top three priorities:  Quality (90%), Safety (88%), Performance (83%), Value (82%), Fuel economy (81%), Design/Style (70%), and Technology/Innovation (68%).

The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a random, nationwide telephone survey of 1,578 adults from Dec. 6-15, 2013, and collected survey data from 1,764 adults in households that had at least one car.

For more: subscribe to Consumer Reports

2014 Honda Civic Hybrid and Natural Gas On Sale Tomorrow

The 2014 Honda Civic Hybrid with an EPA rating of 44/47/45 city/highway/combined starts at $25,425 (including $790 destination charge) and the 2014 Civic Natural Gas with a combined EPA rating of 31 mpg on a gas equivalent basis starts at $27,430 when they go on sale tomorrow.

The new Civics have a new Display Audio with 7-inch touchscreen that allows users to pinch, swipe and tap just like a smartphone to access audio, phonebook, media, vehicle information and available navigation features. The touchscreen display is also the interface for the next-generation HondaLink™, an application-based platform that allows a seamless integration between a user's smartphone and the car, providing access to online and cloud-based content and information both inside and outside the car.

Standard on both models is the Expanded View Driver's Mirror that, together with the available LaneWatch™ display. Also, Smart Entry with Push Button Start comes standard on the Civic Hybrid, allowing for entry and engine starting without turning an ignition key.

Ford Fusion Hybrid Super Bowl Commercial Is About The Car

Nearly Double, the Ford Super Bowl commercial with Rob Riggle and James Franco was about the car, the Ford Fusion Hybrid, and about it's top feature, miles per gallon that are double the average vehicle. My friends who own the Fusion Hybrid, love to brag about the great mileage and the value of the vehicle.

2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe Starts At $41,225 This Summer

The new 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe with four doors has the same length, width, wheelbase and track with the two-door version while the roofline is 4.4 inches longer sloping to the rear of the vehicle. The new 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe comes with with the 240 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the BMW 428i Gran Coupe starting at $41,225 and the 300 horsepower 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine in the BMW 435i Gran Coupe starting at $43,225 with both mated to the standard eight-speed sport Steptronic transmission and featuring the Auto Start Stop function. At model launch, the BMW 428i Gran Coupe can be optionally equipped with BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel drive technology and the top-of-the-line 435i Gran Coupe priced at $46,725. Official U.S. EPA numbers are not available yet but the 428i Gran Coupe expected to be 23 mpg city/35 mpg highway/27 mpg combined, similar to 428i Coupe and the 435i Gran Coupe could come in at 23 mpg city/35 mpg highway/27 mpg combined, in line with the 435i Coupe.

The all-new 2015 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe arrives in US showrooms in early summer.

January 2014 U.S. Auto Sales

General Motors delivered 171,486 vehicles in the United States in January 2014, down 12 percent from last year.

Ford Motor Company January sales of 154,644 total vehicles are down 7 percent from a year ago, while retail sales of 113,721 vehicles are off 5 percent.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. reported January 2014 sales results of 146,365, a decrease of 7.2 percent from January 2013. Toyota division posted January 2014 sales of 128,728, down 9 percent while Lexus reported January sales of 17,637, up 8.8 percent over 2013.

Chrysler reported U.S. sales of 127,183, an 8 percent increase compared with sales in January 2013 and the group’s best January sales since 2008.

American Honda reported January 2014 Honda and Acura vehicle sales of 91,631, a decrease of 2.1 percent vs. the same period last year amid record cold weather that affected industry sales in many parts of the U.S. The Honda Division recorded sales of 80,808, while the Acura Division sales of 10,823 for the month was up up 14.1 percent from a year ago.

Nissan announced total U.S. sales for January 2014 of 90,470, an increase of 11.8 percent compared to last year.

Hyundai Motor America reported its best January in company history, selling 44,005 for the month, up less than one percent versus the same period last year.

Kia Motors America reported record January sales of 37,011 vehicles up 2 percent from January 2013.

Subaru of America announced record January sales of 33,000 vehicles, a 19 percent increase over January 2013.

Volkswagen of America reported sales of 23,494 in January, a 19 percent decline from 2013. Separately, Audi reported January 2014 sales of 10,101 vehicles, a 0.4 percent increase over the previous January record set last year.

Mercedes-Benz USA reported the highest January retail volumes in its history with sales of 24,413 across the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines, a 1.5 percent increase from the same month last year. The Mercedes-Benz brand alone achieved its best-ever January with sales of 22,604. Gains were made across the MBUSA brand portfolio as Sprinter Vans advanced 19.6 percent to 1,288 and smart increased 8.3 percent to 521.

The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported January sales of 20,796 vehicles, an increase of 3 percent from the same month a year ago.

Mazda North American Operations reported January U.S. sales of 18,813 vehicles, representing a decrease of 11.8 percent versus last year.

Mitsubishi Motors North America reported January sales of 4,867, up 4.5 percent compared to January 2013.

Volvo Cars of North America reported U.S. sales of 3,792.

Porsche Cars North America announced January 2014 sales of 3,096 vehicles, eight percent below a strong January 2013 when 3,358 units were sold.

Sales will be updated as manufacturers report.

All-New 2015 Chrysler 200 Featured In Super Bowl TV Commercial

Fiat Chrysler's third Super Bowl commercial, the two-minute “America’s Import” for the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 came late in the 3rd quarter after the Seattle Seahawks scored a touchdown making it 36-0. It has legendary American musician/singer/songwriter Bob Dylan narrating.

Jeep Super Bowl Commercial Features All-New Cherokee

Jeep Super Bowl halftime show commercial, Restlessness, features the all-new Jeep Cherokee with a standard 9-speed automatic transmission that delivers up to 31 mpg hwy. It is an IIHS Top Safety Pick with available advanced safety features like blind spot detection. It was one of three from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Maserati Ghibli 90 Second First Quarter Super Bowl Commercial

Maserati Ghibli, starting at $66,900, featured in a 90 second first quarter Super Bowl commercial, is one of three from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the first ever television commercial by Maserati, We have prepared. Now we strike. 

Ford Super Bowl Commercial Preview - Fiat Chrysler Quiet

Ford Motor Company apparently will have Super Bowl commercials with actor James Franco and a tiger based on the teaser spot, Nearly Double.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, as the company is now called, will have three commercials but there hasn't been any pre-release like many of the other car companies. The first commercial will be in the first break in the first quarter, the second during halftime and another in the last break of the third quarter. One thing is for sure, animals dominate the car commercial content with cows, dogs, tigers and muppets. 

2014 Dodge Journey Crossroad Starts At $25,990 This Spring

The 2014 Dodge Journey Crossroad, positioned between the SXT and Limited models in the Journey lineup, is powered by a standard 173 horsepower 2.4-liter 16-valve DOHC four-cylinder engine linked to a four-speed automatic transmission delivering 26 miles per gallon on the highway. Also available is the 283 horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission delivering up to 25 mpg on the highway. The Dodge Journey Crossroad also comes standard with an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen, power front seat and a front passenger fold-flat seat with hidden storage bin under the seat cushion. Second- and third-row seats fold flat to create 67.6 cu. ft. of cargo space.

2014 Toyota Highlander Muppet Super Bowl Commercial

The all-new 2014 Toyota Highlander 60-second spot, “Joyride,” with former NFL player Terry Crews, star of the FOX series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” was developed in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi LA, Conill and 360i, and will air during the second quarter of the game. The Muppets teach Crews’ character a thing or two about “unborifying” his lifestyle as they “borrow” his sweet ride, the Toyota Highlander.
 

2015 Audi A3 Super Bowl Spot - A Dog?

The all-new Audi A3 60-second spot, called “Doberhuahua,”, created by San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners, is on how when people compromise things go terribly wrong, with Sarah McLachlan making an appearance with the bizarre concocted Doberman Pinscher Chihuahua breed. The spot will air during the first in-game break after the 3rd quarter kickoff, in the final position of the advertising break. The message - Designed Without Compromise - brings the Audi A3 into the commercial at the 46 second mark.

2015 Chevy Silverado Loaded With Bull For Super Bowl

The 2015 Chevy Silverado HD’s first TV ad, “Romance,” developed by the Silverado’s agency of record, Leo Burnett Detroit was filmed in Austin, Texas, with the soundtrack taken from the 1975 hit, “You Sexy Thing,” by the British group Hot Chocolate. The commercial runs this Sunday during Fox's Super Bowl telecast of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

Kia's Super Bowl Spot Introduces The K900 Luxury Sedan

Kia's 60-second third quarter Super Bowl spot, "The Truth" for the all-new K900 rear-drive luxury sedan revives Laurence Fishburne's role of Morpheus from The Matrix movie trilogy with the exploration of perception versus reality, specifically the Kia brand, by showing a side of luxury never seen before. Morpheus accompanies a couple on a ride filled with imagery as he sings “Nessun dorma,” an aria from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot.

VW Super Bowl Ad "Wings" - Does It Fly?

Volkswagen “Wings” 60-second spot, developed by ARGONAUT, a San Francisco-based creative agency, centers around VW’s 100,000 mile claim that the brand has the most vehicles on the road with over 100,000 miles. The commercial airs in the second quarter of the Big Game this Sunday.

2014 BMW 740Ld xDrive Diesel Arrives This Spring For $83,425

The 2014 BMW 740Ld xDrive Sedan with a 255 horsepower 3.0 liter TwinPower Turbo diesel engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission in the long-wheelbase 7 Series body that will include xDrive, BMW’s intelligent all-wheel drive system will have a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $83,425 (including $925 destination and handling) when it arrives in US showrooms this Spring.

Hyundai's Super Bowls Ads To Feature Genesis and Elantra

“Dad’s Sixth Sense”, a 30-second spot, will open Hyundai's Super Bowl advertising during the first quarter dramatizing the near-misses and saves of everyday parenting by giving a demonstration of the all-new Genesis and its Automatic Emergency Braking capabilities, one of the Genesis’ safety services, the Sensory Surround Safety System.

“Nice” a 30-second spot running in the fourth quarter features the Elantra by following a young comedic talent in an escalating game of compliments between two identical Elantras showcasing the performance, style and technology of the compact sedan. Creative was developed by Hyundai’s agency of record, INNOCEAN USA.

Jaguar F-TYPE Coupe To Be Featured In Super Bowl TV Ad

British actors Sir Ben Kingsley, Tom Hiddleston and Mark Strong will star in Jaguar's 60-second "Rendezvous" TV spot on the February 2nd Fox Super Bowl telecast, filmed by Oscar-winning British director Tom Hooper to launch the campaign for the F-TYPE Coupe. The original score for "Rendezvous" was composed and conducted by Alexandre Desplat, who worked with Tom Hooper on The King's Speech and recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road studios. SPARK44 was responsible for the creative positioning and strategy behind the campaign, while Mindshare managed the communications planning and buying.

Check out the 30-second preview of "Rendezvous".