Car Review : Volvo Readies 52-MPG C30 "Efficiency" Model

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Volvo on Monday said it will introduce a green C30 "Efficiency" model powered by a 104-horsepower 1.6-liter turbodiesel at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. However, the company's U.S. spokesman said there are no plans to sell the vehicle in the U.S. "at this point."

Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston said: "We will not be doing anything unless this engine platform can work in all 50 states. The rest of the world gets this before our market."

Johnston said the most promising "potential" markets for the C30 Efficiency would likely be in such states as New York and California.

The C30 Efficiency gets a reduced chassis height, a new rear roof spoiler, new rear bumper, underbody panels, "optimized" engine cooling and 16-inch wheels. The gearbox has also been revised, Volvo said. The changes squeeze out slightly better fuel economy. The C30 Efficiency gets a combined 52 mpg, while the current Volvo C30 1.6D gets a combined 50 mpg. The C30 Efficiency has reduced C02 emissions "to below 120 g/km" (193 grams per mile); the current Volvo C30 emits 129 g/km of C02.

Volvo's home office said that, in addition to rolling out the C30 Efficiency, it will also show off a new diesel Powershift transmission for the Volvo C30, S40 and V50 at Frankfurt. The Powershift gearbox is made up of two clutches that work in parallel. The automaker said this setup results in no disruption in torque delivery during the gear shifting process, thus "delivering improved fuel consumption compared with a standard automatic gearbox."

Volvo explained that the two latest green efforts help to round out its green slate, which includes biofuels and hybrid technology. "Volvo is also making energy-efficiency improvements to conventional drivetrains," the company said in a statement.

Volvo also said it will "reveal future hybrid plans and new safety technologies" at Frankfurt, too. It did not give any details, however.

New car review : 2008 Honda Accord

Automotive News

Honda has pulled the covers off its redesigned 2008 Accord sedan and coupe, with few surprises under the sheets.

In addition to the new sheet metal, the eighth-generation Accord gets a larger, more powerful SOHC 3.5-liter iVTEC V6 that makes 268 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque. It can be mated with a five-speed automatic transmission or, on the Accord coupe only, a six-speed manual gearbox.

On the Accord sedan, the V6 features a new variable cylinder management system that permits the engine to run on three, four or six cylinders. EPA city/highway mileage is an impressive 19/29 mpg. EPA mileage on the coupe is 16/25 mpg.

Honda also offers a choice of two iVTEC 2.4-liter four-cylinder engines, rated at 177 hp and 190 hp, respectively. The more powerful engine features a high-flow exhaust system and a reprogrammed engine control module. Both DOHC engines return EPA mileage ratings of 21/31 mpg. Transmissions include five-speed manual and automatic boxes.

There is no Accord Hybrid for model-year 2008.

The automaker says the new Accord sedan has more interior space than a Ford Fusion or Toyota Camry, and has moved up a size into the EPA Large category.

The 2008 Accord goes on sale officially on September 12. Prices will be announced closer to that date.

New Car Review : 2009 Kia Soul

Automotive News

Kia announced at the 2007 New York Auto Show its intention to produce the Soul concept car, a vehicle expected to compete against the Scion xB. Spy photographers are now offering an early look at the production Soul.

With its distinctive styling, the Soul is expected to appeal to younger buyers with a muscular look on the outside and a high-end audio system on the inside. Powering the Soul will be a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift capability.

The 2009 Kia Soul will enter showrooms in late 2008.

Dodge Announces Pricing on 2008 Caliber SRT4

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Dodge has announced that its 2008 Caliber SRT4, the first production Caliber to get the Street and Racing Technology treatment, will start at $22,995, including a $560 destination charge. That positions it slightly lower in price than the 2008 VW GTI 2.0T, which starts at $23,370, including a $640 destination charge.

A fully loaded Caliber SRT4 is priced north of $25,000, if you add such goodies as a $1,190 Kicker/SRT Livin' Loud audio system, a $795 power sunroof and $400 19-inch polished aluminum SRT wheels. Another key option is bound to be the Reconfigurable Display, which features "performance pages" that show lateral and longitudinal G-force, 1/8-mile and 1/4-mile acceleration time and speed, 0-60-mph time and braking distance.

The Caliber SRT4 is powered by a 2.4-liter DOHC inline-4 that churns out 285 horses and 265 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a Getrag six-speed manual transmission. The Caliber SRT4's suspension is lowered by 28mm in the front and 22mm in the rear.

Standard features include a unique hood with functional air scoop, four-wheel antilock brakes with vented front brake rotors, stability control, air-conditioning, a 12-volt power outlet and a center-mounted tachometer. The cabin gets sport seating with "performance bolsters."

The exterior palette includes brilliant black, sunburst orange, bright silver and inferno red. There's no word yet on the on-sale date.

Question of Warranty: 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R, Second Buyer Beware

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It's one of the most sought-after cars in the world, and it hasn't even gone into production yet. The 2009 Nissan Skyline GT-R already has a lengthy waiting list, but if the lucky first-round buyers are intending to buy and sell quickly for a profit, they might want to think twice.

According to Jan Thompson, Nissan's vice president of marketing, in an effort to prevent buyers from selling their dealer-purchased Skyline GT-R immediately for a profit, Nissan is considering voiding the Skyline's warranty for the second buyer if the transaction takes place less than one year after the initial purchase.

"That's the route we're looking at," said Scott Vazin, Nissan's director of product public relations. "A warranty decision will be made before the Tokyo auto show."

Voiding the warranty for the second owner is one way for the Japanese automaker to keep the GT-R's price down near the expected $70,000 MSRP.

The near 450-horsepower Skyline GT-R makes its official debut at the upcoming 2007 Tokyo Auto Show. Also, after much internal debate, Nissan has confirmed that the car will be presented in silver, and not the alternate choice of red.

New Car Review : Frankfurt Preview: Kia Proceeds With Three-Door Pro-cee'd

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The third body style of the Slovakian-built Kia cee'd will make its debut at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The three-door Pro-cee'd will be longer, lower and sportier than its five-door sibling.

Though Kia's Slovakian production plant was officially inaugurated in April, it has been producing the cee'd hatchback since December 2006. Demand is sky-high for the subcompact hatch, so it is no wonder that its wagon version was launched earlier than originally planned. Now the three-door version will fill out the lineup.

The production version kept much of the styling of the concept, which was shown last year at the 2006 Paris Auto Show. It looks more dynamic than the five-door cee'd, courtesy of a 30mm-lower height and a slightly extended length. The nose gets an added 10mm, and there are other new touches such as a new grille, altered headlights, wider bumpers and larger foglights.

The engine lineup will match that of other cee'd family members, so choices will include five Euro-4 compliant engines, two common-rail diesels and three four-cylinder gas units with power output ranging from 90 to 143 horsepower. Both manual and automatic gearboxes will be offered.

To mark the sportiness of the car, there'll be an optional Sports Pack with 17-inch alloys, stiffer springs and an enhanced interior including alloy pedals, tire-track pattern fabric upholstery and stainless steel scuff plates.

New car review : Peugeot 308SW Prologue

Automotive News

The 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show will be the coming-out party for Peugeot's extended 308 family, including the sexy 308RCZ and a wagon concept called the 308SW Prologue.

Although billed as a concept, the SW Prologue looks pretty close to the actual production model that is slated to go on sale across Europe in spring 2008.

Engines are expected to include normally aspirated and turbocharged gas and diesel four-cylinder units, ranging from 110 to 150 horsepower.

Automotive News : Nissan Rolls Out Fuel-Efficiency Gauge To Boost "Eco Driving"

Automotive News

As part of its ongoing effort to get drivers to think green behind the wheel, Nissan on Tuesday said it is rolling out a fuel-efficiency gauge as a standard feature on such current models as the Altima and Infiniti G35 in the U.S. The company predicts it could "lead to an average 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency."

The device eventually will be featured on all future new models, the company said.

The gauge gives instant fuel-efficiency and average efficiency readings. "By accelerating, the driver would instantly see an increase in fuel consumption reflected on the gauge," the company said in a statement. "Based on Nissan's trials, drivers have tended to improve their eco-driving habits over time, prompted by the real-time fuel-efficiency readings."

The device will also be installed on current models of the Nissan Skyline, Lafesta and Atlas in Japan. Of course, Nissan warns that results "may vary based on individual driving style."

New Car Review : Lamborghini Supercar Coming

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The Internet chat forums are buzzing with news about a $1.6 million Lamborghini flagship reportedly going on display next month at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. Underscoring the high-octane occasion will be its unveiling by German supermodel Nadine Gerhardt.

Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann showed a scale model and a video to selected dealers and VIP customers at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance last weekend. Details are sketchy, but word is that the car's styling was inspired by Lockheed Martin's latest F22 Raptor fighter jet, including its gray paint job and fancy instrument panel.

Several reports claim that only 20 will be built and all of them have already been sold. Potential buyers reportedly handed over $300,000 deposits for the privilege.

Lamborghini is on a roll: It sold 1,239 cars during the first six months of 2007, an increase of more than 30 percent compared with the same period last year. The Italian company is also hugely profitable, making its owner, Volkswagen, fairly happy.

Car Review : Opel Corsa Hybrid Concept

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Green is looking like gold for Opel at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show. The GM brand said on Wednesday it will showcase the world premiere of the Opel Corsa Hybrid concept there in September, along with the Opel Vectra Flexpower. Both vehicles "show potential" for presumably seeing the light of day as production vehicles, Opel said.

The Corsa Hybrid uses the 75-horsepower Corsa 1.3 CDTI and GM's next-generation belt-alternator starter technology, which makes its debut on the concept. It also uses a lithium-ion battery. Opel says the concept "requires just 3.75 liters of diesel per 100 km and emits only 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer."


The Opel Vectra Flexpower with a 2.0-liter turbo engine is designed to use a bioethanol/gas mix. The Vectra Flexpower's 2.0t engine makes 175 hp and 195 pound-feet of torque at 2,500 rpm.

Opel said its ecoFlex lineup in Frankfurt will get special design touches, such as "green spirit" exterior paint. The cabins will be outfitted with green stitching on the leather steering wheel and other spots, just to drive the green point home further

Automotive News : Another X Prize Entrant

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Canadian George Parker, a self-described inventor, has toned down a few of his claims since first issuing a press release in March 2006 on a vehicle he called the CV-3000.

The original plan was to build a limited run of the tandem-seated three-wheelers and sell them for $47,500 to $97,500, with the first deliveries slated to begin in the summer of 2006.

According to that early press release, the CV-3000 would be powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter engine fitted with the company's "gasoline fuel vapor fuel management system." The engine would be mated to a continuously variable transmission, offer 180 horsepower and would zip from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, with projected fuel economy of 100-150 mpg.

Too good to be true? Apparently.

Rechristened the Alé (pronounced uh-LAY) for its public debut at last fall's SEMA show, the fiberglass-bodied trike was fitted with a Honda engine, and the original heady projections were scaled back to zero to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds and 92 mpg with a more conventional five-speed manual gearbox. Top speed is electronically limited to 140 mph.

The hype continues, however, from Parker's Fuel Vapor Technologies, which in its latest release says it is looking for investors to help put the vehicle into production.

The configuration, although unusual, looks deceptively simple. The two front wheels drive and steer the vehicle. The secret, according to the company, is the fuel management system, a "patent-pending process [that] allows the engine to run on 'fuel vapors' rather than liquid fuel."

Fuel Vapor Technologies says it still intends to enter the Alé in the Automotive X Prize competition for world's most efficient production vehicle. There's only one catch: The Alé is still not in production, which Parker now hopes to commence in 2008.

Automotive News : Lamborghini Thieves Foiled

Automotive News

he LoJack Corporation sent out details of a late-July theft of a Lamborghini Gallardo in Italy by burglars who "used sleeping gas to subdue the victim." The thieves — whom LoJack describes as two Albanians — broke into a vacation home on the Eastern Coast of Italy, knocked out the victim with the gas, and then stole the keys to the Lambo. "Through the LoJack System, Italian police located the vehicle en route on a highway leading from Rome to Naples," the company said in a statement. "Italian State Patrol vehicles seized the vehicle and arrested two thieves, who were from Albania."

The vehicle had been purchased in France, the company said. LoJack used the episode to illustrate its capability to work across the borders of countries, including its European network, as well as a recent U.S./Mexico agreement. The company called its efforts "fighting crime on a global scale." LoJack uses radio frequency technology to help track vehicles.

Car Review : 2008 Volvo S40/V50

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Volvo's entry level S40 sedan has led the last two full-line Volvo makeovers, each of which has met with critical acclaim. Despite the fact that the S40 and its V50 wagon sibling were last redesigned in late 2003 and are both still looking great, like vain Hollywood 30-somethings they've gone under the knife for a nip-tuck anyway. It's nothing overly serious, just a retool of the soft parts on either end, but the result is striking and serves to heighten the resemblance of the S40 to the new flagship S80, and the V50 to its V70 sibling, which is thoroughly renewed for 2008.

Specifically, the S40's face gets new headlamps, a deeper-set chrome-ringed grille with a larger Volvo emblem, and a single lower air intake spanning the width of the chin. The V40 retains its three lower air intakes to emphasize a strong vertical element and gets a prominent black egg-crate grille like the V70's in front. New taillamps and a fascia with new exhaust outlets freshen the rear of both models. An R-design sport-appearance package will become available soon on both the S40 and V50 (also the C70), consisting of lowered front and rear spoilers and side sills, a modest rear wing, and more.

Both models' interiors are freshened to offer more storage space in the doors and the center console, which now includes two cubbies thanks to a new, more space-efficient handbrake design. The trademark slim, freestanding center stack that holds the radio and climate controls can now be finished in Scandinavian oak plywood, to resemble a bent-wood chair (the veneer face is oak, the plywood plies are a resin material-they can't actually bend plywood that thick and use it for a dash, as it would splinter in an accident).

Speaking of safety, the BLindspot Information System (BLIS) is a new stand-alone option ($695), tire-pressure monitoring is standard, and the hazard lights are now programmed to come on automatically in any accident that triggers the airbags. Self-steering bi-Xenon headlamps are new options for the top T5 models ($800).
The range-topping turbocharged T5 variants of each get nine more horsepower, for a total of 227, and that's about all that changes under the skin. We took a test drive in the new S40 T5, and we have to say that the four percent boost in power is less easy to feel through the seat of the pants than is the torque steer through the wheel rim-at least on our front-drive tester. It's not at all unruly-one needn't establish a death grip on the wheel before lowering the hammer, but the effort goes unnaturally light at launch and when the Geartronic transmission upshifts to second under full throttle, especially when the car isn't heading straight ahead. It's a subtle reminder that this entry-luxmobile shares DNA with the Ford Focus and Mazda3 compacts.

The S40 and V50 may not sell themselves to enthusiast drivers based solely on the way they carve corners and dust the quarter mile; but neither should their dynamics deter the hip, IKEA-loyal, young prospective buyers lured by their now even better-looking exterior styling and unmistakably Scandinavian interiors.

Car wallpaper : Volvo S60 R

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Car wallpaper : Volvo S60 R

Car Wallpaper : Volvo XC90 PUV Concept

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Car Wallpaper : Volvo XC90 PUV Concept

Car Wallpaper : Volvo V50 SC Concept 2005

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Car Wallpaper : Volvo V50 SC Concept 2005

Car Wallpaper : Volvo S40 Evolve

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Car Wallpaper : Volvo S40 Evolve

Car Wallpaper : Volvo C30

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Car Wallpaper : Volvo C30

Car Preview : 2008 Ford Taurus

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Ford’s first Five Hundred attempt misjudged the marketplace by assuming that advanced transmissions, unique seating and available all-wheel-drive would trump the desire for raw engine power and sophisticated, cutting-edge styling. Making just 203 horses, the old engine always felt as if it was catching up via the expansive transmission ratios. The addition of 57 horsepower under the hood of the 2008 Ford Taurus will be a welcome improvement, as will the new sheetmetal and styling characteristics along with standard side and curtain rollover airbags. With a 5-star safety Gold Award from IIHS, the Taurus now looks and acts the part as a Ford flagship sedan.

The 2008 Ford Taurus is very significant to Ford’s current and future success. Every new Ford product is essential to its North American “Way Forward” turnaround plan. During the heyday of the original Taurus, Ford had the best-selling family sedan in the United States. But Japanese competition marginalized the Taurus, which ceased production in the fall of 2006. It is the job of this new version, along with the smaller Fusion, to regain the sales volumes of the once-iconic Taurus.

An improved powertrain motivates the 2008 Ford Taurus. Its new 3.5-liter Duratec V6 engine yields 260 horsepower, a substantial improvement compared with the previous 3.0-liter V6’s output of 203 hp. A new six-speed automatic transmission has been tailored for efficiency, and the Taurus achieves a Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) rating in states that follow California’s strict emissions guidelines, the first V6 to earn the PZEV rating. The CVT has been dropped. Ford has also revised the Taurus's front shock towers, allowing for 10 mm more travel. New front springs and dampers combine with an upgraded rear suspension for a more luxurious ride. Fuel Efficient Power Steering (FEPS) varies power steering boost, maximizing effectiveness and economy.

The new 2008 Ford Taurus reflects updated styling sensibilities seen – and celebrated – in the smaller Ford Fusion. The Taurus receives entirely new sheetmetal from the windshield forward. The highlight is Ford’s three-bar chrome grille that aligns with new headlights that define the front fascia’s crisp and modern appearance. New smaller and lower-mounted side mirrors improve visibility while reducing wind noise. Revised rear styling includes new, attractive taillights. Inside, a new 2-tier clamshell console brings creative stowage. Limited models are accented in chrome throughout, including on the door handles, side vents and license plate décor strip.

A tall, “Command Seating” stance makes entry and egress on the 2008 Ford Taurus SUV-like and also aids down-the-road visibility. Inside, the front passenger seat folds flat and the rear seats split 60/40 for creative stowage solutions of items up to 9 ft. long or just gobs of gear. Ford says the Taurus has best-in-class front and rear leg room, and noise levels in the spacious interior are reduced 5 percent, easing conversation and adding relaxation to the drive. The new, two-tier center console has hide-away storage in the lower compartment. A new steering wheel design moves the front airbag further away from the driver to help reduce unnecessary injury.

Ford says the 2008 Ford Taurus blends the Five Hundred's existing positive traits with improvements in the areas where it was most needed. Ford boasts that it still has the most expansive interior in its class, with impressive front and rear leg room and standard safety features, a 60/40 folding rear seat and a fold-flat front seat. “(Taurus) has a strong reputation for safety, quality and comfort,” said Cisco Codina, group vice president of North American Marketing, Sales and Service. “With a more distinct look, new features and a completely new powertrain, the (Taurus) will be even more appealing.”

Car News : Leaked! Citroen C-Airscape Concept bound

Automotive News

Rumblings that Citroen would be unveiling a new cabrio concept at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show have been confirmed after a series of images leaked out from a Citroen-specific forum. The pictures of the C-Airscape look authentic enough, with a highly stylized front clip, expansive windshield and what we're assuming is a soft-top tucked beneath a toneau cover. We're particularly partial to the swage-line that incorporates the door handles into one elongated piece of chrome.

The cabrio version will likely foretell the future of the C5 sedan, which is expected to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.