Back in the day, Marlboro sponsored both McLaren and Ferrari. The former wore the sponsor's colors, while the latter stayed all red until Philip Morris decided to stop hedging its bets and went all Italian. McLaren was scorned, but got even... eventually. Several years, championships and sponsors down the road, McLaren poached European telecom giant Vodafone away from Ferrari to be its title sponsor. Right above Vodafone's logo on Hamilton's racing suit, however, is that of Santander, the Spanish financial concern that has been rolling out serious bucks for F1 presence the past couple of years. So Ferrari has gotten even by stealing them away.
The switch for Santander, which seems to be taking an aggressive approach to the financial crisis, was confirmed by its president Emilio Botin, to take place starting in 2010. But that's not all. Botin added fuel to longstanding rumors of Fernando Alonso's possible move to the Scuderia by stating that the Spanish bank hopes to work with "the best driver in the world" again soon. The plot thickens.
Back in May, Niotnet brought us news that Hawaii was in talks with Better Place to set up a network of electric car recharging and batter swapping stations across the islands. Fortune now says that the state has inked a deal with Better Place to put their system in place by 2012.
The agreement is for Better Place to sell electric Nissan Rogues to consumers and, basically, rent the vehicles' batteries by the mile. The company hopes that by taking out the up-front cost of the battery, consumers will be more likely to buy an electric vehicle.
You may remember Better Place from a recent announcement that it will set up a similar network in the Bay Area. That system is also planned for a 2012 launch, which is also the date Better Place plans to flip the switch in Australia, Denmark and Israel. Sounds like somebody's gonna be busy.
Hawaii has some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation. This is one of the steps that the state is taking to reduce its dependence on oil. There's also the chance that beach-seeking tourists will take an island spin in one of the electrified Nissans, go back home and spread the green word.
To go along with the recent addition of Alternity Convoy, a version of Optimus Prime in Japan that transforms into a Nissan GT-R, comes another new toy in the same series by TakaraTOMY. What bot would be a better followup to Prime than Megatron? Instead of the classic weapon shape that we've grown accustomed to for the ultimate Transformer baddie, Alternity Megatron's alt-mode is a Nissan 370Z. Here we have a problem, as Megatron's car mode takes a decided back seat to Prime's GT-R. Still, the GT-R and Fairlady Z (what they call the 370Z in Japan) are both made by Nissan and the two leaders are actually brothers in the Transformers universe.
No matter, as diehard Transformer fans are sure to overlook the obvious Decepticon snub. What they may not forgive, however, is Megatron dropping his cannon for a pair of swords.
Like Alternity Convoy, Megatron is officially licensed from Nissan and die cast in metal. Those wanting to get their hands on the latest Alternity bot can choose from silver or blue.
The Pontiac Trans Am has always been a bit over-styled, to put it mildly. As the ultimate expression of the Firebird, the TA was always adorned with all manner of scoops, wings and bulges, setting it off from more mundane versions of Pontiac's pony-fighter. In the late '90s, the last-gen F Body got its final restyling before heading to the great automotive graveyard in the sky, and its overwrought design left very little room for external customization. Where there's a will, there's a way, though, and Automotive Services in Sterling Heights, Michigan managed to add some extra pizazz to the car's swoopy shape with a Kammback rear hatch. A Trans Am Wagon? Sign us up! All it's missing is a huge Screaming Chicken on the hood.
The one-off machine, known as the Hurst Hauler, has made it to auction on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $35K. Originally introduced for the Y2K SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the car went on to star in the 2001 Hot Rod Power Tour driven by the guys at Year One. Based on a 2000 WS6-equipped TA, the ram air-fed 5.7L LS1 small block has seen some extra tuning in the form of a Corsa exhaust, custom-ground Erson camshaft, Accel fuel injectors and custom ECU tuning from TTS Power Systems. The result is about 370 horses according to The General's official press release from back in the day, which we've gone ahead and pasted after the break.
Management bonuses will be slashed 10 percent at Toyota as a result of the global economic slowdown. About 5,000 managers will take cuts as the Japanese automaker reels from falling global sales that are hitting its local market hard. Toyota vehicle sales in Japan dropped 27 percent in November (excluding 660cc minivehicles) and Lexus sales dipped 24 percent -- mirroring the same sales issues that both brands are having in the United States. As a result, the Japanse Juggernaut will halt production for two days on one of the Tahara production lines manufacturing the Lexus LS, GS and IS models, which will prevent about 5,000 luxury cars from being built, and idle another factory in southern Japan for two days, as well. Toyota is also expected to announce lower sales and production estimates at its year-end press conference that happens at the end of this month. That news will follow the 1 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) yanked just last month from its annual operating profit forecast.
We've already seen GM and Ford issue their pleas for government loans, and now it's Chrysler's turn. The only privately-owned automaker of the three released a 13-page document outlining the aid it seeks from the Feds and how it plans on spending our hard-earned cash. If you want to read the full text, it's available after the jump. But the condensed version follows.
Chrysler is requesting a $7 billion "secured working capital bridge loan" by December 31st, citing the collapse of the light-duty vehicle market, the U.S. financial crisis and the global downturn in the economy as reasons it needs cash. It estimates by the end of the year it will only have $2.5 billion in working capital in the bank and that's not enough to keep the lights on through January.
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In just a few short days, Ford and its two cross-town rivals will be required to lay down a plan before Congress that points a clear path towards profitability and global competitiveness. These days, any automaker's future will involve plenty of greenery, and as the first of the three automakers to submit its comprehensive business plan to the lawmakers in DC, Ford's plan includes electric vehicles slated for launch starting in 2010. First up will be a new electric van for commercial use, followed in 2011 by a new electric sedan. Other highlights include U.S. versions of the European-designed automobiles that are currently making their way across the pond, the sale of all its private jets, further plant closings and continued negotiations with the UAW.
So, what kind of money are we talking? The Blue Oval's plan calls for a bridge loan of $9 billion to be made available, though it hopes it doesn't need it. You may remember that Ford bet Henry's farm already when Mulally first took office at the automaker, so it's already got a load of financed cash on hand to weather the current stormy climate through 2010. What's more, Ford hopes to get $5B of loans under the already-promised $25B for fuel efficient cars. On the negative side, the plan suggests that a bankruptcy of either General Motors or Chrysler would be enough to cripple Ford's operations. Barring that, even with a forecast of flat sales of 12.5 million units per year for the next three years for the U.S. auto industry, Ford believes it's on its way back to profitability as early as 2011.
Nissan has released four more official images of the NISMO 370Z S-Tune, and the photos show a much more hardcore of version of the Japanese brand's new rear-wheel-drive sports car than we saw debut at the LA Auto Show last month. Buyers will be able to choose between the full-on body kit above with a new lower chin spoiler, "extension nose piece", rocker moldings, rear valance and rear wing or a toned down version. Those larger deep dish, five-spoke aluminum wheels are also an option, as are a stainless steel exhaust system, upgraded S-Tune suspension, additional body braces and S-Tune brake pads. Nissan already has an official website up in Japanese extolling the virtues of the 370Z S-Tune, including an opening intro video that flies around the car.
It seems the entire world is still debating whether or not Rick Wagoner, Alan Mulally and Bob Nardelli should have carpooled, walked or taken the bus for their last trip to the Capitol, but that's all behind us now. The good news for those who like to play expert on the internet is that Detroit's got another date with Congress this week. Ford CEO Alan Mulally is the first of the three CEOs to announce that he'll be driving, though we expect the others to follow suit shortly.
There's no doubt that Mulally will be driving a car from Ford's latest crop of vehicles (rather than his own Lexus), but which one would make the best impression? No matter which he chooses to drive, you can count on the fact that the choice will be dissected, so this seemingly insignificant decision could have major future ramifications. So, we ask you, dear Autoblog readers: What should Mulally drive to Washington...
Not to be confused with the "24 Hours of LeMans" (that zooty French endurance race), the "24 Hours of LeMons" is an event comprised of low-budget $500 race cars (yeah, "lemons"). The so-called "crap-car enduro" has enticed various members of the Autoblog team over the years into covering, and more recently participating, in the event. When asked to join a team for an upcoming race, we knew it was our obligation to go. We now find ourselves booked for the "Thunderhill Arse-Freeze-Apalooza." The event scheduled during last few days of December promises dreadfully cold weather, but plenty of off-beat racing fun. Our six-part weekly series will take you behind the scenes with our new race partners, the "Tinkerbell Rosso" racing team, and their 1996 Crown Victoria "Police Interceptor."
