Automotive News

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Green, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

click above image for new pics of the 2008 Chevy Tahoe Hybrid

Finally! For months and months we’ve been hearing that the upcoming two-mode hybrid SUVs from General Motors will have better fuel economy by this or that percent. Today we learned from Automotive News exactly how much better they’ll be. The 2WD version of the Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids will achieve 21 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway, while the 4WD version will get 20 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. For comparison’s sake, the 2008 Chevy Tahoe 2WD gets 14 mpg city and 20 mpg highway from its 5.3L V8.

We had a chance to drive GM’s pair of two-mode hybrids recently, and we’re pretty amazed at just how normal they felt. Since they are true hybrids, both will pull away from stop on pure electric power, which is a bit eery at first. Mash the throttle, however, and you’ll be extremely surprised at how fast these hybrids accelerate. Their two-mode hybrid system is mated to a 6.0L V8, which, in combination with an assist from the electric motor, can really move these SUVs down the road. Together they produce 332 HP and 367 ft-lbs. of torque, which also allows for a 6,200 lbs. towing capacity!

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req’d]

Continue reading GM hybrid SUVs get 21 mpg city/22 mpg highway

 

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WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 26 – With the 2008 Presidential campaign in full swing, Ford is touting the fact that the Escape Hybrid is the “candidate’s choice” for transportation, whether at home or on the campaign trail, in ads on Capitol Hill.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Porsche

Thanks to a commenter on our previous post about the $2B class-action lawsuit being filed against automakers over the price discrepancy between cars sold in the U.S. and Canada, we learned that Porsche Cars North America is the first automaker to announce that it will be sharply reducing the prices of its vehicles sold in Canada. Overall, the price of a 2007 Porsche model compared to a 2008 will go down a full 10%, so a 2007 Cayman that cost $69,600 in Canada last year will cost $63,500 today. Unfortunately, a 2008 Cayman in the U.S. still only starts at $49,400, but at least it’s something.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America, Inc., said yesterday in a press release, “We cannot ignore our customers and dealers in Canada who can look to the U.S. and recognize a substantial price difference.” Unfortunately, this ginormous price difference still remains, as we illustrate after the jump. Porsche released a list of the new and old pricing for all of its models, but we went through the list and added the current MSRP for each vehicle in the U.S. The differences in price were so large to begin with that a 10% price drop across the board does little to reduce the disparity.

Nevertheless, Porsche does deserve props for at least acknowledging the disparity, though we aren’t sure its actions to alleviate it will stop many from crossing the border to pick up their sports car from Stuttgart.

[Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche responds to disparity in Canada by slashing 2008 prices

 

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Filed under: Coupes, Etc., Audi

Most people buy pickup trucks for one reason, and one reason alone: to carry stuff. They don’t buy pickups because they want to drive a sports car and carry a few items on the weekend. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule as evidenced by this Audi TT sports coupe, which was converted into a pickup by having its rear hatch replaced with an open flatbed.

As the images reveal, the owner of this oddity does like to use it as a genuine workhorse but, being a sports coupe, the cargo space was always going to be severely limited. The fact that there appears to be no tonneau cover also suggests that this could just be a running joke or a method for this tradesman to promote his business in a comical way. Whatever it is, it’s starting to make us sick the more we look at it. We just hope nobody else has any similar ideas.

[Source: German Car Zone]

 

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Filed under: Etc.

From the Feel Good Files: Roger Rice was born with no arms, but that hasn’t stopped him from learning to write, type, dial a phone, and raise a family. He also runs a non-profit called Look Mom, No Arms, that is working to build a center for assistive technology to benefit others like him.

Nor has his disability stopped him from wanting to drive, and it appears he’ll finally be able to do it. With the help of Reed Trickett of Trickett Honda in Madison and Beaman Automotive in Nashville, Tennessee, Roger is going to get the van, the equipment, and the training he’ll need to drive. He will steer with one foot, accelerate and brake with the other, and use his left shoulder for other controls. He should have his license within a year, after passing a range of tests. Good luck, Roger.

[Source: WKRN.com]

 

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Filed under: Videos, Supercars, Ferrari

Ferrari’s new F430 Scuderia is already being touted as one of the greatest road-going Ferraris of all time, and for good reason. Based on the current F430, the donor car undergoes a raft of changes including a substantial weight loss program and some power mods. The Scuderia also features a new traction control system that combines the E-Diff electronic differential and the F1-Trac traction and stability control in a single integrated system.

CAR Online has now compiled a collection of media materials containing almost everything you’d want to know about the latest Ferrari supercar. You will be able to read an initial drive report (the first as far as we know), check out a couple of videos of the car going around a track and then finish it off with a comprehensive video road test. There’s also a chance to win some paraphernalia including a Ferrari Lego racer, a Scuderia press kit and more.

After you’ve had your fill of the Scuderia, there’s also a detailed report on the future entry-level Dino model as well as a F430 successor. After all that you’ll definitely be seeing red.

You’ll find a video review of the new F430 Scuderia after the jump.

[Source: Car Magazine]

Continue reading CAR Online first to drive Ferrari F430 Scuderia

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Videos, Lexus

Lexus = luxury. That’s been the traditional equation, and rather sedate luxury at that. The IS is more fun, certainly, but it’s not really a monster-revving tire smoker — at least, not before it’s been fettled. (I don’t know what the means either - Ed.) It appears, though, that as Lexus works to broaden its image with true sports car credentials, a lot of tires are going to meet their ends to make the point. The video above is seventy-eight seconds of tire-smoking drift and spin, courtesy of an IS-F at Laguna Seca. If this is what the IS-F does… well, then the LF-A should be a whole lotta fun. Follow the link to see the video.

[Source: You Tube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Lexus IS-F doing things no other Lexus has done before

 

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Filed under: Euro, Alfa Romeo

Add one sexy starlet of cinema and one curvy Italian sports car, mix vigorously, and you’ve got a recipe for the hottest combo since Tango and Cash (yeah, I said it). The duo of Scarlett Johansson and the Alfa Romeo 8C have been voted the perfect car and passenger of our dreams in a poll conducted by the car show MPH ‘07 and the 4Car website. It’s a great question, one we’ve pondered among friends and for which we’ve come up with various answers, but this poll pretty much nails it for us. The winning team of actress and Alfa beat out some stiff competition to take the title, including Jessica Alba, who narrowly missed the top spot for perfect passenger with 22% of the vote to Johansson’s 23%. The Alfa, however, was a clear favorite with 30% of the vote, compared to the runner-up for perfect car, the Bugatti Veyron with only 13% of the vote.

Click after the jump to see the full list of runner ups to Ms. Johansson and Mr. 8c., as well as the list of Perfect Male Passengers.

[Source: 4car.co.uk]

Continue reading Alfa 8C + Scarlett Johansson = voters dream drive

 

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Filed under: Coupes, Economy, Japan, Subaru, Toyota

More details have come to the fore about the ongoing development of a lightweight sports car birthed from the union of Toyota and Subaru. Our friends over at 7Tune were kind enough to translate the finer points of an article in Daily Car, and the one burning question — what platform the new coupe would be derived from — has been answered.

A test mule has been spotted running around Toyota’s test track in Toyota City, built off a shortened Subaru Legacy chassis and powered by the firm’s SOHC two-liter flat-four. Although the mule’s underpinnings are currently derived from the Legacy’s (with about 200mm lopped off), it’s expected that a version of the Impreza 15S’s platform will be used instead. This gives credence to the idea that the new coupe will send power to the rear wheels, as the AWD chassis could be modified to be exclusively RWD. Currently, the test car is running the all-wheel driveline with the front drive shafts removed.

Subaru’s 108 HP 1.5-liter boxer (EL15) is likely to be used to power the new coupe, apparently due to the rear differential’s fragility and Toyota’s aim of making the coupe as fuel efficient as possible. While barely cresting the 100 HP mark won’t set the spec sheet ablaze, the fact that the vehicle will tip the scales at 1,100 kg (2,425 lbs.) should make it a competent performer in the same way as its AE86 forbearer.

If Toyota can keep the weight down (a constant challenge), while keeping the price below 2,000,000 yen, it’s rumored that we could see the coupe make its debut sometime next year, with sales beginning later in 2008.

[Source: 7Tune]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, BMW

Now that all of its siblings have been introduced over the past two years, the plain Jane BMW 3-Series sedan has slipped off for a nip/tuck rejuvenation session. Not much will change, but the car is expected to get new headlights with more prominent “angel eyes,” a higher hood, LED tail lights, and a revised interior. It will also get a wider grill, a feature from the CS Coupe that’s been finding its way on BMW concepts and redesigns.

Under that higher hood will be a new selection of engines that won’t include BMW’s start/stop technology just yet, but should up the stakes in the frugality department in terms of gas and CO2. Expect a variable twin turbo 204 bhp 4-cylinder diesel that puts out 138g of CO2 per km.

[Source: World Car Fans]

 

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