Kudos: 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe Is Playboy's Car of the Year
NEW YORK — The 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe, with a 330-horsepower inline-6 and a six-speed, is Playboy magazine's 2007 Hottest Car of the Year. The lineup of top automotive picks by the magazine will be featured in the January issue. Other winners include the Volkswagen Eos, which earned honors as the "best two-way player" for its folding metal top that opens and closes at the touch of a button. The Porsche 911 Turbo, with a 0-60-mph time of 3.7 seconds, was named "best sports coupe," and the redesigned Cadillac Escalade, with a 403-hp 6.2-liter V8, scored as "best SUV." The Ford Shelby GT500 was named "best bang for your buck" and the Toyota Tundra was picked as "best pickup." The team of automotive writers at Playboy also selected the Saturn Sky Red Line as the "best roadster." What this means to you: An interesting list from an interesting source.
GM and So-Cal Speed Shop Team to Run 800-hp HHR at Bonneville
POMONA, Calif. — General Motors has teamed with So-Cal Speed Shop to develop a streamlined, high-performance version of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The car will be one weapon in the GM Performance Division's four-vehicle attack on the Bonneville Salt Flats. GM also is fielding a custom-built Ecotec Lakester and two different variations of the Chevrolet Cobalt at the 57th Annual Bonneville Speed Week, which runs from August 13-19. The HHR was chopped 7 inches, modified and painted at So-Cal Speed Shop. So-Cal president Pete Chapouris said the HHR's tailgate was modified to house twin parachutes. The roof contains a NASCAR-style rear flap and side rails to prevent the car from becoming airborne and to help slow it down should it spin. A funny car-style exit flap is built into the roof as an added safety feature.
G. Chambers Williams III: More Hyundai value
That pretty much sums up the redesigned 2007 Hyundai Elantra, whose top-of-the-line Limited model with all available options lists for $19,910, including $600 freight.
Included in that price are a leather interior, super 220-watt audio system, automatic transmission, tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel, power heated mirrors, air-conditioning, and both seat-mounted and side-curtain air bags.
A few of the Elantra's features are not even offered on some of its supposed direct competitors, which include the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Chevrolet Cobalt.
Hyundai continues to amaze the automotive world with the value it offers in its vehicles, most of which have more standard content and available options than their competitors for hundreds to thousands of dollars less.
Murder charge filed in shots fired from one car to another
A 24-year-old St. Paul man was charged with second-degree murder Thursday in an early-morning gunfight between people in two cars in northeast Minneapolis.Taporius Paige, 24, had been suspected almost from the start of being the man who leaned out the front passenger window and fired the shots that killed Jason L. Hatcher, 24, of Minneapolis, and wounded two others, charges say.Police have said that the shooting Nov. 17 appeared to be gang-related.Survivors of the shooting said they were riding in a Chevrolet Cobalt in the 2800 block of NE. Marshall Street about 2:30 a.m. when a Cadillac pulled alongside and a man began firing. Hatcher, seated in the back of the Cobalt, was struck in the head, and pronounced dead about a half-hour later.The driver of the Cobalt, who was wounded, reportedly fired at the Cadillac and then drove to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he dropped off Hatcher and a passenger who had been shot in the eye, the complaint said.The driver parked the car in a nearby church parking lot and hid two guns, he told police after being treated.
Chevy aims to revive slowed Cobalt sales
Chevrolet is hoping Cobalt sales will rebound with the removal of two obstacles that had been hampering dealers, officials said.
After facing low inventories and no incentives for months, dealers now say they have the cars and the rebates they need.
Monthly sales have been running below last year's pace for three consecutive months. Sales the past two months have been at levels not seen since early 2005, when the car was still in the early stages of its launch at General Motors' Lordstown complex.
Brian Brown, marketing manager for the Cobalt, traced most of the sales problems to the elimination of the plant's midnight shift in July.
Production dropped as the plant worked through the changes, so dealers didn't have enough cars, he said.
Wilson and Brannon to Race Blackforest FR500C Mustang in the 2007 ...
Mount Juliet, TN (December 22, 2006) - Blackforest and Stan Wilson's Wilson Racing have joined forces to place Stan Wilson and Chris Brannon in a Blackforest Ford Mustang GT GS-class race car in the 2007 Grand American Koni Challenge Sports Car Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The FR500C Mustang will carry primary sponsorship from Blackforest. Additional sponsorship will be provided by TRM Classic and Collectible Automobiles, NetEvidence, Inc., Wilson Racing, Inc., and other associated sponsors to be named after the January testing event at Daytona. Wilson and Brannon will take to the track for the first time in the FR500C Mustang at Daytona International Speedway on January 4 as part of the pre-season Koni Challenge series testing.
"The GS class is a very competitive group of cars and drivers, Chris and I are very excited to be in our first Grand-American race together as teammates, and we want to thank Blackforest for placing us on the team for the 2007 season opener at Daytona," said Wilson.
Kent grad shapes GM image
A Youngstown native and Kent State University graduate is directing the marketing for General Motors as it fights an increasingly competitive battle in North America.
Mike Jackson, a 1978 Kent graduate, was named vice president of marketing and advertising for GM North America last March.
Jackson, 50, has worked for GM since 2000 after spending 20 years in sales and marketing positions for beverage companies. He said he jumped at the chance when a recruiter asked him in 2000 if he was interested in working in the auto industry.
``You're really working in the big leagues when you're working for GM,'' he said.
Jackson said he was excited by the opportunity to work in such a competitive industry and one that was important to the country as well as people individually.
All-New 2007 Dodge Nitro Features Gentex Auto-Dimming Mirror
ZEELAND, Mich., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gentex Corporation, the leading supplier of automatic-dimming rearview mirrors to the worldwide automotive industry, has announced that it is supplying auto-dimming mirrors for the all-new 2007 Dodge Nitro mid-size SUV.
A base interior Gentex mirror is standard on the Nitro SLT and R/T trim levels. The mirror can be upgraded to include U-Connect(TM), Chrysler Group's hands-free communication system.
Gentex auto-dimming mirrors automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear. The brighter the glare, the darker the mirrors become, making nighttime driving safer.
"Midsize SUVs and crossover vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, and that's what makes this an important program for us," said Enoch Jen, Gentex senior vice president and chief financial officer.
Dodge Dakota
2005 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab (4 Doors) White, fuel efficient 3.7 L Magnum V-6 engine, Automatic transmission, 17 OEM Dodge chrome wheels with nearly new tires, cruise control, tilt wheel, Air conditioning, Power door locks w/remote, CD/AM/FM, factory warranty, gray interior, cloth seats, captains chairs, premium husky floor mats, bed liner/mat and new premium Leer 100XQ canopy. Leer canopy is the model 100XQ, which is top of the line, and provides a sporty, clean look over any other canopy with a secure, single handle door handle. Windows vent out instead of unsightly sliding windows. Canopy info at: http://www.leer.com/caps.html. Wheels are top of the line, 17 inch Dodge chrome alloy wheels with Dakota insignia. Brand new tires installed within the past 3 months, including all warranty paperwork.
BMW develops innovative neck brace safety system
After thorough research and testing, BMW Motorrad, one of the world's leading motorcycle manufacturers in the area of innovative safety systems, will introduce the Neck Brace System at the beginning of the 2007 motorcycle season.
Helmet and body protectors are acknowledged these days as essential features in motorcycling and many other sports.
But the sensitive neck area has remained largely unprotected so far. Although accident-induced injuries on this part of the body are relatively rare in statistical terms, as opposed to other types of injury, neck injuries, when they do occur, constitute a far greater risk for the rider.
So to close this safety gap, BMW Motorrad is now offering the Neck Brace System as a safety concept endorsed and acknowledged by renowned researchers.
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