MotorMediaWatch August 29: Aston Martin Values Scarcity +++ GM settles on Volt’s battery maker +++ 2008 Audi A5 S-Line Coupe
Aug 29, 2008 MotorMediaWatch
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Brand DNA and the prototypical Porsche
Despite evolution, the 001 is recognizably a Porsche in the transcendent gestalt of the thing
Phil Hill, 81; first U.S.-born driver to win Formula One title
The racer, who was raised in Santa Monica, won the F1 championship for Ferrari in 1961 and was a three-time winner at both Le Mans and Sebring. He never suffered a serious injury. (LAT)+++
Honda redesigns a perfect Fit
Honda’s hottest product is the Fit, a small, modest, lumpen prole of a car that just happens to be one of the best-engineered vehicles on the planet. (TST)+++
Hybrid Race Car Planned
A racing team competing in the American Le Mans Series endurance-racing program plans to race a hybrid car later this year. The Corsa Zytek Hybrid, is the result of a partnership between Corsa Motorsports and the U.K.’s Zytek Group.
Aston Martin Values Scarcity
Ads for the new $1.8 million Aston Martin coupe say nothing about the car’s top speed or massive horsepower. They play up a different fact: only 77 of the cars will be built. (WSJ)+++
Auto Industry Skid Imperils Delphi
Delphi’s woes are raising doubts about its ability to survive. The auto-parts maker is laboring to craft a plan to emerge from bankruptcy-court protection, but odds are increasing that Delphi instead will be liquidated.(WSJ)+++
Toyota Pulls Back on Sales Goal
Toyota put its dreams of becoming the world’s first auto maker to sell more than 10 million vehicles per year on hold, the latest sign of how global auto makers are bracing for a long slowdown.(WSJ)+++
Ford, other automakers face conflicting safety rules worldwide
Automakers say different vehicle safety regulations governing everything from air bags to bumpers to lighting in the U.S. and Europe make it difficult to bring fuel-efficient European models to the U.S. quickly. (SJM)+++
Palo Alto Toyota dealer starts taking deposits on plug-in Prius
A Toyota dealership in Palo Alto has started taking deposits on a plug-in version of the Toyota Prius, a car the automaker hasn’t even confirmed it will put on sale. (SJM)+++
GM settles on Volt’s battery maker
JOLIET, Ill. — General Motors Corp. has decided on a battery maker for the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric vehicle, but it’s not saying who it is, yet, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Thursday on the sidelines of a media event touting the automaker’s 2009 vehicle line. (DFP)+++
Mulally to address top electronics event
Signaling the growing importance of electronics in new cars and trucks, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally is to be one of the keynote speakers at the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest consumer technology trade show.(DFP)++
Consumers hold off on August car, truck buys
As Detroit’s automakers race to offer more fuel-efficient cars in the face of one of the most challenging economies in recent memory, droves of consumers continued holding off on the purchases of big cars and trucks in August. (DFP)+++
Detroit 3 say potential U.S. loans wouldn’t be bailout
WASHINGTON — Detroit’s automakers pushed back Thursday against criticism of their drive for $50 billion in federal loans as a bailout, saying the government needed to step in when markets failed.(DFP)+++
Auto briefs: Toyota chops ‘09 target
Toyota Motor Corp. on Thursday cut its global-sales target for next year by 6.7%, as higher gasoline prices and the slowing economy hurt demand in the United States, its largest market, media reports say. DFP)+++
2009 Dodge Challenger is a grand muscle car
Dodge brings back a famous rear-wheel drive coupe to challenge some of the fastest cars on the road. It’s the return of the muscle car - Challenger. The original Challenger debuted almost 40 years ago. (SFC)+++
2008 Audi A5 S-Line Coupe
The ringmasters at Audi have launched new model series into a highly charged market segment. The new A5 coupe skillfully blends Audi’s strong design cues with exhilarating driving performance capability while managing (SFC)+++
Two wheeling - a primer for beginners
As you’ve probably noticed, scooters and motorcycles don’t come with training wheels. So if you’re starting to think outside the car and if you don’t already know how to ride, you need to start somewhere. (SFC)+++
2008 Hyundai Accent SE 3-Door
For more than 10 years, Hyundai’s Accent has been building popularity on the U.S. automotive scene by offering good quality with often unexpected features and performance at affordable entry-level prices. (SFC)+++
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