The vehicles deemed the 16 Best Family Cars of 2016 were announced today by Kelley Blue Book, www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. After extensive testing and evaluation, with a keen focus on safety, comfort, convenience, spaciousness for both passengers and cargo, and fit of various rear-facing and forward-facing child safety car seats, the KBB.com expert editors recommend their choices for a diverse group of vehicles that best meet the needs of today’s modern families.
“For two weeks’ time we drove, lived-with, folded-down-seats-of, paired-phones-to and installed-baby-seats-in each and every one of the contenders,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “We loaded cargo, contorted ourselves into third rows, watched movies on rear-seat screens, toted rowing teams to marinas – in short, we did everything that you and your family might do with a vehicle day-to-day. And we did all this with a certain sense of what a family needs and wants, since many of our testers are simultaneously parents of kids ranging from mid-twenties to newborn. So this wasn’t just a cursory exercise, but instead it drew heavily upon our family-car experiences, needs and wants.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7748351-kelley-blue-book-best-family-cars-2016/
More than 33 years after the popular American TV show Knight Rider showed David ‘The Hoff’ Hasselhoff talking to his car KITT, Volvo and Microsoft are launching a wearable-enabled voice control system.
Volvo owners will be able to talk to their car via their Microsoft Band 2, allowing them to instruct their vehicle to perform tasks including, setting the navigation, starting the heater, locking the doors, flashing the lights or sounding the horn via Volvo’s mobile app Volvo on Call and the connected wearable device.
In November 2015 Volvo and Microsoft announced their high-profile collaboration with the first automotive application of HoloLens technology. HoloLens is the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, which could be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter, explore and even buy car. Now the two companies are delivering remote voice control for Volvo cars via the Microsoft Band 2 as another proof-point in their ambition to jointly develop next generation automotive technologies.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7717752-volvo-cars-microsoft-enable-people-to-talk/
Mighty, motorized micros! Playmates Toys announced today the launch of T-Sprints, an innovative new figure and wheels play pattern that goes beyond traditional vehicle play, available first at Toys“R”Us® stores nationwide for the month of December, and rolling out to additional retailers beginning in January. The highly stylized figures, which capture the personalities of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, each come with a different vehicle and feature a unique flywheel so kids can rev and send them sprinting into action.
“As the company behind the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line for decades, Playmates Toys continually strives to develop innovative new play patterns which allow fans to experience their favorite characters in unique and entertaining ways,” said Karl Aaronian, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Playmates Toys. “The T-Sprints collection offers fans a humorous, unique new experience, bringing the personalities of each Turtle to life in whole new way.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7404458-playmates-toys-t-sprints-toys-r-us-tmnt/
With just days to go before Black Friday and Cyber Monday – the busiest online shopping days of the Christmas season – Sweden’s Volvo Cars has unveiled a brand new way to take some of the hassle out Christmas shopping.
The premium car maker has launched the world’s first commercially available in-car delivery service by teaming up with PostNord, the Nordic region’s leading communication and logistics supplier, Lekmer.com, the leading Nordic online toy and baby goods store, and Mat.se, a Swedish online grocery retailer, to have Christmas toys, gifts, food and drinks delivered to its cars.
Volvo In-car Delivery promises to bring some of the cheer back to Christmas by eradicating the more unpleasant aspects of seasonal shopping such as a desperate search for parking space in a busy city centre, crowds of stressed people and the disappointment of missed deliveries.
The Volvo In-car Delivery works by means of a digital key, which is used to gain one-time access to your vehicle. Owners simply order the goods online, receive a notification that the goods have been delivered and then just drive home with them.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7698551-volvo-roam-delivery/
Holiday car thieves had their busiest day in 2014 on, ironically, Labor Day, stealing 2,200 vehicles according to new data released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). NICB’s 2014 Annual Holiday Vehicle Theft Report analyzes data from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), which showed a total of 695,246 vehicle thefts for the year.
After Labor Day, New Year’s Day was the next most active holiday with 2,011 thefts. Halloween came in third with 2,010 thefts followed by Memorial Day with 1,933 thefts. Independence Day rounds out the top five holidays for 2014 with 1,877 thefts.
The holidays with the fewest thefts in 2014 were Christmas Day with 1,225 thefts and Thanksgiving with 1,384 thefts.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7523155-nicb-holiday-vehicle-theft-report/
When the designers for the Scion C-HR Concept began their research, they were told by young urban creative customers, “Polarizing is ok. Boring is not.” That sentiment was evident today as the Scion C-HR Concept had its World Debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
With an iconic design that also incorporates functionality and sporty performance, the Scion C-HR Concept is much like Scion’s customer in that it strives to stand out from the crowd.
“Scion is known for doing things differently, and maybe even being a little weird,” said Scion Vice President Andrew Gilleland. “This C-HR Concept embraces that idea and wears it like a badge of honor. We couldn’t be more excited to add the production version to our line-up.”
The C-HR Concept is named for its Compact size and High Ride height. With four doors and a hatch for supreme functionality, it’s the perfect vehicle for “yuccies,” the young urban creatives who inspired the design.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7697651-los-angeles-auto-show-laas-2015/
Volvo Cars, the premium car maker, will work together with Microsoft, the leading platform and productivity company, to jointly develop next generation automotive technologies.
The two companies today revealed how Microsoft HoloLens, the world’s first fully untethered holographic computer, might be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car, as well as how cars might be bought and sold in future.
Areas of future collaboration between the two companies could include autonomous driving technologies and the utilisation of data generated from connected cars to create new services.
Today’s HoloLens demonstration was conducted at Microsoft’s global headquarters in Redmond, USA, and showed how mixed reality might be used by customers to configure cars in three dimensions. With HoloLens, a powerful, wearable computer, holograms are mixed into the physical world.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7668751-volvo-the-virtual-showroom/
Kia Motors America (KMA) today unveiled the all-new 2017 Sportage at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The fourth-generation Sportage, KMA’s longest-running nameplate, wraps stunning contemporary design around a structure that is both stiffer and more spacious than before. Advanced driver assistance technologies, significant suspension and steering improvements, and available intelligent AWD vastly improve the Sportage’s driving dynamics while premium materials and world-class craftsmanship create a class-up experience in an otherwise utilitarian segment.
“Simply put, the Sportage is a breed apart in the compact CUV segment,” said Orth Hedrick, vice president, product planning KMA. “Instead of bland utility, the Sportage combines distinctly European and sporty styling with thoughtful design and functionality, including innovative packaging, premium materials, a turbocharged engine and surprising features. Sales of compact CUVs are on a sharply upward trajectory, and the all-new 2017 Sportage hits the sweet spot by providing an alternative for those seeking to express themselves with a vehicle that’s versatile enough to suit their unique lifestyle.”
The all-new Sportage’s roomier, more luxurious cabin features an impressive level of craftsmanship, with high-quality, soft-touch materials and a range of technologies improving overall comfort, convenience, and connectivity. Updates to the drivetrain provide enhanced efficiency and performance, while changes to the suspension deliver better ride and handling. Like the outgoing model, the all-new Sportage will be built at Kia’s production facility in Gwangju, Korea, and be available in three distinct trim levels (LX, EX, SX Turbo) when it goes on sale next year. Pricing will be announced closer to the Sportage’s on-sale date.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7436354-2017-kia-sportage-l-a-auto-show-debut/
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has brought year-round versatility and winter-weather safety together in one with Toyo® Celsius®, the revolutionary new variable-conditions tire. Toyo Tires® created the new segment called “Variable-Conditions” in order to define the unique capabilities of this product.
Built for the varying road conditions that drivers may face, Celsius picks up where all-season tires fall short. It provides better ice and snow traction than a typical all-season tire, yet offers the convenience of year-round use and a 60,000-mile treadwear warranty*. For vehicle owners, this means year-round versatility plus winter-weather safety… all in one tire.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7569251-las-vegas-2015-sema-show-autotrader/
The following is being released by the Notice Provider, Kinsella Media, LLC, about the lawsuit In re Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, MDL No. 2311.
Settlements totaling approximately $54.1 million have been reached with two Defendants. The lawsuits allege that they fixed the price of certain motor vehicle components, causing millions of consumers and businesses from around the country to overpay for new or leased automobiles and replacement parts, such as air flow meters, alternators, ATF warmers, electronic throttle bodies, fuel injection systems, ignition coils, inverters, motor generators, radiators, starters, and valve timing control devices.
The Settlements provide monetary relief for consumers in the District of Columbia and 30 states - Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Settlements also provide non-monetary relief, including cooperation, and an agreement by the Defendants not to engage in certain conduct for a period of 24 months.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7666751-auto-parts-antitrust-litigation/
Call it a homecoming.
When Toyota introduced Lexus to the U.S. market in 1989, the Georgetown, Ky., plant – its first stand-alone vehicle manufacturing facility in America – was just in its second year of producing the Camry.
Fast forward 26 years and that same plant is celebrating the start of U.S. Lexus production. Today at a ceremony fit for a luxury brand king, the first-ever U.S.-produced ES 350 was unveiled before several thousand proud team members in Georgetown. And, just like a newborn foal at the nearby horse farms in Central Kentucky, the newcomer was brought into the world with plenty of TLC and hope for a bright future.
“This is really a proud moment for us and brings us full circle,” said Wil James, president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. “To be the first wholly owned plant, building the number one best-selling car in America, the Camry, for 13 years in a row, and then to be selected to build the first Lexus is truly a tribute to our team members.”
For the past two and a half years, the Kentucky plant – Toyota’s largest in North America – has been gearing up to make the ES 350, Lexus’ best-selling sedan in the U.S. In all, $360 million was invested toward a new dedicated assembly line, adding 750 new jobs. Total capacity for the new line will be 50,000 vehicles.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7655351-lexus-kentucky-plant-es-350/
As part of National Teen Driver Safety Week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council announced today their first national public service campaign designed to prevent underage drinking and driving. Following the success of iconic campaigns including “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” and “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving,” the new public service ads (PSAs) were unveiled this morning by Mark Rosekind, Administrator for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) Teen Safe Driving Summit in Washington, DC.
“One teenage death from drinking and driving is too many,” said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “Our goal with this campaign is to raise awareness among teenagers that drinking and driving is one of the worst mistakes they can ever make, with deadly consequences that can’t be undone.”
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens in America, and almost half of teens killed in crashes are the drivers themselves. Despite a minimum legal drinking age of 21 in all 50 states, almost one-quarter of young drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes had alcohol in their systems according to data from NHTSA.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7662551-ad-council-ultimate-party-foul/
