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New Die Hard movie wrecked 132 cars in $11 million chase scene [w/video]

It would seem the act of dying hard brings with it lots of wanton destruction of the four-wheeled kind. According to John Moore, director of A Good Day To Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, There were 132 (cars) that could never be used again. Another 518 required a lot of work. And damn right there were some good cars there... That's the fun of it."
Please join us in one great big collective sigh. Done? Okay, let's continue.
"With Die Hard it's about how audacious the action is," says Moore. "So you have to drive over a Lamborghini. An actual one. And yes it hurts me. I'm a car fanatic." Yeah. Sounds like it hurt really bad... though not as bad as the final tally after all the carnage had been counted: "Someone showed me the numbers on the car chase and soup to nuts, you put it all together it was like an $11 million sequence."

Geely wants to be a tech-sharing 'friend' of Daimler in $9B bet

Chinese carmaker Geely has built up an almost 10-percent stake in Daimler in a $9 billion bet by its chairman that he can access the Mercedes-Benz owner's technology in the growing battle for the future of automotives. The purchase by Li Shufu, Geely's founder and main owner, means China's largest privately-owned automaker is now the biggest shareholder in Germany's Daimler. Geely said on Saturday there were no plans "for the time being" to raise the stake further. Instead, it will seek to forge an alliance with Daimler, which is developing electric and self-driving vehicles, to respond to the challenge from new competitors such as Tesla, Google and Uber. "No current car industry player is likely to win this battle against the invaders from outside without friends. To achieve and assert technological leadership, one has to adapt a new way of thinking in terms of sharing and combining strength. My investment in Daimler reflects this vision," Li said. "Daimler is pleased to announce that with Li Shufu it could win another long-term orientated shareholder, which is convinced by Daimler's innovation strength, strategy and future potential," the German company said in a statement. Geely officials plan to travel to Stuttgart to meet Daimler executives early next week and also hope to meet top German government officials in Berlin, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The Chinese firm plans to use the meetings to underline that it intends to be a supportive long-term investor, they said. Daimler had no immediate comment on any meetings. Geely and the German economy ministry declined to comment. Chinese investors in German technology companies have tended to take a consensual approach, buying incremental stakes in companies such as robotics firms Kuka and Kion, typically after long consultation with management and other stakeholders. In November, Geely asked Daimler to issue new shares so it could buy a stake, as a way to access Mercedes-Benz technology for electric cars and trucks, including battery technology, to help Geely comply with a Chinese crackdown on pollution. But the German company turned down the offer saying it did not want to dilute existing shareholders, sources at the time told Reuters. Li changed tactics, and quietly amassed a stake of 9.69 percent worth $9 billion at Daimler's current share price.

The best Super Bowl car commercials from the last 5 years

If you've been dipping into the Autoblog feed over the past days and weeks, you wouldn't even have to be a sports fan to know the Super Bowl is coming up. Automakers have been teasing their spots for the big game, dropping them days early, fully-formed onto the Internet and otherwise trying to amp up the multi-million-dollar outlays that they've made for air time on the biggest advertising day of the year. And, we're into it. The lead up to the Super Bowl is almost akin to a mini auto show around these parts; with automakers being amongst the most prolific advertisers on these special Sundays. The crop of ads from 2015 looks as strong as ever, but we thought we'd take a quick look back at some of our favorite spots from the last five years. Take a look at our picks – created from a very informal polling of Autoblog editors and presented in no particular order – and then tell us about your recent faves, in Comments. Chrysler, Imported From Detroit Chrysler, Eminem and a lingering pan shot of "The Fist" – it doesn't get much more Motown than 2011's Imported From Detroit. With the weight of our staffers hailing from in and around The D, it's no wonder that our memories still favor this epic Super Bowl commercial (even though the car it was shilling was crap). Imported really set the tone for later Chrysler ads, too, repeated the formula: celebrity endorsement + dramatic copy + dash of jingoism = pulled car-guy heartstrings. Mercedes-Benz, Soul teaser with Kate Upton One of our favorite Super Bowl commercials (and yours, based on the insane number of views you logged) didn't even technically air during the game. Mercedes-Benz teased its eventual spot Soul with 90-seconds worth of Kate Upton threatening to do her best Joy Harmon impression. (Teaser indeed.) It doesn't win points for cleverness, use of music, acting, or any compelling carness, but it proved that Mercedes' advertisers knew how to make a splash in the Internet Age. And, hey, it's still classier than every GoDaddy commercial. Kia, A Dream Car. For Real Life Like the Mercedes video above, the initial draw here is a pretty lady; in this case the always stunning Adriana Lima. But this Kia commercial really delivers the extra effort we expect while scarfing crabby snacks and homemades, too. First of all, Motley Crue. Second, a cowboy on a bucking rhino. Enjoy yet again.