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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Euro , Hatchbacks , GM , Saturn Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Saturn Astra XR Car buyers here in the States are clamoring for fuel efficient transportation, but so far the Saturn Astra hasn't been on the top of buyers lists. The Astra is a smash hit in Europe and we liked it during its short stay in the Autoblog Garage , but it may just be too expensive compared to the competition with a starting price of $16,495. General Motors isn't keeping the price high to make a profit on the small volume import, either. GM vice chairman and quote master Bob Lutz told Automotive News that the Belgian-made Astra isn't profitable in the U.S. at all anymore due to the weak value of the Dollar vs. the Euro. The Astra has gone up in price by $500 since its introduction to reflect the broadening gap between the two currencies, and the price hike was implemented only to lessen the hit from the currency exchange. The Astra is not just a financial...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Euro , Hatchbacks , Ford Click image above for a photo gallery of the Fiesta Zetec S While the official unveiling of the 2009 Ford Fiesta is still a couple weeks away, that hasn't stopped Ford from tossing sneak peeks of a sportier Fiesta Zetec S out to the hot-hatch followers. Nowhere near as aggressive as the Focus RS , the Zetec S is differentiated by its body kit with new front splitter and side skirts. The European Fiesta will be offered with five different engines, but the Zetec S will feature only the Duratec 1.6-liter rated at 118 hp. Tuned for efficiency, yet designed to be fun-to-drive, the new hatch will scoot to 62 mph in less 9.9 seconds and squeeze an impressive 50 miles out of a single gallon of gas. Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta Zetec S Gallery: 2009 Ford Fiesta [Source: Auto Express ] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Car Buying , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Volkswagen Click the image above for a gallery of live shots of the Volkswagen Tiguan In a rather odd yet intriguing move, Volkswagen in Germany is handing out a new fifth-generation Golf to anyone who orders a Tiguan. The customer will keep the Golf until their new Tiguan utility vehicle is available, which, at current rates, will not be until next January at the earliest. In an effort to cover the cost of giving away a new car and getting it back used, VW will be providing its dealers with a one-time payment of €1,000 for each Tiguan sold. Unfortunately for the affected dealers, that won't be enough to recoup the lost value of the Golf, but it shows how eager VW is to sell its new small-ute in the face of similar new models coming from its key competition, namely the Mercedes-Benz GLK . We've previously reported that the Tiguan will start at $22,490, which equals $23,840 after the expensive shipping cost is tacked...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Geneva Motor Show , Euro , Hatchbacks , Ford Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford Fiesta hatchbacks Though Ford has stated that it will only sell the new Fiesta in the U.S. as a sedan, the debut of two hatchback versions at the Geneva Motor Show this week, a three-door and a five-door model, apparently has the Blue Oval boys and girls reconsidering. Ford's new marketing chief Jim Farley told Automotive News that a decision about whether to sell the hatchbacks in the U.S. as well will come in 12 months. The company will be watching consumer reaction to the Verve hatchback concepts at second-tier U.S. auto shows this year to see if they resonate with young buyers (It may also show the production Fiesta hatchbacks in the U.S., as well). Hatchbacks have traditionally been a tough sell in the U.S., which is what prompted Ford's initial decision not to sell them here, as well as, we presume, the decision cancel the Focus three- and five-door hatchback...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Coupes , Euro , Hatchbacks , Volkswagen Well, it's official, the upcoming Volkswagen Scirocco will not be making an appearance in North American showrooms. VW of America boss Stefan Jacoby told Car and Driver magazine that there's no room for the Scirocco here with the GTI and R32 already headlining the market segment for the automaker. In the same interview, Jacoby stated that what we could see is a return of the Phaeton , but this time with a diesel underhood. That'd give the primo sedan a unique selling point, to be sure, but there's still no evidence to suggest that an oil-burner will suddenly lessen buyers' reluctance to part with big ducats on a VW-branded luxury car. [Car and Driver via German Car Blog ] Gallery: Volkswagen IROC Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Car Buying , Euro , Hatchbacks , Ford We'd rather not start a flame war in the comments about the U.S.-spec Ford Focus versus the arguably superior model sold in Europe, but it's almost certain one will begin following the announcement of a new special edition Focus in the UK dubbed the ST500. Based on the top shelf Focus ST3, the ST500 is mostly an appearance package with little in the way of upgraded mechanical hardware. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the Focus ST is a hot hatch of the highest order already. What buyers will get with the ST500 is a metallic black paint job with silver racing stripes that mimics the livery of the famous GT40 that led the 1-2-3 sweep of the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1966. Also included are red Recaros with matching inserts dotted about the interior, Xenon high-intensity headlamps, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, rain-sensing wipers and a solar-reflect windscreen. Oh, and ST500 badging, can't forget the badging. The Focus ST500 will start...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Euro , Hatchbacks , Saturn click above image for more views of the Saturn Astra While Ford chose to rehash the compact Focus with a dubious restyling instead of giving us the highly regarded European Focus, Saturn has gone the...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Coupes , Euro , Hatchbacks , GM , Saturn The Saturn Astra may be the most exciting all-new small car to hit US shores in some time. The Opel version of the Astra is one of the most popular compacts in Europe, which is saying...
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