1963 Chevrolet C-10 Stepside Pickup on 2040-cars

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Retro Wrong: MotorWeek shares first unaired pilot episode

MotorWeek is an automotive institution in the United States. We all have to get our start somewhere though, and for the latest entry in the Retro Review series, the show is releasing its unaired pilot for the first time. Even today, the program isn't necessarily the most exciting thing on TV, but the modern incarnation looks like Top Gear compared to this original, very monotone attempt. The cars on display are more interesting from a historical aspect than actually being behind the wheel. MotorWeek puts the Chevrolet Citation and Ford Fairmont head to head. If you want to see progress in the auto industry, look here. The Fairmont manages a rousing 85 horsepower from a 3.3-liter inline six, and the Citation does only a little better with a 115-hp, 2.8-liter V6. The other highlight comes at the end when John Davis talks about the cars of the future. These include the upcoming introduction of the Ford Escort in the US and the mention of a possible gasoline-electric hybrid from General Motors. Given this pilot, it's amazing MotorWeek ever got the green light. However, if you're a fan of auto history, seeing the news from the past is always fascinating. News Source: MotorWeek via YouTube Chevrolet Ford Hatchback Classics Videos Sedan

2016 Chevy Malibu undercuts rivals with $22,500 starting price

Customers eager to get their hands on the new 2016 Malibu may be pleasantly surprised to find that Chevy has actually reduced the price on the base model. In fact the Malibu now undercuts much of the competition. Order up a new Malibu in entry-level L trim and you'll shell out only $22,500. That includes the $875 destination charge (which is $50 more than what Chevy used to charge for delivery). The Malibu L of course won't come with all the bells and whistles of the higher trim levels, but still comes with 10 airbags, cruise control, and push-button ignition. Compare that to the competition and you'll find the base Malibu less expensive than most, but not all. It undercuts the Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima – although the Hyundai Sonata and Mazda6, for example, are still marginally less expensive in base trim. Those looking for a little bit more can upgrade to the Malibu LS ($23,995), LT ($25,895), or Premier ($31,795). The L, LS and LT come with a 1.5-liter inline-four, but the Premier packs a 2.0-liter turbo that can also be had in LT spec for $29,495. Pricing for the Malibu Hybrid is slated to be announced at a later date, as will EPA fuel economy figures for the rest of the range. Next-Gen Chevrolet Malibu Starts at $22,500 Lower than Camry, Accord, Fusion and Altima 2015-09-10 DETROIT – The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, the most fuel-efficient, connected and technologically advanced version in the nameplate's history – will be available with a starting suggested retail price of $22,500 for the L model. "We've continued our focus on delivering on the highest levels of quality, as evidenced by recent recognitions from J.D. Power on initial quality and long-term dependability," said Steve Majoros, director of Chevrolet cars and crossovers. "The 2016 Malibu is engineered and priced to give customers impressive value and technology that's hard to compete with." For 2016, Malibu will be offered in five models, L, LS, LT, Hybrid and Premier. Standard equipment includes 10 airbags, cruise control, push-button start with passive entry and fuel-saving stop/start technology on the base 1.5L 4-cylinder engine. The LS model, starting at $23,995, includes standard Chevrolet MyLink Radio with 7-inch diagonal color touch screen, available compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a rear vision camera. CarPlay and Android Auto are subject to Apple and Google privacy statements and require compatible smartphone and data plans.

800k car names trademarked globally, suddenly alphanumerics seem reasonable

What's in a name? This cliched phrase probably gets tossed out at every marketing meeting that happens when a new car gets its nomenclature. We know the answer, though: everything. The name of a car has all the potential to make or break it with fickle customers that are more conscious than ever about what their purchases say about them.
That's giving headaches to marketing folks across the automotive industry. "It's tough. In 1985 there were about 75,000 names trademarked in the automotive space. Today there are 800,000," Chevrolet's head of marketing, Russ Clark, told Automotive News. Infiniti's president, Johan de Nysschen, echoed Clark's sentiment, saying, "The truth of the matter is, across the world, there is hardly a name or a letter that hasn't already been claimed by one car manufacturer or another. You can go through the alphabet - A, B, C and so forth - and you will quickly see that almost all available letters are taken."
What has that left automakers to do? Get creative. In the case of Infiniti, it made the controversial move to bring all of its cars' names into a new scheme, classifying them as Q#0 for cars and QX#0 for SUVs and crossovers. So the Infiniti G, which was available as the G25 and G37, is now the Q50. The FX37 and FX50 are now the QX70.