Scion iM Concept Debuts This Week At Los Angeles Auto Show

The new Scion iM Concept five-door compact hatchback with racing-style vented front rotors and 4-piston calipers work and adjustable height racing suspension with 19-inch forged alloy wheels and performance tires will be on display starting this weekend at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

2016 Audi TT Roadster and TTS Coupe Coming Second Half Of 2015

2016 Audi TT Roadster and TTS Coupe will feature a 220 horsepower 2.0L TFSI engine and the Audi TTS Coupe will have a 292 horsepower turbo 2.0L TFSI engine, both with quattro permanent all-wheel drive and mated to a six-speed dual clutch S tronic® transmission. The TT will be available as coupe and roadster and the TTS will be available as a coupe only.

2016 Audi TTS Coupe, European model

The all-new Audi TT will also feature the most advanced version of Audi connect®, including picture navigation, read-aloud news headlines, Facebook® and Twitter® alerts, access to more than 7,000 Web radio stations, personalized RSS news feeds and more. The third-generation Audi TT Roadster and TTS Coupe will make their U.S. debut at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show this week and arrive for sale on US shores during the second half of 2015.

2015 Audi R8 competition - Only 60 To Be Made

2015 Audi R8 competition powered by a 570 horsepower 5.2L V10 engine mated exclusively to a seven-speed S tronic and a sport exhaust system with black high-gloss tailpipes races from 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds hitting a top speed of 199 mph, making it the fastest R8 ever offered. A total of 60 will be produced at the R8 production facility in Neckarsulm, Germany. Customers can begin ordering the Audi R8 competition now with deliveries expected at the beginning of 2015.

Volkswagen GTI Roadster, Golf R 400 To Be On Display In L.A.

Volkswagen GTI Roadster two-seat convertible concept car, originally created on-screen for the Sony PlayStation®3 classic "Gran Turismo 6", comes to life with 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbocharged TSI® engine that produces 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque mated to a seven-speed DSG® dual-clutch automatic transmission and a 4MOTION® all-wheel-drive system. The GTI Roadster sprints from 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 3.5 seconds and goes onto a top track speed of 192 mph.

Volkswagen Golf R 400 concept car powered by a 394 horsepower 2.0 TSI four-cylinder engine with 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive makes its North America debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week. Haldex-5 coupling, is activated even before slip occurs. Under low load conditions, or during coastdown, the front wheels handle most of the propulsive power, while the rear axle is decoupled, saving on fuel. If necessary, the rear axle of the Golf R can be variably engaged in fractions of a second. This is done by means of the Haldex coupling that is activated by an electro-hydraulic oil pump. The Golf R 400 concept car zips from zero to 62 mph in 3.9 seconds and to an electronically limited top speed of 173 mph.

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Starts New Mercedes-Benz Nomenclature

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Rear Seat

The new Mercedes-Maybach S 600, represents a new nomenclature starting next year and makes a world premiere this month in Guangzhou and Los Angeles. The five core model series, A, B, C, E and S, will continue to be used while SUVs will have the first two letters "GL" in their name.

The "G" here denotes the car's lineage, the "L" is a letter that appears over the history of Mercedes-Benz and the third letter indicates the relationship to the relevant core model series: GLA = GL A-Class, GLC = GL C-Class (previously GLK), GLE = GL E-Class (previously M-Class or ML), GLE Coupé = GL E-Class Coupé, GLS = GL S-Class (previously GL). The system for the 4-door Coupés is "CL" with the third letter the link to one of the core model series: CLA and CLA Shooting Brake, or CLS and CLS Shooting Brake. From 2016 on the Roadsters will all include "SL" in their names to denote their origin, with the third letter again the link to one of the core model series. The SLK therefore becomes the new SLC.


The different types of engines will also be given new designations: c for "compressed natural gas" (Natural Gas Drive until now), d for "diesel" (BlueTEC and CDI until now), e for "electric" (PLUG-IN HYBRID, BlueTEC PLUG-IN HYBRID and Electric Drive until now), f for "fuel cell" (F-CELL until now), and, h for "hybrid" (HYBRID and BlueTEC HYBRID until now).

2016 Audi A6 and A7 Get More Power, New Front and Rear

Audi A7 - European Version

The 2016 Audi A6 gets a new 252 horsepower 2.0 liter four cylinder TFSI engine as the entry powertrain to A6 model line greater performance. The 3.0T has been enhanced to produce 333 horsepower, up by 23 horsepower from the previous version, 325 lb. ft. of torque, and a Tiptronic transmission. The A6 TDI will generate 240 horsepower and 428 lb. ft. of torque with a Tiptronic transmission. The S6 produces 450 horsepower, up 30 horsepower from the previous version, and 406 lb. ft. of torque mated to an S tronic transmission.

The 2016 Audi A7 (European model above) is offered with 3.0T and clean diesel TDI engines, along with the S7 and RS 7 variants. All have the same engines and transmissions used by the A6 and S6 models. Each vehicle has different calibration for the electronic stability control, ABS, and transmission shift points to ensure that the wider track and weight of the A7 model line meet Audi specifications. The RS 7 features the 8-speed automatic Tiptronic transmission and produces a 560 horsepower and 516 lb. ft. of torque. All variants are offered with quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

The 2016 Audi A6 and A7 both receive new front design with new LED headlights and rear features LED taillights and new trapezoidal tailpipes. All variants are offered with a quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The S6 and S7 also feature an available Sport Exhaust system with black oval tailpipes.

Ford's Farley and Odell Swap Jobs

Jim Farley

Steve Odell

Jim Farley, 52, (left) is appointed executive vice president and president of Europe, Middle East and Africa replacing Stephen Odell, 59, (right) who is taking Farley's position of executive vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Both will continue to report to Ford president and CEO Mark Fields.

Farley will be responsible for continuing to lead and accelerate Ford’s transformation in Europe, executing the One Ford plan to achieve profitable growth where losses have been mounting. The focus is on new products and increased cost efficiency. The move is subject to immigration approval. Farley took over Global Marketing, Sales & Service for Ford in 2007 after coming from Toyota where he was group vice president and general manager of Lexus and, prior to that, spent more than 10 years in Marketing, Sales and Service leadership positions at Scion, Toyota and Lexus, in the U.S. and Europe.

Odell will be focused on continuing to build the Ford and Lincoln brands globally through innovative new digital communications and transforming the retail experience for customers. Odell, during his 34-year career at Ford, served as president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation from 2008 to 2010 and led Marketing, Sales and Service at Ford of Europe and at Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan.

Jaguar F-TYPE AWD R Coupé To Debut At L.A. Auto Show

The new all-wheel-drive Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupé is one of a number of performance enhancements to the Jaguar F-TYPE range which will grow from six to 14 derivatives in 2015. The full range will debut at the LA Auto Show on November 19. 

Tesla Model S Has Record Q3 Deliveries, Model X Delayed To Q3 2015

Tesla delivered 7,785 Model S vehicles in its 3rd quarter, the highest ever quarterly deliveries despite a factory shutdown in July, and, that included its highest single day delivery of 907 vehicles, according to the letter to shareholders in the just released third quarter financial results. The majority of third quarter deliveries were in North America representing a 65 percent gain in September 2014 over September 2013. In an effort to ramp up production faster, Tesla is reducing the number of Model S options.

For three quarters of 2014, Tesla has reported deliveries of 21,821 Model S vehicles, according to quarterly shareholder letters. Tesla expects full year production to be about 35,000 cars despite entering the fourth quarter with a deficit in production of 2,000 units from the third quarter. Tesla also predicts Model S orders and deliveries alone to increase by 50 percent in 2015.

The new Model X crossover delivery schedule has been delayed a few months to the third quarter of next year as testing of Alpha prototypes and initial builds of the first Beta prototypes is almost finalized. Model X powertrain development is almost complete with the early introduction of Dual Motor drive on Model S.
Read more about Tesla Chairman & CEO Elon Musk.

Porsche Cayenne GTS On Sale In February For $96,495

The new Porsche Cayenne GTS is powered by a 440 horsepower 3.6 liter V6 twin-turbo engine, 20 more horsepower than the previous V8 with better fuel efficiency and mated to a new eight-speed Tiptronic S with Auto Start/Stop. The Cayenne GTS accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds. The MSRP for the Cayenne is $59,295 and for the Cayenne GTS is $96,495 (including destination charge of $995). Porsche Cayenne sales of all trims year-to-date are 13,652, down 12.4 percent from the first 10 months of 2013. The Cayenne and Cayenne GTS make their world premiere on November 19th at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show. Sales of both models will start in the United States at the end of February 2015.

Volvo V60 Cross Country To Debut At L.A. Auto Show

The Volvo V60 Cross Country will launch with Volvo’s 250 horsepower five-cylinder gasoline engine with All-Wheel Drive coupled to an automatic transmission delivering a 23 mpg. The V60 Cross Country comes standard with Hill Descent Control, which controls the car's speed automatically when driving down steep inclines. The driver can control the speed with the brake pedal or the accelerator when Hill Descent Control is activated. The V60 will debut at the 2014 Los Angeles Auto Show in a few weeks. Volvo has sold 4,319 V60 models in 2014.

2016 Kia Sorento With 3 Rows To Debut At L.A. Auto Show

The all-new 2016 Kia Sorento CUV, larger than the previous generation and offering up to three rows of seats, will be available in L, LX, EX, SX and SXL trim levels. It comes when year-to-date Sorento U.S. sales have slipped to 84,234, down 5.9 percent from the first 10 months of 2013. The new Sorento will debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show.

Test Drive: 2014 Audi SQ5 quattro Tiptronic - Top Of The Q5 Line

The luxury compact SUV/crossover space is crowded in a tight $35,000 to $50,000 price range depending on option choices, and, with many vehicles at different stages of their production cycles which impacts engine and connective technology. The Audi Q5 competes with the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLA & GLK Classes, Infiniti QX50, Volvo XC60, Acura RDX and Cadillac SRX and Lincoln MKC.

Many car buyers may be entering the segment for the first time, stepping up from less expensive SUVs or stepping down in size from large SUVs - they want to keep the SUV feel and gain luxury in an easy transition.  SUV feel means higher driver position and stiffer ride than a car but the jump should translate into much improved gas mileage which many of these newer SUV/crossovers try to accomplish. We always say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so vehicle looks and stigma - who else is driving one - are considerations.

The test drive of the top-of-the-line Audi SQ5, was more intended to scope out vehicle handling, size, space and feel. The 17.8 mpg, over 205 miles mostly on the highway, fell slightly short of the posted 19 combined mpg but the SQ5 is a performance vehicle and it did perform. The SQ5 has a 354 horsepower 24-valve DOHC supercharged V6 engine mated to the eight speed Tiptronic transmission, and this one also had lava grey pearl effect ($500), Prestige trim ($7,500), driver assist package ($2,750), Nappa leather seats ($1,500), layered wood inlays ($1,100) and destination charge ($895) brought the price as tested to $66,145.

The Audi SQ5 is the performance version of the Audi Q5 midsize crossover which means it's more car-like than SUV, though there were ride setting choices for a more sporty ride. I drove the Audi SQ5 for a week and found it fun, prestigious, very powerful and roomy. Around Los Angeles and to Palm Springs and back, the seats could have been a little softer for the longer drives. The ride height was lower than its competitors making it more car-like than the raised-above-traffic SUV vantage point that many SUV migrants will demand. The SQ5 seat could be raised and lowered which made a difference. The cargo roominess and accessibility were great. The Bang & Olufsen sound system gets top marks. The technology was intuitive, easy to use and connected quickly to my smartphone for phone and music feeds - better than most.

Sitting on a 110.5 inch wheelbase, the Audi SQ5 is 183 inches long with a height of 65.3 inches. Cornering and handling were confident and solid through the highway 60 mountains from Moreno Valley to Beaumont. More than enough power with superb quattro handling that Audi has deservedly been awarded for. Questions remain: If you want to pay under $40,000 for the base 220 horsepower 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine without the bells and whistles of the SQ5, will you be satisfied? You will get better fuel economy. Do you really need or want all-wheel drive?

Definitely put the Q5 in the top cluster of your shopping list. After sorting through the jammed luxury midsize crossover/SUV market and realizing that you'll be spending a few years and thousands of miles behind the wheel, fork out a few extra bucks to make the right choice.

October 2014 U.S. Vehicle Sales

General Motors delivered 226,819 vehicles in the United States in October for the company’s best October sales in seven years, up 0.2 percent from a year ago. Year-to-date sales of 2,434,707 is a 3.9 percent gain over the first ten months of 2013. Cadillac sales of 141,452 in 2014 is a drop of 4.4 percent.

Ford Motor Company U.S. sales totaled 188,654 vehicles in October, down 1.7 percent from a year ago. Lincoln 2014 sales of 76,671 is a 14.5 percent jump over last year while overall Ford sales year-to-date of 1,996,600 is a drop of 1.1 percent from 2013.

Toyota, Scion and Lexus reported total October 2014 sales results of 180,580, an increase of 6.9 percent from October 2013. Year-to-date sales are 1,975,368, an increase of 5.8 percent over 2013.

Chrysler Group reported U.S. sales of 170,480, a 22 percent increase compared with sales in October 2013 and the best October sales since 2001. Year-to-date sales of 1,726,539 is a 15 percent increase over last year.

American Honda reported total October 2014 Honda and Acura vehicle sales of 121,172, an increase of 5.8 percent versus October of last year. The Honda division set a new October record on sales of 105,745 vehicles, an increase of 5.5 percent for the month. The Acura division posted sales of 15,427 units to rise 7.9 percent in the same period. Year-to-date total sales are 1,281,777, a 0.6 percent increase over 2013.

Nissan Group announced total U.S. sales for October 2014 of 103,117, an increase of 13.3 percent over the prior year and an October record. Year-to-date sales of 1,166,389 is a 13 percent increase. Year-to-date Infiniti sales of 93,925, is a 4.3 percent increase over last year.

Hyundai Motor America announced October sales of 50,081, down 6 percent versus the same period in 2013. Year-to-date sales of 607,539, is a rise of 9.6 percent from 2013.

Kia Motors America announced record October sales of 44,694, a 12.4 percent rise over a year ago. Year-to-date sales are 489,711, up 7.4 percent from 2013.

Volkswagen of America reported sales of 30,313, a 7.8 percent increase over last year while year-to-date VW sales of 301,187 is a 12.2 percent drop. Separately, Audi reported that its October 2014 sales 15,150 vehicles, an increase of 16.5 percent for 46 consecutive months of record monthly U.S. sales. Audi U.S. sales year-to-date of 146,133 vehicles is up 14.7 percent from a year ago.

Subaru of America sold 43,012 vehicles in October 2014, a 25 percent sales increase resulting in an October sales record. Year-to-date sales of 418,497 vehicles sold is a 20 percent jump over the same period last year. The company has now seen 35 consecutive months of year-over-year growth and is well on its way to its sixth successive annual sales record.

The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported October sales of 35,902 vehicles, an increase of 7.9 percent from the same month a year ago. Year-to-date, the BMW Group (BMW and MINI combined) is up 6.1 percent on sales of 311,681 in the first ten months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013. Sales of BMW brand vehicles were 30,602 in October, an increase of 11 percent and year-to-date, the BMW brand sales of 267,193 is up 12 percent compared to the first ten months of 2013.

Mercedes-Benz reported sales of 28,593 vehicles, down 4.9 percent from a year ago while year-to-date sales are 261,804, an increase of 6.8 percent from the first 10 months of 2013. Adding Sprinter Vans sales of 19,925, up 17.4 percent and smart sales of 8,665, up 16.3 percent, year-to-date volumes for Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) hit a record 290,394, up 7.7 percent.

Mazda North American Operations reported October U.S. sales of 18,798 vehicles, a decrease of 4.8 percent versus last year. Year-to-date sales of 240,228 vehicles through October are up 8.1 percent versus last year.

Mitsubishi Motors North America had October sales of 6,199, a 30.5 percent increase over the sales total from October 2013. Year-to-date sales of 64,564 is 30.2 percent higher than 2013.

Volvo Cars sold 3,972 vehicles in the U.S. in October a 1.4 percent increase while year-to-date sales of 47,828 is an 8.2 drop from a year ago.

Porsche Cars North America announced October 2014 sales of 3,667 vehicles, up 2.9 percent. For the year, PCNA has delivered 39,033 vehicles in the U.S., an increase of 11.2 percent over the same time period in 2013.  

Maserati North America posted sales of 1,227, its best October yet equaling a 258 percent year-over-year increase.

BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M Arrive Spring 2015

The new BMW X5 M (left) starting at $99,650 and new BMW X6 M (right) starting at $103,050 (including $950 Destination and Handling) will arrive in US showrooms in the Spring of 2015. The all-wheel-drive BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M is powered by a new 567 horsepower 4.4-liter M TwinScroll turbocharged V8 engine mated to a newly developed eight-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic, which closely follows the operating philosophy of the M Double Clutch Transmission used by other M models. Both models complete the sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds. Their World debut will be at the 2014 Los Angeles International Auto Show on November 19th.

Happy Halloween - Scary Power - Dodge Viper, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

Halloween names and colors - scary power. The bright orange Dodge Viper with a 645 horsepower 8.4-liter, overhead-valve, 20-valve, SFI, all-aluminum V-10 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission and a top speed of 206 mph. Behind the Viper is the Halloween green 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat with a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI® Hellcat engine, producing 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque, bragging to be the quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world.

Video: 2015 Ford Edge Starts At $28,995 Early Next Year

Cristina Aquino - Ford Edge

2015 Ford Edge, all-new from wheels to roof, is a two-row front-wheel-drive or all-wheel utility vehicle on the Ford Fusion platform, coming with a standard estimated 245 horsepower twin-scroll 2.0-liter EcoBoost® four-cylinder engine while the new Sport model will be powered by an estimated 300 horsepower 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost engine. The premium-level Titanium series joins the Edge lineup. Available driver-assist technologies include adaptive steering system, enhanced active park assist, adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, 180-degree front camera with washer, glove box-mounted airbag system, inflatable rear safety belts and hands-free liftgate. The 2015 Ford Edge will go on sale in North America early next year starting at $28,995 (including destination and delivery charges).

Ford Edge Product Marketing Manager Cristina Aquino discusses the new Ford Edge.

Lincoln Spoof Ads Could Give MKC Sales A Boost

Jim Carrey spoofs Matthew McConaughey's Lincoln ads on Saturday Night Live last Saturday night. Very funny but Lincoln may have the last laugh if the series of spoofs help MKC sales. The SNL spoof ads on the channel linked above had almost 6 million views at the time of writing Wednesday evening.

Will Ferrell's Ron Burgundy intentional but humorous Dodge Durango ads translated very well into sales.

Elon Musk: Tesla's Goal - Compelling and Affordable Electric Vehicles

Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO of Tesla Motors, in a one-on-one interview format at the MIT AeroAstro Centennial Symposium last Friday, focused primarily on his SpaceX venture which was more aligned to his student and facility audience but he did discuss Tesla and the $5 billion battery factory to be built in Nevada, that was announced in early September and the math behind the world of creating electric cars. It was an interesting event, as was my entire experience at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

"The gigafactory is the least bad solution that we could come up with" to make batteries, according to Musk.

In his words:

"If we want to make electric cars we need enough batteries for the electric cars. Last year all lithium-ion production combined was 30 gigawatt hours approximately, that's nothing. Or at least it's nothing when you consider if you want to make half a million electric cars a year that's how much you need. There are a hundred million new cars made every year. There are 2 billion gasoline or diesel cars on the road worldwide. So just do the basic math, you don't need just one gigafactory, you need like 200 gigafactories just for new car production and that assumes you're going to replace the fleet at the existing rate which has a refresh every twenty years.

Given that we want to try and get to full capacity at our Freemont plant in California of half million vehicles a year, we need half a million vehicles a year of batteries. Obviously, we can't use all of the other battery factories combined because people want cellphones, laptops and other things. Therefore we have to roll this factory.

We have a great partner in Panasonic. Panasonic is taking care of the cell formation part of it. There are actually many aspects to this - there are anode, cathode, sepralator, electrolite, can at the precursor level. Raw materials coming in from the mines that feed into a variety of other companies like Sumitomo Metals and Mining, Hitashi and others. They do the precursor processing and then Panasonic takes the anode and cathode materials separate and whatnot and puts it into a cell. Then it goes into the Tesla section which creates the module, which is all the electronics, packaging, conductors, safety mechanisms, cooling loops, then the modules go into the pack which has a lot of crash structure associated with it. Then the pack goes in the car. Tesla is the landlord of the whole thing as well."

Musk says the goal of Tesla is to make something "compelling and affordable".

"Everything will go fully electric one day except for rockets", says Musk.

Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Auto Reliability Survey

Scion xB - Most Reliable New Car

Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Auto Reliability Survey, based on subscribers’ experiences with 1.1 million vehicles, predict how well new cars will do. The biggest complaints remain infotainment systems and associated electronics like audio, navigation, and in-car communications systems that include the touch screen, unified multi-function controller, portable music interface, Bluetooth pairing, voice-command system and backup camera.

Topping the list of 28 brands are Japanese nameplates Lexus, Toyota, Mazda, Honda. Audi rounds out the top 5. The Toyota Tundra won top pickup truck honors.

Buick ranks 6th with all their vehicles receiving the reliable designation helping make General Motors the top American brand. Subaru is 7th, followed by Scion with its Scion xB listed as Consumer Reports most reliable car. Porsche was next with Kia rounding out the top 10 on the strength of the Soul and Cadenza.

Acura, Volvo, Hyundai, BMW and Lincoln take the next five spots. While Nissan in 16th place as the Altima, Sentra and Pathfinder were considered unreliable. Volkswagen was next followed by Cadillac led by the CTS model. GMC at 19 was dragged down by the redesigned Sierra pickup. Infiniti rounded out the top 20 as the Q50 sedan and QX50 SUV were plagued by infotainment complaints.

Chevrolet at 21 on the list, had the Corvette and Impala earn reliable ratings while the Silverado was below average and the Cruze had issues. The Chrysler nameplate ranked 22nd followed by Ford with the Fusion and Explorer now rated reliable. Mercedes-Benz was dragged to 24th by the redesigned S-Class and CLA sedans.

Doug Betts - 2010 NAIAS

The bottom 4 nameplates all belong to Chrysler which has cost Quality chief Doug Betts his job. Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Fiat are last. The Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee had problems, while the Fiat 500L came in as the least reliable vehicle. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles named Mark Chernoby Head of Quality to replace Betts.

Betts joined Chrysler in 2007 after working at Nissan and Chrysler for more than 21 years. He took over Chrysler quality in June 2009, served on Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group Executive Council and was also in charge of quality for Fiat. And apparently this survey has cost him his job which tells you the significance of this survey.


For detailed information on all vehicles in the study, subscribe to Consumer Reports.org.