A little while ago we reported that Daimler – former owner of Chrysler – was about to give up on yet another one of its brands. This time it is not the middle-class Chrysler lineup, but instead it is the extremely expensive Maybach lineup. Daimler’s not even making an attempt to sell it, it’s just axing the failing company altogether.
In light of its upcoming release, Daimler is trying to rid itself of every last one of these nearly half-million-dollar machines. It is now taking drastic measures by adding in a $100,000 rebate. We’ve heard of crazy rebates upwards of $10,000 on some high-end cars, but $100K, really?
Then again, ridding itself of the remaining $376,000 Type 57 and the $427,000 Type 62 is not going to be an easy task. Maybe cutting the price by nearly one-third and one-fourth, respectively, will do the trick. Besides, reports say that Maybach loses roughly $500,000 on every model it sells, so what’s another $100K per car?
After this whole snafu, it appears that the “Maybach” name will again remain dormant in the automotive world, which it did from 1940 to 1997, for a very long time to come. So if you want an ultra-luxury car “on the cheap,” that may soon be worth tons of money as a collectable, swing on down to Maybach, if you can find a dealer, err, “studio” anywhere, and claim your cool $100K rebate.
We’re curious to see what kind of crazy restrictions there are to getting this rebate. We all know there is some kind of catch. Missing out on a $1,000 rebate due to some weird financing requirement ticks us off enough; missing out on $100K would likely send us into a small temper tantrum.
Cloned classic cars are everywhere. Heck even my dad has a cloned 1966 Chevelle SS. There is one difference between my dad, along with most other cloners, and one Bobby Patton, they have no problem admitting that their vehicle is officially a clone.
Mr. Patton apparently purchased a 1965 Chevy Chevelle from a gentleman and figured out that there is one extremely rare model in 1965 that the average person wouldn’t recognize from a regular old Chevelle. This model is the 1965 Chevelle Z16, which features a boxed frame, different engine stampings, special badges, different rear end, and the most obvious one, a unique VIN.
After tricking some car show judges into giving him a nice collection of trophies, Mr. Patton decided he was going to try and make a quick buck off of this clone by auctioning it off. Well, the problem is that he didn’t identify the vehicle as a clone, but as one of the few Z16s in the world, and was trying to get a cool $100K out of it.
The crack detective team at Chevelles.com sniffed out this fraud and began a conversation with the man that was auctioning the car. The conversations were not accusatory, but instead an attempt to help the guy realize that whoever sold him that car had tricked him. One of the folks talking to Mr. Patton pointed out numerous errors with the vehicle, including a homemade cowl VIN tag, incorrect speedometer, wrong engine stamping, wrong frame, and many other things.
Obviously, the guy kept pressing the issue and it took several days for him to come to his senses and pull the car from the auction site. That was a little too long, as someone reported him to the Ohio State Highway Patrol and they paid him a nice visit.
He claimed to have purchased the car that way, but the cops found out from the original owner that the car was badged, titled, and sold as a Chevelle 327SS, not a Z16. A long story short, now his car is impounded and he is serving two years of probation. Who would have known cloning a car could cause such issues?
The SS (Super Sport) name was first used back in 1961 and since then, it has become Chevrolet’s signature of performance on many models. Back then, the Impala was in its fourth generation and the SS version brought an amazing power increase of 305 - 425 HP, depending on the version. Now, the tenth generation Impala is on the horizon, changing its focus from being a once feared muscle car to a plain and simple family car, but the SS model will still be there to tickle the fancy of practicality and performance.
The future, standard Chevrolet Impala was just unveiled at the 2012 New York Auto Show, so we expect to see the SS version launched sometime by the end of the year or in early 2013. The new SS should follow the same guidelines set in the previous models, so expect to see a V8 engine with an output of up to 450 HP cradled under that family sized hood. In terms of design, the new Impala SS will receive a modified bumper, new grille, new side skirts, a new set of wheels, an SS badge, and some new red paint.
Shortly after its official launch, the Insignia became one of the most successful models in Opel’s line-up. And even if the car has only been on sale for just three years, the company is already preparing a small facelift for the car to keep it fresh enough to maintain customers’ interest. Our spy photographers have caught the car testing for the first time somewhere in Europe.
As you can see from the spy shots, only the car’s front and rear ends have been hidden, meaning that only these parts of the vehicle will get some changes for the facelift. The new Insignia will receive a completely modified set of headlamps and new bumpers, while the interior will also get modified with some new materials and improved technology. It has also been rumored that the engine line-up will receive some upgrades in order to lower CO2 emissions.
Expect to see the facelift Opel Insignia launched by the end of 2012.
Updated 07/04/2012: The upcoming Insignia facelift has been caught testing again, this time during some hot weather testing in Southern Europe.
Updated 01/25/2013: The upcoming Insignia facelift has been caught testing again, this time during some cold weather testing.
So Chrysler has been aggravating all of us by doing its social media teasing via Facebook. Between the SRT Viper and the Ram 1500 teasing campaigns, we were about teased out. Just as it did with the Viper, Chrysler redeemed itself by finally releasing the actual production 2013 Ram 1500.
This new 2013 Ram 1500 made its debut on April 5th via a live webcast on, you guessed it, FACEBOOK! First and foremost, Chrysler’s focus with the new Ram 1500 was gas mileage, as pickups are falling drastically behind cars in this area, and soon buyers will not be able to fuel these monsters. Luckily, Chrysler has no plans to drastically reduce engine size or mess with the aesthetics of the Ram in order to increase mileage. There are just a few tweaks here and there.
The true test is if this pickup can catch up to its main competitors, the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and the GM Sierra 1500. The only way that Ram can hope to catch up to these models is to significantly increase its V-6 output and lower the fuel consumption on the V-8 models.
Hit the jump to read the full review on the Ram 1500.
After debuting the new Altima at the 2012 New York Auto Show, Nissan is moving on to its next project by presenting a teaser image showing five redesigned models that will be launched in the next 15 months. During the Altima’s official debut in New York, Nissan also presented a short promo video that showed five new models hidden under a white cover.
Rumors say that the list of redesigned models will begin with the production version of the 2013 Pathfinder and a new Sentra. From left to right in the teaser images, the cars are: the hatchback version of the latest Versa set to be unveiled by the end of the year, the 2013 Pathfinder, the new Altima, the redesigned Rogue compact crossover, and the next Sentra that will adopt the same design language as the new Altima.
We haven’t received any confirmations for any of the models listed, but these are the best speculated vehicles in terms of Nissan’s history. Nissan has confirmed, however, that the new Sentra will be the next model unveiled.
The Impala was once a feared muscle car that could also haul around the entire family, but things have changed since the 1960s and automakers are more focused on economy and emissions. This means that the once legendary Impala has become a family car, plain and simple. In 2014, Chevy is completely revamping the Impala in an attempt to keep it fresh and it is slated to be revealed at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Like many automakers this year, Chevy just can’t resist releasing information early.
Chevy has released all of the specifications and even some nice images of the anticipated production model. No more teasers guys, this is supposedly the real deal. From the looks of it, the best-selling full-size sedan in 2011 is looking to reclaim that crown with this redesign.
The redesign itself is rather drastic for Chevy’s standards, so prepare yourself. Then again, some of the standard features — engine, transmission and safety features — are pretty average and not surprising at all. The next gen Chevrolet Impala will be built on the LWB version of the Epsilon 2 chassis and will be offered with a new range of engines, including a 3.6 liter V6 engine and a new 2.0 liter turbo four-cylinder. An E-assist model may also follow after the launch.
With sedans like the Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus and Nissan Maxima sneaking up on it, can the Impala pull off the feat or repeating as a best seller?
Updated 11/23/2012: Chevrolet just announced its flagship new sedan, the 2014 Impala, will go on sale in the spring of 2013 at a starting price of $27,535, including an $810 destination charge. All of the 2014 Impala’s pricing is listed after the jump.
UPDATE 02/25/13: Our Canadian readers will be happy to know that Chevrolet has finally priced the Impala in your currency. At a base price of $28,445, customers can treat themselves to the 195-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder. If they want a V6, they’ll have to shell out $32,945 for LT trim and $39,645 for the LTZ trim.
Check out the full review after the jump to see if the 2014 Chevrolet Impala has the goods to remain the best seller in America.
Charity auctions are always a great way to find special cars to buy, while also getting a chance to donate to a worthy cause. On Tuesday, March 20, 2012, the John Varvatos 9th Annual Stuart House Benefit will be host to an auction with a one-off, special edition Chrysler 300S designed by John Varvatos and inspired by his collections. All of the proceeds of the auction will benefit The Rape Foundation in support of Stuart House. Currently, the bid is at $48,546.
This special edition Chrysler 300S will be distinguished by a special set of custom 20" wheels in a satin carbon finish and a very cool black paint for the interior. The interior also get seats and door panels decorated with black woven leather details and flat woven Heather fabric which brings an elegant Menswear appeal to the vehicle. The instrument panel, console lid, and door armrest are wrapped in black leather, while the steering wheel features a black two-tone color combo with an accent 360 ring. All of these elements are combined with satin chrome finishes.
Under the hood, the engine remains unchanged: the 3.6-liter Pentastar engine delivers a total of 292 HP and is mated to an all-new segment-exclusive ZF eight-speed automatic transmission.
