Posts for 'Cars' Category

IT HAS been said that, in the past, all a luxury car needed were plush leather seats, heaps of legroom, a mini-bar, enough wood-panelling to feed a colony of termites for the next decade and a driver named James who wore a funny uniform and drove you everywhere.

Nowadays, thanks to the lovely Japanese and German car makers out there, luxury is all of the above and more electronics than the North American Air Defence Command uses in Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. This brings us to the new BMW 750Li, the Six Million Dollar Man of the automotive world. Yes, the likes of Lexus and Mercedes have flagship vehicles that have more gadgets than the Death Star but the 750Li is the vehicle that those lovely Bavarian engineers pour all their latest gadgets into.

Depending on which variant you get, the equipment list can include. night vision, dynamic traffic avoidance, lane departure warning, a head-up display, sat-nav with topographic maps, rear-seat entertainment and audio systems, and even a refrigerator. Take the top of the line and you get all the above. Nice.

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AUTO sales in China soared 34 per cent year on year in May, with passenger car purchases growing strongly due to government stimulus measures, an industry association said Tuesday.

More than 1.1 million cars were bought last month, bringing sales in the first five months to 5.0 million, up 14.3 per cent from last year, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement on its website.

Passenger car sales 'continued to be a major growth driver of the industry' in May, rising 46.8 per cent from a year ago to 829,100 units, it said.

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General Motors announced this morning that it will build a new, fuel-efficient small car in the United States in the next few years, bucking a longtime industry trend to manufacture such vehicles overseas. Most of the small cars sold in the U.S. are built overseas, partly because.

The vehicles' prices are too low to adequately cover domestic production costs. The new plant --the location of which was not disclosed -- will produce cars that are smaller than the Chevrolet Cobalt or the Honda Civic.

United Auto Workers officials have acknowledged that "innovative" labor agreements will be necessary to build small and compact cars in the U.S.  The plant would increase the proportion of GM vehicles built in the United States, partially alleviating union complaints that GM's survival plan called for production jumps in South Korea, China and Mexico.

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Australian drivers could soon be swapping the batteries in their electric cars in the same way they swap gas bottles for their barbecues. California-based firm Better Place today held the first public demonstration of new technology that can swap over an electric car battery in less time than it takes to fill a car with petrol.

And the company plans to have a recharging network available in Australia within three years. The system operates via a conveyor belt shuttle system positioned in a pit beneath the car. Robots remove the depleted battery, the shuttle moves along to position a new battery under the car and another robot installs it. Better Place says the process takes less than a minute.

The companys Australian chief executive Evan Thornley said the company planned to roll out the technology in Israel in 2011, followed soon after by Denmark and then Australia in 2012. Mr Thornley said the technology would put to rest consumer fears about lack of range for electric vehicles.

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Tata Motors has begun taking orders for its Nano minicar. The Indian automaker on Thursday opened up its booking system for the high-profile Nano, which it has pitched as the "people's car"--a first automobile for families that, until now, have had to crowd onto a scooter. There are only approximately nine vehicles per 1,000 people in India, according to the Reuters news agency.

Bookings will close in just more than two weeks, on April 25. The company had made application forms for bookings available at the beginning of the month and said the response has been "very encouraging." Priced starting at about $2,000 for the standard version, the Tata Nano is a very modest machine. It's about 10 feet long, weighing in at about 1,300 pounds, and Tata says it can "comfortably" seat four adults.

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I have no delusions of being a superspy like James Bond. Sure, I have the swagger and the charm, and I look dashing in a tuxedo, but right now I don't have a car, let alone a car with machine guns and grill-mounted missiles to destroy my own personal villains.

But that's not to say I couldn't get one. And I don't need any snotty Q character to hand me the keys, so long as I can come up with $125,900. Sure, the weapons are fake, but that's OK; I don't have Bond's training, so I'd likely end up exploding the back out of my garage. Or shooting myself in the arm while changing the oil.

It looks like an Aston Martin, similar to the one Bond drove in "Die Another Day," but it's in fact based on a Ford Mustang. It sports a V8 on an extra wide wheelbase. This is good news: after spending more on a car than I would on a condo, I'd want to be able to fix it with cheap off-the-shelf parts.

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In this corner, the challenger, weighing 2,700 pounds, the Honda Insight. Honda is taking aim at Toyota’s hybrid crown with its new Insight, a five-passenger gasoline-electric hybrid that will get more than 40 miles per gallon.

That a shout less than the 50 mpg Toyota’s new Prius can get. But Honda’s boast is that the Insight will be far cheaper. You can get the joy of hybrid technology for under $20,000.

Well barely under $20,000. The Insight starts at $19,800 and tops out at $23,100. By comparison, the Prius starts around $23,000 and touring model can sell for more than $25,000. It’s hard to say what the hybrid premium is for an Insight. There’s no gasoline-only version. It costs about $4,000 more than a Honda Fit, but it’s a little bigger than a Fit.

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Just when car enthusiasts were weeping in their beer over the probable demise, thanks to a bunch of useless bankers, of muscle cars, comes Ford with the Shelby Mustang GT500.The latest Shelby pays closer attention to quality and interior detail, Ford said during a preview of the car ahead of its launch at the Detroit auto show next week.

This will be the fourth Shelby Mustang since its introduction in 2007. The car was first produced by Ford in collaboration with former racing driver turned designer Carroll Shelby, who fashioned the first Shelby Mustang in the 1960'sThe Shelby might be a "high-end special" but Ford's hoping its pumped-up design, including race stripes on the seats, and performance will help show off the company's commitment to performance and quality.

Ford spokesman Alan Hall said the Shelby "polishes the Ford oval" because the car gives off good vibes about the company, particularly as its image may have been tarnished in recent months as its US counterparts prepare to receive billions of dollars in loans from the US Treasury.

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Even before it arrives in 2009, Citroen’s newest MPV, the C3 Picasso, has already been named Family Car of the Year at the 2008 Top Gear Awards.

With the Top Gear Live Show having just taken place in the RDS, Dublin, this is a timely and exciting award for Citroen.

The C3 Picasso’s innovative design, versatility, and class-leading space will raise the standard in the compact MPV segment.

Bringing together the often opposing elements of modern and retro styling, round and square shapes, and compact styling with vast volumes, this award-winning new car really has a unique personality and presence all of its own.

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The last time I drove a Mazda6, it was the previous iteration. I had so much fun flirting with the roads around the Gatineau Hills that I recommended.

The car to my father-in-law, who was looking for an economical wagon that was exciting to drive.

The Mazda6 GT wagon thrilled with its tight suspension, great handling and tossability.

The interior was handsome, spacious and the whole car felt well built. It looked smart, too. There was no question what he needed: a lot of room, plenty of zoom. He bought one and has enjoyed it to this day.

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