Archive for September, 2010
GM to Rebrand AmeriCredit ‘GM Financial’
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
GM has announced it will close the sale of AmeriCredit this Friday, which should allow the automaker to offer more attractive financing and leasing in the near future. The new financial arm will be called GM Financial (new corporate logo above).
With AmeriCredit, GM will form a new in-house financing firm that will allow the company to dictate its own financing options in the U.S. and Canada.
In general, GM Financial will help the automaker re-enter the leasing business. Only 7% of GM sales are from leasing, compared with the industry average of 21%, according to CNW Marketing Research. It will also allow the company to offer more car loans and leasing options to subprime lenders.
Before GM’s bankruptcy the company sold off its captive lending company GMAC (now Ally Bank) in a failed attempt to stave off insolvency. Ally Bank stopped attractive leasing options and boosted its minimum credit score requirements, which hurt many car shoppers’ ability to purchase a GM car.
Now, in conjunction with Ally Bank and GM Financial, there should be more options if you go to a GM dealership. GM has also had talks about offering subprime lending and leasing with several other banks, including Capital One, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo.
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2010 Paris Auto Show: Nissan Townpod Concept
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Nissan’s take on an all-electric city vehicle has been revealed today in the form of the new Townpod Concept, which is making its debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. Targeted at those always on the go, the Townpod can be tailored to a particular customer’s own needs and is described as a cross between a hatchback and a light commercial…
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2010 Paris Auto Show: Ferrari SA Aperta Live Photos
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
The Ferrari SA Aperta ranks easily as one of the most stunning new cars of the year but Ferrari being the tease that it is has released just three official images of the car. No longer must we be slaves to Ferrari’s whims as the automaker has unveiled this convertible version of the 599 GTB Fiorana at the 2010 Paris Auto Show today. Motor…
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2011 Camaro Convertible Gets Price, Full Picture
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Chevy is not satisfied with letting all the European carmakers dominate headlines this week while the Paris Motor Show is going on. No, they’re dropping some news on the long awaited 2011 Chevy Camaro convertible. The news? The starting price and the image above.
V-6 models will start at $29,150 not including a $850 destination charge and goes on sale in February 2011. You know, when everyone is thinking about warmer weather.
The price is almost exactly $2,000 more than a 2011 Mustang convertible. The Ford starts at $27,145.
Chevy says the trim levels and packaging will be identical to the current Camaro coupe. We’ll have full pricing as we get closer to February.
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2012 Nissan GT-R Makes Surprise Showing In Paris
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Although a leaked image of the 2012 Nissan GT-R has been circling the Web for some time now, this is the first time we’ve seen the car in an official setting and confirms that an updated model is just around the corner. Nissan was tight on information but from what we can gather the additions for 2012 appear to be solely cosmetic, though…
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Honda Knows The CR-Z’s Not Very Sporty
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
After reading Tal Bronfer’s review of the Euro spec Honda CR-Z, I made arrangements to get a North American model for a week. The car arrived the same day that Michael Karesh’s second review of the CR-Z ran on TTAC. Instead of a third review, Ed and I discussed doing a comparison with an original [...]
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2010 Paris Auto Show: BMW Concept 6-Series Coupe Live Photos
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Easily one of the most dramatic vehicle unveilings at this week’s 2010 Paris Auto Show, the all-new 2010 BMW Concept 6-Series Coupe has made its official world debut and gives us a near-perfect preview of the design that will eventually feature on the upcoming 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe. The latest concept, meanwhile, shows the classic features…
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2010 Nissan Maxima Video
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
The 2010 Nissan Maxima is virtually unchanged compared to last year’s model, so in this video we decided to see how the model holds up against the newer Ford Taurus and Toyota Avalon. According to Cars.com senior editor David Thomas, the Maxima handles a lot better than the Ford or Toyota. Despite its relatively short overall length, the Maxima has a comfortable backseat, as well. Check out the video to watch David weigh all the pros and cons.
2010|Nissan|Maxima
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2010 Paris Auto Show: Jaguar C-X75 Concept Live Photos
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Jaguar’s C-X75 concept car, designed to celebrate the marque’s 75th anniversary and unveiled today at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, is nothing if not a striking design. And its technology is equally as stunning: it’s an extended-range electric car with 68 miles of range on a lithium-ion battery pack. Housed under the deck behind the passengers are a…
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2010 Paris Auto Show: 2011 Volkswagen Passat (Euro) Live Photos
Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 by admin.
The new Euro-spec 2011 Volkswagen Passat, shown for the first time at the Paris show, has a shape that North American shoppers will likely see. Nevertheless we look at it with interest, as it might preface some of the design details of our Passat replacement that’s on the way. The Passat has a quite conservative profile, though there’s an…
