Last week numerous sources announced that GM will present the 260 horsepower Pontiac Solstice GXP at the North American International Auto Show from January 14th through January 22nd. The Solstice GXP features GM’s all-new 2.0-liter turbo Ecotec engine and produces over 260 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque.

The car is believed to arrive at dealerships this summer, but discussions among enthusiasts and future owners is already heating up at the Solstice GXP Owners Club. “We are all exited and can’t wait for the details on this machine” said Tom, one of the first members of the club. “The style, performance, and price make this car prefect!” Tom exclaimed. [PRWEB Dec 30, 2005]

In addition to the GXP trim, it is believed that GM will soon announce a GT coupe as well. For more information see solsticegxpowners.com.

tagTRAX: pontiac solstice | gxp | international auto show | american international auto show | north american international auto

Dennis R. Cowhey, author of the popular book “What Does That Mean? The Personal Stories Behind Vanity License Plates” has announced February 28, 2006 as the deadline for entries into the second edition of the book.

Anyone who has an interesting story behind their Vanity Plate has a chance of being included in the new book. Simply go to www.vanity-plates.com and submit the story. It’s free. Not all plates that are submitted will be included, but according to the author, he will include as many as possible. The new book will be bigger and better than the original and it will include pictures of the “best” of the plates.

Cowhey, the self proclaimed “World’s greatest expert on Vanity Plate meanings” wrote the original book ten years ago. He reports that sales are still brisk and he regularly gets orders from Amazon.com and direct from consumers. The research for the original book was done by passing out postcards to people that he met on the street. Some postcards were placed on windshields of cars. Once, he almost got arrested in a mall parking lot while he was tucking a postcard under a windshield wiper. Now, he says, things are much easier because most of the new entries are coming from the website www.vanity-plates.com.

During a recent interview, Dennis said, “some of the stories are quite funny, like BTHEBAL that refers to the Chevy Chase character in “Caddyshack”, Ty Webb, was giving a golf lesson to a blindfolded student. He advised the student to “Be the Ball, or MEN LIE on a young woman’s license. It seems that at 17, she had already been misled by more than one cad.

But they range from the very serious like ETHICS, whose owner says that the plate speaks for itself. He states “Ethical conduct is more important than ever and I want people to ask me about it. I present Ethical Fitness Seminars and Moral Courage Seminars to a variety of organizations and groups.”; To the profane like BEYACH, which means B*TCH……but you drag it out like beeeeeeeeeyach, according to its owner.

The new book will have well over a thousand entries, but Cowhey declines to say how many. He said, “It all depends on how many get submitted and how good they are.”

There is also a growing commercial interest in Vanity Plates. There is a new website called www.greatplateexchange.com where you can list your registered Vanity License Plate for sale at auction. You can buy or sell registered license plates from their owner. This practice is already prevalent in Europe and the Far East where they command huge
prices. A Vanity Plate in Hong Kong recently sold for $910,000.00.

Whether you are interested in Vanity Plates because of their commercial value or just curious about their meanings, they definitely add some variety and fun to life according to Cowhey. [PRWEB Dec 29, 2005]

tagTRAX: vanity license plates | vanity plates | vanity plate | amazon | fitness seminars

New car dealers have many issues to resolve in 2006. The factory has taken the margin out of the business by offering big incentives and employee deals. The number of dealers going out of business in 2006 will hit an all time high many analysts predict.

“Dealers must go on the offence,” states Mark Fracalossi CEO of AMT Media LLC, a Denver based Consulting and Media Firm. “I have been involved with the auto business for almost 30 years and margins were better years ago than they are today,” he added.

Fracalossi sites the Big Box Theory, “Dealers today will sell a $50,000 vehicle for a $100 Profit, at these margins volume must be increased ten times to recieve the average profit of only ten years ago, this is what the Big Box retailers do to each other and eventually take all the profit out of many of their products just to create a customer. The days of opening up the doors and making a profit are over, dealers must do many things right to achieve success.”

“We have been working with our dealers to go on the offence and become the leader in their market, we work hand and hand to make a plan that works in their world,” Fracalossi said.

“We always look for the advantage each individual dealer has and expand upon that and create both a short term plan and long term goals. Dealers must think and act like big business today and we just give them the tools to help succeed.” [PRWEB Dec 29, 2005]

tagTRAX: new car dealers | amt media llc | offence | margins | media firm

THR, the first authorized Private Dealer of the complete Saleen line of Mustang parts and accessories, has announced special discounts on Saleen Mustang Superchargers during this last week of introductory pricing.

Current retail pricing is $4999, and will go up to $5999 on January 1. THR is offering additional incentives for customers who purchase these Saleen Superchargers during the last week of December. For more details, contact THR direct at 877-50-STANG or visit www.texashotrods.com.

As a complete Saleen dealer, THR offers price match guarantees and customer assistance. “We always focus on making the customer happy. We install what we sell, so we have the expertise to guide our customers through the whole process from purchasing the right parts to installation assistance,” says THR President Brian Metzger.

Saleen Mustang, one of the top names in Custom Performance Modifications for Mustangs, has announced that it’s introductory pricing for the 2005 Series IV Supercharger will be over on January 1st, 2006. Saleen created a Supercharger system that produces over 400 hp and 420 lb torque. This system is custom made as a direct bolt on for the new 2005 Mustangs, one of the most popular releases in Ford Mustang history. [PRWEB Dec 27, 2005]

Tags: saleen mustang | mustang superchargers | mustang parts | thr | supercharger system

Not too far from the high-end auto dealerships along San Francisco’s Van Ness Avenue, some surprising faces are turning up at Bay area car auctions. Faces you’ve seen on television, on celluloid and on the playing field. And they’re all looking to save money on a used car.

Recent high-profile stories of athletes and entertainers losing it as fast and as big as they made it have made many in the upper income brackets more cautious about glitzy spending sprees that make even the biggest paychecks go all too quickly. Public auto auctions offer them a chance to get marquee brands to fill multi-car garages at a fraction of retail prices.

“Yeah, I come here a lot,” one prominent athlete who asked not to be identified said at a recent automobile auction sponsored by Alameda County Auction (ACAuction.com) in Dublin, CA. “People think that just because I make a lot of money, I don’t need to worry about how much a car costs. But I like a good deal just like everyone else.”

This particular sports figure walked away from a recent automobile auction with a late-model used Mercedes and a Range Rover “for ski trips to Squaw Valley,” both at a fraction of the full retail price.

“Word gets around that you can get used cars below blue book at auto auctions and everyone wants to get in on the action,” said Alameda County Auction Chief Executive Officer, Adel Saadeh. “People like knowing that they got the best deal on a car, no matter what their income level.”

Saadeh says that their end-of-year automobile auction, scheduled for Saturday, December 31, 2005 at 9:00 AM, will be their biggest ever. “This is when we really have a lot of people looking to save big for the end of the year, and our inventory reflects that.” [PRWEB]

In the Auto News: alameda county auction | automobile auction | public auto auctions | car auctions

The Scleroderma Foundation and ppc Racing are proud to announce that the Scleroderma Foundation will be an associate sponsor of the ppc Racing/AutoZone #22 Ford Fusion with driver Kenny Wallace during the full 2006 NASCAR Busch Series campaign.

The Scleroderma Foundation first partnered with ppc Racing earlier this year for the Dover 200 on September 24th at Dover International Speedway.

“With Kenny Wallace and ppc Racing, we are certain that our members and all fans of the NASCAR Busch Series will see exciting racing,” said Donna Kohli, President and CEO of the Scleroderma Foundation headquartered in Danvers, MA.

“Kenny is a great spokesperson for NASCAR racing and all his sponsors and we are confident NASCAR fans will continue to support this team.

“It is also a great way to raise awareness and funds for this devastating autoimmune disease that affects over 300,000 people in the United States alone. We wish Kenny Wallace, the #22 AutoZone Crew and the entire ppc Racing team much success in 2006.” [PRWEB]

Related Auto News: nascar busch series | dover international speedway | scleroderma foundation | kenny wallace | autozone | nascar racing

Consumers wanting to purchase their lease at the end of the lease term can now apply for a lease buy out loan with myAutoloan.com, a direct-to-customer, Internet-based auto financing marketplace that helps consumers find auto loan financing including lease buy out loans.

Customers receive up to four lease buy out loan offers from national lending institutions and banks offering competitive rates and terms. Auto leases provide the leasing customer with the option to buy their car at or near the end of the lease. By offering lease buy out financing, myAutoloan.com strengthens their product line to both consumers and its lending base. myAutoloan.com now offers purchase (new and used), refinance, private party, lease and lease buy out loan products direct to consumers.

“Our lease buy out option empowers our customers to control the outcome of their auto purchasing and financing experience,” said Greg Thibodeau, CEO of myAutoloan.com. “We can help them find the right financing in a stress-free, private and secure environment.” [PRWEB]

In the Auto News: auto leases | consumers | lease term | auto financing | auto loan

Bracketron, LLC has launched its new line of Custom Motorcycle Mounts (CMM‘s) solution, allowing motorcycle operators to enjoy the use of Satellite Radio, GPS, MP3 and other mobile electronics use. This solution allows motorcyclists to mount many mobile devices without drilling, engineering, custom manufacturing there own, one off mount. It also offers a complete solution that mounts on existing motorcycle hardware in just minutes.

Gerardo DeCuffa, Bracketron Executive Vice President, said: “We have been fielding calls since the introduction of satellite radio from motorcycle enthusiasts all across America for a solution to this mounting application. Thanks to our product manager Nick Larson, we have found the solution. We see tremendous potential with this product line.” [PRWEB Dec 19, 2005]

Related: satellite radio | motorcycle mounts | custom motorcycle | motorcycle operators | motorcycle enthusiasts

CorvetteBlogger.com announced the 2006 Z06 Corvette the Car of the Year. The Z06, one of the quickest US production cars manufactured makes it the obvious choice for speed enthusiasts.

“We reviewed several cars for this award and actually narrowed our search to three vehicles,” said Keith Cornett, Senior Editor of CorvetteBlogger.com.

“The Corvette Coupe and the Corvette Convertible models were considered, But the Z06, with its heart-thumping 505 horsepower and relatively low super car price of $65,800 made the decision easy.” [PRWEB]

Auto News: 2006 z06 corvette | corvette | corvette coupe | production cars

Like in the States, drivers are still ignoring the speed limits, forty years after they were introduced on Britain’s motorways, according to safe driver champion Privilege Insurance.

According to Ian Parker, Managing Director of Privilege Insurance, “motorists are worryingly unaware of the speed limits which apply on different roads, and many of those who do know the limits seem to be ignoring them.

“Our claims data shows a direct correlation between speeding and the likelihood of being involved in an accident . Motorists should be more aware that not only will keeping to the speed limit result in safer roads, it will also help them keep the cost of motoring down as they will pay less for their insurance than those with speeding convictions.” [PRWEB Dec 16, 2005]

See Also: speed limit | ian parker