Car

2010 Toyota Prius

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:24:41 +0000

In today’s eco-friendly marke, the Toyota Prius stands as a symbol for environmentally responsible drivers. Its unique styling is instantly recognizable and the car has consistently sold out year after year. The 2010 model year Prius will be a redesigned version of the vehicle, but don’t expect any major changes to the car. After all, considering the resounding success that the Prius already enjoys, it would be foolish to mess around with such a winning combination. The new Prius will instead boast a series of refinements aimed at quieting the few complaints that have arisen from Prius customers in the past.

Hybrid Drive
The powerhouse of the Prius has always been Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive, which features twin electric motors in addition to the gasoline-driven engine. This system will make the transition to the 2010 model without too many changes, however the electric motors will feature improved power and the gasoline engine will be increased in size from a 1.5 liter engine to a 1.6 liter. Despite the increase in the size of the engine and a resultant increase in power, the gas mileage will increase, not decrease, from the previous generation’s impressive 48 mpg city/51 highway. Considering the trend in gas prices since the Prius’ introduction, this increase in mileage will definitely be welcomed.

The Changes
The biggest change that most drivers will notice is the increase in cabin room. While the overall height of the vehicle will stay the same, the wheelbase, nose, tail, and width measurements will all increase slightly. One of these growths on its own would not result in a very noticeable change the combination of the group will make for a more spacious cabin. The interior will also be furnished with more luxury options. Most vehicles that strive towards greater fuel efficiency must make sacrifices on the interior options in order to decrease the vehicle’s weight. However, Toyota’s engineering advances since the vehicle’s inception have allowed for more luxuries without being a detriment to efficiency.

A Look to the Future
The Prius was the first highly successful hybrid vehicle, but Toyota is not the sort of company that sits on its innovative laurels. The 2010 model year Prius will feature a plug-in version of the car that seeks to augment the battery power of previous generations by allowing customers to drive in a more pure electric mode. This feature will be only be available on a very limited number of units, but if the technology proves successful, expect it to be much more widespread in future years.

2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 16:07:57 +0000

In the coming year or so, Hyundai is looking to introduce seven new vehicles into it’s sales lineup. One of these is the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, a stylish and sporty coupe that is arguably the most anticipated of the forthcoming seven models. Hyundai aims for the 2010 Genesis Coupe to compete against such luxury coupes as the Infiniti G37 while having a price tag that is quite a bit smaller.

Pick Your Power
The Genesis Coupe will be available with a choice of two engines, a turbocharged four cylinder and a 3.8 liter V6. The four cylinder engine boasts 212 horsepower and its V6 big brother pumps out a little over three hundred horsepower. The Genesis coupe is the sister car of the new Genesis sedan that will also be premiering in the 2010 model year. While the Genesis Sedan has been confirmed to have the option of a V8 engine, there has been no news yet as to whether or not the V8 engine will be an option for the Genesis Coupe in the near future.

Love That Style
The luxury coupes currently available on the market are, for the most part, are styled with a refined elegance as opposed to a more aggressive look favored by sports cars. While the Genesis Coupe certainly boasts impressive performance and handling that would not be out of place on a sports car, its body styling and design are more reminis-cent of those luxury coupes. Most models will be mounted atop 18 inch wheels that, in combination with the cars low, wide stance, will grip the road with confidence. The top of the line SE model will come equipped with 19 inch wheels. At this point, you may be thinking that by embracing many of the trends in the luxury coupe market, the Genesis will seem average and plain. Worry not, though, because the Genesis sill exhibits the styling and engineering that has made Hyundai a formidable market force.

The “Luxury” of a Luxury Coupe
A vehicle seeking to contend with other established luxury coupe models will need to offer an impressive array of features in order to attract customers. To meet this need, the Genesis Coupe comes equipped with an Infinity Audio System with iPod connectivity, XM Satellite Radio, and Bluetooth compatibility as standard features. Situated about the elegant cabin are six airbags that offer impressive safety performance. Time will tell whether Hyundai’s new offering will be welcomed in the marketplace, but if any vehicle can stand tall against such stiff competition, the 2010 Genesis Coupe is the one.

Delphi Doomed?

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:50:03 +0000

GM spinoff Delphi has been struggling to exit bankruptcy for over three years. The Wall Street Journal reports the supplier is in danger of being liquidated completely. At the heart of Delphi's problems: $14.5b in pension liability, underfunded by $3.3b. Under the terms of its spinoff, General Motors retained responsibility to fund those pensions– an agreement that has cost GM $11b in cash and writedowns. A tsunami of red ink prompted the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp to press GM to take over $1.5b of the liability next month. GM CFO Ray Young says basta! "[Delphi has] to understand there is only so much that we can do. They're going to have to do their own form of self help here." Self-help or self-destruction? If Delphi's pension fund fails, the PGBC has an $8b lien against Delphi's [profitable] foreign business, which wouldn't prevent cuts to retiree benefits. Meanwhile, the supplier's struggling U.S. plants would likely be "spun back" into GM. Delphi is, as always, committed to crafting a new reorganization plan. But if they can't pull it off, this could be the straw that breaks GM's back. To say nothing of Delphi's 159k employees.

The Wall Street Journal »

Surprise! August Sales Sucked!

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:33:12 +0000

The Detroit Free Press reports that early August sales estimates show a 14.4 percent drop in new metal moved. But don't turn off your pacemaker yet; the biggest shocker is that Detroit is bearing the overwhelming brunt of the downturn. Estimates from Edmunds show that Chrysler sales dropped 34 percent, GM slid by 27.5 percent and Ford endured a 16.3 percent drop compared to August a year ago. Toyota continues to shed sales but grow market share, slipping by half the industry average at 7.2 percent. The winners in August were Honda, which posted a 0.9 percent increase, and Nissan which defied the market to bump sales by 2.3 percent. On the whole, the market appears to be picking up slightly, with a 13.1m seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) up from 12.6m in July. With consumer confidence rising in August, the overall economy appears to be taking its Prozac, but don't expect an auto sales turnaround this year. GM's sharp losses show that even with once-popular "employee pricing" incentives, consumer demand for cars isn't what it once was.

Detroit Free Press »

Volt Birth Watch 80: One Tough Cell

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:25:03 +0000

The Detroit Free Press reports that GM has finally chosen a Volt battery supplier from its dueling development partners LG Chem and Conti. But in the interest of squeezing as many "Volt On The Way" headlines into future news cycles, it isn't saying which has been chosen. Both the battery partner and the final look of the production Volt will be previewed by the end of the year, probably whenever some bad news emerges that GM wants the public to ignore. In the meantime, this news means one thing, according to GM auto authoritarian Bob Lutz: "the Volt is real … and test work is progressing nicely." Perhaps not as nicely as Toyota's plug-in Prius though, which just had its delivery date bumped from 2010 to 2009. And with the 'yota PHEV set to arrive a year before the Volt's "late 2010" target, Lutz makes the case for waiting for the Volt to the AP. Toyota hasn't released an all-electric range for the Prius, but Lutz is assuming that because it's a parallel hybrid it won't match the Volt's 40 mile EV range. "After eight or 11 miles (Toyota's PHEV) reverts to being a completely normal gasoline-electric hybrid, which means you get about a 25-30 percent fuel savings, but the point is they do burn fuel." Lutz goes on: "A plug-in hybrid with a limited range is a very nice thing to have. It's wonderful that Toyota is working on this. If they have some test fleets out next year that's great. But it's not the same thing as a Chevy Volt, which is not a plug-in hybrid." Translation: it will cost more than the Prius, but you'll get more green cred. But don't take Bob's word for it. A full (theoretical) comparison test of the Volt and Plug-in Prius can be found here.

Detroit Free Press »

Volt Birth Watch 79: Production Volt Spied on Transformers Set

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 04:14:40 +0000

Well, here it is, courtesy of LeftLane News. Maybe. The Chevy electric - gas plug-in hybrid sure doesn't look like the show car that GM's been advertising (as if you could go down and buy one). On the other hand, the Volt shown here isn't a Malibu-a-like, which is a good thing. (Unless you ascribe to Ye Olde German "Different Length of Sausages" School of Model Design.) On the other other hand, the Volt pictured lacks the Toyota Prius' instantly identifiable "quirkiness" and attendant green cred. In fact, in this guise, the Volt's front end shares more than a little gestalt with the current Ford Fusion. So, over to you, our Best and Brightest.

(Read the full post about ‘Volt Birth Watch 79: Production Volt Spied on Transformers Set’…)

Ethanol May be Harmful to Your Lawnmower

car — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 03:58:59 +0000

OK, so this isn't specifically about cars, but it could have ramifications for anyone who uses gasoline. Cars.com reports small-engine mechanics around the country are reporting an increase in damage in boat, lawnmower, chainsaw and other small engines. The culprit? They're saying it's the ethanol blended into gasoline. Apparantly it creates a gummy substance that "clogs valves and causes small metal parts to rust, destroying carburetors and other crucial components". The bad thing is, even if you drain the tank, this residue remains behind and does its damage. The same thing happens in our cars, but they're designed to handle "a certain amount of the residue that causes so much trouble in smaller motors." No one's done any studies to substantiate these allegations, but "a growing chorus of mechanics" say it's so. [Thanks to ppellico for the link]

Cars.com »

Captain James “Slow” May, Datsun Owner

car — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:15:10 +0000

Aaaand we’re back, thanks to a new hard drive. We’re still trying to assess the data loss but it’s likely everything since the last backup was destroyed, based on the drive’s horrible scratching noise, which sounded like a school of piranhas chewing on a blackboard. Anyway, onto more nostalgic car news.

In his most recent column for The Telegraph in response to the 100 Ugliest Cars, Top Gear host James May reveals that he has just purchased a Datsun 120Y. You may know it as the B210 or Sunny, but we just call it brilliant! Here’s a guy that is among the most famous petrolheads in the world, a presenter on the number one car show in the world, and a bloke that can clearly afford any car in the world - as evidenced by the Rolls Royces and Bentleys in his stable - and he buys an old Datsun. We wonder if it’s that gorgeous black-on-lime green specimen that was on set in the GT-R episode and on track as it schooled Britain’s finest at the hands of the Stig.

When you think about it though, May is probably the only Top Gear man who would buy a Datsun. Who else would fit the bill, Lambo-owning power-sliding Clarkson? Porsche-loving metrosexual Hammond? Not bloody likely. On the other hand, May’s nickname is Captain Slow, so maybe this isn’t an entirely good thing for our cause. Regardless, May is our new favorite Top Gear presenter. Clarkson can go suck on a Peel P50.

[The Telegraph]

Driving the Challenger is a Challenge

car — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:43:32 +0000

If I had a shotgun, I would be in jail right now. Since Chrysler LLC refuses to acknowledge TTAC's existence and won't give us access to their press cars (unlike Audi, Bentley, Aston Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and a lot of others), we have to bug dealers for test drives. Seeing dealerships in the greater Oklahoma City Metro area receiving Dodge Challenger SE's (the V6 4-speed auto-only versions), I went a-hunting. Fowler Dodge: "you cannot drive a Challenger until you sign the paperwork to buy one, even the $25,000 model, because people want NO miles on them, as they are collectors items." David Stanley Dodge possessed no less than six Challenger SEs. They flat-out refused a test drive, demanding a sizeable deposit for the "collectible model." Mark Heitz Dodge scoffed and refused to even open up the their car. Bob Moore Dodge in Edmond roped theirs off (I'm pretty sure I saw an SRT8 in an inflatable bubble). ALL of the Challengers I encountered had at least a $5K markup on the windshield (some disguised as a "chrome" package). Meanwhile, the base $25k model is already finding its way into the rental fleets (check out your local Thrifty– they might have one already). The behavior of dealers like these is a big reason Chrysler finds itself in such trouble. Time after time, they insult the customer with ridiculous markups, patronizing sales tactics and flat-out deceit. Jackie Cooper BMW will let you take out a $75,000 BMW M3, Mercedes of Oklahoma threw me the keys to an SL55 and Porsche of Edmond called me to tell me about their new Boxster S. Dodge dealers, I hate to break it to you, but your $25,000 Challenger SE, while good-looking IS NOT THAT SPECIAL. It's a $25k Mustang competitor. Let as many people as you can drive them, price them right and maybe, just maybe, you won't have them stacking up on your lots in three months.

Bailout Watch 13: One Bailout to Unite Them All

car — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 08:32:14 +0000

Say what you want about Detroit, it still has some class. The media may already be counting the bailout billions, but the once-big three will be waiting until after Labor Day to visit Washington, hat in hand. Per Emily Post's corporate welfare etiquette, natch. The Wall Street Journal also reports that the Detroit three will speak with a single voice during upcoming meetings with federal loan officers. As in no screwing over Chrysler for a better deal. Of course that means the projected $50b will have to be split three ways. And then there's that damn CAFE ramp-up to worry about. In fact, Detroit insiders are already saying that 2011 compliance alone could take up the whole $50b. Why, it's almost as if Detroit might need even more money! But with political season in full swing and the economy emerging as a major issue, Detroit knows it has only to ask. Posturing representatives will hand out loans for the electoral feel-good, and before you know it there'll be a Volt in every pot. And billions of dollars in taxpayer liability for three spectacularly failing enterprises.

The Wall Street Journal »