Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year Ford Edge

Okay, we have to admit that when we first heard of this award, we chuckled a bit to ourselves. Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year, really? No one ever really thinks about the safety of their pets when choosing their vehicle except for maybe Bark Buckle UP’s founder Pet Safety Lady, Christina Selter.

"Most people don’t think about it, but in only a 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet it becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. This will injure the pet, passengers, driver or the pet may escape the vehicle and cause a second accident or become agitated and bite the first responder that is on scene doing their job," stated Selter.

With this in mind, Selter announced this year’s Pet Safe Vehicle of the Year, the Ford Edge. The award was accepted by Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager.

"We look ahead with excitement this summer to the arrival of the new 2011 Edge, which adds even more revolutionary technology and class-leading performance. And with a suite of safety features, flexible seating and nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets," said Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager.

We still think it is a little silly, but, hey, if it is grand enough to be done at the 2010 New York Auto Show then it has our attention and little Fido’s attention too.

Press Release

Bark Buckle UP – the recognized leader and experts for pet travel safety – awarded the Pet Safe Choice Vehicle Awards "TOP DOG" today at the 2010 New York International Auto Show. This year, Bark Buckle UP’s founder Pet Safety Lady Christina Selter and her furry friends awarded "TOP DOG" Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice and announced the Pet Safe Hotel, Retailer, and Airline of choice. During the presentation, Greg Kleva, host of Martha Stewart radio show "It’s a Dogs Life," the Pet Safety Lady, and furry friends wearing the Doggie Seat Belt hopped in and out of cars and stole the show with their animal antics and demonstrations of dog and car travel safety.

This year’s Pet Safe winners included the Ford Edge (Vehicle of the Year), BassPro Shops (Retailer of the Year), Sheraton Hotels (Hotel of the Year) and Southwest Airlines (Airline of the Year).

"Most people don’t think about it, but in only a 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet it becomes a 2,700-pound projectile. This will injure the pet, passengers, driver or the pet may escape the vehicle and cause a second accident or become agitated and bite the first responder that is on scene doing their job," stated Selter.

The registered vehicles are evaluated on a variety of pet-related aspects, including how easily the vehicle accommodates animals and kennels of various sizes, ease of access to pet from within the vehicle, ease of pet entry and exit, ventilation for animals in the rear, as well as whether the vehicle has pet-friendly surfaces, adaptability for third party pet travel or safety gear. Ford received four out of the top ten honors for 2010 Pet Safe Vehicles of Choice List, including the Ford Transit Connect, Edge and Flex and the Lincoln MKT.

"With more than 340,000 vehicles sold since it was originally launched in late 2006, the Ford Edge has been meeting the needs of customers who demand style, technology, performance and capability in a compelling package," said Brett Burin, Ford Edge Marketing Manager. "We look ahead with excitement this summer to the arrival of the new 2011 Edge, which adds even more revolutionary technology and class-leading performance. And with a suite of safety features, flexible seating and nearly 70 cubic feet of cargo space, the Ford Edge is perfect for those traveling with pets."

Doggie Seat Belt is the newest As Seen On TV product to offer real solutions to problems without breaking the bank. "When the weather is nice, you see dog heads hanging out the window all of the time," said Anand "Andy" Khubani, President and CEO of Ideavillage Products Corp. and distributor of the Doggie Seat Belt. "Since we all love our pets and enjoy taking them with us, Doggie Seat Belt was designed to be as easy and convenient as possible to buckle up our pets when they are in the car. This should help to decrease the chance of injury to a dog or passenger in the event of an accident."

The 2010 Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice TOP DOG Ford Edge award was accepted by Burin.

2010 Pet Safe Retailer, Hotel and Airline

 BassPro Shops
 Sheraton Hotels
 Southwest Airlines

Statistics

 35 mph accident with a 60-pound pet unrestrained becomes a 2,700-pound projectile
 98% of dogs do not travel properly restrained in a moving vehicle
 Driver distraction causes more accidents than any other issue
 82% of pets travel on vacation with their owners
 Pet friendly lodging has increased 300% since 2005
 Over 70 million homes in America have a pet

World Car of the Year Volkswagen Polo

The 2010 World Car Awards closed today at the 2010 New York Auto Show. Taking home the prestigious award for 2010 World Car of the Year was the Volkswagen Polo beating out the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Toyota Prius. Volkswagen took the majority vote of the 59 World Car jurors after they test drove the 30 entries from July 2009-January 2010. Walter de Silva, head of design Volkswagen Group, attributes this success to the Polo’s “uncomplicated, unique and timeless design plus its high efficiency”. This is Volkswagen’s second triumph in this category with the success of the Volkswagen Golf as last year’s World Car of the Year.

"We’re honored that the Volkswagen Polo was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. "After the great triumph of the Golf last year, we are delighted to repeat this success with the new Polo. These automobiles have reaped numerous awards, winning well-nigh every prize the automotive industry has to award. This shows Volkswagen is on the right track and is offering arguably the best range of products in its history."

Follow the jump to see the nominees and winners in the other categories of the 2010 World Car Awards.

World Car Design of the Year

 Chevrolet Camaro WINNER
 Citroën C3 Picasso
 Kia Soul

World Performance Car

 Audi R8 V10 WINNER
 Ferrari California
 Porsche 911 GT3

World Green Car

 Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) WINNER
 Honda Insight
 Toyota Prius

Press Release

At the New York International Auto Show in Manhattan today the Volkswagen Polo has been declared the 2010 World Car of the Year. Merit, value, safety, environment, significance and emotional appeal are the criterias for the World Car of the Year. Already in 2009, a Volkswagen model ranked the highest: the Golf. This year the top three contenders for World Car of the Year title were, in alphabetical order, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Polo.

"We’re honored that the Volkswagen Polo was chosen by this distinguished group of jurors," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG. "After the great triumph of the Golf last year, we are delighted to repeat this success with the new Polo. These automobiles have reaped numerous awards, winning well-nigh every prize the automotive industry has to award. This shows Volkswagen is on the right track and is offering arguably the best range of products in its history."

The award was received in New York City on thursday morning by Walter de Silva, head of design Volkswagen Group. „The new Volkswagen Polo generation fascinates both ways - by its uncomplicated, unique and timeless design plus its high efficiency. Already more than 230,000 customers worldwide placed their orders."

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world’s most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind. The majority of the 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries throughout the world chose the Polo from 30 entries. Each juror drives and evaluates new vehicles on a regular basis as part of their on-going full-time professional work. Through their respective outlets they collectively reach an audience of many millions worldwide.

Automotive Ad of the Year Kia Soul

We are sure we are not the only ones that resort to channel surfing when our favorite TV show becomes the victim of yet another commercial break, but we are also sure that no one was dumb enough to change the channel when the Kia Soul commercial came on the big screen. The commercial opens up in a quiet neighborhood featuring hammers commuting in their ever-revolving hamster wheels. As the run-of-the-mill hamsters truck along aimlessly on their circles of death, a bright red Kia Soul thumping to music by Marz featuring Pack and Mumiez comes rolling along. Inside, the hip, music-loving rodents are bobbing their heads and tapping their paws expressing just how cool they really are. With a quick, cool guy...umm cool hamster nod, the Soul rolls on its way to wherever the young, trendy hamsters are hanging out these days illustrating their “new way to roll”.

It is because of this hilarious commercial that Kia has won the “Automotive Ad of the Year” award from the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event at the 2010 New York Auto Show. This is their fourth year doling at such awards and the winners are chosen by a panel of TV viewers who watch the programs and commercials in a non-controlled, natural environment and then answer survey questions about what they have seen.

"Truly effective advertising starts with a great creative idea," said Nielsen Automotive President Lois Miller. "When you combine that idea with a memorable and unique hook that grabs viewers’ attention, you are going to get the results that we saw from Kia this year."

Cadillac CTS – ‘Kate Walsh’

Chevrolet Silverado – ‘Howie Long Truckers Truck’

Press Release

Already a recipient of numerous accolades including a "2010 Automotive Excellence Award" from Popular Mechanics and being recognized as the "Best Hatchback of 2010" by Cars.com, the new 2010 Kia Soul was honored yet again today at the Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards event in conjunction with the New York International Auto Show when the TV commercial for the uniquely styled urban passenger vehicle was named "Automotive Ad of the Year."

Created by David&Goliath, the Soul spot depicts city and suburban streets inhabited exclusively by hamsters who are mindlessly running in place inside their exercise wheels until a molten red Kia Soul pulls up to a stoplight and the passenger window rolls down to reveal a trio of paw-tapping, music-loving hamsters who have discovered "A New Way to Roll."

Portraying Soul as a lounge on wheels with its highly specified audio system that includes speaker lights that pulse to the beat of the music, the hamsters bob their heads to four different music tracks that appear in slightly different versions of the spot to keep each viewing fresh. Viewers with a sharp eye can identify song and artist information on the hamsters’ iPod screen, and the campaign extended online with each track available for download at www.kiasoul.com.

"The Soul was designed to stand out in a sea of sameness and that same philosophy guided the creative development of the hamster campaign and to position Soul as Kia’s affordable halo vehicle," said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing, Kia Motors America. "Soul was the first vehicle to emerge from Kia’s design-led transformation, and the hamsters quickly became a viral success and grabbed the attention of young and young-at-heart buyers looking for something with a unique personality and turned Soul into an overnight sales success story for the brand."

The Nielsen Automotive Advertising Awards are based on results from Nielsen IAG’s National Ad Effectiveness Study which employs an online panel of TV viewers who have watched programs within a natural viewing environment (as opposed to a clinical research environment) in the past 24 hours. Panelists answer survey questions about the programs they watched and the commercials they were exposed to. Finalists for the 2010 IAG Automotive Advertising Awards are determined based on ad performance results from commercials which were launched in calendar year 2009.

"Truly effective advertising starts with a great creative idea," said Nielsen Automotive President Lois Miller. "When you combine that idea with a memorable and unique hook that grabs viewers’ attention, you are going to get the results that we saw from Kia this year."

Soul offers an immense amount of style and value on top of an extensive list of standard safety features sure to appeal to all consumers looking for a well-equipped vehicle suited to their personalities, including front seat active headrests, dual front advanced airbags, front seat-mounted and full-length side curtain airbags, an Antilock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist System (BAS) and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Front and rear crumple zones, side-impact door beams, an impact-absorbing steering column and Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) system also come standard.

Available in four trims, Soul, Soul+, Soul! (exclaim) and Soul sport, the five-door hatchback offers an attractive starting price below $14,000(1) as well as unique and utilitarian style. Designed with the young and young-at-heart in mind, Soul presents an immense amount of style, value and function with a relatively small footprint and surprisingly spacious interior. Passengers will find comfort Soul’s roomy cabin, usefulness from Soul’s efficient cargo carrier with 14 storage zones and will benefit from numerous standard convenience features, including an AM/FM/CD/MP3 audio system outfitted with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio capabilities (including a three month complimentary subscription)(2), and USB and auxiliary input jacks in the center console with full iPod®(3) and MP3 controllability via the audio head unit and steering wheel controls (achieved with an optional Kia accessory cable).

KMA has released three special edition Souls — Denim, Ignition and Shadow Dragon — based on the Soul+ trim, including Denim Soul, Ignition Soul and most recently Shadow Dragon Soul. Offering consumers even more ways to personalize the Soul, each special edition comes with its own unique exterior color and packaging.

Ford and Microsoft Hohm team up Microsoft Hohm energy management

Ford and Microsoft have teamed up to help sustain our global economy by implementing the Microsoft Hohm energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. This application will help EV owners determine when and how to recharge their vehicle’s battery. This is definitely a superior plan brought to us from the minds of two superior companies who have tested this application in response to an Accenture survey informing them that 42% of consumers say they will probably buy a hybrid in the next two years. Such a dramatic change in our energy usage will have a phenomenal impact making this energy management application a must for all who drive environmentally-friendly vehicles. Our only question would be how something like this would work. Nothing has been said about the inner workings of such an application so we can only assume that Microsoft knows what they are doing which, quite frankly, it’s obvious they do.

"Ford and Microsoft both share a strong commitment to contributing to a better world. Today, we begin the next major step in our working together and leading the way for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability," said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. "For Ford, this is a needed step in the development of the infrastructure that will make electric vehicles viable."

It’s no surprise that Ford is one of the first automakers to announce the use of Hohm considering they are the largest domestic hybrid seller in the US with four hybrids out currently (Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid) and plans for five new electric vehicles in North America and Europe in the next three years including the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid due to arrive later this year.

Press Release

Today, Ford Motor Company and Microsoft Corp. are leading the way toward a more energy-efficient future by announcing a new solution that will make electric vehicle ownership easier and more affordable for consumers.

The two companies are teaming up to implement the Microsoft Hohm energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. Ford is the first automaker announcing the use of Hohm, starting with the Focus Electric next year. Hohm will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the electric grid.

"Ford and Microsoft both share a strong commitment to contributing to a better world. Today, we begin the next major step in our working together and leading the way for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability," said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. "For Ford, this is a needed step in the development of the infrastructure that will make electric vehicles viable."

Both companies agree that effective management of the energy ecosystem is critical for electric vehicles to be successful and for consumer interest to grow. In a recent Accenture survey, 42 percent of consumers said they are likely to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle in the next two years. Increasing numbers of electric vehicles, however, will have a significant impact on energy demand. That is because the addition of an electric vehicle to a household could effectively double home energy consumption while the vehicle is charging.

Ford and Microsoft agree that making energy management easy and affordable for consumers will be key to the success of electric vehicles in the marketplace as well as in creating a positive environmental impact. "Electric vehicles will play an important role in the global effort to improve energy efficiency and address the issues of climate change and sustainability," said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "But as the market for electric vehicles expands, it will have a significant impact on home energy consumption and demand across the nation’s energy grid. With Microsoft Hohm, Ford and Microsoft will deliver a solution that will make it easier for car owners to make smart decisions about the most affordable and efficient ways to recharge electric vehicles, while giving utilities better tools for managing the expected changes in energy demand."

Introducing Hohm to Ford’s electric vehicles supports Ford’s aggressive global electrification plan, which will put five new electrified vehicles on the road in North America and Europe by 2013. In North America, they include the Transit Connect Electric later this year, Focus Electric in 2011, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and two next-generation hybrids in 2012.

America’s largest domestic hybrid seller, Ford Motor Company today has four hybrids on the road and another coming this year. They include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Also coming this fall is the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, which is expected to be the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America.

Life with electrified vehicles – with full battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles needing to be recharged daily – will require consumers to change how they think about personal transportation and energy use.

Hohm, an Internet-based service, is designed to help customers avoid unnecessary expense by providing insight into their energy usage patterns and suggesting recommendations to increase conservation. With Ford electric vehicles, Hohm also will help drivers to determine the best time to charge their vehicle. Smart recharging habits will help utility companies understand and better manage the increased demands placed upon the electric grid because of electrified vehicles.

Ford and Microsoft’s participation in the Hohm program builds on the success of their decade-long partnership to provide customers with superior in-car experiences. The Ford SYNC communications and infotainment system, built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, has been installed on more than 2 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles since its launch in 2007, helping drivers connect and voice-control their mobile devices while driving. Microsoft Hohm is available today for free to all U.S. residential energy consumers and has multiple partnerships with utilities and other stakeholders already in place. Ford is the first automaker to join in collaboration with Hohm.

Ford and Microsoft also plan to continue to work with utility partners and municipalities to help further develop the energy ecosystem. Ford’s work includes collaboration with a dozen North American energy companies to road-test a fleet of 21 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid vehicles. The research has accumulated more than 160,000 miles of real-world data, which provided important groundwork for the new Hohm application.

"Rechargeable vehicles represent a new frontier. Their commercialization will take broad-based collaboration and systems solutions," said Mulally. "Working together, Ford and Microsoft will provide the systems solutions to help facilitate this exciting future."

Geneva Motor Show: 2010 Toyota RAV-4

Making its European debut at this week's Geneva Motor Show is the facelifted RAV4, or as Toyota prefers to call the latest version of its compact SUV, the "RAV-4 2010" which boasts a new front-end treatment, a refined interior and some minor engineering tweaks that reduce CO2 emissions.

The exterior updates are concentrated up front and include a newly designed bonnet, a wider grille with horizontal bars and chrome accents, new headlights, with projector-type low beam lamps and a reshaped bumper. These changes bring the RV-4 in line with the Toyota's latest models such as the Avensis, Verso and Auris.

Inside, the most significant change on the RAV4 2010 concerns the availability of new leather/Alcantara seat upholstery.

In Europe, the RAV-4 2010 is offered with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 158HP and a 2.2-liter D-4D available with 150HP or 180HP.

Mazda Licenses Prius Hybrid Technology from Toyota

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them... Not wanting to be left out of the modern craze for all things hybrid, Mazda reached an agreement with Toyota to license the (hybrid) technology used in the Toyota Prius.

The deal, announced on Monday, will allow Mazda to use the key components of the hybrid system found in the top-selling Prius on its own series of models.

The Japanese automaker said that it plans to combine the hybrid system with its next-generation SKY engine(s) that is currently under development, and manufacture a hybrid vehicle in Japan with sales set to commence by 2013.

In the joint statement, Toyota said that it will consider requests from other companies to supply hybrid technology.

New 2011 Toyota Sienna Minivan

Not many folks would argue that the unveiling of a new minivan is "sexy," but then, when it comes to auto sales, sex isn't always what sells.

Indeed, Toyota's Sienna minivan has quietly soldiered on these past few years as one of the better minivans on the market, and one of the key models in Toyota's fleet. For 2011, the workhorse gets a fresh look and a new engine.

When it goes on sale in February of next year, the 2011 Toyota Sienna will be available in five different trim levels. Whether in base, LE, SE, XLE, and Limited trim, the Sienna will offer a 6-speed automatic transmission. Base and LE models will come standard with a 2.7-liter 4-cylinder that makes 187 horsepower. A 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 266 horsepower is optional on those models and standard on the others. All-wheel drive is available on LE V-6 models and XLE and Limited models. For buyers who prefer their minivans with a sporting bent, the SE model is aimed at them. SEs have 19-inch wheels, a sport suspension, and unique trim.

Sienna will seat either seven or eight passengers, and the third-row seat will fold flat into the floor. Other family-friendly features will include a dual-screen DVD system and a camera system that will allow drivers to get a full view of all sides of the vehicle.

Styling changes are mostly subtle, with the most obvious change being the grille, which borrows its look from the company's Venza crossover.  As noted above, minivans aren't known for exciting styling, and the Sienna continues the tradition of subtlety.

Toyota Lexus Kick Gas in 2010

Imagine a gas sipping hybrid that is actually fun to drive, comfortable and yes, luxurious.  Pretty incredible, eh?  Now imagine two of them!  Toyota, and its luxury division, Lexus, have teamed up to provide two of the most satisfyingly drivable hybrids on the market.

The first the Toyota Prius --  has been around a while and has defined the hybrid in the minds of most consumers.  When it first came out,  Hollywood superstars traded in their Ferraris and Bentleys for a little Prius in a pious sacrifice on the altar of environmental correctness.  Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow and Leonard Di Caprio have all been spotted driving their Prius cars in Hollywood, Westwood, Santa Monica and Malibu.

The original Prius was cramped and underpowered.  Not so for 2010.  It is larger, roomier and frankly a pleasure to drive.  This reviewer once drove from Atlanta to Ft. Stewart with CNNs Clark Howard, the consumer expert, in his 2005 Prius.  Clark is way over six feet tall and I am just six.  In our army boots and with all our gear, we felt like sardines in a can.  Not so today.  The completely redesigned interior offers surprising head, hip and shoulder room for front and rear passengers alike.  The Hybrid Synergy Drive is Toyotas exclusive design that makes the electric and gas power plants work together efficiently and with real oomph for such diminutive sources.  154 foot-pounds of torque never felt so hunky.  Fully equipped, the Prius has all the stuff luxury car buyers demand.  Like premium sound, navigation, satellite radio, backup camera (especially useful given the limited rear visibility) and automatic dual control climate system.

Hey it even looks rather attractive.  Unlike the Prius of yore, it resembles a real car.  With big, wide 17 inch alloy wheels.  No longer do you feel compelled to put on your Birkenstocks or Earth Shoes to drive it.

Starting at around $22,000 the Prius is an exceptional value.  And at 50 mpg, youre saving a whole lot more.

In a lunch conversation with a Toyota spokesperson the other day, I was told what the difference was between the Prius and the new 2010 Lexus 250h.  Its simple, he explained, The Prius is a hybrid that happens to be luxurious, and the Lexus is a luxury car that just happens to be a hybrid.

 

A walk around the 250h reveals an attractive, substantial, almost beefy-looking  sedan, in sharp contrast to most econo-hybrids.  Large 18 inch alloys put a lot of rubber on the four corners.  It looks like a Lexus and only a discrete chrome h on the rear, gives away the fact it is a hybrid.  Merging onto GA400 heading North toward Roswell, I was astounded at the power.  

Rather than just glue Lexus badges on a Prius or Camry Hybrid, Lexus based the HS 250h sedan on a specialized platform not utilized by any other Toyota or Lexus hybrid. In terms of size, it's bigger than a Corolla but smaller than a Camry. As for the driving experience, though, it's all Lexus, with refined performance, a smooth and quiet ride and an impeccably trimmed cabin chock-full of the latest (but easily operated) high-tech features.  The center console is impressive it looks like something out of the space shuttle but without a manual (they hadnt printed one yet when I got a hold of the car) I was able to figure out just about everything it was that intuitive.

The HS 250h borrows its power train from the Camry Hybrid, which is both bigger and more powerful than that used in the Prius. This allows it to post a 0-60-mph time of 8.7 seconds -- fairly quick for a hybrid vehicle. As for fuel economy, the HS 250h has an EPA fuel economy estimate of 35 mpg in combined driving. This is significantly less than the Prius' combined rating of 50 mpg, but it's still the highest of any luxury-branded hybrid vehicle.

The 250h actually turned heads in the valet lane and the carpool turnaround. Most were surprised to learn it was a hybrid.  Backseat passengers reported that there was much more room than expected for what might be called a luxury compact.  Starting at $34,000, and smartly equipped at $40,000, the Lexus 250h is a luxury car that a corporate executives most critical stockholders would approve of.

Toyota Pulls General Motors

 

Consider this: Over the past decade Toyota has gone against longstanding traditional mores governing parent company/parts supplier relationships by putting the screws to their suppliers even in the best of times in order to milk the most profit out of each part. In addition to abusing their suppliers, Toyota has put international growth above all else (even by their own admission). After the first indications that this growth strategy was taking its toll on vehicle reliability (sludging problems and other issues in the early 2000s), they responded not by becoming more proactive about emphasizing reliability, but instead spent tens of millions lobbying to either kill or postpone new safety regulations and limit the scope of their mandatory recalls.

When their efforts to skirt around other costly recalls finally began to catch up to them, they relented and issued a massive recall that still omitted some of the cars the NHTSA has received complaints about (i.e., the pre-2007 Camry). This recall was quickly "resolved" with a fix that not everyone is certain even solved the main problem in the first place. In response to the sales numbers lagging from the recall, Toyota then created incentives the likes of which they have never before imagined, which will certainly lead to a further devaluation of the other Toyotas on the road and the erosion of one of their biggest selling-points, resale value.

It doesn't take a historian to see the General Motors-esque pattern developing here: Profit Above All Else -> Short Term Thinking -> Negative Results from Short Term Thinking (unreliability) -> More Short Term Thinking (lobbying to avoid repair costs rather than simply recalling the product and fixing future models) -> More Negative Results (increasing numbers of complaints and/or deaths) -> More Short Term Thinking (hastily executed recall that may not have even solved the problem entirely) -> Product Devaluation -> More Short Thinking (incentives) -> Further Product Devaluation.

Heck, GM got it down to a science in the 1970s and ‘80s, right before they were forced to pay the price. One has to wonder how long Toyota will play the old-school GM game, and what kind of impact this will have on them in the long term. As anyone familiar with the history of the domestic auto manufacturers knows, you can only mortgage against public goodwill and favorable opinions about your company for so long before your company's reputation is upside down and your credit is damaged irrevocably.

2010 New York Auto Show: New Car 2011 Scion iQ

 

 

Toyota has finally confirmed the launch of its diminutive iQ minicar for the U.S. market with the unveiling today of the 2011 Scion iQ at 2010 New York Auto Show. Aimed at a new trendsetting generation of urban drivers, the types of customers Scion is known for, the new U.S.-spec iQ will be very well-equipped when it goes on sale later this year.

Already on sale in Europe and Japan, the iQ measures less than 10 feet in length, yet it can comfortably seat three adults plus one small child, and officials are confident it will score top marks in independent and government crash testing. Active safety features include Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and Traction Control (TRAC).

The 2011 Scion iQ will also come standard with 10 SRS airbags, including the world's first rear-window curtain airbag. Other airbags include driver- and front-passenger airbags, driver- and front-passenger seat-mounted side airbags, side curtain airbags, driver- and front-passenger knee airbags, and a Scion-first driver seat-cushion airbag.

With a 78.7 inch wheelbase and a unique suspension design--consisting of MacPherson struts up front, and a torsion beam rear suspension--the three-door hatchback can deftly maneuver through city traffic. In addition, its overall length of only 120.1 inches, width of 66.1 inches, and short front and rear overhangs make parking a breeze.

Power will come from a 1.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with a reasonable 90 horsepower on tap, and this will be matched with a continuously variable transmission. Thanks to its small stature and variable valve timing technology, expect combined fuel economy levels around the 30 mpg mark.

Standard goodies will include a six-speaker stereo USB and auxiliary ports and steering-wheel-mounted controls.

Final release dates are pricing are yet to be revealed.