Archive for January, 2009
According to Gas2.org, Shelby SuperCars (SSC), the company behind the world’s fastest production car, has announced plans to launch an electric supercar that is four times as powerful as the Tesla Roadster later this year. According to SSC, this car should be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 208 mph.
The car will boast a range of 150-200 miles on a single charge. Moreover, SSC’s Green division has trademarked an on-board charging system called “Charge on the Run,” which enables a 10 minute full battery recharge on a 220V service.
Shelby expects to roll out its first full-scale, pre-production Ultimate Aero EV in the second quarter of 2009, with full commercial availability anticipated as early as the fourth quarter of 2009.
Check out the Saab 9X BioHybrid at NY Auto show:
January 30th, 2009
The Department of Energy has released a list of the most fuel efficient cars of 2009. With gas prices slowly raising again and the economy in a state of uncertainty, every penny saved is a good thing.
The Toyota Prius received the highest rating with 48 MPG City and 45 MPG Highway. The Honda Civic Hybrid came in second with 40 MPG City and 45 MPG Highway. On the opposite end of the spectrum the Lamborghini Murcielago received the lowest rating with 8 MPG City and 13 MPG Highway.
If you think those stats sound great, Discovery.com reports that “A British Volkswagen concept car gets 235 miles to the gallon. But that one won’t be available for a couple more years.”
If you can’t afford to wait a few years, check out this review of the Toyota Prius by cepbush106:
January 28th, 2009
Starting this week, Chrysler cars will be available to you at employee prices which are typically thousands of dollars lower than sticker prices. In addition, customers will receive discounts of up to $3,500 on 2009 vehicles and $6,000 on 2008 models. The Dodge Sprinter work van is the only vehicle specifically excluded from the program, according to Chrysler’s announcement. An additional $1,000 rebate is also available on vehicles financed through Chrysler Financial, Chrysler’s financing arm, or through a customer’s local credit union.
These latest incentives come on top of a 0% financing program Chrysler announced last Friday, just hours after the U.S. Treasury Department said it would lend Chrysler Financial $1.5 billion. The 0% offer applies to select Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles for loans of not more than four years.
Check out this review of the 2008 Chrysler Pacifica by fingerscut:
January 27th, 2009
According to Wired Magazine the future is almost here
Aptera Motors has rolled out the first pre-production model of the 2e, an all-electric three-wheeled two-seater that gets the equivalent of 200 mpg and goes 100 miles on a charge. The car’s ultralight weight of just 1,700 pounds contributes to its efficiency. Aptera says there’s enough room inside to haul around 15 bags of groceries, two sets of golf clubs or a surfboard. The interior includes a stereo, roll-down windows and solar-assisted climate control. The first models will be classed as motorcycles and available only in California, but Aptera hopes to sell it nationwide. Once the car hits mass-market, it should be relatively affordable ranging from $25,000 to $45,000 EVs on the road.
Check out reviews of other electric cars, like this review of the Conch Electric Car by travelmom1:
January 23rd, 2009
Nissan announced pricing for its 2009 370Z sports car starting at $29,930 which is about $1,500 more expensive than the 350Z it replaces. The base model comes with a 6-speed manual, while upgrading to a 7-speed automatic brings the total to $31,230.
Designed as a replacement to the 350Z, the 370Z’s styling is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Overall, the 370Z — which was developed under the code name C53D — keeps the same general shape as the current 350Z. As previously speculated, the newest Z receives a “boomerang” headlight treatment similar to the design seen on the 2009 Maxima. The headlamps will use LEDs.
There’s two options packages: the $3,000 Sport Package brings 19-inch wheels, sticky tires, front and rear spoilers, bigger brakes, the controversial SynchroRev Match system and the limited slip differential; the $1,850 Navigation Package ads satellite navigation, a 9.3 GB hard drive to store music on and an iPod interface.
The rear is also a bit stubbier, with a sharper crease along the trailing edge of the hatch. The 370Z’s rear taillights also have a fishhook design similar to those seen on the Maxima’s headlights.
Check out this review of the 2009 Nissan GT-R:
January 14th, 2009
If it survives its first test flight, the Terrafugia Transition is expected to land in showrooms in about 18 months’ time, which would make it available in 2010. It can transform itself from a two-seater car to a plane in 15 seconds and its wings fold when in car mode
Massachusetts-based Terrafugia said the vehicle can fly up to 500 miles on a single tank of unleaded gasoline at a cruising speed of 115 miles per hour. In its car mode, the Terrafugia can go up to 90 mph. The same 100-bhp engine powers the car in the air and on the ground.
Carl Dietrich, the company’s CEO, said that the target audience are general aviation pilots. He said it should be viewed as a “roadable airplane,” not a flying car.
Hopefully we will have a review of the Terrafugia Transition once it comes out, but until then check out reviews of currently available cars at Expo like this review of the 2009 BMW 328i by hmmxkrazee:
January 12th, 2009
Autonet Mobile is offering to convert your car into a hotspot.
The router sells for $499, and Chrysler offers it as dealer-installed option, but additional costs include an activation fee, and monthly subscription plans - $29 for 1GB and $59 for 5G. The connection is secured with WEP encryption, MAC address restriction or WAN port restriction. This is important since you can connect from up to 100 feet away from the router. Having mobile access to a Wi-Fi connection will allow you to use any device with Wi-Fi including your laptop, PDA, PSP or iPhone.
While I can see how this could be dangerous for drivers to surf and drive (along the lines of in car televisions) BUT I would love to have had this on long road trips, when lost in the city and or trying to figure out how to get to a location. It would also be faster than my Blackberry connection which always seems to fail me when I need it the most.
Since the search for wi-fi never stops, check out this Kensington / Wifi Finder
January 8th, 2009
Eclipse presented two new products at CES 2009, an all-in-one in-dash navigation and media unit, and docking head unit for a TomTom GPS device. The all-in-one AVN726E features navigation, Bluetooth, and multimedia playback. The AVN4430 works as a compromise between a portable nav unit and an integrated in-dash nav. A TomTom GPS easily docks with the unit, giving you navigation in the car, or you can take the TomTom out and use it in other cars. An update of the ECLIPSE AVN2210p, the AVN4430 houses a removable 4.3-inch WQVGA touchscreen TomTom GPS (which also functions as a stand-alone unit), as well as a full-featured CD / DVD / MP3 / WMA player, iPod audio and video support, iPod controls and a USB port.
Check out reviews of other navigation devices like this TomTom Navigator 6 with i-Blue 737 Bluetooth GPS by lstarnes:
January 8th, 2009
With the current state of the economy and the auto industry, Hyundai has introduced a new Assurance Program
If you find that you cannot make your payment because of a covered life changing event, we’ll allow you to return your vehicle and walk away from your loan obligation - and in most cases we will cover most, if not all of the difference.
So if you lose your job within 12 months of buying your vehicle and are current on your loan, you can make arrangements with a benefits specialist to return your car to the dealer and walk away from all financial obligations. The program is basically an insurance policy and includes up to $7,500 in protection against negative equity.
Will this start a new trend within the automobile industry? At the least, it calms one of the fears that may have prevented you from purchasing their vehicle and may influence you to buy their product over a competitors.
Check out reviews of Hyundai cars at Expo like this review of the 2009 Hyundai Genesis at the NY International Auto Show:
January 6th, 2009
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