While we have nothing but love for the C30, apparently there has been a love it or hate it reaction to the car at recent auto shows. Volvo has come up with an interesting new ad campaign to harness the polarized reactions to promote its new premium hatchback. Using the tag line, “That’s one opinion. What’s yours?,” Volvo is breaking the 4th wall in its new commercials and asking people what they think of the C30’s styling. And the company isn’t cherry-picking the results, either. Apparently, it’s OK for some people to dislike the car. Continue reading Volvo: So tell us what you REALLY think about our new C30
Categories:Volvo
Embargo breaking notwithstanding, there is still lots of information to share on the C-XF Concept that Jaguar will officially debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next week. The design finally breaks Jaguar away from the ball and chain of its own traditions with a decidedly un-retro shape that still manages to exude a feline quality. This cat is more like a lion, however, thanks to a 4.2-liter supercharged V8 producing 420 hp and 368 ft-lbs. of torque driving the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. 
Ford and General Motors have lost their taste for the minivan wars, leaving the Chrysler Group to stand alone as the sole domestic player in the minivan arena. It’s just as well — DCX always had the best American vans, anyway. Having invented the segment, Chrysler has hunkered down and pushed their minivan to be a contender once again. The Caravan and Town & Country will sport new styling, squaring up the edges of the current look, and front-end appearances will offer more distinction between the Dodge and Chrysler brands. 
Audi will introduce its new A5 coupe the Geneva Motor Show according to the UK’s Autocar. Quoting an unnamed “senior company source,” We’ve been following the progress of the A5 for some time now, and we’re ready to see the finished product, which is likely to bear a more-than-passing resemblance to the automaker’s 2003 Nuvolari concept (shown above). 
Thank God it’s over. Goodbye Freestar, you won’t be missed. Ford has turned out its last head-gasket-consuming, transmission-torturing, flaccid minivan. It was a good try twelve years ago when it debuted as the Windstar, but time has not been kind to Ford’s efforts. Moreover, Ford was not kind to the Freestar, letting it die on the vine while the competition became ever more competent. 
The Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Toyota just got hit with a 2 billion yen bill for failure to report about 6 billion yen in taxable income from as far back as March 2004. Although the Nagoya Regional Taxation Bureau discovered Toyota’s omissions, they didn’t make an official announcement. But Asahi’s sources reported that the back taxes were levied because Toyota sold parts below their market value to two overseas subsidiaries. It was mainly Camry parts going to Australia that allowed indirect payments to Middle Eastern sales agents. 
The new Chevy Malibu from GM was revealed today at Detroit Auto Show. The car has a nice interior and a smooth and lustrous appearance and will go against Camry and Accord. Seems that Chevrolet is focusing a lot of attention on the interior, using higher-quality materials and cleaner designs on the current model which gives a new level of refinement. 
DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group and China’s Chery Automobile Co. have agreed on a plan for the Chinese manufacturer to build small cars to be sold worldwide. The cars, to be designed jointly by Chery and Chrysler with Chrysler taking the lead, would be sold as a Chrysler Group brand, either Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge, said Chrysler spokesman Jason Vines. Chery will build tiny cars known in the industry as “B-cars,” but it also may build something larger for Chrysler, Vines added. 
That three-pointed star on the Concept Ocean Drive convertible may be a bad omen for DaimlerChrysler’s underachieving Maybach brand. The S-class-based Mercedes concept, to be shown at the Detroit auto show, has everything that would warrant a double-M Maybach badge. There are four doors, a big V-12 engine and lots of wood and leather. For Mercedes, the Ocean Drive is a halo car. The brand has taken a beating over quality and, potentially, a less-exclusive image. But it’s nearly five years since Maybach’s U.S. unveiling, with no new models in sight. 
Mitsubishi will preview the redesigned Lancer Evolution high-performance model at the Detroit auto show. Although dubbed Prototype X at the show, it will be a running car and very close to the Evolution that is expected to arrive in late 2007 as a 2008 model. At the heart of the vehicle is the new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine expected to develop more than 300 hp. The current Evo makes 286 hp. 
Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking is following up on his stated intent to take great care of his “Volkswagen investment.” Porsche is VW’s largest shareholder with a 27.4 percent stake, which it plans to increase to 29.9 percent. Next year, adviser teams from Porsche Consulting, a subsidiary, will descend on Wolfsburg, Germany, to scrutinize VW’s main factory there. The teams will seek ways to improve material and work flow.