Mazda CX-5 Commercial Tips Hat to The Six Million Dollar Man

Those of us who are fans of all those great TV shows from the '70s will probably be smiling at the newest commercial released by Mazda for its All-New CX-5 crossover.   If you watched Lee Majors in the role of Steve Austin in TV's The Six Million Dollar Man you are very familiar with the show's now iconic opening. Here is the new Mazda CX-5 commercial called Better. Stronger. Smarter. :





And here is the intro for The Six Million Dollar Man:


Six Million Dollar Man - Intro (Opening Theme) by STARDUST72

Flying Car To Make Its Auto Show Debut In New York

One of the more interesting entries in next week's New York Auto Show, will be a modern day "flying car"  built by Massachusetts based Tarrafugia, Inc.  The roadable aircraft, called the Transition, is moving closer to being a commercially available product - something Tarrafugia hopes to accomplish by the end of the year. Displaying at the auto show, Tarrafugia is reportedly looking to bring awareness of the Transition to a wider audience outside the aviation community and to attract potential customers and investors.

Click any image to enlarge

Even though the Transition has been dubbed a "flying car" it is actually an aircraft that can be driven legally and safely on the roadways.   So you won't necessarily take off and fly your way out of the frustration of a traffic jam, but it's more likely you will be able to fly home from your weekend destination or business trip and then drive from the landing strip to your home's driveway or garage.  The Transition lives up to it's name with the push of a couple of buttons from inside the cockpit that cause the wings to fold up in less than 30 seconds.


With four wheel independent suspension, a long wheel base and relatively low center of gravity the Transition is reported to have good stability and handling on the road. The Transition runs on unleaded gasoline - a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to aviation fuel.  The control panels are designed to be intuitive and easy to use with touch screen responsiveness and one single GPS system that combines both road maps and aviation charts.  Safety features include pilot and passenger airbags, crumple zones and a safety cage - a first for any aircraft.  Another safety advantage includes the ability during severe weather to find the closest airport with the GPS, land the aircraft and continue the journey on the ground. However, if things get really dire, it is also equipped with a parachute designed for carrying the weight of the entire vehicle.

The Transition is classified as a Light Sport Aircraft by the FAA and will require a Sport Pilot license to fly. The base price is anticipated to be around $279,000 with a $10,000 refundable deposit to reserve one.






(All The Images, Trademarks, Logo’s Shown on this Post are the property of their respective owners)

Nissan Wants To Make Peyton Manning a Titan

Nissan Titan or Tennessee Titans...the truck's manufacturer, Nissan North America, is hoping NFL free agent Peyton Manning will take a shine to both. As Manning has been making the rounds visiting with potential teams to play for next year, Nissan has offered a 2012 Nissan Titan Pro-4X pickup truck to Manning regardless of which team he chooses.

With the Nashville based Tennessee Titans in the running as a landing spot for quarterback Peyton Manning, Nissan of North America, which has it's U.S. headquarters in Nashville, appears to be suiting up for the "home team" on behalf of its employees and football fans in the region. The Nissan Titan's V-8 engine is built in Tennessee and many of those fans have fond memories of the years that Manning played his college football at the University of Tennessee. After being released from the Indianapolis Colts, Manning is expected to make his decision on a team sometime next week.  Also reported to be on the short list are the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers.

As good a brand as the Nissan is, it's doubtful a $30,000 - $40,000 truck is going to weigh heavily in the decision, but hats off to the Nissan marketing department on this one.

Here is the open letter from Nissan:


Dear Peyton,


We hope it’s okay to be informal and call you Peyton. You’ve been like one of the family to sports fans, especially Tennesseans, since your record-setting college days at the University of Tennessee.


Like you, we at Nissan North America were not all born to Rocky Top. But it is now home to our corporate headquarters and three manufacturing facilities employing more than 6,000 Tennesseans.


At Nissan, we too have fans all over the U.S.A. and we appreciate them all. And like all of your fans, we’re awaiting your decision on where to play next season. While we are in no position to sign you to any particular NFL franchise, we at Nissan North America want to make you a Titan – a 2012 Nissan Titan – as a gesture of gratitude recognizing your great accomplishments and philanthropic contributions to our national community.


We extend this offer on behalf of a nation of football fans and Nissan fans, not necessarily to influence your decision. So next time you’re in Nashville, give us a call and we’ll bring the keys.


Sincerely,
Nissan North America


UPDATE:  Word came shortly after this post went up that Peyton Manning has picked the Denver Broncos!

2013 Nissan Altima Teaser Views

In the weeks leading up to the official reveal at the New York Auto Show, Nissan has released a series of teaser videos for the 2013 Nissan Altima.  It began with an overhead view and this description:


The new sleek exterior design of 2013 Nissan Altima has a low, wide stance and sculpted profile that makes for quite a dynamic appearance. 


Next came a video of the headlight and front grill.  And most recently a peek at the taillight.



UPDATE:  Nissan has released a teaser video of the side view of the 2013 Nissan Altima.

2012 Honda Civic in Sales Event Commercials

Fast talking salesmen are usually not what you are looking for at a car dealership. But, a new series of videos from Honda shows it can actually be kind of fun....when they are simply keeping up with the customer.

Honda is having it's Really Big Sales Event, featuring IIHS top safety pick and best selling small car in American, the Honda Civic.




Honda's Satellite-Linked Navigation System is available in the Civic EX, EX-L, Natural Gas Hybrid and Si models.  Another favorite is this video called Spy Car.  "Artificial Intelligence?   ...it understands 600 voice commands."





You can see the rest of the videos in the series from Honda here.