Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris SUV. This is a 4WD, four-door, four-passenger, 500hp luxury SUV from Spyker (a Dutch manufacturer of hand-built sports cars that first went into the car business almost 100 years ago and was resurrected in 2000). Shown in New York.
Ah, spring, that time of year when the snow melts, bees buzz, and new trucks and SUVs bloom at auto shows across the land like flowers. Texas reaped a new crop of cars, trucks, and SUVs at the Dallas Convention Center during the Dallas Auto Show on April 5-9. Meanwhile, enthusiasts from all over the Northeastern U.S. filed through the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in the Big Apple for the New York International Automobile Show on April 14-23. Carmakers displayed some of the production models and concepts unveiled at shows earlier in the year, as well as revealing some never-seen vehicles.Take a look! (All photos came from the manufacturers.)
Superman and Quaker State: Return of the Dynamic Duo
Quaker State wants to send you to see the new "Superman Returns" movie this summer. With a case purchase of Q or Quaker State motor oil, or a Q or Quaker State motor oil change, consumers will be offered up to two "Hollywood Movie Money" tickets back by mail that can be exchanged for free movie tickets (valued up to $12.00 each) at theaters nationwide. Mail-in offer forms can be found at participat-ing retailers and installers, on specially marked bottles of Q and Quaker State motor oil, and online at www.qpower.com.
FactsToyota Jumping on Ethanol BandwagonToyota announced that it will offer ethanol-powered vehicles in the U.S. in 2008. Brazil's hot ethanol market is what is driving the development of Toyota's ethanol-burning powerplants, and the company is looking for other markets in which to sell this capability.
Diesels Powering Up in the U.S.JD Power & Associates announced their findings that the market share for diesel-powered cars and trucks will increase four-fold by 2015. That's 11.8% nine years from now (as compared to 3.2% last year). Diesels have long been derided by the mainstream driving public for their noisy operation and particulate emissions but hailed for their fuel efficiency. But technological advances that make them quieter and cleaner, higher gasoline prices, plus more stringent fuel-economy standards, are driving diesel's market expansion.
Ford and GM Ride the RollercoasterFord announced a $1.4 billion loss in the first quarter, compared to a profit of $1.2 billion a year before. Disappointed but undaunted, Ford will continue to follow its "Way Forward" restructuring plan in the hopes of reaching profitability in North America. GM, on the other hand, announced a $323 million loss in the first quarter and then revised its results to earnings of $445 million. GM can thank its exclusion of a $681 million charge related to a health-care settlement for the leg up on that.