Auto News
Riding the 2009 Toyota Venza in Southwestern PA
Southwestern Pennsylvania was the absolute place to be for the launch of the 2009 Toyota Venza. Car journalists have joined the event and give you a glimpse of how this new and coming Toyota performs:
The 2009 Toyota Venza is a product of the mixture of the sport utility vehicle’s attitude and the passenger car’s convenience. Although Toyota’s latest vehicle can be reminiscent of a station wagon, the car rides low in real time. Car enthusiasts also believe that when subjected to the right car pimping, the Venza would definitely be the anti-SUV.
Small is In for Ford
Ford disclosed that it will push through with its plans of conquering the North American market with its line of small cars.
Trucks and pick-ups have lost their grounds when fuel prices increased. The priced of petrol has gone down but industry figures reveal the vehicles, like the F-150, are still on a downward trend. September sales figures disclose that pick-up sales are 26.7% lower.
The lower fuel prices may mean better chances for Ford’s F150 and other big vehicles to be launched by next year. Ford is anticipating though the entry of small European cars by next year which will play a big role in painting the picture.
Ford aims to have small to medium sized cars complement their big ones to remain competitive in the future.
2010 Chevrolet Optra Spied/Illustration
Here! one of the 2 most clear photos that have been sensationalized in the Internet. It is said that this car, called the Chevrolet Cruze will replace the Chevrolet Cobalt in other countries and will replace the Optra in India. Because of its looks i had my eyes opened wide! The car was so delicious to gobble it down. The car will hit the European market in the year 2009, er.. i.e, next year.
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Ford Ka Unveiled - Fords small car
Well, here it is. Ford has officially revealed its all new Ka. Ford will debut the small car in the Paris Motor Show in October. This car is like a mini version of the Fiesta hatch. Is this the car that is told to be Fords small car for India? Lets find out!
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VW Mk6 Golf GTi
VW hit the panic button when the sales of its flagship model Golf hit an all time low. So VW unveiled the new Mk6 Golf and now we have the GTi version. It will debut at the Paris Motor Show. The latest Volkswagen Golf GTI, uses the reskinned Golf’s wide, shallow upper grille to underpin the front of the hot hatch with a dominant, road-eating lower grille.
Nano becomes a Fiat???
Tata is considering launching the Nano to the global market under the Fiat badge. Reasoning behind this is that Tata and Fiat already work together to distribute commercial trucks outside India and Tata believes the the Fiat badge might have more appeal to potential buyers from the Western market. It will initaially be launched with a 33bhp petrol engine but will eventually be followed by a 800cc twin-cylinder turbodiesel developed in Germany.
2009 Porsche 911 Targa
Porsche has recently revealed their Targa version of the 911. Its techno upgrades as the rest of the 911’s include direct injection engines and PDK double clutch gearbox. It will be made available with a 3.6litre flat-six engine (Targa 4) with a max output of 345bhp and a top speed of 176mph and a 3.8litre (Targa 4S) with a max output of 385bhp reaching a top speed of 184mph.
The exterior of this glass roofed 911 includes LED daytime running lights, LED taillights and smaller fog lights. The focal point of this Porsche’s interior is the new Porsche Communication Management 3.0 (PCM 3.0) touch-screen which provides easy operation of the audio system as well as the HDD navigation system (optional). Other functions of PCM 3.0 include Blue-tooth connectivity, IPOD port, USB port, satellite radio and XM NavTraffic capability.
The 911 Targa goes on sale in the UK and USA this October.
2010 Porsche Cayman - Rendered Speculation Leaked
Hey there petrol-fueled-heart people. Did you hear that Porsche is planning to hit us in the near future with a new Cayman and a new Boxter S? If you didn’t, here’s the news.
We all knew Porsche was up to something, but we didn’t know what exactly. Apparently the new Cayman and Boxter will get direct injection, the new seven speed PDK transmission for faster shifts than the conventional six-speed manual box and a limited slip differential. Now stop your WOWs because there’s more. Because of all these, the Cayman is getting a 25 hp boost up to 320 hp and a 273 lb-ft torque.The other models won’t get direct injection, but something else. A displacement bump from 2.7- to 2.9-liters and a corresponding jump to 265 hp. The Boxster and Boxster S each will come with 10 fewer horsies under the hood, than the Cayman.
There’s also a Sport Chrono package included, that will be available along with Launch Control.
Seems like a good change under the hood, but do you have anything for us on the outside? Guess not now!
Audi A8, W12 Quattro, 2008
A friend of mine who writes car reviews found himself in a game of oneupmanship with a friend of his. My friend was given a Jaguar Super V8, 2008 to review. His friend drove an Audi A8, W12 Quattro, 2008.
The Audi won if for no other reason than the base sticker price. The Jag goes for $95,000. The Audi has a sticker price $140,000!!! Of course, that price includes
$6,300 for the Bang & Olufsen sound system
$3,200 for the 20-inch alloy wheels and summer performance tires
$2,500 for the Palace Blue exterior paint
$2,100 for the adaptive cruise control
$1,500 for the rear-seat refrigerator
$790 for solar sunroof
$200 for heated steering wheel
$1,700 for gas-guzzler tax
My friend, Bill, tells the story of when he was in China. He was being driven in a Red Flag Chinese car on a road with no speed limit. The speedometer was tick-tick-ticking to the far right at about 220kph. Thinking to himself that he was going to die if the driver lost control he looked out the window to keep himself distracted. Suddenly, an Audi went flying by. Perhaps it was a predecessor to this 6.0 liter, 12-valve, 450 horsepower 2008 Quattro.
Oh, to own an Audi.
Pontiac G8, 2008
It seems that Pontiac hasn’t rolled out a full-size, rear-wheel drive sedan in more than 20 years. Twenty-two years to be exact. Enter the Pontiac G8. (This is not to be confused with the G8 Summit happening in Toyako.) The G8 will replace the Bonneville and the Grand Prix as well as the V8-powered GTO coupe. One trim has a 256 horsepower V6 engine, standard with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The other trim has 361 horsepower V8 and 6-speed automatic. Can you say 60mph in 5 secs?
Airbags, 6 of them, traction control, stability control, dual tailpipes 18″ alloy wheels, sports body kit….ah, and a 7-speaker audio system. The driver can’t hear the Vrroooom of the engine over the beautiful tunes. Pontiac says this car is the most powerful car in the U.S. available for less than $30K. Test driver James Raia at TheWeeklyDriver says the car’s shortcomings are no navigation system and finding the emergency brake. Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36K, drivetrain warranty, 5 years/100K, and corrosion 6 years/100K. Pontiac obviously thinks this car will look good while it lasts a long time.