Acura has been a best seller for Honda for a coon’s age, and it’s beginning to look a little long in the tooth. Which is probably why Honda is showing off a newly revamped Acura at this week’s LA Auto Show.
The new 2014 Acura RLX is almost 300 pounds lighter than its predecessor and sports a powerful 310-horsepower V-6 engine under the hood. Despite the increased power plant Honda says the new Acura will get about 31 mpg which is not too shabby for a mid-sized sedan and comparable to much smaller vehicles. No doubt, given the trend toward a preference for increased fuel efficiency this will be a big selling point. In this age of all-electric, hybrid electric and flexfuel vehicles, the fact the 2014 Acura will offer old-fashioned gasoline powered fuel efficiency might just be enticing for consumers who remain wary of these as-yet-untested power technologies.
Although, the Acura will offer some advanced technology designed to improve the driving experience. These improvements range from LED powered headlamps to a wildly improved communications system (although we’re still unsure what that is.) Also among the technological improvements are the all-wheel steering controls which offer improved control for the driver. These all-wheel driving systems help the driver control the vehicle by offering better wheel control under adverse driving conditions.
How well the 2014 Acura does with consumers has yet to be determined, but given the name recognition, and the fact Honda can slap a “new and improved!” sign on the new models, means it’s likely a much less risky bet than designing a new model from the ground up.
Forget about ‘Shark Week.’ If you’re a gear head you should tune in to The Fast Lane Car YouTube channel for ‘Viper Week.’
The YouTube channel for The Fast Lane Car has Roman Mica reviewing the 2013 SRT Viper. He takes the car through its paces, pushing the 2013 SRT Viper from 0-60 in a handful of seconds. They review the car from the perspective of the “average guy” and offer insight that comes from years of experience driving premium sports cars.
According to the description on their YouTube page The Fast Lane Car Channel is all about offering news, reviews and information that is as exciting as the cars they are driving.
“We love cars and anything with two or four wheels & a motor or engine. That’s why we love to have fun with cars today, that you’ll be buying tomorrow.”
You can check out The Fast Lane Car review of the 2013 SRT Viper here. If you want to make your own video review of the 2013 Viper you’ll need to hustle down to your local Dodge dealership and get in line. They should be rolling onto showroom floors soon…
According to the U.S. Commerce Department, consumers spent less money across the board last month, but much less money on automobile sales than any other category.
The Commerce Department said retail spending was flat from the month before, but automobile sales dipped considerably, something they attribute to poor weather on the East Coast and a flagging economy in Europe.
Europe has officially entered a second period of economic recession, following a period of tepid growth which it which had immediately following its first recession of just a few short years ago. Consumer confidence in Europe is weak as governments struggle to stay ahead of countries teetering on the brink of economic collapse. Formerly solvent nations like Italy, Greece and Spain, now seem destined for bankruptcy. This type of instability is hardly conducive to selling big ticket items like imported or even domestically manufactured automobiles. Until that economy recovers U.S. automakers who do business there will need to tighten their belts and bear the burdens of a declining economic situation. Eventually the situation will turn around and those automobile manufacturers who can weather the current storm will stand to reap big benefits when consumers finally start spending money again.
In the U.S. economists say now that the weather on the East Coast has stabilized it seems more likely automobile sales will pick up their pace once again. U.S. automakers had been seeing stellar sales across the board, month over month, for the past year or so. This recent decline, they said, is only temporary and sooner-rather than later-U.S. consumers will start buying again.
The good news is that if you have been considering buying a new car now might be a good time to do it as dealerships are hungry to make a sale. Be certain you do your homework first and shop around for the best possible deal-but if there was ever a time to buy a new car, now might be it.
Toyota Motor Corp. is partnering with Mazda to produce a new type of small car for the North American market. The new Mazda model, the tiny Mazda2, is meant specifically to compete with vehicles such as the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Chevrolet Sonic and Honda Fit.
The new models will be built at the new Mazda plant in Mexico and is scheduled to begin production in 2014. The first 50,000 Mazda2 vehicles are slated to go into dealerships in 2015.
According to a joint statement from Toyota and Mazda, “Through the agreement, TMC aims to strengthen its North American vehicle lineup, while Mazda aims to increase production efficiency and contribute to its profitability.”
Toyota has shown it is willing to work with any company if it means the manufacturer can capture a larger share of the market. In fact, by partnering with Mazda Toyota will now have a locally produced vehicle which can compete in the small car market without the need for shipping it halfway around the world. It also stands to benefit from the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Without the ability (or desire) to partner with other manufacturers Toyota would be left in the awkward position of falling behind when it comes to competing in the automobile manufacturing market. Toyota has been working steadily to regain its former luster as the world’s most popular automobile manufacturer. Through its willingness to work with other automobile manufacturers Toyota is taking steps to make that happen and place itself back in the running for the gold car of automobile manufacturing.
