William Maley

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 22, 2013 According to What Car? Lexus is planning to build a IS Coupe that will go sale next year. The IS Coupe is expected to carry many of the design elements and cues seen on the LF-CC. Powertrains are likely to be similar to the sedan; 2.5L and 3.5L V6 engines. Also in the cards is a next-generation IS-F. Much like the last IS-F, the new model would use a V8 engine. No word on a possible release date. Source: What Car? William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 22, 2013 If you want a Ford Raptor, but need a vehicle that can carry eight or has an enclosed space, Hennessey Performance has the vehicle for you: the Hennessey VelociRaptor. The VelociRaptor takes a standard crew-cab Ford Raptor pickup and removes the five-foot, seven-inch bed and extends the cab. Components such as the rear glass, hatch, and tailgate mechanisms are based on the SUV formally known as the Excursion. From there a buyer has the choice to have a enclosed space or a third-row. The conversion adds about 600 pounds to the Raptor. There is one downside to the conversion though. Enclosing the truck and bed means there is no gap. The result: jumping a VelociRaptor could result in damage, where the normal Raptor with its gap can flex off the stress. Power remains the same 6.2L V8 with 411 horsepower and 434 pound-feet of torque. This being Hennessey you can strap on a supercharger package that boosts power to 600 horsepower and a number of other goodies. How much for the VelociRaptor? Prices start at $149,500. Hennessey is planning to build 30 VelociRaptors per year. Source: Automobile Magazine William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 21, 2013 This maybe somewhat hard to believe, but German luxury models are cheaper than their Korean counterparts in South Korea. For example, a BMW 528i is around $64,000 in South Korea while Kia's flagship K9 is around $76,400. A difference of $12,400. Consumers in South Korea are taking notice of this and are going towards the Germans. Why are the German vehicles much cheaper? Lowered tarrifs. Thanks to a trade pact introduced back in 2011, duties on European products dropped from 8 to 3.2 percent. This means automakers such as BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz have seen an sales increase of 25 percent in the first quarter. Meanwhile Hyundai saw its share in luxury vehicles drop 4..7 percent. “Customers who were loyal to the brand for over 20 years are breaking away. It shows that imported brands are now perceived as something accessible,” said Kim Pil Soo, professor of automotive engineering at Daelim College in South Korea and an adviser to the government. Source: Bloomberg William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 21, 2013 The folks at Automotive.com got their hands on some interesting information concerning what's in store for Kia. We'll start with the Quoris, Kia's large, RWD flagship sedan. We've been hearing that this model would be coming to the U.S., but a date hasn't been given. Until now. According to a Kia offical, the Quoris is expected to arrive on our shores sometime next year. The Quoris was expected to come sooner, but with Kia introducing seven refreshed models this year, the decision was made to push it off next year. Also in the cards is a minivan. Kia brought back the 2012 Sedona as a 2014 model with some new features and emissions equipment. But the current Sedona is going on eight years and is desperate for a replacement. Reportedly, Kia was working on a new minivan that took some ideas from the 2011 KV7 concept. However, problems have arisen. When asked about what the future holds for the Sedona, a spokeperson said “Wait ’til the end of the year” for an announcement about it. Source: Automotive.com William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 20, 2013 At the moment, more than half of U.S. new-car sales are cars equipped with four-cylinder engines. Ford expects that number to climb to 66 percent by 2020. Here's how the market currently breaks down: subcompact, compact, and midsize vehicles are coming equipped with four-cylinder vehicles. Subcompact and compact crossovers are also following the same trend. Many analysts believe Ford's estimate is high, but not of the question. "I think it's maybe a stretch. But I don't find it implausible. If you look at where things have been going segment by segment, except pickups, you could say that's been the trend," said Bill Visnic, senior editor at Edmunds. However, some analysts say pickup trucks and large SUVs, which account for 13 percent of car sales overall and use V6 and V8 engines could put a halt to Ford's prediction. Source: The Detroit News William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 20, 2013 Chrysler is reportedly developing a new supercharged HEMI V8 to compete with high-performance vehicles such as the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Ford Mustang GT500. This new engine, code-named Hellcat, is believed to be a 6.2L HEMI V8 equipped with a supercharger. The engine is capable of producing power close to the 640 horsepower found in the SRT Viper's 8.4L V10. This engine first came to light back in January by Allpar and was recently confirmed by unnamed sources to Automotive News. The new supercharged 6.2L V8 is expected to debut on the next-generation Dodge Challenger, which is expected to go into production sometime next year. The V8 will be available with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Sources say the 6.2L could also appear in other Chrysler models as well. This supercharged V8 appears to be a one and done deal. An engineer described the Hellcat as a "last hurrah" before more stringent CAFE regulations come into play. Source: Allpar, Automotive News (Subscription Required) William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 20, 2013 There is always the risk of buying into a new, fledgling automaker since they may be here one moment and gone the next. Such is the case in point with Fisker Automotive and owners are selling their vehicles at prices that will make you do a double take. A recent search on eBay saw the average price of twenty-five Fisker Karmas up for bid hovering around the $60 to $70k mark. There were a couple that were around $50,000 mark. "Anybody who wanted this car before because it was knock-down gorgeous, but couldn't afford it, well now they can afford it," said Bill Michlin, a dealer with the Fields Auto Group in Glencoe, Il. "The car is a pleasure to drive, it has horsepower beyond belief for an electric vehicle and it's so fun and so gorgeous. And now it's available." So why are people getting rid of their Karmas? Well with Fisker's future uncertain thanks to bankruptcy, there comes the question of availability of parts and service down the road. But who knows, maybe many of these new owners will turn to VL Productions to add a V8 engine... Source: NBC News William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 17, 2013 The Detroit Fress Press reports that production of the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee has been delayed by month due to “wide range of issues”. “We did start with an initial scheduled plan of the third week in May, and now we are into mid-June. That is just due to a wide range of issues,” said Mark Chernoby, Chrysler’s senior vice president of engineering Those issues range from adjusting both tooling and manual tasks on the assembly line to properly calibrating the new nine-speed automatic transmission. “These are pretty much common issues with everything we launch. Especially if there is a major change with the powertrain,” said Chernoby. Even with this delay, Chrysler are telling dealers that they will have a full stock of Cherokee by the time they are expected to go on sale in the fall. Source: Detroit Free Press William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 17, 2013 Sometimes, you get very lucky with spy shots by catching a new model without any camo or a giant cover over it. Case in point is the new BMW 2-Series coupe which was caught during what appears to be a photo shoot. The new 2-Series coupe looks to have a similar roofline as the current 1-Series coupe. The front and rear ends have been cleaned up and smoothed over. The model seen in the shots is reportedly the new M235i with a set of large wheels, slimmer headlamps, and large air intakes on either side of the front end. Power will come from two engines. BMW's TwinPower turbo-four will be in the base 228i coupe making 240 horspower, while the M235i will come with N55 turbocharged inline-six making 320 horsepower. Both engines will be available with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. The new BMW 2-Series will make its official debut sometime later this year. Source: Autoblog William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 16, 2013 This is an odd way to introduce a new body style. General Motors released a press release today talking about the aerodynamics of the new pickups. The pictures used for this press release was the regular cab version of the 2014 GMC Sierra. Now it doesn't take that much imagination to figure out what the regular cab version would look like, but I have to say it looks very nice. The Sierra regular cab used in the photos is the Z71 model with the standard bed. We'll have more information on this when the truck goes on sale later this year. Source: General Motors William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. Press Release is on Page 2 GMC Pickups 101: Busting Myths of Truck Aerodynamics 2014 Sierra gains fuel economy, quietness from time in wind tunnel DETROIT – The all-new 2014 Sierra full-size pickup truck spent more development time in a wind tunnel than any GMC pickup before it, resulting in design changes that benefit both fuel efficiency and interior quietness. To achieve improved airflow, aerodynamic engineers like Diane Bloch examined every millimeter of the truck to find areas of improvement, debunking some popular myths along the way. To study the way air passes over, under and around the Sierra, engineers used General Motors' state-of-the-art Aerodynamics Lab, a 750-foot-long tunnel through which a 43-foot-diameter fan powered by a DC electric motor with the equivalent of 4,500 horsepower can generate winds of up to 138 mph. Aerodynamic advancement is one reason why the 2014 Sierra will be the most fuel-efficient V-8 pickup on the market. "We can't stop air; we can only guide it through the path of least resistance. It's like electricity, without the shock," said Bloch, GM aerodynamic performance engineer. "The biggest misconception is that it's all about single components. But a certain side mirror design doesn't create a certain amount of drag, its interaction with the rest of the vehicle does." For example, a new air dam below the 2014 Sierra's front bumper successfully reduces drag because it directs air toward the ground and away from the truck's rough underbody. And Sierra's ducted flow path between the grille and radiator prevents air from swirling inside the truck's front cavities. Even the top of the Sierra's tailgate and the center high-mounted stop light are optimized to guide air cleanly around the truck. And because Bloch's team detected unwanted airflow between the cab and bed, new sealing has been added. "We discovered that in the computational analysis we perform," said Bloch. "The most harmful air between the cab and bed was coming over the cab and down through the gap, so we paid the most attention to that specific area." The pickup market has a great number of available aftermarket accessories, and Bloch says those have varying impact on aerodynamics. Add-ons like bug deflectors on the hood, wider tires or aftermarket bumpers can raise the drag coefficient, which is the measure of how air pushes on a vehicle as it moves down the road. The result: added noise and increased fuel consumption. A long-disputed topic among truck owners is whether a tailgate raised or lowered is better for aerodynamics, but Bloch says a tailgate in the up position is more aerodynamically efficient. As air flows over the truck, it falls over the cab and pushes forward on the rear of the truck. With the tailgate down, the benefits of that airflow are diminished. "Replacing the tailgate with an aftermarket net is worse than having no tailgate at all," Bloch said. "Imagine dragging a solid object and a fishing net through water. The net is going to require more muscle." So what accessories can truck owners add to help aerodynamics? Tonneau covers for the bed help smooth airflow over the truck, and Bloch says soft covers are more beneficial than hard covers because they form to how the air wants to flow. Running boards can also help air flow smoothly down the truck's sides. "Round, tube-style running boards can provide a minor improvement to the truck's drag coefficient," said Bloch, "Fully integrated, flush-mount running boards are even better." GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. The 2014 Sierra half-ton pickup boasts all-new powertrains and design, and the Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks ever built by GMC. Every retail GMC model, including Yukon and Yukon XL full-size SUVs, is now available in Denali luxury trim. Details on all GMC models are available at http://www.gmc.com/, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc. View full article

That's why I think (and hope) they put into the research phase for now.

By William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com May 16, 2013 During a congressional hearing on crash-prevention features yesterday, the National Highway Traffic Administration's administrator David Strickland told the hearing that NHTSA was considering a new mandate to require new vehicles to be equipped with an automatic braking system. Automatic braking systems uses either or both radar and cameras to monitor the road for vehicles and objects then apply the brakes if the system detects a possible accident and of the driver fails to hit the brakes. Automakers such as Volvo and Mercedes-Benz offer auto braking systems and have been praised both by NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Strickland told reporters after the hearing that a decision whether automatic braking systems will be made mandatory or if more research will need to take place sometime later this year. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster. View full article