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Automobiles

Report: Mercedes S65 AMG to bow in LA, S600 in Detroit

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Between the launch of the 2014 Mercedes S-Class, the debut of the S63 AMG (shown above) and reports about a new “super S-Class,” the Mercedes-Benz flagship sedan has been in the news a lot lately. According to Car and Driver, Mercedes plans to introduce three new flavors of the latest S-Class at the Frankfurt, LA and Detroit auto shows.

We already heard that the plug-in hybrid version will be introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but this new report says that the V12-powered S65 AMG and S600 models will soon follow. At the LA Auto Show in November, the S65 AMG will hit the stage with a twin-turbo V12 expected to produce more than the current model’s 621 horsepower. This should make for one quick S-Class, no doubt able to shave a few ticks off the 2014 S63 AMG’s 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds.

Following the S65’s debut, Mercedes will reportedly take the wraps off its S600, which will use a less-powerful version of the mighty V12. The 2013 model year S600 produces 510 hp from its 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12, which is enough to propel the sedan to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds. The updated version should only improve those figures. Stay tuned.

Mercedes S65 AMG to bow in LA, S600 in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Audi RS7 priced from $104,900* in the US [w/video]

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By Brandon Turkus

2014 Audi RS7

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Audi has officially priced the svelte 2014 RS7 from $104,900 (*not including $825 for destination), undercutting its sole competitor, the BMW M6 Gran Coupe, by $8100. Even when we’re talking about six-figure super sedans, that’s not a small amount of money. And soon, this class of sleek stormers will be joined by the updated Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG 4Matic.

With its combination of a twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter, 560-horsepower V8 engine and Audi’s excellent Quattro all-wheel drive, the RS7 is expected to hit 60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than the manufacturer estimate for the M6 Gran Coupe.

We’ve already given the RS7 a thorough shakedown in Europe, and we came away quite impressed with just how stunning this Audi is, both to drive and to look at. Now that we’ve got a price to go along with the performance and style, this Audi is even more appealing – in our high-dollar dreams, anyway. Take a look at a short video from Audi, as well as the official press blast, below.

Continue reading 2014 Audi RS7 priced from $104,900* in the US [w/video]

2014 Audi RS7 priced from $104,900* in the US [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Man beats ticket on dashcam evidence, takes town to court [w/videos]

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By Brandon Turkus

Vermont police pull over Rod MacIver

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Rod MacIver wanted justice after being wronged by his local police department. He was pulled over and cited for running a red light, despite the officer’s dashcam video clearly shown that he hadn’t. When the matter went to court, the judge, after viewing the footage, threw the case out and dressed down the officer, Jason Lawton.

MacIver isn’t through, though, taking the matter to small claims court over the time and effort involved in beating his original ticket. Looking for $2,000 in damages, the 56-year-old resident argues that the department’s default attitude “was dishonesty in every encounter.”

With his day in court scheduled and Judge Samuel Hoar “looking forward to” the proceedings, neither the officer, his sergeant nor a department administrator were to be found. Only the Shelburne Police Department’s lawyer, Colin McNeil, showed up in court. Arguing that the burden of proof was on MacIver, the lawyer argued that the officers didn’t need to attend the proceedings (no joke, they were across the street at a coffee shop – insert donut jokes in three, two, one…), meaning the matter was set aside for a future date. While the matter still isn’t resolved, Judge Hoar informed McNeil that “it would be a mistake” for the officers to miss the next hearing, according to a report from WCAX.

Take a look at the full video below and the news report, and let us know what you think. Was there any reason for pulling MacIver over?

Continue reading Man beats ticket on dashcam evidence, takes town to court [w/videos]

Man beats ticket on dashcam evidence, takes town to court [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: Lack of 35mm film, replacement parts putting hurt on America's drive-ins [w/poll]

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By Damon Lowney

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Drive-in movie theaters turn 80 years old this summer, and, soon, they might die of old age. There are only 360 drive-in theaters left in the US – down from 4,000 at their peak in 1958 – and the 35-millimeter film projectors that they use to screen movies are quickly losing support from studios, which have switched to digital methods of capturing pictures.

Remember the four-foot poles with speakers built in? You’d pull your car up to it, park, and open your windows to listen to the movie. Well, there’s only one company left that makes parts for those speakers, and they don’t support surround sound. And the cost to upgrade the projectors to digital systems is prohibitively expensive. James Kopp, manager at the Family Drive-In Theatre in Stephens City, Virginia, says he was quoted nearly $140,000 to make the switch to digital, The Washington Post reports.

Pennsauken, New Jersey, was the first US city to build a drive-in, yet there are no more of them in the state. As gloomy as it looks, there are drive-ins trying to make the switch to digital projection systems, and there are ones that already have. But as drive-ins fall further from our minds, the question is, do people care?

Read The Washington Post article, and tell us what you think in the poll below.

View Poll

Lack of 35mm film, replacement parts putting hurt on America’s drive-ins [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ford blamed in drug mule lawsuit

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By Damon Lowney

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If a college student is caught smuggling drugs across the border, one might think the kid got what was coming to him. But when a Mexican student at the University of Texas in El Paso was caught by Border Patrol agents with duffel bags filled with marijuana in his trunk, the man used a classic excuse: He claimed they weren’t his.

While a claim like that is almost unbelievable, Ricardo Magallanes, the student, is now suing Ford for handling its vehicles’ key codes negligently enough to allow drug smugglers to break into his Ford Focus and stash the drugs, The Daily Caller reports. The twist here is that four other people who lived in Juarez and worked in El Paso were involved in the same type of scheme – allegedly unwittingly, just like Magallanes – and all the cars were Fords except one model from General Motors. FBI agents also found an employee at a Dallas Ford dealership that had accessed the key codes to all four of the cannabis-stuffed Fords.

While we all may not own Fords, the case still causes us slight paranoia. We’ll definitely be checking our trunks before we cross any more international borders.

Ford blamed in drug mule lawsuit originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Alfa Romeo Spider said to get modern styling, 168 horsepower

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Take a good look at the picture (and the high-res image gallery) of the Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept by Pininfarina, because the production Spider that will be a joint development with the coming Mazda MX-5 Miata isn’t expected to look anything like it. According to a report in Autocar, designers at Fiat’s Centro Stile couldn’t figure out how to translate the concept to a production car.

We’re being told that the new Alfa roadster will be styled to match the modernity of the brand’s lineup, accented by “historic design themes,” and that its exterior is near final approval. Apparently, the traditional Alfa grille will be flanked by “lower intake whiskers” and headlights that are nothing like those on the 4C. To be built alongside the Miata in Japan, it will share certain platform hardpoints like the front bulkhead and engine compartment, but won’t have any body panels in common with the Mazda.

Only one engine is expected to be slotted in that bay: the 1.4-liter MultiAir with 168 horsepower. Those ponies will be charged with moving a roadster said to come in at no more than 2,420 pounds, with shifting performed by a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. If that information is correct, that would give it one more horsepower and 20 or more pounds less weight than the current manual-transmission Miata Sport. Comparing like-for-kind-of-like, it would have 10 more hp and be at least 122 pounds lighter than the current automatic-equipped Miata Sport.

Alfa Romeo Spider said to get modern styling, 168 horsepower originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chrysler delays 2014 Jeep Cherokee media launch

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By Brandon Turkus

2014 Jeep Cherokee

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Chrysler is making the unusual move of delaying the first media drives of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, which were slated to start next week in Seattle. And while something like this is a rare occurrence, and one that most of the Autoblog staff can’t recall happening this publicly or so close to the event itself, it won’t effect the actual on-sale date of the new Cherokee, which is set to hit showrooms in September.

“Over the last couple of weeks during final quality and durability testing, we have discovered the opportunity to further improve powertrain calibration,” Chrysler told Automotive News. This marks the second notable delay in the Cherokee’s short life, after production was delayed for roughly a month earlier this summer.

Still, we’d rather Chrysler make sure the Cherokee is ready for primetime before flying media in from around the country. It shows a willingness to get things right the first time, rather than offering media drives and then tweaking the car after the fact.

A simple look at the Cherokee’s powertrain is all that’s needed to understand how big of a deal it is. Everything under the oddly styled CUV’s hood is new, from a tweaked 2.4-liter engine to a new 3.2-liter V-6, to the first use of Chrysler Group’s new nine-speed automatic, developed jointly with ZF. The pressure to get this right must be immense. We’ll find out if Chrysler succeeds in September.

Chrysler delays 2014 Jeep Cherokee media launch originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Acura teases 17 seconds of the NSX on Vine and Instagram

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By Jonathon Ramsey

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Acura won’t roll out the prototype NSX until August 4 when it shows up at Mid-Ohio Raceway for the Honda 200 IndyCar race, and the genuine production car isn’t scheduled to arrive until 2015. Acura will, though, make the car a Vine and Instagram video star with snippets of the mid-engined roarer lapping the test track in both the dry and the wet.

After unleashing a six-second loop on Twitter’s video service yesterday, it gave fans a bit more by uploading a nine-second clip on Instagram of the coupe throwing up rooster tails and sliding around bends. Best of all is the sound – it’s like no Acura you’ve ever heard outside of a race track. You can check out both videos below.

Continue reading Acura teases 17 seconds of the NSX on Vine and Instagram

Acura teases 17 seconds of the NSX on Vine and Instagram originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Toyota Tundra

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By Michael Harley

2014 Toyota Tundra

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Raising A White Flag To The Competition

We all benefit from highly competitive battles. In the automotive sector, few campaigns are so closely fought as the decades-long struggle for supremacy in the fullsize half-ton pickup truck segment. The Ford F-150 has dominated for ages, but Chevrolet, Ram and GMC have been closing the gap with freshly redesigned trucks that are rocking the industry.

Today’s half-ton trucks are better than they’ve ever been, and we have fierce competition to thank for that.

But where does the segment leave a truck from an automaker that has chosen to no longer fight and deliver its best product? What kind of vehicle comes from a company that has relinquished any desire to strive for the top of the class – one who is now content offering nothing more than minor updates and mediocrity in an aim to placate brand loyalists?

Such a calculated underachiever would look a lot like the 2014 Toyota Tundra.

Continue reading 2014 Toyota Tundra

2014 Toyota Tundra originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Next Chevy Spark coming in 2015, Sonic delayed

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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As the best-selling Chevrolet product in Europe and a surprising new hit here in the US, the Spark is proving to be quite an important global vehicle for General Motors. Even though the Spark just went on sale in the US last year, it has been on sale globally since 2009, and Automotive News Europe is reporting that the next-generation Spark is expected to debut during the first half of 2015. There is no information about the new Spark except for reports that it will continue to be built in South Korea.

This report also says that the redesign of the Sonic/Aveo has been delayed until after 2015. Again, there was no information as to the cause of the delay, but this means the third-gen Sonic and Aveo will likely debut sometime in 2016 – five years after the debut of the current model. This follows the recent report saying that the redesign of the Cruze has been delayed by almost a year, until the end of 2015, due to engineering changes.

Next Chevy Spark coming in 2015, Sonic delayed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jaguar F-Type coupe to cost more than convertible?

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By Brandon Turkus

Jaguar F-Type Coupe Spied at the Nurburgring

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Jaguar may price the much-rumored F-Type Coupe above the F-Type Convertible, if a report from Australia’s Drive is to be believed. What makes Jag think that such a pricing strategy would work? Porsche. Take a look at the German manufacturer’s consumer site, and you’ll notice that the Boxster is less expensive than the Cayman, despite being essentially the same car.

It’s a fair point, and a price premium does a good job of emphasizing the sporting chops of the coupe over the open-air experience that normally entitles convertibles to higher MSRPs. It’s unclear just how closely Jaguar will follow Porsche’s example, though.

Both the Cayman and Cayman S boast an extra ten horsepower over a Boxster or Boxster S, and while this bump in grunt is negligible in every situation but an argument over which is “best,” it isn’t something to be ignored in the F-Type, particularly as cranking more power out of its supercharged engines should be a rather simple matter.

Drive also points out something quite exciting: with an F-Type Coupe on the way, the groundwork has now been laid for a dedicated R and RS model. We can’t wait.

Jaguar F-Type coupe to cost more than convertible? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ford shows off V8-powered Ranger headed to Dakar Rally

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Avert your eyes now if you’re jealous that the global version of the Ford Ranger is not offered in the US. Ford’s midsize pickup is being tuned up to take on the 2014 Dakar Rally, and the result is a truck that is probably even cooler than any F-150 SVT Raptor we’ve ever seen in the States. Ford is actually building two versions of the truck for Dakar, which will run from January 5 through January 18, covering more than 5,000 miles from Argentina to Chile.

Starting with a fully composite body and a 5.0-liter V8 plucked from a Mustang, nearly every aspect of the trucks have been purpose built to take on the grueling race. This includes things like the six-speed sequential gearbox, liquid-cooled rear brakes and the 132-gallon fuel tank. As proof that Dakar is more about endurance than speed, the engines used in these race trucks will be limited to around 350 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, and will max out at a top speed of just 105 miles per hour. Scroll down for Ford’s official press release offering more information about the trucks and teams being prepped for Dakar.

Continue reading Ford shows off V8-powered Ranger headed to Dakar Rally

Ford shows off V8-powered Ranger headed to Dakar Rally originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Consumer Confidence Slips as Outlook Dims

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By Reuters

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Reed Saxon/AP

By Leah Schnurr

NEW YORK — U.S. consumer confidence pulled back in July as consumers were less optimistic about the outlook for the economy and labor market, according to a private sector report released Tuesday.

The Conference Board said its index of consumer attitudes slipped to 80.3 from an upwardly revised 82.1 in June.

The industry group’s report was shy of economist expectations for the index to hold steady at June’s original reading of 81.4.

The expectations index dropped to 84.7 from 91.1. Still, consumers weren’t so gloomy about their current standings, with the present situation index rising to 73.6 from 68.7, the highest level since May 2008.

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Official: Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast

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By Brandon Turkus

Chrysler Technical Center, Auburn Hills, Michigan

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Chrysler has some good news and some bad news. First, profits were up 16 percent over the second quarter of 2012, bringing the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer $507 million on the back of strong demand for trucks and SUVs (a recurring theme this quarter, particularly in the US). Q2 revenue was up as well, from $16.8 billion in 2012 to $18 billion in 2013. The bad news is that the Pentastar’s overall earnings forecast for net income in 2013 has been trimmed from $2.2 billion to between $1.7 and $2.2 billion, according to Automotive News.

In addition to the adjusted net income forecast, Chrysler tweaked its operating profit from $3.8 billion to between $3.3 and $3.8 billion. This has gone largely unexplained by Chrysler, perhaps hoping the news of a three-percent increase in its transaction prices for Q2 will allow it to sweep this adjustment under the rug.

The star of the show for Chrysler has been its US sales, which saw a 10-percent jump, both bettering the industry average of eight percent and improving over the same stretch of 2012. As with the increase in transaction prices, Chrysler has the new Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee to thank. Perhaps most worrying from this report, though, is that every brand in the automaker’s stable saw an increase in sales… except for the Chrysler brand itself.

Chrysler’s minor woes aside, the second quarter has largely been a good one for American brands, with Chrysler joining Ford and GM in seeing healthy profits on the backs of strong new product. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne also released a letter to the company’s employees about all of this, which you can read over at The Detroit News.

Continue reading Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast

Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Honda thumbs nose at fleet sales, claims it leads in key vehicle segments

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By Jeffrey N. Ross

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Fleet sales are a way of life in the automotive industry. There are many non-retail customers that need vehicles, but going too far can reduce brand image and vehicle resale value. While some of its competitors have fleet sale that account for up to 20 or 30 of overall sales, Honda is bragging that it has the lowest fleet sales of all mainstream automakers for the first five months of 2013.

After calculating new-car registration data from R.L. Polk, Honda says that just two percent of its sales through went to fleet customers compared to an industry average of 19 percent. Even though this means Honda leaves plenty of sales on the table each month, it also claims to have the highest resale value and lowest cost of ownership among its competitors. In terms of retail sales, Honda says that the Civic, Accord, CR-V and Odyssey all lead their respective segments, and it breaks down/brags about its retail sales success in the press release, which is posted below.

Continue reading Honda thumbs nose at fleet sales, claims it leads in key vehicle segments

Honda thumbs nose at fleet sales, claims it leads in key vehicle segments originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Proposed advertising merger will bring competing auto brands under one roof

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By Brandon Turkus

Publicis Omnicom merger sign goes up at stock exchange

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Publicis Groupe SA and Omnicom Group are a pair of major marketing companies that are on the brink of merging, a move that will form the largest advertising company on the planet. Naturally, this effects the automotive world, as the two companies count a number of ad houses that service the industry under their respective umbrellas, including BBDO Worldwide, Goodby Silverstein and Partners and Saatchi & Saatchi.

According to a report on Automotive News, the pending merger will bring a number of brands’ advertising efforts under one very large roof, and could lead to a shakeup in how auto marketing functions. With Chevrolet, Cadillac, Toyota, Lexus, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz all run by the same group of agencies, the potential for conflicts of interest is obvious.

What this means in the short term isn’t entirely clear. As AN states, one agency managing multiple auto clients isn’t unheard of. It’s merely the scale of the Publicis/Omnicom merger that has people concerned. In the long term, the joining could lead to some realignment, although Ian Beavis, executive vice president of the Nielsen Company’s global automotive group, told AN, “I wouldn’t expect any wholesale changes,” as any movement is, “going to take a while.”

Still, the deal hasn’t received approval from regulators. According to Automotive News, if the deal is given the go-ahead, the agency would have a combined revenue of $22.7 billion in 2012.

Proposed advertising merger will bring competing auto brands under one roof originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Home Prices Heat Up in May as Pace of Gains Cools

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By Reuters

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Nick Ut/AP

By Leah Schnurr

U.S. single-family home prices rose in May, though the pace of gains cooled compared to the month before, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday.

The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis, shy of economists’ forecast for a 1.5 percent increase. That marked a slower pace from April’s 1.7 percent rise.

On a non-adjusted basis, prices rose 2.4 percent.

Compared to last May, prices also fell short of expectations, rising 12.2 percent from a year earlier. Still, it was the biggest annual gain since March 2006, matching a record set in April.

The report was unlikely to alter economists’ views that the housing sector continues to recover, making it a bright spot for the economy.

All 20 cities rose on a yearly basis, led by a 24.5 percent surge in San Francisco.

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Business, Finance, Occupation & Industry

Market Minute: Merck, Pfizer Beat Earnings Forecasts; Hospital Giants Merge

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By DailyFinance Staff

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Drug giants Pfizer and Merck grab the earnings spotlight. Those stocks and more are what’s in business news Tuesday.

The Dow industrials (^DJI) fell 36 points Monday, the S&P 500 (^GPSC) lost 6 and the Nasdaq (^IXIC) fell 14.

Pfizer’s (PFE) operating profit and revenue edged lower, but still beat expectations. The company has been coping for several years with the loss of patent rights on the top-selling cholesterol drug Lipitor, and sales of Lipitor tumbled 55 percent in the latest period. Pfizer also says it will reorganize, a move some analysts say could lead to another spinoff.

Matt Rourke/AP

Rival drug-maker Merck (MRK) reports net edged past Wall Street expectations, but revenue was a bit light. Sales of several key drugs fell as it too struggles with the expiration of patents.

After the closing bell we’ll hear from biotech leader Amgen (AMGN).

Community Health Systems (CYH) has agreed to buy Health Management Associates (HMA) for $3.9 billion. Both companies operate for-profit hospitals, mostly in smaller cities and rural areas.

Herbalife’s (HLF) net easily beat expectations. The nutrition supplement company has been at the center of a high-profile battle between some big-time investors during the past year, with one hedge fund manager claiming the company is run like a Ponzi scheme, and he’s been betting against its stock. So far, he’s lost more than $200 million on that bet. On the other hand, Carl Icahn has made a cool quarter of a billion by backing the company.

AIG (AIG) is getting out of the retail banking business. The company says it will return deposits because of limits placed on insurance companies under the Dodd-Frank law. Allstate Group (ALL), MetLife (MET) and Hartford Financial Services (HIG) have already backed away from retail banking.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) reportedly has agreed to pay $400 million to $500 million to settle federal charges that it manipulated the power markets in California and other states in 2010 and 2011.

On the economic front, the Federal Reserve begins a two-day policy meeting. Everyone will be looking for clues about when and how it will taper down on its massive bond-buying program.

–Produced by Drew Trachtenberg.

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Automobiles

Confirmed: Spyker B6 Venator Spyder concept to soak in the sun at Pebble Beach

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By Damon Lowney

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Spyker promised to unveil a convertible version of the B6 Venator this year, and, while we thought it would make its first appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, it’ll actually be showing up a bit earlier, at Pebble Beach next month, a source close to Spyker told Autoblog.

The mid-engine B6 Venator Spyder will be powered by the same 375-horsepower V6 as the coupe, which should be enough for quick, if not whip-snap, acceleration due to the car’s low weight. The coupe is expected to weigh in at around 3,100 pounds, so expect the convertible to weigh a bit more, accounting for the folding top mechanism and additional chassis bracing. But Spykers have always been about cruising in style, and the topless B6 should have it in spades.

If we had bet our bottom dollar on the Spyder’s unveiling, we’d be broke, but we didn’t, so look for more coverage on the newest Spyker in just a few weeks.

Spyker B6 Venator Spyder concept to soak in the sun at Pebble Beach originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: UK court prohibits scientist from publishing car-starting secret codes

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By Damon Lowney

UK judge imposes jumction on scientists who want to publish vehicle security codes.

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Three university scientists from England and the Netherlands figured out how to unlock and start Volkswagen-owned luxury vehicles wirelessly without the key, and compiled their findings in an academic paper. The scientists claimed that the research was intended to increase security for everyone, and while that might be true if the codes needed to crack the secret algorithm were never to be published, they planned to publish the paper at the Usenix Security Symposium in Washington, DC, next month.

Fortunately for those who own a Bentley, Lamborghini, Audi or Porsche (and other unmentioned brands), a UK judge imposed an injunction against the England-based scientist, Flavio Garcia, to not attend the symposium, The Guardian reports, recognizing that the information could result in the theft of many vehicles. The other two scientists, Roel Verdult and Baris Ege from Radboud University Nijmegen, won’t attend, either.

The algorithm, called Megamos Crypto, allows the key to communicate with the vehicle by deciphering and reordering the codes sent between the two, acting both as a translator of sorts and a safety barrier. With the wrong key in hand – or no key – the car won’t function, unless the algorithm has been bypassed another way.

For its part, Volkswagen was actually okay with the paper – Dismantling Megamos Cryptos: Wirelessly Lockpicking a Vehicle Immobiliser – being published, but only if the offending codes were redacted. The scientists, of course, refused.

We appreciate the scientists’ effort to increase security by learning the weaknesses of the systems that protect us, but we would rather not have that information in the public domain. With the codes in the wrong hands, who knows what could happen next.

UK court prohibits scientist from publishing car-starting secret codes originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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