Posts Tagged ‘Auto’

The 2010 Michigan International Auto Show is just days away, rolling into the DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids February 4-7. Activity begins on Monday the 1^st as we begin to set up the show, including the new car models, concept cars, pre-production models, the Million Dollar Motorway and the vintage vehicles from Gilmore Car Museum.

2010 Michigan International Auto Show Fact Sheet 

WHAT:       12^th Annual Michigan International Auto Show

West Michigan’s largest consumer show returns to DeVos Place, with wall-to-wall carpet and manufacturers from around the world setting up their finest traveling displays. This is the greatest annual opportunity for the public to view their “next new car” with some 300 new vehicles on display – sedans, vans, SUVs, trucks, hybrids and sports cars – and factory representatives from nearly 40 different manufacturers. Concept Cars and pre-production models give a glimpse into the future, while exhibits from Gilmore Car Museum offers a blast from the past. The Million $ Motorway is also a draw, where cars valued at more than $100,000 are available for viewing.

WHERE:     DeVos Place in Downtown Grand Rapids. 303 Monroe St NE 

WHO:         Produced by ShowSpan Inc. & Presented by Grand Rapids New Car Dealers Association

WHEN:       February 4-7, 2010

                  Thursday, February 4           3:00pm – 10:00pm

                  Friday, February 5               11:00am – 10:00pm

                  Saturday, February 6            10:00am – 10:00pm

                  Sunday, February 7              10:00am – 6:00pm

PRICES:     $10 adults, $4 children aged 6 to 14.  Kids 5 and under are admitted free.

INFO:        www.GRAutoShow.com or 800-328-6550

MEDIA PREVIEW:  Wednesday, February 3 from 1-3pm

CHARITY GALA PREVIEW:  Wednesday, February 3 from 6:30-10pm.

The Gala evening of entertainment, sponsored by Citadel Radio, includes a silent auction, car raffle, Michigan wine tasting and mouth-watering hors d’oeuvres prepared by the culinary staff at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel – Michigan’s only five-diamond restaurant.

By The Associated Press

January 27, 2010, 6:12AM

AP PhotoA 2010 Toyota Corolla is shown at San Francisco Toyota car dealership in San Francisco,

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010.
The faulty gas pedals that prompted Toyota to suspend U.S. sales of eight of its most popular models — including the Camry, America’s best-selling car — are also in its vehicles sold in Europe, an official with the automaker said Wednesday.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced late Tuesday the unprecedented sales suspension to fix gas pedals that could stick and cause acceleration without warning. Last week, Toyota issued a recall for the same eight models involving 2.3 million vehicles.

Toyota is also halting production at six North American car-assembly plants, beginning the week of Feb. 1, and gave no date on when production could restart.

The problem could spread to Europe, where a similar accelerator part is being used, said Toyota spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi, while declining to give the number of vehicles affected. The company was studying possible responses, including a recall, she said.

The problem part comes from one U.S. supplier and does not affect models that use parts from different suppliers, Takeuchi said. Toyota’s Japan plants are not affected.

The automaker said the U.S. sales suspension includes the following models: the 2009-2010 RAV4, the 2009-2010 Corolla, the 2007-2010 Camry, the 2009-2010 Matrix, the 2005-2010 Avalon, the 2010 Highlander, the 2007-2010 Tundra and the 2008-2010 Sequoia.

Toyota has said it was unaware of any accidents or injuries due to the pedal problems associated with the recall, but could not rule them out for sure.

“This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized,” said Bob Carter, Toyota’s group vice president and general manager.

The automaker’s shares fell 4.3 percent in Tokyo trading Wednesday.

Toyota spokesman Mike Goss said most workers were expected to be at their jobs during the assembly line shutdown. Workers will receive additional training or work on improvements to their assembly processes, but can also take vacation or unpaid leave, he said.

About 300 workers who build V8 engines at a Toyota plant in Huntsville, Ala., will be affected, said Stephanie Deemer, a spokeswoman for the plant. Goss said the shutdowns will also affect engine plants in Georgetown, Ky., and Buffalo, W.Va.

Toyota dealers said they were concerned the move would hamper sales and were hopeful parts to fix the problem could be distributed quickly.

“They’re going the extra mile to reassure people that they really care about the customers,” said Earl Stewart, owner of a Toyota dealership in North Palm Beach, Fla. “It is something that’s going to be at least a short-term hardship on the dealers, and especially on Toyota.”

Mamoru Katou, analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research, said Toyota was likely reorganizing production plans, such as switching suppliers, and shipping in parts from Japan. “The problem is extremely serious,” said Katou. “The models are precisely those Toyota had been preparing to sell in big numbers.”

Toyota expects to sell 2.19 million vehicles in North America in 2010, up 11 percent from 2009, according to sales targets released Tuesday. Globally, Toyota said it was planning sales of 8.27 million vehicles this year, up 6 percent from 2009.

But those numbers have not figured in the U.S. sales stoppage, Takeuchi said.

The automaker’s problems in the U.S. may be an extension of the spate of quality problems that plagued Toyota several years ago in Japan, its home market, during the aggressive growth strategy pursued under former president Katsuaki Watanabe.

In 2006, the Japanese government launched a criminal investigation into accidents suspected of being linked to vehicle problems, though nobody was charged. Watanabe later acknowledged overzealous growth was behind the quality problems.

Watanabe was replaced last year by Akio Toyoda, the grandson of Toyota’s founder.

Tuesday’s announcement follows a larger U.S. recall months earlier of 4.2 million vehicles because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities.

About 1.7 million vehicles fall under both recalls.

The auto company said the sales suspension wouldn’t affect Lexus or Scion vehicles. Toyota said the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, would remain for sale.

Toyota sold more than 34,000 Camrys in December, making the midsize sedan America’s best-selling car. It commands 3.4 percent of the U.S. market and sales rose 38 percent from a year earlier. Sales of the Corolla and Matrix, a small sedan and a hatchback, totaled 34,220 last month, with 3.3 percent of the market and sales up nearly 55 percent from December of 2008.

Associated Press auto writers Ken Thomas in Washington and Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Source: Mlive

Tuner Galleria will be featured at Championship Auto Shows Inc. (CASI) events during the 2009/2010 CASI show season. CASI is the undisputed leader in indoor custom car show productions, producing the largest show series in the business under the names of Autorama and World of Wheels. Close to 20 events are held annually across the United States and Canada that draw more than 850,000 spectators. Tuner Galleria will produce a show within a show concept at select cities within the 2009/2010 CASI show tour.

Tuner Galleria is a multi-faceted car show experience focused on high-caliber vehicles, their unique owners, and all the lifestyle elements relevant to this generational market. Tuner Galleria encompasses vehicles in modern American muscle, sport compact, and European luxury and exotics. Lifestyle elements of the show create memorable experiences for the audience that goes far beyond any other event.

The combined background of the Tuner Galleria team brings fresh perspective and fresh ideas while understanding the core basics of a successful car show. Vehicle competitors will be carefully pre-screened and hand-selected for competition. The award ceremony will ensure proper recognition is given and will have meaningful impact that highlights the tremendous efforts of the competitors. In an age of short attention spans and instant gratification, Tuner Galleria promises to provide dynamic and interactive elements that captivate the interest of our spectators.

The inaugural Tuner Galleria event will fittingly debut at AutoRama’s 50th Anniversary show held in Houston, TX on November 26-29, 2009. For the first time ever, spectators will experience an automotive extravaganza unlike any other.

Check out www.tunergalleria.com  for more info!

DETROIT — Officials say attendance at this year’s North American International Auto Show in downtown Detroit has exceeded the previous year.

Spokeswoman Shand Spencer tells the Detroit Free Press that 95,000 people attended the annual show’s final day at Cobo Center on Sunday, bringing the total to nearly 715,000 visitors since doors opened to the public on Jan. 16.

She said 650,000 people attended last year’s show.

Spencer said curiosity about upcoming models drove attendance this year, and attractions such as the Electric Avenue — spanning 37,000 square feet and displaying hybrid and electric vehicles — were popular.

Source: MLive

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Kids, cars and fudge. If you’re a guy with a shammy and a spray bottle, this is not the best possible combination.

Ken Tate of Detroit was carefully wiping fingerprints from the fender of a red Volvo V70 Monday morning at the North American International Auto Show. Inside the station wagon were three less-than-10-year-olds with their hands raised through the open moon roof.

In one of the hands was about half a slice of what looked like maple pecan. Fortunately, Tate already understood that his assignment was impossible.

“It’s a never-ending job,” he said. “Keep the prints off, keep the dust off … It’s a nonstop battle.”