GM Appoints Jon Lauckner Chief Technology Officer

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:43:51 +0000

DETROIT – General Motors has named Jon Lauckner vice president and chief technology officer (CTO), effective April 1. In addition to his current position as president of GM Ventures, Lauckner will be responsible for GM’s Research and Development activity.

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GM Appoints Jon Lauckner Chief Technology Officer

Jeep® Brand at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:10:24 +0000

This year, at the 82nd edition of the Geneva Motor Show, the Jeep

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Jeep® Brand at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show

SRT Motorsports – Dodge NSCS Race Advance – Daytona 500

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:42:13 +0000

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SRT Motorsports – Dodge NSCS Race Advance – Daytona 500

Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood ad named top Super Bowl car commercial [w/video]

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:14:59 +0000

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising , Chrysler , Celebrities It’s been seen by millions of viewers on television and the internet, it’s been run through the political wringer on both sides of the aisle and it’s been parodied by the comedians at Saturday Night Live . And, according to YouTube, Chrysler’s “It’s Halftime in America” ad staring Clint Eastwood has been named the top Super Bowl car commercial of 2012. For those keeping track of such things, Chrysler’s commercial has over 10.5 million views on YouTube, though we do feel the need to remind everyone that the video was unavailable for a few hours the morning after the Big Game , which we’d imagine is one of the highest traffic times for such advertisements. The only other commercial from an automotive company that made YouTube’s top five Super Bowl commercials was “2012″ from General Motors – itself controversial due to Ford’s attempted cease-and-desist request before it aired on the worldwide stage. The number one ad, you ask? That would be M&M’s “Just My Shell” commercial. Guess there really is no accounting for taste… we prefer our M&Ms to be green, just like everyone else. Feel free to watch Chrysler’s winning ad one more time after the break . Continue reading Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood ad named top Super Bowl car commercial [w/video] Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood ad named top Super Bowl car commercial [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Chrysler’s Clint Eastwood ad named top Super Bowl car commercial [w/video]

Toyota Belgium offering adventurous location-based RAV4 discounts

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:04:21 +0000

Filed under: Car Buying , Etc. , Europe , Marketing/Advertising , Videos , Crossover , Toyota Toyota Belgium has just launched a new campaign for the Toyota RAV4 Black Edition that allows participants to earn discounts for the vehicle based on their location. Smartphone users download the RAV4 Adventure Discount App, travel to a so-called adventurous location within Belgium and sign in with the application. The app then calculates a discount based on just how daring you are. While far-flung wilderness locations are an obvious choice for big discounts, Toyota has hinted there are plenty of adventurous spots in city locales as well. The campaign seems pretty brilliant to us, though we have to wonder how many RAV4 buyers will be willing to cover hill and dale in pursuit of a few extra hundred euros off of their bottom line. So far, it appears the app and the discounts are only good in Belgium, though it wouldn’t surprise us if Toyota used a similar marketing ploy in other markets. Hit the jump to check out an ad for the app after the jump, complete with a mustachioed woodsman. Continue reading Toyota Belgium offering adventurous location-based RAV4 discounts Toyota Belgium offering adventurous location-based RAV4 discounts originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

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Toyota Belgium offering adventurous location-based RAV4 discounts

Cruze Diesel Will Build on GM’s Euro Expertise

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:04:16 +0000

DETROIT – When it comes to developing a diesel-powered Chevrolet Cruze for the U.S. market to be introduced in 2013, General Motors powertrain engineers have been there and done that – half a million times last year alone.

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Cruze Diesel Will Build on GM’s Euro Expertise

Paice drags Hyundai, Kia into long-running hybrid patent fight with Toyota

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:30:02 +0000

Filed under: Government/Legal , Technology , Hyundai , Kia , Toyota With all the news coming out recently about the small claims lawsuit over the Honda Civic Hybrid , readers may have forgotten the name behind a long-running legal issue over Toyota’s hybrid system: Paice . The latest development is that Paice and the Abell Foundation (an investor in Paice) have sued Hyundai and Kia over the gas-electric technology used in the Optima and Sonata hybrids (pictured), which shares some parts with Paice says infringes its patents, just as it says Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive does. Read up on the details of Alex Severinsky’s story here . According to Automotive News , Paice claims that Hyundai and Kia should have known that Toyota was dealing with legal issues – especially since Paice has been contacting Hyundai about the issue – and says that the Korean automakers are infringing upon three patents that Paice owns. Toyota and Paice settled their long-looming hybrid patent infringement case in 2010 after eight years, during which time the courts routinely rejected Toyota’s request to dismiss the case. Toyota eventually paid royalties to Paice for the Prius , Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h models it sold. Paice drags Hyundai, Kia into long-running hybrid patent fight with Toyota originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Paice drags Hyundai, Kia into long-running hybrid patent fight with Toyota

GM Reports 2011 Net Income of $7.6 Billion

Paramo Bloggers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:29:57 +0000

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today announced 2011 calendar-year net income attributable to common stockholders of $7.6 billion, or $4.58 per fully diluted share, up from $4.7 billion, or $2.89 per fully diluted share, in 2010.

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GM Reports 2011 Net Income of $7.6 Billion

Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special

Paramo Bloggers — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:24:00 +0000

Filed under: Convertible , Geneva Motor Show , Hatchback , Maserati , Fiat The Fiat group has a knack for (or a habit of) dressing up its most affordable hatchbacks in tribute to its most expensive exotics. Alfa Romeo did a special MiTo and Giulietta for Maserati dealers , and Abarth did a special 500 to honor Ferrari . But since the latter has run its production run, the Scorpion marque is celebrating Maserati with this latest version. Destined for unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show , the new Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati features the same 180 horsepower 1.4-liter turbo four as the aforementioned Tributo Ferrari, but with different 17-inch alloys. The Maserati version also adopts the 500C’s retracting roof panel and a more elegant design approach than the previous Ferrari edition, topped by a three-layer burgundy paint job and sand beige Pontrona Frau leather. Only 499 examples will be offered, and probably spoken for in quick order. But whether you think this gussied-up Cinquecento is any more worthwhile than the Mini Goodwood edition or the Aston Martin Cygnet will probably depend mostly on whether you’ve ever tried to drive a GranTurismo or Quattroporte through Europe’s notoriously crowded city streets. Check it out in the trio of high-res images below and the press release after the jump . Continue reading Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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Abarth pays homage to Maserati with Geneva-bound 695 cabrio special

2013 Sprint Cup Series Dodge Charger Reveal Set for Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11

Paramo Bloggers — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:24:21 +0000

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2013 Sprint Cup Series Dodge Charger Reveal Set for Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 11