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| » May 10, 2007 |
New 2008 "Warriors In Pink" Mustang to
benefit Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation
The Ford Motor Company of Canada has announced the new 2008
Mustang with "Warriors In Pink" package, the first-ever
Ford vehicle designed exclusively in support of the Canadian
Breast Cancer Foundation. Only 200 units of the limited-edition
model will be available in Canada. Ford of Canada is embarking
on its eleventh year of support for the charity, and has
dedicated more than $10 million in cash and in-kind donations.
The limited-edition Mustangs are currently available for
pre-order and will be delivered in mid-summer, with $300
from each vehicle going to the Foundation. Available on V6
Premium Array coupe or convertible models, the package adds
a pink ribbon and Pony fender badge, pink Mustang rocker
tape striping, charcoal leather seats with pink stitching,
aluminum-spoke steering wheel with pink stitching, and charcoal
floor mats with pink ribbon and contrast stitching. The Warriors
In Pink package, which includes the Pony Package, will be
available in black, metallic silver and white.
GM announces
one millionth Duramax V8 diesel
General Motors has announced the production of its one
millionth Duramax V8 turbo diesel engine at the DMAX
plant in Moraine, Ohio. DMAX, a joint venture between
GM and Isuzu Motors Limited, was established as a diesel
engine company in 1998; the Duramax was introduced in
the U.S. for model-year 2001. "Our Duramax diesel
is one of the best in the industry," says John Buttermore,
vice president, GM Powertrain Global Manufacturing. "It's
the strongest and quietest diesel on the market, and
we continue to sell every single Duramax we can build." The
Duramax 6.6-litre V8 is available in Chevrolet Silverado
and GMC Sierra heavy-duty trucks, and in the full-size
Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vans.
Classic
cars and planes to be shown at Toronto's Wings & Wheels
Heritage Festival
Toronto's second annual Wings and Wheels Heritage Festival
is scheduled at the Toronto Aerospace Museum on May 26
and 27. The show will be held at Downsview Park from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival is patterned on grassroots
aviation fly-ins held at Downsview airport in the 1930s
and 1940s. This year's festival also celebrates the 60th
Anniversary of the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bush
plane, and includes vintage airplane and helicopter flights.
Other features include a full-scale replica of the Avro
Arrow, a Lockheed 10A that is Canada's oldest airworthy
airliner, a display of more than 100 classic cars, including
Triumphs, MGs, and military vehicles, and the opportunity
to drive a six-wheel Bison truck simulator. For more information
or discounted advance online tickets, visit TorontoAerospaceMuseum.com.
Toyota
posts $14B profit
Record '06 earnings are likely to widen carmaker's edge
over Big 3, analysts say. Toyota Motor Corp. raked in
$14 billion in profits last year, a record sum likely
to extend the Japanese giant's competitive edge over
Detroit's struggling automakers. Toyota also forecast
a small profit rise Wednesday for the fiscal year begun
on April 1, despite increasingly tough market conditions
that are battering the U.S. auto industry as it strives
to restructure itself. Toyota said last year's 20 percent
earnings rise reflected brisk sales of fuel-efficient
cars, cost reductions and the benefits of a weak yen
on its export business. “We believe our continuous
efforts have steadily contributed to our record net revenues,
operating income and net income," said Toyota President
Katsuaki Watanabe. Toyota's strong financial results
are likely to bolster its position in the industry, analysts
say, allowing it to pursue more research and take the
lead in new technologies faster than cash-strapped U.S.
rivals. Toyota earns much of its income in the United
States, where it has a younger work force and lower expenses
than U.S. automakers saddled with the legacy costs of
an old industry and aging work forces. In cost comparisons
with Japanese automakers, "the Americans are out
of whack by anywhere between $1,000 and $4,000 per car," Hossack
said. In 2006, U.S. sales of Toyota, Lexus and Scion
vehicles rose 12.5 percent while the overall market declined
slightly. In the first four months of this year, Toyota's
U.S. vehicle sales have climbed another 7 percent. Early
this year, Toyota overtook General Motors Corp. in sales
for the first time. Worldwide, the Japanese automaker
sold 2.35 million vehicles in the quarter of the year,
while GM sold 2.26 million.
GM sued over OnStar change
A disgruntled Cadillac owner, whose OnStar service will
go dead next year as a result of upgrades to General
Motors Corp.'s peace-of-mind roadside assistance feature,
filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against the automaker.
Robert Weaver of Virginia bought a new Cadillac El Dorado
in 2002 equipped with GM's OnStar. Weaver is among 1.5
million owners who will be affected when OnStar completes
its switch from an analog system to a more current digital
network. While newer GM vehicles are equipped with digital
receivers, many older models are not, meaning they will
lose OnStar when the analog service shuts down starting
next year. GM says about 500,000 vehicles have analog
systems that can't be upgraded and 1 million have digital-capable
systems. In the lawsuit, Weaver charges that GM knew
it was switching to an all-digital network but continued
to sell analog-only systems and failed to inform customers
they were to be phased out. He calls for GM to reimburse
all affected customers the $199 cost of the OnStar system
along with subscription fees. The suit also seeks to
block GM from shutting off service or from charging customers
the $15 cost of an upgrade. GM, in a statement, said
switching to digital was the only way it could maintain
comprehensive coverage in the United States and Canada
as cell phone companies cancel their analog service.
Nearly 90 percent of OnStar subscribers have vehicles
that either have the digital system or can be upgraded,
according to GM. For those who don't, GM will provide
a year of free OnStar service on any new vehicle leased
or purchased by the end of the year. The company said
it has sent letters advising affected customers of their
options. In addition, by charging only $15 for the upgrades,
GM is covering most the cost, said Bill Ball, OnStar
vice president of public policy. "It's a very frustrating
situation for subscribers and for us," he said. "The
engineers have done their best to try and provide a solution
for as many folks as we're capable of doing."
How
to Get Price of a Car Up to $1 Million
Bentley Motors Inc. hand-builds and customizes its ultra-luxury
cars to buyer specifications that sometimes are incredibly
exacting, says Stuart McCullough, a Bentley board member.
He tells Ward's about one special request that brought
smiles to a lot of British stiff upper lips at the auto
company” The guy was buying an Arnage and said
he wanted the interior trimmed in oak. We said, ‘Fine,
we can do that.’ He said, ‘Not just any oak,
but oak from my forest.’” So we went out
there, cut the wood, cured it for 18 months and then
ultimately used it in his car. “Bentley customers
place all sorts of special orders — from inlaid
gold to embossed family crests. The finished product
can end up costing $1 million. At the New York auto show,
Bentley unveiled the Brooklands, billed as “the
world's most exclusive coupe.” Over the next three
years, Bentley will build just 550 of them at its U.K.
factory. It will feature Bentley's most powerful V-8
engine ever. McCullough calls the car “a rakish,
4-seat grand touring coupe with a British look,” even
though its chief designer is a Belgian, Dirk van Braeckel.
With all that buyer customizing, it's possible all 550
Brooklands will be unique. “We have three criteria
when it comes to custom orders,” McCullough says. “It
has to be within the realistic realm of imagination.
It has to be legal. And you have to be able to pay for
it.” An announcement is pending on the Brooklands'
base price, but McCullough says it will cost about the
same as the Bentley Azure, which starts at $329,990.In
2003, Bentley sold 995 cars. Last year, under Volkswagen
AG ownership and with an expanded 6-car lineup, Bentley
sold 9,200 units. It won't make more than 10,000 vehicles
a year, says David Reuter, Bentley's public relations
manager. He cites capacity constraints and a desire to
maintain brand mystique. Still, “to increase sales
10-fold in four years is phenomenal,” Reuter says.
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