The Web Page of Kristopher Linquist

Though U.S. auto sales showed signs of settling down in August, Vice Chairman of Toyota, Kazuo Okamoto, believes that it's still uncertain whether industry wide sales in America have hit bottom.

"It's hard to say whether the U.S. market has hit bottom," said Okamoto.

Toyota sales totaled just below 16.2 million vehicles in 2007, and a steep sales decline as a result of high gas prices, tighter credit and slumping housing market was recorded this spring and summer.

Okamoto also believes that even with the recent ease in oil prices, Toyota would still assume fuel costs would be higher over the long term for its product planning.

Jim Lentz, President of Toyota Motor Sales, told reporters that the Japanese automaker, now ranked second in U.S. auto sales, expects to sell more than 14 million units for the full 2008 year. And for 2009, Lentz predicts that industry wide sales "will be flat" from 2008.

+ Automotive News: Toyota is uncertain U.S. market has hit bottom

As part of a strategy to counter Mercedes-Benz recent decision to offer its four-cylinder diesel models in North America by 2010, BMW is supposedly close to committing to bring the four-cylinder gasoline engine for the 3-Series to U.S. and Canada.

The 167 horsepower 320i and 120i are both strong sellers in Europe and BMW's project director Oliver Friedmann thinks that they may be strong elsewhere. The automaker's North American offerings "would have a desirable effect on many fronts."

When asked about the four-cylinder diesels offered in the 123d and 320d, Friedmann and others claimed that the North American market weren't quite ready for them, particularly for the 3-Series.

+ Edmunds Inside Line: BMW May Bring North America a Four-Cylinder 3 Series

Filed under: Tuners, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, FIAT, Special/Limited Editions

Calling your retrofitted little runabout a tender is apparently all the rage these days. The yacht-based theme was recently adopted by BRABUS, which paired a smart fortwo with one of its warp-enabled SLRs. Now, Castagna does the same with Fiat's retro-fied 500. In fact, this isn't the first time that the Milanese coachbuilder has created such a machine, using the MINI Cooper platform just a few years back in the same exact way. In its transformation from sporty little coupe to a larger vessel's dinghy, the roof, tailgate and top are jetisoned in favor of a canvas covering with which to escape the heat. On the inside, the normal guts are removed and replaced with teak wood and wicker trim along with all new seats. As a concession to emissions, the gasoline powerplant is yanked in favor of sails a new electric motor and batteries that are supposedly capable of powering the tender some 80 miles at speeds up to 86 miles per hour. No rowing required.

[Source: Channel 4]

 

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Etc., Green, Toyota, Opinion/Editorial

Vandals who mess with other people's cars are scum -- bottom-feeders who are beneath contempt. It doesn't matter what the vehicle being damaged is. Cars are a major purchase, there's often an emotional connection to them, and most importantly, they generally represent the owner's primary source of mobility -- getting him or her to work, to the store, to pick up the kids, and so on.

SUV owners know the deal, and it sucks. Stories of drivers (and dealers) finding trucks partially or completely trashed in the name of saving Mother Earth are nothing new, and now it seems that Prius owners are getting their own taste of this nonsense. Inside Line reports that a recent Los Angeles case in which one of the Toyotas was burned to the ground has been determined to be the result of arson. In Petaluma, CA, meanwhile, seven Priuses were vandalized over a two-week period in April. One poor woman had her car attacked twice, and then when it was in for repairs, the Prius rental she had also got worked over. The conventional wisdom suggests that the Prius is a juicy target because it's a poster child for the environmental movement. And seriously, is this at all surprising? Some sort of anti-eco blowback like this was probably inevitable. People get fed up, so just as the HUMMER and other SUVs are targeted by greens looking to send a message, it was only a matter of time before the anti-HUMMER started getting the same kind of attention from the other direction.

What's it all prove? Nothing, except that asshats are readily found on both sides of every issue. If you don't like a particular car or truck, feel free to talk as much trash as you want (it's practically a sport in the comments section around here). Think the HUMMER represents some sort of rolling apocalypse? Fine. Ditto if you feel that the Prius is nothing but a snob capsule for tree huggers. Just don't turn those thoughts in to actions, because when you willfully screw with another person's car or truck, you're just another stupid criminal, and whatever message you think you're advancing just falls on deaf (and angry) ears.

[Sources: Inside Line, Prius Owners Group]

 

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Lexus, Toyota

Lexus has some changes in store for most of its model lineup in 2009, though there doesn't appear to be anything in store for enthusiast drivers to rejoice over. Also cause for jeers instead of cheers: price increases from .8 to 1.1 percent, depending on model. The IS 250 and 350 do get revised suspension and steering tuning to go with exterior styling tweaks and the revised interior carries a new center cluster and an off switch for the VDIM stability control. The IS F über-IS also gets a new interior rendered in terra cotta and black that's termed "sporty."

The only news in the GS department is a 40% increase in trunk space for the GS 450h hybrid, which sounds fantastic but only amounts to 10.6 total cubic feet. The big LS sedans stay largely the same, though some new variants join the party. AWD versions of the LS 460 and LS 460 L tuck a Torsen differential onto the transmission's output shaft, which then marshalls torque between front and rear axles. Slick. The AWD LSes come standard with air suspension, variable-ratio steering, and adaptive suspension. Hit the jump for the full press release with detailed pricing info.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Lexus releases details on updated 2009 range

 

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Filed under: Car Buying

It's no secret that the used car market is in a state of flux. As gas prices rise and fall, so does the value of the car currently sitting in your driveway, waiting to be traded in. To help dealerships assign a fair value to your car, the National Automobile Dealers Association has added two new categories for wholesale vehicle market. The new categories are "Rough" and "Average" and they join "Clean Trade-In," "Clean Loan" and "Clean Retail" as options for your ex-vehicle to fall into.

According to NADA, roughly half of all trade-ins will fall into the newly established "Average" category. As you might imagine, "Rough" vehicles have seen a bit more wear and tear than is typical. Then there's the good old "Salvage" bucket for cars which have seen much better days. You won't necessarily know what bucket a dealership is assigning to your particular vehicle as these categories are to be used in the wholesale market only. Still, the dealership is keenly aware that it may need to rid itself of your trade-in and the business-to-business market may be its best bet. In other words, you may be indirectly touched by these new standards.

[Source: NADA]

Continue reading NADA adds 'Rough' and 'Average' categories for trade-ins

 

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