It's Throwback Thursday! Take a look at these 1968 FJ Cruisers! Which do you prefer? The classic version or the newer models?

Scion FR-S Nominated to Best of 2013 List by Cars.com

The Scion FR-S was nominated as a Best of 2013 car by Cars.com, an online review and consumer information website. Judges evaluated this year’s new and redesigned cars, and they praised the FR-S for its driving experience and affordability. The FR-S shares its nomination with the Subaru BRZ.

  To earn the nomination for best overall car, the FR-S first won the Cars.com best sports car category. It will go up against the best SUV, midsize sedan, luxury sedan and pickup as well as the best hybrid won by the Toyota Prius c. The overall Best of 2013 winner will be announced on Jan. 15, 2013 during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

  “Consumers frequently turn to online research before a vehicle purchase, so we are honored that Cars.com selected the FR-S as one of the best cars of the year and recognized its uniqueness in the marketplace,” said Scion Vice President Doug Murtha. “By delivering a fun and accessible sports car, Scion expands its appeal with drivers looking for vehicles they can make their own.”

*Courtesy of Scion USA Newsroom

Nissan Announces Winners for “Innovation Garage” Social Media Campaign – Nissan Online Newsroom

A device enabling you to learn in your sleep and a low-cost system for improving health care in developing countries are steps closer to reality, thanks to Nissan. Today Nissan announced that Andrew Saldana of Downey, Calif., Ryan Helsel of Durham, N.C., and Kyle Vath of Cincinnati are the winners of the "Nissan Innovation Garage" campaign, a social media movement designed to inspire and celebrate innovation and provide funding to launch new ideas.

Earlier this fall, more than 15,000 people answered the question, "Wouldn't It Be Cool If ____?", by submitting their best creative ideas at NissanInnovationGarage.com. Nissan is presenting its grand prize winners, Saldana and Helsel, with $50,000 grants and 2013 Nissan Altimas in recognition of their submissions, which were chosen as the best two concepts by a panel of engineering and product development experts in collaboration with Nissan executive leadership. Ideas were evaluated according to their originality, impact and feasibility. Nissan will work with both winners to promote their ideas using Kickstarter.com, a funding platform for creative projects. The company will also award Vath a 2013 Nissan Altima for his idea, which fans selected as their favorite.

"We've been impressed by the great ideas that were submitted," said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Marketing, Nissan North America. "The team at Nissan enjoyed providing a platform for these innovations to surface. We're looking forward to seeing where they may lead. It's inspiring to see people fired up to find ways to make the world a better place."

Saldana's idea, "Dreamwork," is a device that promotes learning while sleeping. Helsel's submission, "Low-Tech Bedsore Prevention," is an affordable system to reduce the occurrence of bedsores for patients in developing countries. Vath's concept, "Non-Emergency Medical Response Unit," is intended to reduce inappropriate use of hospital emergency room services. Participants submitted nearly 33,000 ideas for innovations during the course of the six-week campaign.

 

Building on its "Innovation That Excites" philosophy, Nissan’s hunt for the next great innovation was inspired by the all-new fifth generation Altima - the most innovative Altima yet - which promises to shake up the mid-size sedan segment with its interior  innovations and styling. Among the 2013 Altima's many attributes are its best-in-segment fuel economy of 38 mpg highway (2.5-liter engine), new premium exterior styling, an upscale interior with premium materials, including NASA-inspired "zero-gravity" front seats, and an outstanding balance of ride comfort, stability and a fun-to-drive demeanor. Altima features Nissan "signature innovations" including, Easy Fill Tire Alert, which sounds the car horn when tires are being inflated to signal proper pressure, and Smart Auto Headlights, which turns on the headlights when the windshield wipers are on.

*Courtesy of Nissan News

Lighten up your key chain

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure.To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest

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The all-new 2014 Transit Connect for the way you live

There’s finally a vehicle as unique as you are. The all-new 2014 Ford Transit Connect answers your drive for life with its ability to be ready for just about anything. This rolling statement of individuality shatters the norm with distinctive styling, versatility, efficiency and affordability.

Transit Connect stands out with style and will be offered in two wheelbases with standard seating for five, and available seating for seven. Available EcoBoost® technology helps optimize power and efficiency. Other features include a low floor for easy loading, entry and exit, and available flip-and-fold seating for customized space. Sliding rear seats help accommodate long legs and large cargo while overhead storage bins help keep personal items secure. An available panoramic roof allows plenty of natural light. The Transit Connect helps you get more done with ease and comfort by giving you what you need to fit your life.

The Transit Connect will be available in the fall of 2013.

*Courtesy of Ford News

 

 

   

   

2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS Unveiled

Chevrolet today opened a new chapter in its storied racing history, unveiling its eagerly anticipated 2013 NASCAR Chevrolet SS race car. Powered by the legendary small block V-8 engine, the rear-wheel drive performance sedan will be Chevrolet’s newest entry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, beginning with the 2013 SpeedWeeks in Daytona, Fla. 

The new NASCAR race car closely resembles the all-new rear wheel drive V-8 Chevrolet SS performance sedan that will debut early next year.

“As a passionate race fan, the debut of the SS NASCAR race car is a genuinely exciting moment for me,” said GM North America President Mark Reuss. “With the SS, Chevrolet is delivering a true rear-wheel-drive NASCAR race car that is very closely linked to the performance sedan that will be available for sale, ensuring that our most loyal enthusiasts will have the opportunity to experience the same thrill every day on the open road that our race car drivers enjoy on the track on race day.  

“The Chevrolet SS also demonstrates how we are able to leverage our global product portfolio to deliver a unique performance experience,” Reuss said. “The specialized development and testing work done for the race car will certainly benefit the entire Chevrolet product lineup.”

The Chevrolet SS is the next in a long line of famed nameplates that Chevrolet has campaigned in NASCAR. It replaces Impala, which scored 151 wins from 1959-64 and 2007-12.

“We are looking forward to another exciting year of NASCAR competition and expect that the new SS race car, with some of the most skilled drivers on the circuit behind the wheel, will distinguish itself on the track,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports.

The Chevrolet SS will be a derivative of the award-winning global rear-wheel-drive architecture that spawns performance vehicles like Chevrolet Camaro and Holden’s upcoming VF Commodore. The limited production version of the Chevrolet SS will be a 2014 model and will arrive in dealer showrooms in late 2013. It is the first time in 17 years that Chevrolet will offer a rear-wheel-drive sedan for sale in the United States.

Chevrolet has long used the SS (Super Sport) designation on high-performance models of some of its most enduring nameplates. The SS designation first appeared in 1957 on a Corvette prototype race car built under the guidance of Zora Arkus-Duntov with the plan to enter it in the Le Mans 24-hour race. 

The first production vehicle to be offered with an SS optional package was the 1961 Impala – 453 were built with the performance upgrades, which included a modified chassis and suspension, power brakes, a steering column mounted tachometer and unique wheels and tires.  The SS designation returned to the Chevrolet lineup in 2010 with the debut of the fifth-generation Camaro. 

Chevrolet has 702 victories in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, more than any other manufacturer.  Fonty Flock earned the manufacturer’s first win on March 26, 1955, at Columbia, S.C. Five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson achieved Chevrolet’s 700th victory earlier this month at Texas Motor Speedway.

Chevrolet was America’s best-selling performance car brand in 2011 with Camaro and Corvette accounting for one out of every three sports cars sold in the United States.  The addition of the SS to the lineup is expected to further strengthen Chevrolet’s position as a leading performance brand.

Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world's largest car brands, doing business in more than 140 countries and selling more than 4 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature spirited performance, expressive design and high quality. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

*Courtesy of Chevrolet News

Don’t fill up if you see the tanker!

"If you happen to see a gasoline tanker filling the tanks at your local gas station, come back another day or go to a different station. As the station’s underground tanks are being filled, the turbulence can stir up sediment. Sediment in your gas can clog fuel filters and fuel injectors, causing poor performance and possibly necessitating repairs."

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest

A great review for Erik and Raul! Way to go guys!

"I had looked at about 7 different car lots and was really tired. I have bought 2 other vehicles from Gulf Coast and was very satisfied. I live in Silsbee, TX but I drove. I walked over to Erik's desk and as him to show me 2 cars I'd chosen. He was so young I was a little concerned but he bounced up got the keys and off we went.
I explained my time was limited so he drudged forward. I was not pleased with the deal I was being offered and was about to leave when he got the manager. Raul explained that there isn't much negotiating with the hybrids but he worked with me to the best of his ability. I had to come back the next morning to do paperwork because everyone was gone for the day but once again Erik was all over it. Hurried the cleaning crew up and got me back to work in less than an hour. What a pleasure to have young people like him be so polite, professional and concerned about the customer."

Take a look at this review on DealerRater! http://bit.ly/U9rTPP

"We could not be HAPPIER with the Gulf Coast set of Dealerships and BLAINE WILLIAMS."

"We have been dealing with the dealership since 1995. In the past year we have purchased 3 automobiles. A Ford TRUCK Ford EDGE and A TOYOTA RAV4. I had them put in leather and heated / cooling seats in there RAV4 plus added real wood dashes and details in each car. Blaine made sure this all got done and delivered me to my office. We could not be HAPPIER with the Gulf Coast set of Dealerships and BLAINE WILLIAMS."

See it on DealerRater! http://bit.ly/U9rTPP

New 2014 Ford Fiesta Adds MyFord Touch with Improved Voice Recognition, Navigation and Phone Pairing

The latest trend in consumer electronics is the miniaturization of the gadgets we love, while packing them with even more performance such as a razor-thin phone that doesn’t bulge in a pocket, smaller tablets that can be held with one hand, or music players that can be worn on the wrist. Ford is following suit, and beginning next year it will offer MyFord Touch^® with a new 6.5-inch LCD touch screen available on the 2014 Ford Fiesta.

“Technology features are important to all of our customers including small car buyers, and MyFord Touch continues to drive up purchase consideration of our vehicles,” says Michelle Moody, Ford cross-vehicle marketing manager. “MyFord Touch is appealing to customers, as it consistently ranks among the top 10 purchase considerations with new owners. We’re excited to bring it to the small car segment, where it will really help Fiesta stand out from the crowd.”

The migration of this technology comes right as Ford hits the five-year anniversary of its award-winning SYNC^® in-vehicle connectivity system that was co-developed with Microsoft; more than 5 million cars and trucks have been sold with the system. Ford first launched SYNC on the 2008 Focus, then its smallest and most affordable car. Now, unveiling MyFord Touch for Fiesta cements Ford’s commitment to making technology affordable and accessible to everyone.

“We are seeing strong brand lift from MyFord Touch amongst in-market shoppers, with 65 percent of those intending to purchase a vehicle reporting SYNC definitely plays a role in their purchase consideration,” says Moody. “Take rates for MyFord Touch on new vehicle orders, such as the 2013 Escape and Fusion, continue to outpace our internal projections. We expect the same trend for Fiesta.”

Besides the new MyFord Touch 6.5-inch color touch screen, which is an upgrade over the currently available 4-inch screen, the 2014 Fiesta will launch with the latest SYNC software that adds new features including:

• Simplified Bluetooth^® phone pairing: When pairing, the driver simply has to hit “OK” if the PIN on the phone and touch screen match each other
• More natural voice recognition: Drivers can now simply say “Play <name>” when requesting a specific artist, song, album or genre of music (i.e. “Play jazz” versus “Play genre jazz”)
• Improved voice recognition accuracy: The latest version of Nuance’s speech software, VoCon^® 3200 v4.2, improves overall voice recognition performance
• Flattened audio command structure: At any time, drivers can say the station frequency, “AM 760,” or the official name of the Sirius station, like “Hits 1,” to tune in; drivers no longer need to say “Radio” or “Sirius” to indicate their desire to listen to those audio sources
• Simplified navigation controls: The destination entry screen has been improved to help make it easier to enter an address

With MyFord Touch powered by Microsoft, Fiesta drivers will be able to stay connected to their lives, easily getting the information and entertainment they want while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

* Courtesy of media.ford.com

How Lawn Chairs Helped Ford Develop Vehicle Seats

Whether it’s a long road trip or a daily commute to work, you don’t want driving to be a pain in the…back.

That’s why Ford vehicles have a dedicated Global Seating Comfort Team led by Mike Kolich, Ph.D., Ford Seat Systems Engineer, who is also called “Dr. Derriere” around the office. This team has been focusing on anything and everything seat-related since the team was created in 2005.

According to a University of California study, the average driver spends 101 minutes per day on the road. Therefore, Mike and his team know the importance of their contributions to your, um, behind-the-wheel experience – it’s riding on them to ensure that drivers of Ford vehicles are comfortable and relaxed. Huge responsibility, right? Also throw in the necessity to create seats that are lightweight to help with reducing vehicle weight and therefore contribute to a vehicle’s impressive fuel economy, and you’ll know they don’t spend a lot of time sitting down on the job. Wait, technically….

“We leverage a number of technologies to measure seat comfort, including machines that measure how the human form in all its shapes, sizes and weights interacts with a seat, and we use this data to quantify what our customers consider comfortable,” explained Mike.

For example, the 2013 Ford Escape is the first Ford vehicle with a global seat architecture specifically designed to conform to the Ford seat DNA. The DNA is a set of quantifiable measurements for each system in a new vehicle designed to provide a consistent feel across all Ford vehicles worldwide. “We used to think Europeans liked aggressively shaped seats with firm cushions while Americans preferred flat, cushy seats,” he said. “The reality is that regardless of the size and shape of a driver’s backside, they tend to value roughly the same characteristics when it comes to comfort.”

How they did this included a zillion tests with drivers and passengers around the world, both in the lab and in vehicles, and they also used a unique seat carousel and a dummy that closely replicates the human body and enables engineers to collect more detailed data about pressure points on the back that ultimately lead to seats that provide better support where it’s needed. Ford is among the first automakers to use this new mannequin.

And about the lawn chairs: The team is always studying seats from other industries, including lawn chairs and high-end office chairs, in the quest to develop even smaller, lighter-weight seats.

Mike also revealed, “We have biomechanists in our group who study how people should sit to avoid back issues. Most people don’t like to be told how they should sit. Our seats are designed to let people adjust for their individual preferences, and still deliver the support they need for their health.”

*Courtesy of Ford Social

 

Magic Magnets Give Buick Crossovers AWD Refinement

When snow inevitably starts falling over the General Motors Proving Ground in Michigan this winter, Buick engineers will use the conditions to put the finishing touches on the Encore luxury small crossover. It arrives early next year as the brand’s first entry into the burgeoning small crossover segment.

Encore’s “Active On-Demand” all-wheel drive is designed to give the vehicle the fluid drive characteristics and sure-footed traction Buick drivers expect but in a smaller, lighter package. Unlike traditional systems that engage all four drive wheels after slip is detected, Encore uses a magnetic charge to engage a clutch at the rear axle preemptively when the vehicle is at rest because slippage is most likely to occur just as the vehicle begins to move. If no slip is detected, a computer control automatically disengages the preemptive torque to the clutch once the Encore is underway, returning the system to a primarily front-drive operation.

“A Buick all-wheel drive system has to deliver the best traction possible, and it has to do it in a way that’s totally imperceptible to the driver,” said Encore Chief Engineer Jim Danahy. “We engineered Encore’s lightweight, responsive and refined system to deliver on the expectations of demanding luxury buyers.”

Buick engineers used their experience developing an all-wheel drive system for the Enclave luxury crossover SUV and applied it to Encore’s smaller packaging. The Enclave uses similar technology. To fit Encore’s weight and space needs, engineers worked with BorgWarner to develop a new, more compact coupling for the rear axle.

Reduced weight benefits Encore’s handling, as well as fuel economy. With all-wheel drive, Encore’s EPA-estimated fuel economy is 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Beyond weight savings, the advantages of Active On-Demand all-wheel drive for the driver include rapid activation and deactivation, more control over the transfer of torque, more refined performance in tight turns and parking situations and better integration with safety systems like ABS and stability control.  

“Technology is allowing us to translate Buick’s quiet, comfortable ride to smaller vehicles than we could before,” said Danahy. “This all-wheel drive system, like turbocharged engines and Buick QuietTuning technologies, allows drivers to experience that Buick DNA with unprecedented efficiency and maneuverability.”

According to the 2012 Harris Poll AutoTECHCAST^SM Study, “familiarity with all-wheel drive continues to climb” and one third of all new car buyers would consider purchasing the technology on their next new vehicle. Consideration of all-wheel drive is greatest among luxury crossover/SUV owners, along with owners between 35-54 years of age. Among current all-wheel drive vehicle owners, 83 percent consider it an important feature for their vehicle.

* Courtesy of Buick News

"Embodying sophistication and strength"- The 2013 RAV4 Pre- Reveal.

Winter Car Care Tip!

Let floor mats take winter’s beating

Use floor mats to protect carpeting. The best type for controlling salt, slush, and mud in winter are rubber wafflestyle mats. They stay in place, don’t allow the water to seep through, and are easy to wash clean. Carpet-style mats are helpful, too. Shake, vacuum, or wash as needed; replace them as they wear through.

*Courtesy of Reader's Digest