The incentive deal appears to be working, according to Edmunds.com. The company said in this Bloomberg story that Toyota may report a 30% boost in sales in March thanks to the offers. That comparison comes off a particularly bad March 2009 when the recession was hammering auto sales. Still, it’s good news if Toyota can gin up more sales interest when the company’s recall drama is a mainstay in the 24-hour news cycle.

There is a bigger point here. As I pointed out in this Bloomberg BusinessWeek story, Toyota’s troubles will put its brand on a more even playing field with its rivals, creating an opening for Ford, Honda, General Motors, Hyundai-Kia and others to steal buyers. The first casualty of Toyota’s problems may be pricing. Getting fat sticker prices is partly a function of brand strength. Toyota’s brand has taken body blows and the company is discounting to lure shoppers to showrooms.

How long will this last? It could be quite a while. GM started 0% financing back in 2001 and never got off the discounting treadmill. To minimize the damage to its pricing, and therefore profits, Toyota will have to find an end to these recalls and tell a credible story that its quality is up to snuff. That means the company has to get a fix that stops these problems with runaway Priuses and other sudden acceleration claims. Only good engineering and time while heal these wounds.

Go to source: 1-800-COLLISION™

Hyundai’s Geneva Motor Show concept, the plug-in hybrid i-Flow, is expected to spawn a new production car for the European market called the i40 in early 2011. The i40 will be a D-segment model meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia. Oddly, that puts it in the same size segment as the recently launched Sonata. It’s not clear if the i40 will be sold instead of the Sonata in Europe or alongside it. Since Hyundai hasn’t released dimensions of the i-Flow (at least not that we have seen) it could also be a replacement for the slightly larger Azera.

The production i40 is expected to debut with an estate/station wagon body style followed later by a sedan. It’s not known if the diesel-hybrid (or the gas hybrid of the Sonata) powertrain of the concept will make it to production, but automatic start-stop will be there.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Hyundai i-flow concept could become Euro i40 in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go to source: 1-800-COLLISION™

We have yet to see anything more from V-Vehicle Co. – the secretive start-up automaker that came out of stealth mode last summer with a big plan to build high-mileage, environmentally friendly vehicles – than the teaser image you see above and a short video (watch it here). We heard that the company has been operating since 2006 and has financial backing from T. Boone Pickens, Al Gore and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and that we could see production vehicles as early as the end of 2010/beginning of 2011.

Well, whatever is happening in Louisiana, where V-Vehicle is hoping to make cars at an idled GM plant, it appears things aren’t running smoothly. NOLA.com is reporting that the company has missed a deadline to qualify for $87 million in state incentives because it did not get approval for a federally backed loan in time. V-Vehicle is asking the Department of Energy for $250 million in low-interest Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program loans and had expected to hear back from the DOE last fall. Company officials now say they expect things to be cleared up before the month is over and that V-Vehicles is in “the final stage of the ATVM loan process.” We’ll see.

[Source: NOLA.com via TheCarConnection]

V-Vehicle’s DOE $250m loan application still in limbo, so $87m in state incentives are lost originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go to source: 1-800-COLLISION™

With all the leaks ahead of auto shows these days, it’s not often that we get a real surprise anymore. There was one such event at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, though: the Porsche 918 concept. The compact and powerful plug-in hybrid roadster was also the biggest hit of this year’s show. There’s even better news, though. Porsche CEO Michael Macht told Autocar magazine that the company is intent on producing the 918.

The key is that the car has to be profitable. Porsche won’t build the 918 as a loss leader just to get it out there. It’s not clear if Porsche would build the 918 with the same powertrain shown on the concept or a more conventional system. In all likelihood the hybrid system will be retained in order to demonstrate that a supercar can be built that meets modern emissions and fuel consumption demands. If the 918 happens, it could appear within five years.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Porsche intent on building 918, if it’s profitable originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go to source: 1-800-COLLISION™

ITALY: Fiat Auto spin-off rumours gain momentum

Go to source: David Leggett’s automotive industry blog – from just-auto.com

Continue reading Delta Motorsport’s E-4 Coupe concept racing for Automotive X-Prize

Delta Motorsport’s E-4 Coupe concept racing for Automotive X-Prize originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Go to source: 1-800-COLLISION™

Anyway, we have come across a little ancient history that is interesting – below link. Poor old Audi. The small matter of being innocent of all charges (unless you count having the accelerator and brake pedals ‘too close’ – not an issue anywhere else) and being the victim of actively misleading media coverage couldn’t rescue diving sales on the 5000.  

Sudden Acceleration: The Early Years

Go to source: David Leggett’s automotive industry blog – from just-auto.com