Projo Cars Blog

Get a tour of the transformed Paul Masse Buick GMC South, freshly reopened in South Kingstown after an eight month transformation from the Banner Buick Pontiac GMC Saab dealership.

Journal auto writer Peter Elsworth talks to Bob Masse, and tells you the secret to dropping off your car without getting your hair wet.

The story is on E1 of the Saturday Providence Journal Cars section.

By Paula Constantine, Providence Journal Cars Editor

Have you been trying to track down a showing of the elusive documentary about Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna?

It keeps popping up for a day or two at racing events or at independent theaters, then speeds out of town faster than the handsome and charismatic three-time world champion racer, who was killed at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 at age 34.

But you have a chance to catch the film this weekend at the Avon Cinema in Providence starting on Friday night. Be sure to call 421-avon or go to their website to check showtimes, but right now their website is listing 8:55 p.m. evening showings starting Friday, plus 4:10 afternoon matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The movie will be playing until Thursday, Oct 20.

The Avon is at 260 Thayer St. on Providence's East Side. There are many restaurants in the area, but parking is a nightmare, so come early.

Read a review of the movie that ran in the Providence Journal here.

"Senna"
Directed by Asif Kapadia
Rated PG-13
105 Minutes

Chevrolet said A123 Systems of Waltham, Mass., will supply the nanophosphate lithium-ion battery packs for its all-electric version of the Chevrolet Spark mini-car - the Spark EV.

The Spark EV will be sold in limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, including California.

"The Spark EV ... complements Chevrolet's growing range of electrified vehicles, including the Volt extended-range EV and the 2013 Malibu Eco with eAssist technology," said Jim Federico, global vehicle chief engineer for electric vehicles at Chevrolet, in a prepared news statement.

Feedback from participants in Chevrolet's electric vehicle demonstration fleets in Shanghai (Sail EV), Korea (Cruze EV) and India (Beat EV) are being incorporated into the Spark EV.

Saab has received the first part of a bridge loan from China's Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile, according to Saab owner Swedish Automobile NV and reported by Automotive News Europe.

Further payments are expected to be made this week and by October 22, the company added.

Swedish Automobile didn't say how much the initial payment was, but a report in Swedish daily Dagens Industri, said Saab had received about $15 million.

The money will be used to pay wages at Saab when a government salary insurance scheme runs out, the paper said. The salary insurance plan started when the company received creditor protection in late September.

Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group took itself off the market after failing to get any acceptable takeover proposals from Hertz or anybody else, according to The Associated Press.

Not too long ago Dollar Thrifty found itself being pursued by both Hertz and Avis. But Avis took itself out of the bidding in mid-September, leaving Hertz as the lone bidder.

Dollar Thrifty said Tuesday that it had given suitors until Monday to submit their "best and final" offers. It said in August that it needed a bid that would pass antitrust muster.

But the rental car company from Tulsa, Okla., said it did not receive any proposals meeting this criteria, so it will continue to run as a stand-alone company.

These days, people think about Detroit a little differently, according to USA Today.

A new spirit is heard in the euphoria for its professional sports teams: The Tigers are in the American League Championship Series, while the Lions are tied 5-0 with the Green Bay Packers for the best record in National Football League.

That spirit is celebrated in the Emmy-winning Super Bowl ad for the Chrysler 200 that touted the city's working-class roots. It's felt in the resurgence of the auto industry, which has seen sales rebound with new products and improved technology three years after almost collapsing.

"There's a tendency to think about Detroit as this Rust Belt, throwaway city," USA Today quotes Susan Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit Inc., whose group is offering financial incentives for people to move into the city. "All this has reframed that conversation. ... There is a moment in time for Detroit."

Who ever thought the words "imported from Detroit" -- tagline of the Super Bowl ad -- would be cool?

Hyundai's U.S. sales boss says 231 of the brand's roughly 570 stand-alone stores will complete voluntary showroom renovations by the end of the year, according to Automotive News.

Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai's executive vice president of sales, said the dealers are investing a combined $358 million in the renovations.
Zuchowski estimates that about 150 more Hyundai exclusives still need major renovations.

"We think within two to three years our stores will have a very consistent look," he said.
The dealers currently making improvements account for nearly 40 percent of Hyundai's U.S. sales, Zuchowski said. A small number of dealers are erecting new facilities.

Exteriors are being renovated with outside wall coverings that look like brushed aluminum, a blue overhang that wraps the dealership and other design elements. Showroom changes include new lighting and Hyundai-branded displays.

Hyundai dealers can choose from the menu of exterior and showroom options to craft a renovation plan that fits an individual dealer's store and budget.