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I was wandering around the floor of the New York auto show yesterday afternoon, trying to find a free scone. No, I was looking for automotive inspiration to break some second-day malaise. I never did find the scone, but I did stumble on the 2009 Dodge Challenger S/E up on its dais. I've been thinking of nothing else for 24 hours. The S/E isn't exactly carnival-midway material. First, it lacks the Challenger R/T's six-speed Tremec TR6060, or any other manual transmission. Second, with 250-horsepowers' worth of sad ham under its hood, the weighty S/E's zero-to-60 time is probably closer to that of a '78 Tradesman van than a 268-hp Toyota Camry SE. Can you imagine a greater humiliation than being dispatched by a middle-aged suburban bank branch manager late for her 11:15? I can, but it would involve farm animals, Irish whiskey and glossy photos. Despite all of that - and it's quite a lot to spite -- the Challenger S/E has remained foremost in my thoughts. My obsession...
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Our whip-wielding road crew warden gallant leader put on his bespoke suit and Burberry cravate at the New York Auto Show and told thestreet.com exactly what he thinks of the adorable Ford Transit Connect, which is bravenewworld-speak for "New York City Taxi Concept." Wert was slingin' the deadpan humor in the way that only those boys from Royal Oak can. He expressed his views on the future of taxis, bank tellers, cabbies and alliteration. Yes, alliteration. Well-dressed and well-educated, he is. Click here for the full video.
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Bentley is refreshing. Their ultra-luxe, mega-horsepower sleds, favored rides of autocrats, royalty and rap tycoons, are such a specialized product that the Craftsmen of Crewe can pretty much reduce their whole climate-change/fuel-scarcity strategy to a question of customer relations. I promised I'd read the white paper on global warming etc. the company handed out at their New York Auto Show press conference yesterday--also available on Bentley's website --and now I have. Dry? To be sure. Wonky? Yep. But on the heels of the company's announcement at the Geneva Motor Show that it's going to seriously cut CO2 output by 2012, worth checking out. Some of the highlights: Life Is Better With Wheels: "It is...clear that mobility is becoming a fundamental component in perceptions of today's quality of life." Bentleys Are Irrational: "As a luxury performance brand, the reasons for purchasing a Bentley are based on a more emotional than rational need for transportation...
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A certain South Korean carmaker was keeping busy after hours in the City That Does Not Know Sleep: Kia brough us this striptease of the Kia Koup concept vehicle as the sun set on Day One of the New York Auto Show. From what we can tell, the new design is all slim, sleek and back-swept--horizontal curves and narrow, blade-like shapes creating the impression of velocity. Of course, we'll know more later today, when the curtain comes off. Given the name, we're assuming two doors. [via World Car Fans ]
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The team's all here at the Javits Center and ready to go. If you've read all our coverage so far, feel free to skip right over this post. However, if you've not yet had a chance to check out our full taste of the big, red and juicy autogasmic apple -- then this post is for you. Remember, you can follow along today at the New York Auto Show tag as we continue to bring you the best coverage this side of Edward R. Murrow. 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe: The Epic Reveal, Live! galleryPost('redgenesisaction', 3, ''); galleryPost('hyundaistuntgirls', 3, ''); We Get Exclusive Ride In 2009 Ford Flex, Chauffeur To Hyundai Dinner galleryPost('09fordflexride', 3, ''); Nissan Denki Cube Captured Before Press Event galleryPost('denkicube', 3, ''); 2009 Nissan Maxima Revealed, Still Unofficially galleryPost('09maximasneak', 3, ''); Ford Transit Connect Taxi Live, Yellow And Clean galleryPost('transittaxisneak'...
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It was just like old times! On the eve of the New York Auto Show, several Jalopnik staffers hopped into a cab, called out an address--and immediately felt the familiar sensation of a Ford Crown Vic having its pedal jammed to the metal. Gotta love NYC cab drivers. As we were being tossed hither and yon in the back seat, we noticed that...NYC cabs now have nav/entertainment systems for he benefit of passengers. Luckily, our gadget expert, Travis, was among our number. He quickly mastered the system by randomly stabbing at the touchscreen while our driver hooned across lower Manhattan. In the old days, all that you would have had back there for entertainment was the lingering aroma of puke from the last drunk to take a ride. As for nav, you had your wits. And blind trust. Those days are gone for good. God only knows what they'll come up with to keep us occupied in the next generation of yellow hacks.
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Let's just get this out of the way up front so you can come back later: Bentley brought no new luxurious nor mega-costly glistening sheet metal hand-rubbed to a burnished sheen by ambidextrous master craft-rubbers at their lush production palace factory in Crewe, England. Instead, at this New York Auto Show they touted their new partnership with an atmospheric molecule of fraught reputation: CO2. They thoughtfully provided me with a 17-page outline of how they're going to change the relationship between high-performance V12 engines and global warming. I'm halfway through it and will return later with a summary. But until then, let's talk about those hawt English accents. galleryPost('2008nyautoshowbentley', 6, 'Glistening Bentley Goodness'); Oh, yes, the same damn thing happened at the Rolls-Royce press conference at the Detroit Auto Show. A highly competent looking man of British descent stood up and said things, not new things, but things that were full...
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Just prior to Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli's New York Auto Show keynote speech this morning, some guy who works for The Dark Lord of All Media Rupert Murdoch conducted a none-too-brief awards ceremony for carmkers, their marketing muckety-mucks, and their ad agencies. IAG Research, an advertising-effectiveness-measuring outfit, handed out the hardware, an example of which is pictured at left. The design is symbolic, but we forget what the symbols are, and we were so cynically dismayed utterly starstruck by Pentastar Bob that we forgot to write 'em down--something about angles and a magical orb that seduces customer into car loans.... It was all incredibly juicy. Hummer was among the winners in this competition for laurels among nationally aired TV spots. Hummer, with creative supplied by Modernista!, won for "Most Liked Ad" ("Like, it was the the ad that those in the vast IAG survey most, um, liked, you know"). It was that one of Hummers engaged in all manner of...
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Did you know that Bob Nardelli is a "car guy?" He is, baby. Of course, that didn't stop him from trotting out something that most legit car guys would rather drink used motor oil than sit through: the dreaded pie-in-the-sky biz-speak PowerPoint presentation. Post-breakfast, as a roomful of eyes slowly glazed, Nardellli walked the automotive press and assorted onlookers through Chrysler's plan to pursue "globality." It was the mighty New York Auto Show keynote, and we were there. "Globality"--we think it has something to do with selling cars overseas, even though Chrysler only managed to move just over 200,000 internationally last year, or maybe giving Chrysler products an "international" look--is the key to "returning Chrysler to profitability" as an independent company, Nardelli insisted. Thus will they achieve an enviable state of globality-ness. He figures Chrysler under his direction can do this because it's really a "...
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It sure is. Maybe we're just unusually attuned, having been rendered all self-reliant by SoCal life, where being ferried around by somebody else is a sign of weakness. But as soon as we hit the outerboroughs this morning on our way into the City That Never Sleeps, en route to cover the New York Auto Show, we were reminded of the absolute importance of the Crown Vic and the awh-mighty Lincoln Town Car to the both the local economy and the urban psyche. Uni-body is all well and good--hey, it's actually superior engineering (according to many, if not all). But somehow it lacks that certain... body-on-frame vibe that says, Yo! I have a financial baron/media macher/fashion entrepreneur/corporate law rainmaker stashed in the back. Or just some underling from the late-night proofreading pool using the company dime to roll back to Brooklyn in soothing luxury. Let's not overlook the cab factor, either. Post-Checker, the Crown Vic is pretty much what most New Yorkers think when they cab...
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