Mitsubishi prices 2014 Outlander from $22,995*

Mitsubishi will gladly sell you a 2014 Outlander ES for $22,995, excluding an $835 destination fee. Buyers can step up to the middle-tier Outlander SE for $23,795, or around $200 less than last year. That stack of cash will net you 18-inch aluminum wheels, a 6.1-inch LCD information display, dual-zone climate control and other goodies. Somewhat more impressively, Mitsubishi has cut the price tag for the Outlander GT by $800. That machine will run you $27,795, and throws in a more potent V6 engine, the company's Super All-Wheel Control system and HID headlamps.

The 2014 Outlander bows with an all-new exterior design, and base models receive a 166-horsepowr 2.4-liter four-cylinder paired with a continuously variable transmission and an all-wheel-drive system. That driveline is good for 24 miles per gallon city and 29 mpg highway. Check out the full pricing press release below and our own Jonathon Ramsey's first drive here.

New 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander Pricing

Expected to be one of the most fuel-efficient CUVs with standard 7-passenger seating in the North American marketplace with a manufacturer-estimated 31 mpg highway (ES and SE FWD models; pending EPA fuel mileage rating), the well-equipped entry-level 2014 Outlander ES has a starting net MSRP* of only $22,995.

The mid-grade 2014 Outlander SE will have a starting net MSRP* of only $23,795 – priced $200 less than the outgoing previous-generation comparable model. Along with the expansive standard equipment package of the Outlander ES, the SE trim level adds welcome features including stylish 18-in. alloy wheels, 6.1-in. touch panel display CD/MP3 with HD Radio audio® system, heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, Mitsubishi's FUSE Handsfree Link System™ with USB port, FAST Key passive entry system with push-button engine ignition on/off switch, plus much more.

The top-flight Outlander GT model has a starting net MSRP* of only $27,795 – a remarkable $800 less than last year's comparable Outlander GT model. Powered by a potent yet fuel efficient V-6 engine, the Outlander GT builds upon the SE trim level features with welcome amenities like Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC), SiriusXM™ satellite radio, sporty steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, super wide-beam high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, and a wood grain appearance trim to name but a few of the upscale additions.

Along with its fresh design, vastly upgraded interior and exceptional fuel efficiency, the new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander is now available with an electric power tailgate (available as part of the Premium Package on SE and GT models), and highly advanced safety technologies including radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Collision Mitigation systems and a camera-based Lane Departure Warning system (available as part of the Touring Package on SE and GT models).

*Before delivery charge of $825 for 48 U.S. states, $950 for Alaska and Hawaii.

Upcoming High-Tech Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Additionally, Mitsubishi Motors showcased the company's upcoming energy-efficient and eco-friendly new Outlander PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) at the 2013 New York International Auto Show with a unique full-scale cutaway model of this highly advanced and sustainable new vehicle.

Expected to land in Mitsubishi Motors showrooms in 2014, the new Outlander PHEV is powered by a unique hybrid drivetrain that combines the innovative 100% electric-powered componentry including a pair of reliable 60 kW (80-bhp) electric motors that have been reconfigured for the Outlander application as well as a proven lithium-ion drive battery pack along with a highly fuel-efficient gasoline-powered engine.

All 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV models come equipped as standard with a truly innovative and advanced new form of the auto manufacturer's venerable Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system that takes advantage of the vehicle's primary motive force through the use of the front and rear electric motors, making the system a 100% electric-powered, EV-based full-time all-wheel drive. These electric-powered motors produce instantaneous, virtually lag-free power that ensures more precise control of the 4WD as this configuration requires no propeller shaft, clutch plate or hydraulic system to connect the front and rear axles in a conventional internal combustion engine/hydraulic-powered 4WD system.

What's more, the twin electric motor/Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) system provides outstanding instantaneous off-the-line acceleration, thanks to the inherent torque characteristics of electric motors.

For more information on the new 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage 5-door and the advanced Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, please visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

About Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc.

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., (MMNA) is responsible for all manufacturing, sales, marketing, research and development operations for Mitsubishi Motors in the United States. MMNA sells coupes, sedans and sport utility vehicles through a network of approximately 400 dealers. In November of 2011, MMNA launched the battery-powered electric vehicle Mitsubishi i-MiEV as part of a corporate mission to offer consumers more environmentally responsible modes of transportation. This battery-powered electric vehicle technology addresses the need for vehicles that produce zero tailpipe emissions and support a growing agenda for sustainability. For more information, contact the Mitsubishi Motors News Bureau at (888) 560-6672 or visit media.mitsubishicars.com.

Chevy Corvette's Surprising Designer

Helen Emsley says she has been designing interiors for General Motors vehicles for nearly 20 years, first in Europe for GM's Opel (in Europe) and Holden (in Australia) brands, and for the last 14 years in Detroit.

Still, it was a surprise when her boss put her in charge of the redesign of the all-new, seventh generation 2014 Corvette Stingray, the most powerful standard Corvette ever, with 450 horsepower that launches the car 0-60 in just under four seconds.

It wasn't so much because she's a woman, since there are many female engineers and designers in Detroit, but because "I'm British, so I have no history with an American icon" she says with a laugh.

She admits she was worried the headline would be "British woman kills Corvette," when the redesign was introduced, but says not having pre-conceived notions about a sports car purchased overwhelmingly by men actually worked to her advantage.

There's nothing feminine about the new Corvette's interior, and nothing faux, either. Emsley pushed for real materials, so if it looks like leather, carbon fiber or hand stitching, that's what it is, including door inserts, dashboard and steering wheel.

Emsley supervised a staff of more than 30 interior designers, working with a team of around the same size designing the exterior. She took her team to Bowling Green to actually work the Corvette production line, to see how the current pieces fit together, and find out from the line workers what they thought the new design needed.

"My team are young guys, so it was like working with your father or brother in the garage," she says. The experience was so successful that she's planning to do the same for her next interior redesign projects, SUVs and large trucks.

There also were more traditional focus groups with Corvette owners and buyers of competitor sports-cars. All loved the new jet fighter cockpit design, which curves around the driver. Emsley wanted the driver to feel "embraced" by the controls and technology, but she also did not want a passenger, or "co-driver" left out of the experience.

Emsley moved some passenger controls from the center console to just above the glove-box. That resolved both the potential safety issue of the co-driver reaching over the stick shift to adjust temperature, and balanced what she calls "jewelry" on both sides of the interior.

Emsley's team also took design cues from the racetrack and from meetings with the GM racing team. The new steering wheel is smaller than in past Corvettes, for more precise steering adjustments, more like racecar drivers make. Seats are deeper and more bolstered.

Emsley was a textile designer working on her masters at the Royal College of Art when a professor suggested she apply for a job at GM in London to design "color and trim", which includes seat fabrics, carpeting and headliners.

She was hired by Wayne Cherry, head of Opel at the time. When he was transferred back to the US as GM design chief, he asked her to move to Detroit with him. "It was supposed to be for three years. That was 14 years ago".

Since Cherry's retirement, Emsley's boss is Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Design North America.

When she arrived in Detroit, she noticed that each GM brand had its own colors and fabrics. "There were two exterior reds so close you couldn't tell the difference, and so many different leathers and carpets," she says. Unifying colors and fabrics across Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC has saved GM $1.2 million a year just in North America.

"Now black is the same color everywhere in the world," she says, which is saving GM even more millions as it expands globally.

Emsley feels strongly about telling young women about opportunities in the automotive design process, including art, textile, even computer animation, and speaks at schools around the world. "All companies look for young talent," she says.

The new Stingray is available in black, with an elegant and sporty black and Kalahari sand interior. When the Corvette was introduced in 1953, it was available only in white with a red interior.

Emsley has created a new red color exclusive to the new Stingray, with exterior paint and interior leather matching precisely for a totally unified look. It's called Adrenalin Red, an ideal name for an adrenalin-charged ride.

The 2014 Corvette Stingray goes on sale in fall 2013. No price has been announced yet, and is unlikely to match the $1.05 million for the very first one produced, at the recent Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona.

More Adults Than Teens Text And Drive

Although they know they're engaging in very risky behavior, adults are texting behind the wheel more than ever, according to a recent study by AT&T.

The study surveyed 1,100 adult drivers and found that 49% of them admitted to texting while driving, compared to 43% of teens.

That's a troubling statistic. Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that 98% of respondents said they knew it was a dangerous activity and 60% said they were not doing it 3 years ago. This means that in spite of the well-documented and almost universally recognized risks, adult drivers are still texting and are doing so in dramatically increasing numbers.

"I was a little bit surprised," said Charlene Lake, AT&T's senior vice president-public affairs, according to USA Today. "It was sobering to realize that texting while driving by adults is not only high, it's really gone up in the last three years."

Distracted driving is a major cause of death and injury on the road and texting while driving is one of the worst forms of it. In 2010, 3,267 people died in distracted-driving-related deaths, according to the CDC study, which appeared in its weekly Mortality and Morbidity Report. In 2011, the most recent year for which numbers are available, the number rose to 3,331, a 1.92 percent increase.

Governments have responded to the trend in recent years. Texting while driving has been banned in 39 states and the District of Columbia and drivers caught doing it often face hefty fines. But it doesn't seem to be enough of a deterrent.

What is going on here? Given that clearly almost everyone knows that texting while driving could easily result in a fine or crash causing serious bodily harm or death, why are more and more people doing it?

This is a trend that needs to be reversed. Soon.

Grand Blvd: How A Vacuum Cleaner Out-Buzzed Rolls Royce At The Auto Show

Luxury automobiles tend to be the star of the New York Auto Show: $300,000 Rolls Royces and $200,000 Bentleys. Land Rover even reportedly paid James Bond actor Daniel Craig $1 million to drive the new Range Rover through the streets of Manhattan and into a press introduction.

But all those flashy, glitzy efforts seemed to be upstaged, judging from the TV morning shows, by the 2014 Honda Odyssey. Why? Because it's equipped with an onboard vacuum cleaner designed by Shop-Vac.

Seriously, did an onboard vacuum really sex up the mundane minivan category?

Call me old school, but I have never wanted a vacuum for my car. The suburbs of Detroit and Ann Arbor are lousy with car washes and gas stations with more powerful vacs than the Odyssey Shop Vac, which handily sucks up Fruit Loops and other cereal.

Attention Mercedes Benz: If you are frustrated that your CLA45 got skunked by the Odyssey, perhaps you might consider building in a Dyson to the M-Class SUV. Or perhaps Dyson would be a better fit with Range Rover, owing to the common British parenting. Miele might be the better co-branding fit for Mercedes or BMW.

I informally polled some women I know on the show floor, single and married with children, and I was shocked to find out the Honda Shop-Vac was "all that." Wow, I thought. Is this not setting back women on some level that they are hot and bothered over a vacuum? But then our associate editor Pete Bigelow, with three kids under the age of five and a minivan owner, told me that he and his wife were "all over the Honda vacuum."

On one level I am disappointed that the Honda vacuum is such a hot buzz machine this week. But on the other hand, it is a salute to implementing the obvious and simple tech solution.

Of course, a vacuum cleaner aboard a minivan makes sense. This simple idea reminds me of the geniuses at Nissan who last year put the Easy-Fill Tire Pressure system. This system, proving wildly popular with customers, simply tells you which tire is low on your instrument cluster. When you refill at a common air machine at a service station, the horn beeps when you have reached the optimal air pressure. The idea cost nothing for Nissan (all they did was program the car's software) to implement, yet has been a bigger home run than gimmicks costing millions to develop.

I fear that when we go to review nominations for AOL Autos Tech of the Year Award, we will see on from Honda for the onboard vacuum rather than a new breakthrough on safety, fuel economy or smartphone connectivity. And we just may have to consider it.

The Subaru WRX Concept Isn’t Ugly Enough

About 18 months ago Subaru brought a then brand new Impreza by the office. It was Ugly! Capital U and everything. I pointed as much out to Subaru’s PR dude, who replied, “We don’t waste money on designers, and we pass those savings onto our customers.” Funny, of course, but for as long as I can remember, Subaru’s have been happily that: Ugly.

But there’s beauty in those bad looks. Remember back a decade ago when the original “Bug Eye” WRX finally came to the U.S.? Everyone panned the looks, even though they loved the car. As for me, I bought one. I was actually going back and forth between the $25,000 WRX Sport Wagon and the $45,000 Audi S4 Avant with that nifty but big hits to the credit card prone 2.7-liter, 30-valve twin-turbo V-6 (I was still riding the dotcom bubble pretty high at that point). Looks-wise, it was a home run for the B5 Audi. However, the Subie drove better, felt quicker and saved me $20K (which I blew on an art gallery), so I bought a 2002 WRX in October, 2001. Two weeks later I lost my job.

I thought the WRX was ugly back then, but boy has it sure aged nicely. Ask most car guys and they’ll say the same. I’ll go so far as to say that original U.S. WRX is a future classic. When Subaru refreshed the Rex one year later with those squared off lights, the car somehow got uglier. Then in 2005 they introduced the “We’re Born From Jets, Too!” look somehow the car WRX was even uglier (I bought one of those, too). In 2008 they totally made a hash out of everything with the 3^rd generation car, crammed in an emergency refresh and have progressively burned and blistered the poor thing up to its current, totally not attractive state. To summarize, as each new WRX has been uglier than the one that came before, the older cars get better looking as time goes on. That’s not the case with the bass boat sparkle blue one that debuted last week.

Designed by Osamu Namba, everyone standing around the WRX Concept was dumbfounded when they yanked the cover back. People simply loved it, especially those under the age of 30. My personal reaction was a bit more muted and circumspect. I see quite a bit of Jaguar in that nose (I’ve been alternately calling it the WRXF, WRXJ and the WRXF-Type), an equal sprinkling of Nissan GT-R and Lexus IS-F in those slits behind the front wheels, and a whole lot of Chris Bangle in the butt – a blend of E63 and E92 – and the roofline comes straight off the Mercedes-Benz CLA. Lexus pulled a cut and paste job like this with the GS; the entire car is nothing but Audi and BMW cues with that grotesque Predator-with-his-mask-off grille. As for the WRX, it’s just an admittedly purposeful looking mashup of current design cues with some cool headlights and taillights. It’s neither actually stunning nor grotesque, and the middle of the road is the best place to get run over. Unlike previous WRX models this one’s not going to age well. It simply isn’t ugly enough.

…

General Motors got its groove back in a major way last week. Getting the obvious out of the way, how about that Cadillac CTS! As I wrote on our technical director Frank Markus’s Facebook page, “Swagger + Lighter + ATS-Derived Super Stiffy Chassis + 420 hp/430 torque = DA BOMB! On paper, at least.” Obviously I was talking about the twin-turbo, 8-speed CTS, which Cadillac is calling the V Sport. Think Audi’s S-Line. Caddy even lifted the badging. Hey, why not? I can’t even tell you how many boozy, late nights I’ve spent screaming at folks from Cadillac some variation of, “The Germans wrote the luxury car playbook – just follow it!” And they did, and it’s beautiful and why would anybody pick an E-Class/5 Series/A6 over the swanky, strutting, sauntering and swashbuckling new CTS?

But even cooler than the Swagger Caddy, is that crazy pants Chevy Z/28. Say what? First of all, keeping it a total secret was the right move. Chevy even went so far as to internally refer to the car as “Steve” so that news of the Z/28 wouldn’t leak. My source at GM said he saw the car under a cover, got his hand slapped when he tried to lift it, and was given nothing but a blank stare when he asked, “Is this the Z/28?” Automakers tend to hand out heavily embargoed images to publications like Motor Trend so that we can get them in the magazine while they’re still somewhat relevant. And they always leak out and that’s fine (some blogger in France reportedly leaked the WRX photos). However, keeping the good stuff a secret is totally the right move. See Ford Atlas. In fact, while the Chevy Stingray was without question the star of this year’s Detroit show, the hulking Atlas Concept was the only other vehicle that anyone said boo about.

What’s also wildly great about the Z/28 is that it’s actually a hardcore track day special, the first in a very long time. Yes, there are cars that are supposedly meant for the track, but even favorites like the AMG Black Series have AC, nav, sound deadening, hella leather and the like. The Camaro Z/28 has none of that. Chevy wanted to rip out all of the speakers, but were forced to leave one in for the seatbelt chime. How great is that? Please compare Chevy’s approach to supposed lightweights like the old Porsche Cayman R. Radio and AC delete were options, but I sure 100% of cars sold had radios and AC. Counting press cars, that’s 102%. They did remove the Cayman R’s door handles to save weight, but they left the light up vanity mirrors on the sunshades. A pandering effort wherein tries to cash in on the legacy of a real lightweight like the Carrera RS 2.7, no doubt. The Z/28 is no such thing. It is a track car, full stop. Unbelievably, a Chevy PR person told me I’ll hate driving on the street. It’s just too uncompromising. I love it already.

…

As for the rest of the show, I was obviously pleased and proud to see “our” SRT Viper TA sitting up on the stand. It’s literally the same car Randy Pobst used to set the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca production car lap record. If SRT had popped the hatch, all gathered would have been able to see where Randy signed, “Randy Pobst, 1:33.62, February 27, 2013.” I’m one of very few people outside of SRT that’s so much as touched the car (all Motor Trend staff, by the by), and the only person besides Randy to drive it around Laguna Seca. So for me, it was a real treat to see it on high at the show.

The Jaguar/Land Rover stand was pretty happening, and happened to be located top dead center of the show floor. The big news was the debut of the new Range Rover Sport, a big though 800-pounds less improvement over the former model. Looks like a bigger Evoque, which is no bad thing. And really, it looks great. For a dyed-in-the-wool anglophile like me, all those pretty Jags got by blood pumping. Love the F-Type, and love the ridiculous wing on the back of the French Blue XFR-S, love all that crazy looking, down force-generating aero gear plastered all over the XKR-S GT. Flics, as it happens, rule.

Two notes here: The XKR-S needed help and it looks like it got some. We enjoyed that car as an excellent grand touring machine, but we ranked it eighth place out of nine at last year’s Best Driver’s Car because the back end can simply not put the power to the ground. Second thought, Jag has just crossed into BMW territory in terms of stupid names. While not as lame as M435 sDriveIS Gran Coupe (coming soon!), it’s not far off. Would XK-GT have sold fewer cars? Or XK Ultimate? Still, the $175,000 cat looks cool. I was, however, disappointed by the XJ SuperSport replacing XJR. Just the back of it, really, as it’s hard to not like 550 horsepower limos. I’ve long maintained that the new XJ is the best looking big object on wheels. But a glued on mini-spoiler and brash, chrome, sticky-outy quad pipes look garish and mar an otherwise near-perfect shape. Still, can’t wait to drive it.

Speaking of the Brits, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the new Bentley Flying Spur looks in person. This became especially apparent as it the sporty, deep purple example was parked next to the much more formal looking Mulsanne. I still think the taillights are too square and too massive, but other than that one misstep, hubba hubba. I can’t say the same for the Rolls-Royce Wraith. I like the idea of a Rolls fastback. I like how it recalls both the Silver Wraith of around 1950 and the impossibly sexy S1, S2 and S3 Bentley Continentals of the 50s and 60s. I especially like how it recalls one of my favorite cars, the 1949 Cadillac Series 62. But there’s something not quite right with the Wraith. And it’s that garish, tacked on hunk of chrome behind the side glass. It just totally screws up the car’s lines. Still, word on the street is that the Wraith was already in clay when head of RR design Giles Tayler got poached away from Jaguar. The man behind the XJ is set to have his first Rolls-Royce debut with an all-new Phantom in a few years time.

Final thoughts: I can’t wait to drive the Porsche GT3 as it looks simply mental, and how is Mitsubishi still in business?

Volvo’s S60 and XC60 R-Designs Revealed for 2014 [2013 New York Auto Show]

Chinese-owned Volvo has a rich, sporty heritage that goes back to rally cars of the 1950s and 1960s, which was buried during the safety-conscious 1970s and 1980s, and eventually rediscovered in the 1990s. Today, the brand is playing up that theme expertly with its R-Design models for its refreshed-for-2014 S60 and XC60. These packages go significantly beyond merely cosmetic changes, and were launched at this year’s New York auto show.

Both cars are fitted exclusively with the top-of-the-line T6 turbocharged straight-six engine, whose output has been lifted from 300 horsepower at 5600 rpm to 325 horsepower at 5400 rpm. Maximum torque rises from 325 lb-ft, available from 2100 rpm, up to 354 lb-ft, now available from 3000 rpm. As a result, 0-to-60-mph times improve: the S60′s time dips from 5.5 seconds to 5.3, and the XC60 goes from 6.6 down to 6.2. Both R-Design models receive the brand’s newest six-speed automatic, equipped with Advanced Quick Shifts, which Volvo claims can cut shift times by up to 50 percent.

Volvo also has improved cornering performance by lowering the chassis by 0.6 inch, and adding optional 19-inch wheels on the S60 and 20-inch wheels on the XC60. The S60 receives 20-percent stiffer bushings and 15-percent stiffer springs, as well as rear monotube dampers.

Visual changes include updated fascias, a frameless grille, unique wheel arches, a bespoke rear diffuser, and special exhaust outlets. The digital instrumentation is altered as well, and can be configured in three settings: Elegance, Eco, and Performance.

Pricing for the 2014 R-Designs hasn’t been announced yet, but the upgrade was a $3450 add-on last year. Volvo expects a 10 percent take rate for its R-Design packages. We commend Volvo to continue to emphasize its sporty side. But if we could ask for just one more thing, could you please put the 508-hp Polestar S60 concept into production?

2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel Tested: Yeah, It’s a Diesel Porsche—Get Over It

2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid: Subie’s First Gas-Electric [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Kia Optima Photos and Info: A Mid-Term Refresh for Kia’s Most Stylish Car [2013 New York auto show]

Car Salesman Confidential: How to Get the Lowest Price, Part 2

Every ex-car salesman turned writer has his “Top Ten” list of tips on how to get the lowest price. Well, I’ve got 14 tips and we’re halfway through them (here’s a link to Part 1 of my list in case you missed it). So come along and have some fun buying your next car!

7. Go With the Cheapest Car. This may seem obvious, but if a low price is your goal, start with a low priced vehicle. Don’t go for the most expensive brand and most expensive model they make — the one with leather and nav and all the “bells & whistles” — and try to whittle the price down to that of the stripped out model with the bolt action gearbox and roll-up windows. Start with the lower priced, lower optioned vehicle and then negotiate. You’ll save yourself a lot of time — and heartburn.

Or, if big discounts are your thing, look for manufacturers with the least popular models. The big incentives are placed on vehicles that don’t sell, not the ones that do. So don’t just consider the Top 3 Sales Leaders in a particular segment. Check out the 8th, 9th, or 10th best-selling models as well. They may not be as bad as you think.

Brand is also a factor. Some brands have lower manufacturing costs than others, which translates into more “wiggle room” on price. In general, German and European cars have the highest cost of manufacture, therefore the least amount of wiggle room. Japanese and Korean makes are somewhere in the middle, and domestics have the most mark-up (again, this is a very general statement and varies from brand-to-brand, model-to-model). Regardless of brand, the highest mark-up is found in the most expensive vehicles. In a Cadillac Escalade or Audi A8 you can probably get $5000 off the sticker and still allow the dealer some profit. But not a Chevy Cruze or A4. So gauge your expectations for discount on the popularity of the car, the make, the available incentives, and MSRP.

And just because there’s a big rebate or “Customer Cash” offered, don’t assume you can’t negotiate price. Remember, the dealer is reimbursed for any rebates, so a rebate — no matter how big it is — doesn’t cut into his profit one penny.

8. Take Advantage of Sale Events. Before I got into car sales I used to look at ads for big sales and think “Those sales are for suckers. I can get the same deal anytime I want, because I’m such a shrewd negotiator.” Well, maybe. But sales are run to create a sense of urgency in the buyer. When a sale is over, it’s over. Most manufacturers run their sales for 30 days. At the end of each month, that month’s programs end and new ones begin. Sometimes the incentives get better, sometimes they go away completely. Never assume “it can only get better” — because the only certainty in every sale is: eventually, it will end.

9. Line up Your Financing in Advance. These days, the dealership can beat the rates offered by local credit unions — most of the time. If you have excellent credit and have 1.99% lined up at your local bank, there’s a good chance your dealership has a lender that’s willing to do 1.79%. So be open to the possibility of financing through the dealership. But having your own financing set up in advance gives you options, and also power — to keep the rate low.

10. Buy out of Stock. If you want a good deal, don’t make the dealership go to another dealership to get a car just because you’re in love with Mystic Mauve Metallic or certain options. Pick something on their lot. Why? Because trading with another dealership costs the dealer money. In most cases, the “holdback” stays with the originating dealer. So does advertising money. The dealer will also have to pay one, or possibly two, drivers to get the car, and that could cost anywhere from $50 to $1000, depending on how far away it is and how you want it transported. In addition, any dealer traded car may arrive with hidden surprises. This could range from a rock chip in the hood that happened on the drive over, to an optional spoiler that was never disclosed by the other dealership but still costs you money. If saving money is your priority — and not color — always pick something from inventory.

And if you really have patience, study the dealer’s inventory and find a vehicle that’s been on his lot for 45 or 60 days or longer. The longer a car sits, the more it costs the dealership, particularly when it comes to used cars. If it just came off the truck yesterday they may not be anxious to deal. But if it’s been sitting there 279 days… you can bet they’re ready to see it go.

11. What to Say When you get There. Okay, let’s say you’ve done all of the above, and you’ve located two or three dealerships in your area with a good reputation, and you have the names of a good salesman at each. Maybe you’ve even called ahead and made an appointment to drive a particular car (I would strongly recommend making an appointment. This says to your salesman you’re serious, and you want to put things on a professional basis.)

So now you’re at the dealership. What do you say?

I’m going to give you a little script that contains some “Magic Words” that will put the salesman on your side and enlist his full co-operation. It’s important that you repeat these Magic Words only when you’re ready, and mean them, otherwise the spell will be broken and you’ll be cursed with recalls and untraceable electrical gremlins for the rest of your days. Here’s what you say when you first meet your salesperson:

“I understand your dealership needs to make a profit , and you need to make a good commission for all your hard work. But I want you to understand that I need to be treated right, and I need to get a fair deal . I don’t mind somebody making a little money, but I’m not going to let you make your month on me. If we like the car and you treat us right and we get a fair deal, then I’m ready to buy today . But if that doesn’t happen, if I feel like you’re wasting my time or not being straight with me, I’ll leave and buy elsewhere. Fair enough ?”

The words I’ve highlighted are all words and phrases that car salesmen use when talking to each other and their customers. So by using them you’re “speaking their language” and showing them you aren’t a fool. You know the business. And you’re ready to deal. The power of “Make a Commission,” “Fair Deal, “Buy Today” and “Buy Elsewhere” is phenomenal.

12. If Things go Bad, Vote With Your Feet. The most effective thing you can do if you ever feel you’re not getting anywhere is not to get angry, not to raise your voice and scream and yell and cause a scene in the middle of the showroom. The most effective thing you can do is quietly stand and leave.

Nothing gets a salesman’s — or a manager’s — attention as quickly as someone standing up and heading for the door. My feeling is, as long as my customer is seated, they’re trying to buy. They may threaten me with leaving, but as long as they’re seated they’re just negotiating. The minute anyone physically pushes back their chair and rises… that’s a different story.

I don’t mean you should take this lightly, or do it as a stunt, or just to get another $50 off. I’m saying if you’ve tried your level best to be reasonable and fair and worked hard to meet the dealer “somewhere in the middle,” and you’re still not where you need to be, you have to be mentally prepared to walk out and not come back. If they let you go, that really was their “best number.” If they chase you out the door and give you a different number, you know they were holding back on you. Now you have their best number.

13. Know When You’ve Won. Life involves compromise. In every car deal there comes a point where the bottom of the well has been reached. Both sides have given all they can give and there ain’t no more to give. At that point it’s time to “Do the Deal” or simply walk away. If you like the car and you’re in your target range in terms of price or payment, relax and enjoy the moment. Getting a new car is a good thing. Don’t agonize too much over it. Yes, you may feel you could’ve gotten a little more off — but the dealer probably feels they could’ve “held a little more gross.” If the deal makes sense, do it — and don’t look back.

14. Don’t worry, be happy... and don’t forget the survey!

Can I use my car as collateral to get a loan?

auto

Dear Driving for Dollars,I need a loan. Is it possible to get a loan by borrowing against my car to get the money I need? -- Shane

Dear Shane,You are essentially describing the use of your car as collateral for a loan. To use an item you own as collateral, you must have equity in it. If you own your car outright, you could use it as collateral. If you have a car loan, you might have enough equity. You would need to owe less than its value.

To find out, estimate your car's value at one of the car pricing sites such as Edmunds.com, and compare it to the payoff amount of your car. If you have the enough equity, you may be able to use your car as collateral to get the loan you want, though you should check with your lender to make sure the loan terms will allow it.

Keep in mind that if you do use your car to secure a loan, the lender could end up repossessing your car if you default on the payments, which could leave you without transportation.

Get more news, money-saving tips and expert advice by signing up for a free Bankrate newsletter.

Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.

Buyers find more money, lower rates on car loans

The Return Of The Chevrolet Camaro Z/28

To the surprise and delight of auto show attendees and observers worldwide, Chevrolet unveiled a new Camaro on Wednesday, complete with an old and storied moniker: Z/28.

The news took a run-of-the-mill announcement on the Camaro's mid-life facelift and made it something exciting. GM handed out earplugs at the unveiling -- a sign that some serious engine noise was about to occur.

The Z/28 was last made in 2002, and is a racetrack-ready Camaro. The automaker wanted to make it exceptional, so they removed the regular Camaro engine and replaced it with the engine that lives in the C6 Corvette -- a small-block 7.0 liter V8. That engine produces "at least 500 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque," Chevy says.

Even if it's not as powerful as the current 580-horsepower ZL1 Camaro, Chevy made some other distinctive tweaks to make the Z/28 awesome: It's 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1, making it a full three seconds faster per lap on the race track.

The new car got some styling tweaks, which are aesthetic and improve aerodynamics, as well as some solid interior features. Recaro racing seats are standard, as is the ZL1's flat-bottomed steering wheel. The whole interior is finished in a matte-metallic finish called "Octane."

The Z/28 Camaro was first introduced back in 1966. Although the base Camaro was designed to provide adrenaline-pumping power, the Z/28 took it a step further. Using a special high-compression 302-cubic-inch V8, the gnarly engine, which was mated to a much more aggressive suspension, produced 290 horsepower and made for a truly white-knuckle ride.

The Z/28, along with the recently redesigned C7 Corvette, is evidence that General Motors is undergoing a full-on muscle renaissance. As the company gradually comes out from the under the watchful eye of the U.S. government and taxpayer base who have been clamoring for more fuel-efficient vehicles, the American automaker returns to offering a classic desire of the American car consumer: pure, unadulterated power.

Check out the video below to see the Z/28's introduction to the world. We especially recommend you watch around the 8:55 mark, at which the beastly muscle car fires up.

In Depth: Porsche’s new 911 GT3

As chief engineer Andreas Preuninger addressed a gathered throng at the New York International Auto Show, he described Porsche’s newest 911 GT3 as his group’s highest performing GT product, with “the most amazing gearbox on the planet.” Was this hyperbolic bluster, aimed at deflecting criticism of the new car for abandoning its motorsport-derived “Mezger” engine architecture and vaunted manual transmission? Immediately following the press conference I cornered “Mr. GT3” to find out.

Preuninger contends that this new engine does indeed provide a “replacement for displacement,” refuting the old muscle-car adage—it’s super-high-rev operation. Spinning an engine to 9000 rpm certainly isn’t trivial, and building in that capability drove a complete redesign of the current 911 engine that left only the raw engine block casting and the cylinder head bolts in common. The crankshaft, titanium connecting rods, and forged aluminum pistons are all newly optimized for high speed running, but it’s the valvetrain you really have to worry about at these speeds—especially in a road car with self-adjusting tappets (race engines frequently need their valve lash adjusted in between races).

To get mass out of the moving parts of the valvetrain, Preuninger’s team managed to relocate the hydraulic adjuster to the cylinder head itself. It now supports the pivot for an ultra-light cam follower that actuates the valve. Each of these little followers now weighs just over half-an ounce, slicing more than 3 pounds out of the valvetrain. He believes Porsche is the first to bring such a system to a production road car. Those race-bred cam profiles, by the way, reportedly produce a delightfully lumpy idle that gently rocks the car when standing still. The cylinder heads are configured to move mass quantities of air in and out of the cylinders at 9000 rpm, resulting in a rated output of “475-plus-plus [metric] horsepower.” This ultra-conservative rating might have been arbitrarily assigned to provide an emotional link with the outgoing GT3 RS 4.0—an identical power density of 125 PS/liter.

As for the choice to completely abandon the three-pedal stick-shift for a seven-speed PDK transmission, Preuninger claims that numerous modifications make this transmission feel like a proper racing sequential transmission (and in any case, the race-bred GT3 can no longer afford the competitive disadvantage of time-consuming manual shifts). The ratios are unique, with seventh a direct-drive gear—not an overdrive economy ratio. Top speed of 195 mph is achieved in seventh. Naturally, the powertrain executes throttle blips for ideal rev-matched downshifts. Shifting via the gear selector now happens according to racing convention—forward for downshifts, back for upshifts. The paddles themselves get stronger return springs and a more positive detent that feels sportier, and pulling both at the same time gives you neutral for as long as you hold them. This is useful for helping regain traction in a hard corner by relieving the tires of all acceleration or overrun forces, or for executing a hard launch with wheelspin. Switching off all the electronic aids activates what Preuninger calls “Hooligan mode,” for drifting and smoky burnouts. (He assures me that the system has been thoroughly tested, successfully withstanding 500 “Hooligan starts” in quick succession.) Finally, the GT3’s PDK provides no creep at idle in first gear (as the domesticated PDKs do).

Okay, Preuninger has convinced me of GT3’s fabulosity on paper, now let’s see how it fares in the crucible of Best Drivers Car competition.

Listen All Y’all, It’s a Small Mirage: 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Compact Debuts for U.S. [2013 New York Auto Show]

Edmunds.com Forecasts March Will Deliver Biggest Sales Month in Almost Five Years

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — March 28, 2013 — Edmunds.com, the premier resource for car shopping and automotive information, forecasts that 1,478,208 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in March for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 15.6 million light vehicles. Edmunds.com expects March to be the biggest single month since 1,555,945 new cars and trucks were sold in May 2007. It is also the fifth consecutive month to register a SAAR above 15 million light vehicles. The projected sales will be a 24.0 percent increase from February 2013, and a 5.3 percent increase from March 2012.

"As long as the auto industry continues this string of 15-plus million SAAR every month, there won't be any shortage of optimism," says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "We're not quite back to pre-recession levels, but the industry is getting closer to a full recovery every month."

SALES VOLUME FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

Sales Volume	March 2013 Forecast	March 2012	February 2013	Change from March 2012*	Change from February 2013*
GM	251,444	231,052	224,314	8.8%	12.1%
Ford	231,844	223,262	195,310	3.8%	18.7%
Toyota	204,782	203,282	166,377	0.7%	23.1%
Chrysler Group	173,007	163,381	139,014	5.9%	24.5%
Honda	138,204	126,999	107,987	8.8%	28.0%
Nissan	139,693	135,939	99,636	2.8%	40.2%
Industry	1,478,208	1,403,909	1,191,904	5.3%	24.0%

*NOTE: March 2013 had 27 selling days, March 2012 had 28 and February 2013 had 24.

Edmunds.com estimates that Retail SAAR will come in at 12.4 million vehicles in March, with fleet transactions accounting for 20.4 percent of total sales. An estimated 3.44 million used cars will be sold in March, for a SAAR of 36.6 million (compared to 3.36 million — or a SAAR of 37.4 million — used car sales in February).

AUTOMAKER PERFORMANCEEdmunds.com predicts that General Motors will show the biggest month-to-month declines, falling from 18.8% of all U.S. auto sales in February to 17.0 percent in March. Disappearing truck incentives from February are a big reason for the sharp decline. Nissan, meanwhile, is expected to enjoy the biggest market share bump in March, climbing 1.1 percentage points to 9.5% of all U.S. auto sales. It's anticipated to be Nissan's biggest single-month market share since March of last year.

MARKET SHARE FORECAST, BY MANUFACTURER

Market Share	Mar-13 Forecast	Mar-12	Feb-13	Change from March 2012 (Percentage pts.)	Change from February 2013 (Percentage pts.)
GM	17.0%	16.5%	18.8%	0.6%	-1.8%
Ford	15.7%	15.9%	16.4%	-0.2%	-0.7%
Toyota	13.9%	14.5%	14.0%	-0.6%	-0.1%
Chrysler Group	11.7%	11.6%	11.7%	0.1%	0.0%
Honda	9.3%	9.0%	9.1%	0.3%	0.3%
Nissan	9.5%	9.7%	8.4%	-0.2%	1.1%

More insight into recent auto industry trends canbe found in Edmunds.com's Industry Center at http://www.edmunds.com/industry-center/.

Subaru WRX Concept: The Next-Gen Rally Rocket Is Smokin’ Hot [2013 New York Auto Show]

Adult motorists text more than teens

By Doug Gross, CNN updated 12:01 PM EDT, Thu March 28, 2013 | Filed under: Mobile

AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign is aimed at discouraging drivers from texting while behind the wheel.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• AT&T report says almost half of adults admit they text while driving


• Just 43% of teens confess to doing the same thing


• Nearly all -- 98% -- of respondents knew texting and driving is unsafe

(CNN) -- If you're holding onto the stereotype about foolhardy teens fiddling with their smartphones while driving, you might want to look at yourself first.

In a new survey by AT&T, almost half of adults admitted to texting while driving, compared to a slightly smaller number of teens who fessed up to the same thing. About 49% of adults say they've sent a text while behind the wheel, according to a new survey conducted for the mobile company, compared with 43% of teens in a survey from last April.

And here's the thing -- they all know it's wrong.

A full 98% of respondents said they're aware that texting and driving isn't safe.

The report is part of AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign, designed to discourage texting while driving. Started in 2009, the campaign was ramped up last year with a series of somber TV ads featuring people who were injured, or the families of drivers who were killed, in car accidents in which a driver was using a phone.

"Through the It Can Wait movement, AT&T is collaborating with employers, nonprofits, law enforcement, educators, legislators, professional associations and government agencies nationwide," said Cathy Coughlin, AT&T's global marketing officer, in a written statement. "I'm confident, together we can save lives by encouraging millions more to make the personal commitment never to text and drive."

Despite the broad awareness about the dangers of texting behind the wheel, the survey suggests that the problem is getting worse. Six out of every 10 respondents said that, three years ago, they never texted while driving. And 40% of the people who admit to texting in the survey say it's a habit, not just an occasional slip-up.

Drivers who are texting are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than other drivers, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

The report comes as National Distracted Driving Month is set to begin on Monday. AT&T is urging employers to start programs encouraging workers to take no-texting pledges.

The recent survey was of 1,011 adult drivers in the U.S. who own cell phones. The teen survey was conducted last April with 1,200 drivers between 15 and 19 years old.

Kia Reveals Wonder Woman–Inspired Sportage, It’s Disappointingly Visible [2013 New York Auto Show]

Kia’s efforts to raise awareness for the We Can Be Heroes giving campaign to fight hunger in Africa has thus far produced six DC Comics–inspired custom Kia show cars. At the 2013 New York auto show, the automaker revealed the seventh car, a Sportage crossover dedicated to Wonder Woman. The Sportage follows the Superman Optima hybrid, Batman Optima, The Flash Forte Koup, Aquaman Rio5, Green Lantern Soul, and Cyborg Forte five-door.

But back to the Wonder Woman Sportage; Kia, working with DC Entertainment and Super Street magazine, fitted the crossover with a body kit, a stars-and-stripes paint job derived from Wonder Woman’s outfit, and star-like five-spoke wheels. Wonder Woman’s signature chest shield logo is integrated into the Sportage’s grille opening, the gold trim smattered about the crossover’s body is a reference to Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth—her weapon of choice—and the headlights are tinged with blue as a nod to the hero’s eye color. Finally, Kia slapped a sticker across the top of the windshield that mimics Wonder Woman’s tiara. So this Sportage has a tiara.

Inside, the unique Sportage gets red upholstery and blue LED lighting to match the exterior theme, and the seats are embroidered with Wonder Woman’s logo. It’s all for a good cause, and we’re pleased to see Kia turn out such thoroughly worked-over rides to raise awareness. Although if they really wanted to save some time, they could have simply paid tribute to Wonder Woman’s invisible plane and pulled the sheet off of . . . nothing.

2014 Scion tC Photos and Info: You Can Get a Solar-Powered Shift Knob [2013 New York auto show]

With Scions 10Best-winning FR-S rear-drive sports car stealing the limelight, the brands best-selling car, the tC, hasnt exactly been top of mind. For 2014, though, Scion is aiming to inject a little more attitude into its front-drive coupe. Among the revised visual cues are new headlamps and a longer, sloping hood that tapers down to a more muscular-looking grille dappled with LED accents. Out back, an FR-Slike rear valance and new LED taillamps are adopted.

Ford Offers $50K Prize To Help Drivers Become More Fuel Efficient

Ford Motor Co., stung in recent months over complaints that some of its hybrids are achieving fuel economy well below the advertised miles-per-gallon, said today it is enlisting help from hardware and software developers to help drivers figure out how to be more fuel-efficient.

The company said it's offering $50,000 to the computer nerds who can create apps that encourage drivers to change their behaviors behind the wheel.

Jim Farley, head of Ford's global marketing, said driver behavior can lead to drastically different fuel economy numbers.

"We have found that there are so many factors impacting the fuel economy people get, especially with hybrids across the industry, that we want to be the company that gives drivers the best tools to manage their own personal fuel economy," Farley said.

It is unusual for a car company to open up its engineering architectures and platforms to outsiders for fear of compromising intellectual property. Ford may be the first to open up both its hardware and software platforms to outsiders who want to pitch the company on new solutions to improve fuel economy.

Ford's own C-Max hybrid is advertised to get 47 mpg. But many members of the press (including AOL Autos) and the public have been complaining that the car does not get anything near that level in real-world driving. The 47 mpg is a number that was set by Ford testing the vehicles according to standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Farley says that Ford is in talks with the EPA to modify the testing procedures, especially around hybrids. "Hybrids is where you see the most variability in how personal driving habits and weather conditions and other factors most greatly impact real-world fuel economy," says Farley. Weather and how aggressively a driver works the gas pedal are two big factors, he said.

Hyundai and Kia last year settled a dispute with customers and lawyers who filed a class action suit against the companies, which have related ownership in South Korea, over the fuel economy of its vehicles. The company issued cash cards to customers to make up for the real-world shortfall in the fuel economy they wee getting. Lawyers are organizing class actions against Ford, as well, over C-Max performance.

Ford, according to New York research firm Appinions, is the "most influential" brand in the auto industry on the topic of fuel economy. Additionally, Farley said the company's research shows that fuel economy credibility and performance is the number-one buying consideration among customers, especially women, who control or influence some 75% of all new-vehicle purchases.

Farley also hinted that the auto industry with or without help from government regulators, needed to clean up the often confusing fuel economy claims that companies advertise. Companies often advertise only the higher highway fuel economy, rather than the combined city and highway fuel economy of vehicles. Many advertise "Best In Class" fuel economy, "Most fuel efficient," and the like.

"If my kid is in a class of 100, and 93 are called 'best in class,' I start to wonder what the point of the designation is," said Farley.

2014 Dodge Durango Debuts: Even More Brash, Plus New Tech and Eight-Speed Auto [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Chevrolet Camaro: If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It—Much [2013 New York Auto Show]

Sebastian Vettel Named Infiniti’s Director of Performance, Director of Teamwork Position Still Open [2013 New York Auto Show]

Today at the New York auto show, Infiniti president Johan de Nysschen named Sebastian Vettel as Director of Performance for the Infiniti brand. Vettel, lead driver for Infiniti Red Bull Racing and three-time Formula 1 champ, already has been helping Infiniti imbue its models with more performance (starting with the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition and more recently with the new 2014 Q50 sedan).

Vettel’s input on the development of the Q50 was said to be significant, as he spent time with engineers in Japan to develop the sedan’s chassis dynamics, performance, and handling. Infiniti is seeking any and all ways to maximize its $250-million deal with Red Bull Racing, and Vettel is the most obvious way to do so. We speculated just a month ago that Infiniti might put a Red Bull Racing badge on an IPL or other Infiniti car, and naming Vettel as head of performance is possibly a step in that direction.

“I am really happy to extend my extend my relationship with Infiniti and become its Director of Performance” said Vettel. “Helping to develop the Infiniti Q50 was a very different type of driving duty for me but I approached it in exactly the same way as I do my Formula 1 car. I am looking forward to working closely with Infiniti in developing more of its road cars in the future.”

Clearly this move was well underway before the events of this past weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, although you have to wonder if Seb will be a more cooperative Director of Performance than he is a Formula 1 teammate.

2014 Hyundai Equus: Cleaner Looks, More Stuff, Same Brawny V-8 [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Kia Soul Revealed With More Refinement, Style, Hamster-Friendliness [2013 New York Auto Show]

Big Apple Bomb: Track-Devouring, 500-hp 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 Revealed! [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid: Subtract V-6, Add Supercharged Four and Electric Motor [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Kia Forte Koup Photos and Info: All-New Sekond-Gen Gets Turbokharged Option [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Acura MDX Production Photos and Info: Now with More Available FWD [2013 New York Auto Show]

Mercedes-Benz Debuts 2014 B-class Electric Drive [2013 New York Auto Show]

Mercedes unveils Tesla-powered electric car

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

This car, the 2014 Mercedes B-class Electric Drive, will be available first in the states before reaching other markets, according to Mercedes-Benz. It will go on sale early next year, first in just a few states, but will become more widely available later on.

The car is much a smaller Mercedes than Americans are accustomed to. Up to now, the smallest Mercedes available here has been the C-class, although the luxury carmaker will soon begin selling the smaller CLA-class. Even smaller Mercedes cars are expected to be available here, soon, however.

Electric car maker Tesla Motors helped Mercedes develop and is manufacturing parts of the new car's electric drive system, including the lithium ion battery pack, electric motors, on-board charger and other electronics. Besides producing its own car, the Tesla Model S sedan, Tesla already produces electric drive components for the battery-powered Toyota Rav4 EV.

New wheels from the New York Auto Show

The Mercedes Electric Drive will have a "quick charge" feature that will give it a range of 60 miles after just a 2-hour charge, according to Mercedes. With a full charge, which will take about 7 hours, it should travel about 115 miles. A 134 horsepower electric motor, will let it accelerate from zero to 60 miles an hour in under 10 seconds.

The new car will come with a number of Mercedes-Benz luxury and safety features including a system that helps drivers stay in their lanes and active parking assistance.

Mercedes already produces a version of the B-class powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen fuel cells turn hydrogen into electricity and water inside the vehicle.

Mercedes' parent company, Daimler (DDAIF), also produces the Smart Electric Drive, a two-seat car which will go on sale in the U.S. in May. An electric version of Mercedes' high-performance SLS AMG sports car is also expected to go on sale soon, although it has yet to be decided whether it will come to the U.S. That car will be powered by a 751-horsepower electric motor.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 12:02 PM ET

Volkswagen Details U.S.-Spec 2015 Golf and GTI Powertrains [2013 New York Auto Show]

When Volkswagen debuted the seventh-generation, 2015 Golf at the last year’s Paris auto show and the 2015 GTI at the Geneva show earlier this year, the automaker tantalizingly revealed nearly everything about both rides. That is, everything except final engine options for the U.S. market. Oh sure, VW furnished European powertrain specifications for both rides, but despite the latest Golf and GTI being still about a year away from going on sale here in the U.S., we’re an impatient bunch—after all, the Golf and GTI are among our favorite compacts. Thankfully, the wait is over for U.S.-spec powertrain info, which Volkswagen has announced at the 2013 New York auto show.

While the European Golf offers a host of gas and diesel engines, the U.S. model will offer just two: A turbocharged, gas-fed 1.8-liter four and a 2.0-liter diesel four. The 1.8-liter makes the same 170 horsepower as the outgoing Golf’s inline-five it replaces, but seven more lb-ft of torque. Once again, the diesel will be dropped into the Golf TDI, but this time around it’s an all-new engine. Compared to the current Golf TDI’s 2.0-liter four, the new engine—which is a member of VW’s new EA288 engine family—produces the same 236 lb-ft of torque, but 10 additional horsepower, for a total of 150. Volkswagen’s specificity regarding the regular Golf’s transmission choices starts and ends with the promise that both manual and automatic options will be offered; gear counts and the type of automatic weren’t detailed. We’re betting that we get either the Euro model’s seven- or six-speed dual-clutch auto.

As for our favorite hot hatchback, the GTI, it will get the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter four as the Euro model. Only our version will make slightly less horsepower, with VW’s initial estimates coming in around 210 ponies. Before you start bellyaching about how Americans always get the short end of the stick, consider that at least the 2015 GTI will make the same 258 lb-ft of torque as the Euro model. The outgoing U.S.-spec GTI packs 200 horses and 207 lb-ft and is hardly a slouch; factor in the newest model’s slight weight loss, and it should be quicker than before. Regardless, the last-gen GTI was down a few horsepower to its European counterpart, too, so any anguish over missing output shouldn’t be a surprise. Once again, a six-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic transmission will be offered.

Finally, Volkswagen gave no further indication of expected fuel economy for any 2015 Golf derivative, or whether it plans to bring the latest GTD—effectively a diesel-powered GTI—to the States. (We suspect it will make it here.) As for the possible next-generation Jetta SportWagen, well, look no further than the 2015 Volkswagen Golf Variant; we expect that here in the U.S. it will be powered by the same 1.8-liter four or 2.0-liter diesel as the Golf.

2014 Toyota Highlander: New Sheetmetal, Added Comfort, Refinement, and Roominess [2013 New York Auto Show]

Honda unveils minivan with built-in vacuum cleaner

Honda debuted a minivan with a built-in vacuum cleaner at the New York auto show Wednesday.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

At the New York Auto Show on Tuesday, Honda unveiled its 2014 Odyssey minivan -- and the feature getting most of the attention was a vacuum cleaner from Shop-Vac in the rear of the van.

Honda said the hose and attachments on what it is calling the HondaVac, can reach anywhere in the minivan and includes a replaceable filter and canister bag. It can run continuously while the engine is running or run for eight minutes with the engine off.

It comes in the Touring Elite version of the minivan and will go on sale this summer.

The Odyssey was the No. 2 selling minivan in the U.S. market last year, with about 126,000 sold. That put it behind only the Dodge Caravan, but ahead of the Toyota (TM) Sienna and the Chrysler Town & Country. But the minivan segment has been shrinking for years.

Related: New wheels from the New York auto show

General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) and Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) stopped making minivans years ago as families in need of the space for hauling children, pets and other items have turned to SUVs and crossover vehicles. There were only 540,000 minivans sold in the United States last year, according to sales tracker Autodata, which is just less than half the sales that the segment achieved 10 years earlier.

Related: Iconic Jeep Cherokee's controversial return

Honda (HMC) has been an innovator in the segment, introducing the first van with a fold-down rear seat more than 10 years ago. Its sales have held up better than most in the segment, falling only 4% since 2001.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 7:50 AM ET

Agency sacks employees over Ford art depicting tied-up women

HONG KONG (CNNMoney)

The cartoonish drawings, produced by WPP unit JWT, were never part of a paid campaign. But they have struck a nerve as India institutes new rules to protect women following a series of high-profile gang rapes.

One of the images depicts Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister of Italy, driving a Ford Figo with three tied-up women in the back. Another image depicts Paris Hilton driving a Figo with what's meant to be the three Kardashian sisters tied up in the back. A third image shows three male race-car drivers tied up in the back.

"After a thorough internal review, we have taken appropriate disciplinary action with those involved, which included the exit of employees at JWT," the company said in a statement. "These were necessary steps owing to the direct accountability of the concerned individuals as we work to ensure that both the right oversight and processes are strictly enforced so that this never happens again."

Deepa Sridhar, a spokesperson for JWT, declined to say how many employees had been fired. The ads were not published or seen by senior executives at WPP or Ford.

The incident has drawn apologies from all of the involved parties, including Ford.

"We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened," the automaker said earlier this week in a prepared statement. "The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners."

Related story: Ford unveils Figo for India

WPP also released a statement saying that it "deeply regret[s]" the existence of the "distasteful" posters.

Ford unveiled the Figo, a subcompact, in 2009 to be produced in India and exported to other Asian countries and Africa.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 7:31 AM ET

2014 Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG: Small and Strong [2013 New York auto show]

Why Ford and Elon Musk Are Driving Auto Tech Chatter Online

It's auto show time again as The New York International Auto Show gets underway this week. What grabs our attention usually is the hot new designs, especially of luxury brands like BMW, Porsche and Audi. But according to some new research, the thing that carries the most weight with the public these days is technology.

According to Appinions, a New York-based influence marketing firm that measures influence, Ford is the No. 1 brand driving technology conversations on the Internet, owing principally to its launch of high-fuel economy models like Ford C-Max and Ford Fusion Hybrid, as well as its Ford Sync system for integrating a smartphone with its cars. The No. 2 brand is Toyota, followed by Audi and Google. The Internet search company ranks so high - -well above other auto brands like Honda, BMW and Volkswagen -- because of its ongoing testing of the automated cars, aka driverless cars.

"With this study, we want to share unique insights around these two dynamic industries - auto and tech – and evaluate what topics, brands and people are shaping these conversations," said Larry Levy, co-founder and CEO of Appinions. "It's fascinating to see the different technology companies that have prominent voices amongst the auto heavy-hitters, and how the combination of auto with a strong tech partner can boost a brand's overall influence at this time in the industry when tech top of mind."

See the whole report here

How much "influence" is wielded by brands or people can be a vague science, but Appinions has a method that makes its measurements relevant. The firm extracts opinions from more than six million sources including blogs, social networks, forums and articles in printed media such as newspapers and magazines and their websites. It identifies influencers as a person, brand or company that expresses a relevant opinion meaningful enough to elicit action from others. That means bloggers and journalists are captured, as well as Tweeters and Facebookers with engaged followings.

Lists like this are meaningful for both companies marketing to consumers, as well as consumers paying attention to technology in the auto space because the rankings tell consumers as well as the companies marketing to them where the conversations are taking place and who is driving them.

Who else are the big influencers around technology these days? There are some surprising findings.

Forty-five percent of the discussion about cars and technology in a recent period measured by Appinions was about fuel economy in general, not just about electric vehicles. Ford ranked tops in this measurement too, followed by Toyota and tiny luxury automaker Tesla. Tesla has only sold a few thousand cars to date, but it still trumped huge auto companies like General Motors and Volkswagen because of the hoopla around its Model S electric car.

And who are the individuals in the tech and auto industries with the most juice? Tesla Motors chief Elon Musk leads the pack these days, followed by New York Times reporter John Broder who got into a public squabble with Musk over his review and test of Tesla's Model S.

Number three on the list is President Obama, because of his influence and comments about higher fuel economy standards, outgoing Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn. New York City Mayor Bloomberg, former GM vice chairman Bob Lutz who tends to be a quote machine for journalists and bloggers. AOL's own Danny King who writes for AutoblogGreen.com made the list as well.

Agency sacks employees over Ford art depicting tied-up women

HONG KONG (CNNMoney)

The cartoonish drawings, produced by WPP unit JWT, were never part of a paid campaign. But they have struck a nerve as India institutes new rules to protect women following a series of high-profile gang rapes.

One of the images depicts Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister of Italy, driving a Ford Figo with three tied-up women in the back. Another image depicts Paris Hilton driving a Figo with what's meant to be the three Kardashian sisters tied up in the back. A third image shows three male race-car drivers tied up in the back.

"After a thorough internal review, we have taken appropriate disciplinary action with those involved, which included the exit of employees at JWT," the company said in a statement. "These were necessary steps owing to the direct accountability of the concerned individuals as we work to ensure that both the right oversight and processes are strictly enforced so that this never happens again."

Deepa Sridhar, a spokesperson for JWT, declined to say how many employees had been fired. The ads were not published or seen by senior executives at WPP or Ford.

The incident has drawn apologies from all of the involved parties, including Ford.

"We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened," the automaker said earlier this week in a prepared statement. "The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners."

Related story: Ford unveils Figo for India

WPP also released a statement saying that it "deeply regret[s]" the existence of the "distasteful" posters.

Ford unveiled the Figo, a subcompact, in 2009 to be produced in India and exported to other Asian countries and Africa.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 3:39 AM ET

LeMons Sears (Even More) Pointless: Even More Winners!

Because the track at Sears Point aka Sonoma Raceway can’t fit more than 175 or so LeMons cars at one time, many of the hundreds of applicants for the 2013 Sears Pointless 24 Hours of LeMons couldn’t be accepted for the race. What to do? Why, stay over through Monday and run a special one-day Sears (Even More) Pointless race, that’s what! This race featured all the same prizes as the full all-weekend-long race that preceded it, and that means we’ve got another set of winners. Sears Point has always been hard on LeMons cars, with plenty of bent metal and obliterated engines. This jar of pickles flattened by an RV in the paddock sums up the condition of many of the cars after two or three days of racing. Taking the Class A and overall wins once again, it’s Cerveza Racing and their 1983 BMW 533i. We impounded this car (back when it started turning some suspiciously quick lap times) and subjected it to a surprise dyno test a couple of years back, and it produced something like 120 wheel horsepower. It turns out, shockingly, that driver skill counts for more than horsepower in road racing, and the Cerveza wheelmen have used that skill to win five LeMons races… so far. Normally, the LeMons Supreme Court puts most Volkswagen GTIs in the class for the fastest cars: Class A (yes, GTIs usually blow up in LeMons, but they can turn some quick lap times before the explosion). However, the Dirty Duck Racing GTI has been so terrible for so many years that they’ve earned a spot in Class B (it didn’t hurt that they gave your LeMons correspondent a very thoughtful gift). Finally, the Dirty Ducks were able to stay out of the penalty box and their car’s pistons were able to stay inside the block for an entire race, and they won the Class B trophy. The Class B battle was hard-fought, with the Communists-Я-Us BMW 320i hanging on about 40 seconds behind the GTI for what seemed like hours, but the Dirty Ducks held off the E21, placed eighth overall, and got their first class win. Winning Class C was Legend of LeMons Spank’s 1962 Mini. How did a very loose, very tired Mini manage to place 15th out of 72 entries, with lap times 5-10 seconds slower than most of the other cars near it in the standings? Consistency, reliability, and clean driving. LeMons racing features quite a few teams of the hapless-yet-lovable type, and the “IROC Maiden” Camaro drivers of Team Steam may be the most hapless, and most lovable, of the bunch. We’ve seen them changing engines the way other teams change spark plugs, and we’ve seen a lot of them in the Penalty Box. This race, we saw them finish an impossible P3 (they went and found a ringer pro driver somewhere and made him drive most of the day), and so we decided to honor Team Steam with a sort of Lifetime Achievement Judges’ Choice trophy. The Most Heroic Fix award was also something of a Lifetime Achievement deal this time. The EASY Porsche 914 team ran their car with air-cooled Porsche (aka VW bus) power for a year or two, then decided to ruin the carmake the car much better by swapping in a water-cooled Volkswagen Golf engine. This decision has not paid off so far, and the team spent all three days of Sears Pointless/Sears (Even More) Pointless wearing out the highway between the race track and the nearest Pick-N-Pull. After harvesting and installing and removing and harvesting and installing and removing and installing all the engines they could find, they finally got one to work well enough to get their car back on the track for a few hours. The flip side of the Most Heroic Fix award is the I Got Screwed award, and Crazy Mike of the -ing With Bad Ideas Volkswagen Beetle team earned at least his second IGS trophy. One dead transaxle, one sheared-off front axle shaft, one dead engine, a broken steering arm, and probably a meteorite strike through the fuel tank kept the Beetle off the track for most of the race. The impressively boat-ized Toyota MR2 of Team Babel has been around for a few California races, but some other car always managed to one-up it and grab the Organizer’s Choice. This time, there was no contest. The whole package was quite nautical, and the car somehow got P13 on the track. What really clinched the OrgChoice award, however, was the furry-helmeted “waterskier” towed behind the car for the inspections. The top prize of LeMons racing is the Index of Effluency award. There has never been a policy stating that no car may win the IOE more than one time (a number of teams have earned multiple IOE trophies, but always with a different car for each win), but it had never happened… until this race. There was no way to deny the Index of Effluency to Spank’s Mini when it finished in P15 at this race, and so this LeMons Legend now has six IOEs on his trophy shelf. The Mini, shown here with a Mr. Bean-style chair on the roof at the 2009 Buttonwillow race, won its first IOE four years ago and has seen some very hard racing since that time. Congratulations, Lemini Autosarcophagy!

Iconic Jeep Cherokee's controversial return

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The new Cherokee will be available with two engine choices: a 184 horsepower 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine or a 271 horsepower 3.2-liter V6. Either engine will come with a nine-speed automatic transmission.

Also available will be two different all-wheel-drive systems or customers can chose a front-wheel-drive-only Cherokee. With the 4-cylinder engine, the Cherokee is expected to get 31 miles per gallon on the highway, according to Chrysler.

The Jeep Cherokee, introduced in 1984, was one of the vehicles that essentially created the modern SUV market segment. That Cherokee looked like a macho station wagon assembled out of shoe boxes. It was more-or-less replaced by the larger, more expensive -- and more fashionable -- Jeep Grand Cherokee which remains popular today.

To many enthusiasts, the name Jeep Cherokee still conjures up that earlier simple looking SUV.

But the new Cherokee unveiled Tuesday is soft-edged and sleek, looking like it spent more time in a wind tunnel than on a mountain trail.

"It's a little softer and kinder than other Jeeps we've seen in the past," said Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelley Blue Books KBB.com automotive Web site.

Coolest new cars from the New York Auto Show

When images of the vehicle were revealed on the Internet, much of the initial response was negative. According to Michael Manley, head of the Jeep brand for Chrysler Group, that's because the Cherokee name creates expectations of that rugged looking square-shaped Jeep.

But feedback on the design is changing, becoming more positive as people get used to it, he said.

Unlike the Liberty, which Manley described as a "niche" vehicle designed more for off-road prowess than on-road comfort and handling, the new Cherokee is designed to appeal to a broader audience beyond traditional Jeep loyalists, he said.

The dilemma for Jeep is to broaden its appeal even when much of that appeal is based the vehicles being taken seriously by hard-core off-road enthusiasts, said Todd Turner, an industry consultant with California-based Car Concepts..

The new generation of SUV buyers cares more about fuel economy and a smooth ride than axle articulation and water fording capability. That next generation has been, up to now, buying import-brand crossover SUVs, Manley said. The new Cherokee, which is based on the same engineering as the Dodge Dart sedan, will be more comfortable and nicer to drive, according to Jeep.

Jeep latest corporate victim of Twitter hack

But for Jeep to to succeed, the masses of Jeep owners who never leave the suburbs still should feel like the vehicle they're driving is taken seriously by people who drive across the open desert.

The answer, from Manley's point of view, is that not every single Jeep has to be a mountain man's dream car. But every Jeep must be available in a version that can crawl up canyon walls even if few customers actually buy that version.

Despite its rounder lines, Jeep promises the Cherokee will be as off-road capable as any. While it will be available in front-wheel-drive versions for those not interested in venturing off dry pavement, buyers will be able to get "Trail Rated" versions including the Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk which will have higher ground clearance and a specially designed front end. "It's been at Moab and it can do Hell's Revenge," said Manley. Hell's Revenge is a particularly challenging off-road trail in the Utah desert.

In the future, Jeep will be continue to expand the line-up but without straying from the brand's core SUV roots, said Manley. A modern version of the large Grand Wagoneer is expected around 2015 and a subcompact SUV, something smaller than the Jeep Compass, should be coming out in the near future, too.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 12:13 AM ET

Chevrolet SS: V8-power at New York Auto Show

The Chevrolet SS is Chevrolet's first rear-wheel-drive sedan since 1996.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

The car isn't going to sell in huge numbers, according to GM. This car is mostly about image-building and excitement. It will appeal to a core group of buyers that are interested in more than just a friendly family sedan, GM spokesman Randy Fox said.

"We're looking to attract that enthusiast seeking out a stylish sedan that has great performance," said Fox.

The SS was first unveiled at the Daytona 500 Nascar race in February.

The four-door SS is powered by a 6.2-liter V8 estimated to produce 415 horsepower. While the engine is taken from the Corvette, much of the car's other engineering is borrowed from the Chevrolet Camaro. The SS will be built in the Australia where essentially the same car is sold as the Holden Commodore. (A previous version of the Commodore was sold here, for a short time, as the Pontiac G8. GM killed off the Pontiac brand in 2009.)

With more car shoppers today focusing on fuel economy rather than driving excitement, some are questioning whether the SS is really a car that Chevrolet brand needs right now.

"You have the Camaro already," said Todd Turner of auto industry consulting company Car Concepts. "So now you have that car with four doors. So what?"

Best cars from the New York Auto Show

While GM has not yet revealed fuel economy figures for the SS, it's V8 power stands in stark contrast to vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the tiny Chevrolet Spark subcompact.

While there are some car shoppers yearning for good old-fashioned rear-wheel-drive performance, most car shoppers today, especially the younger ones, don't care about that.

"People have grown up with a different definition of performance," he said.

Younger buyers, who've grown up with souped-up front-wheel-drive compact cars don't necessarily need big engines and smoking back tires.

But Chevrolet does have a certain fan base that still cares about a car like the SS, said Jack Nerad, editorial director of the automotive Web site KBB.com.

"I think it's going to be a very cool car," he said.

Although it's built in Australia, the SS represents a classically American style of automotive performance. It carries an emotional resonance a small-engined front-wheel-drive car just can't match.

"Especially in the Midwest, in the center of the country, there's a lot of enthusiasm for American performance cars," he said.

General Motors hasn't released fuel economy estimates and pricing for the car yet. Those will be made available later in the year, closer to when the SS goes on sale, GM said.

First Published: March 27, 2013: 12:50 AM ET

2014 Jeep Cherokee Photos and Info: Crossover Duds and a Hearty Drivetrain [2013 New York Auto Show]

Audi Rips the Sheets from the 2015 A3 and S3 Sedans! [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Range Rover Sport Photos and Info: Nearly Half a Ton Lighter and Packing Eight Speeds [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Cadillac CTS Debuts! It’s Bigger, Lighter, and More Focused [2013 New York Auto Show]

2014 Honda Odyssey Photos and Info: Refreshed Minivan Literally Sucks—It Has an Optional Vacuum [2013 New York Auto Show]

Image Leak! Again! Subaru’s Tasty WRX Concept Spills Forth [2013 New York Auto Show]

Well, lookie here, another big New York auto show debutante has been leaked ahead of the show, and this time it’s the Subaru WRX concept. (Earlier this week we were given an early glimpse at the 2014 Cadillac CTS sedan.) The images appear to have originated on the French site Blog Automobile, and show the WRX concept completely uncovered and in full blue glory.

Just as we suspected, the next WRX—shoul dit stay true to this concept version—makes a significant break visually from the Impreza, a model it’s previously been closely based upon. The concept features bodywork that shares nothing with Subaru’s compact car, and features a low, coupe-like roofline, sleek headlights, C-shaped taillights, and a low-set grille. Those beastly fender bulges aren’t far from what’s offered on today’s wide-body WRX, and they’re nicely integrated on the WRX concept’s four-door form.

Speaking of four-door, we hope the next WRX returns in both sedan and five-door hatchback forms, but we’ll have to wait and see what Subaru has up its sleeve in that regard. We do know that the car will be powered by a 2.0-liter turbo four, as will the uprated STI variant. (Blog Automobile’s report also mentioned an electrically powered turbo. If true, this could greatly minimize turbo lag by allowing the blower to spool up extra fast.) We’ll have full info and more photos of the WRX concept later this week following its official debut in New York, but until then, feast your eyes on the hot compact here.

Luxury Car Brands Unveil Key Debuts at the 2013 New York International Auto Show, Says Edmunds.com

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — March 26, 2013 — The new Cadillac CTS and the Audi A3 sedan will headline a parade of luxury cars scheduled to make world and U.S. debuts this week at the 2013 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), reports Edmunds.com, the premier resource for car shopping and automotive information.

Edmunds.com says there's particular anticipation for the 2014 Cadillac CTS. The vehicle's market performance has been lukewarm recently, with sales down 14.6 percent in 2012 vs. 2011. Cadillac is expected to reveal a major redesign at the show to better compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Leaked photos of the vehicle show a family resemblance to the smaller Cadillac ATS, with a sculpted hood, dramatic front end and an elegant cabin with wood and leather touches.

The 2014 Audi A3 sedan will make a more informal debut at a private event scheduled ahead of the auto show. Invited attendees will get a first look at the sedan, which will go on sale in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2014. The vehicle will take aim at the much-anticipated Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class sedan.

Other luxury cars expected to make debuts at NYIAS include:

• 2014 Acura MDX — Edmunds.com expects the 2014 Acura MDX to have a softer, rounder look — but an aggressive slate of high-tech features.


• 2014 Jaguar XJR — Jaguar is beefing up its R performance lineup with the 2014 XJR. A single image of the car appears to show some trim and badging changes.


• 2014 Land Rover Range Rover Sport — Land Rover says the 2014 Range Rover Sport will be its "fastest, most responsive and agile vehicle to date."

Edmunds.com provides news, photos and analysis of all the cars debuting at the 2013 New York International Auto Show at http://www.edmunds.com/auto-shows/new-york/2013/.