Honda has introduced its CR-Z, a hybrid sports car which is likely to reach showrooms next year, reported AUTOCAR.co.uk.

The CR-Z, which is designed to replace the CRX, would be powered by a new compact four-cylinder engine displacing less than 2.0-liters and matched to an electric motor. The combined output for the car would be approximately 140Hp, with drive sent to the front wheels via a CVT.

The CR-Z is expected to overlap with the entry-level VW Scirocco 1.4 on price, although its smaller dimensions make it more of a supermini-size three-door.

Power will come from a petrol/electric IMA hybrid powertrain. The system is derived from the Insight. But, in place of the Insight’s 87bhp, 1.3-litre petrol motor is a higher-output 1.5 i-VTEC unit.

The CR-Z concept is expected to be unveiled at the Tokyo show, and the production version will appear at the Detroit show in January 2010. Sales in Japan kick off in February 2010 and the car reaches the UK in summer 2010, reported autocar.co.uk.

By noreply@blogger.com (Kamal)

Technorati Tags: car news

It’s been in the on-deck circle for about a year–and at last, the 2011 Kia Sorento arrives in our hands as the Korean automaker lets the first dozen journalists in the U.S. free with its new crossover.

The Sorento enters production later this year at a new factory in West Point, Georgia, and goes on sale early next year. It slots between the smaller Kia Sportage and the seven-seat Borrego sport-ute.

The new 2011 Sorento is a marked change from the outgoing vehicle, which was introduced in 2002 and updated significantly in 2005. The new version, for one, isn’t built on frame rails. It’s a car-like unibody as are all the crossovers in its general size class, from the Toyota RAV4 to the Honda CR-V and Honda Pilot–and you may as well throw in the next Ford Explorer, too.

On the outside, the biggest changes come in terms of proportion. The new Sorento is longer and sits shorter than its predecessor, and the new grille is definitely more appealing than the dated facade of the outgoing model. The new Sorento, Kia says, will offer more passenger room and seats than the previous five-seat model.

For world markets, Kia is offering the new Sorento with four engines. There’s a 172-horsepower four-cylinder; a 270-hp, 3.5-liter V-6; and a smaller four-cylinder and a diesel engine. The U.S. version will likely stick with the V-6 and, perhaps, the four-cylinder. The new Sorento will offer better fuel economy than the 2010 model, Kia says. Buyers will also be able to choose between five and six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes, and front- or all-wheel drive.

Kia is also predicting five-star safety ratings in the European crash-test NCAP.

Features on the new vehicle are expected to include audio systems with MP3 and iPod connectivity; flexible third-row seating; and a navigation system with Bluetooth connectivity built in, along with a music and data hard drive.

Source: thecarconnection

By noreply@blogger.com (Kamal)

Technorati Tags: car news

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As American consumers abandon gas-guzzling SUVs for greener alternatives, they also face a new kind of sticker shock — confusing claims about the energy efficiency of electric cars heading for showrooms.

Federal fuel economy standards and household budgets have been built around relatively simple measurements of how many miles vehicles can travel per gallon of gasoline, a number that features on a sticker displayed in the windows of new cars in U.S. showrooms.

So what should those stickers show for new battery-powered cars that will draw most or all of their power from the country’s electricity grid?

General Motors Co brought urgent new attention to the issue last week when it said its upcoming Chevy Volt would get an unprecedented 230 miles per gallon in city driving.

But critics jumped on GM’s claim for the Volt as an example of brash marketing and fuzzy math.

Even electric car boosters concede there is room for confusion.

“The sticker problem has not been solved yet,” said Felix Kramer, head of California-based CalCars.org, a nonprofit advocacy group for plug-in electric vehicles.

Under current rules, Toyota Motor Corp’s hybrid Prius, has been the mass-market fuel-efficiency leader.

The Prius is rated for a combined city and highway fuel economy rating of 50 miles per gallon under standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But Toyota’s rivals, led by GM, are already making claims for a still-unreleased of would-be Prius killers, rechargeable electric vehicles they say will get the equivalent of over 100 miles per gallon under still-evolving federal standards.

Those claims hinge on assumptions about how typical drivers will behave and unfamiliar concepts for most consumers, such as kilowatt hours of electricity.

GM’s Volt is being designed to run 40 miles on battery power alone after recharging overnight. After that, a small gas-powered engine will kick in as a generator to keep its battery from running down further.

For GM, the attention generated by its striking claims about the Volt may have succeeded in moving discussion away from its recent bankruptcy filing and the financial crisis that preceded it.

The EPA said it has not yet tested the Volt and could not verify the 230 mile-per-gallon claim.

WILL IT ‘LIVE UP TO THE HYPE’?

source: reuters

By noreply@blogger.com (Big B)

Technorati Tags: car news

Honda Motor Co Ltd (7267.T) plans to develop an electric car to debut in the U.S. market by around 2015 as tighter environmental regulations push demand for zero-emission vehicles, the Nikkei newspaper said on Saturday.

Honda, Japan’s No. 2 automaker, has started developing a prototype of the car to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, the business daily reported, without citing sources.

Other automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) and Volkswagen AG (VOWG.DE) have also announced plans to launch electric cars in the next few years.

But they say it could take decades for the vehicles to spread due to their high cost, limited driving range and long charging times with the current battery technology.

Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), Japan’s third biggest automaker, unveiled its electric car “Leaf” earlier this month with plans to begin selling it in the United States, Japan and Europe towards the end of 2010.

source: reuters

By noreply@blogger.com (Big B)

Technorati Tags: car news

Audi President Elaborates on Criticism of Volt

Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, has posted a clarification of his thoughts about the Chevy Volt on Audi USA News’s Facebook page. He wrote: “Let me clearly state that in my opinion, electric vehicles will be part of the future transportation of society – but only if we go about it the right way. In fact, Audi is working on electric vehicles.”

Mr. de Nysschen does, however, still question the feasibility of the Volt as a concept. He explains, “The 50 percent or so price increase that the Volt represents over a similar gasoline car cannot be offset through the savings from reduced fuel consumption.”

He adds: “The only way to offset the extreme premium for the Volt is through taxpayer-funded subsidies. So I question if that makes economic sense.”

The original post:
“No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a Corolla. So there are not enough idiots who will buy it.”

Those were the words of Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America, who recently spoke (quite candidly) to Lawrence Ulrich in MSN Autos about the Chevrolet Volt. Early estimates for the price of the Volt are around $40,000, and Mr. de Nysschen said that he doesn’t see many people paying that much for a car that competes with small compacts, which top out at around $25,000. He called the the Chevy plug-in hybrid “a car for idiots.”

Mr. de Nysschen was clearly making a point, as Mr. Ulrich, a frequent contributor to The New York Times’ Automobiles section, goes on to explain:

De Nysschen expressed frustration with regulators and policy makers, saying the public has been hoodwinked into believing that E.V.’s are the only answer to global warming. The U.S. government, he said, is pouring billions of dollars into E.V. technology, yet diesel technology could deliver a more immediate and dramatic decrease in global-warming emissions. And the man knows of what he speaks: Modern diesels already power half of Audi’s cars in Europe and have helped Audi dominate recent runnings of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Diesels have been shown to emit 25 percent less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines, while using 25 to 35 percent less fuel.

Audi and Volkswagen have never been abashed about their push for diesel. Stefan Jacoby, the president and chief executive of the VW Group of America, has also criticized proponents of electric vehicles and hybrid technology.

At any rate, we can’t wait to hear what Bob Lutz, G.M.’s notoriously garrulous vice chairman for advertising, communications and marketing, has to say about this latest salvo from Audi.

source: whells.blogs.nytimes

By noreply@blogger.com (Big B)

Technorati Tags: car news

It seems that every small town has one or more buy here pay here car lots. While attending the University of Michigan, I was in need of some reliable transportation, so I did a search on used cars Michigan in order to help narrow my shopping list. One of the most frequently recurring listings was for these buy here pay here car lots.

Since there seemed to be so many of them, I figured, I’d hit the road and start checking out their vehicles. The selection was quite nice, and how great is it that they offer financing on site? One doesn’t even have to contact their bank, because financing is available right there.

There are a few points that car buyers really should be aware of. There are other lots out there, but if you are in a pinch the buy here pay her lots just might come in handy. They save you time and oftentimes money by giving you exactly what you want, and financing it for you too.  It’s a one stop shop type of place, taking the stress and hassle out of going from lot to lot to purchase your next used vehicle.

It was definitely a learning process and I sure found some great quality used cars in Michigan. Just be patient and check them out.

Technorati Tags: buy here pay here car lots, used cars Michigan

When I was in college, a boyfriend at the time responded to a job ad run by a car dealership.  It made the usual claims of “Make up to $X,XXX per week!”  As soon as he told me about it, I knew they were looking to fill a sales position, and that he would be paid on commission, rather than hourly.  He was skeptical, but he went to the interview anyway.

Of course, I’m sure they quickly saw that he was not cut out to be a car salesman.  They never called him back, which didn’t surprise me at all.

I’ve often thought about working at a car dealership, but at the parts counter, not in sales.  I worked in the aftermarket auto parts industry for a while, so I have some experience in selling parts, and it just seems to be that the guys who sell parts at the dealerships are treated a bit better than the parts guys at aftermarket stores.

I did enjoy working in parts sales quite a bit — it was the sexism and politics that made me quit.  Just because I was a girl (one of only two working there) meant that I was always getting stuck running the register, when what I really wanted to be doing was selling parts.  Toyota Sienna parts, classic Ford parts, whatever — I enjoyed diagnosing problems and finding what customers needed to get the job done.

It’s been nearly a decade since I worked in auto parts sales, but I still think of it often — every time I go to the Nissan dealership to get another part for my car, actually.

Technorati Tags: auto parts sales, car dealership, car salesman, Toyota Sienna parts, Toyota Tacoma parts

My wife’s birthday is coming up and I was hoping I would be able to buy her a new car but with the economy in its current condition I simply cannot afford it.  However, she deserves something really wonderful so I am planning a surprise evening for her to make up for it and express how appreciated she is to me.

A month ago I couldn’t think of anything to do for her but when I was standing in an Orlando airport car rental agency it occurred to me that I should rent the car of her dreams for her to drive.  My wife has wanted a Chrysler Sebring for many years so I was thinking of renting her a convertible for the week.  I looked on-line to see what the cost would be for a Fort Lauderdale car rental and I was surprised at how reasonable it was.  There were many Fort Lauderdale rental cars to choose from but I think I will stick with the Sebring.

Ultimately it would have been nice to be able to purchase the vehicle for her but I know my wife will be so excited to drive the car for a week anyway.  Who knows, maybe after a week she may decide she wants something else.

Technorati Tags: Fort Lauderdale car rental, Fort Lauderdale rental cars, Orlando airport car rental, planning a surprise