BMW the Most Powerful Auto Brand

BMW constantly tries to make their cars more powerful with turbochargers and diesel injector pumps, but the company just became more powerful in a different way. A recent study conducted by Millward Brown shows that BMW has passed Toyota to become the most powerful automobile brand.  They estimate the BMW brand is worth $24.63 billion. BMW is now the number one luxury car maker in the world, and it also has the most valuable brand.  That’s a pretty good one-two punch.  

Out of the Way Toyota

Toyota falls second to BMW by roughly $3 billion.  Toyota and most other Japanese car companies were hurt by the earthquake and the Fukishima Nuclear accident.  These disasters caused shipment delays, and crippled supply chains.

Figuring out the worth of a brand is a tough job.  Some people say it is even to subjective to gage. However, Millward Brown claims they can do it. To figure out brand worth, Millward Brown conducted over two million surveys in greater than 30 countries.  They also added in the earnings from branded products, and the power the brand has on the company’s bottom line.

Other notable outcomes of the survey are Hyundai being the first Korean car company to make the top ten ranking at number 9, and Ford is the only American company that made the cut at number 7.

       Rankings in Billions

1.       BMW 24.63

2.       Toyota 21.79

3.        Mercedes 16.11

4.       Honda 12.64

5.       Nissan 9.85

6.       VW 8.51

7.       Ford 7.02

8.       Audi 4.70

9.       Hyundai 3.59

10.   Lexus 3.39

"C" You Later Low Gas Mileage

You know who worked really hard this year and deserves a break? You’re fuel pump, that’s who.  You take for granted all the hard work the fuel pump assembly does for you.  Without it you wouldn’t get to work, or get to the in-laws for the holidays.  OK, so maybe in the second example we wish the fuel pump would stop working so we could skip the in-laws. Nonetheless, they deserve a break.

It appears that Toyota is going to give the fuel pumps in their new Prius C a huge break.  These fuel pumps are going to have a nice and relaxing job, since the new Prius C is supposed to get 83 miles per gallon.  That’s a little bit better than the standard Prius model.  According to Toyota the Prius C will get the best city fuel economy of any hyrbids that do not plug in.

The car was introduced last week at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Toyota Aquas, but it will be officially introduced as the Prius C in the states next month at The Detroit Auto Show.  The cost will be somewhere around $21,700.  The car will have a 1.5 liter four cylinder engine to go along with its electric motor. The total horsepower of the vehicle is going to be around 98.  This is about 40 horsepower less than the normal Prius and the Prius V.   

You will be able to buy this miniature Prius this spring.  And, Toyota is forecasting that a lot of you are going to buy it.  They expect to sell 12,000 a month in Japan and hope to have a 20 percent increase in global sales this year.

With all the New Sports Cars Coming for 2012 Which is Best?

Over the last few years the heard of new sports cars in the lower price range had become kind or thin. While the supercar world has exploded with lots of cars with a supercharger or turbochargers the rest of us had to make do with a 350z or nothing. In 2010 that all changed with the release for the Genesis Coupe from Hyundai of all companies. Now Toyota and Subaru have come together to give us the FT-86 which will be sold as the Scion FR-S and the Subaru BRZ. Mazda was also nice enough to bless us with the new Miata which is much better than it looks.

With all these new choices rejuvenating the sports car market and all in just about the same price tag which one is best? The way I am looking at this is only front engine rear wheel drive cars count. Not interested in the AWD Evo or STi since they are 4 door rally cars not sports cars. If the price range is mid 20K up to 32K the list is really limited to about 5 models. Yeah there are lots of used cars that can be purchased that fall to that price range after a few years but that also means the repair bills are still in line for a $60K car.

The 370Z tops the list in price sitting right at the $35K Mark and boasts the most impressive HP and maybe the highest trim level. The genesis falls into the range at the bottom price wise but it is a new comer and not many people trust that the quality is there in the long run. Honestly who can blame them since Hyundai has been making kinda low quality cars for years. The Miata is an amazing little car but it does carry quite the stereotype for the driver. Won’t mention what that stereotype for the sake of PC-ness, none the less it is a very capable little sports car. The problem is most of the major players have pulled out of the sports car race leaving the smaller companies to pick up the slack.

Toyota and Subaru combine forces to get the FT086 off the ground which seems to be all the rage but no one here is the states has really had any butt in seat time with it. Not only has no one logged seat time but no one knows the real price either.

This brings us back to the original question, which is…what is the one to buy? Well the Genesis is an amazing car but when someone asks what you drive…well it’s still a Hyundai. The 370Z is amazing but it is pricey and falls into almost the highest insurance class there, just below supercars. While the Miata is a bit small and completely impractical plus there is that other thing. The best way to look at this is, with the economy still in the toilet it may be a few years before the sports car rears its head again. So let us all just get Forza and enjoy some Xbox bliss…hell it’s safer anyway. 

The Toybaru or Subaota or Whatever You Call the FT-86 Concept is Finally Here

About 2 years ago Toyota and Subaru decided to work together to bring the first completely new sports car to the market in years. The car they have created is beautiful and very light, with a very low center of gravity. Due to this the car has no need for a turbocharger or supercharger to make them fast. The whole idea behind this dual creation car was to make something that handled like a dream.

The two car companies used their vast knowledge and resources to create a car that has the lowest center of gravity of almost any production car.  The reason that anyone would want a very low center of gravity is simple, the lower the center of gravity the better the handling can be. The center of gravity on a car may not be the only factor that will make this car handle well but it is a huge influence on the characteristics of the vehicle.

The styling of the car caught the attention of the car world almost instantly. The main reason was because of the elegant looks that still had some serious aggression. A look that said yeah I am fast and mean but I still look great…kinda reminds me of the way an Aston Martin makes you feel. This car will be instantly recognizable as a sports car and will have a very distinct sound. What is the reason for the distinct sound? That would be the boxer motor which is not only very flat which means the center or gravity stays low but also creates that unique Subaru sound. Love it or hate it the sound will be very different for a 2 door rear drive sports coupe. 

The 2012 Plug in Toyota Prius

Toyota is one of the largest car manufacturers on the planet and they continue to be thanks to innovations and forward thinking. The Toyota Prius has been a sales explosion due to the great mileage and trendy nature of being green but the car also has lots of features to make it more efficient. The Prius incorporates a number of new technologies such as electric steering rack and drive by wire throttle. The Electric rack and pinion is more efficient than a fluid based system since it eliminates the need for the whole pump system. The drive by wire is an electric system that controls the throttle making millisecond adjustments to reach peak efficiency.

This year Toyota has expanded the Prius line to more than just one car but a family of automobiles that are hybrid or complete electric. The Prius family will consist of the original Prius with 3 different options, the hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and then a complete electric. There are also new versions of the car that are being released as well, a 5 door hatch back bigger than the original and also a sportier 3 door car too.

Toyota has been expanding their empire and even though there have been some serious natural disasters that have slowed down the production they still seem to be holding their own. The production of most of the Japanese based car companies has been somewhat lacking since the tsunami but it is good to see that they are starting to get back to normal production. Normal production means that their lives are getting back to normal and that is what we all want to see.