Illinois Car Dealer BlogA Blog for Illinois Car Dealerships

The Iron Man movie apparently inspired a lot of people to do some creative things. A search of YouTube turns up a long list of search results showing homemade replicas of the armor worn by Iron Man and videos of people who attended Comic Con in full replica Iron Man armor.

The movie has apparently also inspired a car enthusiast. A Texas car customizer gave a Nissan 350Z a headlamp and turn signal makeover in an aftermarket upgrade. The upgraded lights and turn signals look just like the lights in Iron Man’s armor suit from the popular movie.

Check out this video showing the sweet upgrade on the used Nissan 350 Z:

The customs “shop” is a home based hobbyist in Texas called Zleds. His Facebook page says his project is a “dedicated on 350 z Lighting Customization.” People are so creative! It’s always fun to see hobbyists and car enthusiasts turn their creativity and passion into cool features, especially on this used Nissan.

Here’s another how-to on upgrading a used Nissan.

Hawkinson Nissan, your Chicago used Nissan dealer, has a huge inventory of high quality used cars. Visit our showroom in person today to see our used Nissan cars and experience our first class customer service. Our high demand for new cars means we always have plenty of great used cars to choose from, with options to fit every budget.

Posted under Nissan Cars

This post was written by ds_blogger

Mertz Ford, your Ford dealer for 2012 Ford vehicles, is pleased to share this news update from Ford Motor Co.

On May 11, 2012, Ford Motor issued a press release celebrating the life and career of legendary auto designer, Carroll Shelby, who has passed away. Shelby most recently worked with Ford on the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, the most powerful production V8 in the world. Shelby worked with SVT engineers at Sebring and the Arizona Proving Grounds, driving sometimes for more than eight hours – at the ripe old age of 88.

Carroll Shelby had a long career with Ford, including designing his namesake Ford Mustang Shelby.

This Press Release from Ford tells the story of how Carroll Shelby came to design the Ford Mustang Shelby:

In August 1964 Ford had asked Carroll Shelby to develop a street-legal, high-performance Mustang to compete against Corvette in SCCA B-production road racing. By September, California-based Shelby-American had completed the first Mustang GT350.

The 1965 Shelby Mustang GT350 was a fastback production model with a functional scoop in its fiberglass hood and 306 horsepower from its 289-cubic-inch V8 – an increase of 35 horsepower over the stock engine. Suspension upgrades included a larger front stabilizer bar, Koni shocks and rear traction bars, along with race-ready features. It sold for $4,000, and was instantly recognizable by its Wimbledon White paint and blue GT350 side stripes.

For 1966 the GT350 came in white, red, black, green and blue, and Hertz purchased nearly 1,000 special GT350H weekend “rent-a-racers.” In 1967 Shelby Mustangs sported unique fiberglass bodywork that extended the front end with an aggressive dual scoop and finished the trunk lid with an integrated spoiler.

But most important in 1967 was the new GT500, a big-block with 355 horsepower. More than 2,000 of those 428-cubic-inch Mustangs were delivered that first model year.

1968 was when the name “Cobra” was first officially used on a Shelby Mustang, and that year a convertible bodystyle became available as well. Although the Shelby Cobra GT350 was essentially unchanged, later GT500s were powered by the new Cobra Jet 428 engine and thus became GT500KR – for King of the Road.

For 1969, the penultimate year of the Shelby Mustang, engine choices included the optional 351 Ram Air, and the bodywork incorporated a total of nine scoops – five on the hood, one at the front of each fender and one on each quarter panel. In 1970, with sales slowing, the final Shelby Mustangs built for 1969 were updated to 1970 spec and sold. The famed run had come to an end.”

In this 2011 video celebrating Ford’s 110th year of Ford Racing, Carroll Shelby talks about his career with Ford:

Posted under 2012 Ford

This post was written by ds_blogger

Mertz Ford, your Millstadt Ford Dealer, is pleased to share this Ford vehicle update.

Ford Motor Company has started Tech Shop, where employees get access to state of the art equipment, allowing them to create new technologies that may appear in future Ford vehicles. TechShop Detroit will give Ford employees, plus all Metro Detroiters, access to classes, coaching and state-of-the-art tools to turn ideas into reality. Ford’s Employee Patent Incentive Award program now provides free TechShop memberships to Ford employees submitting inventions.

From Tech Shop’s website:

“TechShop is designed for everyone, regardless of their skill level.TechShop is perfect for inventors, makers, hackers, tinkerers, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, youth groups, FIRST robotic teams, arts and crafts enthusiasts, and anyone else who wants to be able to make things that they dream up but don’t have the tools, space or skills. TechShop provides access to a wide variety of machinery and tools including milling machines and lathes, welding stations and a CNC plasma cutter, sheet metal working equipment, drill presses and band saws, industrial sewing machines, hand tools, plastic and wood working equipment including a 4′ x 8′ ShopBot CNC router, electronics design and fabrication facilities, Epilog laser cutters, tubing and metal bending machines, a Dimension SST 3-D printer, electrical supplies and tools, and pretty much everything you’d ever need to make just about anything. TechShop is for EVERYONE!”

The program was launched at the beginning of 2012, and the submissions for inventions have increased more than 30% over the same period in 2011. Ford will provide about 2,000 incentive memberships to Ford employees this year. Ford currently has more than 17,000 issued and pending patents around the world and needs to be at the very forefront of automotive innovation. Now, with the new TechShop nearby, Ford’s employees will be able to easily and quickly build prototypes for all their creative ideas.

Visit Mertz Ford today to test drive the Ford Focus, with the latest in innovative technology!

Posted under New Ford

This post was written by ds_blogger

Hawkinson Nissan, your Matteson Nissan dealer, is pleased to bring you this Nissan cars update. Visit us today to see the full line of Nissan cars in our showroom!

Nissan is making deals all over the world, first with its announcement that it has hired Magna Steyr, the European unit of Canada’s Magna International, to build Infiniti compact cars starting in 2014. This move comes as Nissan increases its output of Infinit cars to capture a larger market share of the global luxury car market.

In December, 2011 Automotive News reported that Magna Steyr would build an entry-level Infiniti car based on Daimler’s Mercedes A-class cars, saying that Magna Steyr would probably manufacture the car at its factory in Graz, Austria. Nissan and Magna are still finalizing details of manufacturing and supply agreements as of the date of this post.

Infiniti started selling cars in Europe in 2008 but has made slow progress against established German premium rivals and Toyota’s Lexus. Last year Infiniti sold 3,681 cars in Europe, a rise of 54 percent on 2010.

Nissan has also started work on a new factory in Tennessee.  If these two deals seem at odds, it’s because Nissan has big goals for Infinti: to sell 500,000 Infinitis globally by 2016. Nissan sold about 146,000 globally, mostly in the United States, in the business year ended March 2011. This represents an increase of more than three hundred percent over last year’s sales figure.

Posted under Nissan Cars

This post was written by ds_blogger

Your Millstadt Ford dealer, Mertz Ford, is pleased to share this news update on Ford vehicles.

As demand for new Ford vehicles soars, Ford is adjusting the production schedule of its factories. Ford is boosting production by adding one week to its production schedule at thirteen of its production plants across the United States. This boost in production will result in making an additional 40,000 new Ford vehicles available to Ford’s customers.

Sales of Ford vehicles were up 5% through the end of April, 2012. Most Ford factories have been running at maximum production speed, and the company will add a third shift at three plants in May to meet the increased demand. Ford’s Chicago Assembly factory, which makes the Ford Explorer SUV, Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS large cars is among Ford’s factories that will work an extra week this summer.

Ford presently has enough capacity to make 2.6 million new Ford vehicles in North America. In addition to adding shifts, Ford will make several other changes that will increase its capacity to 3 million new Ford vehicles in 2012. The increase in Ford’s summer production schedule announced this week is included with those changes.

Ford’s third shift at Engine Plant No. 1 will be added to meet demand for Ford’s popular, fuel efficient V5 engines, including, including EcoBoost^® engines. EcoBoost® is a main focus of Ford’s commitment to deliver affordable cars with excellent fuel economy to millions of Ford customers. Ford’s 3.5-liter V6 EcoBoost engines power the Ford Taurus, F-150 and Flex; and Lincoln MKS and MKT, and the 3.7-liter V6 engines power Mustang and F-150.

Posted under Ford Dealer

This post was written by ds_blogger

Recently, my family decided to purchase a new vehicle. Our teenage driver was in  need of a car and rather than purchasing a new vehicle for our teen driver, we decided we would hand down our current vehicle to her and purchase a new one for ourselves.  So our search began. We did several hours of research over a period of several weeks and finally came to an agreement on the vehicle that would be best for our families needs.  We visited our local Jack Schmitt Ford Dealership in Collinsville and could not be happier with the service we received.  What was our car of choice? The beautiful new crossover: Ford Edge.

Its jam packed with features to suit the needs of many consumers in the crossover market.  My biggest fear was the the vehicle would not have the power I was looking for in  CUV. However, I was pleasantly surprised with its 3.5 Ti-VCT V6 engine.  The Edge boasts V6 highway fuel economy that no other CUV can beat. It has 285 horsepower, 6 –speed SelectShift Automatic® transmission that is standard on the SE, SEL and Limited models.

Our next concern was in fuel economy.  With rising gas prices and SUV’s being notorious for less than favorable gas mileage we were worried.  However, Ford delivered once again with the Ford Edge 2.0L EcoBoost® Engine. The engine gets 30mpg on the highway, almost unheard of in a crossover.   As an added bonus we found out the Ford Edge can tow up to 3,500 pounds.  That’s great news for our family as we often find ourselves in a position to tow something for our selves our for the friends and families in our community.

Overall, the Ford Edge is a great option for our family.

Posted under Ford Dealership

This post was written by ds_blogger

Hawkinson Nissan, your Chicago Nissan dealer, is pleased to share this Nissan news update. Visit your Nissan dealer in person for a five star car buying experience.

On May 15, 2012, the all new Nissan Altima factory production begins. Nissan is celebrating by streaming the event live over the internet.

From Nissan News:

“Join us for a live streaming event on Tuesday, May 15 at 1 p.m. ET when the all-new 2013 Nissan Altima begins production in Tennessee.

The new 2013 Altima is one of five all-new models Nissan is launching in the next 15 months. The 2011 calendar year was the sixth consecutive year of market share gains for Nissan in the U.S., with the Altima ranking as the second best-selling car in the U.S. The Altima goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in July at a starting MSRP of $21,500.

“The new Altima hits the consumer bulls-eye dead center by delivering a balance of style, performance and value that will continue to make it one of the most popular cars in America,” said Nissan president and CEO Carlos Ghosn.”

Visit Hawkinson Nissan today to test drive your new Altima today!

Posted under Nissan Cars

This post was written by ds_blogger

This is part 4 of a 4 part series on the automotive industries reaction to a shortage in a key resin used in the making of automobiles.  For more information, please view the previous articles on our blog.  Mertz Ford, Dealer of 2012 Ford Vehicles in Illinois, is committed to keeping its readers informed with all the latest automotive industry news.

After earthquake in Japan and an explosion at a German chemical factory rocked the auto industry when it was faced with a major shortage of a key component in car making, auto suppliers raced to find alternatives.  This resin, called nylon-12 is made with a chemical called CDT. Wichita based Invista, has a Texas based factory that will possibly be able to supply automakers with this chemical.

The German based Evonik Industries plant that suffered a catastrophic explosion in March, was responsible for almost half of the world-wide production of CDT.  Invista has supplied small amounts of CDT to the automotive industry in the past and automakers have been sending inquiries their way to see if they can help with the shortage.  Invista Communications Manager, Jodie Stutsman admitted to offering some excess CDT but stated “the excess capacity we have there for the CDT market as a whole is limited.  We have a set of customers we are committed to supply. We of course will honor those commitments, and for the remaining product we will do what we can do to meet the needs of the overall CDT market.”

The auto industry continues to seek alternatives to the resin.  Perhaps Invista will be able to offer some relief to the needs of the industry until a more lucrative alternative can be found.

Posted under 2012 Ford

This post was written by ds_blogger

This is part 2 of a 2 part series on the automotive industries reaction to a shortage in a key resin used in the making of automobiles.  For more information, please view the previous article on our blog.  Jack Schmitt Ford, a Ford Explorer Dealer in Collinsville, is committed to keeping blog readers informed of the latest auto industry news and events.

After a March explosion at a German factory caused the shut down of over half the world’s supply of key resin, CDT, automakers began searching for alternatives to the chemical needed for the production of fuel and brake lines.

Recently, Invista, the Wichita based manufacturer of Stainmaster carpets and rugs, received inquiries from automakers.  Invista has supplied small amounts of CDT to the automotive industry in the past and automakers have contacted the company hoping to receive some relief for the shortage.

Invista Communications Manager, Jodie Stutsman admitted to offering some excess CDT to automakers in the past, but stated “the excess capacity we have there for the CDT market as a whole is limited.  We have a set of customers we are committed to supply. We of course will honor those commitments, and for the remaining product we will do what we can do to meet the needs of the overall CDT market.”

Automakers are confident there are enough current supplies of CDT to meet their needs through May. Automakers will continue to search for alternatives until one is found.

Jack Schmitt Ford has not been affected by the shortage and has an abundance of cars and trucks available for customers to choose from.  Stop in today and take a look at our inventory.

Posted under Ford Explorer

This post was written by ds_blogger

This is part 3 of a 4 part series on the automotive industries reaction to a shortage in a key resin used in the making of automobiles.  For more information, please view the previous articles on our blog.  Mertz Ford, Dealer of 2012 Ford Vehicles in Illinois is committed to keeping its readers informed with all the latest automotive industry news.

After earthquake in Japan and an explosion at a German chemical factory rocked the auto industry when it was faced with a major shortage of a key component in car making, auto industry executives met for a summit to discuss alternatives to the shortage of resin and avoid a stoppage of production across the auto industry.

Now, auto industry suppliers around the world are scrambling to find alternatives to the key nylon resin called PA-12 or nylon-12, which is critical to the production of fuel and brake lines.  Recently, a Texas manufacturing facility was brought to the attention of auto industry executives searching for an alternative to the resin.  Invista, a Wichita, Kansas based manufacturer of Stainmaster carpets and rugs, owns the factory and has confirmed that it has received inquiries from auto suppliers looking for alternatives to the resin.  The information of inquiries is leaving some hopeful that Invista could be the saving grace for the automotive industry.

For more information on this topic, and to read what Invista has to say about their role in this topic, please read part 4 of this 4 part series.

Mertz Ford wants its readers to know that this shortage of resin has not affected their inventory.  Stop in for a look at a number of vehicles on our lot that will suit the needs of many drivers.

Posted under 2012 Ford

This post was written by ds_blogger