Jaguar Celebrates 50 Years Of it Iconic E-Type

This year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous and desirable cars in automotive history — the Jaguar E-Type — arguably one of the most beautiful cars ever built. It stunned the motoring world when it was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show 50 years ago with its sleek aerodynamic form and racing car engine.

"It's impossible to overstate the impact the E-Type had when it was unveiled," said Jaguar's current design director Ian Callum at this month's show in Geneva. He added that the design set a standard that will always be associated with Jaguar but that it was a burden at the same time because "I will never be able to do anything quite like it."
  
Click here to see a video video that includes  about 50 years of the E-Type's history.

Coupe Photo by John Gustafson
Convertible photo courtesy of japolink.com

Fred Meyer to install EV Chargers

Fred Meyer has announced that electric car-charging stations will be available at a handful of its Puget Sound-area stores this summer. The grocery chain is partnering with a San Francisco company called Ecotality to build the stations with a $115 million U.S. Department of Energy grant and another $115 million from investors.

Related

A spokesperson for the Portland-based retailer, said stores in Kent, Bellevue, Everett, Lake City and Alderwood were being considered as charging-station locations, along with a Maple Valley store yet to be built. Another handful of stores in he Portland area and others in strategic locations along the Interstate 5 corridor, are also set to get charging stations. The cost of using the stations hasn't been determined yet.

Ecotality will bring about 310 charging stations to 18 cities and metropolitan areas in the U.S. over the next year thanks to the grant. In other locations, the charging stations will be installed at Best Buy stores and BP stations.

The charging stations, which usually take four to six hours to recharge a depleted battery, are primarily for shoppers who want or need to "top off" their battery. Electric car owners are expected to do most of their battery charging at home, because the process is more time-consuming than getting gasoline at a gas station.

Ecotality will also be installing EV charging stations on the Port Orchard waterfront in the next 30-90 days.

Honda, Chrysler and Toyota Issue Recalls

Honda is recalling more than 35,000 model year 2006-2007 U.S. Civic hybrids sold in the U.S. to fix a problem with the electrical system that could cause the headlights to turn off or the engine to stall. The company said the voltage converter that relays power from the motor assist system to the vehicle's electrical components could fail.

Honda has received seven reports of stalling engines and 82 warranty claims connected to the problem. Dealers will replace the voltage converter at no charge. Owners can call Honda at (800) 999-1009 and select option four.

Toyota is also recalling about 22,000 trucks and SUVs to fix faulty tire pressure monitoring systems on some versions of the 2008-2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra. Toyota said the systems that monitor the vehicles' tire pressure did not comply with federal safety standards that require a warning light to illuminate on the dashboard at the minimum activation pressure and the systems need to be re-calibrated.

Owners will be notified of the recall at a future date and dealers will fix the tire pressure monitoring system. Owners can call Toyota at (800) 331-4331.

Chrysler's recall of about 20,000 Jeep Wranglers centers on steering issues. Chrysler Group LLC said its Jeep recall covers Wranglers from the 2010-2011 model years over potential loose fasteners to the front and rear axles. The issue could cause poor steering and handling or cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle.

The Wranglers were built from mid-July 2010 through mid-September 2010. The recall is expected to begin in mid-March and dealers will tighten the fasteners. Owners can call Chrysler at (800) 853-1403.

Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet — Segment First Crossover Ragtop

I was invited to participate in a media drive of the all new 2011 Nissan Murano Cabriolet which took place this past weekend (March 4 & 5, 2011) in Del Mar, California.

Myself and Tom Orlando of Bullz-eye.com shared the wheel of the “segment first” ragtop, for a cruise around town, and then a spin to Nissan's Design America facility in San Diego. 

Look for a review in the upcoming, April issue of the Business Journal, which will have a special focus section on all things automotive, but in the meantime, check out the photos below.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe offers performance, luxury, and razor-sharp style

By Lary Coppola

When I first saw the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept car at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show, I thought it was absolutely breathtaking, and hoped financially troubled GM would actually build it. The brainchild of former GM product guru Bob Lutz had such a strong response everywhere it appeared, in an undeniably bold move for GM — just as the original CTS was — it decided to build the CTS Coupe to go head-to-head with the new crop of luxury coupes from German and Japanese automakers. Those include the Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe, Audi A5, Lexus IS 350 C, BMW 335i coupe, and Infiniti G37 coupe.

The radically edgy coupe is Cadillac’s first since the Eldorado, which ceased production in 2002. The CTS debuted in 2003 as a sharp-edged four-door sedan built on a new rear-wheel-drive platform — a departure for GM as radical the razor-edged design was in the heyday of jelly bean-shaped vehicles. Cadillac had been primarily front-wheel-drive for many years, utilizing a basic design pioneered by the Oldsmobile Toronado in the early 1970s.

Read The Rest

All new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers silky new V6 and lots more

By Lary Coppola

Everything about the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is new and improved — including the lowered price. There’s a powerful new DOHC V6, new suspension, more interior room, reclining rear seats, an optional Panoramic sunroof that extends over both rows of seats, and a front seat that folds flat to carry long things like 2x4’s, skis, and kayaks.

The design of the new Grand Cherokee actually began in Germany four years ago, when Chrysler was still Daimler-Chrysler, and some components are actually shared with the Mercedes ML SUV.

Read The Rest

Free iPhone App helps drivers beat the traffic

INRIX, a leading provider of traffic information and driver services, announced the immediate ability for consumers to save time and reduce frustration driving throughout Europe with the launch of a free app, INRIX Traffic!, for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Available for immediate download from the Apple App Store, INRIX Traffic! is a community-powered traffic app that uniquely helps drivers reduce the amount of time they waste stuck in traffic through a better understanding of current AND future traffic conditions. Initially available in local languages in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg with more countries to be added later this year, INRIX Traffic! covers more than 300,000 km of motorways, city streets and secondary roads in 100 cities.

Read More