> Home / September 2009

Fiat to create Ram brand, rush new Chrysler models

September 30, 2009

Fiat S.p.A. will rush the first all-new Chrysler model to the U.S. market by the end of 2011 and create a new Ram brand for its truck line under a revival plan for Chrysler Group that will be shown to the U.S.

continue article > > .

10 Most Brilliant Products of 2009: Ford Ecoboost V6

September 30, 2009

Most breakthrough innovations make their greatest contributions when they become products people can buy. Here, Popular Mechanics awards the top 10 most brilliant gadgets, tools and toys that you can buy in 2009.

continue article > > .

Tokyo Preview: Suzuki Alto Concept

September 30, 2009

Although it's unassuming in appearance, the Suzuki Alto concept is actually the bigger deal of Suzuki's two world premieres at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show. The Alto nameplate turns 30 this year, and in addition to its presence as four-seat kei car in Japan, Maruti builds a version of the car for the Indian market.
Suzuki calls the show car a concept, but says it's the basis for the next-generation Alto. And inside and out, this car looks ready for production. This four-passenger hatchback is 133.7 inches long and rides on a 94.4-inch wheelbase. Under the hood, there's a 658cc inline three-cylinder (a typical kei car-size engine) and it's paired with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). This car is front-wheel-drive, but Suzuki plans to offer some form of four-wheel drive.
This latest Suzuki Alto will appear next to the original 1979 Suzuki Alto hatchback in Suzuki's booth at Tokyo.
More [...]

continue article > > .

Tokyo Preview: Suzuki Swift Plug-In Hybrid

September 30, 2009

If there's a Suzuki to covet, it's the Suzuki Swift hatchback, which has earned a reputation as a poor man's Mini Cooper in Europe and Japan. Suzuki will show a plug-in hybrid version of the Swift at the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show.
The most interesting thing we know about this concept car is the packaging of its lithium-ion batteries — right down the middle of the car in the center console. This could potentially make it possible to have a pair of rear seats in the car, though that's not clear from the photos.
As the plug-in Swift is a series hybrid, there's a 658cc gasoline engine on-board to power the front-drive electric motor when the batteries run low on charge and you're not near a suitable electrical outlet. The engine apparently has a generating capacity of 40 kilowatts (54 hp). The front-drive electric motor [...]

continue article > > .

eBay Find of the Day: Epic custom Chevy SSR thinks it’s a Porsche GT3

September 30, 2009

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Truck, Europe, Chevrolet, Porsche, Specialty

Chevrolet SSR with a Porsche complex - Click above for image gallery
If you like Porsche sportscars, may we suggest that you avert your eyes. Ironically, we’d still recommend the same if you aren’t a fan of Stuttgart’s Cayenne. Because if you thought that Porsche having an SUV was tough to swallow, that ain’t nothin’ compared to what’s been done to this Chevrolet SSR.
Outfitted with the wheels, brakes and what appears to be a number of interior pieces from the Porsche 911 GT3, this particular SSR seems to be suffering from something of an identity crisis. (We dare not ask what the donor Porsche came away looking like). But that’s not all: the owner appears to have made some unique modifications to the body as well, including a whale’s mouth (ostensibly in, um… “tribute” to the GT3’s whale tail spoiler, which [...]

continue article > > .

Penske runs into Saturn’s historic wall: Product

September 30, 2009

Roger Penske’s 11th-hour decision to pass on acquiring General Motors Co.’s Saturn brand marks a sad continuation of the same problem that has dogged Saturn for a decade: a lack of products.

continue article > > .

NEWS ANALYSIS

September 30, 2009

Roger Penskeand#8217;s 11th-hour decision to pass on acquiring General Motors Co.and#8217;s Saturn brand marks a sad continuation of the same problem that has dogged Saturn for a decade: a lack of products.

continue article > > .

50 Flights, and Still Stuck in the Airport

September 30, 2009

This morning I hit 50 flights. It seems like I should have celebrated it as some sort of special event, but there really wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about it. I boarded the flight early, which I suppose was a change of pace. I’m usually one of the last to go on, trying to savor every moment I have to stand. Hours upon hours in the air will do that to you.
I sat down next to a lady mumbling in Hindi, a language I recognized thanks to a close friend from India. She’d mutter a phrase out loud every few moments, not speaking in any particular direction. She spoke softly, but I don’t think it was with the intent to keep me from hearing. She didn’t even seem to recognize my presence at all. The rest of the flight would continue this way: Whenever I would take off my headphones and [...]

continue article > > .

Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i MiEV Cargo

September 30, 2009

Like we've said, Japanese buyers love vans. Scheduled to debut in Tokyo, the Mitsubishi i MiEV Cargo is based on the i car, the tiny but neatly packaged, rear-drive, rear-engine, 4-passenger car that Mitsubishi offers in the kei class. The i MiEV is the electric version of the i car, which we've driven. It's already in production in Japan, and Mitsubishi announced at this year's New York Auto Show that it plans to bring it to the U.S. as well. (We'll have to wait and see on that one.)
So the i MiEV Cargo is the cargo van version of the i MiEV evidently aimed at contractors with a green conscience. Or, perhaps, contractors wanting a tax break. It's the same idea (only smaller) as the electric Transit Connect that Ford is preparing, and claimed range is similar: 100 miles.
We rather like the camper-conversion-like appearance of the i MiEV Cargo, [...]

continue article > > .

Volvo’s Plan: The Swedes Will Take It All with Zero, Zilch, Noll

September 30, 2009

Volvo has always been very calculated and practical.

continue article > > .

Next Page »