| Auto blog: SEMA show next week | | Posted Saturday, October 28, 2006 6:46:57 PM by Blog57 Team | | So I was happy to get a press release from PPG Industries saying that silver remains the top automotive color in 2006. White is second (fleets and rentals, mostly, I hope). Red and black tied for third. Blue is fifth. Their color experts forecast we'll be seeing more blues and naturals (greens, copper and bronze metallics, browns that suggest leather or wood tones) by the end of the decade. Our sister paper in Detroit did a whole story on car colors. .... | |
| |
| | | Return to Patriots is Poteat treat | | Posted Thursday, October 05, 2006 6:46:05 PM by Blog57 Team | | Hank Poteat was driving his wife's silver Acura MDX from his home in Bear, Del., to a friend's new home in Odessa, Del., last Monday around 6 p.m., when he got The Call. It was the one from Patriots vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli beckoning him back to the NFL. It's the call that any out-of-work NFL player dreams about getting, but it's one that Poteat has become accustomed to receiving when New England gets desperate for a defensive back. It's the third straight season the Patriots have called upon the 5-foot-10-inch, 195-pounder to serve as a human tourniquet for a bleeding secondary. So there he was Sunday, lined up in the slot against motor-mouth Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson on the first play from scrimmage in what would be a 38-13 Patriots victory.... | |
| |
| | | 2007 Acura MDX already reviewed | | Posted Wednesday, September 06, 2006 8:46:40 PM by Blog57 Team | | Just as Acura finally allowed its new MDX to touch tarmac, Joe Wiesenfelder ran up, snatched the keys and left a bewildered PR person wondering what the hell happened. After the senior writer for Cars.com got through with his joy ride, he wrote an engaging critique of Acura's newest 'ute, with a wit-sharpened perspective on design, ergonomics, drivability and market appeal.Pointing out the exterior's dimensions and 12th century militarized grill, Wiesenfelder continues by crediting Acura for bringing the luxo-truck to the Nurburgring to get handling on par with its Deutschland rivals. Once inside, he points out, in an understated way, the fine line that Acura is walking with interior design, then proceeds to relentlessly bitch-slap the automaker for killing off the touch screen sat-nav and replacing it with a rotary knob, ala iDrive and MMI.Overall Wiesenfelder seemed genuinely impressed with the new MDX, although between handling, acceleration, stopping and all-around utilizing, its success will be based on the image-conscious drivers that flocked to the Japanese mark in the first place.Well worth the read, whether or not the new MDX is on your short list.... | |
| |
| | | Ohioan designs Acuras, Hondas here | | Posted Sunday, September 03, 2006 2:46:08 PM by Blog57 Team | | Farmington, Pa. - Ohio native Frank Paluch was chief engineer for the 2007 Acura MDX and recently became the vice president of design and development at Honda's research and development center in Raymond, near Marysville. While Honda once developed its vehicles in Japan, many of them now are engineered in Raymond. Paluch's new job puts him in charge of more than 500 engineers responsible for developing the interior, body, chassis and exteriors. Paluch grew up in Oregon, Ohio, near Toledo, and graduated from Ohio State University in 1986. During a recent news- media briefing on the new MDX in south western Pennsylvania, he answered some questions about why an aviation engineer would join Honda, what surprised him about life inside the Japanese corporation and the challenges facing Honda and the auto industry.... | |
| |
| | | High Rollers | | Posted Sunday, August 13, 2006 4:46:00 AM by Blog57 Team | | On a ski trip to California's Mammoth and June mountains late last season, I was driving up I-395 with my friend Chris in his brand new Acura MDX-arguably the gold standard of the current generation of sports utility vehicles. The northbound traffic was light, but because it was Sunday, the southbound lanes were a steady stream of happy, tired skiers headed back to L.A. .... | |
| |
| | | Big 3's future rides on new models | | Posted Friday, August 11, 2006 6:46:09 PM by Blog57 Team | | MILFORD -- General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner could not have been clearer Wednesday in explaining what's at stake with a lineup of full-size pickups the automaker begins launching this fall. "They are the most important component of the most important part of our turnaround plan," he said as he stood in front of a small armada of 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, unveiled for the first time Wednesday at GM's Milford Proving Grounds. GM isn't the only automaker counting on a lift from new models in the second half of the year. Ford Motor Co. hopes a new Edge crossover can help offset this year's startling drop in truck sales. DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group is emphasizing new cars and small crossovers, while Nissan will launch a redone Altima midsize car as other foreign automakers jump in with new entries.... | |
| |
| | | Honda Becomes First Ohio Company to Achieve Top Environmental ... | | Posted Friday, July 21, 2006 4:46:18 AM by Blog57 Team | | RAYMOND, Ohio, July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Green Building Council today presented Honda R&D Americas, Inc. (HRA) with the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification ever awarded in the state of Ohio. The 14,400 sq. ft. central plant facility in Raymond, Ohio supplies the multi-building HRA Ohio Center with highly efficient utilities and has several innovative sustainable concepts incorporated into the construction and operation of the facility. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060516/LATU140LOGO ) Honda's facility uses water and energy conservation systems as well as emissions reducing tactics. One application that helped the building achieve Gold certification is an air conditioning system that generates cool air using an ice chilling system that is a more efficient and less costly, and has the capacity to cool additional buildings in the future.... | |
| |
| | | Pricing: 2007 Acura RDX Starts at $33,610 | | Posted Wednesday, July 19, 2006 6:45:57 PM by Blog57 Team | | TORRANCE, Calif. — The 2007 Acura RDX compact utility vehicle will be priced starting at $33,610, including a $615 shipping charge, the company said Wednesday. The new five-passenger four-door makes its official debut on August 10. In comparison, the midsize Acura MDX starts at just under $38,000. The RDX is powered by a 240-horsepower turbocharged DOHC 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. It is one of the few premium compacts in the segment, soon to be joined by the new Land Rover LR2. Equipped with the optional technology package, the RDX carries a sticker of $37,110, including shipping. The $3,500 package bundles a navigation system, satellite communication system, rearview camera, hands-free mobile phone interface, and a 410-watt premium audio system. What this means to you: The smallest Acura ute still carries a hefty price tag.... | |
| |
| |
|
|
