Chevrolet is asking its 3,000 dealers to prepare for the late September launch of the Chevrolet Cruze compact by purchasing competitors' vehicles for test-drive comparisons.

Chevrolet is encouraging dealers to have a Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic on site so prospective 2011 Cruze buyers can immediately measure the car against its segment competitors, said Margaret Brooks, Chevrolet small-car marketing director.

 

Hey, remember those new fuel-efficiency stickers proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration yesterday? Well, the National Automobile Dealer Association remembers them, and it does not like them -- at least the ones featuring the letter grade.

According to Automotive News, NADA spokesman Bailey Wood is quoted as saying the letter-grade labels will "confuse the buying public, make vehicle purchasing decisions more difficult or treat automakers or fuel types unfairly."

Under the proposed labeling system only zero-emissions vehicles would receive a grade of A+, though even the worst vehicle in terms of fuel economy would be spared a failing grade as the range bottoms out with a D.

There's also the idea that the letter grades will lead to, er, hurt feelings. From the source article: "Dave McCurdy, CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents Toyota, GM, Ford and eight other manufacturers, said Monday the rating system 'falls short because it is imbued with schoolyard memories of passing and failing.'" 

Ivan “Ironman” Stewart’s high-speed lifestyle of flying through the desert, leaving a rooster tail of dust, is taking a turn down a calmer, gentler road.

Stewart, 64, is ready to slow things down and create more time for himself and his family. “I’m not retiring,” he insists, “just changing directions.”

Last weekend he sold his off-road racing truck business and everything that goes along with it. He had more than 35 years of one-of-a-kind racing artifacts, memorabilia and assorted off-road racing equipment--enough stuff to fill a leased warehouse in El Cajon, Calif. Eschewing sentimentality for practicality, he sold it all in an auction.

One of the biggest names in off-road racing, Stewart achieved a remarkable 82 wins behind the wheel of race buggies, Mickey Thompson stadium trucks and Baja trucks. His trophies include three Baja 1000 wins and a record 17 Baja 500 wins. Off-road video games bear his name, and longtime sponsor Toyota even produced a limited number of Ivan Stewart “Ironman”-edition trucks.

 

“Icon” is one of the most egregiously overused words in the English language -- especially by overzealous media types like me, trying to turn mundane stories into front-page headlines by lionizing someone or something that doesn’t deserve it. Not everyone and everything can be an icon, or “iconic,” otherwise the meaning of the label gets diluted, and that's a crime against those people or creations deserving of it.

 

More SLS AMG Pictures

 

The original Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, for instance, is one such creation worthy of being called an icon. And I'm confident my assertion that the all-new 2011 SLS AMG, the Gullwing's spiritual successor, is set to follow in the 300SL's footsteps is no simple hyperbole.

 

The Fourth Amendment to the constitution is an important one. After suffering at the hands of a corrupt British government, our forefathers made it clear that they needed to protect citizens from overbearing law enforcement -- that includes fending off unreasonable search and seizure. Unfortunately, with the advancement of various technologies, the definitions of those two acts have become increasingly murky. Last week, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that law enforcement officers do not violate the Fourth Amendment if they use a GPS device to track your whereabouts. Even worse, those officers can come onto your property to install the tracker. 

Fuel efficiency is more of a hot topic during the hot months, when gasoline tends to be more expensive, which makes it fitting that the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration today released images of two new versions of window stickers for vehicles starting with the 2012 model year.

The proposed stickers are mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and require the EPA and NHTSA to give ratings to vehicles based on fuel economy and the emission of greenhouse gases and smog-forming pollutants. One of the proposed stickers (below) would give each car a letter grade, report-card-style, based on fuel efficiency -- an idea quickly denounced by automakers. The range would run from A+, for zero-emission vehicles only, down to a D, meaning even the worst offenders would be spared a "failing" grade. 

Mercedes-Benz is set to launch a wave of small luxury vehicles in the United States. An all-new C-class coupe will debut next year, followed by three derivatives of the front-wheel-drive B class in 2012 and 2013.

"Everyone wants to be Mercedes-Benz," said Ernst Lieb, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA. Now, Lieb said, Mercedes will enter segments where competitors are strong.

Here is a rundown of Mercedes' product plans.

 

Today in Milan, Italy, Mazda unveiled its Shinari 4-door, coupe-style concept vehicle, which showcases the so-called "kobo" design direction the company will take in the future.

The Shinari is the result of collaboration among Mazda design studios in Japan, Germany and the United States. According to a report in Autonews, the concept shows what the Japanese automaker is capable of in terms of upgrading its image. The director of design for Mazda North America is quoted as saying: "We want to play in the same group as BMW and Audi. On fit and finish, we want the same level of quality."