Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The new Dodge Dart was made for those with a flair for style
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If you hadn't read anything about Dodge's new Dart, you're doing a great job of avoiding coverage of the brand's first compact sedan since the Neon. It's an extremely important model for a company that has seen success with minivans, SUVs and large sedans but not much else. While many of us (me included) have a preconceived notion of Dodge being a manly man's brand, you may be surprised to hear that the Dart's interior has a decidedly feminine influence.
No, it's not pink. La Shirl Turner, the head of Chrysler's Color and Trim studio, is an inspiring and level-headed mom of three boys, with the youngest in preschool and the oldest at college. By necessity, she's an advocate for durable, family-friendly interior surfaces that don't sacrifice design appeal, and they've found their way into the Dart. You know that favorite pair of jeans that hide flaws of all varieties, go with everything and simply last forever? Why not make seat upholstery out of them? The Dart has 14 available interior color and fabric schemes, including Black Denim upholstery in the SE model.
Dodge is re-entering a compact car segment that encompasses about 15% of the new-car market. The company has its work cut out for it, trying to appeal to Millennials and Boomers and everyone in between.
"The Black Denim material [on the SE interior] shows that you can have a subtle, cutting-edge material at an entry-level price," Turner said. "The Rallye interior is unique to that model and gives those who want to be more bold the option to do so by using splashes of color on the main seat-feature fabric and the interior door trim pockets. This is where the Black and Ruby Red or Diesel Gray and Citrus Peel (pictured below) interiors will appeal to those buyers who are bolder, a little more fashion forward and want their car to reflect that."
"The Limited model with the leather interior can be more of a traditional interior for the buyer that isn't as interested in standing out, but wants a level of class or sophistication versus boldness," she said.
The idea for the Diesel Gray and Citrus Peel upholstery with bold contrast stitching came from a design-inspiration-scouting trip to a local shopping mall by Turner and her team. When walking past a department store's handbag section, one of the designers saw a bag that caught her eye.
"There was a line of handbags and I was intrigued by the leather material usage and colors. A member of my team came across one handbag, and she was instantly looking at the stitching treatment, which was a dual-stitch but the thread was one color for one row and a different color for the second row. She was impressed by how cool it appeared, and I immediately looked at her and said 'Dodge.' Each interior trim level on the Dart has a great story behind it from the researching of different lifestyles and products that I came across," she said.
Her work isn't done though. Turner's ideal vehicle "would allow me to change my interior mood with color and music because it could sense what I was feeling when I sat in my seats. I could push a button and — voila! — I have cool fabric during the week. For a romantic weekend with my husband or girls' night out, I could have a one-of-a-kind custom leather seat or something bad-to-the-bone for driving to work if I am in 'warrior mode.'"
courtesy of blogs.cars.com
Monday, June 25, 2012
Tip of the Day: Protect your car paint from the sun
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Paint does more than make your vehicle look great. It’s also the first line of defense against rusted body panels. Of course, the best way to protect the paint is to park the car in a garage. If that is not possible, park in the shade or purchase a car cover. The sun’s ultraviolet rays break down paint and cause it to fade. Some car covers protect your car from more than sun, moisture, bird droppings, and dust — they also have a thin layer of cushioning that will guard against light impact, such as from a tipped bicycle or small falling tree branch.
courtesy of rd.com
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Lancia may be developing a Chrysler 300 based Thema Coupe
Head overseas and you may run into a Chrysler 300 wearing a distinctly foreign badge: that of Lancia. The awkward stepchild of the Fiat group rebadges Chrysler vehicles as their own and gives them nameplates from their own back-catalog. Lancia calls its rebadged 300 the Thema, but aside from the handle, it's pretty much the same. But could Chrysler's Italian cousin prompt the development of a coupe version?
According to the latest churn of the rumormill, yes, it could. Chrysler has already used the platform for the two-door Dodge Challenger, a vehicle that isn't officially offered in Europe. When Auburn Hills wanted to offer the Dodge Magnum in Europe, it gave the low-slung power-wagon bodystyle to the 300, but with that model out of the way, why not a two-door?
The question for us, of course, is – were Lancia to go ahead with such a development – could it make it back over to the States? An Italian-designed American two-door might satisfy a market (however small) that was last filled in the late 1980s Chrysler TC by Maserati and the Pininfarina-designed Cadillac Allanté.
courtesy of autoblog.com
Monday, June 18, 2012
Tip of the Day: Park in the shade
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Of course, a garage is always the ideal place to park your car. But if one isn’t available, minimize interior damage from UV sunlight and heat by always trying to park your car in the shade. If no shade is available or if you find parking under a tree results in bird droppings, use a car shade to minimize the sun’s impact. As a bonus, you’ll have a cooler car to step into on hot sunny days. Car shades come in two basic types: those that you unfold and place on the front windshield and rear window, or pleated types that attach to the windshield posts (with adhesive), window frames (with Velcro), or the windows themselves (with suction cups).
courtesy of rd.com
This customer just bought their 8th vehicle from us! Thank you for your continued patronage and for the awesome review!
"We just purchased our 7th car from Humes 2 weeks ago and as usual, we were impressed! So the following week we purchased our 8th! Wouldn't even consider going anywhere else...period. It's so nice to know who you are going to deal with before you even get there. John Wisinski always pulls through for us, sometimes with help from Matt Clark...thanks so much! Financing is always a pleasure as well, getting to "catch up" on the latest with Jeff Sorenson. If you dread car shopping as much as I used to, go to Humes!" - customer
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