I don’t know why versatile, flexible, four-door vehicles that can carry up to 8-people or a sheet of 8X4ft. plywood ever got the name ‘sport utility’ vehicle. With a high center of gravity, body-on-frame construction and a solid rear axle, these utility vehicles were never built to give a sporty handling experience, no matter the price.
Porsche entered the sport utility segment in 2003 with the Cayenne to bring more sport into the segment with their long heritage of building some of the world’s great sports cars. While they did dial-up the power and performance level with the 500hp Cayenne Turbo model, there was still room for improvement in the handling department.
The all-new 2009 Dodge Journey is another segment-defining crossover from Dodge that delivers versatility, safety, child friendliness, loads of storage, cargo and seating flexibility, as well as innovative features and technologies, including all-weather driving capability. With a bold, sporty design, the all-new, fun-to-drive Journey continues the Dodge brand global expansion.
Below is a video of the images taken from the Michigan GM plant that happens to make the new Corvette ZR1. First ones off of the assembly line.
The kid that took these images must be a diehard Corvette ZR1 fan. Too bad he did not get a FULL video of the loud American Muscle Rumble that these babies PUT OUT! Yes, they do “PUT OUT”, if you don’t believe me then look at the ZR1 Nurburgring run video that we posted previously.
Over a year ago, when it was announced that the U.S. Senate was pushing for a 40% improvement in fuel economy by 2020, pundits in both the green and automotive worlds predicted the death of the SUV. Now, with gas prices hovering near and in many cases over - $4.00/gallon across the country, even GM, which has long been the king of American’s truck and full-sized SUV market, has finally learned what the rest of us already knew: good fuel economy comes in compact packages.
GM’s announcement came a month and a half ago, and included not only the news that they would be embracing compacts, but also that they would be shutting down four truck-production plants, and maybe even giving Hummer the axe. All of this adds up to the very clear message that large SUVs are dead, and smaller, lighter vehicles, with smaller engines and greater gas mileage.
Just when you think they have cut enough at GM and it wont be any more changes for a while, they throw yet another wrench in the assembly line. This is really going to hit them hard with another waive of lay-offs and cuts across the company. Below is an article excerpt from Automotive News on the new “trimmings” that will be coming down the line for GM.
DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors said today it would cut salaried employment costs by 20 percent, sell up to $4 billion of assets and borrow at least $2 billion in a bid to bolster its liquidity by $15 billion through 2009.
GM CEO Rick Wagoner, speaking to employees before a 9 a.m. press conference, also said GM would suspend its common stock dividend in a restructuring driven by high fuel prices, a shift away from trucks and SUVs, and the lowest U.S. industry wide auto sales in a decade.
The heat and fierce competition is on like white on rice. Ever since Nissan’s new Nissan GT-R set some crazy “production car” records on the Nurburgring, others are willfully trying to compete. Lets get straight to the real competition, the new Corvette ZR1. Some of us know the Corvette ZR1 will set you back 6 figures if you want to own one. What do you get for $100,000? A new LS9 Supercharged 6.2L V8 producing 620 horsepower and 595 lb.-fl. of torque. So what does a Corvette that is placed ABOVE the new Z06 run around the infamous Nurburgring? I spactactular 7:26.4.
Below is the video posted by Garage419 of The Corvette ZR1 making its GTR crushing Nurburgring blast of 7:26.4 driven by Jim Mero on June 27th 2008.
Everyone knows Rich Arabs love cars to their preferences. If they really like a car and want to customize they will spend whatever it takes to get it done to look unique. This car belongs to price Al Waleed from Saudi Arabia and he decided to mix two things he likes: Mercedes cars and diamonds. his SL 600 is fully covered with diamonds and it costs $4.8 million. If you want to touch this lovely car you will have to pay $1,000. This is just dumb, I hope he has a lot of bodyguards when he’s driving around because I know if he left his car unattended I’d take some diamonds. If you could put diamonds on a car which would you put it on?
Ever since GM announced that they were going to close plants that made big SUV’s and restructure the organization to better meet today’s slumping economy others seem to be following suit such as Toyota. Two of Toyota’s gas guzzlers, the Tundra and Sequoia will not be produced for 3 months. That does not mean Toyota will stop making the Tundra or Sequoia. It means production will be at idle for 3 months while Toyota utilizes the Tundra and Sequoia plant to make more Toyota Prius’s. The Prius remains to be the hottest selling and most efficient hybrid that you can buy at a local dealership.
Below is the excerpt from Automotive News further explaining this new strategy that Toyota will attempt. Sounds good? You bet your ass it sounds good! I was put on a year long waiting list to buy a Toyota Prius for my wife. I don’t want to wait that long just like thousands of other consumers. Do you think this is a good move by Toyota?
How would you like to be first in line in the USA to pick up your new Nissan GT-R? Well, here is the lucky SOB in the video below. The very first GT-R was sold in the US to a Southern California customer. I am sure by the looks on his face he just wants to hop in and take his new GT-R for a drive to break it in. Daryl Alison of Costa Mesa, CA is the new proud owner of this new Black Obsidian Nissan GT-R. Oh, do you think the helmet was something that they recommended he wear for the duration of ownership of the Nissan GT-R… is it just that fast or what?
New BMW 7-Series Photos and Video – BMW 750Li and BMW 730d
Some enthusiasts have been looking for real photos of the upcoming 2009 BMW 7-Serieis. Well, wait no more. Here are some photos of the new 2009 BMW 7-Series and Video of the New BMW 7-Series (750Li and 730d versions).
If you are really into cars and know about BMW’s newest releases such as the new 135i and new 3-Series you will find several design cues imbedded in the design of the new 7-Series. It is no doubt that the new BMW’s are all related and we think BMW has done this on purpose to stay in line with a tradition of automotive design. BMW was and still is known as a benchmark setter and they want to keep it that way.
Do you like saving gas? Do you like driving a stylish car? Well which Toyota does best in either situation? Many of us already know about the Toyota Prius being the most fuel efficient gas powered car that you can buy from a dealership. What about the Toyota Camry Hybrid? People wont stare you down in a Toyota Camry right? Correct, if you are caught driving in a Prius you get this disliking “look” from other people on the road probably implying that you are saving more $$$ than they are at the gas pump… a lot more!
So what if you want to be stylish and save some cash at the pump. It is a no-brainer to go for the Toyota Camry Hybrid. Even though the Camry Hybrid gets slightly less MPG than the Prius, you will be happy to know that you are still SAVING!
Note: Currently the Toyota Camry Hybrid and Toyota Prius require that you get on a waiting list to purchase one. The waiting lists from some reports are between 6 months to over a year at some Toyota dealerships around the US. So, you may have to wait a while to drive home one of the most fuel efficient cars around.
