New Cars Review

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New Car Price 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:35:16 +0000

New Car Price 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP Pictures

Pricing for the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP has leaked out and your budget E39 M5 fantasies can be fulfilled for the princely sum of $39,995. That price includes the $1,700 gas-guzzler charge and the $685 destination fee on the base automatic-equipped model.

The six-speed manual will set you back an additional $695 (just do it) and the sunroof can be yours for another $900. As expected, fuel economy is far from stellar at 13 mpg city and 20 mpg on the highway, but judging by Jonathan’s review, the additional fuel costs are well worth the pavement-punishing fun you’ll have in the most powerful production Pontiac to date. Pontiac’s brief press release is posted after the break.

[via:autoblog]

PRESS RELEASE
Pontiac today confirmed pricing for the 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP will start at $39,995, including $685 destination and freight charges and $1,700 in applicable federal gas guzzler taxes. With 415 horsepower and 0-60 times well under 5.0 seconds, the G8 GXPs is the most powerful production Pontiac ever created and comes standard with a six-speed automatic transmission or an optional ($695) six-speed manual transmission. A $900 sunroof option is also available.
Final EPA fuel economy ratings for the G8 GXP are 13 miles per gallon in the city, 20 miles per gallon on the highway.

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Fast Car 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero claimed top speed of 270 mph

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:22:53 +0000

Fast Car 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero claimed top speed of 270 mph Pictures

Not content to rest on its laurels after taking the Guinness-verified top speed world record, SSC has revamped the Ultimate Aero for 2009 to make it more powerful, more aerodynamic, and even faster. We thought the 2008 model had plenty of horsepower with 1183 ponies underneath the hood, but SSC has increased that number to 1287 courtesy of a new one-piece billet aluminum engine block that improves structural integrity and oiling capabilities.

Helping to push all that horsepower through the air is a redesigned front fascia with a new center grille opening, as well as carbon fiber louvers that feed 20% more air to the radiators. The aerodynamic changes, combined with the increased power, yield an estimated 270 mph top speed. SSC has also given the interior a thorough refresh, adding carbon fiber trim to the dash, air vents, door sills, and around the gauge cluster. A new center console features an Azentek PC Infotainment system that can process the car’s onboard diagnostic system. There’s no word on whether they’ll attempt to best their top speed record achieved earlier this year, but we’re sure SSC would like to further distance themselves from the Bugatti Veyron or the 9ff GT9. More details on the 2009 SSC Ultimate Aero can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Shelby Supercars]

PRESS RELEASE:

After holding the “World’s Fastest Production Car” title for the past year, the Shelby SuperCars’ Ultimate Aero is receiving several refinements for the 2009 model year. The SSC engineering team equipped the 2009 Ultimate Aero with a 15% increase in horsepower, a revamped front fascia design, and an array of important interior upgrades. The most substantial change is an SSC-designed, 1-piece billet aluminum engine block. A milestone for the limited-production automobile manufacturer, the new block improves structural integrity and oiling capabilities allowing SSC to boost the power output to 1287 horsepower while improving durability.

Armed with the more powerful new engine, the ‘09 Ultimate Aero will be able to reach world-record speeds of 270 MPH, raising the benchmark for supercars and pushing the limits of current production car technology. In order to accommodate the ‘09 Ultimate Aero’s unique fuel system requirements, SSC turned to American company Aeromotive to develop a flawless system. The aggressive nose is redesigned with enhanced aerodynamics to accommodate the 2009 Ultimate Aero’s higher top speed, and carbon fiber louvers on the side intakes draw in an additional 20% of air into the radiators for improved cooling. The improvement in overall performance will widen the already sizeable gap between the Ultimate Aero and its competitors. The ‘09 Ultimate Aero also introduces the AeroBrakeTM a rear spoiler system that deploys under braking situations. Finished in carbon fiber, the rear spoilers actuate up an additional 8″ when the brake pedal is depressed. The speed of the spoiler actuation is set by the amount of brake pedal pressure. The complete AeroBrakeTM system can be disabled by the push of a button, for town driving or situations where braking and downforce assistance are not necessary.

Rounding out the ‘09 Ultimate Aero’s improvements is a revamped interior. A redesigned dash prominently displays sleek, exposed carbon fiber dash halves and inset air vents. Carbon fiber accents run along the doorsills, surround the new gauge cluster, and continue onto a revised steering column, which includes an analog speedometer and tachometer with a sequential shift light integrated into the tachometer needle. The new center console incorporates a digital temperature control unit and tire pressure monitor along with an Azentek PC base Infotainment unit. The revolutionary Azentek unit offers all the capabilities of a PC and processes SSC’s onboard diagnostic software.

For more information and images of the 2009 Ultimate Aero, please visit www.ShelbySuperCars.com.

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2009 motor trend truck of the year 2009 Ford F-150 Car

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:55:57 +0000

2009 motor trend truck of the year 2009 Ford F-150 Car Pictures

Realistically, Motor Trend had two choices when it came time to pick its Truck of the Year for 2009. On one hand, Ford’s redesigned F-150 Car has been the best seller in America for, well… decades, and offers tireless capabilities and hundreds of possible configurations at an affordable price. It’s never been better. On the other hand, the latest Dodge Ram, also redesigned for 2009, features that truck’s characteristically macho styling turned up to 11 and gets the segment’s first-ever set of coil-overs propping up the rear axle. It too has never been better.

The other two contenders were the Suzuki Equator, which is really nothing more than a rebadged Nissan Frontier (not that it’s a bad truck, mind you) and the HUMMER H3T, which is a perfectly fine vehicle that’s cursed with a currently-hated nameplate and a reputation for a major thirst for fuel. As you can tell from the headline, the Blue Oval’s truck emerged the winner after a process that Motor Trend describes as the closest vote in history.

[Source: Motor Trend]

PRESS RELEASE
MOTOR TREND NAMES FORD F-150 2009 TRUCK OF THE YEAR
- Editors call 2009 the closest vote in Truck of the Year history -
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 18, 2008) - Motor Trend (www.motortrend.com), the leading automotive authority and part of Source Interlink Media, LLC, a subsidiary of media and marketing services company Source Interlink Companies, Inc (NASDAQ: SORC), today announced the selection of the all-new Ford F-150 as its 2009 Truck of the Year™. The complete report on Motor Trend’s 2009 Truck of the Year is available online and will be published in the magazine’s February issue, available on newsstands January 6, 2009.
“The stakes were high and the field of contenders was among the best yet for this year’s voting,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor in chief of Motor Trend. “Despite the downturn in the economy, the pickup truck remains the automotive backbone of America, providing a tough, durable workhorse for business and recreational users alike. No matter what shape the American auto industry emerges from the current crisis, the pickup truck will remain a key part of the American automotive landscape.
“It was a tough call, but ultimately the F-150 prevailed for the third time in its production history,” said MacKenzie. During judging, editors praised the low noise levels and interior materials quality. Handy features like the Tailgate Step, Box Side Step, a stowable bed-extender, and rear seats that fold up with one hand to reveal a broad, flat load floor helped tally a strong superiority score.
To achieve high payload and towing numbers, Ford retained traditional leaf-springs on the rear axle but made them longer to smooth the ride and wider with new mounting hardware to improve lateral rigidity and roll control. The chassis engineers tuned the steering for pleasing heft and remarkable accuracy that had many judges lauding the F-150 for feeling smaller and nimbler than the competition.
Ford claims it sells more of its half-ton pickups to work and commercial customers than its competitors, and the company predicts this segment will grow to 45 percent of F-150 sales. To that end, the truck’s fully boxed chassis is further fortified to provide best-in-class rigidity, payload capacity (up to 3030 pounds), and tow ratings (up to 11,300 pounds). As such, the new F-150 is well positioned to capture contractors migrating down-market out of Super-Dutys to save money and gas with a new six-speed automatic, a lighter, more aerodynamic cab, and other tweaks to boost fuel economy by 12 percent with the 5.4-liter engine.
MacKenzie continued, “In the end, we do believe work trucks will come to dominate this segment and we happily give the golden calipers to the highly capable, broad-reaching Ford in the closest vote in Truck of the Year history.”
The 2009 Field of Contenders
The Ford F-150 was one of four trucks eligible for the Truck of the Year title. The other contenders were the Dodge Ram 1500, Suzuki Equator and the Hummer H3T.
To be eligible for Truck of the Year, a vehicle must be totally new or redesigned, and released in the 12 months prior to January 1, 2009 (cars with modifications such as new engines or that are variants of existing models are not eligible).
About the Testing and Evaluation Process
Motor Trend subjected all Truck of the Year contenders to a series of rigorous on- and off-road testing at the Yucca, Arizona proving grounds. Editors tested two versions of each contender, with different engines, transmissions and body configurations to better evaluate the breadth of capabilities in such diverse areas as towing power, dirt and gravel road handling and stop and go traffic.
Each year, the editorial staff of Motor Trend has evaluated eligible vehicles for its “Truck of the Year” based on three key categories: Significance, Superiority and Value. Significance refers to innovation in engineering, technology, design, safety and packaging. Superiority levels the playing field and looks for class-leading levels of vehicle dynamics and performance, build quality and execution, and how well the vehicle performs its intended function. Finally, the all-important Value question asks, “What does this vehicle deliver in relation to what the consumer has to pay to purchase and own it?”
High-resolution images of the winner are available upon request and at www.motortrend.com/media. Multimedia coverage of the testing and selection process will be broadcast on Motor Trend Radio, hosted by Bob Long.
About MOTOR TREND
MOTOR TREND, part of Source Interlink Media, LLC was founded in 1949 and has a circulation of 1.1 million and a total readership of 7.1 million. Internationally recognized as one of the leading brands in automotive publishing, MOTOR TREND comprises Motor Trend Magazine; the award-winning website motortrend.com; Motor Trend Radio; Truck Trend; Motor Trend International Auto Shows; Motor Trend en Espanol; and the renowned Motor Trend Car, Sport/Utility and Truck of the Year Awards program.

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2009 Detroit Auto Show:Subaru Legacy Concept Car

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:32:29 +0000

2009 Detroit Auto Show:Subaru Legacy Concept Car Picutre

Looks like Volvo’s not the only automaker teasing the next-gen version of its midsize sedan in 2009 Detroit Auto Show next month. The Subaru Legacy Concept Car celebrates the model’s 20th anniversary and forecasts the styling we should probably expect to see when the current model heads to the retirement home.

Hence, those stacked headlights and the new, chunkier-looking grille design are things we should all probably start getting used to. As for those muscular fender flares and the aggressive lower fascia, well, we’ll cross our fingers. Consider our interest piqued. Plenty more to come when we get to Detroit. Now, if only they’d bring back that Legacy Wagon, too….

[Source: Subaru]

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New Honda Car Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 15:05:50 +0000

New Honda Car Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept Pictures

Amidst a troubled global economy, Honda is actively scaling back its operations, and its performance programs are sadly bearing the brunt. After canceling its participation in Formula One and the AMA motorbike road racing series, the Japanese automaker has reportedly announced that it is nixing development of the next-generation NSX supercar Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept.

The unfortunate news will undoubtedly come as a stunning disappointment for the loyal legions of Honda/Acura sportscar fans. The new NSX Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept, which looked to be nearing the end of its development on the road to production, was slated to be the most powerful car ever made by Honda, driven by an anticipated 560-horsepower V10.

According to Autocar, the goal-line audible came from none other than Takeo Fukui, Honda’s CEO, who dropped the bombshell as part of a end-of-year speech to the troops. The news also means that Honda is suspending plans to finally bring the Acura nameplate to Japan, and it also calls into doubt the fate of the V10 engine itself, as well as any long-rumored V8 powertrains.

Honda hasn’t ruled out the possibility of picking up where it left off once business is back in order, but in the meantime the original NSX, which ceased production in 2005 after fifteen years on the market, will have to remain without an heir.

[Source: Autocar]

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