Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Chevrolet Camaro 2010
Chevy is pleased to announce that the day you've been waiting for has arrived – you can submit an order for a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro (scheduled to be available spring 2009) starting Monday, October 13, 2008.
Chevy dealers across the country will be able to submit customers' orders for the new 2010 Chevy Camaro Coupe, with its outstanding performance and efficiency, sleek styling and unexpected array of features, including:
- Price starting at $22,995(2)
- Choice of six-speed transmissions: manual or TAPshift automatic
- Projected 300 hp DOHC V6 engine that gets an estimated 27 MPG hwy with automatic transmission(3)
- Projected 400 hp V8 engine with automatic transmission and Active Fuel Management for added fuel savings
- Projected 422 hp V8 engine with manual transmission
- 4.5-link independent rear suspension
- Six air bags(4)
- Bluetooth® wireless technology available for select compatible phones(5)
- USB connectivity available on select models
- Standard one-year OnStar Safe & Sound plan(6)
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Fisker Karma 2010
Hybrids are the rage at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Center stage then is the $80,000 Fisker Automotive plug-in hybrid set for delivery in 2009. California-based Fisker is the namesake of Danish-born Henrik Fisker, CEO and former BMW and Aston Martin designer. The Fisker Karma (pictured), can go up to 50 miles before the gas engine kicks in to charge the lithium-ion batteries. It features a 150mph top speed capable of reaching 60mph from a standstill in 5.8 seconds.
Fisker Automotive plans to produce the first 99 versions of the Karma in the same interior and exterior colors shown here at the NAIAS, and each will be numbered and signed by the CEO.
The exterior design employs a continual, sculpted flow and dramatic proportions. The hybrid configuration allowed Fisker freedom with the design, producing the long, low hood and short rear overhang. The wide, full-length center console houses the battery pack, which sits between the axles for optimal weight distribution. Body panels make extensive use of aluminum to keep vehicle weight low.
The optional full-length solar roof provides partially self-contained climate control, helping to charge the battery and provide cooling to the interior while the car is parked. Fisker also will offer optional solar panels for home installation, to generate electricity during the day to charge the car at night.
Buick LaCrosse 2010
General Motors introduced the completely redesigned 2010 Buick LaCrosse at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show on January 12. The automaker calls the luxury sedan "the next step in Buick's revitalization."
The LaCrosse's exterior design was first seen on the Buick Invicta concept at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show. It has the signature Buick waterfall grille and portholes and is, in the words of GM Global Design Vice President Ed Welburn, "instantly recognizable as a Buick."
The new LaCrosse comes in three trim levels, starting with the base CX with a new 3.0-liter direct-injection V6 engine that makes 255 horsepower and 211 pound-feet of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The top CXS model has a 3.6-liter direct-injection V6 that makes 280 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque and gets luxury items such as 18-inch or optional 19-inch chrome-plated wheels, heated and cooled perforated leather seats and a real-time active-dampening suspension.
Inside, the LaCrosse has a two-tone interior with blue ambient lighting and chrome trim with dark wood accents. Electronic features include in-dash navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and an optional rear-seat DVD entertainment system.
Safety technology includes a Side Blind Zone Alert system, an optional rearview camera and StabiliTrak traction control.
The new LaCrosse can fairly be called a global project. It was designed jointly among GM design teams in the United States and China, in partnership with the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, and chassis and body engineers in Europe.
The new Buick goes into production this summer in Kansas City, Kansas.
Mazda3 Hatchback
Mazda has officially taken the wraps off its five-door hatchback version of the redesigned Mazda3 at the Bologna Motor Show today. As you can see in the gallery of new high-res pics below, the Mazda3 five-door gets the same swoopy sheetmetal as its four-door brethren, including the super happy smiley front end face. What's new is an extended roofline that drops down at a steep angle to create a wagon-esque profile. With a D-pillar that kinks up at a swept back angle, the look is very similar to that of a Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix that's been stepped on by a giant. The new cargo capacity will no doubt be appreciated by families who can put every extra cubic foot to good use, and if the current generation Mazda3 is any indication, this will also be the basis for the Mazdaspeed model.
At the moment, all the specs for the new Mazda3 five-door hatchback are for the European market, so don't expect its new 2.2L and carryover 1.6L turbo diesel engines to be available in the U.S. Europeans will also have a choice of 1.6L and 2.0L gas engines, though we expect the U.S.-spec model to offer the same 2.0L and new 2.5L four-cylinder engines as the sedan. Check out the official press release from Mazda after the jump for more details and the high-res image gallery below for more shots of the new Mazda3 five-door hatchback.
Lincoln MKT 2010
The Lincoln MKT concept shows a new potential vehicle for Lincoln, demonstrating that the new design language works as well on a spacious luxury utility vehicle as it does luxury sedans like the newly introduced Lincoln MKS.
The flagship Lincoln MKS luxury sedan, introduced earlier this summer, has reported strong early sales. Dynamic and clean-lined, the Lincoln MKS is the first production vehicle to embrace the strong new Lincoln design DNA. New Lincoln products, including the new MKT crossover, will feature this distinctive new Lincoln design language as well as industry-leading technologies.
The Lincoln MKT crossover will join the Lincoln lineup in calendar year 2009, along with an upgraded Lincoln MKZ mid-size sedan - plus an additional version of the flagship Lincoln MKS sedan powered by an EcoBoost engine.In addition to a fuel-efficient 3.7-litre normally aspirated V-6 engine, the Lincoln MKT also will offer an EcoBoost 3.5-litre V-6 engine that will deliver an estimated 340 horsepower and 340 lb.-ft. of torque.
The Lincoln MKT will join other vehicles early in the EcoBoost engine technology rollout, including the Lincoln MKS luxury sedan and Ford Flex.
Ford Shelby Mustang GT500
The new 2010 Ford Shelby GT500 delivers the most power and refinement ever for a Ford SVT-tuned performance Mustang – and a few surprises, too.
“We’re proud of the many enhancements that were developed jointly by the Ford and Shelby Automobiles team last year that we’ve now incorporated into the new 2010 Shelby GT500,” said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby Automobiles. “Building on what we learned to create the Shelby GT500KR, this new car offers a great combination of power, handling and braking. It is truly a special car that is a great deal of fun to drive.”
The 2010 Shelby GT500 is powered by a supercharged and intercooled 5.4-liter dual overhead cam V-8 engine expected to produce 540 horsepower and 510 foot-pounds of torque. The redline is 6,250 rpm. The car’s aluminum power dome hood not only adds to the Shelby’s appearance, it helps cool the engine through a hood extractor.
The Shelby’s open-element air induction system features a conical air filter instead of a flat-panel closed system to reduce air restriction. This approach allows more air to be pumped through the engine, producing more power and increasing the engine’s efficiency. A cold-air intake feeds the coolest air possible directly into the air box, helping further increase horsepower. The intake necessitated moving the Cobra snake badge to the other side of the grille to enable maximum airflow.
Lexus HS 250h 2010
Lexus revealed the 2010 HS 250h, the first luxury dedicated hybrid vehicle, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The HS 250h will be Toyota Motor’s second hybrid-only vehicle (after the Prius) and will be Lexus’ fourth hybrid and the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its lineup. It also will be the first Lexus to utilize carbon-neutral Ecological Plastic materials in a new futuristic cockpit and interior design.
The HS 250h sedan’s expected fuel efficiency will be more than 30% better than the most fuel-efficient model currently in the Lexus lineup, while earning a SULEV emissions rating utilizing regular 87-octane gasoline. Although the EPA numbers have not been finalized, city mpg for the HS 250h should be higher than that of the smart fortwo, said Mark Templin, Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager, at the reveal. (The 2009 smart fortwo coupe has an EPA city rating of 33 mpg US.)
The 250h represents Lexus’s first use of a four-cylinder gasoline engine. The 2.4-L Atkinson-cycle engine, as part of the latest Lexus Hybrid Drive System, contributes to a combined 187 hp (39 kW) for the total system.
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