US Auto Sales Plummet in August: Post-Clunker Drops and Gains

August sales, for the most part, are hurting from a year ago. To be precise, initial data showed sales came in at 997,574, down 21 percent from a year earlier, according to Autonews. After the cash-for-clunkers sales surge of '09, it was to be expected. So, after the economy's cash-injection car sale plan, where do automakers stand compared to August last year?

First off, American automakers are all over the map: Ford is down 14%, Chrysler is up 7% due to fleet sales, and GM fell off a hefty 25%.

Japanese automakers, on the other hand, are all down. Isuzu is gone, so that's a big goose egg either way; Subaru, Mazda, and Nissan kept their drops in the 23-27% range, while Honda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi ranged from 33% to 37%. Toyota, while gaining significantly from the clunkers program, was not only affected by the predicted drop but also by a variety of recalls. Of all the automakers selling vehicles in America, Suzuki just plain got smacked; it's in freefall after a 68% drop.

John Mendel, sales VP for American Honda, says, "We've known that August comparisons would be irrelevant due to the 'cash-for- clunkers' program last year...The good news is that we continue to see increasing demand for Honda products..."

Korean Hyundai group managed to stem the bleeding, attaining a Ford-like drop of only 15%.

The Germans all seem to be doing fairly well, with Daimler (+7%) and Porsche (+33%) milking gains while VW (-3%) and BMW (-2%) both stayed strong with minimized declines.

Volvo and Saab, due to their change in ownership, have some faulty numbers (see below). Other Europeans were also strong, with Maserati, Jaguar / Land Rover each posting an impressive 25% gain.

Analysts realize that these numbers are all over the place, and have stated multiple times that comparing figures to a year ago would not make sense. Therefore, they are using more comparable (albeit much closer) previous month figures to make evaluations on the state of the market.

By Phil Alex

Source: Autonews (sub. required)

US Auto Sales Plummet in August: Post-Clunker Drops and Gains

August sales, for the most part, are hurting from a year ago. To be precise, initial data showed sales came in at 997,574, down 21 percent from a year earlier, according to Autonews. After the cash-for-clunkers sales surge of '09, it was to be expected. So, after the economy's cash-injection car sale plan, where do automakers stand compared to August last year?

First off, American automakers are all over the map: Ford is down 14%, Chrysler is up 7% due to fleet sales, and GM fell off a hefty 25%.

Japanese automakers, on the other hand, are all down. Isuzu is gone, so that's a big goose egg either way; Subaru, Mazda, and Nissan kept their drops in the 23-27% range, while Honda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi ranged from 33% to 37%. Toyota, while gaining significantly from the clunkers program, was not only affected by the predicted drop but also by a variety of recalls. Of all the automakers selling vehicles in America, Suzuki just plain got smacked; it's in freefall after a 68% drop.

John Mendel, sales VP for American Honda, says, "We've known that August comparisons would be irrelevant due to the 'cash-for- clunkers' program last year...The good news is that we continue to see increasing demand for Honda products..."

Korean Hyundai group managed to stem the bleeding, attaining a Ford-like drop of only 15%.

The Germans all seem to be doing fairly well, with Daimler (+7%) and Porsche (+33%) milking gains while VW (-3%) and BMW (-2%) both stayed strong with minimized declines.

Volvo and Saab, due to their change in ownership, have some faulty numbers (see below). Other Europeans were also strong, with Maserati, Jaguar / Land Rover each posting an impressive 25% gain.

Analysts realize that these numbers are all over the place, and have stated multiple times that comparing figures to a year ago would not make sense. Therefore, they are using more comparable (albeit much closer) previous month figures to make evaluations on the state of the market.

By Phil Alex

Source: Autonews (sub. required)

Saab Bóreas Sports Coupe Design Study by Jorge Martí Vidal

And yes, we have another design proposal for a future Saab model. This one is a compact sports coupe named Bóreas after the god of the north wind and bringer of winter in Greek mythology, and it's the work of Spanish designer, Jorge Martí Vidal. There's no info from the designer's behalf, but we could easily picture it as a modern day replacement to the Saab Sonnet. More pictures and a video after the break.

Source / Designer: Jlsdiseny

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Saab Bóreas Sports Coupe Design Study by Jorge Martí Vidal

And yes, we have another design proposal for a future Saab model. This one is a compact sports coupe named Bóreas after the god of the north wind and bringer of winter in Greek mythology, and it's the work of Spanish designer, Jorge Martí Vidal. There's no info from the designer's behalf, but we could easily picture it as a modern day replacement to the Saab Sonnet. More pictures and a video after the break.

Source / Designer: Jlsdiseny

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2011 Hyundai Sonata being investigated for faulty steering system

We all know Hyundai has pulled a 180-degree turn in brand image over the past few years, but alas, no one (including Ferrari) is immune to the threat of recalls. The NHTSA has recently begun a preliminary investigation of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata for an issue with the steering system. Approximately 16,300 of the Alabama-built units could be affected, although there have been no official complaints, injuries, or accidents yet.

According to the NHTSA, "the intermediate steering shaft assembly upper universal joint" can fully detach or a "cross-threaded pinch bolt" could strip upper universal joint connection threads; both these issues could lead to a loss of, or faulty, steering.

Regulators also mentioned the steering problem could lead to a "compromised brake system", a case in which the shaft drops out and could hinder brake application.

Thankfully, this is being caught and handled early on. The last thing Hyundai needs is a major safety hiccup as it expands its range into Lexus territory and hopes to bring out a new Azera in 2012.

By Phil Alex

2011 Hyundai Sonata being investigated for faulty steering system

We all know Hyundai has pulled a 180-degree turn in brand image over the past few years, but alas, no one (including Ferrari) is immune to the threat of recalls. The NHTSA has recently begun a preliminary investigation of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata for an issue with the steering system. Approximately 16,300 of the Alabama-built units could be affected, although there have been no official complaints, injuries, or accidents yet.

According to the NHTSA, "the intermediate steering shaft assembly upper universal joint" can fully detach or a "cross-threaded pinch bolt" could strip upper universal joint connection threads; both these issues could lead to a loss of, or faulty, steering.

Regulators also mentioned the steering problem could lead to a "compromised brake system", a case in which the shaft drops out and could hinder brake application.

Thankfully, this is being caught and handled early on. The last thing Hyundai needs is a major safety hiccup as it expands its range into Lexus territory and hopes to bring out a new Azera in 2012.

By Phil Alex

VIDEO: Aussie Honda Jazz Spots Poke Some Fun at Bodybuilders, Rappers and Others

Here are some amusing TV ads from Honda's creative Australian division. The spots were made to show off how practical, roomy and versatile the Honda Jazz is (known as the Fit in North America and Japan). So if you want to learn the answer to questions such as "How much Massive can you pack in a Honda Jazz?" and "How much Rap can you pack in a Jazz?", and don't mind watching 'iron boy' here in very tight speedos, hit the jump to check out the videos.

Via: USA Today