Right outside the indoor facility is the old rusted track that thousands of cars have traveled over to test the braking parameters of all of Continental’s new tires. The old way of testing required Continental employees to stand outside during the snow and rain and monitor how quickly the tires could stop. If you stand out in the rain and snow and humidity long enough you can start thinking of better ways to do these tests. The challenge is convincing your bosses to spend millions of dollars to put a new system in place.

The testing group at Contidrom, Continental’s test track outside of their Hannover, Germany headquarters created a system that was so superior to the old way that the international jury of the Vehicle Dynamics Innovation Award 2013 (V.D.I. Award) has recognized Continental’s new, weather-independent AIBA tire testing facility in the category “Development Tool of the Year”. The indoor test track is heavily patented and, as of November, 2012, it is the first facility in the world that tests with the precision.

The new facility at Contidrom’s test track is 300 meters long and 30 meters wide. The fully automated process allows testing to be done 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, no matter what the weather is like outside. The principle is the same as the outside test, Continental connects a car (the same car each time for consistency) to a rail. The car gets to a certain speed and then brakes as fast as it can. That measurement is taken and put on the car label.

The precision with which the test is done is the key difference. The temperature inside the building is set, the amount of water on the surface is constant.

The new testing facility will be able to test the braking characteristics of up to 100,000 tires a year on dry, wet, and icy road surfaces all year round.

Is Continental going to replicate this testing facility in other areas?

I’m in Germany this week. I visited Continental tires in Hannover, Germany. They have created a new, more precise way to measure how well their tires perform in rolling resistance and wet braking. It’s the first in the world and I will be reporting on it shortly.

Right now I’m sitting in the Cafe at the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, Germany. From June 4 – September 29, 2013 in the Porsche Museum you can the Anniversary Exhibition of Porsche celebrating “50 Years of 911”. If you can’t make it to Stuttgart we’ll be bringing back video of the cars with Dieter Landenberger, Head of Porsche’s Archives, narrating.

Free admission

All 911 drivers plus one accompanying person, upon presentation of the vehicle registration at the box office of the Porsche Museum, have free admission from June 4 to September 29, 2013. The Porsche Museum also foregoes any admission price for visitors who were born in 1963 and can prove it by presenting their ID.

June 14, 2013

I’m back in the United States from Europe. I just landed in Denver, CO, on my way to a Fiat Lounge launch in Baltimore, MD. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the people whose homes and families are being affected by the fire and the smoke.

It’s fun to go to a city and think about where you, my chatting friends, would want to visit. What type of restaurants embody the type of car you are buying, what museums you would want to visit.

When I go to Stuttgart, Germany, the home of Porsche and Mercedes-Benz or Modena and Maranello, Italy, the home of Maserati and Ferrari there is an infusion of automobiles and lifestyle. Just like in Detroit and Dearborn, MI, home of General Motors and Dearborn, there are factories where people work and museums full of classic cars.

Drivingthenation.com will be putting up videos from some of these factories and museums in the next couple weeks. What I really enjoyed was the feeling of lifestyle in Modena/Maranello Italy. Modena is the assembly plant for Maserati, Maranello is the factory for Ferrari and engines for both vehicles.

I talked to Porsche and Maserati and both said that if you want to buy a Porsche or Maserati and have it shipped back to the United States that can happen. There are also tours of the factory of the automobile you are buying.

If you do take a trip to Italy I have a couple of suggestions of places you have to visit. Maserati is about lifestyle. Modena is known for their 25 year old balsamic vinegar and Parmigiano reggiano cheese and Maserati.

You have to visit the Maserati Factory, right in the heart of the city, of course! But there is a cheese factory in the countryside that is a must as well. You will think you have made a wrong turn, but keep going past the cows, past the cheese factory to the barking dog named Car. Yes, Car. Matteo can tell you the story behind the name while he takes you around a museum that has more classic Maseratis than anywhere else I know of in the world. You can find out more at paninimotormuseum.com. It’s a private museum so contact them first.

If you want to take a ride up to Maranello to visit Ferrari-land go a little past Maranello to a little restaurant named La Fontanina. Shamefully, I don’t speak Italian and the owners speak very little English, but the food is delicious.

At night you can drive to the outskirts of Modena to Emilio’s “Strada Facendo” restaurant. It there are 10 tables in the restaurant I would be amazed. It’s a labor of love and Emilio comes to each person’s table himself to take their order.

If you want to drink and not drive you can visit Alberto’s “La Cucina del Museo” restaurant in the heart of Modena. Alberto has owned the restaurant since 1987, but the restaurant is over 300 years old. It reminds me of a little speak easy from the prohibition days. Only 19 people can be seated at one time, so make sure you have a reservation. The kitchen near the museum restaurant was frequented by the great Luciano Pavarotti, who lived in Modena.

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Now Fiat is throwing down the gauntlet in front of MINI in a soon to be released commercial that you get to see here first.

MINI started out as a British car company and is produced in England. So it’s really funny when we see Paul Revere riding through the streets of America warning the Americans that the British were coming. We see a group of redcoats, or what Revere thinks are redcoats, using all the horsepower they could muster, leaving a trail of dust behind them.

The Americans are bored, not interested, they go about their business. Revere realizes he has made a mistake and starts the warning over, “the Italians are coming, the Italians are coming”.

That’s when the fun begins. Watch the commercial and be amused as things take a twist.

Krafcik happily reports that “this is our best start ever. Some companies are reporting that this is their best start of a year since the great recession, but this is our strongest start E-V-E-R. We’re happy with our sales, but boy if we could only get more”

Krafcik makes sure to report retail sales, which are up 4.6 percent, with an average transaction price of $23,362, up 3.2 percent from a year ago. Hyundai has always reported low days-to-turn and they are still among the third lowest non-premium brands in the industry for days-to-turn. Subaru’s days-to-turn are at 35 days, Kia’s's is 36 days, Hyundai is 39 days while the industry average is 59 days.

Another way to look at it, Krafcik says, is “we’re about a 5 percent market share and we’ve got only 3 percent of our inventory on the ground.”

Hyundai continues to struggle with production constraints which is one of the reason that Hyundai will be producing the Santa FeGLS/Limited in Korea, not the United States.

Bluelink, Hyundai’s version of On-Star in-car communication, is growing by leaps and lock-ins. 370,000 people have enrolled in Bluelink since Hyundai launched the service, with the most favorite feature being the remote start from your smart phone.

Why is the average cost of a Hyundai below the industry average vehicle?

What is good pricing in Krafcik’s mind?

Arnett goes over the all new interior, highlighting the new HD data services and the ergonomic structure of the interior.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander has a starting MSRP of $22,995. Mitsubishi says the ES and SE front-wheel drive models boast a 31 mpg, making those models two of the most fuel-efficient CUVs with standard 7-passenger seating in the North American marketplace. You can get the 2014 SE model with Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system, a technology that was previously saved for the upper models.

There are four models available, ES – front wheel drive, SE – front wheel drive, SE – Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system, GT Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system. The 2.4L MVEC SOHC 16-valve Inline 4-cylinder is on the first three models, providing 166 @ 6,000 rpm horsepower and 162 lb-ft @ 4,200 rpm. The 3.0L MIVEC SOHC 24-valve V6 is on the GT Super All-Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel drive system provides 224 @ 6,250 rpm horsepower and 215 lb-ft @ 3,750 rpm.

The Outlander has a very respectable 34.8 turning radius. Watch the video as Arnett shows off some of the new features of the Outlander.

What does the name Viziv mean?

Good morning all

Are you looking for a new Volvo and are a Costco warehouse member? I’m posting the “rules of engagement” that I got from Costco Auto.
Promotional Rules

To be eligible to participate in the Volvo Limited-Time Offer, you must be a current Costco member as of March 1, 2013.
All participants must be registered with the Costco Auto Program before purchasing a vehicle. To register and locate a participating Volvo dealership, click here or call 1-877-746-7422. Dealer participation may vary by market.
To qualify for this event’s promotional pricing and Costco Cash Card offer, participants need to purchase a new 2013 or 2014 Volvo vehicle between April 12, 2013, and July 31, 2013.

All new 2013 and 2014 Volvo models are eligible for this promotion.
Redemption forms must be submitted to the Costco Auto Program by Aug. 31, 2013 and can be completed online. Please allow three business days for redemption form processing.
To receive your $500 Costco Cash Card, register and purchase a new 2013 or 2014 Volvo model from a participating Costco Auto Program dealership. Then, submit a redemption form. Once Volvo of North America verifies your purchase, a Costco Auto Program representative will call you to complete a Costco Auto Program member satisfaction survey. Please note, the verification process may take 3-4 weeks and will only be completed after you take delivery of your vehicle. All surveys must be administered by the Costco Auto Program to be eligible for the Cash Card.

Costco Cash Cards will be activated using your Costco membership number and mailed to the address you provided to the Costco Auto Program. Please allow 8 weeks for delivery after completion of all eligibility requirements; including redemption form, purchase validation from Volvo of North America and survey completion.
Factory orders are permitted. Demonstration, loaner and pre-owned vehicles are excluded.
The Volvo Limited-Time Offer ends July 31, 2013, and is subject to change without notice.

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Do – Know your credit score before you start looking for financing – your interest rate is going to be predicated on your credit score. Knowledge about your credit score is just as important as knowing what type of car you are looking for.

Do – Have a down payment – In 2008 Karen purchased a 2005 Nissan Murano. She purchased the Murano at just shy of $19,000. She put down $10,000 from the insurance settlement and put the remaining on her then boyfriend’s (now husband’s) American Express credit card to get miles then used her Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) to pay off the American Express bill and wrote off the interest payments incurred on the HELOC.

Do – talk to your insurance company before you buy a car. If you’re driving a 10-year old minivan now and are thinking of switching to a brand new sportscar your insurance premiums are going to jump. Make sure you’re prepared for that.

Do – put the payment on your credit card if the dealership takes credit cards with no extra points. If you have a card that gives you cash back or airline credits put the car on the card, making sure, of course, that it is the day after your card closes. That way you have a full month before you get the bill and another 20 days before you have to pay it with the financing you’ve already acquired.

Your estimated monthly payments on a $10,000 loan at 4.75% would be $188 and you would pay $1,254 in interest over the life of the loan.

Your estimated monthly payments on a $10,000 loan at 4.75% would be $188 and you would pay $1,254 in interest over the life of the loan. That HELOC payment can most likely be written off on your taxes, but the total cost of your car is now $11,254.

That is a small amount of interest compared to what you would pay if you followed Kimberly’s financing method.

Don’t – Buy a car by refinancing your home for 15 or 30 years. People keep their cars nowadays over 11 years, but refinancing your home for 30 years increases the amount of money you’re paying for a car.

Kimberly bought her 2004 for $24,000, “I used my HELOC so no financing but in a way I’m still paying for the car as I’ve rolled that HELOC into my mortgage and am still paying on it at 3.75% interest! If I had to do over, I wouldn’t of used my home equity and just gotten a loan for 5 yrs and aggressively paid it off as quickly as possible.”

Kimberly learned her lesson, “If I really thought about it, I should have paid off the car on the HELOC as if it were a regular 5 yr loan but I was thinking that yes, interest is deductable and the payments on the HELOC were so low. Fortunatley we still have equity in house even adding on the HELOC to the mortgage when we refinanced. Hopefully someone will think twice before using their home equity for a car.”

Do – know what model and trim level you want before you get to the dealership. You want to compare trim level to trim level for price. Extras add up and it is the job of a salesperson to make as much money as they can.

Do – factor in your fuel cost as though it were a variable interest rate. No one knows how much fuel will cost in the future, but almost all of us agree energy will get more expensive. If you have a short commute consider an EV or plug-in hybrid so that you can supplement your gasoline costs with electricity.

Don’t – negotiate the price of a new car to include a trade-in. Each part of the transaction should be separate.

Do – sell the car yourself if you can. If not, make sure the dealer pays the rest of the loan off promptly and have it put in writing that the penalties are on them if they don’t pay it off.

Do – use all your resources. If you belong to a credit union check their financing.

Do – If you belong to a warehouse check their specials. The warehouse I belong to, Costco Auto, has specials with pre-arranged prices on on many makes and models. They maybe not be the lowest for a professional haggler, but they require no haggling. And, during special limited-time offers throughout the year, you can take part in their survey to receive $500 Costco Cash Card. Bonus!

Your estimated monthly payments on a $10,000 loan at 4.75% would be $52 but you would pay $8,779 in interest over the life of the loan.

Your estimated monthly payments on a $10,000 loan at 4.75% would be $52 but you would pay $8,779 in interest over the life of the loan. Kimberly is correct that she can write the interest off on her taxes, but the total cost of her car is now $18,779.

When will we see a 3-cylinder engine in a car that can be purchased?

We drove a 3-cylinder engine that will go into the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid, produced out of carbon fiber that will have great horsepower (around 350 horsepower) and get over 50 miles per gallon (MPG).

Dr. Holzer explains the downsizing technology of going from a 6-cylinder to a 3-cylinder, going from an equal number of cylinders to an odd number of cylinders.

Wouldn’t 3-cylinders make the car feel lopsided? Dr. Holzer explains how BMW stabilizes the engine.

How does the valvetronic system enhance the 3-cylinder?

Dr. Holzer uses the analogy of dinnerplates under hot lights to explain how they keep fuel efficiency at it’s optimum.

A.
Lou Ann Hammond :

I don’t like the idea of noise cancelling headphones in a car. You need to hear the noise around you in order to know if there is a collision, a fire truck an ambulance or police coming up behind/side of you.

We don’t do podcasts, but I own www.drivingthenation.com (you can like me on facebook) and do video interviews. I also guest on the John Batchelor radio show. All of those are on www.drivingthenation.com. If you want to hear just the audio portion you can find them under drivingthenation on aha radio.
Let’s talk cars

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