California Toyota teams race quotes, notes

Brian Vickers started 17th in the No. 83 Red Bull Camry and finished eighth. He led three laps (laps 166-168). AJ Allemendinger started 18th in the No. 84 Red Bull Camry and finished 18th — it was his career best finish. David Reutimann started 28th and finished 32nd in his No. 00 Burger King Camry despite being involved in a multi-car incident on lap 180. He led one lap (lap 155). Jeremy Mayfield finished 36th in his No. 36 360 OTC Camry after starting 27th. Dave Blaney started 30th and finished 38th after his No. 22 Caterpillar Camry experienced motor failure on lap 202. Michael Waltrip started 25th and finished 42nd after his No. 55 NAPA Camry blew a left front tire, hit the turn three wall and caught fire on lap 38 causing terminal damage.
Seven top-10 finishes have been earned by Camrys this season in NNCS competition. In addition to Vickers' fifth- place finish in Charlotte (May) — Toyota's best finish of the season — he also had three more top-10 finishes with a 10th at California (February), eighth at Michigan (August) and eighth tonight at California (September). Other top- 10s have been registered by Michael Waltrip with a 10th at Michigan (June), Dave Blaney with a ninth at Indianapolis (July) and a sixth at Michigan (August).

Camry drivers have led a total of 141 laps across 11 races in Nextel Cup events this season. Brian Vickers has led the most of the Camry contingent with 98 laps over six races (Atlanta, Bristol, Texas, Charlotte, Michigan and California). Blaney has led 35 laps over four races (Atlanta, Richmond, Darlington and New Hampshire). Mayfield has led six laps over three races (Bristol, Charlotte and Watkins Glen). Waltrip led one lap at Michigan (June) and Reutimann led one lap tonight (California). Blaney earned the first NNCS pole for Toyota at New Hampshire International Speedway (June).
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BRIAN VICKERS, No. 83 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Team Red ull Finishing Bposition: 8th
How was your race? "The biggest thing is we had a carburetor problem that almost cost us tonight. Earlier in the race it cost us 25, 30 spots at one point. It was mainly a steering issue down pit road and when we finally got that fixed it was great. For a while there every time we came to pit road under caution, turning out of the pit box it would stall. Top-tens are what we need. It was good — that's how we are going to make up ground in the points. Making the race and finishing 43rd, we aren't going to make any points."
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AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Team Red Bull Finishing position: 18th
How was your race? "It was good. We didn't start off very well — we were just kind of hanging on. The track changed some and we had a flat tire under yellow — that cost us a little bit. It's one of those things where everybody starts pitting and you can take the chance of staying out. If the yellow comes out you're sitting golden, but if it doesn't you're pretty much screwed because everyone else is sitting on fresh tires. We took a chance. If a yellow came out we would have been sitting top-five. If we pitted with everybody we might have finished top-12 or top-15, right around there, but it was a good day o verall."
How does this affect your confidence? "This is the first race where we got to complete fully with no problems. We almost finished on the lead lap. To be in the top-20, that's really what we have been shooting for. It's like qualifying for us, once you know you can get over the hump it seems a bit easier. Overall it's good. To come here and have the Red Bull cars be the quickest Toyotas on the grid and to be the highest finishing Toyotas — that's a big deal. These one-and-a-half and two-mile tracks are the ones I struggle on the most so to have that as my best career finish with no problems, fight hard and get a top-20 out of it — that's a big deal. I'm looking forward to going to Milwaukee this week and work on our Loudon car and at Richmond we had our best qualifying for us, so I don't see why we can't do it again."
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DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Burger King Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing position: 32nd
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JEREMY MAYFIELD, No. 36 360 OTC Toyota Camry, Bill Davis Racing Finishing position: 36th
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DAVE BLANEY, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry, Bill Davis Racing Finishing position: 38th
What happened to your race car? "The CAT car was unbelievably fast in the corners all night. Earlier in the race the engine started slowing down. It kept giving up, giving up — it finally blew up. It was a really good car — a good run. We had the same problem here in the spring. We can't finish one here."
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MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finishing position: 42nd
What happened to your race car? "I was trying to get by Ricky (Rudd, No. 88) and he moved over. That caved in our left front fender. The tire rubbed and the left front tire blew off. When it blew it took some oil lines with it and those caught fire. The car filled up with smoke and fire. The crew does such a great job at sealing off the interior of the car. I saw just a little bit of flame by the shifter, nothing much. I'm bigger than the car — if I try to get out of the car in a hurry it is disastrous. I just took my time and took my stuff off. Right there at the end is when it started to flame and smoke up and I had to get out in a hurry. That is why I'm so thankful the Car of Tomorrow is here because I just can't get out of these cars in a hurry. I've tried it at the shop — basically I have to take my helmet off to get out. It was a short day for the NAPA Toyota, it was pretty fast before this happened."

Source: http://autoracingsport.com/nascar/california-toyota-teams-race-quotes-notes/

GM scraps plans for Malibu vs Camry showroom comparo

09/03/07, 02:11pm, EDT

General Motors has shied away from a plan to put the Toyota Camry side-by-side against its new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu in showrooms this fall. Earlier this year, we reported GM wanted consumers to be able to compare the cars at Chevy dealerships, with salespeople making the case for the Malibu.

A similar program is already in effect for the new Saturn Aura. Saturn dealers have Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys in the showroom for customers to compare.
GM has not disclosed the reason for canceling the Malibu comparison program, according to CNN/Money. "It's really been off the table for quite some time," said Nancy Libby, communications manager for Chevrolet.
"We really just didn't think that was the best approach we could come up with," she said.


Source: http://www.leftlanenews.com/gm-scraps-plans-for-malibu-vs-camry-showroom-comparo.html

Chevy Malibu ads will aim at Camry, Accord

When the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu hits dealerships on November 1st, 2007, GM will be hoping to steal some market away from the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. However, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, Mark LaNeve, admits that the Camry and Accord owners will be a "tough conquest target."

Source: http://digg.com/tech_news/Chevy_Malibu_ads_will_aim_at_Camry_Accord

Price Attack Pt.VI: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu starts at $19995

GM has directly set its eyes on the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord with the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. Edging closer to its November 1st sale date, GM has announced the official pricing of its new mid-size sedan. The base LS model starts at $19,995 and the base Hybrid model starts at $22,995.The line-up also consists of the 1LT, 2LT and the LTZ models. The 1LT is $20,955, the 2LT is $22,635,
More: continued here Share and Enjoy:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.


Source: http://nikhusni.com/cars/price-attack-ptvi-2008-chevrolet-malibu-starts-at-19995/

Detroit joins the car wars

Can General Motors (NYSE: GM) and Ford (NYSE: F) make a good car? After years of claiming that they can't make money with passenger cars, American automakers are finally taking the car market seriously. The fat years of making glorified pickup trucks tricked out with leather seats and premium sound systems -- better known as SUVs -- are now over, and Detroit finds itself in a bit of a pickle. The Americans may have ignored the basics of making well-designed cars, not gas-guzzling trucks, for so long that they may not be able to catch up with the leaders, Toyota (NYSE: TM) and Honda (NYSE: HMC).

The problem is that foreign automakers now have an enormous lead in design and manufacturing expertise when it comes to passenger cars. The Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord have long been the leading sedans in the U.S., and for good reason. They are roomy, comfortable, very well designed and made, and reasonably efficient. Their surprisingly powerful yet nearly silent engines last for hundreds of thousands of miles, which helps maintain resale values. And they are profitable: Toyota reportedly clears $1,000 per Camry, and with 400,000 Camry sedans sold last year in the U.S., that's a good chunk of change that any car company would be happy with.

Nevertheless, the competition for sedan sales is heating up. As The Wall Street Journalreports, GM is pushing the Chevrolet Malibu as an American alternative to the Camry and the Accord. Ford, too, is entering the fray, changing the name of the Ford 500 to the Taurus in an effort to recapture the glory of that hallowed name. (I think this shows just how desperate Ford is, given that the Taurus' glory days were in the 1980s and that the car sold so poorly in recent years that it was terminated.)

But it may be too late. As John Casesa, a former Wall Street auto analyst, says in the Journal piece, "The ship has sailed in the midsize sedan segment . . . Camry and Accord are now established titans in that part of the market." Even worse, Detroit may not be able to rule the second tier under Toyota and Honda. Other foreign manufactures, including Nissan and Hyundai, are making very good cars these days. Starting at under $18,000, Hyundai's Sonata sedan is a particularly strong alternative to the Camry and the Accord. So there isn't much room for the Malibu and the Taurus. It looks like Detroit may pay the price for ignoring cars so long for many years to come.


Source: http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/08/30/detroit-joins-the-car-wars/

Chevy Malibu ads will aim at Camry, Accord

When the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu hits dealerships on November 1st, 2007, GM will be hoping to steal some market away from the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. However, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, Mark LaNeve, admits that the Camry and Accord owners will be a "tough conquest target."
"Without getting into a lot of specifics, we are going to clearly identify that we're competing in the segment with the Camry and the Accord and that we feel we've got the best car in the segment," Mark LaNeve told Automotive News.

LaNeve says that the Malibu ad campaign is designed to show that GM has built a car equal to or better than its two main competitors. GM's research has shown that owners of imported brands would be willing to buy an American car that is as good as or better than an import.
GM will not be pulling the same stunt it did with the Saturn Aura by putting a Camry and Accord in Saturn dealerships. However, LaNeve said that GM will market the Malibu more than it did the Saturn Aura.
"We're going to vigorously state our case and hope that people get us on the consideration list," LaNeve told Automotive News. "That's all we ask."

Source: http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/08/27/chevy-malibu-ads-will-aim-at-camry-accord/

2008 Honda Accord: Can it Be Smart and Savvy Again?

In September 2007, the eighth-generation 2008 Honda Accord sedan and coupe go on sale, bearing a look previewed by the 2007 Detroit show's Accord Coupe Concept. The standard for premium mid-size sedans has rested with the Accord and Toyota's Camry for many years, as clearly as the BMW 3-Series is the luxury sport sedan to beat. Last year, the Accord accounted for 354,500 of the 1.3 million cars and trucks Honda sold in the United States. Beyond the volume it brings, Honda's Accord carries much company history. The Accord was the first car Honda built in the States, starting twenty-five years ago, and the first Japanese product to be built in the USA.
The third-generation, launched for 1986, showed us we could have a smart and savvy midsize sedan instead of a simply boring one. The third-generation Accord had a very low cowl and pop-up headlamps - very sporty for a Mid-Size Car of its day. The following fourth-generation car took Accord in a more elegant, upscale direction. Then, Accord began to struggle a bit.
Along the way, Accord never lost its rational element, but stylish, fun-to-drive elements were watered down. For 2008, Honda looks to revive that image with the eighth-generation Accord and raise the bar against the sporty and stylish Nissan Altima and the finally expressive segment icon Camry.
Honda targets Altima and Camry directly, but competition also includes Saturn Aura, Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, and even Chrysler's Sebring and Dodge Avenger. Chevrolet's latest Malibu goes on sale later this year with a stronger, more modern exterior and a much-improved interior. In a hotly contested market, Honda is looking to again provide buyers the smart, stylish, fun-to-drive option. Honda also is looking for sales above the 400,000-unit mark, something Accord hasn't seen since 2001.
We had the chance for a short drive following a presentation of the new bread-and-butter car. Honda has brought another terrific mid-size sedan, but we're not convinced the bar is raised significantly. We didn't have a chance to drive the coupe, but the two-door brings style to Accord's coupe line that hasn't been seen before. The Accord coupe should hold its own from an image standpoint against coupes in the Nissan Altima and Pontiac G6 ranges.
Most competing brands offer a mid-size and a larger sedan (Avalon, Maxima, Azera, and Taurus), but Honda's top model is the Accord. The new Accord is bigger, nearly as long as the Maxima overall and with wheelbase and width nearly the size of the Avalon. The new Accord is about five inches longer than Camry and Altima (only an inch between the axles). The larger exterior allowed for interior space large enough for Accord to be classified as a Large Car in EPA ratings, and Accord now may be better able to straddle the line between mid-size and large.


Source: http://blog.vehiclevoice.com/2007/08/2008_honda_accord_can_it_be_sm.html