Mazda blew it big time 15 years ago when it tried to cram its dealerships full of flashy new models without the marketing muscle to back them up. The brand has been paying the price ever since. So is Mazda on the brink of repeating that mistake in 2007? Not if David Klan can help it. The new director of marketing operations for Mazda Motor Corp.’s North American sales arm faces a tough challenge in 2007. But Klan says he is not worried about Mazda losing its zoom-zoom mojo. Continue reading Major Mazda Expanding model range, not ad budget
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We know God loves us. How else can one explain the existence of GeigerCars? Whether it’s a 700-horsepower police H2, an audacious Gulf-liveried HUMMER GT, or any number of the various customer cars the company has prepared, no one knows how to hook up a HUMMER like Geiger. Modders who think they’ve accomplished something by throwing on donks, a killer stereo and calling it a day are simply not in the same ballpark. 
It means Australia’s own has won the only truly national newspaper Car of the Year contest. Motoring editors and key writers from News Limited newspapers throughout Australia have extensively researched, tested and judged all cars released this year to determine the proud winner. The extensive list was culled to 10 finalists. These were recently tested on all manner of road conditions, including Goulburn’s Wakefield Park raceway, to determine their final finishing order. 
The roster for the 2007 Formula One season has been released by F1’s international governing body, the FIA (Federation International d’Automobile). Most of the information was already known, but even after it’s all been confirmed, there remain a host of question marks. Tobacco sponsorship is on its way out, and Honda has yet to name a replacement for its outgoing title sponsor Lucky Strike. Honda’s kid-sister team Super Aguri has also listed a “TBA” along with their official title of “Super Aguri F1 Team”, indicating they’re still searching for a title sponsor as well. 
Jaguar unveiled a mildly tweaked 2008 S-Type at the Bologna Motor Show today to what we imagine could only be a reaction of complete indifference. As we reported earlier, the S-Type’s replacement will be called the XF and be a much better car in every way compared to its predecessor, which makes a refreshened S-Type for 2008 a big snore. The changs for 2008 include disseminating the racier S-Type R’s bumper and mesh grille across the entire range, as well as what appear to be smoked lenses for the headlights. 
An anonymous tipper has just informed us that Hertz will be auctioning off a large batch of its very exclusive rental car, the Shelby Mustang GT-H, to Ford dealers from Thursday, December 7th through December 21st. If we understand our source correctly, six auctions will occur around the country beginning in Manheim, PA, then moving to Hayward, CA; Denver, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; Fontanca, CA; and finally back to Manheim, PA. 113 models of the Shelby GT-H, all used as rental cars, will be auctioned off in total, with each auction getting 15 – 20 units to sell. 
Ahhh, 80s week. We’ve already seen one of our favorite Germans and a blocky Japanese classic. Today, we take a virtual road trip up to New Hampshire for a little Scandinavian treat. Patrick’s 1987 Saab 900 Convertible was bought four years ago for a reasonable-sounding $1,800. At the time, he says, the car was junkyard material. Luckily for the ragtop Saab, Patrick (a.k.a. Flickr user smackdownsaab), was prepared to give it the TLC and financial support needed to bring it up to daily-driver standards. We’d say that things worked out quite well. 
GM, in what can only be termed as a smart move, has killed plans to redesign its minivan lineup for the 2009 model year. Like Ford, which axed the slow-selling Windstar, GM will euthanize it’s rather awful minivan lineup, meaning that we won’t have the Chevy Uplander, and Buick Terraza around to use as punchlines anymore. Instead, GM will focus on its new full-size crossovers that feature 3-row seating — the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave. 
During the past 10 years, the Canadian automobile insurance industry’s underwriting results have changed dramatically as reflected by the significant variations in the direct loss ratio according to a special report by A.M. Best Co. From 1996 to 1998, the industry direct loss ratio remained flat at around 75. Premiums did not grow and claims incurred remained steady. 
HUMMER is going down under. GM Holden Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales (say that ten times fast), Alan Batey, just made the announcement at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. After announcing 16 other new models that will be arriving for 2007 and beyond, Holden pulled back a huge curtain to give Australians their first glimpse of the HUMMER H3. 
John Cooper Works is the British tuning garage that created the original ’61 Mini Cooper as a sportier version of the base model. So when BMW revived the MINI, they turned to the same garage, now headed by the founder’s son Mike, to create a hotter new MINI. And with the release of the newer new MINI, John Cooper Works has come out with a series of enhancements to make the hot little hatch even hotter.