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Super Bowl commercials: Jerry Seinfeld, Darth Vader, singing dogs all selling cars

Bolstered by Volkswagen's clever presence of a young child dressed in a Darth Vader outfit, automakers made a big comeback last year in Super Bowl advertising. And carmakers will combine in this year's extravaganza as the largest-spending industry. Volkswagen will return different Darth Vadar and Star Wars' takes this year. Acura, Audi, Chrysler, Kia, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota, among other auto-related companies, will also advertise and will be among the sold out 70 commercial spots in the Feb. 5 game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots. Commercial positions for this year's Super Bowl were already

Super Bowl commercials: Hyundai Genesis helps save 'heart-attack' victim

Hyundai will join more than a dozen other carmakers and automotive-related companies advertising via expensive commercials in the Super Bowl. In its “Think Fast,” commercial, a 30-second spot scheduled for the fourth quarter of the game between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the character Bob is introduced. In the commercial, a young professional is driving his boss, Bob, a seasoned business pro, in his Genesis Coupe R-Spec. Bob is about to deliver a “pearl of wisdom” when he falls unconscious. The young driver hits the brakes hard, then throws his Genesis Coupe into drive repeatedly, generating enough

Volvo S60, 2012: Still sturdy, safe (and now) sporty after all these years

Introduced 12 years ago as the carmaker's first major departure in a few decades from its box-on-wheels reputation, the Volvo S60 is now in its second generation. The 2012 edition is offered in three trims, including the most-sports-car-like Volvo yet, the S60 T6 AWD R SR. That's a lot of numbers and letters for a model. But what the alphabet soup name means for potential buyers is 325 horsepower, a turbo-charged six-cylinder engine with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The R means "R-Design Elements" and that translates into the car's sportiness with a handful of features — 18-inch

Toyota Corolla: Still top-selling car in history, 37.5 million and counting

It's hard to imagine: Somewhere in the world someone buys a Toyota Corolla about every 40 seconds. As such, since 2007 the entry level compact has been the best-selling car in history. With a base price of slightly more than $16,000, the Corolla has had 10 model generations and has had sales of more than 37.5 million since its debut in 1966. The current model has four-cylinders, 132 horsepower and gets about 35 mpg on the freeway. The combination of reliability, economy and durability add up to make the Corolla the ideal car in its native Japan and in the

Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno battle for Acura supremacy in Super Bowl commercial

Jerry Seinfeld reportedly has one of the world’s finest Porsche collections; Jay Leno’s automotive passion includes more than 150 vehicles. And now Leno in the ficticous world of Super Bowl commercials has the first Acura NSX. In a one-minute Acura commercial, set to air Feb. 5 in Super Bowl XLVI, Seinfeld is so excited about the new Acura NSX he’ll stop at nothing to acquire the first one. Shy of offering the apparent owner of the No. 1 Acura NSX the moon, Seinfeld finally has the guy won over with his access to his private ziplines through the Manhattan skyline.

Honda, Matthew Broderick team for Ferris Bueller homage Super Bowl commercial

About a quarter century after Matthew Broderick debuted in his now cult classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the veteran Broadway actor and Honda have collaborated on a 2 1/2-minute homage to the movie for a Super Bowl commercial touting the 2012 Honda CR-V. In the 1986 film, a high school wise guy (Bueller played by Broderick) is determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks of that. To celebrate the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V, Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back. The carmaker has featured Broderick skipping out on a day of

Rhode Island, Chicago, Baltimore among February car show locations

Five major car shows are scheduled in North America in February beginning with the Northeast International Auto Show scheduled Feb 2-5 at the Rhode Island Convention in Providence, R.I. Automotive shows are also scheduled in Baltimore, Chicago, Iowa in Toronto during February. Dates, locations and websites of February car shows are listed below: February 2-5 Northeast Int'l Auto Show Rhode Island Convention Center Providence, R.I. www.ProvidenceAutoShow.com February 9-12 Motor Trend International Auto Show / Baltimore Baltimore Convention Center Baltimore, MD www.AutoShowBaltimore.com February 10-19 Chicago Auto Show McCormick Place, Chicago, Ill. www.chicagoautoshow.com February 10-12 Iowa-Illinois Regional Auto Show River Center Convention

Super Bowl commercials: Fangs, blood and exploding vampires showcase Audi S7

Automotive News, News Service

Few cultural curiosities are bigger than Twilight or the fascination with all things vampire. Even Audi likes the world of fangs and blood and evil, and it's featuring the vampire theme in its Super Bowl commercial for the Audi S7. In the one-minute video, the driver of the Audi arrives at the forest campfire with a supply of blood in the driver's seat. But after he parks the car and his friends begin to greet their friend, daylight — the curse of vampires — appears from the Audi's front lights. One at a time, the vampires "explode." The commercials is

Dodge Dart, 2013: Looking back into the future for iconic compact

Introduced in 1960 as a lower-priced, shorter wheelbase alternative full size car in 1960, the Dodge Dart morphed into a mid-size car in 1962 and then a compact in 1963. Production continued through 1976. Nearly four decades later, the Dart name will return in 2012 as a 2013 Dodge Dart compact sedan based on a stretched and widened version of the platform used in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. It debuted at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The 2013 Dodge Dart replaces the Caliber as Dodge's entry-level vehicle. Engine options, all four-cylinder, will be a turbocharged 1.4-liter

President Obama's former Chrysler 300 back on eBay — $1 million

The 2005 Chrysler 300C leased by President Barack Obama in July 2004 with two miles on the odometer, is back for up for auction again on eBay for $1 million. The vehicle, which features a host of options — leather seats to CD player — did not sell for the same $1 million during its recent first eBay auction. In the comments, the seller writes: "We have the original Illinois title showing this vehicle was actually used by Barack. 19,000 miles driven when this vehicle was Obama's – I'm sure many of them were highway miles back & forth from

Super Bowl commercials: Suzuki, dogs exchange sled for hip ice trip in Kizashi

Suzuki, following Volkswagen and Chevrolet, has premiered its Super Bowl commercial well in advance of the Feb. 5 football game that also serves as television's most expensive day of commericals. The one-minute Suzuki commercial, like Volkswagen's, features dogs, and it's entitled "Sled." The ad, which emphasizes the premium features and unique all-wheel-drive prowess of the 2012 Kizashi sport sedan, marks the second consecutive year Suzuki will advertise during the Super Bowl. In 2011, the brand featured its popular "Wicked Weather" spot during the big game. Volkswagen recently coninuted in Stars Wars theme commericals, this time with dogs barking the famous

Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Toyota Prius V, Honda Odyssey, Ford Escape Hybrid

Kiplinger has been published for 90 years and now for the 61st time it's publishing its annual buyer’s guide of best value new cars. Kiplinger’s Best in Class and Best New winners are based on rankings that weigh performance, value and safety. Half the score comes from performance and value and about a third from vehicle safety. The remaining score is based on Kiplinger test drives of the cars, during which we assess design, comfort and dashboard layout. Sedans are ranked within price categories while crossovers, SUVs, minivans and wagons are not broken up by price but scored on a

Kiplinger's Best, 2012: Ford Focus (Under $20,000), Audi A7 (More than $50,000)

BMW X6, 2012: sturdy crossover has keen craftsmanship, hefty price

Now approaching its fourth birthday, the BMW X6 is touted as a Sports Activity Coupe. It's a mixed, odd offering — a small, luxury sport utility vehicle meshed with a high-performance sports coupe. It's built with the X5, it similar sibling (they share platforms) in Greer, South Carolina. In addition three standard offerings, including a turbocharged V8, a hybrid X6, called the BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid, debuted in 2009. The Weekly Driver Test Drive In its assessment, U.S. News & World Report noted: "If you’re in the market for a practical SUV, the BMW X6 definitely isn’t it." Rarely has

Ford gets jump start, first carmaker to unveil 2013 NASCAR model

For the third time, Ford has simultaneously launched production and NASCAR versions of a new model. The latest is the 2013 Fusion. It joins the first dual launch of Ford Torino (1968) and then in 2006 when the Fusion was selected the first time. With the announcement, Ford became the first manufacturer in NASCAR to unveil its 2013 car. "The NASCAR Nation is made up of car enthusiasts, and NASCAR fans certainly love to pull for a brand or make of car second only to being able to pull for their favorite driver," said NASCAR President Mike Helton. "Today is

Rare Mercedes-Benz Gullwing fetches nearly $5 million in auction

Hagerty Insurance, the company that among other specialties, track sales at vintage car auctions, compiled a list of vehicles sold last week at the Arizona auctions houses known for their unique collection of old, unique cars. Barrett-Jackson announced it sold more than $92 million of vehicles in its annual year-opening auction describes as "rare, high-end collectible vehicles, exotics, customs, classics, hot rods and resto-mods." But rival Gooding took auction house honors in individual sales honors. Its 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing sold for $4,620,000. Here's the rest of the list of top sellers: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder