When Mercedes-Benz announced the termination of its superluxury Maybach brand, Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said succinctly, “It would not be sensible to develop a successor model for the current Maybach.”

Now we know why. After a seven year stint of Maybach production, the marque has only sold approximately 3,000 units. What’s more, CAR had calculated that Daimler lost an unfathomable $500,000 for each Maybach sold.

With an initial investment of $1.3 billion, Daimler created Maybach to challenge Rolls Royce for hyper-luxury supremacy. However, while Rolls Royce enjoyed record success in China, Maybach had only sold around 200 vehicles in 2011. While the absence of Maybach will be dearly missed by rappers and drug cartels alike, Mercedes-Benz had announced the revival of its Pullman limo by 2013, which should fill the void perfectly.

GALLERY: Maybach

[Source: CAR Magazine]

When Cadillac aired its 30-second “Go To Green Hell” Super Bowl ad for the upcoming ATS sedan during the last two-minutes of the game’s last quarter, a total of 111.3 million viewers tuned in, effectively making this ad the most watched television commercial in U.S. history. Could the marketing department at GM have somehow foreseen the future and realized the game of the year would come down to the wire?

GM global chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick said, “Cadillac is expanding with new models challenging the world’s best luxury cars. This stunning viewership data proves that Cadillac’s big message reached the largest audience… When it comes to Super Bowl ads, everyone has opinions on their favorite, But its a fact that this Cadillac spot had the biggest audience during the game.”

While Ewanick’s quote suggests that the reception for the advertisement reflects approval for the product, these statistics are more representative of the time it aired. If the same ad had aired at any time other than 9:39:37 PM, the title for “most watched ad” would have likely gone to a commercial with more supermodels, pyrotechnics, and special effects.

Watch the ad after the jump.

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[Source: Kantar Media]

First shown in concept form a month ago at the Detroit Auto Show, Acura has revealed its new entry-level ILX sports sedan at the Chicago Auto Show today.

Based on the Civic platform it certainly doesn’t look it, though it does share some very familiar powertrains. With a base 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, there’s also a 2.4-liter performance version and a 1.5-liter hybrid for the greenies.

GALLERY: 2013 Acura ILX

Get all the details on the 2013 Acura ILX in our first look video below:

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On the eve of the Chicago Auto Show, Acura has revealed the newest addition to its lineup, the ILX. A compact premium model, it shares its chassis and powertrains with the Civic, though little else.

Looking nothing like a Civic, with a sleek Acura design, it’s actually significantly larger, measuring 2-inches more end-to-end and almost half a foot more in width. The wheelbase, however, remains the same.

Powering the ILX are a choice of three engines, starting with an entry-level 2.0-liter 4-cylinder – essentially an up-sized version of the 1.8-liter found in the Civic. It makes a total of 150 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque and with a 5-speed automatic will get modest, but not exactly shocking, 24 city and 32 highway mpg rating.

Those in search of fuel economy can opt for the ILX Hybrid – the first time Acura has even offered a hybrid model. Using a similar setup to that found in the Civic Hybrid it makes 111 hp and 127 lb-ft of torque using a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder mated to Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system. A rudimentary hybrid setup, it does make use of a lithium-ion battery pack and gets 35/38 mpg, significantly less than the 44/44 mpg rating in the Civic Hybrid.

Performance aficionados will appreciate the 2.4-liter model, available with a six-speed manual transmission. Borrowing the engine from the Civic Si, it makes 201 hp.

Notable standard featured include a dynamic suspension system, “motion adaptive” electric power steering and a keyless access system with push-button ignition.

Available options include a Premium Package with leather, heated front seats, a rear view camera, an active noise cancellation system and an upgraded 360 watt audio system. A Technology Package then adds Acura’s ELS surround sound audio system and navigation with voice recognition.

Acura has confirmed the ILX will not replace the TSX, but will be the brand’s new entry-level offering, starting at “well below” $30,000.

GALLERY: 2013 Acura ILX

GALLERY: 2013 Acura ILX Reveal

See AutoGuide’s complete 2012 Chicago Auto Show Coverage here

Watch our first look Video of the ILX below:

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Posting respectable 2011 sales numbers, the quietly successful Buick Regal outsold the Audi A4, Lexus IS250 and Acura TSX last year. For 2013, the Buick Regal has received some drivetrain upgrades. First, the performance trim Buick Regal GS will receive an automatic transmission. Second, the 2013 Regal will possess eAssist technology as standard.

Introducing the Buick GS with a manual transmission is an interesting move and, according to U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing Tony DiSalle, “With the Regal GS, we made a conscious decision to go against the current trend and give enthusiasts the manual transmission they desire as standard equipment. Adding an automatic simply makes the performance of the GS even more accessible.” The new Aisin AF40 automatic transmission will be a no-cost option from the manual. According to GM, the new automatic transmission will deliver firmer shifts, capable of matching the manual Regal GS to 0-60 at 6.7 seconds. EPA ratings for the GS is at 19 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.

For 2013, the Regal will come with eAssist hybrid technology as standard equipment. A system that provides a light, but effective, secondary electric motor that assists to either motivate the car during slow traffic or to provide an additional boost to the engine, eAssist was initially a $2,000 option for Regals equipped with the Ecotec 2.4 liter engine. According to EPA ratings, the eAssist Regal reaches 25 mpg city and 36 mpg highway.

GALLERY: Buick Regal GS

Toyota has launched a new social media initiative with a chance for participants to win a brand new 2012 Camry for themselves and one more for a friend. The opportunity will come tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 5, during a live NBC broadcast – we’re presuming Toyota means the Super Bowl, but the oddly worded press release mentioned no such thing.

To enter, you’ll need the Shazam music identification smartphone app, and use it, when prompted, during the broadcast of Toyota’s “Connections” commercial, which encourages the nearly seven million Camry owners across the country to share stories, moments and memories they’ve had with their camera in the past 30 years. By entering the giveaway using Shazam technology, the winner of the contest could start a new “Camry Effect” by not only winning a Camry for themselves, but also to gift another Camry for a friend.

Vice president of digital marketing at Toyota says, “The Camry Effect is one of the most ambitious social media campaigns we’ve ever implemented. Partnering with Shazam allows us to increase awareness of this effort on the national stage and give one lucky winner the opportunity to positively affect a friend and start writing his or her Camry story.”

Who’s going to tune in tomorrow?

Volvo has long been recognized for its boxiness and its Swedish sensibilities but it wasn’t always so. For February 2012, Volvo is celebrating the 30th birthday of the original 760 GLE sedan, the car that saved the Volvo Car Corporation.

During 1975, automakers across the world were badly beaten by the effects of the oil crisis. Struggling to build quality cars in a difficult economy and an uncertain future, Volvo needed to create a vehicle that would be successful despite the volatility of the times. With limited resources, Volvo did its best to thoroughly analyze trends that shift the market. Finally, Volvo determined that what it needed to create is a vehicle that highlights reliability, fuel efficiency, longevity, serviceability, low noise levels, design and performance. Project “P31″ was born.

For cost reasons, the foundation was built upon technical content carried over from the 240 series predecessor with minor modifications. However, the enhanced recipe was brilliant. The new rear-wheel drive Volvo would get a wheelbase stretched another 10 cm for stability while its overhangs were shortened for a shorter overall length than the 240. In the weight department, the new Volvo was effectively reduced 100 kg.

As for the design, Volvo needed to create an angular, straight, and flat body panel design to minimize production costs. While many sketches were proposed, Volvo head of design Jan Wilsgaard finally introduced a design with striking identity and market appeal. Known as the cutback, the Volvo sedan featured a drawn out rear end that ended abruptly, providing a spacious and comfortable feeling from inside the cabin, and a characteristic profile from the exterior. Amid all the slippery soap bar shaped vehicles that other manufacturers offered, the Volvo’s radical box design was sure to stick out and attract a following.

Close to completion, Volvo renamed the prototype as “1155″, or 5 minutes to midnight, to suggest the final phases of development. The 1155 was sent off to 3,200,000 km of field testing and shakedowns in 3 continents and the most extreme climates, where it was challenged in every thinkable manner.

The completed Volvo 760 finally made its public reveal on February 1982. Featuring an automatic transmission, air conditioning, a sunroof, power steering, and 3 engine choices including a four-cylinder turbo, a V6 bored out to 2.8 liters, and a Volkswagen-built turbodiesel, critics were surprised at how powerful, comfortable, and pleasant to drive the 760 turned out to be. At the time, the turbodiesel 760 was the quickest accelerating diesel car in the world.

Sales took off instantly, both in Sweden and abroad. Its success allowed one of the longest product-lives of any vehicle, when the 1998 Volvo V90 became the last Volvo car to carry its technical and architectural roots back to the 760. So why are we looking back to a car that Volvo introduced 30 years ago? Because it still stands as a pillar of what Volvo represents today.

GALLERY: Volvo 760 GLE

In a January 2012 sales conference call, Toyota division group vice president and general manager Bob Carter reported some surprising results.

Recovering from its mid-2011 slump, Toyota sold 124,540 units from its Toyota, Lexus and Scion divisions. Those sales translate to a 7.5 percent increase over last January. Toyota enjoyed a 9 percent increase in sales for January, thanks in tremendous part to a 56 percent jump in sales for the all-new Camry.

Surprisingly, the Camry garnering the highest customer demand is the sport trim Camry SE. Moreover, the Camry SE even helped Toyota bring in an unprecedented number of new and young buyers. Responding to the new trend, Carter said “demand for the SE model continues to top the Camry lineup and we could have sold more in January if we had them. So we’re adjusting our SE production mix in order to better meet customer demand in the months ahead, going from about 8 percent for the previous generation Camry, to more than 40 percent for the current production mix.”

As for Toyota hybrids, the Camry Hybrid’s modest 2,100-unit January sales represent a 146 percent increase from last year. Carter expects sales to increase as availability improves, announcing an annual sales target of 50,000 Camry Hybrids for 2012.

Toyota intends to continue its marketing focus on Camry, especially by dedicating airtime during the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500, where the Camry will also serve as the official pace car. Toyota’s notoriously bland midsize family sedan just got interesting.

GALLERY: 2012 Toyota Camry

Americans are saying “yes” to the 2012 Volkswagen Passat and the German giant is responding in kind by boosting production and adding jobs.

200 more positions are being created at the Chatanooga, Tenn. plant that already manufactures the car. According to Automotive News, the company will achieve this goal by increasing the number of cars produced per hour from 31 to 35. The plant opened in 2011 as part of VW’s plan to boost American sales to 800,000 by 2018.

We’re certainly not complaining about more Passats being available. Changes to the 2012 model make it feel a lot more like a luxury car. Some folks may struggle with the $33,000 price tag for the top-end model, but the base S starts at just $19,995. Read our review here and decide for yourself.

GALLERY: 2012 Passat SEL V6

[Source: Automotive News]

Since its reveal at the Detroit Auto Show, the new 2013 Dodge Dart has received a lot of positive reactions and Dodge intends to make it even better. Based on the Italian Alfa Romeo Giulietta platform, the solid European chassis will be further finessed for sport and performance under the care of Ralph Gilles and the magicians of SRT. The SRT4 is back!

While many of the components are carry-overs from Alfa Romeo, the SRT-4 will likely create an engine that produces no less than the 285-hp and 265 lb.-ft. of torque found in the forerunning Caliber SRT4. A likely powerplant would be a larger displacement, turbocharged and intercooled variant of the Dart’s Tigershark 2.0 liter engine.

Other hardware upgrades include stiffer springs and dampers, larger wheels, and stickier rubber. As for the exterior, think modern day Neon SRT4 as the Dart SRT4 will be stylized with aggressive yet functional vents, scoops, and rear spoiler.

Pricing on the SRT4 should fall near $30,000.

GALLERY: 2013 Dodge Dart

[Source: Motortrend]

Discuss this story at DartForums.com

When GM sold 9.03 million vehicles globally to become the world’s largest automaker of 2011, a great deal of the American automaker’s success came down to its dominant popularity in the Chinese market.

According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), the best selling car in China for 2011 was the Buick Excelle. While it has been reported China sold 253,514 Excelles while only 177,633 Buick cars and SUVs were sold in the United States, confusion with Buick’s naming system revealed that the hot Buick Excelle isn’t the same as the Buick Verano sold stateside as we presumed. Oddly, the Buick line-up offers a total of three unique Excelles. Of the three, it’s the oldest generation model based on a dated Daewoo design that earned the most amount of sales. Powered by an engine designed by Holden, this particular Excelle is also known as the Kai Yue and was last given a face lift in 2008.

The second and third Chinese market Excelles are known as the Ying Lang. Using Opel Astra architecture, the hatchback Ying Lang XT and the Verano sedan variant, Ying Lang GT, only sold a combined 8,381 units during December 2011 when the older Kai Yue model sold 13,846 units in the same month.

Much of its popularity is due to its competitive pricing. At just 100,000 renminbi, or $15k USD, the Kai Yue Excelle is the gateway vehicle into China’s coveted Buick Owner’s Club.

GALLERY: Buick Excelle

[Source: China Car Times]

Out photographers have snapped several spy photos of the upcoming Mazda6 undergoing testing in the frozen European north. Underneath this current-generation body there’s plenty of new equipment to evaluate, from an all-new Skyactiv chassis and suspension system, right down to the engine and a start-stop system mated to an innovative regenerative braking system.

The next-gen Mazda6 will look nothing like this mule, which sports a chopped-up body similar to the prototypes we’ve already driven. Instead, it will share the swooping lines of the Takeri Concept car, unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Mazda has confirmed north America will get a diesel engine in early 2013, but hasn’t confirmed which model it will arrive in yet.

Look for the debut of the new Mazda6 next fall at the Paris Motor Show.

GALLERY: 2013 Mazda6 Test Mule

GALLERY: Mazda Takeri Concept

Find out more about the next-gen Mazda6 by reading our prototype drive here.