Archive | December, 2009
2009 LA: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 one-ups Camaro in power and fuel-economy

2009 LA: 2011 Ford Mustang V6 one-ups Camaro in power and fuel-economy

Key Competitors: 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, 2010 Dodge Challenger, 2009 Nissan 370z, 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Power: 3.7L V6 Ti-VCT – 305-hp / 280 lb-ft. Transmission: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic. Availability: Late 2010. Pricing: TBA. Ford has finally made the muscle car game more exciting by announcing that the 2011 Ford Mustang V6 will get a [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2010 Jaguar XJ makes stateside debut in LA

2009 LA: 2010 Jaguar XJ makes stateside debut in LA

Key Competitors: Audi A6, Lexus LS, Acura RL, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Power: 385-hp 5.0L naturally aspirated V8; 470-hp 5.0L supercharged V8; 510-hp 5.0L supercharged V8. Europe also gets a 275-hp 3.0L AJ-V6D Gen III. Transmission: 6-speed automatic with a fully-adaptive shift system. Performance: 510-hp 5.0L supercharged V8 goes from 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds. [...]

Continue Reading
GM to focus CEO search outside the company

GM to focus CEO search outside the company

GM will focus their CEO search on outsiders, says Detroit News. The Detroit automaker is deep in the process of finding a CFO, and after Tuesday’s resignation by CEO Fritz Henderson after only 8 months in office, they must also now find a viable Chief Executive. Henderson was promoted to CEO in March, when President [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: At $90,000, would you pick the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 or X6 M? (w/ poll)

2009 LA: At $90,000, would you pick the 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 or X6 M? (w/ poll)

Key Competitors: Mercedes-Benz ML 450 Hybrid, Lexus RX Hybrid, Porsche Cayenne Hybrid (coming soon). Power: 4.4L twin-turbocharged V8 – 400-hp / 450 lb-ft of torque. Mated to two electric-motors total output comes in at 480-hp / 575 lb-ft. Transmission: 7-speed automatic. Performance: 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds; top speed of 130 mph. Availability: On sale [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2011 Lexus LFA, only 500 will be made and leased for 2-years

2009 LA: 2011 Lexus LFA, only 500 will be made and leased for 2-years

Key Competitors: Audi R8, Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Porsche 911 GT3, Nissan GT-R, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. Power: 4.8L V10 – 552-hp / 354 lb-ft of torque. Transmission: 6-speed Automated Sequential Gearbox. Performance: 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds; top speed of 202 mph. Availability: 150 will be allocated for the U.S. market. Pricing: $375,000. The Lexus LFA [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7, no smoking allowed inside

2009 LA: 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid 7, no smoking allowed inside

Key Competitors: Lexus LS Hybrid, Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid. Power: 4.4L V8 – 440-hp / 475 lb-ft of torque, 3-phase synchronous electric motor helps produce a total of 455-hp / 516 lb-ft. Transmission: 8-speed automatic transmission. Performance: 0-60 mph in just 4.8 seconds; top speed of 150 mph. Availability: Spring 2010. Pricing: TBA. The large luxury hybrid [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid is one exclusive fuel-efficient car

2009 LA: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S400 Hybrid is one exclusive fuel-efficient car

Key Competitors: BMW ActiveHybrid 7 and Lexus LS Hybrid. Power: 3.5L V6 mated to a compact hybrid module; 295-hp / 284 lb-ft of torque. Transmission: 7G-TRONIC 7-speed automatic. Performance: 0-62 mph in 7.2 seconds; top speed of 155 mph. Fuel-economy: 19/26 mpg (city/highway). Availability: On sale now. Pricing: $87,950. Hoping to get a piece of [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: Ferrari 458 Italia… or maybe not

2009 LA: Ferrari 458 Italia… or maybe not

Yes, this is Concourse Hall where Ferrari usually displays its vehicles at the LA Auto Show. Ferrari isn’t here today and we’re not really sure why – seeing as it just revealed one of its most important cars ever. Guess Ferrari feels that LA isn’t good enough for the new 458 Italia. Of course, we [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2010 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, 100 units coming U.S. next year

2009 LA: 2010 Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, 100 units coming U.S. next year

Key Competitors: Smart ForTwo. Power: New generation fuel-cell drive mated to an electric motor. Total output of 136-hp / 213 lb-ft of torque. Performance: 0-62 mph in 11 seconds; top speed of 105 mph. Fuel-economy: Estimated at 71 mpg. Availability: 100 units will come to the U.S., primarily in California, in early 2010. Pricing: TBA. [...]

Continue Reading
2009 LA: 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, only 500 more Vipers to be made

2009 LA: 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, only 500 more Vipers to be made

Key Competitors: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, Nissan GT-R, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lexus LFA. Power: 8.4L V10 – with 600-hp / 560 lb-ft of torque. Performance: 0-60 mph in less than 4 seconds; top speed over 200 mph. Availability: On sale now – only 500 units of the Viper left. Pricing: TBA. Fresh off from its 1:33.915 [...]

Continue Reading