The totally redesigned Chevy Malibu will start at $19,995. The hybrid version will start at $22,790. Standard equipment for all Malibus include antilock disc brakes, traction control, OnStar, air conditioning, and XM Satellite radio. The other trim levels are 1LT starting at $20,955, 2LT starting at $22,635, and LTZ starting at $26,995. The Malibu will come with a 2.4 liter DOHC four cylinder or a 3.6 liter V6. The 2008 Malibus will go on sale in November.
AutoWeek
The all new Jaguar XF will replace the S-Type as Jaguar’s mid-size luxury sedan. Gone is the retro styling that has dominated Jaguar’s sedans for the last decade. The new look is sexy and modern and will carry the brand into the future. When the XJ is redesigned in 2011, it will also have this new Jaguar look. The XF comes with a 4.2 liter V8 with 300 HP, or a supercharged version with 420 HP. The V8s are mated to a six speed automatic transmission. An R version is expected in a few years with 500 HP to challenge the BMW M5. After many years of declining sales, I think the XF can get Jaguar back on track.
Motor Trend
The new Highlander has grown in size, but is still smaller compared with the competition, like the Honda Pilot. Most notably it is small in the cargo area and the third row seat. For 2008, the four cylinder has been dropped, so the 3.5 liter V6 will be the only engine. The Hybrid will continue on with the same power train as last year, a 3.3 liter V6 combined with a front and rear electric motor. Unlike most vehicles, you can get a back up camera in a Highlander with out a navigation system. The backup camera is standard on all Highlanders, except the base model, and displays the image on a 3.5 inch screen on the dashboard. The Highlander is
The Chevy Traverse will be a version of GM’s large crossover, which is currently available as the Saturn Outlook, the GMC Acadia, and the Buick Enclave. The mid-size SUV market is shrinking due to high gas prices. The Traverse will target these consumers with its size and better fuel economy. Traverse production should begin in August 2008.
Car and Driver
GM showed off two cars with gasoline engines that burn fuel in the same way that diesel engines do. The engines have 15% better fuel economy than today’s gasoline engines. The technology is known as homogeneous charge compression ignition, or HCCI. The goal is to produce a gasoline engine with efficiency of a diesel, and have the cleaner exhaust emissions of a gasoline engine. The gasoline is ignited by the compression and engine heat. GM did not give a timetable for when HCCI technology will be ready for production.
CNN Money
The Cayenne Hybrid is expected to be ready in a couple of years. A hybrid does not match Porsche’s high performance image, but the company needs more fuel efficient vehicles to meet tighter fuel economy standards in the US and Europe. The Cayenne Hybrid could be 25% more efficient than the standard Cayenne, and would be able to cruise at speeds up to 70 MPH under electric power alone.
CNN Money
Honda’s new hybrid will hit the road in 2009. It will be a small five passenger car priced under $22,000, and will have better fuel economy than the Toyota Prius. The hybrid will have unique styling to attract people that want a hybrid to proclaim they care about the environment and conservation. Honda was the first to sell a hybrid in the US. The Honda Insight began selling in December 1999. It had great fuel economy, but with only two seats it was not very practical. The Insight failed to catch on and Honda took it off the market last year.
NewsweekA report by the National Academy of Sciences shows that the fatality rate is highest in small cars. Small cars are 14% of the vehicles on the road, but in 2005, 24% of people killed in one and two vehicle crashes were traveling in a small car. Advances such as side airbags and stability control do not overcome the fact that heavier vehicles are safer. A person is almost twice as likely to die in a small car than in a midsize car. The problem is not just a large vehicle hitting a small car. Based on NHTSA data, 53% of small car deaths were from single car accidents or two small cars crashing into each other. Should you run out and buy the heaviest thing you can find? No. The study data shows that there is no safety gained for vehicles that are more than 4,500 pounds, about the weight of a minivan. Also the heaviest vehicles, full size pickups, have driver fatality rates about the same as small cars. Which makes me wonder why USA Today did not title this article “Small cars and large pickups are most deadly” ?
USA Today
The totally redesigned Accord coupe and sedan will be on dealer lots soon. The Accord has grown in size and now offers one of the largest interiors in the midsize sedan class. The exterior styling is much more interesting than the previous Accord. From the side, it looks like a cross between a BMW 5 Series and an Acura TL. A brand new 3.5 liter V6 is the top engine choice. It produces 268 HP and features cylinder deactivation. The V6 can run on 3 or 4 cylinders when under low loads. The 4 cylinder mode is a new feature that gives a step up option instead of jumping from 3 cylinders directly to 6. There are now two 4 cylinder engines. Buyers have an option between 2.4 liter that produces 177 HP or 190 HP. The hybrid power train has been discontinued for 2008. The 2008 Accord looks to be a strong entry into the midsize class, and could challenge the Toyota Camry for the best selling car in the
Demand for the redesigned 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid is outstripping supply. Consumers have a tough time finding the truck at dealer lots.
Car and DriverThe Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the BMW 5 Series as worst in its side-impact crash test. The Acura RL, Kia Amanti and Volvo S80 earned the highest rating. The test simulates a truck hitting the side of a sedan at 31 mph.
MSNBC
The SS version of the HHR will available late in 2007. It will come with a turbo charged 2.0 liter four cylinder engine that produces 260 HP. SS also comes with a sports suspension and 18 inch aluminum wheels. The exterior gets ground effects and a mesh grill. Look for this turbo engine to make its way into the Cobalt SS. The HHR SS looks to be a high performance bargain.
GM used OnStar to improve the quality of its new crossovers, the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook. The vehicles where driven over 1 million miles before they went on sale. While the trucks where driven, OnStar sent diagnostic data back to GM engineers. This allowed many problems to be resolved before the trucks went on sale.
Autoweek
The totally redesigned Malibu will arrive at dealers in November. The interior and exterior have a much more upscale look. It will be available with a 169 HP four cylinder or a 252 HP V6. The new Malibu will also come as a mild hybrid, with the power train currently available in the Saturn Vue. It also can be equipped with a six speed automatic, which improves fuel economy. The exterior looks well done and should attract more buyers than the previous generation.
Bob Lutz is pushing GM to hit the market first with a plug in electric car. A123 Systems will supply lithium-ion batteries that will be tested in the Chevy Volt prototype. Lithium-ion batteries are smaller and can store more power than the nickel-metal-hydride batteries used in hybrids today. The Chevy Volt can be plugged in and charged overnight. It can run on electricity only for 40 miles, and then a small gasoline engine starts to recharge the batteries. GM is targeting 2010 for getting the power train in a production car.
Buick is the only brand in the last 12 years to top the report besides Lexus. The J.D. Power study tracks vehicle problems over the first three years of ownership. The top ten brands are as follows
1) Buick
2) Lexus
3) Cadillac
4) Mercury
5) Honda
6)
7) BMW
8)
9) Subaru
10) Oldsmobile
USA Today
The Tesla Roadster all electric car will be in customer’s hands soon. The car can be charged from a standard wall outlet and will go 200 miles on a charge. This is a high performance car that will go from 0 to 60 in about four seconds. 570 of them have been pre-sold already. The Roadster starts at a base price of $98,000. Tesla Motors plans to later branch out with a more affordable sedan.
Tesla Motors
Bob Nardelli is the new CEO of Chrysler. He was ousted from Home Depot in January and left with a $210 million golden parachute. Chrysler is now a private company so there is no way to know how much he is making. It looks like Cerberus, Chrysler’s new owner, was not telling the truth when they voiced support for then CEO Tom LaSorda. LaSorda was demoted to president. I just hope that Nardelli does not slash costs so much that it prevents Chrysler from putting out great products. Segment leading products are the key to a profitable auto company.
I attended the Chevy Rev It Up event in Englishtown, NJ with a friend this past weekend. I had an incredible time. We were able to drive Corvettes around a road course. Drive an Impala SS and a TrailBlazer SS down a drag strip. Race a Cobalt SS on a road course against the clock. The lowest time won a Corvette. The best was riding in a Corvette Z06 with a professional driver. I cannot begin to describe what 505 HP feels like and we went around the corners so fast I thought we were going to spin out. This event was so much fun, that I will be back there next year. Check out the Photos and Video below.
Cerberus now has full control of Chrysler. It is amazing to me how bad Daimler wanted to be rid of Chrysler. Cerberus put up $7 billion. $6 billion was invested back into Chrysler and $1 billion was used to pay off debt. That is like getting it for free. Daimler retains 19.9% of Chrysler.
I think Chrysler is now in a great position to reorganize. They can fix the company without public scrutiny every quarter, since it is now a public company. I expect that in 6 to 8 years Chrysler will be a healthy automaker and Cerberus will sell it off with an IPO.
USA Today
GM wants to move Pontiac to all rear wheel drive cars, but tighter fuel economy rules could prevent this. The vision is to make Pontiac a high performance affordable car brand. When the Torrent SUV is redesigned, it will be moved to the GMC brand. Sales of the full-size G8 sedan will begin in January. The G8 will replace the Grand Prix. The G5 could be moved to rwd by 2010, and the G6 by 2012.
AutoWeek
