2007 Expedition Eddie Bauer, Rear Entertainment, 3rd Row, Moonroof, 1-ownertexas on 2040-cars

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First-edition Detroit muscle raises millions for charity at Barrett-Jackson

Amidst all the classic metal crossing the auction block each year in Scottsdale, AZ, Detroit automakers have a tradition of donating the first examples of their most enticing new muscle cars, with the proceeds of their sales going towards worthwhile charities. This year, Barrett-Jackson handled three noteworthy examples. The highest price among them was the first Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang with the VIN #001, which raised $1 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. General Motors donated the first new Chevy Corvette Z06 Convertible, the first retail example of the droptop supercar garnering $800,000 for the United Way. Along with the Z06, GM also donated the first new 2016 Cadillac CTS-V sedan, which brought in $170,000 for Detroit's College for Creative Studies. Although these were the headline Motown muscle machines furnished by the automakers themselves, they weren't the only vehicles auctioned off for worthy causes. A 1950 GM Futurliner bus donated by collector Ron Pratte led the charge when it brought in $4.65 million for the Armed Forces Foundation. Other lots included a custom Jeep Wrangler donated by SEMA ($85k), a new M5 donated by BMW ($800k), a '79 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst ($140k), '39 Cadillac LaSalle C-Hawk ($410k), Jeff Gordon's 1999 NASCAR-spec Chevy Monte Carlo ($500k) and a Victory Cross Country 8-Ball motorcycle ($180k). All told, the charity lots raised over $8.7 million for local and national charities. BARRETT-JACKSON REACHES HISTORIC HIGHS FOR SALES, CROWDS AND CELEBRITY APPEARANCES IN SCOTTSDALE • Barrett-Jackson sold 1,611 vehicles, which went for more than $130 million (unaudited), smashing records in the company's 44-year history during the 10-day auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale • Automobilia sales nearly tripled world records, with 2,000 pieces selling for more than $6.55 million • Celebrity attendance and crowds, along with ratings on Discovery and Velocity, spike SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jan. 18, 2015 – Barrett-Jackson, The World's Greatest Collector Car AuctionsTM, reached historic highs during the Scottsdale auction at WestWorld from Jan. 10-18, 2015. During the 10-day auction, Barrett-Jackson recorded more than $130 million in vehicle sales (unaudited) and a world record $6.55 million in automobilia sales (unaudited), making it the highest auction in sales to date. The Ron Pratte Collection alone brought in over $40.44 million in vehicle and automobilia sales.

All the details on Plug In 2014 electric vehicle conference you could ever want

One of the best parts of the Plug In 2014 Conference in San Jose, CA last week was getting to listen in on thoughts about the state of the plug-in vehicle industry from people who have been involved with it for ages. They bristle when you call them the "Old Guard" (learned that one the hard way), but these are the people who have been through a number of ups and downs with plug-in vehicles, so they've got what we call perspective. Their knowledge was on full display in the three plenary sessions, which the Plug In Conference organizers have given us permission to share with you. Each is at least 90 minutes long, so make sure to set some time aside to enjoy the discussions after you download them (any help with making them streamable would be appreciated). Follow us below to see what we've got to offer. Opening Plenary (audio link). "The Road Ahead – Delivering on a Vision for Sustainable Transportation." Moderated by Mark Duvall (director of energy utilization at EPRI, the Electric Power Research Institute, and a long-time EV advocate), this panel featured: Jack Broadbent, Executive Officer / APCO, Bay Area Air Quality Management District Pat Romano, President & Chief Executive Officer, ChargePoint, Inc. Aaron Johnson, Senior Director, Customer Programs, Pacific Gas and Electric Company Brendan Jones, Director, EV Sales Operations & Infrastructure Deployment, Nissan North America, Inc. David W. Cash, Commissioner, MassDEP Dan Sperling, Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis Highlights: Educating drivers to "get over the gas station" is a key strategy, how Level 2 and DC Fast Charging are really "a new paradigm," that there have been well over 214,000 EVs sold in US as of July 2014 and where Nissan sees huge potential for more EV sales (Northeast US and medium-size cities like St. Louis and Pittsburgh). Wednesday Morning Plenary (audio link). "Getting to the Mass Market – A Discussion of Ideas for Widespread PEV Adoption." Moderated by John Gartner, research director for smart transportation at Navigant Research.

Volvo to shake off Ford ties with new platforms, engines

It would seem Volvo is finally getting around to throwing all of Ford's things out of the apartment. Automotive News reports the Swedish automaker is preparing to unleash a range of new engines as well as a fresh platform designed entirely in house. The powerplants include an all-new four-cylinder engine set to bow before the end of this year before arriving in the US by 2014. Shortly thereafter, the world should get its first glimpse at the next-generation XC60, which will the company's first model to make use of the Volvo scalable platform architecture (SPA). US buyers can expect to see that machine on their roads by early 2015.
The next V70 and S80 will also use the SPA, though those models will carry V90 and S90 designations when they hit dealer floors. But that doesn't mean Volvo has completely weened itself off of Ford technology. The V40 will continue to ride on Ford bones until the model's next chassis can be co-developed between Volvo and Geely.