Automotive In Blog

New Concept from Honda Odyssey

2010-02-12T23:39:00.002+07:00

Honda hopes its fourth-generation Odyssey, previewed by this concept unveiled at the 2010 Chicago auto show, appeals to those buyers. Although it isn't a complete departure from the traditional minivan, the concept -- and the production vehicle, we're told -- will inject some additional style into the segment.

Styled completely by Honda's R&D Americas design center in California, the Odyssey concept bears some resemblance to its predecessor. Perhaps the most dramatic changes lie with the roofline (it's lower, and the A-pillars are moved forward for a steeper rake) and the side windows (designers say the "lightning bolt" character line will carry over into production models).

As this is merely a styling buck, we weren't able to see a fully developed interior. Sketches released by Honda suggest a two-tone cabin with some sporty touches, including a dashboard patterned after that on the Civic. We'd expect a fold-flat third-row seat to again be standard, and Honda says the second-row bench will now be able to accommodate three child safety seats.

Honda will continue to use V-6 power in the Odyssey -- exact specifics weren't released, but we were told the next van is expected to return 19/28 mpg (city/highway) -- an improvement over the 2010 model's 17/25 mpg EPA rating.

Like other recent Honda concepts (we're looking at you, CR-Z), this is essentially a concept in name only. Although we doubt the production Odyssey will sport LED headlamps or such slender door handles, the final vehicle should largely resemble what you see here. Look for the actual 2011 Odyssey to be unveiled this fall, likely at the 2010 Los Angeles auto show.

2010 Ferrari Introduces ‘Approved’ Pre-owned Car

2010-02-05T13:10:00.001+07:00

Ferrari has introduced programs aimed at helping its customers. Last July, Ferrari announced it would offer roadside assistance for every vehicle to ever roll out of the factory and yesterday the Italian sports car-maker introduced an approved pre-owned program to give its used car buyers peace of mind.

Although Ferrari owners likely take extremely good care of their cars, the Ferrari approved pre-owned program will give used Ferrari buyers an even greater sense of confidence in their new-to-them vehicle. To qualify for the program, the vehicle must pass a 190-point inspection at an official Ferrari dealer or approved service center. The inspection includes a service history check to make sure the car has had its annual inspection and has been properly maintained.

Once the car in question passes the inspection, it qualifies for a minimum 24-month warranty starting from the date of purchase, Ferrari’s “With You” roadside assistance for the duration of the warranty, and a subscription to Ferrari Magazine for the duration of the warranty. Ferrari’s approved pre-owned factory-backed warranties can be purchased for time periods ranging from two years all the way up to 10 years.

Even though Ferrari made its With You roadside assistance program available for every vehicle to ever leave the factory, including cars built in 1947, the approved pre-owned program is available only on select models. The cars must also be less than eight years old in order to qualify. Every V-8 engined Ferrari produced in the last eight years is eligible for the program and every V-12 engined Ferrari qualifies except for the Enzo.

New Model FORD FOCUS 2011

2010-01-11T22:53:00.004+07:00

Ford gives us the European Focus we're been coveting for years. The 2011 Ford Focus is actually a global car that will be about 80% identical in every market. Even the front fascia is the same around the world.

As a 2011 model, the third-generation Focus, whether in four-door sedan or five-door hatchback form, will be nearly identical in all markets. Ford's European small and medium vehicle center in Germany led development. Powertrain engineering occurred in Ford's technical center in England. Ford put its European driving dynamics specialists in charge of ride and handling. This is as European as it gets.

Audi E-Tron is New Product From AUDI

2009-12-08T23:18:00.002+07:00

Although it shares elements of its aluminum architecture with the R8, the E-tron is smaller, almost as short as an A3. Despite the generous wheelbase (102 inches), the cabin isn't particularly spacious.

The towering battery stack behind the rear firewall takes up even more space than the R8's V-10 engine, transaxle, and fuel tank combined. Wrapped in liquid-cooled safety foil, the lithium-ion cells provide an energy capacity of 53 kWh, an exact match to the Tesla. To extend battery life, only 80 percent of that capacity is used. The batteries power four electric motors, rated at a total of 313 hp. The whopping maximum torque of 3319 lb-ft needs to be scaled back drastically so that full acceleration doesn't peel the tread off the tires. "The biggest challenge is of course to synchronize the four motors," says Thomas Kräuter, technical project leader for concept cars. "Since each wheel can be accelerated and decelerated individually, this is no mean feat."

NEW 2011 Ford Mustang V-6

2009-11-30T23:53:00.004+07:00

Today, fuel economy plays an equally important part. Chevrolet fired an opening salvo by installing a potent yet thrifty V-6 into its 2010 Camaro, but Ford's firing back with its tweaked 2011 Mustang.
Ford's entry-level Mustang no longer makes do with the antiquated 4.0-liter V-6 used since the 2005 model. Instead, it gleans a new variant of Ford's Duratec V-6, which also appears in the likes of the Fusion, Edge, and Taurus. For the Mustang, it's been bored out to displace 3.7 liters, but retains its aluminum construction and twin-independent variable cam timing with the 3.5-liter unit used in the Fusion Sport.

ActiveHybrid 7 from New BMW 2010

2009-11-16T22:35:00.003+07:00

Technology used by BMW as "impossible" to measure current car technology. BMW technology is now so quiet, comfortable and faster.

Technologies developed in concert with Mercedes-Benz allow BMW to add features formerly unavailable, like the transparent stop-and-start system. When you come to a stop, the V-8 shuts off, leaving the cabin absolutely silent, and releasing the brake pedal has the engine running in microseconds, the car already moving under the impulsion of the 51-pound three-phase synchronous 20 hp 120 Volt electric motor interposed between the crankshaft of the twin-turbocharged V-8 and the all-new eight-speed automatic transmission when there is the slightest touch on the throttle.

New Honda Accord Crosstour

2009-11-05T22:06:00.002+07:00

The Crosstour's bulging rear end and sloped roof aren't exactly new, but the look is still quite shocking. Vehicles like the BMW X6, the BMW 5-series GT, and the Acura ZDX (which shares no parts with the Crosstour) have all paved the way for Honda's four-door crossover coupe.

That hasn't stopped people from calling the Crosstour's style into question. When Honda first dropped pictures of the Accord Crosstour on Facebook in September, people decried the design. Some said it recalled the AMC Eagle SX/4. Others drew comparisons to the Pontiac Aztek.

New 2010 Volkswagen Golf

2009-11-01T21:01:00.004+07:00

About new volkswagen. The revival of the Rabbit name here didn't help, and that musty moniker has again been shed for 2010. Yet, more than ever, the redesigned Golf's neatest trick is to boggle the minds of Americans who grew up in Dodge Omnis or Chevy Chevettes. Ten minutes in the Golf, and those folks will be amazed that an affordable hatch could look, drive, and feel this good.

New Honda U3-X Electric Unicycle

2009-10-25T23:29:00.001+07:00

Toyota isn't the only Japanese automaker to amaze us with some funky forms of personal transportation. Honda unwrapped its U3-X transporter prior to the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, which can best be described as a motorized unicycle.

A key component to the U3-X is Honda's Omni Traction (HOT) drive technology. The large wheel you see at the bottom of the cycle is actually made of multiple wheels of varying diameter. The larger wheels allow the U3-X to move fore and aft. Simultaneously rotating the smaller wheels allows the U3-X to steer. Like a Segway, the unicycle is self-balancing; Honda engineers developed the system based upon technologies developed for the company's ASIMO robot program.

Although the U3-X seems to be meant for indoor use only, it weighs only 20 pounds and folds into a portable shape for transit. Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack which, when fully charged, offers approximately an hour's worth of use.

We're not exactly sure whom Honda is targeting with this contraption (the company says it's "pursuing the concept of harmony with people"), but it will showcase the U3-X at the 2009 Tokyo motor show.

If you'd like to see Honda's U3-X in action, click here to check out a short video demonstration.

New Suzuki Kizashi 2010

2009-10-19T21:53:00.002+07:00

We've been anxious to share with you our driving impressions of the new Suzuki Kizashi ever since its maker dropped off a car at our Ann Arbor offices nearly two months ago and again earlier this month for our annual All-Stars testing. Now that the driving-impressions embargo has finally lifted and we've driven the car in several states around the country, we're happy to reveal that the Kizashi is Suzuki's best-ever car for the American market and truly fun to drive, particularly on racetracks.

KAWASAKI MOTORCYCLE HISTORY

2009-10-07T22:50:00.004+07:00

Kawasaki motorcycles were introduced in 1954, and have made quite a name for themselves when it comes to high performing motorcycles. Many Kawasaki models have been designed over the years for dirt bike racing.

They are powerful yet lightweight, giving the rider an edge over the competition. The bikes are also known for offering a sturdy frame, great suspension, and being affordable. Many people aren’t aware that Kawasaki manufactured motorcycle engines for years before they decided to make complete bikes. This allowed them to enter the competition knowing exactly what to build and how to build it.

In 1960, Kawasaki bought out Megero Motorcycles, who had been in the business since 1937. They took a brave move by offering every type of motorcycle at the same type across the board. It was a strategy that would make or break them. It was a wise investment as they were able to steadily sell everything from a 50 model to the powerful twin 650CC as well as everything in between.

This was the beginning of Kawasaki making out of the box decisions that influenced their competitors. Rather than being a follower, Kawasaki choose to always be a leader in the developments taking place in the motorcycle industry. While this was risky, it definitely gave them an edge over the competition.

In 1965 Kawasaki decided it was time to start exporting their motorcycles to the United States. The models sold better and faster than anyone had anticipated. The Z1 model was introduced in 1972. It was initially only marketed to the United States to meet consumer requests and demands.

The most well known Kawasaki motorcycle is the ZZR-R1100. This model was introduced in 1990 and lead the industry in sales for five years. Kawasaki made history in 2000 when it introduced the ZX-12R, a super bike featuring a unique frame that could out run any dirt bike on the track.

Most everyone is familiar with the lime green color, representing Kawasaki racing bikes. These models some in a variety of sizes and with various power behind them. Kawasaki racing bikes are known in the industry for being extremely fast as well as light weight. The Ninja series is one of the top selling models in motorcycle history.

When it comes to cruiser bikes, the Kawasaki Vulcan model offers everything you could ever want and more. The are versatile, long lasting, and easy to maneuver. They also come in a variety of sizes with many different power ranges behind each one. What makes the Vulcan so original is that it can be considered a comfortable tour bike, yet it has the power of a racing bike behind many of the models. This is a classy looking motorcycle with two comfortable seats and saddle bags to hold your necessities. The 2007 models are very stylish and are anticipated to sell very well.

Today, Kawasaki continues to be a leader in the motorcycle industry, offering consumers a variety of products to choose from. Each one offering distinct features but all of them offer great quality, lots of power, and a very reasonable price. They are also known in the motorcycle industry as being the leader in providing the necessary parts to repair any of their models. You will find Kawasaki dealerships all around the world, ready to assist you with the perfect motorcycle for you.

Mitsubishi with PX-MiEV Plug-In Hybrid Concept

2009-10-01T19:10:00.001+07:00

2009, Manufacturer Mitsubishi will return to the electric vehicle segment as earlier as hybrids. At the Tokyo Motor Show Mitsubishi pulled out of New PX-MiEV hybrid crossover concept.

Looking much like a butch Outlander, the PX-MiEV is perhaps more notable for what lies underneath its five-door bodyshell. Mitsubishi has equipped the concept with its S-AWC all-wheel-drive system (you’ll find a similar setup in the Lancer Evolution), but uses two electric motors -- one at each axle -- for power. The PX-MiEV has an approximately 30-mile range in EV mode, but a 1.6-liter I-4 can serve as a generator for longer trips. If those journeys also require higher speeds or passing maneuvers, the four-banger can directly power the front wheels -- something that can’t be said for the Chevrolet Volt.

The PX-MiEV can be charged using either a 120- or 240-volt supply at home, or by a high-voltage quick charger Mitsubishi is tinkering with as part of its i-MiEV program. If the owner’s home is equipped with a smart grid power system, Mitsubishi envisions the car’s battery packs can be used as an auxiliary power source in case of a power outage.

Inside, designers were reportedly inspired by an airplane cockpit, but the gauge cluster, center stack, and the rear seat entertainment device all appear to be ripped from the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Mitsubishi’s gifted the driver with a host of safety systems, including an around-view monitor (similar to the system in the Infiniti EX), electronic toll payment, and a proximity warning utilizing vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

Comparison Luxulury Car

2009-10-01T18:43:00.001+07:00

we provide the following cars in the luxury car category. BMW 3-series and Audi A4 offers a car with a wagon bodystyles and cadillac finally followed the two cars. Cadillac CTS with the product form Sport Wagon 2010. But of all these cars have in common is a luxury car

New Infiniti QX56 Production

2009-09-30T00:13:00.001+07:00

A new report issued by the Nikkei English News says Nissan will move production of the fullsize luxury SUV from its facility in Canton, Mississippi, to a plant in Kyushu, Japan. The same plant is also home to the Quest minivan, which was also once built in Japan.

The production shift is largely due to Nissan searching for space to build a new line-up of commercial vehicles. We haven't heard anything finite as of yet, but the automaker was planning a range of commercial vans (the largest like the NV2500 concept) for North America, and wanted to manufacture most of the offerings within the Canton facility.

According to Automotive News, the QX56 is slated for a redesign in 2011, and may possibly be downsized at that time.

New Toyota 4Runner 2010

2009-09-29T18:59:00.002+07:00

Fortunately, Toyota's all-new 2010 4Runner holds true to its roots, and remains an honest, tough midsize SUV. The new 4Runner may look familiar -- it still retains a muscular, boxy shape -- but designers worked a number of cues from recent Toyota trucks, notably the Tundra, into its appearance.

What the new figure may not convey however, is an increase in size. The 2010 4Runner is slightly longer, wider, and taller than the last model, and even has space for an optional third row of seating, giving it room for seven for the first time.

What doesn't carry over into 2010 is the 4.7-liter V-8. Instead, Toyota's increased the power of its 4.0-liter V-6 to 270 hp and 278 lb-ft of torque, besting both the previous 4.0-liter V-6 and the eight-cylinder. Shoppers also have the option of buying a four-cylinder 4Runner (equipped with a new 157-hp 2.7-liter I-4), albeit only in rear-wheel-drive form. Four-cylinder models are mated to a four-speed automatic, while six-cylinder models are bolted to a five-speed auto. All six-cylinder models return an EPA estimated 19 mpg combined, while the four-cylinder, two-wheel-drive model is rated at 18/23 mpg city/highway.

Maier to step down

2009-09-18T10:08:00.002+07:00

Mercedes-Benz's global head of sales and marketing, Klaus Maier, is stepping down for personal reasons, the carmaker said on Thursday. Joachim Schmidt, Maier's predecessor, will take up the post again.

Mercedes CEO Dieter Zetsche said he regretted the departure of Maier. The CEO said Maier "made his mark” in realigning Mercedes to appeal to a younger target group in addition to launching a reorganization of worldwide sales.

Schmidt, 61, was Mercedes' global sales and marketing boss from 1999 to 2005 until Maier replaced him.

Zetsche said it was largely due to Schmidt that the Mercedes brand in 2007 and 2008 grew at double-digit rates and extended its market leadership in the regions for which he was responsible.

Maier, 57, leaves Mercedes as the German premium brand is hard hit by the global economic crisis and collapse in luxury car sales.

Mercedes brand sales fell 17.5 percent to 632,700 cars in the first eight months compared with last year.

Mercedes Benz McLaren MP4-12C at 2010

2009-09-12T23:26:00.002+07:00

Ferrari and Mercedes will release new products next year. With 458 Ferrari F430 successor sebgai and roll forth the tantalizing SLS mainstay AMG Gullwing Mercedes-Benz products. The McLaren MP4-12C should Nudge leading economic indicators upward sometime in 2011. McLaren has granted only brief access to the MP4-12C mock-up as the appetizer for the technological feast it plans to serve in less than two years. Decoding the not-at-all evocative name hints at what's on the menu. The MP4 part comes from the chassis designation McLaren has used on all its Formula 1 cars since 1981. The 12 is an internal index related to the company's Dedication to power, weight, aerodynamics, and overall efficiency. And the C celebrates a commitment to carbon-fiber technology for future sports cars.

2010 Buick LaCrosse

2009-07-21T17:43:00.003+07:00

With GM cutting its number of brands in half, those who remain in the General's employ now have both the opportunity and the obligation to define their roles, build unique products, and sell lots of cars. As one of GM's four surviving brands, Buick owes a debt of gratitude to the Chinese market, where it is considered a premium marque. In the United States, the brand urgently needs to develop a similar cachet, and the 2010 Buick LaCrosse is an effort to do just that.

Younger skin for a younger Buick

Buick is making a conscious effort to attract younger buyers, and that shows in the new LaCrosse's styling. The grille is bolder, the headlights are more aggressive, and a strong character line on the sheetmetal sweeps along the profile. A high beltline and narrow glass reduce the visual height of the car to create a sportier stance. Chrome accents appear around the side glass, above the taillights, and on the door handles of some models. In all, it is an eye-catching new design, unexpected of Buick, that still doesn't betray the brand's image of comfortable luxury.

Interior by Asia

GM tapped its Chinese designers to treat the LaCrosse's cabin. The result is tasteful design of swooping lines crafted from quality materials. The interior is accented with ambient lighting in the dash, center console, and doors that glows ice blue.

With a base price of $33,765, the top-of-the-line CXS comes with a well-equipped, luxurious cockpit. Interior appointments include leather, heated and ventilated front seats with eight-way power adjustment for both driver and passenger, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a heated steering wheel with audio controls.

Because many Chinese car owners won't actually drive their Buicks (they'll be chauffeured, of course), GM placed extra emphasis on the rear compartment design. Legroom is expansive, and the rear seats are comfortable. While many sedans make do with a flat, benchlike rear seat, the Buick offers supportive, bucketlike seats for two passengers with room for a third on the hump. An available rear-window sunscreen raises and lowers with the push of a button next to the gear selector. All LaCrosses feature a 12-volt plug in the rear of the center console; a 120-volt AC power outlet is also available.

What's luxury without technology?

The high-end CXS comes with an extensive list of standard technology, including Bluetooth, keyless entry and ignition, an eleven-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system, a USB port, and the rear AC outlet. For $350, a head-up display shows speed, rpm, outside temperature, and a compass. When listening to satellite radio, song titles appear on the windshield as the song changes, and navigation directions show up as you approach a turn. Our test car came standard with rear parking sensors and was also equipped with the $1995 navigation system, which incorporates a rear backup camera. There's also an available rear-seat DVD entertainment system with two screens mounted on the back of the front seats.

An engine for every driver

Buick will offer three engines in the LaCrosse, all using direct injection and mated to six-speed automatic transmissions. The top-tier CXS model comes with the 3.6-liter V-6 engine found in the {{{Chevrolet Camaro}}} and {{{Cadillac CTS}}}. In the LaCrosse, output is about 20 hp lower, rated at 280 hp and 259 lb-ft of torque. But unlike the Camaro and the CTS, power in the Buick is routed through the front wheels. That means there's ample torque steer with spirited acceleration. In casual driving, the 3.6-liter is exceptionally refined, creating a smooth and authoritative driving experience.

The most popular engine will be the 3.0-liter V-6 found on the CX and CXL. It cedes some power to the larger-displacement V-6, with a rating of 255 hp and 217 lb-ft, but returns the same fuel economy at 17/27 mpg with front-wheel drive. The CXL with the 3.0-liter V-6 is the only LaCrosse model that will offer all-wheel drive, which knocks off 1 mpg from both the city and highway ratings.

Later in the year, Buick will add a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that will take the place of the 3.0-liter in the CX. Buick made a late decision to add the fuel-efficient four-cylinder engine to the LaCrosse lineup to meet rising fuel economy standards. Also found in the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers, the engine makes 182 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. GM predicts about 25 percent of buyers will opt for the more fuel-efficient engine, and we hope they're right. In order for GM to continue building performance-oriented models like the Camaro and the CTS-V, it'll need to move a substantial number of fuel-sippers in other models. GM hasn't yet certified the fuel economy of the smallest engine in the Buick LaCrosse but is estimating it will achieve a 20/30 mpg rating.

Chassis by Europe

The LaCrosse rides on the Epsilon II platform that also underpins the European Opel Insignia. The front suspension setup uses MacPherson struts, and the rear uses a multilink design on the base CX trim and H-arms on the CXL and the CXS. Continuously variable dampers had been fitted to our test car with the $800 touring package. Disc brakes are standard on all four corners, as is antilock braking. On the base CX, seventeen-inch steel wheels with covers are standard, a decidedly downmarket offering on a $28,000 entry-luxury car. But eighteen-inch aluminum wheels are optional on the CX and standard on the higher trims. Nineteen-inch wheels are also available for the CXS.

Buick takes pride in the fact that the LaCrosse suspension was tuned in Europe, a land that is famed for turning out solid chassis that inspire confidence without sacrificing comfort. That focus is a stark change from Buick's reputation for cars that float down highways like a piece of driftwood rising and falling in rolling waves. It's certainly a welcome effort, but can a company so ingrained in comfort do athletic? And what about the risk of taking it too far? If grandma's dentures fall out over a stretch of rough road, is it still a Buick?

The driving experience surprise

Grandma, it turns out, still has her dentures, and she's grinning like a hooligan at a Buick that is more engaging than anything in recent brand history. The LaCrosse strikes the perfect balance of comfort and sport, with a ride that is never harsh and competent body control. It certainly isn't the second coming of the Pontiac G8, but the LaCrosse surprises with its admirable handling ability.

The steering wheel is the one place where the LaCrosse let us down, its variable-effort steering feeling feather-light and numb. This is the last nagging reminder of the old Buick that we'd love to bury six feet under.

Comfort, of course, is still a big part of the package. The powertrain is silky, and the automatic transmission makes smooth gear shifts. Buick has done an excellent job of blocking out wind noise and unwanted powertrain sounds with laminated glass and insulation. But the absence of some noises draws attention to frequent knocks from the suspension when it encounters broken pavement. Still, the overall package of luxury comfort and capable hardware creates an identity that we would love to see throughout the Buick line up.

Buick's brand new day

Set to go on sale in the fall of 2009, the entry-level CX model starts at $27,835; top-trim CXS models start at $33,765. The mid-level CXL begins at $30,395 for front-wheel drive and $32,570 for all-wheel drive. With a fresh design, a luxurious interior, and well-balanced driving dynamics, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse certainly redefines our perceptions of what was once a brand we regularly looked right past. Not only does the LaCrosse prove that the Buick Enclave crossover wasn't just a one-time badge engineering triumph, the new midsize car trumpets the arrival of a newly reinvigorated brand.

NEWS : First shots of updated Kia Rio surface

2009-07-20T16:21:00.003+07:00

Slowly but surely, Kia's new corporate look is filtering through its entire lineup. We've seen it in play on the Forte range, the Soul, and the updated Sorento so far. Now you can add the entry-level Rio to the list. At least we think you can. The photo above shows the newly-facelifted South Korean domestic-market Kia Pride (the Kia Rio in the U.S. market), which is reportedly set to go on sale shortly. As you can see, the car boasts an revamped front fascia, sporting Kia's dog-bone grille, new lighting, and a rehaped, Ford-like lower air intake. As for the car's tail, we'll have to wait and see -- pics haven't hit the web yet.

Kia-World.net, which was first online with the new shots, also reports that the interior is also revised, featuring a new steering wheel, a mildly reconfigured center stack, updated instrumentation, and a stereo system with integrated Bluetooth connectivity. Will we get this update Stateside as the 2010 Kia Rio? Well, the Rio's certainly due for a freshening, so we don't see why not, especially as the automaker makes a move toward a more unified, distinct styling language. Hat tip to Andy R.

Update : Suzuki hits the skids in the U.S.

2009-07-20T15:45:00.003+07:00

Name the mass-market vehicle brand with the largest decline in U.S. sales this year.

It has to be one of the Detroit 3 brands, right?

Wrong. The worst performer on a percentage basis was Suzuki, down 60.2 percent in the first half of 2009. In June, sales plummeted 78.0 percent compared with the same month last year.

Why would an Asian brand that builds small, fuel-efficient vehicles — the recipe for Detroit's rebirth as envisioned in Washington — be at the bottom of the heap?

Blame it on a shrunken product lineup, skimpy marketing and an ineffective captive finance company, which have made Suzuki all but invisible among the Asian players.

Suzuki is the latest second-tier Japanese brand to hit the skids in the United States, and some analysts wonder whether it is the next one headed for oblivion in this market.

"Suzuki had momentum, but they lost it," says a Northeastern dealer who declined to be named.

The company has failed to transfer the strength of its brand in other types of vehicles to its cars and crossovers.

"People spend $6,000 on a Suzuki ATV, $12,000 on a Hayabusa (superbike) and $18,000 on a Suzuki outboard," says Tim Faith, owner of Suzuki Auto Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. "But they question spending $21,000 on an XL-7."

The decline has been rapid. In 2006, American Suzuki finally achieved a decade-long quest to sell 100,000 vehicles, a level it maintained the following year. But this year Suzuki will be lucky to crack 40,000.

In a May 25 conference call with Suzuki's national and regional sales managers, 17 Florida dealers admitted that combined they had sold just nine vehicles that month.

The slide already has had an impact on the dealership count, which has skidded from 460 stores in July 2008 to about 380 today.

A Suzuki official says two-thirds of Suzuki dealers are in the black. But Mark Johnson, a dealership buy-sell consultant in Seattle, says that recent buy-sell transfers of Suzuki stores usually have blue-sky amounts from "zero to the low five figures," meaning dealers don't see much value in the franchise. Blue sky measures a dealership's intangible assets, such as goodwill.

Suzuki's slide
Why the brand's sales have plunged since 2007
• Daewoo-built models were eliminated.
• XL-7 production was halted.
• Fleet business declined.
• Number of dealerships fell.

Slashing product

Suzuki has drastically pared its vehicle lineup. The Reno, Forenza and Verona — volume cars of marginal quality built by GM Daewoo Auto & Technology — were deleted at the end of the 2008 model year. Sales of the Suzuki-built SX4 have replaced Reno sales somewhat, but Suzuki dealers are still waiting for the production version of the Kizashi 3 mid-sized sedan concept due later this year.

Also production of Suzuki's XL-7 mid-sized SUV has ended at CAMI, a Canadian joint venture with General Motors. Suzuki wasn't selling enough XL-7s to keep capacity high enough. So rather than eke out more units at a loss, production was halted last fall.

Those inventories have mostly run out since production ended, and there is no time frame for XL-7 production to resume — or for a replacement vehicle. A crossover based on the Kizashi platform has been rumored.

That leaves the SX4 compact sedan and hatchback and the Grand Vitara crossover as Suzuki's main vehicles. But retail sales of those vehicles have tanked.

Suzuki also has cut its reliance on fleet sales. By this time last year, Suzuki had sold 17,000 vehicles to fleets, nearly one-third of all sales. This year, just 4,000 fleet units have been sold, says Gene Brown, American Suzuki's vice president of marketing,

Technically, Suzuki's sales decline this year is surpassed by Scion's 60.4 percent drop. But Scion is a niche brand aimed specifically at Gen Y buyers who could have problems getting credit in this economy.

"We have to think holistically," Brown says. "We have made huge quality leaps. We have hit a rough patch, but there is every reason dealers can be profitable."

'Own worst enemy'

So should Suzuki dealers be poised for a rebound, or is the franchise beginning an irreversible downward spiral?

Consultant Johnson is pessimistic about the brand's future.

"I see things getting worse for them," he says. "People pick up Suzuki to get a shingle, to get some service business. But banks look at Suzuki so poorly that they won't floorplan them. Suzuki is half out of this market."

Johnson says Suzuki management "is its own worst enemy."

For instance, he says, when several Suzuki dealers in Florida folded recently, the company did not split the orphaned new-vehicle inventory among other Suzuki dealers. Instead, the vehicles were dumped into a general local auction. A Nissan dealer snapped them up and sold them as zero-mile used cars for thousands less than sticker — undercutting Suzuki's own dealers.

Dealers also are unhappy that an incentive for sales personnel paid by Suzuki has recently been lowered from $300 to $100 per unit sold. That is just one sign of Suzuki's waning marketing support.

"They stopped advertising and promotions of any consequence," says the dealer from the Northeast. "They are off network TV, and their cable advertising is seven to 10 days max. The finance company is useless. They used to buy low. Now they don't buy anybody."

Suzuki's Brown says funds for sales incentives were diverted to finance a "free gas for summer" promotion on the SX4 lineup, which last year gave Suzuki its best results of the year. He admits that Suzuki's inability to provide floorplan assistance to dealers has hurt. But he adds that banks are more effective lenders than Suzuki could be. And he says that American Suzuki Financial Services' approval rates are up.

New life?

Brown says that the Kizashi sedan coming this fall will give new life to the brand and that dealers who persevere will be rewarded with a sales turnaround. And many of Suzuki's fallen dealers had dualed with a domestic franchise that went out of business first, he says.

The unnamed Northeastern dealer is unimpressed: "If Suzuki is saving money for the Kizashi launch, what are we supposed to do until October? When new cars come out, that's all they advertise. They let the other ones coast. They never market other models at the same time."

Not all Suzuki dealers are in trouble. Corpus Christi dealer Faith has put Suzuki's Equator pickup — a rebadged Nissan Frontier — to good use in truck country. He is selling about 11 new Suzukis a month, which is enough for him to get by. But even Faith has concerns.

"Suzuki has never had dependable financing or capital funding," he says. "The manufacturer is guessing our orders rather than dealers telling the regional reps what we need."

Faith wants Suzuki to spend more on its umbrella message about other Suzuki-badged products, including motorcycles.

"In Europe, people see Suzuki on the level with Toyota and Honda, but not here," he says.

Brown says Suzuki will incorporate more of its global product message in its marketing. The company recently built a database that cross-references owners of multiple Suzuki products.

Improved quality

Suzuki also has a quality story to tell. Ending sales of the defect-plagued Daewoo-built vehicles prompted an instant leap in Suzuki's quality scores. The automaker jumped from 32nd place to ninth place in the 2009 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, scoring better than Infiniti, BMW and Acura.

With the Daewoo-built cars gone, Suzuki also has seen the industry's most-improved residual values in the past year, according to Automotive Lease Guide.

But James Clark, Automotive Lease Guide's general manager, cautions that the improvement was relative. Previously, Suzuki's 36-month residuals had been languishing in the 30 percent range, at the bottom of the industry.

"It's an improvement from a low point, but you have to put it in context," Clark says. "Small-car residuals in general have moved upward since the gas spike last summer, so Suzuki benefits from that as well."

NEWS : Germany's economics minister rules out GM buyback of Opel

2009-07-20T14:24:00.001+07:00

Germany's economics minister ruled out any attempt by General Motors to include an option to buy back majority control of Opel as part of a deal to give up over 50 percent of its German unit in exchange for state aid.

"This is incompatible with our views and cannot happen," Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg told German Sunday paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung in an interview.

The comments could suggest that Belgian financial investor RHJ International may have problems with its bid if the company is viewed as only a short-term player.

Germany is expected to shoulder the bulk of the billions in loan guarantees as part of a deal, and state and federal governments are represented on the board of a trust that has to approve a sale of Opel.

The minister also warned bidders for Opel will have to invest more of their own capital for the package of state aid to obtain EU clearance, since otherwise the only ones risking anything are taxpayers.

Final offers due Monday

Guttenberg explained that the size of the state aid requested would not be the deciding factor alone for Berlin.

"That's too simple. What good is an offer that is cheap (to the taxpayers) if the return of the money is in question. The key will be if a concept is so sustainable that there is a high probability that the interest, fees and the money can be paid back," he said.

When asked what was sustainable he responded: "A competitive company that urgently addresses the need to consolidate (capacity and staff)."

Magna International, RHJ and Beijing Automotive (BAIC) have been in a race to acquire Opel, with final binding offers due at the close of business in Europe on Monday.

BAIC has requested only 2.64 billion euros in state aid, while RHJ wants 3.8 billion and Magna 4.5 billion, but the Canadian supplier is seen as heavily favored within Germany -- a country where the short-term time horizon associated with financial investors is viewed with suspicion.

Magna's board of directors was expected to approve its takeover plan for Opel at a meeting on Sunday evening.

Some executives at GM unhappy about losing control over Opel are pushing for a deal with RHJ in part because of the higher likelihood that the Detroit carmaker could reacquire control over its former German subsidiary, sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Update : 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI

2009-07-20T09:58:00.003+07:00

Our smooth-driving, long-legged Four Seasons Volkswagen Jetta TDI has left Michigan, but thankfully not for good - it's currently in New York for a summer fling with senior editor Joe Lorio and NY bureau chief Jamie Kitman.

Before the Jetta headed east, several Ann Arbor-based staff members weighed in on their feelings three-quarters of the way through our year with our first-ever diesel long-term car.

Assistant editor David Zenlea, perhaps the biggest fan of the TDI, drove the Jetta to Chicago in June to visit his folks. "I started out my trip with the intent of hypermiling and seeing how high the TDI could go in terms of miles per gallon," he wrote in the VW's logbook. "Of course, I soon got bored/annoyed with this idea, because it involves going slow and accelerating even slower, and I soon relapsed into my normal, mildly aggressive driving style. I should add that to get the most out of the Jetta in the suburbs, you can't be shy--you have to get on it and short shift into second and third. Still, I averaged an indicated 43.6 mpg for the whole trip."

That impressive mileage led senior Web editor Phil Floraday to reacquaint himself with our Jetta. He wrote: "I felt compelled to spend a night in the frugal, slow, Spartan confines of the Jetta TDI after a weekend of fun in the Chevy Camaro SS and a night with the Aston Martin DB9 Volante. I'm surely headed to hydrocarbon hell if I keep selecting cars with double or triple the cylinder count of the Jetta, so I'll try to do a little atoning now.

"Actually," Floraday continued, "a four-cylinder Jetta TDI isn't a bad place to spend some time. If this were my car, though, it'd be a wagon and have the DSG dual-clutch automatic. I much prefer the DSG to our manual since this TDI has so little horsepower. You really need to drop a gear or three for passing, and I'll readily admit to being too lazy for the frequent up- and downshifts required to hustle along the two-lane roads on my commute."

It seems that our new associate editor Eric Tingwall would also prefer the DSG: "I'm glad to see that others have moaned about this clutch. I stalled at two out of my first three traffic lights and then on a hill this morning--twice. There's absolutely no feel in the pedal, and even when I manage a perfectly smooth take-off, I'm not quite sure where the clutch engages or how I pulled it off. Frustrating."

Executive editor Joe DeMatio chimed in with some wisdom about the bigger picture, though, writing, "The Jetta was a nice car for a lazy Sunday afternoon drive through the country. Perfectly reasonable body control, decent steering feel, good ride comfort; really, I have no complaints. Sure, you learn to keep the revs up, especially when you're launching from an intersection, but overall it's a very tractable powertrain."

And as Jablansky noted during his trek from Michigan to New York, that powertrain is fantastic for long journeys. "After 750 miles, I'd only stopped once and still had half a tank left," he scrawled in the logbook. "On the same trip, our frugal Four Seasons Honda Fit required three stops."

Base price (with dest.): $23,090
Price as tested: $23,090

Overview

Body Style: 4-door sedan
Accommodation: 5-passenger
Construction: Steel unibody

Powertrain

Engine: Inline SOHC turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel
Displacement: 2.0 liters
Power: 140 hp @ 4000 rpm
Torque: 236 lb-ft @ 1750-2500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual transmission
Drive: front-wheel
Fuel economy: 30/41/34 mpg (city/hwy/combined)

Chassis

Steering: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.0
Turning Circle: 35.8 ft
Suspension, Front: McPherson struts, coil springs
Suspension, Rear: Multilink, coil springs
Brakes F/R: Vented discs / solid discs, ABS
Wheels: 16 x 6.5
Tires: Continental ContiWinterContact
Tire Size: 205/55 R16 H all-season

Measurements

Headroom F/R: 38.5 / 37.2 in
Legroom F/R: 41.2 / 35.4 in
Shoulder Room F/R: 54.8 / 53.1 in
Wheelbase: 101.5 in
Track F/R: 60.6 / 59.8 in
L x W x H: 179.3 x 70.1 x 57.4 in
Cargo Capacity: 16 cu ft
Weight: 3230 lb
Weight Dist. F/R: N/A
Fuel Capacity: 14.5 gal
Est. Range: 490 miles
Fuel Grade: diesel fuel

Standard Equipment

ABS
Front, side, curtain airbags
Auxiliary jack
Cruise control
Electronic stability control

NEWS : 2010 Lexus HS 250h Hybrid Is Becoming The Top Choice

2009-07-19T09:46:00.001+07:00

If there is one thing that I know about this day and age, it is going to be the fact that hybrid cars are hot. With the environment becoming the way that it is right now, people are constantly looking for a way to help it and cut down on their own costs … such as gas. That is one of the main reasons why the 2010 Lexus HS 250h Hybrid is such a hot car! This beautiful car is honestly one car that I really and truly love.

The 2010 Lexus HS 250h Hybrid when you get behind the wheel could be a little stiff, however once you get used to the handling, it is definitely a car that you want to drive. The inside however did shrink in size it seems, this luxury car is slightly narrow, however it is still one of the most comfortable cars that I have ever been in.

I encourage you to check the 2010 Lexus HS 250h

News : Phil Hill's race-winning Jaguar C-Type on the block at Pebble Beach

2009-07-18T12:48:00.002+07:00

The upcoming auctions at Pebble Beach are shaping up to be the stuff of legends. Which should come as no big surprise as legends are exactly what will be up for grabs. In addition to the highly anticipated launch of the new "Grand Bentley" amidst the field of lust-worthy machinery on display, auctioneers will be putting such notable classics on the block as Ettore Buggati's own Type 57C, the one-of-a-kind Miller V16 racing car, and this historic 1952 Jaguar C-Type.

The first C-Type Jaguar to be imported into the United States, model XKC-007 was sent straight to the race track where it was driven by no less a talent than the legendary Phil Hill. The World-Champion-to-be took this particular C-Type to three victories at Elkhart Lake, Torrey Pines and Watkins Glen, the former scoring as the first victory for the iconic C-Type in its storied history. After being retired from active duty, XKC-007 passed through several collections before undergoing a full restoration in 1986, after which it won numerous awards on the vintage concours circuit – including a reunion date with Phil Hill to commemorate Jaguar's 50th anniversary in 2002. XKC-007 will be up for auction at RM's three-day Sports & Classics of Monterey event from August 13-15. Details in the press release after the jump and images in the gallery below.

Volvo racer Walter Cronkite dies at 92

2009-07-18T10:49:00.003+07:00

Former CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite has passed away at 92. Although Cronkite was primarily known for his coverage of the JFK assassination, moon landing and the Vietnam war, he also enjoyed success in endurance racing with teammate and Volvo of Long Island dealer Art Riley.

When Riley died earlier this year at 93, his obit briefly mentions Cronkite's involvement with the team and its successes behind the wheel of a Volvo PV444. The team campaigned and won races at Lime Rock's "Little LeMans" in 1957, '58 and '61. Cronkite was the only finisher in a five-car team one year, taking a B-division win and placing third overall. The two also teamed up to compete in the Trans-Canada rally.

You can read Riley's full obit here, a look back on Cronkite's life here, and thanks to Mike Spinelli for bringing this little historical footnote to our attention.

Chrysler Critics : President Obama takes on GM

2009-07-18T09:59:00.001+07:00

With Chrysler and General Motors completing their bankruptcy proceedings and continuing on with their restructuring, it may seem ridiculous that President Barack Obama still finds the need to defend the government bailout of the two companies.

But that is exactly what he did during a speech at a Michigan community college recently. Obama said that if nothing was done, then the economy would have experienced a catastrophe due to the massive loss of jobs.

More details can be found here. What do you think? The bankruptcy's pretty much a done deal.

Update : Darryl Hazel to leave Ford customer service unit

2009-07-17T18:17:00.001+07:00

Two senior Ford Motor Co. executives announced their retirements today, triggering the assignment of a batch of new responsibilities for several other executives.

Retiring are:

• Darryl Hazel, 61, senior vice president and president of the Ford Customer Service Division, will leave after 37 years with the automaker. Hazel also has headed the Lincoln Mercury and Ford brands. Ford said Hazel will serve as a special adviser to Ford on “global service initiatives” through the end of 2009, reporting to marketing chief Jim Farley.

• Peter Daniel, 62, senior vice president and controller, leaves after 38 years with Ford. His departure is effective Oct. 1.

Executives with new responsibilities include:

• Farley, 47, becomes group vice president of global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America operations. He keeps his marketing duties and adds operational responsibility for those non-U.S. units as of Sept. 1. He will report to CEO Alan Mulally on marketing issues and report to Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, on his new operational duties.

His new responsibilities mean that Ray Day, vice president of communications, will begin reporting to Mulally instead of Farley.

“Jim has made great progress connecting with our customers and building a strong foundation for our success in North America,” Mulally said in a statement. “He will continue to lead marketing globally, focusing on building the Ford brand around the world and working closely with our product development organization on strategy and planning.”

• Bob Shanks, 56, becomes vice president and controller of Ford Motor Co. on Sept. 1. He had been vice president and controller of Ford’s Americas operations. He will report to CFO Lewis Booth.

• Dave Schoch, 58, will become controller of the Americas on Sept. 1. He had been head of Canada, Mexico and South America. He will report to Fields.

• Ken Czubay, 60, will get the expanded role of vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service. He will now report to Fields.

• Frederiek Toney, 53, will succeed Hazel and become vice president of the Ford Customer Service Division and a corporate officer as of Sept. 1. He will report to Czubay.

Said Mulally: “We will miss Peter and Darryl but are very fortunate to have a deep and talented management team poised to continue our progress toward building an exciting and profitably growing Ford.”

NEW : House approves measure to aid GM, Chrysler dealerships

2009-07-17T18:13:00.001+07:00

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a measure that tries to help automobile dealerships hit by the bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors.

The House voted 219-208 for a $24.2 billion spending bill for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The legislation includes controversial provisions that try to restore the economic rights of those auto dealerships that have been closed or are facing such a prospect as a result of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies.

The bill’s future in the Senate is uncertain, and the Obama administration strongly opposes it because the cuts were deemed necessary as part of the government-financed restructuring of GM and Chrysler.

Chrysler shut down 789 dealerships during its six-week bankruptcy, which ended June 10. Before it filed for court protection on June 1, GM told about 1,300 dealerships that their franchise agreements wouldn’t be renewed when they expire in October 2010.

The legislation would return dealerships to their previous status. If automakers want to continue with the cuts, they’d have to go through state courts.

Chrysler, in a statement before today’s vote, said its bankruptcy accelerated a dealer reduction that began more than a decade ago.

"If Congress reverses this process, it flies in the face of a U.S. vehicle market that has declined 40 percent since 2007," Vice President Peter Grady said in a statement on the company's blog.

"Indeed, the U.S. dealer network was built to serve a market that once sold 16 million vehicles a year. Those days are gone."

U.S. auto sales averaged 16.4 million annually this decade through last year. This year’s sales have been running at an annual rate below 10 million.

NEW 2010 Ford Flex with EcoBoost

2009-07-17T17:52:00.003+07:00

With the 2010 model year, Ford is marking the start of its EcoBoost initiative, a plan that will dramatically effect the company's entire lineup in the coming years. By using turbocharging and direct injection with smaller-displacement engines, Ford says it can offer better performance and fuel economy. The company expects it will put 1.3 million EcoBoost engines on the road by 2013 and offer the technology in 90 percent of its models.

The Flex crossover is one of the first Fords to get EcoBoost. Using a 3.5-liter V-6, the Flex achieves V-8 performance with V-6 fuel economy. The Flex EcoBoost (which is only available with all-wheel drive) achieves the same fuel economy as the base all-wheel-drive Flex, which is rated at 16/22 mpg.

PowertrainThe technology in Ford's EcoBoost engines isn't revolutionary, but the company's plan for such widespread adoption is unique. In the 3.5-liter V-6, two turbochargers spin as fast as 170,000 rpm to force more air into the engine while fuel injectors spray gasoline into the cylinders at 2175 psi. Adding more air and fuel allows extra power to be squeezed out of each combustion event.

There are plenty of automakers that might detune a performance engine by 10 to 20 hp in the family crossover, but the Flex receives the same 355 hp that will move the Ford Taurus SHO, the Lincoln MKS, and the Lincoln MKT. Ford has decided that its first EcoBoost engine needs to place more emphasis on performance than fuel economy in order to build a positive impression of the technology. Future Ford engines using turbochargers and direct injection may focus more on the fuel economy side of the equation. Torque is rated at 350 lb-ft and spans from 1500 to 5250 rpm. It's that plateau-flat torque curve that creates an exciting and effective blast when the throttle is planted. Ford estimates 0-to-60-mph acceleration occurs in about 7 seconds.

EcoBoost Flexes all receive a manual-shift mode for the six-speed automatic transmission, along with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. The paddles are a great addition for the performance engine but could use some refinement. When the gear selector is left in drive, the paddles can't be used to effect a downshift. In manual mode, the transmission is happy to provide downshifts at a fairly quick pace but sometimes isn't restrictive enough (yes, we just said that). Multiple times, we asked for one too many downshifts, and the Flex obliged by dropping down a gear - right on top of redline. To top it off, the coarse, dull finish on the plastic paddle shifters looks out of place compared with the rest of the well-trimmed cabin.

More than an engine upgradeThe Flex with EcoBoost is more than just a Flex with a different engine. The engineering team has also modified the suspension with stiffer springs, higher damping rates, and a ride height that has been lowered by ten millimeters. Combined with the already-low ride height and excellent body control, the subtle changes make this Flex one of the best handling crossovers on the market and do a good job of disguising its 4839-pound weight.

Ford has also equipped EcoBoost Flexes with electric power steering (the base Flex will continue to use a hydraulic system). The primary advantage is that Ford can now incorporate its Active Park Assist (see below), but the system also adds a feature called Pull-Drift Compensation. When a driver has the steering wheel slightly turned to keep the vehicle straight on a crowned road or in strong crosswinds, the computer recognizes it and activates drift compensation. By adding small amounts of torque to keep the wheel off-center, the driver can reduce the amount of effort to keep the wheel cocked and car straight.

The enthusiast's crossoverFord touts EcoBoost's advantages with a pragmatic slant: better towing with above-average fuel economy. We agree that those are admirable attributes. But driving the winding roads of the Rockies outside of Boulder, Colorado, we came to admire the Flex EcoBoost as something else: an enthusiast's crossover. Combined with confident body control and surprising handling, the torque-monster engine creates a fun driving experience. All-wheel drive provides sure footing, and the paddle shifters allowed us to run up and down through the gears and keep boost at the ready.

To emphasize the Flex's towing credentials, Ford took us to Estes Park, Colorado, at an elevation of approximately 7500 feet. Towing trailers that were loaded with 2500 pounds of ATVs and dirt bikes, we ran up mountain roads in a GMC Acadia, a Dodge Durango Hemi, and a Ford Flex EcoBoost. While the normally aspirated engines--a 3.6-liter V-6 in the Acadia and a 5.7-liter V-8 in the Dodge Durango--wheezed from a lack of air, the Ecoboost's turbochargers kept the Flex steaming ahead. At sea level, the Hemi and the EcoBoost are on a much more level playing field - but the earth is not flat. The Flex can pull up to 4500 pounds and comes standard with a trailer sway control system when equipped with the towing package.

Different crossover, same styleInside and out, the turbocharged Flex looks very much like the same vehicle that was introduced last year. Unique to the EcoBoost crossover are twenty-inch painted aluminum wheels and chrome-tipped dual exhausts.

EcoBoost will only be offered in SEL and Limited trims. That means you'll automatically get power driver and passenger seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a six-disc CD player, and Sync, which incorporates media player control and phone integration. Stepping up to the Limited adds voice-activated navigation with back-up camera, ambient lighting, HID headlights, and LED taillights. All EcoBoost Flexes found on dealers' lots will also include the convenience package highlighted by adjustable pedals, a power liftgate, and a 110-volt power outlet.

Park it, JeevesThe headlining technology in the EcoBoost Flex is Ford's Active Park Assist, a system that identifies parallel parking spots and then steers the Flex into them. Lexus has offered a similar system on the LS460 for several years, but Lexus's system is notoriously finicky, often canceling the process in the middle of a parking maneuver.

We tested Ford's system by parallel parking a Flex in a generous-sized space between two customized Flex SEMA show cars. To start, simply push a button and cruise the street. The Flex searches for a parallel parking space on the right side of the street. If you're on a one-way street and want the Flex to check the left side, simply turn on your left turn signal.

When a spot has been identified, the system alerts you with a ding, and the display in the dash lets you know that you need to continue forward a few more feet. Another audible alert will tell you when it's time to put the transmission in reverse. At that point, the hands go in the lap as the Flex takes control of the steering wheel. As the driver, however, you're still responsible for the gas and the brake pedal. If you want to try parallel parking at 40 mph, Active Park Assist will try to keep up with you.

As you ease on the gas pedal, the wheel steering spins to lock and the eventually back in the other direction. What with the magically spinning steering wheel, a series of audible beeps, and the live action in the rear-view camera screen, it can be easy to lose focus. Don't forget to hit the brakes, or you'll smack the car behind you. To complete the maneuver, shift back to drive and allow the Flex to move to the center of the spot.

The Ford system works surprisingly well. When we're finished, the Flex is perfectly centered in the spot, just inches from the curb. While the Lexus system uses cameras to identify spaces and obstacles, Ford's system uses four ultrasonic sensors at each corner of the vehicle. It also helps that Ford gives the driver full control over the gas and the brake, so you don't have to tolerate slug-speed parking. Had our space been smaller, it's possible that the Flex would have requested multiple shifts between reverse and forward to get into the spot, but it would in all likelihood still do a better job than you would. The Active Park Assist Technology will also be offered on the Lincoln MKS sedan and MKT crossover in 2010 and is only available on EcoBoost models of the Flex.

Premium performance, premium priceTechnically, the Flex with EcoBoost will start at $36,115, but you'll have to special order that vehicle from the dealer. As mentioned, Ford is building all of its stock Flexes with additional equipment that it figures most buyers will want. That means the cheapest EcoBoost Flex SEL in stock on dealer's lots will run $39,995. Limited models start at $42,785 with the tacked-on options. Those are big numbers, but Ford does have a rare product on its hands, because this crossover offer V-8-like performance. Competition such as the Chevrolet Traverse, the Honda Pilot, and the Toyota Highlander still offer V-6 engines.

Ford hopes that EcoBoost will give even more buyers reason to shift from their large SUVs to a crossover. For those able to foot the bill, the Ford Flex with EcoBoost is an engaging, unique offering in the crossover segment.

NEWS Audi A5 Sportback 2010

2009-07-16T22:19:00.004+07:00

Do you lust after an Audi A5, but need something with some extra doors and space to handle the family? Good news: Audi has just the car for you.

Well, not quite. Such a car--the 2010 Audi A5 Sportback shown here--is indeed destined for production, but not the New World. Audi says the shapely fastback doesn't mesh well with its U.S. market plans, and as such, the car will essentially be forbidden fruit for the time being.

Although it looks quite similar to the new BMW 5-series Gran Turismo, the A5 Sportback is considerably smaller. At 15.45 feet long, the A5 is a foot shorter than the Bimmer, and is closer in size to an A4.

Those accustomed to riding in the back of an A4 will complain the rear seat is slightly smaller (it's been pulled forward in light of the rakish roof), but luggage space isn't compromised one iota. The Sportback offers 16.9 cubic feet of cargo space, but that number expands to 34.6 cubic feet--nearly two-thirds of that offered in the A4 Avant--with the rear seats down. Unlike the 5-series GT, access to the cargo bay is available only through a full-size hatch.

Although it's labeled as an A5, the Sportback's engine offerings have more in common with the A4 range. The 180-hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 is the A5 Sportback's base engine, available in a front-wheel-drive model with either a six-speed manual transmission or a CVT. A 211-hp version is also available, but only with Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The A4's direct-injection 3.2-liter V-6 serves as the premium gas engine, and is available only with Quattro and the S-tronic dual-clutch transmission.

As the A5 Sportback is tailor-made for Europe, a number of diesels are also part of the model mix. Volkswagen's ubiquitous 2.0-liter turbo-diesel I-4 serves as the base engine, while 2.7-liter and 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6s offer buyers additional power. To further boost fuel economy, both the 2.0-liter gasoline and diesel engines come with a start/stop system on models with manual transmissions.

Europeans should see the A5 Sportback in dealers this September, but we'll have to wait until 2010 to see a Sportback--a larger A7 model--arrive on our shores.

News : Mercedes Benz Sls 2011

2009-07-16T22:05:00.004+07:00

We're flat-out on Germany's Sachsenring race track in the new Mercedes SLS AMG, chassis number 00045, a mildly camouflaged pre-production model. Ahead is an SL65 AMG Black Series--twin-turbo V-12, 670 hp, 738 lb-ft of torque--driven by Tobias Moers, head of AMG's r&d division, seasoned race instructor and today's pace-setter. Filling his mirrors, our red gullwing keeps pushing harder and harder, even though its normally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 is rated at a comparably modest 571 hp and 479 lb-ft. The Sachsenring has plenty of slow corners, lots of climbs and descents, two long straights and two very fast and very blind fourth-gear bends.

As our session progresses, this track is becoming a nightmare for the wide, fat SL, and dreamland for the light and nimble SLS. Despite the Black Series car's four more cylinders, 100 extra hp and 259 lb-ft of added torque, it's punished by its 551-lb weight penalty. The SLS not only uses a significantly lighter double-wishbone aluminium suspension, it also boasts a featherweight spaceframe body which tips the scales at a mere 531 lbs. Perhaps even more significant is the weight distribution. In contrast to the nose-heavy SL, the new gullwing places only 48 percent of its mass on the front axle and 52 percent on the driven wheels.

In this match, the Black Series SL doesn't stand a chance. It understeers early, and after only ten laps it has practically run out of front tires. The momentum gained on the straights can never compensate the speed lost on the approach to and through the infield.

The SLS is a totally different animal. It is 49 inches low and 76 inches wide, with cab-backward proportions that emphasize the front-mid-engine layout. The boxy light-alloy skin is draped over a long, 105-inch wheelbase. The gullwing doors open at a large 70-degree angle, but even when fully deployed, the maximum clearance is a scalp-threatening 5 feet, so that short people can still reach the inner grab handles from their seats. The power-operated buckets, which feature lightweight magnesium backrests, are comfortable and supportive. The steering wheel's squared off bottom is a bit of a nuisance through the esses, and in a car this sporty, the shift paddles should be attached to the column--not the wheel.

Instead of a conventional transmission lever, the SLS features a small T-handle gear selector. Push it forward to engage reverse, pull it backwards to select drive, hit the button marked P for park. To the left are five buttons marked engine start, transmission mode (controlled efficiency, sport, sport plus, manual), ESP (on, off or sport), rear spoiler (it automatically extends at 75 mph) and AMG (to store your favorite settings). The familiar Comand system controls the various communication, navigation and entertainment functions. Like every AMG car, the SLS offers a choice of in-dash readouts which relay the coolant, engine and gearbox oil temperatures, the current ESP setting and the most recent lap and trip times. Above the two large main round instruments, there is a supplementary digital LED rev counter with one amber warning segment at 6900 rpm and two red warning dots which come on at 7100 and 7200 rpm.

The exterior design of the new gullwing incorporates modern and retro elements. The large grille, the side cooling gills, and the signature doors all mimic the original 1954 silver arrow. The cleverly packaged and neatly finished interior charms with its rather unique cocoon effect provided by the clamshell doors and the extra-tall sills. The cabin feel is snug but by no means claustrophobic. Standard equipment includes keyless ignition, heated seats trimmed in soft Designo leather, parking aids complete with rear-view camera, and lightweight pedals with rubber studs. Extra money buys speakers by Bang & Olufsen, carbon fiber trim, memory seats, a DVD changer, and your choice of multi-hued color schemes with contrasting stitching and piping. This is definitely not your father's Benz.

Thumbs up Let's go! This time, there is no Black Series lead car. We're on our own now, for eight more hot laps. Time to hit the AMG button and summon the preferred set-up: transmission in sport plus, ESP in sport. There is no choice of setting for the dampers or the steering, the latter of which takes only 2.7 turns from lock to lock. In sport plus, the seven-speed dual clutch transmission swaps the gears with the same brutality as in the Ferrari California, and it also blips the throttle during downshifts. Engine and gearbox are connected via a carbon-fiber torque tube, which distributes the power to the rear wheels via a 100 percent mechanical limited-slip differential.

First gear runs out of revs before you can say "Wow," second is only suitable for the slowest corner of the track, third is a wonderfully elastic ratio which perfectly matches the engine's 4750-rpm torque peak, fourth successfully conquers fear through the two heart-attack left-handers, fifth is just about all you need to reel in the short downhill stretch and the hunchback start-finish straight.

Unlike the tail-happy C63 and the slightly ponderous SL63 we drove to acquaint ourselves with the track, the SLS AMG is so stable and composed, it feels strangely uneventful and uninvolving. How come Because the new dry sump lubrication helps provide an exceptionally low center of gravity, the transaxle layout ensures an amazingly neutral handling balance, and the staggered-size tires (265/35R19 in the front, 295/30R20 in the back) provide an almost insane amount of grip. As a result, the 3571-lb two-seater is as expressively dynamic in one direction as it is absolutely unshakeable in any other. Although confidence is quickly established, it takes at least half a day--and an eye-opening ride with the former DTM champ Bernd Schneider--to fathom the true potential of this very special Mercedes.

But even then, the prevailing impression is compiled of such pragmatic virtues as compliant ride, accessible performance, perfect balance, enough noise but no undue vibrations or harshness. For a rear-wheel-drive supercar, the SLS is incredibly benign and forgiving.

One key dynamic asset is the steering. Meatier and less damped than in other AMG models, it opens up a new level of man-machine dialogue. It's a precision tool that fuses minimum input and maximum control, even through that adrenalin-pumping 110 mph uphill kink where the coupe's fat rear end wants to play catch and release. Then there's the electronic throttle, which allows you to modulate and time the torque flow to perfection. The free-breathing, high-revving V-8 responds to the driver's right foot like a thoroughbred to the prose of a horse whisperer. Especially in manual mode, where the transmission holds the chosen gear no matter what, the SLS rides the torque surf so expertly that every approach is a trough, every apex is a crest, and every exit is a mighty tidal wave.

To boost the 6.2-liter V-8's power output from 525 hp to 571 hp, AMG developed a new larger-diameter intake plenum, hotter camshafts, a more ambitious lightweight valve train and a low-resistance multiple-pipe exhaust system. Other measures include slimmer forged pistons, reinforced crankshaft bearings, toughened reduced-friction piston liners, a stiffer crankcase, a shorter cooling circuit and a more efficient lubrication. Lighter, torquier and quite a bit more powerful, the tweaked 6.2-liter V-8 actually uses less fuel than the version in the E63 and S63 (though U.S. EPA figures are not yet available). Mercedes is quoting a 0-to-62 mph time 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 197 mph.

Equally impressive are the brakes. One can specify extra-large carbon-ceramic rotors which are immune to high temperatures and offer a 40 percent weight advantage, but even the standard steel discs are very good at neutralizing excess kinetic energy. Despite the commendably short pedal travel, the massive six- and four-pot calipers cover the complete deceleration spectrum from touch-then-go-again to all-anchors-dropped.

No, we don't know yet how the SLS fares on broken pavement, on twisty autobahn sections, or in stop-and-go traffic. If the performance on the track is any indication, the new AMG-Mercedes promises to be one of the true greats.

Look for the SLS to make its public debut at the Frankfurt auto show in September and U.S. sales to start next summer, with production capped at 5000 per year. Next in the five-year cycle of the project is the roadster, which goes on sale in early 2011. Three and a half years later, we are going to see a limited-edition farewell Black Series gullwing. And believe it or not, there is also a zero-emission version in the works for 2012.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG - Preliminary Specifications (per manufacturer)

Engine: 6.2-liter, 32-valve DOHC V-8
Power: 563 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 479 lb-ft @ 4750 rpm(7200 rpm max engine speed)

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Drive: rear-wheel
Wheels: 9.5 x 19 inch front, 11.0 x 20 inch rear
Tire size: 265/35 R19 front, 295/30 R 20 rear

Length: 183 in
Width: 76 in
Wheelbase: 105.5 in
Track front/rear: 66/65 in
Curb weight 3571 lbs

0-62 mph: 3.8 seconds
Top speed: 196 mph
Fuel economy: 18 mpg (city/hwy combined on Euro cycle)

NEW 2010 Land Rover Range Rover 4X4

2009-07-15T22:10:00.005+07:00

For 2010, the Range Rover gets a variety of upgrades aimed at improving the driving experience: both available engines have an extra dose of horsepower, the interior is even more luxurious, and the level of technology, both inside the cabin and under the skin, is more impressive than ever.

The Look

We'll forgive you if your eyes can't detect the slight changes in appearance from a distance. In addition to a revised grille, LEDs around the headlamps and taillamps, and slightly different side gills with LEDs that function as turn indicators, the fog lights move from the front bumper down to the sides of the air intake. The current Range Rover has aged quite well, so only minor changes seem appropriate.

The Power

For 2010, all Land Rover models get the new direct-injection 5.0-liter V-8. Horsepower is up 75, to 375 hp, and torque is at 375 lb-ft -- both figures represent big upgrades over the aging 4.2-liter V-8, which sometimes struggled to move vehicles as big and heavy as a Land Rover. Supercharged models share the 5.0-liter block but also get an intercooled sixth-generation Eaton blower that pushes power to 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. The whole supercharger/intercooler assembly fits nicely in the valley of the engine, the revised air intake is more efficient, and supercharger whine has been reduced by more than 50%.

Both engines are mated to a ZF six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. The increase in power from the 5.0-liter engines allows the torque converter to lock up earlier, which increases fuel efficiency. An adaptive sport mode provides more aggressive shift points and "learns" an individual driver's style to provide more appropriate responses to throttle inputs.

Off-Road

Half the reason to consider purchasing a Land Rover is its proven off-road prowess. For 2010, the Range Rover receives some significant improvements in this area. Land Rover's Terrain Response system now includes a launch control program for starting the SUV in sand. In this mode, wheel spin is limited, based on the vehicle's speed, to turn power into forward motion rather than digging a trench. Revisions to rock crawling mode and hill descent control also promise an easier time on the trail. Gradient release control is another new feature that prevents the vehicle from gathering speed too quickly once the brakes are released on a steep slope.

On-Road

To improve the on-road ride of the Range Rover, adaptive dampers are now used. Pressure at each damper is monitored 500 times per second to allow for instantaneous adjustment of the individual damper's firmness. Like the transmission, the damper system "learns" the driver's style, so responses will be more appropriate for a given situation.

Brake upgrades are also part of the 2010 refresh. Non-supercharged models now have 14.2-inch vented discs with four-piston floating calipers in the front and 13.8-inch vented discs with single-piston aluminum floating calipers in the rear. Supercharged models see 15.0-inch vented discs with six-piston monoblock calipers up front and 14.3-inch vented rotors with single-piston floating calipers out back.

Upgrades to the stability control system allow brakes to be applied to individual wheels if the system determines that the vehicle is taking a corner too quickly. A new rollover prevention system uses a similar strategy to rapidly brake individual wheels in an effort to widen the turning radius and keep the SUV on all four tires. The stability control improvements also offer a trailer sway control system: if the vehicle senses dangerous trailer sway, individual wheels are slowed to bring the rig back in line.

Inside

The Range Rover has been at the top of the luxury SUV mountain for a long time, and this year's interior upgrades promise to keep it there for the foreseeable future. If you have any doubt, just look at the optional full-leather interior package and the upgraded "waterfall" interior lighting system.

Drivers will notice an all-new electronic instrument panel with a twelve-inch TFT display. The display can be customized to show specific information between the speedometer and tachometer via a five-way controller mounted on the steering wheel. Everything from outside temperature to wheel articulation can be displayed there.

An upgraded infotainment interface promises more intuitive operations, with many functions able to be controlled by voice commands, and a hard-drive-based navigation system now offers faster route calculation along with better map coverage.

Technology

Land Rovers have always been full of technology, and the new Range Rover does not disappoint. The most useful technologies are the available blind spot monitoring system and the 360-degree view cameras, similar to those in the considerably smaller Infiniti EX35. In towing assist mode, the camera system even provides guidelines to help determine where the trailer will be while backing up based on several user-entered data points such type of trailer, width, and number of axles.

Other notable electronic assistance systems are adaptive cruise control, emergency brake assistance, and automatic high beam headlamps. The adaptive cruise control system has four settings for following distance that range from 1 to 2.2 seconds of open road between you and the vehicle ahead. The system defaults to 1.8 seconds, which equals about 164 feet at 62 mph. Emergency brake assist uses the same radar as the ACC system and can automatically apply the brakes if a collision is imminent. High beam assist will switch on the brights when the vehicle detects low light levels and then switch back to low beams when traffic approaches.

Perhaps the most important part of all these electrical gadgets is the all-new electrical architecture. The combination of Controller Area Network and Media Oriented Transit System should share data across the vehicle's systems and save weight, with a side benefit of improved reliability, according to Land Rover. We suppose it will take a while to support the claim of a more reliable electrical system, but we hope it's not hyperbole.

The Drive

Once you slip behind the wheel, the 2010 Range Rover's increased power is most impressive. Normally aspirated vehicles are nearly as fast as the outgoing supercharged models and the new supercharged engine is almost frighteningly quick. We've been told to expect 0-to-60-mph sprints in 5.9 seconds and that time doesn't feel optimistic. The shift time has been cut in half when compared with the outgoing six-speed automatic, which also helps with acceleration. When sport mode is dialed in, the shifts are nearly perfect and passing is effortless, even on normally aspirated SUVs.

The predictive dampers were especially impressive during a bout of spirited driving -- the Range Rover is far from a sports car, but it offers remarkably flat cornering and very predictable handling when hustling through back roads that would better suit a Jaguar XF. Throttle tip-in is a bit stiff, but that's more of a characteristic than a problem. We found the variable ratio steering to be quite predictable and it feels surprisingly natural.

In addition to being able to travel the autobahn at speeds up to 140 mph, the Range Rover is quite happy chugging along off-road. The trails we tackled outside Barcelona were quite impressive and the overall experience was rather relaxing and confidence inspiring. If you let the vehicle's Terrain Response System do its job, rather spectacular obstacles can be traversed while you sip a latte or discuss your most recent investments.

When Can I Get One?

The 2010 Land Rover Range Rover will go on sale by the end of July in the U.S. If you're looking to drive one home, be prepared to shell out $79,275 for the normally aspirated HSE model and $95,125 for the Supercharged flavor. Both prices include destination charges, but no options. Land Rover representatives expect sticker prices to range from $80,000 up to nearly $110,000 for a fully loaded Supercharged model with the Autobiography package. Autobiography is the ultimate in luxury and adds features like a full-leather interior and unique 20-inch wheels as part of the $14,500 package.

PricingBase Price, HSE: $79,275Base Price, Supercharged: $95,125

Overview

Body Style: 5-door SUV
Accommodation: 5-passenger
Construction: Steel unibody

Powertrain

Engine: Naturally aspirated or supercharged 32-valve V-8
Displacement: 5.0 liters
Power: 375 hp / 510 hp (supercharged)
Torque: 375 lb-ft / 461 lb-ft (supercharged)
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Drive: Four-wheel

Chassis

Steering: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion
Turns lock-to-lock: 3.5
Turning Circle: 39.4 ft
Suspension, Front: MacPherson strut
Suspension, Rear: Double wishbone
Brakes F/R: Power-assisted ventilated disc; ABS
Wheels: 19-inch aluminum/ 20-inch aluminum (supercharged)
Tire Size: 255/55R19, 255/50R20 (supercharged)

MeasurementsHeadroom F/R: 39.3/38.3 in
Legroom F/R: 38.9/35.5 in
Shoulder Room F/R: 61.4/60 in
Wheelbase: 113.3 in
Track F/R: 64.1/64.0 in
L x W x H: 195.8 x 80.1 x 73.4 in

Cargo Capacity (max): 74.2 cu. ft.
Weight: 5697 lb/ 5891 (supercharged)
Fuel Capacity: 27.6 gal
Towing Capacity: 7716 lbs

NEWS Future of the Automobile

2009-07-14T21:59:00.001+07:00

Bill Reinert, Toyota's in-house energy guru and resident contrarian, looks like he's just taken a whiff of a long-expired container of milk.

Reinert is serving on a future-of-the-car panel at a high-powered green-think conference sponsored by Fortune magazine and featuring heavyweights such as President Bill Clinton and Bill Ford. Although the symposium is being held in a button-down bastion of Orange County, the ambience is totally Silicon Valley, all iPhones and Aeron chairs, with lots of clever but undercapitalized tech entrepreneurs sniffing around for angel investors. At the moment, Shai Agassi, the charismatic founder of Better Place, is making a dynamic pitch for creating vast networks of battery-charging stations to support electric vehicles that will, he claims, be cheaper than the equivalent gasoline-powered cars. While executives from Ford, BMW, and Fisker Automotive listen with polite smiles, Reinert squirms in his seat, crosses and recrosses his legs, and generally behaves like a schoolkid who can't wait for the bell to ring so he can escape for recess.

When it's his turn to speak, Reinert bites his tongue. He mildly questions the viability of Agassi's wildly improbable plan to create battery-swapping stations for the coming wave of EVs. He lobs a few gentle barbs in the direction of the ethanol lobby, which he privately regards with unalloyed scorn. He outlines his genuinely radical vision of a future where publicly owned and shared cars are used to complete urban mass-transit systems. But by and large, he's on his best behavior, showing the benevolent public face of the world's greenest car company. Until the mics are turned off.

"That's the first law of Disney at work--wishing will make it so," he mutters shortly after bolting out of the conference room and yanking off his tie. "Using ethanol for fuel is like electing the dumbest kid in school as class president. As for plug-in electrics, they're just not plausible right now. Lithium-ion batteries are too expensive by at least an order of magnitude. They're not energy-dense enough. And we generate a lot of our electricity from coal. I don't think Shai is being disingenuous. I think he really believes what he's saying. I see it all the time from those Palo Alto types. They think the whole world is like a computer company, and they're always trying to recreate the dot-com economy. You see exactly the same mind-set with Tesla. It's all going to work out. It worked out with eBay. It worked out with SAP. But transportation is a different world. I mean, Shai's bragging about driving an electric RAV4 with a seventy-mile range. How many of your friends are going to buy that car?

As national manager of Toyota Motor Sales' advanced technology group, Reinert supervises a brain trust--four full-time employees and several outside consultants-- with the freedom to explore, well, just about anything. At the most conventional level, they play the role of product planners, and their fingerprints are all over the new, third-generation Prius. But Reinert also is charged with forecasting fuel prices, analyzing new technology, predicting (and influencing) regulatory developments, conducting life-cycle modeling, and anticipating demographic trends. Trained as an engineer focusing on renewable energy, Reinert is a passionate car guy with a vintage Porsche in his garage. He is an unlikely character playing an unlikely role as corporate fortune-teller, gazing at a crystal ball of his own design to keep Toyota ahead of the curve.

"Bill is a futurist," says his longtime friend David Shearer, a scientist and entrepreneur who's devoted most of his career to the study of renewable energy. "He's a big thinker, and he always has the larger context in mind. He's a leading light in the energy and next-generation transportation spaces. He's superbright, but he can talk about these things in a way that people can understand. And he's able to create bridges to the NGOs [nongovernmental agencies] that are so important in driving these big ideas forward. He has the unique gift of being able to talk to different groups, create excitement, and prepare them to accept ideas that might appear to be contrary to what they believe in. But Bill speaks the truth no matter what group he's with, and sometimes he doesn't make friends doing that."

At first glance, Reinert seems like a singularly poor fit at Toyota, a notoriously conservative company with a rigid corporate hierarchy. Reinert is, by his own account, something of a loose cannon. At 61, he still bears the residue of his hippie years; his young staffers call him Uncle Bill. Also, the glib--and often controversial--pronouncements that have made him a favorite with the media haven't always played well in a corporate culture that prizes the group more than the individual.

Outside Toyota, Reinert is the company's most articulate - and highest-profile - spokesman on energy issues. (Scott Samuelsen, director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center, calls his lively presentations "out-of-body experiences.") But although Reinert is himself a staunch environmentalist and he's pushing research in areas ranging from fuel cells to carbon sequestration, he doesn't have much time for conventional wisdom or political correctness. He's been especially critical of the commercial prospects for EVs, and he was cast as one of the skeptics in Who Killed the Electric Car?

NEW Pontiac G8 will live on as a Chevrolet Caprice

2009-07-13T00:35:00.001+07:00

Only hours into his latest tenure at General Motors, Bob Lutz was back at what he does best, namely, slipping product information to the media and giving enthusiasts a reason to believe in the beleaguered auto company.

Asked about the future of the Pontiac G8, slated to end production with the 2009 model year, Lutz told Automobile Magazine the car would find its way into Chevrolet showrooms under the Caprice name.

"The last time we looked at [the G8], we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste."

CEO Fritz Henderson has repeatedly denied that the G8 would survive as part of another brand, saying he's "not a fan of rebadging."

But Lutz, citing export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet, assured us GM would not let the car die.

Lutz also confirmed that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe was still very much in the pipeline, and noted that members of the government taskforce took special interest in the super coupe.

"When we went through design and looked at the future product, the procession stopped at the model of the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe," Lutz told us. "I think that some of these guys are personally going to buy CTS-V Coupes."

Lutz also noted that a CTS-V Wagon is still a possibility, saying, "I think that'd be fun. I'm sure we'll build at least one."

NEW AND LUX CARS : Jaguar XJ 2010

2009-07-10T21:47:00.003+07:00

There are classics in car design, such as Ford's Mustang and Porsche's 911, whose shapes have persisted with subtle variations for forty years. Jaguar's XJ sedan is almost equally long-lived, but sales have dropped as it passed through many iterations that were all much too closely based--even the last all-aluminum model--on Sir William Lyon's original design. Now, finally, the XJ has a completely new shape, impressively handsome and vastly better, in terms of space and comfort, than any of its forebears.

The initial presentation to the American press at Hedsor House, an archetypical English stately home, was the best I've experienced in half a century of seeing new cars before their public showing: we were marshaled onto a second floor balcony overlooking the home's beautiful park and its long driveway. Two of the new cars--one of each wheelbase--approached and moved smoothly around the area so we could see them from every direction while Jaguar design leader Ian Callum talked about their design. Given that it is impossible to properly judge a new design until you have seen it in motion, this was a brilliant way to present a vitally important product.

The XJ has some elements reminiscent of the midrange XF, in particular the nearly rectangular trapezoidal grille, but in all respects the XJ is more refined, elegant, and impressive. Its six-window side profile is elongated and beautifully delineated by a bright metal surround culminating in a thicker section at the pointed aft end.

The C-pillars are a glossy black on every car. Questioned about making it body color, Callum insists that the difference is important, even on cars painted black, where only surface reflectivity, not color, changes. There is no question that the upper looks wider with darkened glass and the blacked-out pillars. Dramatic elongated taillights owe nothing to the past.

The body sides are quite plain, with only a small chrome vent on the front fender behind the wheel opening and a slight indentation through the front doors that disappears a third of the way back on the rear door panels. There are sharp peaks to the front and rear fenders, well outboard, to emphasize the body's width.

The front profile rounds down following the wheel opening, allowing the hood and grille to thrust forward, with the headlamps joining the disparate profiles. A subtle bulge above the center of the headlamp cover recalls, almost subliminally, surfaces behind the headlamps of the original XJ. The interior is pure classic Jaguar, raised to the nth power. The sound system is so good that by contrast it puts the Lexus "concert hall" into the provincial high-school gymnasium category.

Life is going to be difficult for all luxury car makers now (much like the 1930s, when many makes disappeared), but we think Jaguar has an excellent chance, if only based on the fact that everyone who saw the XJ was eager to drive it as soon as possible.

NEWS : Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M 2009

2009-07-08T21:41:00.004+07:00

FERRARI SCUDERIA : Your retinas may be reeling from the visual assault of the blinding yellow Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M, but that optical barrage doesn't pack half the wallop this Italian inflicts on your cochlea. There is nothing graceful, respectful, or restrained about the Ferrari's exhaust note. In response to any quick stab of the aluminum accelerator pedal, the engine-control computer tells valves in the exhaust to bypass the mufflers. I call those baffles valvole di vaffanculo, because to open them is to raise an acoustic middle finger to anyone within earshot. Valvole in Italian means valve. Vaffanculo, if you have never watched The Sopranos, is Italy's favorite NC-17 way of telling you to go fly a kite.) Luckily, the 503 rambunctious horses under the glass cover provide sufficient thrust to make the car disappear in an invisible cloud of hydrocarbons before anyone has the chance to flip the bird back at you.

Only 499 of these screaming, $313,350 superstars will be built, with about 150 coming to North America. To make a 16M, the F430 Spider gets a weight-saving plan similar to the one that turned the F430 coupe into the 430 Scuderia. The 16M name is a celebration of Ferrari's sixteen grand prix titles. You know, just in case you and the now-deaf peasants around you needed a reminder that Ferrari is at the top of the sports car food chain.

In losing its fixed roof, the mid-engine two-seater gains 193 pounds and loses about a third of its torsional rigidity. The coupe, however, is such a robust stepping-off point that Ferrari insists you won't notice the loss. And you hardly do, save for a wince-inducing shudder that reverberates through the chassis any time the F1 automated manual transmission bangs off one of its brutal - but breathtaking - full-throttle upshifts.

On back roads, the 16M is a ferocious missile with beautifully weighted and pinpoint-accurate steering. The light front end responds instantly to your every command, and the rear-biased weight distribution helps put all the power to the ground. But wheel spin and tail-out antics are to be avoided in this Ferrari. Its creators have infused just enough understeer at the limit to help keep the 16M facing forward, but should you add too much power in a corner, the stability control intervenes smoothly. It's so good that, frankly, there's no conceivable reason to switch off the car's stability control on a public road.

As you might expect, the 16M's driving dynamics are virtually without fault. The engine is as happy loping along at 1500 rpm - where the flat-crank V-8's bizarre engine note sounds almost mopedlike - as it is belting out 8500 rpm. The adaptive dampers provide a supple ride with excellent body control, and the brakes are simply amazing. The interior appointments are less luxurious than in the standard F430, but no material anywhere on this car is left wanting for quality.

There's even a big surprise - the stereo. Thinking it would have no chance competing against the engine's opera, the tire roar, and the wind whoosh, we turned up the volume and prepared to hear barely a whisper. Instead, we had front-row access to a live concert courtesy of JBL-branded speakers dancing to the tune of tight bass, crisp treble, and a surprisingly well-defined and well-positioned sound stage.

Of course, when we asked for more information on the sound system, we were handed technical specifications on that magnificent 4.3-liter V-8. Point taken.

Dock it
Want an FM radio? You have to pay extra--the 16M comes standard with only a sixteen-gigabyte iPod Touch that fits neatly into the dash. A volume-control rocker switch is mounted near the shifter. You select your music via the iPod's touch screen, provided you can see the teensy display from the driver's seat.

News Update : Fifty Years of Honda in America

2009-07-08T00:52:00.003+07:00

NEWS :Fifty years ago, Fidel Castro seized power in cuba, the Army promoted Elvis to Spec 4, and Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood. The music died when a light plane crashed with the Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens on board. Hula hoops were hot; Edsels were not. An American Honda Motor Co. Inc. sign was quietly erected above a Los Angeles storefront.

Tail fins reached their apogee in 1959, the Volkswagen Beetle fought the Renault Dauphine for import-car supremacy, and Honda began stitching new wrinkles into America's cultural fabric.

Barely a decade after Honda started hanging war-surplus engines on bicycles (see time line), Japan's restless tiger was on the prowl. Planning division chief Kihachiro Kawashima toured both the Asian mainland and the United States in search of export opportunities. The Asian mainland countries' rising prosperity and close cultural kinship with Japan made them the obvious choice, but Honda's sales strategist Takeo Fujisawa believed otherwise, citing the company's policy of facing the toughest challenges first. "We must attempt to penetrate the difficult U.S. market before we go elsewhere," Fujisawa insisted.

A small expeditionary force headed by Kawashima arrived on the West Coast in June 1959. To save expenses, the Honda gang shared a one-bedroom apartment and stacked motorcycle crates by hand in the company's Pico Boulevard warehouse. Frustration set in when the first Honda Dream motorcycles proved to be too fragile for the sustained speeds and long distances it would need to cover to be successful in America, but there was a lucky fallback: the 50-cc Honda Super Cub cycle used by the team for errands roused unexpected interest. Since Piper Aircraft was already using the Super Cub trademark, Honda's pioneering product wore an unassuming Honda 50 moniker.

Were it not for the 50's sheer brilliance, Honda would surely have burned through the $1 million it borrowed from Japan's Ministry of Finance to gain a foothold here and gone home licking its wounds. Neither a moped nor a scooter nor a conventional motorcycle, the 50 combined a female-friendly step-through chassis with a clean, quiet engine. Breakthrough features included molded-polyethylene body parts, seventeen-inch wheels and tires, and an automatic clutch to facilitate one-hand riding.

The Honda 50's single-cylinder overhead-valve engine produced 4.5 hp, enough to propel the 143-pound bike to 43 mph. Humming like a well-oiled sewing machine, this $249 ride delivered more than 200 mpg. Fifty years after it arrived here, the Honda 50 is universally regarded as the two-wheeled Model T, with more than 60 million sales to its credit. It's still manufactured in fifteen countries on three continents.

The Honda 50 was the anti-Harley. Sales brochures called it "the thrifty, nifty Honda 50." Instead of selling them through traditional back-alley motorcycle dealers, Honda recruited agents in Popular Mechanics and offered sales franchises to hardware stores, lawn-mower repair shops, and even college bookstores. By the end of 1961, Honda's network of 500 dealers reached the East Coast, and by spring 1963, $5 million was budgeted for advertising.

To woo that business, Grey Advertising executives pitched to Honda management a campaign - created by a UCLA student as a class assignment - refuting the sinister black-leather biker's image. Photos of fashionably dressed suburbanites toting their kids, cargo, and even a pet on Honda 50s ran with the tagline, "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." The ads ran in Life, Look, the Saturday Evening Post, and during the Academy Awards TV broadcast. In 1964, the Beach Boys chimed in with their "Little Honda" pop tune extolling the simple joys of riding a Honda 50.

Throughout the 1960s, Honda tortured the British brands with a flood of increasingly more sophisticated sport bikes. The coup de grâce arrived in 1969; Honda's CB750 was the seminal superbike, with a front disc brake, a four-cylinder overhead-cam engine, and a $1495 price. By 1983, the entire British motorcycle industry was through.

Motorcycle success whet Honda's appetite for expansion into automobiles. Here, the initial frustration came not from technical or marketing challenges but rather from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). Government bureaucrats within MITI intended to block Honda from joining the ten enterprises already slicing up the local car and light-truck pie. In 1963, before legislation could be passed that would give MITI the power to enforce its directives, Honda rushed a mini-truck and a 500-cc sports car into production.

Ripples from that disturbance reached American shores in 1969, when the Honda 600 minicar went on sale in Hawaii, followed by the three West Coast states a year later. The irony of Honda's simultaneous introduction of the world's most sophisticated motorcycle and a tiny, underpowered car was lost on Americans preoccupied by Vietnam, the breakup of the Beatles, and the demise of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.

The Honda 600 ripple finally touched the East Coast in 1972, where I was a budding car tester. By that time, two variations were offered: the original foursquare $1473 (N600) sedan and a $1610 (Z600) coupe shaped like a ski boot. A noisy, 598-cc SOHC two-cylinder engine sent 36 hp to the front wheels through a four-speed manual transmission or an optional two-speed automatic. Unlike Honda's first four-wheelers, this one was air-cooled and fed by a single-throat carburetor.

I clocked the run to 60 mph in 20.8 seconds and observed a top speed of 75 mph. Barely ten feet long (three feet shorter than today's Honda Fit), the Honda 600 rolled on ten-inch tires and weighed in at 1355 pounds. In spite of its safety shortcomings, the 600's combination of affordability, maneuverability, and 30-plus mpg lifted Honda's annual U.S. car sales to more than 20,000 units.

The 600 served as the warm-up act for the real star of the Honda car show, which followed with fortuitous timing. The original Honda Civic was introduced in 1973, mere months before the Arab oil embargo triggered the first energy crisis. Powered by a 50-hp, 1.2-liter water-cooled four-cylinder, the two-door Civic became the instant darling of the EPA's new fuel-economy tests.

Gas mileage wasn't the only issue of the day. Meeting the so-called Muskie Law, which called for sharply lower exhaust emissions by 1975, was deemed an impossible task by most carmakers. Honda defied conventional wisdom by announcing that its new Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion (CVCC) engine could exceed the standard without a catalytic converter or unleaded fuel. This approach used two separate intake tracts per cylinder. A dedicated carburetor throat and tiny intake valves fed small precombustion chambers a rich air/fuel mixture that was easy to ignite. After combustion began in the anteroom, the resulting flame front lit a substantially leaner main mixture in each cylinder. Having extra air for combustion minimized the formation of unburned hydrocarbon, carbon-monoxide, and nitrous-oxide emissions. More significant, the Honda Civic CVCC topped the EPA's mileage charts from 1974 through 1977, with some ratings exceeding 40 mpg.

CVCC technology also benefited the Honda Accord, which arrived in 1976. During eight generations, Honda's mainstream model evolved from a $3995, 68-hp two-door compact riding on a 93.7-inch wheelbase into today's 271-hp four-door with a 110.2-inch wheelbase and a fully loaded price that tops $30,000. From 1989 through 1991, the Accord was the best-selling car in America.

Car and motorcycle sales gains, along with growing resentment over Japan's rising share of the U.S. market, prompted Honda to ponder a local manufacturing base. Operations began in 1979 with motorcycle assembly in Ohio. Three years later, those facilities grew into a million-square-foot factory for building Accords and, later, Civics. Learning from VW's mistakes when it established a Pennsylvania operation to build Americanized Rabbits, Honda made sure that U.S.-made Accords were indistinguishable from those imported from Japan. Further expansion, with new engine and transmission manufacturing plants, gave Honda sufficient capacity in Ohio to begin exporting U.S.-built cars to other markets, including Japan.

Honda's next courageous step up the prosperity ladder was the creation of a second sales channel for its Acura models. In 1986, three years before Nissan and Toyota followed suit with their Infiniti and Lexus brands, the Acura Integra and Legend gave faithful Honda customers an opportunity to spend more money while remaining true to the fold. Finishing at the top of J. D. Power's Customer Satisfaction Index from 1986 through 1989 was instrumental to Acura's success.

Having established solid foundations around the globe, Honda has spent the last two decades stretching its tentacles into new markets, traipsing boldly into realms ignored by most vehicle manufacturers, and keeping the competition honest. Today, Honda is the world's largest engine producer, thanks to its broad range of lawn and garden tools and electric generators. Honda's land and sea power toys include ATVs, motorcycles, scooters, personal watercraft, and outboard motors.

The sky is definitely not the limit for this brand. A decade of development evolved a 1997 pencil sketch by Honda engineer Michimasa Fujino into a 480-mph, five-passenger business jet. Honda's 2006 announcement that the $3.65 million HondaJet would be produced in the United States generated more than 100 customer deposits in three days. The first production flight is targeted for next year, and our hands have been raised high for an early test flight.

Soichiro's Sidekick

Although Soichiro Honda (far left) deserves ample credit for instilling his firm with technical brilliance, Honda would not be the powerhouse it is today without Takeo Fujisawa's inspired contributions. The two joined forces in 1949 when an upstart gang of twenty employees desperately needed finance and marketing expertise. Like Honda, Fujisawa had graduated from the school of hard knocks. While his business brain was the perfect complement to Honda's mechanical intuition, it was Fujisawa who suggested the move from two- to four-stroke engines and the lightweight, 50-cc motorcycle--which became the Super Cub--" on which a young couple would start whistling happy melodies." After twenty-four years of meshing together like well-oiled gears, Honda and Fujisawa retired from the Honda Motor Company in 1973.

1906 Soichiro Honda, the eldest son of a blacksmith and bicycle repairman, is born in a small village located 170 miles southwest of Tokyo.

1937 Following his car mechanic apprenticeship and participation in a few amateur races, Honda begins manufacturing piston rings.

1948 The Honda Motor Company is established to equip bicycles with war-surplus generator engines.

1949 Honda begins manufacturing a 98-cc two-stroke engine for its first motorcycle, the Dream D-type.

1950 Honda's savvy business partner, Takeo Fujisawa, advocates the move to four-stroke engines.

1952 Honda introduces the Cub, with an overhead-valve four-stroke engine and an automatic clutch.

1955 Honda tops the motorcycle sales charts in Japan.

1959 The American Honda Motor Company is established in Los Angeles to sell motorcycles.

1962 "You meet the nicest people on a Honda" advertising begins. Honda completes Japan's first major race circuit at Suzuka City.

1963 Honda's first four-wheeled models are an S500 sports car and a T360 mini-truck, each powered by a DOHC, four-carburetor, four-cylinder engine.

1964 To promote its reputation as a carmaker, Honda enters Formula 1 racing. In 1965, Richie Ginther's 1.5-liter Honda RA272 wins the final race of the season at Mexico City.

1966 Honda sweeps all five grand prix motorcycle world championship classes, from 50- to 500-cc.

1969 Honda's first superbike, the CB750, is powered by an OHC four-cylinder. Sales of N600 minicars begin in Hawaii, with expansion to California, Oregon, and Washington the following year.

1973 The Honda Civic, powered by an innovative Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion engine, meets stringent U.S. emissions standards without a catalytic converter.

1979 Honda begins manufacturing motorcycles in Marysville, Ohio, adding Accord production in 1982 and Civics in 1986.

1986 The Acura brand is launched with the introduction of the Integra and the Legend.

1991 The Acura NSX, Japan's first supercar, wins Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year award.

1997 Production of the Honda EV Plus electric car commences. Honda's Twin Ring Motegi motorsports complex opens in Japan.

2000 The Honda Insight is the first gas/electric hybrid sold in the United States.

2003 The HondaJet twin-engine business aircraft completes its maiden flight.

2008 The Honda FCX Clarity is the first (limited) production electric car to be powered by a fuel cell.

News : 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid and Lexus LS600hL

2009-07-06T22:01:00.002+07:00

For 2010, the Mercedes-Benz S-class gains its first-ever hybrid powertrain, a clear indication that its maker is shifting from a strict diesel approach to efficiency and finally acknowledging the worth of hybrids as an essential step on the path to electric propulsion. What's more, the Mercedes S400 Hybrid is the world's first production hybrid automobile using lithium-ion batteries (the Tesla Roadster is powered solely by Li-ion batteries). Hybrid propulsion systems aren't anything new, of course, but they're still rare in the luxury class, where the Lexus LS600hL has been standing alone for the past two years.

Mercedes and Lexus systems wouldn't be more different if they had been designed on different planets. The Lexus approach adds some $30,000 to the price of the sedan, not to mention nearly 600 pounds, compared with a conventional LS460L. Included for those extra dollars and pounds are a four-wheel-drive system, a 221-hp electric motor, nickel-metal-hydride batteries, and a 5.0-liter V-8. Loaded to the gills, the LS600hL is Lexus's flagship sedan, designed to offer V-12 performance with V-8 fuel economy.

Mercedes has taken a decidedly different route - one that adds less weight and complexity. Similar in design to Honda's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid powertrain, the Mercedes setup has a compact, ring-shaped electric motor sandwiched between the engine and a conventional automatic transmission. Like Lexus, Mercedes employs braking regeneration and engine shutdown at stoplights to curb consumption. Although the Lexus can propel itself a few feet at very low speeds with the engine off, that function is not available in the S400. Nor does Mercedes offer 4Matic four-wheel drive in this hybrid.

Instead of promising performance similar to an S-class with a larger engine, Mercedes chose to introduce its hybrid model as a more environmentally conscious way of traveling in luxury. The S400 Hybrid should cost about the same as the $90,225 V-8-powered S550 when it goes on sale in the United States this September. It uses the European-market S350 as a starting point, so behind the three-pointed star lurks a six-cylinder engine. The 3.5-liter V-6 produces 275 hp, the same as the base V-8 did in 2006, the last time an S-class was available to U.S. customers with a six-cylinder. And that V-8 didn't benefit from an additional electric motor.

The V-6 is similar to the 3.5-liter unit found in other Mercedes cars and crossovers, but this version has different pistons and cylinder heads. It also runs on the Atkinson cycle, a common hybrid approach. The Atkinson cycle uses late-closing intake valves to stretch the expansion (power) stroke for increased efficiency. The one sacrifice is some loss of torque, especially at low rpm.

And that's where hybridization comes in. The electric motor in the S400 contributes up to 118 lb-ft of torque, more than making up for the Atkinson sacrifice. In fact, total system power is quoted at 295 hp and 284 lb-ft, topping the 268 hp and 258 lb-ft ratings in a C-class fitted with the 3.5-liter V-6.

As a result, the S400 Hybrid, Mercedes says, reaches 60 mph in about seven seconds, but it can't come close to matching the sports-car-like S550, which takes only 5.4 seconds. The payoff in fuel economy, though, is substantial. Mercedes estimates that the S400 will achieve 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. The latter figure sounds optimistic to us, but even if the S400 earns an EPA combined 25-mpg rating, that's a fuel savings of nearly 50 percent over the V-8. And, let's face it, how many luxury sedan owners really need all of a V-8's prodigious thrust?

Lexus would say all of them - and to that end, the LS600hL loses none of the performance of the nonhybrid LS. Total system output is a robust 438 hp, sufficient to slingshot the LS to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, according to Lexus. That's only 0.1 second slower than the nonhybrid version, but the more expensive Lexus achieves a combined 21 mpg in EPA tests, beating the all-wheel-drive LS460 by 3 mpg.

The Lexus suffers in one area that the Mercedes doesn't - cargo capacity. The large nickel-metal-hydride batteries and the extra air-conditioning system needed to keep them cool reduce trunk space from 18.0 cubic feet to only 11.7. Mercedes was able to locate its smaller and more energy dense Li-ion battery pack, which consists of thirty-five cylindrical cells supplied by the French firm Saft, in the engine compartment, leaving the S-class's 16.3-cubic-foot trunk intact.

On the road, the Lexus somehow manages to be lithe and nimble; it's an uncommonly responsive supersedan despite its supertanker weight. It combines an ultrabrisk throttle response with very strong brakes and a reassuring blend of grip and traction, although it's let down by a somewhat detached chassis, androgynous steering, and a ride that seems to vary almost at random between brittle and cushy.

The biggest benefit of the Lexus hybrid system is its smoothness. The two electric motors and two planetary gearsets allow the big V-8 to loaf except during hard acceleration. Flat-out, the LS600hL might not be any faster than the regular LS, but it doles out power far more effortlessly.

The Mercedes, by comparison, feels like a normal V-6-powered S-class. The Benz and the Lexus behave so differently that you realize this isn't a battle of which car is the better sedan, it's a clash between two philosophies. The Lexus was admirably early to market, but suddenly it seems that Benz's more elegant system reaps nearly the same benefits.

Indeed, rumor has it that this hybrid system will be standard equipment across the board on the next-generation S-class set to debut in late 2012. Mercedes also has a two-mode hybrid system coming this December in the ML450, and we're confident that Lexus has a few more hybrid tricks up its sleeve. So, which is it going to be? Will we see more luxury hybrids with straightforward powertrains, or will the Lexus model prevail? The answer isn't completely clear, but there is one thing you can bet on: hybrids are here to stay.

The Specs

Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid
On sale: September
Price: $90,000 (est.)
Engine: 3.5L V-6/electric hybrid, 295 hp (combined), 284 lb-ft (combined)
Battery: Lithium-ion, 0.8 kW-h
Drive: Rear-wheel

Lexus LS600hL
On sale: Now
Price: $106,035
Engine: 5.0L V-8/electric hybrid, 438 hp (combined), 385 lb-ft
Battery: Nickel-metal hydride, 1.9 kW-h
Drive: 4-wheel

News Update : Jet Powered 2005 Ford F 150 Stx Turbojet Engine

2009-07-02T21:56:00.003+07:00

In pursuit of better fuel economy, carmakers have created various forms of hybrids. In pursuit of a childhood dream, Chris Lentz created a wild hybrid.

The fifty-five-year-old electrical foreman from Jackson, Michigan, had longed for a jet-powered truck for decades. Two years ago, Lentz discovered a way to realize his dream when he met a pilot from New York who imported used turbojet engines. After watching an example run on a test stand, Lentz paid $10,000 for one. Obtaining a rolling platform for his new toy was a bit easier. Lentz bought a used 2005 Ford F-150 STX on eBay for $12,000.

Lentz's jet engine was designed in the mid-1950s by the Czechoslovakian company Motorlet to power the L-29 Delfin jet trainer. The Motorlet M-701 turbojet has a centrifugal compressor, seven combustion chambers, and a single-stage turbine. According to Jane's All the World's Aircraft, the powerplant weighs 728 pounds and produces 1962 pounds of thrust at 15,500 rpm.

To install the jet in the truck, Lentz fabricated a sturdy mounting stand, a twenty-gallon kerosene tank, and a control console from aluminum and stainless steel. His decorative touches include a red, white, and blue nose cone and a 2700 HP badge (not divulged is the 516-mph velocity needed to achieve that power level).

To light the burner, the pilot advances a red fuel lever and a blue throttle control while operating a two-stage electric starter. There are snapping sounds as ignitors fire in the combustion chambers followed by a muffled explosion and a whine not unlike a 737 taxiing past the lowered tailgate. Viewing the procedure from the rear of the truck reveals a bright orange ball of flame accompanying the muffled explosion upon ignition. With the jet idling at 3500 rpm and during full-throttle acceleration, there are waves of heat but no external flames.

Without jet assist, Lentz's 231-hp V-8 accelerated its 6600-pound burden (truck, jet engine, two occupants) to 60 mph in a sluggish 14.5 seconds. We recorded a quarter-mile speed of 73 mph and a top speed of 85 mph.

The best of three runs in hybrid mode - exploiting both piston and jet propulsion - trimmed six seconds from the sprint to 60 mph. The quarter-mile speed jumped 30 mph and we achieved 140 mph after 45 seconds of acceleration. Feeding more ram air to the jet engine by moving it aft in the bed and shifting the F-150's transmission to neutral at 100 mph to cut the drag of its speed-limited driveline would likely improve performance.

Lentz occasionally fires his jet while cruising but mainly enjoys the reactions he experiences in parking lots and at car shows. His JET PWR vanity plate helps slow learners grasp the point of the bed apparatus.

The Specs

Construction Cost: $25,000
Engines: 4.6L V-8 231 hp; turbojet with 1962 lb of thrust
Weight: 6221 lb
Weight Dist., F/R: 45.6/54.4%
Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 8.5 sec; 1/4 mile in 16.3 sec @ 103 mph
Top Speed: 140 mph

New 2010 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

2009-07-02T21:44:00.002+07:00

Is the Horsepower War Almost Over?
War is hell, unless it's a horsepower war, in which case it's kind of fun. For more than a decade, the cars from AMG have been on the front lines of the horsepower wars, which have seen the top autobahn rockets - most, naturally, from Germany - zoom past 300, then 400, and now 500 horsepower. But all good wars must one day come to an end, and for the horsepower wars, that day is starting to feel very close indeed. The new E63 AMG, for example, uses the same engine as the previous model (AMG's near-ubiquitous 6.2-liter V-8) and pushes its headline figure ahead by only 11 hp.

Still, we're talking about 518 horsepower here, easily enough to send this luxurious four-door sedan down the autobahn at (a governed) 186 mph. The thing is, the previous E63 AMG, with only 507 hp, was also capable of 186 mph. Evidently, at the peak of the super-sedan pyramid, there simply isn't much more performance to be had.

The goal: Better driving dynamics
Where, then, did the AMG folks hope to move the needle with this new car? "We wanted a sharper car - better driving dynamics," says Tobias Moers, head of overall vehicle development at AMG. Here again, though, we'd argue that AMG's high-volume mid-liner already made its big move in the chassis department with the switch from the old E55 AMG to the new-for-2007 E63.

Nonetheless, in the quest for even better driving dynamics, AMG engineers tossed out the front air springs (still used on the standard E-class) in favor of steel springs and struts. Air springs are retained at the rear, because of their ability to manage the widely varying loads on the rear axle. As before, the dampers are adjustable, this time in three steps: Comfort, Sport, and Sport+. An available performance package - a seemingly redundant option on a fire-breather like the E63 - makes the three settings a bit firmer still. When we sampled both versions on the beautifully maintained roads around Stuttgart, the standard car in its mellowest setting delivered a pretty comfortable ride, but when we cranked it up a notch to Sport or two notches to Sport-plus, the E63 telegraphed every slight bump or bit of creased pavement we could find. In the performance-package car, Comfort is the equivalent of the standard car's Sport setting, so your choices are Stiff, Stiffer, and Stiffest. Combine that with the 30/35-series tires (front/rear) and that is likely to feel pretty harsh over the crumbling highways that plague so much of America.

Unfortunately, those seeking ultimate bragging rights will want to opt for the performance package anyway, as it includes the reprogrammed electronics that allow for that 186-mph top speed, rather than the standard 155 mph. Otherwise, though, the stiffer spec is hardly necessary. Despite tipping the scales at a shade over two tons (about the same as before), with either setup, the E63 turns in aggressively, remains deliciously balanced through fast corners, and emits barely a peep from its Pirelli PZero tires. A new, fixed-ratio steering rack is quicker than before at 14:1 but is perfectly weighted and never nervous. For those eager to explore the handling limits, the stability control includes a more liberal Sport mode and also can be switched off completely.

A new transmission grabs the powertrain spotlight
The same 6.2-liter V-8 that powered the previous E63 is under the 2010 E63 AMG's hood. AMG engineers were able to boost peak horsepower to 518 hp, chiefly by lowering the exhaust backpressure. The engine's surprisingly sharp, aggressive bark and deep rumble have been preserved. Overall, though, the more significant powertrain change is the adaptation of the Speedshift DCT seven-speed automatic transmission from the SL63 AMG, which replaces the old car's seven-speed automatic. The Speedshift box uses a wet clutch in place of a torque converter and provides faster shift times and very sweet, rev-matched downshifts. Surprisingly, despite the absence of the torque converter, the transmission still beats any automated manual - including BMW's M-DCT - and most dual-clutch setups with its smoothness both in take-off from a stop and in its automatic shifts. And yet its shift speed effectively gives away nothing to those supposedly sportier gearboxes.

As you'd expect, the driver can tailor the transmission's behavior via a choice of modes. The mellowest, C (for Controlled Efficiency, says Mercedes) is really too mellow for a car like this. It's the economizer setting, starting off in second gear, upshifting as soon as possible, and even relaxing the throttle response. Controlled Efficiency might be great for squeezing out the best-possible mpg rating on the EPA test cycle (expected to be 13 city/19 highway, though official figures aren't yet available), and it's the chief reason AMG is able to boast of a 12 percent improvement in the E63's fuel economy. But, really, who on earth is going to hypermile their nearly-$100,000 German super-sedan?

The next two modes, Sport and Sport+, are subtly different in their programming but virtually indistinguishable on the road. Happily, both seem to intuitively understand the enthusiast driver, unfailingly anticipating gear choices, downshifting under braking, snapping off upshifts with lightning speed, and beautifully matching revs on every downshift, whether automatic or manual. Speaking of manual, if the driver calls up his own shifts via the steering-wheel-mounted paddles, after a few moments of inactivity, the box will resume giving its own orders. Turn the control knob to Manual, however, and the transmission will defer almost totally to the driver; the gearbox will not upshift even at the 7200-rpm redline nor will it kick down in response to a booted throttle.

A final, fifth, position on the transmission control knob is RS, for Race Start (or should that be valet mode?). It's a bit fussy to deal with, though. With the stability control in Sport, you hold your left foot on the brake, choose Race Start, when prompted quickly tap the upshift paddle once to confirm, then immediately floor the accelerator (if you're not fast enough the whole sequence is cancelled and you have to start over), and let off the brake. The E63 effects a wheelspin-free blast that should have you to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.

The buttons to select the transmission, ESP, and damping modes are alongside the gear selector, which is a console-mounted lever rather than the wimpy column shift in the standard E-class. Sitting next to them is a fourth button, labeled AMG, which - like a BMW's M button - can program and store a driver's preferred settings for transmission, stability control, and damping.

As you'd expect from a car with 518 hp, the E63 is a always ready to drop a couple of gears, let out a deep bellow, and tear ahead down the highway. The massive V-8 makes this car a star of the quick, two-lane pass. A new option for hauling it back down again is carbon-ceramic brakes, although they won't be available in the U.S. market until next year. Like all carbon-ceramic brakes, these offer fade-free, racetrack-ready performance, at a price (expect to be $8000 to $10,000), but unlike most they're - almost - squeal-free and fairly easy to modulate.

For AMG: typically subtle appearance changes inside and out
Compared with the standard E-class, the AMG version has a unique front-end design, with a wider, deeper front fascia with functional side slits (they extract air from the engine oil cooler). Wider front fenders make way for the increased front track and ultrawide rubber - 255-series up front; while the rear tires are 285, whether on standard eighteen-inch or optional nineteen-inch wheels. There is also AMG-specific lower bodywork on the sides and at the rear. Inside, there's the aforementioned center console buttons, a unique gauge cluster, sport seats, and available carbon-fiber trim. As before, the overall affect is muscular but refined.

Rumbling into dealerships this fall
The new E63 goes on sale this November, at a price that should come in below the outgoing car's upper-$80,000 base sticker. The wagon version again will be available, but only by special order. The new E63 does not offer a great leap in horsepower over the outgoing car, but it makes measurable progress in chassis dynamics and it offers a more entertaining transmission, even if it's not a stick-and-clutch manual. Its already spectacular predecessor was already arguably at the peak of the performance-sedan mountain. The new model marks only incremental progress, but when you're starting at this level, there's only so much higher you can go.

2010 Mercedes-Benz AMG

Price: $87,000 (estimated)

Powertrain
Engine: DOHC V-8
Displacement: 6.2 liters
Horsepower: 518 hp @ 6800 rpm
Torque: 465 lb-ft @ 5200 rpm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic

Chassis
Steering: Rack-and-pinion with power assist
Suspension, front: Damper struts, electronic damping
Suspension, rear: Air springs, electronic damping
Brakes: Vented discs, front and rear, ABS
Tires: Pirellit PZero, 255/35 ZR19 front, 285/30 ZR19 rear

L x W x H: 192.6 x 75.9 x 56.8 in
Wheelbase: 113.2 in
Track F/R: 66.2/62.8 in
Weight: 4058 lbs
Fuel Mileage: 13/19 mpg (estimated)

News : 2010 Subaru Legacy

2009-07-01T15:35:00.002+07:00

Update : Bigger, faster, more fuel efficient

These words aren't paired together very often, but they perfectly summarize the 2010 Subaru Legacy sedan. The Legacy has grown longer, taller, and wider with a modest weight gain of 49-65 pounds, depending on the trim and equipment level. The engines are more powerful and more fuel-efficient than last year's. If you opt for the 2.5GT, the 0-to-60-mph sprint is estimated to be 5.9 seconds -- two full seconds faster than a year before. Is the Legacy finally ready for the mainstream midsize-sedan segment?

The Legacy grows up

For 2010, the Legacy grows 1.4 inches longer and 3.3 inches taller, and its track is 2.7 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear. Those changes give passengers in the rear seat an additional 3.9 inches of legroom and make for a much larger door opening. Interior volume is now 103 cubic feet, just larger than the Toyota Camry's 101.4 cubic feet, but still a bit behind the Honda Accord's 106 cubic feet. Golfers can now consider the Legacy, as the 14.7 cubic feet of storage in the trunk will accommodate four golf bags.

Graceful and mature

Outside, the Legacy might not be the most exciting midsize sedan, but it looks tasteful and modern. The grille is a reverse trapezoidal shape that works especially well with the hood scoop on the turbocharged 2.5 GT models. It's easy to identify the Legacy as a Subaru, but the design is generic enough to appeal to most midsize sedan shoppers. We appreciate the subtle bulge at the wheel flares, which gives the profile some character and a hint of muscle. It also showcases the standard all-wheel-drive.

The features get more mature, too

Subaru may be associated with earthy, frugal owners, but the Legacy offers many luxurious technologies and features inside the cabin. Starting with full-frame doors that bring noise, vibration, and harshness levels down considerably, the Legacy also includes an auto-up driver's window. (Sometimes, Subaru is strangely behind the curve on commonplace features.) You'll also find larger, more comfortable seats, better materials, including some very supple leather on the high-end cars, and nicer looking gauges than on other Subaru products. Options are limited but include an upgraded Harman-Kardon stereo, Bluetooth phone and iPod connectivity, a backup camera, a moonroof, and a voice-activated navigation system.

2.5i

The entry-level Legacy is powered by a 2.5-liter Boxer four that produces 170 hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. A new-for-the-U.S. six-speed manual is paired with a viscous center differential that splits power equally between the front and rear wheels. Those opting for the CVT will get a slightly more sophisticated AWD system that uses a slip-clutch and fancy electronics to determine which end of the car needs more torque. Subaru informs us this is the first application of a CVT with a Boxer engine. A mere 170 hp does not do much to raise the enthusiast's pulse, but it provides enough thrust for getting around town and feels particularly refined when paired with the CVT. Those considering the 2.5i will likely be most interested in the standard AWD at its $20,690 base price. Equally impressive is the 31-mpg highway rating for cars equipped with the CVT.

2.5GT

Enthusiasts will be most interested in the 2.5GT trim level. The turbo four produces 265 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque solely through a six-speed manual. Subaru uses the same AWD system here as on the 2.5i with a six-speed manual. A functional hood scoop, 18-inch wheels, and an all-weather package separate the 2.5GT from the 2.5i, but the options and equipment otherwise match a 2.5i Limited or Premium trim level. Think of the 2.5GT as a WRX for your growing family.

3.6R

Those buyers who are looking for more performance than the 2.5i offers but who are not willing to deal with a manual transmission will appreciate the Legacy 3.6R. As the name implies, power comes from a 3.6-liter, normally aspirated Boxer six engine. Power is rated at 256 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, and the 3.6 runs on regular gas while the 2.5GT requires premium fuel. We found the 3.6-liter engine to be much more enjoyable than the 3.0-liter six it replaces, but the turbo-four cars were more fun on challenging roads. However, the six feels more refined and the automatic transmission adds smoothness to the package.

Behind the wheel

One of the biggest changes for the 2010 Subaru Legacy's ride is thanks to the double-wishbone rear suspension and front Macpherson-strut setup. If this combination sounds familiar, it's because all Subarus now use this suspension design. Body motions are well controlled, and the Legacy is stable going down the road thanks largely to its wider track and longer wheelbase. Sadly, the steering is overboosted but we found it offers good road feel as well as a quicker ratio. Braking performance has improved noticeably -- Subaru claims a 20% improvement in response from the new brake booster. Though the midsize sedan segment is hardly about superior driving dynamics, the Legacy is certainly fun to drive if you opt for the GT. Should fuel prices shoot up overnight, the normally aspirated four-cylinder model, particularly with a CVT, could be in demand. There's a smart mix of power, fun, and frugality available in the line, and all models, of course, have standard all-wheel drive

Who will buy it?

Subaru acknowledges it has a small following. According to Subaru's own research, less than 40% of midsize sedan shoppers know the Legacy exists. Those who are aware of the Legacy tend to be well educated, worldly, and environmentally conscious, as well as stylish and successful. Most of these people live in northern, coastal parts of the U.S. The marketing team thinks that {{{Volkswagen Passat}}}, Nissan Altima, and Mazda 6 owners are most likely to cross-shop the Legacy, which compares quite favorably with each of those cars.

What does it cost?

A basic 2.5i Legacy with the six-speed manual transmission will cost $20,690 with destination; the CVT transmission is $1000 extra, but there are no other options. Stepping up to the Premium trim level runs another $1000 and gets you an eight-way power driver's seat, 16-inch alloy wheels, a chrome exhaust tip, auto up/down driver's window, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The 2.5i Limited runs $25,690 and adds a power passenger seat, 17-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, mirrors, and wiper de-icers, dual-zone climate control, leather seats, and a premium audio system; the CVT is the only available transmission. PZEV models of any 2.5i CVT trim level are available in all 50 states for an extra $300.

The 3.6R begins at $25,690 and follows the same pricing strategy as the 2.5i family. Look to spend $1000 extra for a Premium and $3000 more for a Limited car. Aside from the engine and automatic transmission, the only difference between the 2.5i and 3.6R is standard 17-inch alloy wheels. All options and equipment are otherwise equal on comparable trim levels.

Enthusiasts will want the $28,690 2.5GT Premium and its turbo four powerplant, revealed by the functional hood scoop and standard 18-inch alloy wheels. A 2.5GT Limited runs $30,690 and matches the equipment found on other Limited models.

When can I buy it?

The 2010 Subaru Legacy should start showing up at dealers in early August. Wagon fans will want to wait for the 2010 Outback that arrives shortly after the Legacy sedan.

With configurations ranging from frugal and capable to fast and refined, the Legacy has broad appeal. There's also enough Subaru quirkiness to keep the early adopters happy with this generation--all engine choices are Boxers, AWD comes with every car, and there's a good array of safety features. If the 2009 Forrester's success is representative of the demand for a more mainstream Subaru, the 2010 Legacy sedan will be quite well received by the market.

News, When the brain waves move the wheel

2009-07-01T01:30:00.002+07:00

Tokyo: Japan original car manufacturer, Toyota Motor Corporation, at the wheel this car is driven with brain waves. This column does not create a manageable with conventional hand. Toyota claims the system is the invention of the fastest in the world in the ability to analyze brain waves. Such representations Toyota, as reported Associated Press, Monday (29 / 6).

Later the driver who sits akan impose similar headgear that is able to read signals that the brain is released. Signal is then delivered to the engine will brain electroencephalograph (EEG), which will then be analyzed in a computer program. This system will make someone able to run the column to the right, left and front quickly automatically. Even to stop only a blow cheek.

Rival Toyota, Honda Motor Corporation, also has developed a technology that is capable of connecting with the brain waves of movement mechanics. This year, Honda will show a video that shows a picture of someone the middle put on helmets. With the helmet, he can move the robot Asimo, which has been previously programmed response to brain signals, to the left and right.

However, both Toyota and Honda have not yet explain the exact time the product will be released to the market. So, be patient.

Nissan immediately selling hybrid car

2009-06-28T22:47:00.002+07:00

Yokohama: hybrid car at this time has become the main target of the automotive industry. Nissan Motor also do not want to lag. The third largest automotive company in Japan is planning a mass produced electric vehicles in the upcoming year 2012.

Nissan says, will release the first electric vehicle in Japan on 2 August and start selling next year. "We move forward with the zero emissions vehicle," said Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan will sell electric cars first in Japan and the United States (U.S.) after April 2010. Later, they will mass produce and market the car globally in 2012.

Along with the production in Japan and Europe, Ghosn said, Nissan will make electric vehicles in the U.S. in Smirna Tennessee. Factory has a production capacity of more than 100 thousand units per year.

On Tuesday (23 / 6), Nissan received a loan from the U.S. government worth US$ 2.1 billion, to build a green car partnership. Nissan will use the US$ 1.6 billion to equip the manufacturer in Smirna dan 465 million U.S. dollars to build electric trains in California. "U.S. will become a very important market, he said

Toyota Planning, Production Fuel Cell Car

2009-06-28T21:56:00.001+07:00

Tokyo: Japanese car manufacturer, Toyota Motor, plans will be issued a car equipped with a fuel cell in 2015 to come. Toyota President Masatami Takimoto explained, Tuesday (23 / 6), this was done as an effort to encourage Toyota to be in the forefront of manufacturers produce greener cars.

Fuel cell technology is seen as a quick solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are increasing. Energy produced this technology is a combination of hydrogen and oxygen form the substance and the rest water. During this time the manufacturer to concentrate more on the development of a battery driven car. For fuel cell technology is still considered expensive and not economical. This contention appears because it is still difficult to store hydrogen so that the car can go like a normal car.

Although expensive, in 2002, Toyota has issued a product of fuel cell car fuel is a limited market for Japan and the United States.

SuperSkin Helmet for biker

2009-06-23T11:52:00.002+07:00

Brussels: Although there is no magic way to prevent accidents on the road. However, people always perfect security factors driving the progress of technology. For motorcycle rider, recently created a new type of helmet. SuperSkin, a helmet LAZER enhanced, using technology Philips Head Protection System (PHPS). This one technology, applied to reduce the risk of significant head injury.

Strength of the helmet has been tested by a laboratory at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. Aimed to test the ability to know the maximum SuperSkin helmets protect the head in the driver motor.

Tests proved that the risk of SuperSkin of 67.5%. Ability is a very positive result, at the helm are producers incentive to improve security standards. (AND / lazerhelmets.com)

SkyBike, Flying bike in the future

2009-06-22T11:04:00.001+07:00

California: You will surely great surprise with the progress of technology. Recently, Samson Motorwork introduced, SkyBike, three-wheel motorcycle that can fly with wings fold automatically.

This vehicle has a wing-shaped clips that can be folded. Wing is easy to inflate with time akan terbang. According to the author, SkyBike made to meet the increased demand that will be the car that can fly the plane and can be used on the road.

This vehicle is the second version of the motor company's automotive production aircraft Samson Motorworks which have in California, the United States. Model previously only able to be supported telescopic wing.

Wing design this new model is lighter than 90 kilograms the previous model. In addition, the cockpit space so relieved and better treatment so more sparingly. This latest model is also very sporty with a place to sit side by side. Landing speed was lower.

This futuristic car models inspired from Ferrari. While the price up to now still be concealed. However, Samson expects next year to introduce a version of this vehicle can only be used on land. (AND/wheels24)

RUC, the car with fuel water

2009-06-20T22:27:00.003+07:00

London: The water has been predicted to be capable of fuel alternatives. Now drive the car fuel of the water is not simply a dream. A light car with hydrogen fuel to experiment inaugural street race in London on Thursday (18 / 6) ago. Experiment the car, called Riversimple Urban Car (RUC) is in progress smoothly.

The car with two passengers, including driver. As the Daily Mail quoted, with full water tank on the RUC is able to travel 386 km without recharge. In fact, RUC spokesman said, if this car can devour a maximum distance of 482 km.

With a total weight of only 350 kilograms, the RUC is designed as a compact urban car. Designed by Alan Docking Racing at Silverstone, the car can be produced in the year 2013.

For the initial stage, the project will take the ten car, to assigned to a number of cities in England. System of marketing the car quite unique. Unlike other cars, RUC not sold. This environment-friendly cars rented with 200 Poundsterling.

Unlike fossil fuels that produce energy from the combustion process. Hydrogen energy that has a large ekplosif produce gas with a chemical reaction that is converted into electrical energy. Energy is then flowed to the four electric motors, each of which had the duty of each wheel.

Honda Insight 2010 Competitor of Prius 2009

2009-06-19T21:57:00.003+07:00

Tokyo: Honda car manufacturer eventually participate in the hybrid vehicle business. With only install the power source in hybrid car according to the usual Honda is not interesting. If the car you want to serious business in hybrid car, the better the view, if the vehicle will be thrown to the consumer must also be seen about the identity of the hybrid car. Significantly, Honda All New Insight can be duplicates of the first hybrid Toyota Prius in 2009.

2010 Honda Insight has a dimension smaller Prius instead. Indeed, it has no added value so important. For example, the cabin space is limited. However, the weight of the vehicle into a little added value, drivers can control the car more sprightly.

Nevertheless, the features of safety standards remains. In addition, the navigation system can be arranged and has bluetooth capability. This also can be seen with the equipment of the seven teeth is made in the acceleration and constant variable automatic transmission (CVT).

Honda Insight directly compete with the new Toyota Prius in 2009. However, both characters have a different engine. A simple example, the difference in fuel consumption for the Insight in and out of town 40/43 miles per gallon. While the Prius has a more sigifikan value, ie, more economical 48/45 miles per gallon. Honda seems to remain confident the car will sell fast, but simple.

Competition may want to do that Honda is in terms of price. With the Insight was launched, customers were given the option between the two cars using hybrid technology that is almost the same. How not, banderole Insight 2010 only U $ 19,800, compare with the Prius in 2099 that cost U $ 23,375.

Insight in the present configuration in 2010: four-door, five-passenger seating. One source of energy available: the combination of the 1.3 liter engine, 88 horsepower, combined with the four-cylinder gasoline engine and parallel electric wall 10 kilowatt, 13 horsepower, and direct electric current (DC). Locomotion in the front wheels through a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Two of the three models offered, the acceleration of the wheels have managed computer, with a seven-speed transmission and manual gear simulation. Basic model with standard CVT is very efficient and competent. (ANS / NewCarTestDrive / Yahoo!)

Rossi replica bike, on sale soon

2009-06-19T20:57:00.002+07:00

London: You fans of Valentino Rossi? Even you want to use a motorcycle race owned Rossi? Not to worry, briefly, the intention that you will fulfilled. Upcoming month of July, immediately Yamaha, sell replica motor Valentino Rossi, YZF-R125. However, the sale of motor is only limited in England.

Rossi replica bike, this model of composition and color exactly, with the Fiat Yamaha YZR-M1, which is always used the MotoGP world champion. Currently, the price has not been determined but will be announced Yamaha England at the time of launch. But there is leakage, it is estimated that motor akan dijual 2999 Pounds Sterling.

YZR-M1 strength including motor 800 cc, Yamaha developed for MotoGP racing. Motor is a development of Yamaha YZR500. (Motorcyclenews)

Chrysler and Fiat Create giant World Cars

2009-06-16T22:21:00.001+07:00

Minister of Industry Canada, Wednesday, welcomed the merger between Chrysler and Fiat to create a new global car giant after the Supreme Court of the United States to explain how they are merging.

Ottawa, 11 / 6 (AutomotiveRoll) - Minister of Industry Canada Wednesday welcomed the merger between Chrysler and Fiat to create a new global car giant after the Supreme Court of the United States to explain how they are merging.

"The Government of Canada is confident that we will see the competitiveness of Chrysler Canada Inc. That will produce and sell cars made in Canada and will continue to play an important role in Central America operating company," said Industry Minister Tony Clement in a statement, as quoted from AFP.

"Restructuring Chrysler is good news for the supply chain of spare parts to Canada and the Canadian consumer,` he said.

"The company can now focus on the production of high quality vehicles that customers want."

In a letter to the workers Chrysler, Fiat chief executive Sergio Marchionne said that Fiat and Chrysler have been combined ranked as the sixth largest car industry of the world.

Ottawa to allocate 22.4 billion U.S. dollars for Chrysler in April to assist the restructuring process is different. (Ant)

Long-awaited, Land Cruiser launched in India

2009-06-16T11:58:00.002+07:00

SUV already survived more than half a century and a world reputation, Toyota Land Cruiser finally launched in India. This is one of the most awaited model-waiting in the subcontinent.

(AutomotiveRoll) - Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched its latest generation of premium SUVs on the Tuesday (9 / 6). Using a 4.5 liter V8 engine that can produce diesel with torsi giant 286ps, 650Nm, which is managed gearbox 6-speed automatic transmission to the wheels before. This SUV is equipped with four-wheel drive system and the latest technologies and of course comfort features.

These features are offered including the Crawl Control System, Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, Hill Assist Control, and Multi-Terrain ABS system. This helps Land Cruiser go where only the top surface of the earth, there is still over land.

Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System provides stability on the road and exploration capabilities in off-road terrain. Crawl Control System manages the harmonious brake and engine power so that the car can crawl on the surface of various types of rock. Multi-Terrain ABS continuously monitors the engine and speed putara car and adjust the tolerance limit of the wheels may slip after the road surface. Hill Assist Control enables the driver and the car with the rise in mulus.

Of course, convenience become important factors. Therefore, passengers are pampered with 14 speakers from JBL, 4-zone AC with 28 outlets, and 6 DVDs. Safety for passengers is the price that can not be ditawar. There are 10 air bags that protect all passengers in the cabin, Active Traction Control, which keeps the car stability, as well as Clearance and Back Sonar help when the curve or back.

As quoted from the official site Toyota Astra motor Vikram Kirloskar, vice-chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said: "Land Cruiser in akui globally as the peak driving experience a combination of luxury and interior / exterior and features abundant comfort."

With the presence of Land Cruiser, consumers now have an alternative to India for a new SUV brands Germany. Land Cruiser already serve more than 50 years and sold more than 5 million units worldwide. (www.toyota.co.id)

Rolls-Royce Ghost Many customers

2009-06-16T11:05:00.001+07:00

London: Company car luxury home England Rolls-Royce has received about 1,500 orders a car "Ghost." Cars will soon be launched this year. However, until now have not known of the car. "More than 10,000 people have expressed interest. However, about 15 percent that really want," Chief Executive Rolls-Royce Tom Purves, recently.

To Reuters, Tom adds serious interest is defined by giving a deposit. Ghost will be sold together with the existing model of Phantom. However, the company that is owned by BMW of Germany does not assert this will unveil the car until September.

Rolls Royce Phantom to record sales of 1200 vehicles in 2008. Tom says sales this year because of a tendency to decrease the influence of global economic crisis.

SUV Super from Stuttgart

2009-06-14T23:13:00.001+07:00

Stuttgart: GEMBALLA Automobiltechnik GmbH & Co.KG developed a super car for the family with the basic concept sport utility vehicle (SUV). The result, called a super SUV Gemballa Tornado GTS 750.

Development results, the car factory in Leonberg, near Stuttgart, Germany is very strong and sporty. Only a few visible differences between the Gemballa Tornado GTS 750 with the car Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Model is not much different from the primary Porsche product. Can be spelled out, target those who want to reach engineers in GEMBALLA want to dismiss the impression conventional SUVs and more to the sport with the strength of the car 750 horse power.

This is done to meet the market demand that requires a car with sport performance you a cabin with a roomy size SUV the withdrawal. For 25 years of experience producing products with innovative capital base car Porsche sport help develop the car. This car sold for 400 thousand Euro. (AND)

Specification sophisticated Sixth Generation Z Series

2009-06-14T01:11:00.001+07:00

NISSAN FairLady renowned as one of the sport car with good ability. Nissan also always upgrade the product. Original Japanese manufacturer Nissan 307z is issued as a successor. This car is a sixth generation of the property Nissan Z series.

Nissan 307z announced on 2 February. Cars that released its plan to market price in the range GBP 26,895 (approximately Rp 436 million). Not without reason if Nissan put the price at that. The car also dijuluki z FairLady indeed have sophisticated specifications.

Some of the advantages is the Nissan 307z with audio sound prime, automatic xenon front lights, airbag, and bluetooth for handsfree phone connection. Nissan 307z released in two variants, edition of sport and navigation.

Edition sport variant is designed in two types. That is, the type and regular touring. If you choose the type of touring, will get a set of tools specific to travel far in the car.

Special devices such as seat bertipe car racing. There are also 8-speaker Bose audio system for the sense of drowsiness. Integrated XM satellite radio also. Velg sized 18-inch integrated car at Nissan. Velg with the size of that, no wonder if 307z sport car labeled as elegant.

Nissan 307z with a machine-type 3.7 liter VVEL (variable valve event and lift). This machine is able to improve lap 331 PS and 366 Nm. This machine is also used Infiniti G37 coupe. Function, providing additional power to 7500 rpm. Interested? This new Nissan will be issued in the July future.

Sport edition has been equipped with special specifications. Among other things, ban measuring 19 inches to show the sporty impression. Tire manufacturer Bridgestone is selected.

Views inverted proportionate obtained when selecting Nissan 307z edition Navigation Package. In accordance with the type, this type of computer equipped with a sail touch output XM NavTraffic. Computer is equipped with real time traffic information.

Mercedes Develop External airbag

2009-06-14T01:02:00.001+07:00

London: AirBag assessed at this time was sufficient to protect the head, chest, knee and passenger cars. However, the current Mercedes-Benz has developed an external airbag. Airbag is placed in the front of the car. Later, as the airbag is enabled anchors on the surface so that the road speed braking.

As The Telegraph made recently, braking system with the airbag, and can be installed in all new generation of Mercedes in the last seven years. Currently, the system is being tested in the Mercedes S-Class hybrid-based ESV (experimental vehicle security) in 2009.

This program can only work during the emergency braking cause collision with the vehicle or obstruction in front of the car. Cars will be protected by aluminum, and rubber that act as a carbon fiber shield. Airbag will increase the maximum 1g of braking on a dry surface to about 2g, so to prevent a severe accident.

Mitsubishi immediate release Hybrid Cars

2009-06-13T01:43:00.001+07:00

Upcoming month of July, Mitsubishi Motors will release hybrid car products, on the market. Cars that are named i-MiEV in will begin selling in Japan in July. Mitsubishi also plans to sell this product in the global market, including the United States (U.S.) and China.

Small-sized car that will not remove the carbon dioxide the withdrawal cars in general. Power the car is supported entirely by lithium ion battery pack and 300V wall 16kWh. If the battery is full, the vehicle is able to cover 160 kilometers distance.

The battery can be charged through the electrical network in the house. For 110V power supply capacity will take approximately 12-14 minutes. If using a 220V, it only takes half.

Reuters reported the I-MiEV is sold with the price of 47,500 U.S. dollars. Mitsubishi is able to target to sell 1400 units in Japan until March 31 2010.

pr8hxsqcby

2009-06-13T01:42:00.001+07:00

Cars in the list following not only have the official price is high. Four-wheeled vehicle is also able to go fast in a flash. Following list of cars such as super fast Thesupercars.org written.

1. SSC Ultimate Aero
This type of car has a maximum speed of 257 miles per hour (mph) or 441 kilometers per hour. SSC Ultimate Aero is able to reach 60 mph from stop position within 2.7 seconds. Cars worth U.S. $ 654,400 plant this Twin-Turbo V8 with 1183 horse power (HP). The first time in a test in March 2007 by Guinness World Records. The record car Bugatti Veyron as the fastest car in the world at that time.

2. Bugatti Veyron
Cars with the futuristic design of this maximum speed 253 mph (404 km / hr). Speeds reached 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, Narrow Angle W16 engine with 1001 Hp. With the selling price of U.S. $ 1.7 million.

3. Saleen S7 Twin-Turbo
Cars in this third sequence is able to go up to 248 mph (396 km / hr). Speed of 60 mph in 3.2 seconds, and motorized Twin Turbo V8 with 750 Hp. Car dibanderol U.S. $ 555 thousand. Flight is smooth, but obdurate make users always want to show.

4. Koenigsegg CCX
This type of car can go up to 245 mph (400 km / hr). From the position of the still, the speed reached 60 mph in 3.2 seconds. Koenigsegg CCX motorized 90 Degree V8 806 Hp artificial Sweden. The selling price of U.S. $ 545,568. Cars made in Sweden to reach this aim as a pre-eminent in the world's fastest car, but still must overcome the Bugatti and Ultimate Aero.

5. Mclaren F1
Mclaren F1 maximum speed 240 mph (384 km / hr). Speed from 0 mph to 60 MPH in 3.2 seconds achieved. Mclaren F1 motorized BMW S70 / 2 60 Degree V12 with 627 HP. The selling price of U.S. $ 970 thousand, or about Rp 9 billion. When observed, the door of the car look like bat wings.

6. Ferrari enzo
This car has a top speed 217 mph (347 km / hr). 0-60 mph speed be 3.4 seconds in time. Motorized enzo Ferrari F140 Aluminum V12 with 660 HP. The price of U.S. $ 670 thousand. This car is only produced as much as 399 units and prices will continue to rise when the collision occurred.

7. Jaguar XJ220
Cars with the Jaguar brand is able to run up to 217 mph (347.2 km / hr). 60 mph acceleration in 3.8 seconds from the still position. Jaguar XJ220 motorized Twin Turbo V6 with 542 hp. Banderole car U.S. $ 650 thousand. Although made in 1992, the car can still fit in the list of fastest car period 2009-2010.

8. Pagani Zonda F
This unique car's maximum speed 215 mph (344 km / hr). Speed of 60 mph applied in 3.5 seconds, and motorized Mercedes Benz M180 V12 with 650 HP. Cars made in Italy is worth U.S. $ 667,321.

9. Lamborghini Murcielago LP640
Lamborghini type this maximum speed 211 mph (340.8 km / hr). Speeds reached 60 mph in 3.3 seconds from the position of the still, and motorized V12 with 640 hp. Cars with the artistic design of this fine and valued U.S. $ 430 thousand.

10. Porsche Carrera GT
Porsche Carrera GT has a maximum speed of 205 mph (334.4 km / hr). From the position of the still, the speed reached 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and motorized Water cooled V10 with 612 HP. The price of U.S. $ 440 thousand.

(ZAQ / Thesupercars.org)