Nissan Announces Return to Super Bowl Commercials

Nissan Announces Return to Super Bowl Commercials
BMW 1 Series M Sport Spied Testing
Subaru Sets New Annual Sales Record
Canadian Car and Truck of the Year Category Winners Announced
2015 Corvette Z06 Begins Shipping to Dealers
Graco Under Federal Investigation for Recall Delay

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Nissan is going to do something on TV next year that it hasn't since 1997.

The Japanese automaker just announced that it will return to the Super Bowl with a 60-second commercial next year, the first time the company has advertised in the Super Bowl in almost 20 years. The commercial will air during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1 and is part of Nissan's "Big Moments" marketing campaign, an approach that has helped the company increase current sales and brand awareness.

According to Nissan, its sales so far in 2014 is more than double the automotive industry average thanks to the launches of new models such as the Rogue, Sentra, Pathfinder and Altima. This year, Nissan also made a return to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Discuss this story at our Nissan Murano forum

BMW 1 Series M Sport Spied Testing

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The BMW 1 Series facelift is taking shape and now we've got a look at the M Sport variant.

Possibly making its debut at next year's Detroit Auto Show, the redesigned 1 Series has been spotted multiple times by AutoGuide.com's spy photographers, but this time the photos offer a better look at the sportier M Sport version that features a more aggressive design.

Our spy photographers also caught the interior of the 1 Series, though it's still heavily covered. Unlike the last car sold with a 1 Series nameplate in North America, the new 1 Series shares its platform with products from MINI and consequently uses a transversely mounted engine and front-wheel drive.

Discuss this story at our BMW forum

Subaru Sets New Annual Sales Record

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With one month left in the year, Subaru has set a new annual sales record.

Today the Japanese automaker announced that it sold 463,770 vehicles through November, marking a 20 percent increase over 2013 (384,511 units). Last month, Subaru enjoyed its best November ever selling 45,273 vehicles, which was also its second best retail month ever. Individual sales records were broken for the Outback, Forester and WRX/STI models while the Legacy saw an impressive 97 percent jump in sales compared to November 2013.

The company's previous full-year record was 424,683 vehicles which was set last year. Leading the way this year is the Subaru Forester with 144,790 units sold while the Outback has moved 124,018 off dealership lots. The XV Crosstrek is third with 65,474 sold while the Impreza contributed to 52,188 in sales. Rounding out the company's lineup is the Legacy with 46,813 units sold, the WRX/STI at 22,676 and the BRZ with 7,088.

Discuss this story at our Subaru XV Crosstrek forum

Canadian Car and Truck of the Year Category Winners Announced

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The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) has announced the category winners for its annual car of the year awards.

Each one of the category winners is now eligible to be named the overall Canadian Car or Truck/Utility Vehicle of the Year. The overall winners will be named at the 2015 Toronto Auto Show next February. AJAC members gathered last month to drive and vote on all of the candidates at TestFest, an even held each year to decide the Canadian Car and Truck of the Year award winners.

Starting in the small end, the 2015 Honda Fit edged out the Nissan Micra to be named the best new small car under $21,000. Moving up, the 2015 VW Golf beat out the Mini Cooper and Kia Forte5 for the title of best new small car over $21,000. In the city car category, the new Kia Soul EV bested the Smart ForTwo EV.

AJAC named the Subaru Legacy 2.5i the best new option under $30,000 over the Chrysler 200 and Toyota Camry, while the Hyundai Sonata took the title of best new car over $30,000, beating out the Subaru WRX and Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The 2015 Mercedes C300 was named the best new luxury car under $50,000 over the Acura TLX and Volvo V60. For high-end luxury cars, the 2015 Hyundai Genesis was named best new luxury car over $50,000, besting the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid and the Cadillac ATS Coupe. For the real high rollers, the Mercedes S-Class Coupe was named the best new "prestige" car over the Cadillac ELR and Escalade.

The 2015 BMW M235i takes home the title of best new sports performance car under $50,000, beating the Subaru WRX STI and the Volkswagen Golf GTI. For the more expensive fun stuff, the 2015 Volvo V60 Polestar edged out the Mustang GT and Dodge Challenger Hellcat to be named the best new sports performance car over $50,000. Finally, the Porsche 911 Turbo S is taking home the title of best new prestige performance car, beating out the BMW M4 and the Corvette Stingray convertible.

Utility vehicles are also tested out each year, and the winners are in. The Subaru Outback 2.5i was named the best new CUV under $35,000, while the Toyota Highlander took the honors in the over $35,000 category. Finally, the new 2015 Ford F-150 has been named the best new pickup truck over the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

2015 Corvette Z06 Begins Shipping to Dealers

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The most powerful car to ever wear a Chevrolet badge shipped from the factory in Bowling Green, Ky.

GM announced today that it began shipping the 2015 Corvette Z06 to its dealers. Chevrolet's new supercar fighter carries a starting price of $78,995 for the coupe or $83,995 for the convertible model. The Z06 will also be offered for the first time with either a manual or automatic transmission.

The supercharged 6.2-ilter LT4 V8 makes 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque while integrating direct injection, cylinder deactivation and variable valve timing to offer a mixture of performance and relative efficiency given the output. And relative it is because equipped with the eight-speed automatic, it is officially supposed to return 16 MPG.

Most of the people who buy one will probably be more focused on how quickly the car can accelerate. Equipped with the eight-speed automatic and paddle shifters, Chevrolet says the new Z06 will vault from 0-60 MPH in 2.95 seconds.

Discuss this story at our Corvette forum

Graco Under Federal Investigation for Recall Delay

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One of the world's largest child car seat manufacturers is the subject of a federal investigation for how it dealt with a massive safety recall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced yesterday that it is investigating the timeliness of Graco Children's Products, Inc.'s reporting of safety defects. Earlier this year Graco launched a recall covering six million child safety seats, the largest in U.S. history. Seats that fall under the recall have defective buckles that can become stuck in the latched position, making it difficult to unbuckle during an emergency.

"Any delays by a manufacturer in meeting their obligations to report safety issues with the urgency they deserve, especially those that impact the well-being of our children, erodes that trust and is absolutely unacceptable," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

Federal safety regulators said yesterday that documents Graco provided as part of the investigation indicate that the company knew of the defects as early as 2009 and that it was preparing to address the problem by 2012.

Graco stands to be find up to a maximum $35 million if the investigation finds that the recall was not conducted in a timely manner. In May, NHTSA ordered GM to pay the same maximum fine that Grayco may be ordered to pay depending on the investigation's outcome. Federal safety regulators said last spring that they believe that the cap is too low. The "Grow America" Act seeks to increase the maximum penalty for delayed recall announcements to $300 million.

Car Reviews

Tuesday, 2 December 2014

Nissan Announces Return to Super Bowl Commercials

Nissan Announces Return to Super Bowl Commercials

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