Volkswagen announced last night that it would be unveiling two new vehicles – production vehicles, not concept cars – at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show. It will be the global debut for both vehicles, which means that neither has appeared anywhere else.
Volkswagen is not sharing the specifics of which two vehicles they’ll be introducing but most auto industry analysts are guessing that at least one of them will be the new convertible version of the popular Beetle, which recently went on sale in its hardtop version, sporting an updated design.
For the other vehicle, rumors abound, but most car bloggers agree that it’s likely to be a new variation of an existing vehicle, though it’s possible that the much-whispered about crossover with three rows of seats might be put on the pedestal.
If you’ll be in or near Los Angeles during the month of November, you can check out the Auto Show yourself. The media preview will take place on November 16th and 17th, while the actual show runs from the 18th-27th, including Thanksgiving weekend.
Ford is pushing their EcoBoost technology for the 2012 model year, and one of the new models to feature it is the 2012 Ford Edge. How does it drive? AutoTravel TV shared this video review via YouTube:
Toyota announced earlier this month that it’s considering moving the production of the Toyota Camry models meant for the South Korean market from Japan to the United States to reduce export expenses.
Last year, South Koreans bought 4,200 Toyota Camrys making it one of the best selling foreign cars in that country. Toyota believes that by producing the vehicles for that market in the US instead of Japan, it could lower the price, thus attracting even more buyers. Why is this so? Because by moving to American factories, the carmaker would be operating in dollars instead of yen, and taking advantage of the U.S. – South Korea free-trade agreement.
Apparently, even though actual shipping costs would be higher, the cost of production would be less overall if the cars were built in America.
Right now, Camrys destined for South Korea are constructed at the auto company’s plant in Toyota city, a Japanese city that used be known as Koromo, until strong ties with the car company precipitated a name-change.
There has been no announcement of when such a shift in production might take place.
To eco or not to eco, that is the question. Okay, maybe it’s not since the eco version of the 2012 Chevrolet Cruze only comes in a stick-shift version. Still, it’s not a bad car either way, as this review shows. Enjoy.
A new recall alert hit the news this morning, this one from Honda.
This recall involves the recall of 310,773 Honda Pilot SUVs from model year 2009 through 2011, because of a defect in the safety belts. Specifically, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the stitching that holds the front lap belts together may be either incomplete or missing. Either of these things could cause the belt to become detached, which could be extraordinarily dangerous if the vehicle was to crash.
The recall will begin around the 3rd of October, and will involve dealer-performed inspection of the seat belts in question, and replacing them if necessary.
Owners of Honda Pilots from the affected model years can call either the NHTSA vehicle safety hotline at (888) 327-4236 or Honda at (800) 999-1009.