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Honda Down 7.3%

post from The Truth About Cars on 03 September 2008 03:06:49 PM. © The Truth About Cars

Honda, the poster child for “Why Can’t Motown be More Like a Transplant?” was not immune from the U.S. auto industry’s August doldrums. While sales of the new Pilot rose 18.6 percent (11,276 units), and sales of the miserly Civic increased by 5.3 percent (30,052) units, Honda’s Fit ran out of puff. August sales sank [...]

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Ford Sales Down 25.5%

post from The Truth About Cars on 03 September 2008 03:06:49 PM. © The Truth About Cars

Ford’s August sales numbers are in. Following the now-familiar pattern, Ford’s put a brave face on what can only be described as the tragedy part of that weird ass dual mask drama companies use on their programs. “FORD FOCUS, ESCAPE REMAIN STANDOUTS IN A CHALLENGING MARKET,” FoMoCo’s press release proclaims. Gas misers must truly in [...]

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Silver Fern Marathon Rally attracts european
teams

post from Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally on 03 September 2008 02:59:33 PM. © Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally

With just six weeks to go before the October 16th ? 23rd NZ Silver Fern International Marathon Rally, organisers are pleased to have attracted around a dozen British and one Dutch team down under to their event.

Following a previous successful Silver Fern event here in 2006, British drivers have spread the word and are returning in greater numbers, to compete in the eight day high speed gravel event, held around the scenic back roads of the South Island of New Zealand.

While here many of the teams take time to tour New Zealand and visit the many sights and attractions on offer. Relaxation is high on their agenda?s after a week of full on high speed rallying, and one team has already booked a weeks fishing trip to Rotorua and Taupo.

Silver Fern Rally organisers have always placed importance on the scenic aspects of the South Island when planning their route. While on the events two night stopover in Queenstown, it is expected many of the teams will take the opportunity to try everything from jet-boating and bungy jumping, to golf.

In addition, the organisers have a dinner planned a-top the Queenstown Gondola, where even the local drivers will be wowed by the views over Lake Whakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range. Then while in Invercargill teams will visit the world renowned, late Bill Richardson?s, truck museum.

Motorsport tourist numbers are growing fast, with New Zealand now hosting a number of major international motor-sporting events, including Repco Rally New Zealand, the V8 Supercars, the Dunlop Otago Classic Rally, Targa Rally NZ, the World Superbikes and the A1 Grand Prix. Silver Fern Rally organisers are now part of this growth.

The 2006 Silver Fern event saw an economic impact return of $6.5 million. The 50 local and 21 International competitors, teams, supporters and media not only partook of accommodation, meals, fuel and repair services, but were also part of a TV program organisers contracted, which was shown to an estimated worldwide audience of 60 million.

Scotsman Jimmy McRae, father of the late Colin McRae, and marathon rally specialist Iain Freestone lead the international entries for 2008. Freestone saying he ??loves the New Zealand roads, and this time he plans to finish?, and adds ?as a bonus I can go fishing after the event is over.?
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Rally-attracts-european-teams.html

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Masters run successful first continental Festival

post from Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally on 03 September 2008 02:52:34 PM. © Classic cars, Vintage Racing, Classic Rally

The first Masters Festival to be run outside Britain was judged a great success, when an eight-event programme of races from the Masters Racing Series were held at the French Grand Prix circuit of Magny Cours over the weekend (30/31 August).

Close racing held in warm sunshine was the story of the weekend, which presented a major logistical and organisational challenge for the Masters team. However, with the support of several organisations, the weekend ran very well and competitors thoroughly enjoyed both the driving challenge of Magny Cours and the relaxed and welcoming paddock atmosphere, which included a paddock party on Saturday evening.

The success of the weekend was significantly assisted by the efforts of Christine Villalon from the PITS Organisation and of Celine Compans, who took on the role of secretary of the meeting. The event was greatly assisted by Philippe Decharne, the director general of Circuit Nevers Magny Cours, and his team for the circuit?s first major historic event.

The weekend clearly demonstrated the international reach of Masters, with race winners from Portugal, Greece, Italy and Great Britain, as well as competitors coming from Sweden, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Monaco and Switzerland.

Six different non-Cosworth Grand Prix engines running in one Grand Prix Masters race made it a truly mechanically unusual event. Aside from the regular Cosworth DFV pack, the Nevers circuit reverberated to 12-cylinder power from Matra, Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari and V8s from Repco and Alfa Romeo.

Victories in the pair of GPM races were shared between the Brabham BT42 of Manfredo Rossi and the March 761 of David Methley. It could have been a double for Methley had he not been put out of the opening race when a stone jammed in the rear brakes and shredded the disc on the warming up lap.

Rossi won the first race after a fine battle with Hubertus Bahlsen (Brabham BT45-Alfa Romeo), with Ron Maydon taking a career-best third place in the Amon. Bahlsen and Maydon also claimed podium finishes in the second race after Rossi was hit by gearbox problems.
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l-first-continental-Festival.html

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GM Next Interviews Saab Enthusiasts At 2008 SOC

post from Saab History on 03 September 2008 01:34:32 PM. © Saab History

The folks at GM Next, have provided Saab History another installment from their coverage at the recent 2008 Saab Owners Convention. In this film, they interview a number of the Saab Enthusiasts that attended the convention including one person’s high performance 9-3 Viggen and even Jon Williams, again, after being interviewed at the 2007 Saab [...]

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http://www.saabhistory.com/2008/09/03/gm-next-interviews-saab-enthusiasts-at-2008
-soc/

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1999 Saab 9-3 Viggen - Saab USA Heritage
Collection

post from Saab History on 03 September 2008 01:24:20 PM. © Saab History

Photo Credit: Saab Automobile USAThe Saab USA Heritage Collection has recently acquired a pristine 1999 Saab 9-3 Viggen in Lightening Blue from a private sale in Florida with less than 500 miles on the odometer.The first showing of this acquisition took place at the recent 2008 Saab Owners Convention in Devens, Massachusetts from August 21st [...]

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ection/

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Toyota Kills PHEV Deposit Scheme

post from The Truth About Cars on 03 September 2008 01:06:39 PM. © The Truth About Cars

Most hybrid/EV companies run on deposits. With most "game-changing" products still deep in development, firms often squeeze deposits out of prospective customers to keep cashflow coming before their cars come to market. Not so with Toyota. The LA Times blog notes that Toyota has asked its Palo Alto, CA to stop taking $500 deposits on plug-in Prius models that are still several years from launch. "We asked the folks at Magnussen (Toyota of Palo Alto) to back off a little bit," Toyota spokesman Irv Miller said. "Let us get our product to market and figure out where we're going with it before we start putting the cart in front of the horse." Magnussen has refunded all 25 cash deposits it received, and has created a free waiting list that has already grown to 44. But Toyota's warning to Magnussen isn't stopping other Toyota dealers from collecting cash deposits. "I've got a few people in town who wanted to come in and leave deposits" on a plug-in hybrid, says Matt Meyer, Sales director of Toyota San Louis Obispo. "I'm not going to tell them 'No,' because I don't tell my customers 'No.'" Both dealerships say the deposits are fully refundable, but Toyota could still go after San Louis Obispo with a cease-and-desist. That Toyota is trying to reign in hype rather than spur it on is telling. Not only does it show that its future products will face astronomical demand, it also proves that short-term cash is not worth even a few possibly disastisfied customers. Contrast this approach with Chrysler's un-product EV hype for a quick lesson in how white-hot demand for next-gen powertrains should and should not be exploited.

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Volkswagen August Sales Up 2.9%Somehow

Volkswagen released its August sales numbers today, and somehow they are miraculously not down. They're up 2.9%, which in this automotive market is like finding a trillion dollar bill in your pocket. What accounts for the growth? The Jetta and the introduction of the Tiguan. For the past 15 years, this has been Volkswagen's single most important product (perhaps when the New Beetle debuted, it stole the limelight for a year or so), and the Jetta accounts for roughly 50% of Volkswagen's US sales. So with an increase of 1600 Jetta sedans versus August of 2007 and some 867 Jetta wagons sold (not available last year), VW has been able to offset falling numbers for pretty much everything else. The biggest news is the Rabbit, which is down 35.9%, as well as the Passat sedan, down 35.5% The introduction of the Tiguan also helped - maybe. While VW was able to move 1031 examples of the Golf-based cute ute, it's troubling in two ways. First, that's almost exactly the number of sales the Rabbit is down compared to last August, making this writer think cannibalism might be at work. Secondly, selling 1000 Tiguans a month puts it deep into niche territory; compare it to the Saturn Vue, selling 8000 units per month. Still, Volkswagen seems to be able to keep themselves consistent, even if their sales are a fraction of a big player's ... and their US/Canadian product lineup is like Europe's dumber, less attractive brother.

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Business Week: Oil Headed for $80 a Barrel

?Oil at $80 a barrel?? asks BusinessWeek.com. Surely that?s not possible. After all, the world?s running out of oil, isn?t it? China and India have pushed global demand to untenable levels. Wells in Russia, Mexico and Saudi Arabia are running dry. High fuel prices are here to stay! We must have alternative energy? Bring on the EVs stat? Need more hybrids? Must have wind energy now... Ahhhhh!!! Yet Joel Fingerman, a Chicago-based energy consultant, has the nerve to forecast, ?This is start of a fall to $80 crude by the end of the year, maybe as early as September.? And Oppenheimer senior energy analyst Fadel Gheit explains, ?Oil prices are dropping because they are inflated. You cannot sustain an artificial price forever.? Hrumph! So did ya trade in your favorite SUV for an itsy bitsy gas miser? That?s too bad. Stephen Schork, editor of a daily energy newsletter, says, ?A lot of the strength [in oil?s price] was hype and hot air.? Gee, where have I heard that before?

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http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/business-week-oil-to-be-80-a-barrel/

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Bailout Watch 22: Washington Post Columnist Votes
Aye

If you want a preview of how your elected representatives are going to approach the $50b Detroit bailout (a.k.a. “Retooling for Tools”), you could do worse than read this Washington Post diatribe by economist Steven Pearlstein. “The Road to a Bailout They Don’t Deserve” begins by giving The Big 2.8 a right royal pasting. “Even [...]

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http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/bailout-watch-22-washington-post-columnist-votes
-aye/

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