Some good news for this recession: according to J.D. Power and Associates, the cars on sale today are more appealing than ever before—all the better to win consumers in this difficult economy.

Most appealing? How is J.D. Power able to gauge this seemingly-subjective criteria? Through customer surveys of 80 vehicle attributes, combined with sales figures, which is what J.D. Power does best. Since 1996, the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study (APEAL) has been an attempt for the company to determine how much consumers enjoy the cars they’ve just bought, and despite difficult times for both the economy as well as the auto industry, people are indeed still buying cars and still giving their opinions on them.

The APEAL study found that new or redesigned models are both better-looking and have better fuel economy than their outgoing examples: two points that attract consumers more than anything else. J.D. Power maps this on a 1000-point scale, and from 778 total points in 2010, the industry average of overall vehicle appeal has jumped to 781 points—the most it’s ever been since the survey’s inception in 1996.

“The auto industry has taken a battering during the past few years,” said David Sargent, vice president of vehicle research. “However, it is clear that throughout this period, automakers have never lost sight of the fact that survival—and ultimately success—only comes from winning over customers in the showroom. Offering highly appealing vehicles is one of the primary means to succeed.”

The survey may be industry-wide, but certain manufacturers still stood out. BMW had three cars that received satisfactory ratings: the X3, Z4 and 5-Series all drove away with awards, as well as Dodge’s Challenger, Charger, and Durango. Ford and Honda each captured awards for the F-150 and Fiesta, as well as the Ridgeline and Odyssey, respectively. Some cars of note included the Chevrolet Volt, Range Rover, Lexus IS, MINI Countryman, Nissan Armada, Porsche Cayenne, Scion xB, Suzuki Kizashi, Volkswagen GTI, and the Hyundai Equus—which walked away with the highest APEAL score in the industry, beating out the usual suspects BMW 7-Series, Lexus LS and Mercedes S-Class for the first time, a point that will come to a Hyundai network television ad near you soon.

For the seventh year in a row, Porsche carried the highest APEAL score at 879. Suzuki, despite its aforementioned Kizashi, slithered by with the lowest. For the full ranking, click the jump to view lots of J.D. Power’s famous graphs.

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GMC‘s thing has always been trucks, though some would argue it’s 1971-87 El Camino derrivatives, the Sprint and Caballero broke the mold. Now, there’s no question that the brand is firmly stepping outside it’s traditional comfort zone; for 2013 it plans to chase after those in the market for cars like the Kia Soul and Scion XB.

The subcompact Granite is aimed firmly at young, urban buyers and will incorporate such features as Dutch Doors on the passenger side to facilitate easy loading and likely a choice of 2.0-liter turbo and 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engines as well as manual or automatic transaxles (the concept , seen here, sported a 1.4 blown motor and six-speed manual gearbox).

GMC is also expected to debut a thoroughly updated Sierra 1500 and a revised Yukon SUV as 2014 models, at around the same time as the Grantie. Both will likely be available with a turbocharged engine and possibly an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Heavy Duty pickup trucks are likely to get a facelift for 2014-15, around the same time an updated Acadia SUV is due.

In the shorter term, buyers can expect a luxury Denali version of the popular Terrain and a sheetmetal revamp for the current Acadia. As for the mid-size Canyon, once production winds up at the Shreveport, Louisiana plant, it’s unlikely a successor will manifest itself in the coming years, though rumors continue to persist that a version of the new ‘world’ Chevy Colorado is destined for North American shores at some point.

[Source: GM Inside News]

There’s more auction madness from Bonhams, but this time they’re flaunting their BMW love: the single-marque auction entitled “Power By BMW” will feature some rare historic BMW race cars and concepts, including the 1969 BMW/Bertone “Spicup” pictured above.

First introduced at the Geneva Motor Show, the Spicup was based on a shortened 2000 CS drivetrain with one of the company’s famous straight-sixes, sporting a jagged silver targa roof over period-appropriate garishly green paint. The Spicup was used as a daily driver in the Netherlands for 20 years before a full concours restoration, and has been shown at the BMW Museum in Munich as an interesting footnote to the wedge-shaped 70s.

Also up for auction at Bonhams will be a slew of legendary BMW racecars—a few CSL “Batmobiles” will be well-represented, as well as some pre-war 328s. Georg Meier’s BMW Kompressor motorcycle will also be there, the one that he rode to the first foreign victory at the Isle of Man TT in 1939.

As befitting their legendary status, the CSL Batmobile is expected to fetch at least 325,000 Euros when the auction occurs October 1st. The Spicup? Depending on the popularity of rarified 70s cheese wedges, it might make a pretty cool commuter vehicle. After all, it won’t be the first time in its illustrious life.

There’s a scene in the movie Just Married—scratch that, every comedy about Europe ever—where the main characters squeeze themselves into a hopelessly small rental car that may or may not be a Smart, and then zany hijinks ensue. But those traveling to Europe might get the chance to rent something a little more exciting than that.

Hertz is now offering the Lotus Evora, as part of their Adrenaline range. The Adrenaline collection is already available Stateside with the Dodge Challenger, Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, but beginning now, customers in Spain, France, Germany, and the UK can choose from forbidden fruit such as the Alfa Romeo Brera, Fiat 500 Abarth, and the VW Scirocco. The Evora tops off this range, and Hertz will be the only company to offer a Lotus in its lineup.

If you feel like plonking down 250 Euros per day, the Evora will be available from all major airports in Rome, Barcelona, London, Bordeaux, and Frankfurt. No word on whether the Evora will make it into America’s lineup, however—those coming from big American cars might still find room to complain about the size.

Audi has just released the new A6 Avant and is working on expanding the lineup with the all new Allroad model. The new version will be similar to before with a raised ride height, steel bumper guards and subtle plastic cladding to protect the body over off-road terrain.

Aud’s adaptive air-suspension will come standard on the Allroad, so drivers can adjust the ride height to suit different conditions at the push of a button.  The Allroad will likely come with the 3.0-liter TFSI turbocharged powerplant and the 309-hp diesel engine.

As well as the Allroad, the high performance S6 sedan and wagon will debut this September at the Frankfurt Auto Show, so wagon lovers are in for a treat.

[Source: Auto Express]

Wald is giving older-generation Jaguar XJ owners something to get excited about. Part of their Black Bison line, Wald has introduced a new styling package for the XJ transforming the aesthetics and giving the luxury sedan a much sportier look. Along with the kit, customers can opt for a set of Wald wheels and a quad-tipped exhaust system.

The kit itself will replace the XJ’s outdated front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper. Additions include a subtle lip spoiler for the trunk and a rear window spoiler, giving the XJ a sporty style in the rear. The front bumper comes standard with LED daytime running lights, but customers can also opt for LED additions on the mirrors and fenders. Though wheel and tire packages can be custom tailored to what the customer wants, Wald chose to outfit their XJ with a set of 21-inch chrome wheels that in our opinion, doesn’t fit the Jaguar well.

GALLERY: Wald Black Bison Jaguar XJ

[Source: Zercustoms]

Infiniti has embarked on a one-off project, donating a 5.6-liter 400-hp engine from the full-size Qx56, to help students from a local community college build a luxurious boat.

Infiniti engineers are working with a team of automotive technical training program students from Tennessee Technical Center-Nashville and Nashville State Community College on the project.

The Infiniti boat project is well underway after the team extracted the QX engine and prepped it for marine use. “The genesis for the Infiniti QX-powered luxury boat project came about when a group of us were talking about our full-size SUV’s standing as the perfect luxury tow vehicle – capable of carrying tons of weight, and lots of people and their cargo, in style,” said Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore.”

“It’s great to involve students from the local community in this project, especially since Infiniti QX engines are manufactured in nearby Decherd, Tennessee,” added Poore. “It’s our hope that someday students in these automotive programs who will learn from the Infiniti QX we donated to the Technical Center will go on to work at our company or Infiniti retailers’ service departments.”

Last week we were treated to Mercedes-Benz‘s release of the C63 AMG Black Series, and this week we’re treated to photos of the track and aero package that will be options available to C63 AMG Black Series owners. The goal of either package (or both) is to enhance the already awesome driving experience the C63 AMG Black Series will offer, allowing customers to not only make their C63 look different but perform much more aggressively on the track.

Starting with the track package, the C63 AMG Black Series will be outfitted with 255/35/19 (front) and 285/30/19 (rear) Dunlop rubber. Noticeably missing from the press release was a model for the Dunlop tires, but AMG did elaborate by stating that the tires were specifically designed for the C63 Black Series and are guaranteed to enhance gripping performance. Additional reliability comes from active rear-axle transmission cooling. The cooler is located in the rear apron allowing airflow to pass through it efficiently.

The Aero Package will outfit the already aggressive C63 Black Series with a pair of carbon fiber splitters on each side. The front splitter, also constructed of lightweight carbon fiber, is functionally tuned on the Aero Package, while the rear gets an adjustable rear spoiler for track use. All of these components have been tuned to enhance the Black Series’ aerodynamic performance.

Unfortunately no pricing was announced for the packages, but we’re guessing if you’re already OK with the C63 AMG Black Series’ MSRP of around $165,000 – a few thousand more for enhanced performance won’t be much.

GALLERY: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Track and Aero Package

[Source: Jon Sibal]

Mercedes-Benz DTM driver and 2001 runner up to the Formula 1 World Championship, David Coulthard, has been announced as the new AMG brand ambassador. The 40-year-old driver will be an active participant in customer and press events for AMG, and will also lend his driving expertise to AMG’s development team in their test driving activities.

Coulthard is currently part of the E63 AMG marketing campaign, showing off the versatility of the sedan by driving it in full race attire and in a business suit.

I have been a member of the Mercedes-Benz family since 1996, and now I am also joining AMG as an exciting high-performance brand. This is without doubt the perfect complement to my job as a DTM driver, where I already drive an AMG C-Class of course,” said Coulthard.

Joining Coulthard will also be Bernd Schneider, a record setting DTM champion. The 47-year-old retired driver is also an expert instructor at the AMG Driving Academy.

We’re not really sure how we missed this when it first surfaced at the Thailand International Motor Expo in 2010, but now we’re hungry for more information on it. Mazda‘s Mazda2 entered the subcompact market with mixed reviews, some wondering if it really has a place in the market. Mazda brands it as a performance-oriented machine in a small package, but its 100-hp, 1.5L powerplant says otherwise.

If Mazda had presented the Mazda2 to the American market with this Mazda2 Monster however, we’d be more inclined to think that the vehicle is indeed a sports car in a subcompact body. Unfortunately we scoured the Internet looking for more information on this hot sedan, but came up empty.  What we can notice is that it’s decked out with carbon fiber components – from the hood to its front lip and blister fenders while the rear gets a trunk replacement and spoiler – and an aggressive set of wheels gives this Mazda2 a monstrous stance. The race-inspired theme continues with a Bride driver-side seat.

It looks as though this was an actual Mazda demo vehicle in the Mazda booth at the 2010 Thailand International Motor Expo, so we’re thoroughly perplexed on what happened to it after that debut and why it hasn’t surfaced elsewhere. We certainly think it’s worth finding out more, so if anyone has any pointers as to this Mazda2 Monster’s existence – please share!

Check out a video of the Mazda2 Monster after the break.

[Source: Farm of Minds]

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