July 26, 2010

BMW to Sponsor America's Olympic Committee
BMW of North America will announce a six-year sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Committee today in a deal reportedly worth $24 million. According to Automotive News, the sponsorship will make BMW the U.S. Olympic Committee's first foreign-car sponsor. General Motors Co. ended its support of the Olympics and the U.S. Olympic Committee after the 2008 Beijing Summer Games. GM was reportedly spending up to $5 million a year to support the committee - about 4 percent of its ad budget. BMW is sponsoring the Olympic Committee and four national teams: bobsled and skeleton, speed skating, swimming, and track and field. BMW also will provide the teams' technical support and allow them to use some of the automaker's facilities, such as a wind tunnel in Munich. Jack Pitney, BMW's vice president of marketing, is scheduled to announce the sponsorship today with the U.S. Olympic Committee at a company-owned BMW dealership in Manhattan. He will be joined by Apolo Anton Ohno, the eight-time Olympic medalist and short-track speed skating champion. The deal encompasses all BMW brands, including Mini, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad motorcycles, Pitney said. BMW will provide vehicles to the 2012, 2014 and 2016 U.S. Olympic and the 2011 and 2015 U.S. Pan American and Parapan American teams. Click here to read more on BMW's sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic team.

Audi RS5 to Arrive in U.S. in 2012
Ending months of speculation, Audi's North America chief executive, Johan de Nysschen, revealed on Friday that the German automaker would begin delivery of its RS5 to North American dealerships in early 2012. According to the New York Times, the ultrahigh-performance version of the A5 two-door coupe will be sold here as a 2012 model, de Nysschen said in an interview. Click here for a photo. The RS5 will sit atop the already performance-enhanced S5, which has been positioned to compete against performance models from Mercedes-Benz, like the coming E-Class coupe and BMW's 6 Series coupe. The RS5, in turn, will rival products from Mercedes's AMG subsidiary, as well as those from BMW's M division, particularly the M3 coupe. Click here to read Motor Trend's first teest drive of the RS5. A slightly breathed-on variant of the 4.2-liter V-8 that powers Audi's R8 sports car appears in the RS5, producing 450 horsepower to the R8's 420. The car's sole transmission in Europe is a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and it would be the first application of the transmission for the North American market. Click here for a photo gallery of the RS5, courtesy of Motor Trend. Click here for the latest from the New York Times on Audi's plans for the ultrahigh-performance vehicle in U.S. showrooms.

15 Most Discounted Vehicles
AOL Autos reports that with all the factors that influence a car dealer's willingness to knock a few dollars off of a vehicle's MSRP, it's comforting to know that at least one of these is something within your control. Yes, the day of the week, the monthly sales volume at the dealership, the salesman's mood, and, it seems, even the weather can all influence the price. But when it comes down to getting a good deal, it's the make and model of the vehicle you're considering that can have the most impact on discounts. According to TrueCar.com, certain models will in fact receive bigger discounts off MSRP than others. Lee Morrell, Senior Manager of Media Relations at TrueCar, told AOL Autos how this data forecast was compiled. "The data is based on actual transactions; the average percent below MSRP is based on the average price paid minus incentives and rebates [available at the time], which gives the final price paid. The final price paid is then compared to the MSRP." TrueCar then listed which vehicles were most likely to come with discounts attached simply by finding the models that sold with the largest difference between final price paid and MSRP. For the full list of the most discounted vehicles, click here.

Review: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric Car is Spunky, Fun, and Promising
According to James Healey at USA Today, test driving the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car in the Washington, D.C. area there was no way to accurately forecast how much sitting in traffic, or dashing at breakneck speed, or spurting then languishing on the main north-south road along the East Coast of the U.S. would affect the vehicle's viability. Thus, he whirred into the great unknown - afflicted with so-called range anxiety electric-car marketers say they must overcome to make battery buggies more than curiosities. Healey reports that the I-MiEV was fun. The cute, egg-like appearance and tall roofline gave you a grin every time. It was also relatively roomy. Four fit comfortably in his time with the car. As far as drawbacks are concerned, Healey reports that the vehicle was mostly quiet, but now and then a pump or blower would kick out what sounded like a faint foghorn. At least the whine you often get from electric motors was absent, so the other is forgivable. Its range was also a drawback, going 40-60 miles on a charge. The car's a strong, basic contender. If Mitsubishi can tailor it better to Americans' high expectations (for any car, not just alt-power vehicles), its relatively low price and funky charm could make it worth the wait. Click here for a photo gallery of Mitsubishi's electric vehicle. Click here for Healey's entire review at USA Today.

After 30 Years, Fiat Ready for U.S. Return
Automotive News reports that the Fiat brand returns to North America in December after an absence of nearly three decades. Fiat wants to sell between 50,000 and 100,000 vehicles in North America in 2011. Fiats will be sold in about 200 U.S. Chrysler Group dealerships, mainly in metropolitan areas. The lineup will consist of the 500 minicar and four subsequent variations. They will compete with small internationals such as the Mini. The 500 should get more than 40 mpg. The Fiat 500 two-door hatchback is set to arrive in December. It will be powered by a 100-hp, 1.4-liter Fiat FIRE engine equipped with the carmaker's MultiAir system, which boosts performance and fuel economy. In 2011, Fiat will begin selling a convertible version of the 500 in North America. In 2012, an electric version will be added. The EV, which will be sold only in the United States, will have a lithium ion battery pack. Also in 2012, Fiat will sell an Abarth performance brand version of the 500. The Abarth gets an imported version of the 1.4-liter FIRE turbo engine delivering 160 hp. Click here for a downloadable PDF of Fiat's future product plans. To read Automotive News' report on what Fiat expects to display in U.S. showrooms starting in December, click here.

Around the Web
2011 Ford Explorer: First Look [KickingTires]
How Did Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz Fare on Top Gear's Track? [Jalopnik]
A DNA Analysis of the Kia Soul and the Smart Fortwo [Car and Driver]
Glossary: Automotive Terminology [Forbes]