Author Archives: Jeff Sabatini

Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce

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Martin Scorcese

This could be interesting: Oscar-winners Martin Scorsese and Richard Attenborogh are teaming up to make a film called Silver Ghost, based, in part, on the lives of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce. The screenplay was written by Jeffrey Caine (Goldeneye) and playwright Sharman Macdonald, who also happens to be actress Kiera Knightley’s mom.

According to Top Gear, the biopic will be set at the dawn of the 20th Century, during the seminal days of the auto industry. But the report says the real hero of the story will be one Lord John Douglas-Scott Montagu, the Second Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and a member of British Parliament who used his position in British society to champion motoring.

While we’re not quite sure what all that Barons and Lords stuff is about, reading that in 1899 Montagu drove the first car to enter the yard of the House of Commons made us think he must have been a decent enough chap. According to the report, he even launched a monthly car magazine. And like any good period-film protagonist, he was romantically linked to another key figure in the story, Eleanor Thornton, the woman who inspired the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy mascot that became a defining feature of the marque.

The film is still a long way from the screen, although Scorcese’s involvement can’t hurt its chances of getting made. Neither would casting Knightley as Thornton, if you ask us.

Martin Scorcese to produce Silver Ghost film about Rolls-Royce originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pics Aplenty: BMW celebrates 40 years of M

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1978 BMW M1 - dead-on view, red

When we think of the BMW M division, the 1978 M1 comes instantly to mind, followed by the E30 M3 and then the 2001-2002 M Coupe. But the company’s in-house hot rod shop actually dates back to 1972, when it was formed as a subsidiary to manage the company’s racing operations, dubbed BMW Motorsport.

It was this month 40 years ago that what is known today as BMW M GmbH was launched. So to celebrate its anniversary, BMW has offloaded some 50 lustworthy images celebrating that performance history. See them all in our gallery.

Pics Aplenty: BMW celebrates 40 years of M originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Auto sales credited with half of U.S. economic growth

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Car lot with American flags

The auto industry has long been a cyclical business, and though this last trough was a deep one, the coming boom has economists excited. According to Bloomberg, the auto industry’s comeback contributed fully half of the 2.2 percent national economic growth in the first quarter of this year. Auto sales are on target to top 14 million vehicles this year, the best pace in four years.

Production is up at all three domestic carmakers, which has a ripple effect throughout the economy. Bloomberg cites Chad Moutray, chief economist of the National Association of Manufacturers, who estimates that every dollar spent on a new vehicle leads to an addition $2.02 in economic activity. The industry’s share of gross domestic product for the quarter was 2.8 percent, which is nearly as high as it was in 2007, before the economic crisis that devastated the industry, according to the report.

Yet despite the rise in fortunes for carmakers, stock prices have yet to follow suit. A key automotive index is up just 1.5 percent so far this year, but is down 31 percent in the past 12 months, according to the report. The U.S. Treasury Department recently indicated that because of lagging stock prices, it would not be divesting its share of General Motors stock anytime soon.

Auto sales credited with half of U.S. economic growth originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 May 2012 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi narrowly beats BMW in April to take premium sales crown

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The global luxury war has three fierce combatants, all German, all producers of amazing vehicles, and all serious about besting their two other rivals. While BMW has been winning as of late, the latest battle goes to Audi.

The Volkswagen luxury brand sold 125,200 vehicles in April, topping BMW’s 121,476, according to Reuters. It was the first time Audi outsold BMW since January 2011. BMW still holds the year-to-date lead with 478,030 units sold, compared to 471,300 for April’s champ, according to the report. BMW sales are up 10.1 percent for the year, while Audi’s have risen by 11.7 percent.

Mercedes-Benz sits over 50,000 units behind at 418,246, according to Automotive News. Sales of Mercedes vehicles are up 9.7 percent on the year.

Audi’s ascendency can be traced to China, where sales rose 44 percent in April, according to AN. European sales, by comparison, were only up 4.9 percent, with U.S. sales rising by 15 percent.

Audi narrowly beats BMW in April to take premium sales crown originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab fans save the last 9-3

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Last Saab produced

Congratulations are in order: Saabs United has raised enough money to buy the last Saab 9-3, what is likely to be the last Saab of any sort ever produced. The group will be installing the car in the Saab Cars Museum on a permanent loan, as well as donating the additional money it raised during its fund drive.

Forgive us for being just a bit cynical here, but it’s really a shame this particular car is so mundane. It’s a Saab 9-3 Aero Griffin, a run-of-the-mill sedan that’s a direct descendant of the 2003 model year 9-3. Based on the global General Motors Epsilon platform that also spawned the similarly extinct Pontiac G6, the 9-3 is arguably the car that killed Saab – or at least failed to save it – as GM was never able to sell enough of them or derive enough profit from the ones it managed to move in the U.S. to make a go of the brand.

We’re sure all Saab enthusiasts agree that the marque certainly deserved better treatment than it got from Detroit, and when we look back in fond remembrance on Saab, there are any number of models that will come to mind before we think of the final 9-3. Most of them are included in our historical Saab gallery.

Saab fans save the last 9-3 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]

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Dodge Intrepid Police Car

What can you even say to defend a financial decision like this one? According to a report by Detroit’s WXYZ television news team, the City of Detroit has been leasing a 2004 Dodge Intrepid since September 2003, over six years after the original two-year-lease expired. Since the City did not return the car, it has continued to make the $608 per month lease payments, even as it racked up miles well beyond the 40,000 in the original agreement, for which it now must pay 15 cents per mile. According to the report, the City has spent over $65,000 for the car, which it doesn’t even own.

But that’s not all. WXYZ says that Detroit has 110 of these expired lease agreements on 2004 through 2007 models, and all of the cars are still on the road, wasting money with every tick of the odometer. And remember, the City still has to turn in all 110 cars, and pay for excess wear and tear. An estimate of the city’s losses incurred by this leasing scheme is well over $4 million, according to the report. The cars are all being used by the Detroit Police Department, and though they’re not quite full-zoot police cruisers like the 2002 Intrepid pictured above, they see action for undercover work. That means it’s not just the taxpayers who are getting a bad deal here, but the cops themselves, as we’re pretty sure none of them are particularly happy to be out risking their lives in an eight-year-old Dodge.

If we can attempt to find the faintest silver lining to this epic thunderstorm of mismanagement, it would be that perhaps in the publicity sure to follow, a few of Detroit’s residents might better understand why and how leasing can cost more than financing a new car purchase. And at least the City of Detroit has been using these cars, rather than leaving them in a parking structure to sit and rot. Scroll down for a video report from WXYZ.

Continue reading City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video]

City of Detroit paying $608 per month to lease 2004 Dodge Intrepid [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 May 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM’s next-gen pickup plans force dealers into one of two camps

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2012 Chevrolet Silverado

Most General Motors dealers make their living off selling pickup trucks. (That’s why when it came time to trim the brands and reorganize under bankruptcy, GMC survived and Pontiac didn’t – because Buick dealers needed to have a truck to sell, not a full-size muscle sedan from Australia.) That makes this year a tricky one for dealers, according to Automotive News, as they need to have enough Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra models in stock to get them to the 2013 model year.

What makes this quandary different from most years is that GM is readying all-new pickups, meaning that it will be shutting down production for long stretches to retool. The full-size Chevrolet and GMC trucks date to 2006, making them the oldest in the industry that don’t wear a Nissan Titan badge on their tailgate. Dealers, of course, don’t want to be caught with many 2012 trucks – vehicles that are already difficult enough to sell – but they don’t want inventories to run completely dry and risk turning away customers.

With a combined 29 weeks of downtime scheduled for three truck plans, according to the report, some dealers are stockpiling pickups to avoid running out if the truck production pipeline dries up before the 2013s start shipping. Other dealers are taking the opposite strategy, turning down 2012s and waiting for next year’s models.

Given all that has happened to GM in recent years, we imagine that most dealers know altogether too well that you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

GM’s next-gen pickup plans force dealers into one of two camps originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM’s next-gen pickup plans force dealers into one of two camps

Posted on by Jeff Sabatini

Filed under: , , , ,

2012 Chevrolet Silverado

Most General Motors dealers make their living off selling pickup trucks. (That’s why when it came time to trim the brands and reorganize under bankruptcy, GMC survived and Pontiac didn’t – because Buick dealers needed to have a truck to sell, not a full-size muscle sedan from Australia.) That makes this year a tricky one for dealers, according to Automotive News, as they need to have enough Chevrolet Silverado or GMC Sierra models in stock to get them to the 2013 model year.

What makes this quandary different from most years is that GM is readying all-new pickups, meaning that it will be shutting down production for long stretches to retool. The full-size Chevrolet and GMC trucks date to 2006, making them the oldest in the industry that don’t wear a Nissan Titan badge on their tailgate. Dealers, of course, don’t want to be caught with many 2012 trucks – vehicles that are already difficult enough to sell – but they don’t want inventories to run completely dry and risk turning away customers.

With a combined 29 weeks of downtime scheduled for three truck plans, according to the report, some dealers are stockpiling pickups to avoid running out if the truck production pipeline dries up before the 2013s start shipping. Other dealers are taking the opposite strategy, turning down 2012s and waiting for next year’s models.

Given all that has happened to GM in recent years, we imagine that most dealers know altogether too well that you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

GM’s next-gen pickup plans force dealers into one of two camps originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 May 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM announces pricing for 2013 Cadillac ATS, starting at $33,990*

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Cadillac’s ATS is scheduled to hit dealer showrooms this summer, and General Motors has finally divulged pricing. Its smallest luxury sedan will start at $33,990 including destination(*), but that price will only snag you the entry-level model, powered by a 200-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder paired with a six-speed automatic. Stepping up to the turbocharged, 270-hp 2.0-liter will push the price up to $35,795, and bring all-wheel-drive and manual transmission options into play. The top-of-the-line ATS carries a $42,090 price tag and is powered by a version of the 3.6-liter V6 from the Cadillac CTS, rated at 320-hp and mated to an automatic tranny, with all-wheel-drive available.

While these prices are hard to evaluate without a full breakdown of standard equipment – which Cadillac promises in due time – we can compare them to two benchmarks, the all-new 2012 BMW 3 Series and the slightly larger CTS. While Caddy does undercut the base 3 Series price of $35,795, that entry-level ATS is down some 40 horsepower. The mid-priced ATS, the one with the turbo 2.0-liter, however, trumps the 328i’s 240-hp engine by almost that much. With equivalent starting sticker prices, it only makes the inevitable head-to-head battle all that more interesting.

The CTS, however, starts at $36,810, which makes the top-level ATS seem spendy at first glance. Granted, the CTS is nearing the end of its life cycle, but clearly those looking for a more luxury-oriented, V6-powered sedan are going to have to closely study the standard equipment sheet to determine what justifies the $5,000-plus price premium for the smaller car.

Scroll down for the full press release, and be sure to check out the new images in our gallery.

Continue reading GM announces pricing for 2013 Cadillac ATS, starting at $33,990*

GM announces pricing for 2013 Cadillac ATS, starting at $33,990* originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 May 2012 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo releases details on ever-so-slightly updated 2013 XC90

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2013 Volvo XC90

It’s hard to believe that the Volvo XC90 has been on the market since 2003. That’s 10 model years ago, predating our own existence as a website. Even the XC90 mid-cycle refresh that happened in 2007 seems like an eternity ago. So it stands to reason that for 2013 Volvo would introduce… yet another year of the same old thing.

Well, not exactly. The 2013 XC90 has been “delightfully refreshed,” though we’re pretty sure that the color-coordinated exterior and LED daytime running lights were actually introduced last year. But hey, don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.

Volvo has also rejiggered the trim packages on the XC90, which now starts at $39,500 plus $895 delivery. And that Yamaha-built V8 that disappeared this year? Still gone.

While you wait with us for the next-generation XC90, go ahead and scroll down to read the full press release and check out the images in our gallery. Then do it again. And again…

Continue reading Volvo releases details on ever-so-slightly updated 2013 XC90

Volvo releases details on ever-so-slightly updated 2013 XC90 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 May 2012 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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