Month: April 2010 (Page 4 of 10)

Fiat to fill in the blanks for Chrysler

April 20, 2010 /

Chrysler Chairman Sergio Marchionne will lay out the companies five year plan Wednesday which will more than double Chrysler’s annual sales from 1.3 million last year to 2.8 million by 2013. The question is “will anyone believe him”? Plans can sound good but delivering is another matter. They way I see it is that everything really hinges on how well the North American market warms to Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo products.

From the Detroit Free Press:

Chrysler’s chances of ending its sales decline and returning to profitability should become clearer Wednesday, when Fiat is to lay out a five-year business plan.

The strategy for the Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands is expected to reveal new details about the vehicles Chrysler’s North American factories will build. Also expected are details of Alfa’s return to the U.S. market, plus future product lines for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and the new Ram commercial-vehicle brand.

Read the full article here.

New Cars

Prius Minivan approved for launch in 2011

April 17, 2010 /

Word out here, is that Toyota will launch a 2011 Prius Minivan and guess what? It will be great on gas or electric or both and will probably be a solid seller for Toyota. The Prius has had it’s share of problems recently but the brand is still very strong and Toyota has plans to capitalize on that success.

From theTruthAboutCars.com:

According to Reuters, The Nikkei is reporting that Toyota has approved a “competitively priced Prius hybrid minivan” for production in 2011. The new model will be the first Prius-branded vehicle in a long-rumored campaign by Toyota to stretch the nameplate to new models (future additions to the Prius line could include a compact model, based on the FT-CH concept). Depending on the timing of its release relative to the forthcoming plug-in Prius, it could also be the first lithium-ion battery-powered Toyota hybrid. Toyota will initially produce the new batteries in-house, before migrating production to a plant run by its joint venture with Panasonic. Toyota has not yet given details about pricing, performance, or even which markets this new minivan will initially be rolled out to.

Read the full article here.

News

Porsche 911 Carrera S deserves mythical label

April 17, 2010 /

The guys over at the Detroit News are just gushing about the Porsche 911 Carrera S. Yes, This is an amazing machine and what an impression it has left on Scott Burgess. Can’t wait to drive one myself.

The Porsche 911 Carrera S is almost mythical.

Spotting one on the open road in Michigan is like trying to lasso a unicorn.

But they are out there and when you see one bolt past, you have to wonder what it’s like to drive one.

Allow me to explain: It’s better.

The 911 S is a mechanical dream, watch-like precision in a car. There’s a reason German engineering comes with such a glorified reputation and the 911 S proves this at every turn.

When I sat inside the cabin for the first time, I was in awe — it didn’t even matter that I was driving the 2009 model of the 911 S when the 2010 version with a few updates was starting to roll into dealerships. (There have been some additions to the 2010 model year, but most are minor and the 2009 is a good representation.)

Read the full article here.

Car Reviews, New Cars, News

Back to the future for Ford!

April 16, 2010 /

Back to the future for Ford and electric cars. Cool piece on the history and uncertain future of electric rides!

From the DetroitBureau.com:

Everything old is new again, goes the old refrain, and nowhere is that more true than in the auto industry. Though they may seem high-tech, primitive navigation systems first appeared in the earliest days of the 20th Century, and fuel-saving CVT transmissions date back even further.

Then there’s the electric vehicle, which has suddenly became the hot topic on this year’s auto show circuit. But if you’d been around for the first big U.S. car show, a century ago in New York, you’d have discovered there were as many battery-powered vehicles as those running on gasoline. Even Henry Ford got into the act, producing an electric flivver for his wife Clara, and asking old buddy Thomas Edison to try to come up with a longer-range battery.

Read the full article here.

Car Reviews, New Cars, News

Chevy Volt to Get 50-MPG

April 16, 2010 /

The jury is still out on the Chevy Volt but news like this will help it’s case. AutoGuide.com is reporting that once the electric charge is used up the Volt will achieve 50mpg with the gas powered engine powering the vehicle. That is very impressive and will be a big selling point for those traveling over 40+ miles per charge.

Remember all that nonsense about the Chevy Volt getting 230-mpg? Well, after the EPA denied coming up with the number and Chevy admitted there was no standardized way to compare the fuel consumption of a range-extended electric vehicle like the Volt with a conventional gasoline vehicle, the whole business died down for a while – or at least it did after Nissan claimed its fully electric Leaf gets 367 mpg.

Read the full article here.

Car Reviews, News

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