Letter to Honda and Acura dealers about customer inquiries regarding Toyota recall

John Mendel
Executive Vice President
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

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The recently announced Toyota recall has prompted some customer questions to you, our Honda and Acura dealers, regarding the effect on or applicability to their Honda or Acura vehicles. In fact, Toyota's recall, while serious, has no impact whatsoever on Honda or Acura customers.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is not aware of any reports for either Honda or Acura vehicles, regarding the type of failure Toyota is citing as the cause for its recall. Additionally, while we use the same supplier as Toyota for some of our products (as do other manufacturers), we do not use the same components.

As this issue relates to one of our competitors, we will not be making any further comment regarding Toyota's circumstances. Additionally, we will not react in a predatory way toward either Toyota or Toyota customers. I would ask that you and your sales and service teams refrain from comment other than the facts outlined above, and only then, in response to customer inquiries.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation,

John Mendel

photo: Reuters

Peugeot unveils the new 408 at its world premier in Beijing.

A decisive step in the Lion's offensive on the world's foremost automobile market. Presented today, as a world premier on the Chinese market, to around 300 Chinese journalists and more than 700 network representatives by Jean-Marc Gales the Marque's Managing Director, the new Peugeot 408 marks a further step in the Marque's offensive on the world's foremost automobile market.

Despite being present on the Chinese market for 5 years only, the Peugeot Marque sold over 410 000 vehicles in 2009. This corresponds to a 44% sales increase compared with its 2008 performance.

Following its fine performance in the M1 segment with the success of the 307 saloon and the 307 notch-back, of which 3,522,800 have been produced worldwide, Peugeot is now quite legitimately embarking on a Chinese market offensive with its new 408 DF Peugeot.

This new prestigious notchback tailored for the Chinese market will serve to reinforce Dong Feng Peugeot's product offer on the M1 segment that accounts for over 45 % of the total market.

In this manner, the new Peugeot DF 408 should enable the Lion Marque to increase its sales volumes by over 30% in 2010, compared with 2009, and thereby to grow at twice the forecast pace of the market.

This half-height architecture notch-back saloon has been designed and developed jointly by Peugeot's Styling teams in Europe and China and meets three objectives: embody the Marque's modernity, guarantee maximum safety and offer unrivalled interior space.

The 408 name follows the Lion Marque's traditional naming logic. The figure 4 refers to the size of the car (4.68 m) and its positioning in the medium-luxury family saloon segment. The 0 in the middle signifies that it belongs to the Peugeot Marque, while the 8 expresses the vehicle generation.

With this name, the 408 naturally falls into place within the current Peugeot range and becomes the forerunner of the 8 series, the latest generation vehicles to be launched on the Chinese market.

The Dong Feng Peugeot 408 is the fruit of work by the joint venture set up between PSA Peugeot Citroën and the Chinese group DFM. The car is being produced at the Wuhan plant in Hubei province in China. It is positioned to become one of the market's benchmark vehicles with a full-year sales target of 100,000 units

A nice post from auto show model's blog

First public day of the NAIAS - the biggie, the Detroit Auto Show. Today's winner of the stupidest question award goes to the gentleman who asked:

"Is this price in American dollars?"

I don't know why exactly he could have possibly thought it was in any other form of currency. I really spent a few minutes afterwards racking my brain, trying to figure out why he could have possibly thought our prices would have been in anything BUT America dollars.

I came up with a few possibilities:
A) He had a Russian accent, and it is cold in Detroit, so maybe he forgot where he was and became confused about the whole rubles/dollars thing.

B) Cobo Hall is right across the river from Canada, so maybe he thought due to proximity we might quote prices in Canadian dollars.

C) He's a dumbass.

I'm going with C.

Stay tuned for more stupid auto show quotes as the week progresses!

source:
http://doyoucomewiththecar.blogspot.com/

Polaris Ranger EV

2010 RANGER® EV Electric-Powered Side-By-Side

The 2010 Polaris RANGER® EV Electric-Powered Side-By-Side is the leader of the electric mid-sized side by side class. This clean & quiet vehicle dominates the competition with its unmatched ride, 25 MPH (40.2 KPH) top speed, and 50-mile Range* — making it the perfect mid-sized electric side by side for farming, ranching, hunting, and recreational riding. Key features are:

• 30 HP 48-Volt High-Efficiency AC-Inducted Electric Motor
• Smooth Independent Rear Suspension (IRS)
• Mid-Sized Design - Fits In A Full-Size Pickup
• Plug Recharge With Standard 110v AC Outlet

*Range will vary depending on temperature, grade, payload, and driving style.

*Mossy Oak Camo Additional Cost

No More Free Cars for Woods!!

General Motors says that its agreement with Tiger Woods that allowed him to have free vehicles, like the Cadillac Escalade he crashed in his Florida neighborhood on Nov. 27, ended two weeks ago.

Even though Woods' endorsement contract for GM's Buick brand ended in 2008, Woods had been allowed to keep several vehicles, including the Cadillac SUV and reportedly a Buick Enclave crossover, for his personal use. But the agreement that allowed the world's richest professional golfer access to those new vehicles ended Dec. 31, said Buick spokeswoman Dayna Hart. The agreement was in place before the crash.

Since Woods' crash -- his wife broke the windows with a golf club -- and subsequent allegations of marital infidelity by several women, Woods has lost endorsement deals with companies such as Accenture and watchmaker Tag Heuer. Woods once was a high-profile endorser for Buick, appearing in television ads and making public appearances like the one in 2006 photo above.

The vehicles have been returned to GM. Drive On reported previously that the Escalade that Woods was driving will be repaired and sold.

source Drive On (USAToday)

Ford Opens New Dealership

PT. Ford Motor Indonesia (FMI) continues its expansion of its authorized dealer network with the official opening of Ford Surabaya. The new dealership is FMI's 35th outlet in Indonesia and the first official Ford dealership for the Surabaya area and in East Java, highlighting Ford’s commitment and confidence in further developing its presence in East Java.

"A strong dealer network is at the heart of our ability to continue providing exciting, best-in-class Ford products as well as world-class customer service experience to our Indonesian customers," said Will Angove, President Director of PT Ford Motor Indonesia (FMI).

Seeing the continuous strong reception and recognition of the Ford brand in East Java, Ford Motor Indonesia views the region, especially Surabaya as a strategic and important market due to the significant number of growth potential especially in the fisheries, farming, mining, tourism and other potential industries within the province.

Ford Surabaya will be supported by Ford's automated and inter-connected spare parts supply system, which includes a comprehensive spare parts warehouse in Jakarta equipped with modern service systems to ensure parts availability and delivery to consumers across Indonesia. Ford is the first automotive brand in Indonesia to have such a system that can be accessed by all its dealers within the country.

"Ensuring the availability of thorough sales and after-sales services is one of Ford’s strategies in meeting the needs of Indonesian consumers as well as strengthening the dealership offerings to consumers," added Angove. “Ford remains a strong brand despite the global economic downturn and 2010 promises to be a great year for FMI.”

The Ford Surabaya Superstore, which has been operating since early 2008 in Mall Pakuwon has established their own 3S (Sales, Service and Spare parts) facility in late 2008 is operated by PT Surya Kertasari Andalan and PT Patriot Aprilia Abadi. Located at Jl. A. Yani 80, Surabaya, this building covers 1633.5 sq meters.

Ford Surabay dealer principal, Mr. Rasid Harsono said, “We're proud to be part of the Ford's commitment to the Surabaya area, which have a strong interest in Ford vehicles such as the Everest and the Ranger. Ford Surabaya will help to deliver a world-class customer experience that Indonesians have come to expect from Ford as well as some exciting promotions in the near future.”

Batmobile

The German tuners at Avus Performance are trying their hand at modifying a Japanese super car, the Nissan GT-R. Right from the get go, the boys at Avus knew that their GT-R was going to be covered in the very stealth like matte black finish that would instantaneously set this particular example apart from more ordinary GT-R super cars. The tuners have left the chassis very close to the way it came from the factory, the only additions they made were a set of ride height adjustable coil overs and some slight wheel spacers to increase the super car’s track. It is hard to imagine that a simple monochromatic finish, combined with a set of glossy black painted wheels, dark tints and cleared out marker lights can completely transform the appearance of the GT-R without even changing up the car’s profile.

The dark exterior treatment is only the beginning of what AVUS has done with the GT-R. Under the hood, they have swapped out the factory engine computer for a modified unit that takes full advantage of the less restricted free flowing exhaust that has upped the GT-R’s maximum output from the factory rated 485 HP and 433 lb-ft of torque all the way up to an earth shattering 580 HP and 516 lb-ft of thrust.

With this kind of newfound power and stealth appearance, it is no wonder that the latest edition of Avus’s Black Edition GT-R has earned the nickname Batmobile. Batman would certainly be able to catch up to any of his arch nemesis in this hot rod GT-R and would easily be able to outrun Gotham City’s finest, now all the German modification specialists need to add are a few crime fighting features like a a grappling hook and oil slick to make the dark knight feel right at home behind the wheel of his newest toy.