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Chicago Auto Show, 2011: Volkswagen debuts 2012 Jetta

Volkswagen is debuting the 2012 Jetta GLI this week at the Chicago Auto Show, and the big news is the 2.0-liter turbo that pumps out 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, is available with a six-speed manual transmission or VW’s DSG automatic. Roman Mica, contributing editor of www.theweekly and publisher of www.tflcar.com, reports VW states the VW GLI will be available in three trim levels and that Jetta GLI has a starting MSRP of $23,495. The GLI Autobahn, with an MSRP of $25,545, adds 18″ alloy wheels, sunroof, dual zone climate control, heated V-Tex Leatherette seats and the Fender

Chicago Auto Show, 2011: Hot cars, sexy girls for photo ops

Roman Mica, owner of tflcar.com and contributing editor to theweeklydriver.com, is reporting from the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. Like any good auto show, the Chicago gathering features new car models, concepts cars and pretty women as car models of a different kind. We’ll feature Mica’s reviews, too, but we’ll get to the important stuff, first. Here’s a sampling of the pretty women, hired to help showcase manufacturers’ new offerings. To read more from Roman Mica and his staff reporting from the Chicago Auto Show, visit: www.tflcar.com.

Carmel Concours on the Avenue is back, set for August 16

Monterey Auto Week 2011 in August, the yearly collection of car shows, vintage races, auctions and memorabilia, will also include the return of one of its unheralded, grand events — the Concours on the Avenue. According to a report in the Carmel Pine Cone, the car show presented on Ocean Ave. and various side streets in downtown Carmel, will be held August 16. The weekly newspaper reports owners Doug and Genie Freedman believe the daylong show will feature 175 collectible American and European cars and motorcycles from 1940 to 1989. The event was canceled in 2010 for lack of sponsorship

Chevy Volt 2011 car review

The new compact Chevrolet Volt hatchback sedan is the world’s first mass-produced electric vehicle with extended range. It’s the most radical General Motors high-volume car since the 1960s Chevy rear-engine Corvair, which was virtually buried by the then-new conventional Ford Mustang. The front-wheel-drive Volt is the most mass-produced aerodynamic car Chevrolet has made to get maximum fuel efficiency. One aerodynamic trick is giving the car a phony grille. Air is fed to the engine compartment via an “under-grille” scoop below the bumper. The futuristic aerodynamic 1960s Studebaker Avanti used the same type of air induction. Still, the Volt drew few

Toyota cleared of sticky accelerator mess, civil claims remain

The long-awaited results of the Obama administration’s review of the Toyota Motor Corp’s unintended acceleration of electronic throttles and faulty floormats and the subsequent recall of more than eight million vehicles, revealed no systemic flaws in the software driven systems of Toyota or Lexus vehicles. Federal safety regulators investigated reports that as many as 89 U.S. crash deaths since 2000 may have been linked to unintended acceleration in Toyotas and Lexus vehicles. “There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. The recalls, government scrutiny, which included testimony by

Darth Vader briefly rules for young boy, VW in Super Bowl

There’s not much better in life than the relationship between father and son, particularly if the father can help his son realize the powers of Darth Vader during the Super Bowl. And so it was for the automaker while promoting the 2011 Volkswagen Passat during the Green Bay Packers’ victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. During the commercial, the son, dressed in Darth Vader attire, can’t get the family dog, a doll, a sandwich, a treadmill to react or the family’s washer and dryer to operate despite persistent attempts to engage “The Force.” When the boy (actor

Tata Motors unveils new Manza with Easter-themed colors

Tata Motors has debuted the latest version of its Manza sedan, equipped with a unique color pattern, a range of new features, a starting price of less than $12,000 and available throughout India. The Safire petrol version is priced at $11,275 and and the Quadrajet diesel edition is $11,866. Tata Motors is India’s largest automobile company with nearly six million vehicles in in circulation in the country, including the Tata Nano — the world’s cheapest car.

Hyundai touts 2011 Elantra with 'hypnosis' in Super Bowl

Hyundai took some risk with its Super Bowl XLV commercials, and the Korean automaker fared well with its spots promoting the 2011 Hyundai Elantra. In the 30-second "hypnotized" commercial, and as Time.com describes it: "The windshield wipers churn and the thwack, thwack, thwack becomes the ad's soundtrack. The pavement churns, the bridge towers, the streetlights blink by overhead, the bobblehead rabbit nods along." The voice over then begins: "Have we been hypnotized to believe compact cars are good enough?" Like its other Super Bowl commercials, the "hynotized" spot works on several levels: It's visually appealing, has a message, isn't pretentious

Hyundai touts 2011 Elantra in 'kaleidoscope' Super Bowl ad

The 2011 Hyundai Elantra is getting its share of praise and the Korean manufacturer has been promoting it in the same vein as other Hyundai products — that cars don’t have to be boring. In one of its Super Bowl XLV commercials, Hyundai revisits the same theme in a 30-second spot reminiscent of looking through a kaleidoscope. The commercial eventually promotes the Elantra and its 40 mpg EPA estimates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KrwladH2c

Volkswagen goes buggy with Super Bowl Beetle commercial

The new 2011 Beetle is never seen, but Volkswagen likely had the most compelling 30-second car commercial in Super Bowl XLV replete with speeding insects and a cover version of the Ram Jam classic rock anthem “Black Betty.” The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion covers the famed Black Betty tune while Volkswagen simultaneously markets its new Beetle. In the high-paced commercial an insect (beetle) races through the forest, on the highway and then in a power slide like Volkswagen is hoping the new Beetle will do. The ad’s final frame provides a tease to what the new Beetle may look like.

Chrysler 200 gets Detroit, Eminem props in Super Bowl ad

Eminem isn’t prone to pitching products, but beyond the football players and the Black Eyed Peas, the rapper arguably got the most exposure Sunday in his duties in a mini-movie for Chrysler as well as lending his name and Claymation image to Brisk ice tea. In the second of his two commercials, Eminem promotes the new Chrysler 200 during an homage of Detroit images and testimonials to those who live and work in the beleaguered city. The two-minute ad, reported the most expensive Super Bowl spot in history (an estimated $9 million), begins with images of the city appear. The

Super Bowl commercials: Kia Optima captured by aliens

Kia Motors America is among eight auto manufacturers with ad campaigns in Super Bowl XVL, and it will feature a 60-second spot called “One Epic Ride.” In the commercial, people across space and time – from a police officer and an international villain to aliens and an ancient chief – will go to great lengths to snatch the all-new Optima from the clutches of others and put themselves behind the wheel. The Optima becomes an object of desire, and even Poseidon, the king of the sea, does his best to get his hands on the car. Created by David&Goliath, “One

Super Bowl commercials: Suzuki Kizashi drives away from wicked snowmen attack

Suzuki will participate in Super Bowl advertising for the first time and it’s chosen its highly touted all-wheel-drive 2011 Suzuki Kizashi (pronounced “Kee-Zah-Shee”) as the subject of a 30-second spot called “Wicked Weather.” The commercial, scheduled for broadcast in Suzuki‘s top 14 markets, hopes to “communicate Kizashi’s AWD USP in markets where all-wheel drive inspires driver confidence in handling winter’s inclement weather,” according to Suzuki spokesperson. The commercial begins with an AWD Kizashi accelerating along a snow-filled mountain road. In quick order: * The driver is startled by a snowball that strikes the driver-side window of his Kizashi. * The

Super Bowl commercials: Hot Miss Evelyn drives a Chevy Camaro

Chevrolet‘s new motto: “Chevy Runs Deep” has received mixed reviews. But all is now forgiven. In the onslaught of car manufacturers participating in ad campaigns in Super Bowl XLV, Chevy goes to the top of the list with this one-minute spot about teacher, “Miss Evelyn” driving a 2011 Chevy Camaro. The commercial features two friends fantasizing about the perfect car commercial. They have the new Camaro and it’s blazing through the desert. It’s dodging bales of hay in big-city traffic. It’s eluding bad guys and motorcycles and a helicopter. And all along it’s being driven by a few different fantasy

Toyota Avalon 2011 car review

As the flagship sedan, the 2011 Toyota Avalon is the automaker’s largest car and shares many components with its upscale kin at Lexus, including a 268 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. Introduced in 1994 as a 1995 model, the Avalon has undergone several redesigns and styling updates including for the 2011 edition that debuted in April 2010. The 2011 Avalon has two trim lines — the base model and upscale Limited. Although considered a styling upgrade from 2010, the new model has vast changes — a redesigned instrument cluster and center console to new wood trim and a more refined rear

Ferrari reveals new FF photos, video before Geneva debut

Automotive News

Arguably the most unique model Ferrari has ever made, the 2011 Ferrari FF, a hatchback four-wheel drive replacement for the 612 Scaglietti, is scheduled to debut at the Geneva Auto Show (March 3-13). The new Ferrari FF (Four seats and four-wheel driver) possesses a 6.2-leter V12 that makes 660 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and has 504 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. Slighter longer and lighter than the 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari says the FF will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 208 mph. The four-wheel-drive system is called 4RM. Ferrari has released few