Chevy Equinox ad is a doggone tear jerker

March 10 2014 by in cars |No Comments

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Chevrolet Equinox Maddie video

In the need for a good cry? Chevrolet has you covered with its new ad for the Equinox. The video showcases the trifecta of cinematic sadness – an aging dog, languid piano music and gauzy cinematography.

We won’t spoil where things go, but it’s incredibly clear within five seconds how it’s going to end. Of course, the broader question is whether something so tearful helps sell cars. Is this tactic going to associate sadness with the Equinox in buyers’ minds? Scroll down for the video… but have a handkerchief handy if you’re a dog lover.

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Chevy Equinox ad is a doggone tear jerker originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 19:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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McLaren ceases production of 12C to focus on 650S

March 9 2014 by in cars |No Comments

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McLaren 650S at the Geneva Motor Show

If you raised an eyebrow in suspicion when McLaren insisted its new 650S would join its lineup in tandem with – and not as a replacement for – the MP4-12C, we’re with you. The 650S is, after all, based closely on the 12C, distinguishing itself essentially with a revised shape, updated equipment and more power. And with the Spider version having debuted alongside the coupe in Geneva, there’s really little room left for the 12C at all.

Keeping both around at the same time would be like if arch-rival Ferrari offered both the old California and new California T (or the 360 Modena and the F430 that followed) at the same time. Yet McLaren has remained adamant that the 12C isn’t going anywhere despite the arrival of the 650S.

Or is it? Well, yes and no. Reports coming in from the UK indicate that, while McLaren will continue to offer the 12C to customers who order it, the company has actually ceased production of the older, less expensive version for the time being in order to gear up for producing the newer 650S.

Keeping both models on the order sheet will likely cease once McLaren’s upcoming entry-level model, dubbed P13, comes along. Essentially replacing the 12C with the 650S at that point will allow Woking to open up a bigger price difference between it and the new model, helping to differentiate between the two. In the meantime, the House that Bruce (or Ron) Built appears to be taking a similar approach to Pagani, which kept the Zonda on offer long after the Huayra came along.

McLaren ceases production of 12C to focus on 650S originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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William Clay Ford Sr. dead at 88

March 9 2014 by in cars |No Comments

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William Clay Ford

William Clay Ford, retired vice chairman of Ford Motor Company and the last surviving grandchild of company founder Henry Ford, died this morning after a bout with pneumonia. He was 88.

Ford spent 57 years with his grandfather’s company, joining the board of directors in 1948 before graduating from college. Ford also held a position as chairman of the design committee, as well as the chairman of the executive committee and vice chairman of the Board of Directors during his tenure with the company. In a 2013 Detroit Free Press story, retired CFO Allan Gilmour said Ford had an eye for design, and was once able to pick out when a fiberglass model of a Ford Contour was asymmetrical, off by an inch on one side. He retired and assumed the position of director emeritus in 2005.

“My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community,” said Bill Ford, Jr., Ford’s current executive chairman. “He also was a wonderful family man, a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, yet he will continue to inspire us all.”

While Ford will be remembered for his longstanding service to his family’s company, he may be less fondly remembered by Detroiters as owner of the city’s long-suffering NFL team, the Detroit Lions. Ford purchased the Lions in 1963 and has served as its chairman ever since.

Scroll down for the official press release from the Ford Motor Company.

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William Clay Ford Sr. dead at 88 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple CarPlay drawing early safety concerns [w/video]

March 9 2014 by in cars |No Comments

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Apple CarPlay

Apple’s CarPlay infotainment system hasn’t made it into a single vehicle yet, and it’s already drawing criticism for distracting drivers among safety advocates. The new tech unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show pairs users’ iPhones with the car’s dashboard display to make calls, dictate messages and listen to music. Some automakers, like Volvo, also let users interact with the HVAC system from the screen.

“The idea that people want to be on their phones, and therefore let’s give them a way to do that — that’s not putting safety first, that’s putting convenience and the desire to be in touch first,” said Bruce Hamilton, manager of research and communications at the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, to CNN Money.

Distracted driving is a huge concern on modern roads with more vehicles allowing drivers to use their smartphones through Bluetooth and infotainment systems. A Texas A&M study found that drivers’ reaction time doubled while dictating text messages, according to CNN Money. The new tech is certainly not making drivers pay more attention.

Apple knows that inattentive drivers are a major cause of concern and addressed it in their press release, saying: “CarPlay lets drivers use their iPhone in the car with minimized distraction.” Still, none of the models with the tech are available yet. It’s hard to make quality judgments until it is actually on the road.

The new system will debut later this year in some Volvo, Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Apple claims to be working on future deals with BMW, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Jaguar, Land Rover, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota and more. For automakers, the tech means a common standard and potentially less money invested into bespoke infotainment systems. Apple gets even more people using its software. Scroll down for Volvo’s video preview of CarPlay.

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Apple CarPlay drawing early safety concerns [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 15:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buy a Spyker bond, get a Venator

March 9 2014 by in cars |No Comments

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Spyker B6 Venator Concept

Crowd-funding projects are quickly emerging as the way to get things done in the tech business, and the idea is even jumping into other fields as well. But it hasn’t exactly caught on just yet in the automotive industry. A few months ago we reported on a crowd-funding campaign to revive the Castle Three Motor Company to build a retro trike roadster similar to the Morgan 3 Wheeler, and various outfits have attempted to harness the public’s contributions to jump-start electric vehicle development. But while those projects haven’t gotten very far (as of yet), Spyker very well could.

For those unfamiliar, Spyker is a Dutch sports car manufacturer that has taken on some rather ambitious projects. It’s produced successive versions of the C8 over the years, but canceled plans for the Zagato-designed C12, has repeatedly postponed plans for a high-end SUV, got in over its head with its own Formula One team and ultimately had to divest itself from the sinking ship that was Saab. But now it’s trying to get back on track with the B6 Venator.

Expected to be half as expensive as the $300k+ C8 Aileron, the new B6 was unveiled in concept form at last year’s Geneva Motor Show and as a Spyder roadster concept at Pebble Beach just months later. Production is scheduled to gear up later this year, with the first US deliveries to follow next year. While the C8 often arrives in collections as an owner’s seventh or eighth car, the B6 will more likely be a buyer’s third or fourth.

Spyker says it’s amassing orders, but in order to actually start production, it needs capital. That’s why it’s turning to a rather unconventional way of financing the project. Rather than simply taking deposits to get started, Spyker is selling bonds. Each of the 100 bonds will be priced at £100,000 ($167,000 at today’s rates) and be redeemable for one Spyker B6 Venator, which itself will be priced at £125,000 – a quarter more than what the bonds are being sold for. Alternatively, investors will have the option to cash out the bond after three or four years, or turn it into stock if Spyker issues an IPO.

Buy a Spyker bond, get a Venator originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Mar 2014 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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