Nutson's Nuggets: Last Week's (Feb 19-26, 2012) Automotive News In Case You Were Sleeping

Auto Central Louisville KY February 26, 2012; Each week Larry Nutson, The Auto Channel's Chicago Bureau Chief, along with Steve Purdy and Thom Cannell from The Auto Channel Detroit Bureau give you a nugget of the past week's automotive news you may have missed.
If you are a car nut like we all are, you can easily "catch up" on these stories as well as the past 16 years 901,205 automotive stories, articles, reviews, rants and raves by just searching for the subject you are interested in The Auto Channel's Automotive News Archive, see ya next week L.N.

Automotive News Nuggets February 16-26 2012

* We got our first drive in Toyota's new Prius C this week at a media preview in Florida. The Prius C…"C" for city…is targeted at young singles and couples living in an urban environment and wanting a fun-to-drive hybrid car. The Prius C is 19 inches shorter than the Prius liftback and has an EPA city fuel economy of 53 mpg with prices starting at $18,950. Look for a full report here on The Auto Channel.

* This weekend brings us the NASCAR Daytona 500. Carl Edwards in his No. 99 Roush-Fenway Racing Ford is on the pole with a qualifying speed of 194.738mph. Of note is that this is the fastest Daytona qualifying speed in more than a decade. For those who haven't been following NASCAR "technology", this is the first year that the race cars use electronic fuel injection. The race field will have 13 Fords, 11 Toyotas, 16 Chevys and 3 Dodges. And....Danica Patrick is the media darling of the 500. Late note: Danica won the pole for Saturday's Nationwide Race… the first female pole winner since 1994.

* Chrysler Group is using its "Imported from Detroit" ad slogan to promote a new line of merchandise that can be purchased on the web or at the Detroit Shoppe at the Somerset Collection in Troy, Mich. Featured are more than 60 items that range from clothing, posters, decals, outerwear, hats and tote bags along with items for children as well. While all of the items may not be made in Detroit, they are all made in America. A portion of the proceeds from the merchandise sale is to be donated to four local youth-oriented Detroit-area charities.

* Last week we reported that vehicle reliability is better than ever. Well, this week Polk reports that Americans are keeping their new cars longer...nearly six years. Seems consistent!

* General Motors has begun shipping a low-emissions version of the Chevrolet Volt to dealerships in California, a move GM hopes will revive sales of the plug-in hybrid. Buyers will be eligible for a $1,500 state rebate and access to the state’s carpool lanes, perks that buyers of past Volts didn’t get because those cars didn’t meet the state’s tough emissions standards.

* In other EV news, we reported last week that the Obama administration is proposing to increase the tax credit for EVs to $10,000. This week we learned that the tax credit can be applied to the seller. This is somewhat of a game-changer since this would allow lower income buyers the ability to take advantage of the full tax credit in comparison to what has been a limitation based on how much total federal income tax one pays..you don't get more credit than you pay in tax. However, the government might still easily miss the stated target of a million plug-in electrics on the road by 2015.

* Kia's new big flagship sedan, based on the same rear-wheel drive platform as Hyundai's Equus, will go on sale in South Korea this summer but they've not yet decided whether it will come to the U.S. Sketches were shown in Automotive News this week and it looks stunning.

* A 1948 Tucker brought nearly $3 million at the Barrett-Jackson auction earlier this month. The number of buyers was up, prices were up and enthusiasm was up at all the Scottsdale auctions this year. We've come to view these January auctions as a bell weather of the health of the collector car business. Lookin' good for 2013.

* Have you noticed a easing in traffic congestion lately? The Federal Highway Agency revealed last week that U.S. motorists drove fewer miles last year than anytime since 2003. No surprise that the struggling economy and high gas prices are to blame.

* Oil prices were up to $106/barrel last week causing higher gas prices - 40 cents higher than last year at this time. This spike, analysts say, is because Iran stopped selling oil to the U.K. and France. If the bad guys of the middle east decide to close the Straight of Hormuz, watch out!

* As if there weren't enough iterations of the cool Mini, parent company BMW is showing a delivery van concept version at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show aimed at what they call "premium" small business with a fashionable image. It has room for two in front and a flat floor to the rear.

* Tata announced this week it will double its investments in their Jaguar and Land Rover businesses. Those vehicles with deep British heritage have done very well for the new Indian owner. Tata is also involved in partnerships with Fiat and China's Chery Automobile.