January 14, 2007
So why do Americans build bad cars? Is it because we have no taste in cars or is it because we have no originality? Jeremy Clarkson explains in the video above that Americans build bad cars because they have no aggression in their driving and they have no sense of time and competition. While some of that of what he said is true, not all facts that he stated are agree-able. Continue reading for my little thoughts and some comparison notes against major Japanese and German competitors.
I came across these pics while browsing the forums and boy, is this the scariest accident ever. Just look at where the railings were broken, the car must’ve flown through the air and landed in the direction it is in. So why exactly was this accident scary? Click below for the complete image and you’ll know why. Drive safe, kids, or you’ll end up like this and you might not be so lucky. 
Studies have shown that the average Jaguar shopper is around 65 years old, which is 5 years up from last year’s average age, which was 60. Jaguar earned the honor of having the oldest shoppers in the fourth quarter of 2006 according to a survey done by CNW Research, who conducts surveys of the automotive shoppers according to the dealership traffic. Lincoln held the position for the past three years and has now dropped third, while Mercedes-Benz finishes at second with an average age of 64.
Who has the youngest shoppers of them all? Kia, with an average age of 34.
Many reports earlier in October claimed that the TVR brand wasn’t going to go bankrupt after all. Called the “Typhoon”, the supercar is expected to be unveiled at March’s Geneva Motor Show packed with a tuned 6-cylinder 4.0-Liter engine that comes with at least 600BHP. And above you will see is the possible rendering of the Typhoon.
As reported earlier, only 60 of these limited edition Typhoons will be built and has a 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 320km/h. Surrounding the exterior are carbon-fibre body panels as well as the floor. Pricing is expected to start around �120,000 (yikes). We’ll know more information near the end of this month.
Whew, that was a tough week. I’ve been trying to get together all the wallpapers of the vehicles showcased at the Detroit Auto Show last week (aka: stress!) and I am glad to say that it is finally done in full high resolution including support for widescreen monitors. Some honorable mention vehicles include the new Cadillac CTS as well as the new Lexus IS-F. Next week’s plans? I’ll be working on those huge lists of requests people stated in the forums. 
Anyways, you can just click the image above to browse through the complete gallery. And stay tuned for more wallpapers, I’m doing my best to update them!
So the Dodge Viper SRT10 wow’ed everyone at the Detroit Auto Show just last week with its near 600 horsepower engine, it appears that the Chevy Corvette wants in on the game as well. According to sources, General Motors is planning on a Viper SRT10 rival. General Motors chairman Bob Lutz noted that it wasn’t going to let the Dodge Viper hold the title as the most powerful American sports car, yet adding that the information of future products is strictly confidential, stated in a current interview.
We can confirm this report since spy images of a Corvette test vehicle with an unique hood scoop have been caught just recently, which is a clue that Chevrolet is adding more horsepowers to its current Corvette lineup, which is currently just above 500 horsepowers. Our guess is that the new Corvette will boast at least 600 or more horsepowers, which is similar to that of the Viper SRT10.
January 7, 2007
Above is the introductory video to the unveil of the new minivans from Daimler Chrysler group, or officially known as “Bread and Butter” vehicles. My first initial impressions is that Chrysler seems to be heading the right direction while Dodge isn’t. Both of the minivans sport an appearance that looks good when in action, but somehow, it just doesn’t appeal to me when they’re static. And from the side, it looks a bit like the Mazda MPV.
Continue reading for both of the promotional videos from Daimler Chrysler.
Enjoy this promotional video of the upcoming Hyundai Veracruz crossover vehicle. Although there are no official details of the release, we believe that new information should come in within the few days of the North American Auto Show. But for now, enjoy the video of the Veracruz fully uncovered off-roading in the country scene.
The current information we have of the Veracruz is that it will be larger than the Honda Pilot and will have more cargo room than the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class. Inside, it will offer seating for 7 passengers and have an arrangement of seating positions. Under the hood, it’s equipped with a standard 3.8-Liter V6 engine and a 6-speed automatic transmission. Competitors to the Veracruz include the Honda Pilot, the Nissan Murano, Subaru B9 Tribeca, as well as the Lexus RX350.
I learned a lot about the Chevrolet Volt Concept and its advantages by watching this video, and I think you will too. Check out the video to watch the unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt concept, which is a new concept featuring GM’s latest plug-in technology and runs solely on electricity to power the wheels. The question now is if it will ever be practical in the every-day life. As said in the video, General Motors assumed that everyone only traveled a certain amount of distance to get to work everyday, however, there are still many who need the extra distance to do everyday errands.
Click the image below for the high-res gallery:
Damn, I wish I wasn’t on Pacific Time so I could be live with the coverage at NAIAS. But life isn’t always fair and unfortunately, things are 3 hours later here than in Chicago. Oh well, I will post content whenever I find any as quick as I can. But for now, enjoy the gallery I set up over at CarPhotoSite of the new ‘07 Chevrolet Volt Concept.
January 6, 2007
NOTE: You should use Internet Explorer to view the live feeds if you aren’t already doing so. Thanks for the heads up, Nat.
Watch the Red Carpet Event:
Since I won’t be on further tonight, I’ve embedded the video player for you guys to watch the GM Style Red Carpet event live beginning approximately 7:00 P.M. EST time. Some celebrities you’ll see include Carmen Electra, Jimmy Kimmel and a whole bunch more. Here, GM will present 17 vehicles so stay tuned!
Watch the GM Style event LIVE!
January 5, 2007
The production of the Smart ForTwo in Hambach, France, has got off to a successful start. The first vehicle to be produced was a Pure series which has white body panels and a black tridion safety cell. Orders for the vehicle will start at mid January and will be available at showrooms in April. The starting price for the new series will be about the same as its predecessor.
Scion announced today that it will show the tC Release Series 3.0 at the NAIAS and will hit dealer showrooms beginning in middle of February. The tC RS 3.0 will come in a frosty Blizzard Pearl white and have aerodynamic ground effects kits. The exterior features enhancements such as darkened headlights, and a custom upper grille which matches the lower grille. The package also includes clear LED taillights with a unique gray trim.
Inside, the tC RS 3.0 has black Alcantara perforated seats against a white background. The sound system begins with a Pioneer 6-inch subwoofer with 35-watts, which completes the package with the standard 160-watt Pioneer audio system.
Only 2,500 exclusive units will be built and the tC Release Series 3.0 will have a starting price tag of $2,580 over the base price, which is $16,400 for the manual transmission and $17,200 for the automatic.
Daimler Chrysler automotive group announced today that unit sales at the Mercedes-Benz division rose by 3 percent in 2006 thanks to an increased interest and demand for its luxury vehicles. Luxury vehicles such as the Maybach and Smart brands also rose in sales, which sold 1.26 million Smart cars. As well as US, sales were also increased in 2006 in various regions such as the Asia-Pacific and Europe.
However, its brother Chrysler announced on Thursday that while unit sales outside North America rised, those in the U.S. market fell by a disappointing 6.6 percent. Overall, Chrysler sales fell by 4.5 percent.
The main growth outside the North Americas for Mercedes-Benz was in China, which was up at 33 percent. Sales in Japan also rose 11 percent. However, the figures of the Smart cars were disappointing and Daimler Chrysler has announced that it will refresh the Smart brand and renew its 2-seat model with the upcoming ForTwo.
In 2006, Maybach sold about 400 limousines and with the appearance of the newly introduced Maybach 62 S, we’re bound to see more happy figures. In total since its introduction in 2002, Maybach has sold around 1,900 units.
What does this mean to you? The luxurious brands of Mercedes-Benz are doing extremely well, while its parent companies, such as Chrysler, isn’t so hot. Mercedes-Benz also reported that sales of the S-Class did extremely well in 2006, so that’s a good thing.
Honda president Takeo Fukui reported to the Japanese press today that a next generation V6 diesel engine will be used on Honda vehicles including the Ridgeline and others. First off, Honda will apply its 2.2-2.4-Liter, 4-cylinder turbo-diesel to its next generation Accord, which is set to unveil in 2009. Of course, once the Accord diesel is on sale, the Hybrid version will quietly disappear. I think you get the picture.
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