Variance

Possible Porsche Power Play Pending? Porsche AG, the most valuable and most profitable of Germany's automakers, says it has been increasing its stake in Volkswagen AG to prevent hostile takeovers from abroad. Analysts think Porsche may be gearing up for a takeover of its own. The maker of the 911, the Boxster and the Cayenne SUV said this week it would purchase enough shares in VW to bring its stake to 29.9 percent -- just shy of the 30 percent level that would necessitate a full takeover bid. Porsche -- controlled by the family of VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech -- is now the top shareholder in Europe's largest car maker. While Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking said the company has no plans to take over Volkswagen, the luxury automaker also said it wants to sell 8.75 million new shares, raising about 8 billion euros ($10.2 billion) at current prices. The Detroit News

GM Wants 10% of Asian Market by '10 General Motors Corp., its market share shrinking at home, is turning to Asia to boost its profits, and aims to capture 10% of the region's market by 2010, the U.S. automaker's regional chief said 10%. Top target markets are China and India, where rapid economic growth is fueling demand for cars, said Nick Reilly, president of GM Asia Pacific. GM aims to sell 1.3 million vehicles in Asia this year to grab a 6.5% market share, two-thirds of which is expected to come from China, he said. Last year, GM's sales hit just over 1 million units in Asia for the first time, giving it a market share of 5.7%. Detroit Free Press

Spied: Ferrari 612 Facelift w/4WD Ferrari is preparing a facelift for the 612 Scaglietti, which has been on the market since October 2003. The new car will probably adapt the more aggressive look from the 599 GTB Fiorano. On these pictures, taken outside of Maranello, we can already see the bigger air intakes in the front. With the facelift of the 612 Scaglietti there will also be a four wheel drive option, which is being tested on this prototype. The test equipment on the front wheels is needed to measure the degree of front wheel slip in order to properly calibrate the computer controlling system how much power is being transferred. World Car Fans

Pontiaction: 3,600 Workers to be Relocated General Motors Corp. said Wednesday it will move 3,660 workers out of Pontiac to other metro Detroit offices by the first quarter of 2008 in an effort to become more efficient. Most of the workers will relocate to GM's technical center in Warren, and others will go to the corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit. No jobs are to be lost in the moves, which will allow GM to get rid of excess office space created through years of restructuring and retirement, GM spokesman Dan Flores said. Detroit Free Press

More via TCC: http://www.thecarconnection.com/Enthusiast...178.A11145.html

What: I should change my opinion of them as idiots because they like a marque I favor's product?? They're still worthless. 216447[/snapback] Nah, man. Trust me, it was meant as a compliment.

You're nothing if not consistent.

They both go on sale this weekend. I'm not getting the PS3 until it comes down in price and I never really gave the Wii much thought, really.

Looks...inoffensive. Puts me to sleep just looking at it.

Edmunds Evaluation: 2007 Acura MDX Normally, trying to be all things to all people is a six-lane freeway to suckitude. This is the downfall of focus-grouped design-by-committee automaking, which waters creativity down to the point of the lowest common denominator. Death by clinic. With its all-new Megatron-faced 2007 MDX, Acura wants the MDX to be mentioned in the same breath as the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5. Doing so required the new MDX to be a much hotter tamale than the lame-duck MDX in nearly every way, so Acura endowed the 2007 model with a formidable dynamic repertoire. Effectively negotiating the opposing tables of performance, utility and comfort is a delicate balancing act that the smarter, buffer MDX pulls off convincingly. Edmunds

It actually sells in decent amounts. They are very popular around here. (Nissans in general are, really.)

Holden Makes HSV Lightning McQueen The hottest DVD to hit the stands this Christmas – CARS – from Disney Pixar, has just got hotter. One lucky purchaser will win Australia’s very own Lightning McQueen, a hot new Holden Special Vehicles E series GTS, by filling out a special coupon contained inside every Cars DVD. To launch the Cars DVD, Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife recently put Lightning McQueen to the test at HSV’s Clayton headquarters. World Car Fans

LA Preview: Mazda Nagare Concept HIROSHIMA, Japan – Mazda Motor Corporation today announced the global reveal of an all-new concept car, Nagare (pronounced na-gah-reh), at the Greater Los Angeles International Auto Show, during a press conference at 4:05 PM on November 29, 2006. Following on the heels of three very successful and exploratory Mazda design concepts – Kabura, Sassou and Senku – from last year’s show season, Nagare is the first indication of Mazda’s future design direction. According to Mazda’s newly appointed global design director, Laurens van den Acker, Nagare sums up the future of Mazda design in one deceptively simple word -Flow. “Nagare is a celebration of proportions and surface language that will evolve into subsequent designs planned for presentation at future international autoshows. Nagare examines light and shadow, and begins to reveal the global design cues for the next generation of Mazda vehicles.” Franz Von Holzhausen, Director of Design for Mazda North American Operations, who headed the Nagare design team in Irvine, Calif., describes Nagare as an entirely new and unique expression of Zoom-Zoom: “Inspired by the movement of nature’s elements, our designers have captured motion, energy and lightness and translated it into a beautiful language of lines and forms that are powerful yet effortless, provocative yet strikingly seductive.” And there’s much more to come, too, as Mazda continues to evolve flow through future models. For now, Mazda enthusiasts can experience Nagare as an indication of Mazda Design’s confident step in a new direction. Other vehicles on display at the Show include the recently launched Mazda CX-7 crossover SUV, the Mazda CX-9 three-row, seven-passenger SUV, which arrives in Mazda dealerships in early 2007, and the brilliantly designed MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hard Top, along with the entire 2007 Mazda lineup. [source: Mazda Motor of N.A.]

My guess is because the Aura XR isn't a standout sporty version compared to the XE. It's more of a Galant GTS/Altima 3.5SE/Camry LE V6 competitor. A Redline version would be more appropriate in this group.

It sold for over $110k.

Spied: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Autoblog

That's being a bit extreme, no?

Edmunds Evaluation: 2006 Minivan Comparison Test 1st: Honda Odyssey 2nd: Kia Sedona 3rd: Toyota Sienna 4th: Nissan Quest 5th: Chrysler Town & Country If there's an ever-changing segment of the automotive industry, it's the family-friendly world of minivans. In the 29 months since our last hard look at the segment, it has completely turned itself over. The Kia Sedona and Honda Odyssey have been overhauled, while the Nissan Quest and Chrysler Town & Country have been given thorough once-overs. To see which is the king of the modern mommy-mobiles, we brought the four together, along with the winner of the 2004 comparison test, the Toyota Sienna. Each of the five vans packs a V6 engine, an automatic transmission and two power-sliding doors. Since the Sienna is the only one of the five available with all-wheel drive, we asked for one so equipped. The other four vans are front-wheel drive. Edmunds

WI Couple Donates $1.3M to Corvette Museum A Wisconsin couple donated $1.3 million to the National Corvette Museum in south-central Kentucky, the largest gift in the museum’s history. The money, from Ivan and Mary Shrodt of Sherwood, Wis., will go toward a planned $14 million expansion, museum director Wendell Strode said. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2009, Strode said. The Shrodts said they gave the money to the Bowling Green museum because they have no children and an affection for Corvettes. Detroit Free Press

Actually, it's never really been an issue with me. I mainly keep to myself and the people I know and hang around with either don't care or don't take any notice. It's not as though I act like a preppy white guy or something, though. I have a very "race-neutral" attitude. I just carry myself in way as to not propogate the stereotype of the loud, brash, ignorant black young adult who acts like he doesn't have any common sense. And I know it's a stereotype because out of the black people around my age I know personally, I can't think of any that fit that description. Unfortunately, it's the stereotypes that get the most attention in the media and such.

Well, there are expections to every rule. Some kind of size limit is needed, though.

Eh, get out of the dark ages, ya pansies. :AH-HA_wink: j/k But seriously Captain, while your sig isn't an issue with me (cable modem), I can see where others might have a problem. 9.3 megs for a sig is a bit excessive. I think animation should be restricted to avatars.

I just mean that I'm not a fan of excess "bling", my taste in music isn't predominantly rap/hip-hop (nor am I really influenced by the artists of such), I think "donks", "bubbles" and wheels the size of small children are stupid and I don't think my teeth should be any color other than white. I don't see myself as what I think more than a few people think is the "(stereo)typical black male".

Nope. I'm straight, regular height and hate suspenders and polka. I'm not Michael Jackson, either.

Damn, even less interest than the Torrent thread has mustered. I don't have a great feeling about these...