Could Strikes Threaten The Launch Of The 2012 Chevy Sonic?

That’s exactly what’s happening, as workers for supplier LINC Logistics have voted to authorize a strike if a labor deal can’t be reached after five days of negotiations. LINC employees have been working at the plant without a contract since joining the UAW this spring, and the eighty-eight LINC staffers represent almost half of the non-GM employees at the plant. 

Chevrolet has gone to great lengths to remind buyers that their upcoming Sonic will be the only B-segment vehicle built in the United States when it launches later this year. They’ve even linked the subcompact’s genetic material back to their flagship Corvette, as a way of reminding buyers that the Sonic will be entertaining as well as economical. There’s a lot riding on this product launch, so the last thing that Chevrolet and General Motors need is a labor dispute at their Orion Assembly Plant, where the Sonic will be built.

A GM spokeswoman denied that a strike would impact the launch of the Sonic, which is scheduled to begin production in August. That assumes that the plant’s UAW workers would be willing to cross a picket line if a strike is called, something that unions typically frown on. We’re guessing the matter will be resolved before a strike is called, since the Sonic is too significant a product for GM to delay.

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2011's Worst-Quality New Cars

Automakers are smart to crow when they earn coveted quality awards. But when the hammer comes down--particularly on brand-new vehicles--the results are usually kept a little more quiet.

One of the benchmark studies of new-vehicle quality has been released for the 2011 model year, and this time, J.D. Power's 2011 Initial Quality Study found that the marked progress made in the past four years is over. While the overall number of problems per 100 vehicles fell, the number of problems for brand-new models was higher than usual.

Crossovers and SUVs

While crossovers dominate the shopping lists of American car buyers more than ever, the newest crossovers are experiencing some teething troubles. The problems with the Ford Edge, Ford Explorer and Lincoln MKX were called out in particular by Power--but the Nissan Juke and MINI Countryman also have reason to be concerned, since their low ratings are matched by the low overall rankings of their brands.

Minivans and Pickup Trucks

Utility vehicles often have lower initial quality, because they're made to be more rugged--but buyers tend not to rate them poorly because they expect them to be more basic. It's notable here than none of the brand-new minivans for the 2011 model year--Odyssey, Quest or Sienna--were rated poorly by surveyed owners.

Sports Cars

 None of the brand-new sports cars for 2011 were included in the lowest of J.D. Power's initial-quality ratings, but the presence of BMW's Z4 and the Hyundai Genesis Coupe suggests those companies will have to revamp their flagship sporty offerings to continue to build their reputations against the likes of the Ford Mustang and Porsche Boxster.

Sedans and Luxury Sedans

There's trouble in the Power IQS survey for Buick and Audi. The volume sellers for both brands landed squarely at the bottom of this year's initial quality study. Infiniti's M and Jaguar's new XJ also haven't fared well, though the cars have been well-received by the automotive press.

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Science Proves It: A Hot Car Can Get Men Dates

While we may have always suspected this is true, now we have the science to back it up. Researchers at the University of Texas have proven that flashy shows of wealth from men, what UT researcher Dr. Jill Sundie called, “wasteful, elaborate displays,” send signals to the opposite sex that you’re looking for a short-term relationship. Accordingly, women find men who spend money conspicuously more interesting to date than their conservative counterparts. This parallels behavior in the animal kingdom, where being the flashiest peacock sends the message, “I’ve got good genes, and together we’d make healthy offspring.”

Men: if you’re looking for a casual one-night-stand, be prepared to drive a Porsche and spend some serious cash. You’ll have a better chance of being attractive to the opposite sex if you drive an expensive car, wear nice clothes and spend money like a drunken sailor on shore leave.

If you’re a man looking for marriage, on the other hand, it’s best to roll in a Prius, and a used one at that. The same signals that attract women for short-term relationships repel them when it comes to long-term commitment.  Men, however, find women who drive expensive cars and spend money haphazardly to be perfectly suitable mates, again illustrating the difference between male and female psychology.

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2011 Audi TT GT Coupe by Kahn Design

The Audi TT was redone with new front and back vented bumpers with mesh inserts and a new front grille that mirror the ones found on the R8. The R8 style side blades and billet steel finish door mirrors that are instantly recognizable on the R8 were also put in to transform the TT, as were the rear spoiler and stainless steel quad exhaust system. The modifications continue on the interior with a Kahn Speedo, rev counter, and ivory quilted leather interior with red stitching.

So far this tuning kit has followed the same pattern as Kahn’s previous package, but they did promise a better driving experience so more was definitely added. The Audi TT GT was hooked up with sports lowered suspension springs, a front lower bumper lip in billet steel finish, and a new set of 20 -inch RSV alloy wheels.

So, if you have an Audi TT and are thinking of upgrading, an R8 look-a-like would most certainly be the way to go. For an extra £19,875 - or about $31,750 at the current exchange rates - you too could be driving an R8. Well, sort of.

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Car Infographics: The Pikes Peak Course

The annual ’Race to the Clouds’ challenges automobiles and motorcycles alike to navigate their way up Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This course is about 12.42 miles long with 156 turns for drivers to brave during their ascent on grades averaging 7%. The race begins at 9,390 feet and ends at the mountain’s 14,110-foot summit above Colorado Springs for a total climb of 4,720 ft.

This year, 194 racers from ten different countries will test their driving skills on the dirt and paved roads of Pikes Peak with the hopes of getting top billing in their respective classes. The most anticipated race will be that of the Unlimited Class where there are no restrictions and some of the fastest machines on the planet are put to the test to see which one can go up the mountain faster. Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, Rhys Millen, and Paul Dallenbach are just a few of the racers in this class that are prepared to go balls to the wall to break the 10-minute barrier and the standing record of 10:01.408 achieved by Tajima back in 2007.

Will they succeed? Only time will tell, but prepare yourself for the race by taking a look at the course in detail. Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire a trip to Colorado to watch the action live.

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2011 Scion FR-S Concept

"Scion is always experimenting with new things," said Jack Hollis, Scion vice president. "The brand is iconic with the xB, adrenalized by the tC, and groundbreaking with the iQ. The FR-S will expand the brand into yet another new dimension that I know it is truly destined for."

Now, we know we have already seen two concepts- FT-86 and FT-86 II - for this vehicle, but will have to endure one more as Toyota has brought us yet another FT-86 concept. This time it has been revealed at the New York Auto Show under the Scion badge and it won’t go into production until Toyota finally brings their production version later this year at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Scion FR-S Concept is a preview version of a new model coming to the Scion brand next year.

Testing is still underway for the Scion FR-S, and while it was circling the track, spy photographers were able to get a shot of the newly fitted and massive wing attached to the back. Seems a little exaggerated to us, but hey, we’ve waited so long to see this car in action that we will take just about anything they throw at us at this point. Check out the video after the jump.

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2011 Porsche Panamera Styling Package by Kahn Design

The overall bigger look of the Panamera. begins with the wheels found on the previously mentioned RS600 package. These wheels cement the stance of the Panamera, which is then accentuated by a 10 piece wide-arch kit, rear roof spoiler, and front and rear air dams. Further styling is provided with integrated front LEDs with vents. Inside the luxury sports sedan is a customary blend of leather, carbon, and wood.

Kahn Design has a thing for sticking to certain models until they have provided a number of solutions to the standard look. Their focus is usually on improving the overall look for the exterior and interior of the vehicle and we can’t think of a time when this British tuning firm has failed us. Earlier this year, they provided the world with their RS600 package for the Porsche Panamera that brought out the sportier and more aggressive side to the sports sedan and now a second package is rolling out of their grounds. This time, styling is the only focus with the result being a lower, longer, and wider Panamera.

In a sports sedan that already features a 3.6-liter V6 engine that produces 300 horsepower and 295 lb/ft of torque, it’s the small styling additions such as the ones provided by Kahn that can truly polish it off just right.

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2011 Audi R8 Spyder Chrome for the Elton John AIDs Foundation

The chrome look is something we’ve seen before on an Audi R8. The German automaker brought a chrome-domed R8 5.2 FSI V10 coupe to the Frankfurt Motor Show back in 2009. It received plenty of attention at the auto show, so we’re not surprised it was such a rousing success at the charity event.

For the past eight years, Audi has created a special model to be auctioned off at the EJAF White Tie & Tiara Ball. Last year, Elton John’s charity was able to pull in £350,000 (about $522,500 at the current rates) by auctioning off the pink Audi A1 designed by renowned British artist Damien Hirst. This year, Audi doubled its efforts by providing not one, but two one-off chromed R8 Spyders for the auction, one from Audi Group Germany and one from Audi UK. In total, the two cars were auctioned off for an impressive £620,000 - or almost $1 million at the current exchange rates.

"We are absolutely delighted to have been instrumental in raising such a magnificent sum for Sir Elton’s charity," commented Jeremy Hicks, Director of Audi UK. "We couldn’t, of course, have done so without the incredible generosity of Sir Elton’s guests, to whom we owe an enormous vote of thanks" he added.

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Final Bugatti Veyron 16.4 sold to a customer in Europe

With the last of the 300 units sold, Bugatti will cease production of the supercar, at least in its hard top version. The company will still produce the vehicle in the Grand Sport trim.

If there was ever a time for Shelby Super Cars to ramp up their efforts in overtaking the Bugatti, now would be that time. Bugatti just announced that the final unit of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport has been sold. Okay, maybe not sold, but it has been ordered by a customer in Europe who will take delivery of his supercar next autumn.

"In the Veyron the Bugatti team has created a vehicle that has already become an icon of automotive history. Both technologically and in terms of design, the Veyron is still far ahead of its time. The Grand Sport is a further pinnacle of achievement in the open-top sports car segment, and we intend to maintain the same standard in our future Bugatti products," said Wolfgang Dürheimer, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

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2014 Porsche 550

The "550" name was first used in 1953 (see picture above) when Porsche unveiled a sports car inspired by the legendary 356. At that time, the 550 was not considered a successor for the 356, but Porsche’s future 550 will more than likely carry that title. The new 550 will be the first model to be built on Porsche’s new sports car architecture and will be offered with a mid-mounted, turbocharged 1.6-liter engine that will deliver around 200 HP. This engine will be mated to a dual-clutch seven speed transmission.

Volkswagen’s predicted domination of the automotive world just launched its next attack with three production versions of the Volkswagen Bluesport concept. According to Volkswagen, the BlueSport will see three different levels of performance illustrated in three different badges: Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche. It can go without saying that the Porsche model will be the most powerful and, up until now, it was just known as the "baby Boxster." Well, that baby Boxster has finally been named. Say hello to the future Porsche 550.

The future 550 will be launched in 2014 and, on the European market, will be priced about €8,000 ($11,500 at the current exchange rates) less than the current Boxster. That difference accounts for about 20% of the current Boxster’s price tag, which means our fellow Americans will have to pay about $38,000 to purchase it.

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