Tag: VehicleVoice

Once fuel had reach $4.05 a gallon nationally, we watched as truck sales plummeted and small/compact car sales got a little boost. People in the industry began to say that compact cars were going to appeal to more Americans and make up a larger percentage of vehicles sold here in the United States. The trick is said to be selling these small/compact cars for a profit. Up until recently the major domestic automakers had been able to make up to $12,600 profit on Large Luxury SUVs, but selling a small/compact car only raked in about $2,400 bucks. Once you subtract anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 for fixed costs you could actually end up with a negative number. Which means that a solid business case to produce small/compact cars here in the U.S. is not always an easy case to make; other than to help offset CAFE. Although, Mazda seems to be able to make a [...]

Underscoring the eco-friendly theme of the LA Auto Show (and arguably many other auto shows over the last few years), MINI unveiled an all-electric version that will be available to 500 lucky individuals and companies. Called MINI e, this plug-in electric car uses advanced lithium ion batteries that will provide good range (for an electric) along with the sort of peppy performance expected from the brand.

Saab Shows off Future of Convertibles with 9-X Air Concept
We noticed that many of the introductions at the 2008 Los Angeles show could be categorized as efficient or fun, with some falling into both categories. Saab 9-X Air is one of those.

If the 9-X Air looks a bit familiar in the nose, it is because you’ve seen it before. The Geneva/New York concept, 9-X BioHybrid, introduced this face, itself an evolution of Saab’s prior concepts. Saab first showed this concept at the 2008 Paris motor show, with U.S. buyers getting their first look in Los Angeles.

Instead of the three-door wagon look of the 9-X BioHybrid, the Air brings us Air, in the form of a flat-folding roof. Called the Canopy Air system, Saab takes their twenty-five years of experience with convertibles [...]

It might be all too easy to dismiss the Nissan Cube as a copy of the original Scion xB that’s a few years too late. It’s similar in size and profile to that now-iconic box and offers a similarly commodious interior package.

The current 350Z has been a great success and halo for a revitalized Nissan that went from painfully dull and underachieving throughout the late 90s and early part of this decade to avant garde, high-tech, and extroverted from 2002-on. Based on Nissan’s acclaimed FM platform and powered by the company’s renowned 3.5L V6, the car has successfully communicated Nissan’s great performance heritage without resorting to retro cliches.
Today, Nissan unveiled the 2009 370Z, which as you might guess is the next generation of Nissan’s sports car that is powered by a 3.7L V6. It’s mechanically pretty similar to the last version but refined in every way. In this way, it’s actually much like all of the latest Nissan and Infiniti products that are essentially cautious restyles of the breakthrough Nissan products from the company’s renaissance a few years back.

335d and X5 xDrive35d Introduced in Strictest Emissions State
Since these BMW diesels are not exactly secrets, having already been discussed at the 2008 Detroit auto show back in January (click here), the big news for BMW diesels in LA is the pricing. The 335d sedan goes on sale in November 2008 for $44,725, including destination and handling. The X5 xDrive 35d for $52,025. Ouch, right?

There is a way to offset the cost, at least this year. These vehicles, like their Mercedes counterparts, qualify for the IRS Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit. Buying the 335d means a $900 credit, while the X5 gets a maximum $1550 credit. Not quite the same as taking that amount off the top of the vehicle price, but it could help ease the pain.

Freshening for Pontiac’s Most Important Product
In 2007, Pontiac sold nearly 358,000 cars and trucks. Of those, a nearly even 150,000 were some form of G6. The G6 is Pontiac volume, a stable, steady contributor. It was introduced for the 2005 model year, and ready for a brightening. The 2009MY G6 went on sale late this past summer, but rather than waiting for the next model year, the G6 you see in dealers beginning in January 2009 should have a new look as a 2009.5MY product.

The G6 brings a nose and rear not unlike the larger G8, an I4 engine option (mated to a six-speed automatic for excellent fuel economy), and an updated instrument panel and new audio, HVAC controls, and gauge cluster. The V6 engines carry on, though a flex-fuel version of the 3.5L is a no-cost option. Available from the start [...]

So the word about the auto industry just keeps getting worse. With Congress mulling over the fate of the proposed aid package to the domestic automakers, we are also at the start of the 2009 auto show season. It’s going to be an interesting series of auto shows over the next few months, that’s for sure.

Media days for the 2009 LA Auto Show start this Wednesday, and it’s already going to be a somewhat pared down show in terms of new introductions, at least from the Domestic automakers. GM and Chrysler have already announced that they’re postponing LA Auto Show launches until January for Detroit’s North American International Auto Show. Still, look forward to a slew of new launches from the various import makes…and their spins on how they will stay relevant in these depressed times.
Look for our coverage starting this Wednesday. [...]

Here at VehicleVoice World Internet Headquarters and Day-Old Seafood Buffet, we divide our copious free time among three things:
1) Chair dancing and lip-synching to “Don’t Stop Believing” in an effort to boost industry morale.
2) Impromptu salons, during which we discuss philosophy, world affairs and whether Iron Man was better than The Dark Knight. (Yes.)
3) The Internet. The sweet, sweet, life-giving Internet.

The longest running and most-produced automobile of a single design on the planet was, and remains to this day, the original Volkswagen Beetle.

A record even Henry Ford and his Model T would be jealous of. The Volkswagen Beetle, co-developed by Ferdinand Porsche and Zündapp back in 1931, has become a timeless classic and an industry icon.