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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Earns ‘Top Safety Pick’ From IIHS

Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by admin.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced today that the all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has received a Top Safety Pick – the highest rating the organization bestows.

“The all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the first production vehicle to launch since our alliance with Fiat and a ‘Top Safety Pick’ is a great way to start our 2011 product offensive,” said Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Chrysler Group LLC. “IIHS’ recognition of five products underscores Chrysler Group’s engineering capability and leadership in occupant protection.”

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee joins the 2010 Dodge Journey, 2010 Dodge Avenger, 2010 Chrysler Sebring, and the 2010 Jeep Patriot (equipped with available seat mounted air bag) as 2010 Top Safety Picks, according to IIHS. You can find the Jeep Cherokee for sale starting at $30,995.

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Toyota Hybrid X Concept

Posted on 30. May, 2010 by admin.

The Hybrid X rewrites the design rule book for hybrid models with unconventional creative solutions that could become the norm for future hybrid designs. A key concept is Vibrant Clarity – a design ethos grounding all design work in a unique and emotionally vibrant identity that speaks clearly of Toyota. Offering sustainable mobility for modern families, the environmentally advanced technology is another step closer to Toyota’s vision of a zero smog-forming emission future.

Designed as a multi-sensory experience, the futuristic exterior shape of the Hybrid X offers unconventional fusion of thought through a clear and visionary insight to the interior. Inside the car, the driver sets the mood using an internal interface that controls lighting, music and even smell via a perfume diffuser. Technological innovations in interactive navigation, driving information and comfort control allow complete driver control at the touch of a screen.

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Nissan Opens LEAF Reservations to Public

Posted on 16. May, 2010 by admin.

Nissan North America is opening reservations for the Nissan LEAF zero-emission, all-electric vehicle on May 15 to the general public. The reservation process is a first step in securing a place on the list to purchase or lease a Nissan LEAF.

Nissan offered priority reservations beginning April 20 to select customers who had registered for ongoing communications on the Nissan LEAF via NissanUSA.com. More than 9,500 consumers placed a reservation during this priority window.

The Nissan LEAF begins rolling out to select markets in December, with increased availability beginning in spring 2011, and full market rollout in 2012. Consumers who have made reservations will be sequenced in order for their particular market.

“After the start of priority reservations, interest in the Nissan LEAF only has continued to grow,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, sales & marketing, NNA. “Consumers clearly are recognizing the benefits of zero emissions and the value proposition the Nissan LEAF offers.”

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Subaru Announces Pricing for 2011MY Legacy and Outback

Posted on 14. May, 2010 by admin.

Subaru of America, Inc. today announced 2011MY pricing for its best-selling Legacy and Outback models. Launched in 2009, the Legacy® and Outback® have been key drivers in Subaru’s record sales success with Legacy showing an 87% increase in year-to-date sales and Outback sales more than doubling with a 128% increase year-to-date.  

For 2011MY, both models receive equipment enhancements including manual-folding exterior mirrors. Also, models equipped with harman/kardon audio (available on Premium models and standard on Limited models) now feature XM Satellite Radio and a three-month trial subscription.  

A new color, Caramel Bronze Pearl, replaces Harvest Gold Metallic on both models and is paired with an Ivory interior. Ruby Red Pearl, previously only available on the Legacy and Tribeca, is now available on the Outback and comes also with an Ivory interior.

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Honda Design Philosophy Stresses Function

Posted on 08. May, 2010 by admin.

Honda isn’t typically singled out for its design expertise. Instead, it is the fun-to-drive and rock-solid aspects of Honda vehicles that usually get top billing. But quietly, Honda has been capturing more and more international kudos for its leading-edge design work, and we were pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Nobuki Ebisawa, the corporate managing director and general manager of styling and design development, to talk about it.

Ebisawa stressed two simple and overarching themes for Honda design: dynamism and functionality. He said the company’s designers still draw inspiration from the functional designs of the first-generation Honda Civic and first-generation Accord that were drawn in the same nondescript design studio in which Ebisawa and his crew work today. And at the same time, they look back all the way to the 1963 S500 sports car to channel the dynamism that helps set the brand apart. 

Ebisawa is proud of what he calls “an unbroken chain of dynamism and functionality” that stretches from those earliest models through the legendary Acura NSX sports coupe of the ’90s to the Honda Odyssey minivan that transformed its segment. He expects that the upcoming hybrid Honda CR-Z, which was shown in concept form at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, will draw on both aspects of the Honda personality. Functionality will be characterized by the fuel-efficient hybrid drivetrain, and dynamism will be expressed by the car’s style and fun-to-drive nature.

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Audi R8 GT: Lighter, Faster, Stronger

Posted on 06. May, 2010 by admin.

The R8 high-performance sports car has been a winner from the very beginning. This applies to both the production models, winners of the “World Performance Car” Award in 2008 (R8) and in 2010 (R8 V10), and to the race car, the R8 LMS, which won 23 races in its first season and claimed three championships. The genes of the race version are now coming to the street – in the R8 GT. The exclusive series is limited to 333 units. Each R8 GT has a badge with its production number on the shift lever knob.

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Toyota Takes a Beating

Posted on 17. Apr, 2010 by admin.

The immense wave of controversy, now in its second month, over alleged unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles is having impacting consumer sentiment negatively, according to market research firm Decision Analyst. 

Toyota has become less appealing to 53 percent of Americans, while at the same time 29 percent of Americans view Ford as having increased its appeal. Those were key findings contained in the firm’s New Vehicle Brand Barometer Study of 4,294 American consumers. 

Those are the “high-line” results, and less apparent are the competitive eddies swirling around all automotive brands today that are also impacting the scene. In addition to Ford, Chevrolet and Honda have also gained stature with the consumer populace over the past few years, and Chrysler joined Toyota as the only other net loser. (Chrysler’s loss was not nearly on the magnitude of Toyota’s fall from grace.)

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2011 Audi Q7 Get Several Updates

Posted on 14. Apr, 2010 by admin.

The Q7 is the large Audi for the sporty individualist – the high-performance SUV for sport, leisure, family and business. Now Audi has made it even more powerful and efficient, with a choice of three new V6 engines and an 8-speed tiptronic transmission.

Even more power, even higher efficiency: Audi has revised the engine lineup for the Q7. The two gasoline engines, both V6 units but with different power outputs, are new, and so is the second-generation V6 TDI. A mighty V8 diesel completes the range. All the engines for the Q7 combine two technologies: forced induction and direct fuel injection. A high-performance recuperation system that recovers energy during braking is also a standard item with all six- and eight-cylinder engines.

The new 3.0 TFSI gasoline engine embodies Audi’s downsizing strategy: replacing engine displacement with supercharging. Within the 90-degree angle formed by its cylinder blocks there is an engine-driven supercharger that compresses the intake air. Two charge-air intercoolers prevent the air temperature from rising, so that the engine draws in more oxygen for the combustion process. Vigorous thrust and spontaneous throttle response make the 3.0 TFSI engine, with its sonorous note, an ideal source of power for the large high-performance SUV from Audi.

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