December 6, 2011

Honda Banks on New Models to Speed Disaster-Free Rebound
Honda Motor Co. says replenished vehicle inventory and new Honda and Acura models planned for the next 24 months will spur a U.S. sales rebound next year after natural disasters dashed its 2011 goals. Automotive News reports that Honda – which lost some North American output in October and November due to parts shortages caused by floods in Thailand – was the only large automaker to post a U.S. sales decline last month as total sales jumped 14 percent. Honda's immediate goal is to boost production of its new Civic compact and CR-V compact sport-utility vehicle that goes on sale this month. The company started December with about a 40-day supply of vehicles, said Tetsuo Iwamura, Honda's top North American executive. In 2012, the company will release a revamped Accord, Honda's top-selling U.S. nameplate, as well as other models. Vehicles coming out next year will also begin powered by new four- and six-cylinder engines and transmissions Honda unveiled last week at the Tokyo Motor Show. The company also will add new hybrid models from next year that will boost its reputation for fuel-efficiency and advanced technology. For more on how Honda plans to regain momentum in 2012, click here.

The Most Expensive Cars of 2012
Ten years after introducing Maybach, Daimler announced it would shutter the super-luxury brand by 2013. It wasn’t a surprise. Maybach never fully established an identity that could compete with Rolls-Royce and Bentley. And the brand lost money each year in its existence, according to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche. That hasn’t kept the $1.4 million Maybach Landaulet down, at least in some circles. Madonna and Jay-Z are known lovers of the line. And along with the famously outré $2.6 million Bugatti Veyron Supersport 16.4 and the $1.7 million Koenigsegg Agera R, the Landaulet made Forbes’ list of the year’s most expensive cars on the market today. Click here to see the list. To compile its list, Forbes scoured price lists from well-known manufacturers like Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, and Lamborghini, and from lesser-known companies like Leblanc and Shelby Super Cars. Some otherwise high-end entrants (Spyker, McLaren) didn’t quite have the stuff to make our list. The publication limited the cars on this list to new models, rather than vintage, and evaluated their prices based on MSRP, not auction or off-the-record sales. Click here to read about Forbes’ picks for the most expensive cars of 2012.

Nissan's Infiniti Looks to Grow in Big, Small Models
USA Today reports that Infiniti, Nissan's luxury division, sees an opportunity for growth in two segments at opposite ends of the spectrum: A big three-row crossover, which will be addressed by a model called the JX first shown over the summer, and in a smaller car that slots below the brand's popular G25/G37. It's yet to make its debut. Ben Poore, vice president of Infiniti's U.S. business unit, sat down with Kelsey Mays of Cars.com recently to talk about the brand's potential. With inventories outpacing the industry average – unusual for a luxury brand – sales improved 3 percent in November. But they remain down nearly 4 percent this year. He has high hopes for the JX crossover, a car he says targets "a very different market" from the QX SUV despite both having three rows of seats. While the $58,700 QX56 boasts V-8 towing capacity and a flashier clientele, Poore says the $40,450 JX35 hits the jackpot segment of luxury crossovers: the "luxury family." Infiniti hasn't sold a four-cylinder in the U.S. since 2001, but plans to build a car below the current G25/G37, and Poore says there's room in the brand for a four-cylinder. Read more about Infiniti’s planned growth here.

Toyota to Export U.S.-Built Camrys to South Korea
Toyota announced Monday it will export Camry sedans from Kentucky and Indiana to South Korea, making it the sixth U.S.-built vehicle the Japanese automaker exports. About 7,000 Camry sedans will ship from assembly plants in Georgetown, Ky., and Lafayette, Ind., next year. According to Cars.com, the move comes on the heels of the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreement, which reduced auto tariffs and streamlined environmental and safety regulations for U.S.-made vehicles exported to the country. The exports shouldn't affect the redesigned 2012 Camry's reported 92 percent domestic parts content, which could make it a content champ once the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration releases figures for 2012. The prior Camry, whose domestic parts content ranged from 70 percent to 80 percent for non-hybrid models, has topped Cars.com's American Made Index three years running. Production costs have traditionally kept U.S. exports down. But Toyota's move — and the U.S.-Korea agreement — may signal a shift. Last year, BMW said its Spartanburg, S.C., plant exported more than seven out of every 10 cars to global markets. Indeed, the U.S.' September trade deficit fell to $44.9 billion partly because of increasing auto exports. Click here for more on Toyota’s plans to export its U.S.-made Camry to South Korea.

Lots of Big Reveals Planned for 2012 Detroit Auto Show
There will be more new cars and trucks making their global debut at 2012's Detroit auto show, organizers told The Detroit Free Press on Monday, a sign that the show remains among the top auto shows. Bill Perkins, chairman of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, said Monday that manufacturers plan to reveal about 36 new vehicles for the first time anywhere, up from 32 global unveilings in the 2011 show. The total number of introductions will be more than 40. Though fewer than the 53 revealed in January, the number typically grows as the show approaches and automakers disclose more plans. New vehicles expected at this year's show include the 2012 BMW 3-series sport sedan, 2013 Cadillac ATS sport sedan, 2013 Ford Fusion, and a new compact Dodge sedan. Nissan is returning for the first time since 2009, and organizers are gaining 25,000 square feet of exhibition space from renovations at Cobo Center. "It's the hub of the domestic market, and it gets the biggest international press coverage of any of the shows in the United States, so we are glad to be back," said Al Castignetti, general manager of Nissan North America. For more on planned unveilings at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, click here.

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Around the Web
What's the Biggest Car Buying Myth? [Jalopnik]
In the Metal: Toyota GT 86 vs. Subaru BRZ [Autoblog]
Top 10 Cars for the Apocalypse [Cars.com]
Fleet of Ferraris Ruined in Japan Sports Car Pileup [The Detroit News]