William Maley

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 13, 2012 The news of Suzuki automobiles leaving the U.S. has left their dealers with a choice, either take a cash settlement or take Suzuki to court. Last week, American Suzuki Motor Corporation was authorized by a U.S. Bankruptcy Court to borrow $45 million dollars as part of a settlement with dealers. The settlement would give dealers a cash settlement, and a new contract giving the dealers the rights to operate as parts and service centers for Suzuki vehicles if the dealers voluntary surrender their agreements with Suzuki. There’s two problems with the settlement. For one, the settlements to be paid out, Suzuki will use dealership sales, rent, vehicles in inventory, and investment in facilities to come up with a amount. This arrangement would cause dealers who didn’t sell that many Suzuki vehicles to get a small amount. Also, dealers who agree with the settlement also agree not to take legal action against Suzuki. Now, Suzuki dealers can decline the settlement and take the company to court to fight for what they are entitled to thanks to state franchise laws. The franchise laws make Suzuki buyback the dealer’s inventory of new vehicles and parts, and provide compensation for for rent, facility, and other costs. There’s a problem with this as well because a dealer’s claim could be just worth pennies on the dollar, especially after Suzuki pays its higher-priority creditors. "If Suzuki had chosen to exit the market and terminate the franchise agreements, it would have been subject to state franchise termination assistance provisions such as buying back vehicle inventory, parts, tools and rent on the dealership facility," said James Moors, NADA's director of franchising and state law. "NADA would be concerned if Suzuki is attempting to use the bankruptcy process to avoid its obligations to its dealers. NADA is reviewing this proposal and believes that Suzuki dealers should not receive less than what they are entitled to under their franchise agreements and applicable state law," Moors went onto say. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), 2 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. Related Stories: Suzuki Vehicles Bid Adieu, Files Chapter 11 View full article

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William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 12, 2012 Motor Trend is reporting that General Motors and Aisin have come to an agreement dealing with transmissions. The report says General Motors is working on eight-speed transmissions for longitudinal (RWD/AWD) and transverse (FWD/AWD) applications. A source tells the magazine that the eight-speed transmissions for longitudinal applications aren't quite ready. The source goes onto say that General Motors have reached an agreement with Aisin to supply transmissions for one year. The transmissions would be likely used in the Cadillac ATS, and the upcoming Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet Corvette. Source: Motor Trend 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. Related Stories: Ford and General Motors Sign An Agreement To Work Together On Transmissions View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 12, 2012 When the news broke of Suzuki leaving the U.S., there was chorus of people who said this; “How long does Mitsubishi have in the U.S.?” This a good question considering the evidence. Mitsubishi sales through October have dropped 29% to 50,103 vehicles. Mitsubishi’s market share has also dropped from 0.7% to 0.4% in the same period last year. Also, Mitsubishi’s dealers lead all automakers in the U.S. with backlogged inventory. "We have no intention whatsoever of withdrawing from the U.S. market. The U.S. market is a very important market," said Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko. Masuko says the decline in sales is due to departure of four Mitsubishi models; the Eclipse coupe and convertible, Endeavor, and Galant. While sales are expected to totaled 55,000 vehicles in this fiscal year, Masuko says he expect sales to rebound to 80,000 vehicles in the next fiscal year thanks to new vehicles including the Outlander. Mitsubishi is also planning to expand production at its factory in Normal, Illinois from 50,000 to 70,000 vehicles to fill demand for markets including Russia, Latin America and the Middle East. Finally, Mitsubishi has appointed Gayu Uesugi as the chairman of Mitsubishi Motors North America. Uesugi duties will include crafting a profitable product plan, strategy for growth, and manufacturing blueprint for the U.S. Whether all of the moves work or not, we'll have to wait and see. 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

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 12, 2012 The current Honda Civic has been lambasted by the press for its dull styling, awful interior, and many other reasons. Despite this, the current Civic has been selling like hotcakes. Through October, Honda has sold 254,716 Civics, making it the best selling compact car in the U.S. Still, Honda knew it had to make changes to the Civic and moved up the refresh from 2013 to this year. This morning, Honda partly unveiled the 2013 Civic that will be officially shown at the L.A. Auto Show later this month. The new Civic has a lot of updates outside and inside. Starting with the exterior, Honda has drastically changed the front end of Civic by adding a black honeycomb mesh grille and a redesigned lower bumper with chrome trim. The back end features a new bumper and a lower diffuser panel with a honeycomb mesh vent. Honda says the new Civic will boast a new interior and changes to the chassis, though its keeping quiet on those details till LA. The new Civic goes on sale on November 29th. Source: Honda 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. Press Release is on Page 2 2013 Honda Civic to Debut at Los Angeles Auto Show With More Youthful and Premium Styling 2013 Civic styling honed to make the segment's best-selling car even better TORRANCE, Calif., Nov., 12, 2012 – Honda today revealed the first look at the much-anticipated 2013 Honda Civic Sedan, in advance of its debut at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 29. The refined styling of the 2013 Civic Sedan, which goes on sale at Honda dealerships on November 29, will encompass a host of safety, feature, comfort, chassis and interior styling enhancements that will further define the top-selling Civic as the best car in the compact class. The more upscale and premium styling of the 2013 Civic Sedan's front end includes a new open-mouth lower bumper with a horizontal chrome accent and a sportier, black honeycomb mesh grille, anchored by new integrated fog lights on upper trims. The grille is flanked by new clear-lens corner lights to provide a more premium look. The 2013 Civic's more sculpted front end flows into a new, more deeply faceted hood, complemented by a collection of sharp new wheel designs. In back, a new rear bumper design and new rear trunk lid are capped by a clean, horizontal chrome trim piece. The all-new design of the jewel-like taillights now carries into the trunk face, providing a more finished and upscale look. The rear bumper features integrated reflector treatments and a new lower diffuser panel finished with a honeycomb mesh vent. "The 2013 Honda Civic exterior refinements infuse Civic with a more youthful, premium style. Coupling these with additional changes beneath will ensure that Civic maintains its top-ranked status," said Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of product planning for American Honda. Heading into 2013 with styling and content additions, the Civic's fun-to-drive nature and core attributes of safety, spaciousness and fuel efficiency remain intact. As the compact segment's retail sales leader, the Honda Civic continues as the benchmark for consumers looking for the smart purchase in a very competitive segment. Full details of the 2013 Honda Civic will be revealed on Nov. 29 at 10:05 a.m. PST at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For photos showing the styling direction of the 2013 Civic, visit www.hondanews.com. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 12, 2012 I'm sure all of us were thinking, "You know what would make BMW's lineup perfect? A smaller X6." Well as we have been reporting for the past year, BMW has been working on a smaller X6, tentatively called the X4. According to Autoweek, BMW could be showing the new X4 at next year's Detroit Auto Show. The X4 would carry the same coupe-like styling as the X6, while using the X3's platform as a base. The engine lineup will be similar to X3 with four- and six-cylinder engines. There is also talk of a X4 M in the works. Source: Autoweek 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

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 9, 2012 Vauxhall has decided to up their Insignia VXR a bit by introducing the Insignia VXR SuperSport. What makes the Insignia VXR SuperSport different from the Insignia VXR it replaces is a lower price (£29,995, about £3,760 less) and a higher top-speed (170 MPH vs. 155 MPH). The Insignia VXR SuperSport uses a 2.8L turbo-six producing 325 HP. That helps it get 0-60 time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 170 MPH. You can place an order a for a Insignia VXR SuperSport at your nearest VXR dealer now. As for those who wish GM would bring this over a Buick Regal GSX, don't count on it. Source: Vauxhall 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. Press Release is on Page 2 VAUXHALL LAUNCHES UK’S FASTEST & MOST POWERFUL SUB-£30K CAR 2012-11-07 New 170mph Insignia VXR SuperSport replaces current Insignia VXR Price undercuts previous model’s by nearly £4k, despite extra performance Continues tradition of fast Vauxhalls, started with iconic 30-98 model in 1920s AWD, FlexRide and Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty complete class-leading package Luton – Vauxhall has today released a high-performance replacement for the 325PS Insignia VXR that achieves 170mph – 15mph more than its predecessor – yet costs £3,760 less than the outgoing car at £29,995. Called the Insignia VXR SuperSport, the new car produces more power and achieves a higher top speed than any other UK production car costing less than £30,000, including market newcomers like the BMW 135i M Sport. With no speed-limiter, the SuperSport realises the Insignia VXR’s true performance potential, while visual identifiers like blue ‘Brembo’ lettering on its front brake calipers and additional increments on its speedometer offer subtle hints about the car’s giant-slaying intent. But the SuperSport isn’t the first Vauxhall to set speed benchmarks. More than a century ago, Vauxhall launched Britain’s first sports car, the C10 ‘Prince Henry’, quickly followed by the UK’s first 100mph production car, the iconic 30-98. Vauxhall’s engineers even provided customers with a certificate to guarantee that the car had been tested at the ‘ton’ on the fearsome Brooklands circuit in Weybridge* (see pic). Interestingly, Vauxhall’s performance philosophy for the 30-98 was summed up as ‘Superexcellent’, making the SuperSport name a fitting nod to the past. The tradition continued post-war, with the legendary Lotus Carlton becoming the world’s fastest production saloon car in 1989, with a top speed of 176mph. And even in the current line-up, the VXR Maloo is the country’s fastest, officially-imported light commercial vehicle, with a 0-60mph time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. With its new-found performance potential, the Insignia’s adaptive all-wheel-drive chassis has never been put to better use. Fitted with Vauxhall’s HiPerStrut front suspension, which maintains negative camber, improving grip levels in wet and dry, the SuperSport’s handling is safe and rewarding for enthusiast drivers. FlexRide, Vauxhall’s adaptive damping system, is also standard, and comes with a VXR setting for enhanced controllability at higher speeds. At the heart of the VXR SuperSport is Vauxhall’s 2.8-litre V6 Turbo ECOTEC engine, with a micro-alloy forged steel crank, classic 60-degree cylinder angle and die-cast alloy sump – all features found in many a race engine. Producing 325PS, the engine uses a single, twin-scroll turbocharger and variable valve control for quick throttle response, and accelerates from 0-60mph in 5.6 seconds. Like all new Vauxhall passenger cars, the Insignia VXR SuperSport comes with Lifetime Warranty and is available to order now through Vauxhall’s approved VXR dealers. View full article

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 9, 2012 In 2004, if you wanted a subcompact vehicle with the ability to go off the beaten path, you would have to leave the U.S. and head to Europe to pick up a Fiat Panda 4x4. Then in 2006, Suzuki unveiled the SX4 crossover which came with the choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive. It was billed as the least expensive vehicle equipped with AWD in the U.S. with a base price of $14,999. Since its introduction, the SX4 hasn’t changed much and has drifted into obscurity. Even with Suzuki adding a FWD SX4 sportback and sedan to the lineup, there aren’t that many SX4s on the road. Now for the 2013 model year, Suzuki has made some small changes inside and out, and raised the base price to $16,999. The SX4’s exterior looks to be a modern interpretation of the first-generation Geo Metro 5-Door hatchback. Both have low and angular fronts before transitioning to tall, rounded rooflines and sloping rear ends. This shape allows Suzuki to put in a larger area of glass which makes for better visibility and makes the interior feel larger. Other design cues to take note is a revised front end with a larger grille, sixteen-inch alloy wheels, black body cladding, rear bumper skidplate, and a new Plasma Yellow Metallic paint color. The SX4’s interior is a textbook example of a no-nonsense environment. You won’t find any contrasting interior pieces or many luxuries. There are hard plastics used on the dash and door panels, but they look and feel solid. Build quality is high with no panel gaps or rattling noises. Front seat passengers get cloth-covered seats that are very comfortable and feature a decent amount of adjustments. On this particular SX4, the front seats were also heated. Backseat passengers will appreciate the large amount of headroom thanks to the high roofline. What they won’t appreciate is the lack of legroom, especially to those who are tall. This particular SX4 was equipped with a new 6.1-inch touchscreen system which provides navigation, traffic, AM/FM radio, CD, USB, SD Card, Bluetooth, and Pandora streaming. The system is very intuitive and feels responsive. The navigation data and maps for the system are provided by Garmin. While the graphics look like something you would find in the mid-2000’s, the system provided good data and was able to get me where I needed to go. The Pandora streaming works by plugging your smartphone via USB to play your stations. I found the system wouldn’t play the station I had listened to last on the phone. I found that if I switched to another station and then changing back, the station would begin playing. I’m not sure if this if a problem with the system, Pandora, my phone (iPhone 4S), or a combination of the pieces. Next: Power, AWD, Driving, and Verdict Powering the SX4 Crossover is a 2.0L DOHC inline-four producing 148 HP and 140 lb-ft of torque. The power is sent through a CVT and down to either the front-wheels or to all four-wheels via Suzuki’s i-AWD system. The 2.0L engine is satisfactory in this application. Most times, you’ll find the engine provides enough power to get you around town with ease. There are times though where you do wish the car had a bit more torque when merging onto an expressway, though the CVT does an excellent job of keeping you right in the engine’s power band. Much like the Kizashi that I had in for review back in August, the SX4 Crossover has a switch to turn the AWD system on and off. There are three different settings for the AWD system, Off: Leaves the AWD system off, power is sent to front-wheels Auto: AWD system kicks on when the system detects a loss of traction Lock: AWD system is always on I had the opportunity to test the SX4's AWD system through some of the terrible storms that Hurricane Sandy pushed into my area, and I'm happy to say the SX4 and I pulled through. Fuel economy was a huge disappointment for such a small vehicle. The EPA rates the 2013 SX4 Crossover at 23 City/29 Highway/25 Combined. My week’s average was around 24 MPG on mostly suburban and rural roads. On the freeway, I got around 27.1 MPG. The SX4 crossover’s suspension is made up of Macpherson struts up front and a torsion-beam setup in the back. For steering, Suzuki employs a hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion system. This combination makes the SX4 a good partner when you have the urge to take a spirited drive as it keeps the vehicle stable and the steering provides enough feel and weight. But what about the daily grind? How does the SX4 crossover fare? Very well. The suspension provides enough damping to minimize bumps and imperfections on the road. Also, there isn’t that much wind noise entering the cabin. There is a good amount of road noise though. Finishing up my time with the Suzuki SX4, I realized there are many similarities to it and the Kizashi I had in for review back in August. Both vehicles make excellent cases for themselves, but have a few nagging problems. In the SX4’s case, the positives are a unique AWD system, fun and comfortable handling, decent CVT, and simplistic interior design. Problem areas are the poor fuel economy, rearseat legroom, and Suzuki itself. Which is pretty sad since the Suzuki SX4 crossover deserves more attention than its been getting. Now with the recent news of American Suzuki Motor Corporation filling for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closing down its automotive branch, it brings attention the SX4 has been longing for. The SX4 is no-nonsense hatchback crossover that has AWD traction and a low price-tag. Combine it with Suzuki's promise to honor warranties on vehicles and you have one of the best values on road. If this interests you, you should head out shortly since it might not be long before the SX4 crossover is gone forever. Cheers: AWD System Price No-nonsense interior Handling during spirited and normal driving CVT Suzuki honoring warrenties Jeers: Fuel Economy with the 2.0L Rear Legroom Suzuki saying farewell to the American car market Disclaimer: Suzuki provided the vehicle, insurance, and one tank of gasoline. Year - 2013 Make – Suzuki Model – SX4 Crossover Trim – AWD Tech Value Package (Nav) Engine – 2.0L DOHC 16-Valve Inline-Four Driveline – All-Wheel Drive, CVT Horsepower @ RPM – 148 HP (@ 6,000 RPM) Torque @ RPM – 140 lb-ft (@ 4,000 RPM) Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 23/29/25 Curb Weight – 2,954 lbs Location of Manufacture – Sagara, Japan Base Price - $20,449.00 As Tested Price - $20,704.00* (Doesn’t include Destination Charge) 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. 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Can you run that by me again? Maybe provide some diagrams?

William Maley Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com November 8, 2012 With the news of Hyundai and Kia saying they have overstated fuel economy numbers on a certain number of models, the lawsuit have begun to come out of the woodwork. Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filled in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against the two companies. The lawsuit seeks unspecified attorney fees along with damages for U.S. buyers or leasers of one of the 900,000 Hyundai or Kia models. The suit also asks the court to allow people who own or lease a Hyundai and Kia that live in the state of Ohio to back out of their agreements. Then yesterday, the two companies were hit with another lawsuit filled in U.S. Central District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of 23 plaintiffs. The suit is seeking $775 million in compensation for who state the resale values have been damaged by the inflated figures. “Plaintiffs and the Class have been damaged by Hyundai’s and Kia’s misrepresentations, concealment, and non-disclosure of the incorrect fuel economy numbers, because they were misled into purchasing Hyundais and Kias of a quality different than they were promised, and paying higher fuel costs they would not otherwise have paid,” the suit says. Both suits are seeking class-action status. Source: Automotive News, 2 (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