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Filed under: Economy , SUVs , Wagons/Estates , Tech , Hatchbacks , Mazda For the thirteenth year running, Mazda has created a number of vehicles for those with special needs to be showcased at the International Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition in Japan. The AZ-Wagon gets a lift-gate out back so that folks limited to wheelchairs can enter and exit through the converted rear hatch while still in their wheelchairs. The MPV Second Row Lift-up Seat (pictured) is also for those in wheelchairs, but those who have the mobility to sit in a conventional seat. And the Biante Autostep has, like an RV, a step that extends whenever the rear door is opened. All of the vehicles are JDM-only, but now that we know Mazda has this kind of expertise, we'd like to speak to them about getting a Kazamai with an ejector seat. Hit the jump for the press release. Continue reading Mazda developing vehicles for people with special needs Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Ford click above to view more high-res shots of the Euro-Focus News flash: small cars like the Ford Focus are selling beyond expectations (ours anyway) while trucks and SUVs are sitting on dealer lots much longer than auto manufacturers would like. For this reason, Ford is moving as quickly as possible to switch a few of its truck plants into car plants, including its Michigan Truck plant where behemoth SUVs like the Expedition and Navigator were being built. The switchover is going to cost the automaker since these are not flexible manufacturing facilities, with the first bit of retooling ringing the registers to the tune of $75 million bucks -- and that's just for a new bodyshop. The total cost to retool the plant will be in the hundreds of millions. As they say, it takes money to make money. While the plant is being refurbished, workers will be shuffled to the nearby Wayne plant to build even more Focuses...
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford , Honda , Earnings/Financials Click above for high-res gallery of the Ford Explorer America Concept For years, the success of vehicles such as the Ford F-Series pickups and Explorer SUV kept the Blue Oval brand from improving its line of mostly uncompetitive sedans. Automakers like Honda, though, never went the way of body-on-frame trucks and SUVs, preferring instead to continually improve its range of cars and crossover utility vehicles. That strategy is paying dividends in these days of high fuel prices, and Ford has taken notice. Asked whether he would prefer a more car-oriented model-mix, like that of Honda or Toyota, CEO Alan Mullaly recently answered, "Absolutely. We just don't have enough of those small or medium-sized vehicles yet, and that's what we need to concentrate on." Of course, all is not lost. As Automotive News points out, Ford has a new F-150 on the horizon, which...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , SUVs , Green , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Click image for a hi-res gallery of Chrysler's concepts We're back from the Chrysler press conference that saw the Detroit Auto Show debuts of the Jeep Renegade , Dodge ZEO , and Chrysler ecoVoyager . As we have mentioned already, each is born out of the automaker's ENVI program, the focus of which is on new, environmentally-friendly electric propulsion. As such, all the concepts share the same 200 kw (268 hp equivalent) electric motor powered by a currently nonexistent lithium-ion battery pack and augmented by a secondary "range-extender" in the Renegade and ecoVoyager. That includes a vaporware fuel-cell in the latter. It's all okay, though, because as Chrysler's Frank Klegon pointed out, these are "pure concepts." He then went on to say that these "pure concepts" would be seen "in future production vehicles...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Honda , Toyota Each month, 13 million visitors use Edmunds to research cars and trucks, and once again Honda and Toyota dominate the site's list of top searches. The Honda Civic and Accord along with the Toyota Camry lead the hit parade, followed by six other Japanese models and the BMW 3-Series. The two Japanese juggernauts also owned the top truck searches, with the fuel efficient Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 taking first and second, respectively. The only other automaker to crack the truck/SUV/minivan category was GM, with the GMC Acadia coming in at number five, and the Saturn VUE rounding out the top ten. It's interesting to note that the vehicles car shoppers research most aren't exactly the the ones that produce the highest sales volume, as evidenced by the Mazda3 besting the economy car sales champ Toyota Corolla by three spots. Also worth noting is that automotive stalwarts have a much...
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Filed under: Car Buying , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Etc. , Cadillac , Chevrolet , Ford , Lexus , Toyota We've all seen the ads in the newspaper or in commercials that say you can get a new car with zero money down and only $299 per month. Quick math tells you that even after taxes and destination, you're only paying about $4,400 the first year to own a brand new car. A recent study by consulting firm Runzheimer International shows that a new car will cost you considerably more in overall operating costs. At 15,000 miles per year, the cost of insurance, gasoline, fees, depreciation, and maintenance can drive the overall cost near $20,000 per year. The 2008 Cadillac STS was tops in this year's test, costing buyers $19,537. The Lexus LS460 was close behind at $19,372. Big vehicles cost quite a bit also, with Ford's E-350 XL SuperDuty tallying a $16,543 bill followed by the Chevy Tahoe LS 4x4 at $15,789. There were some relatively low cost vehicles as...
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Filed under: Convertibles , Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , BMW , GM , Honda , MINI Every year the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) pick the top new vehicles by category to give their Canadian comrades a reference point for potential purchases. The AJAC tested 177 vehicles in an event at Niagra they call "Test Fest" to come up with their final list, which you can find after the jump . Even though Canadians have different automotive tastes than us Yanks, they seem to like many of the same cars we do. The AJAC picked the Audi R8 as its "Most Coveted Vehicle", the Honda Accord was honored as best family car, and the Audi S5 took honors for best sports car over $50,000, all of which are fine picks with us. We do, however, question the Nissan Rogue as Best New SUV/CUV under $35,000. It's also interesting to note that no Toyotas made the final list of 12, and GM was the only U.S. domestic to hit...
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Filed under: Coupes , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Tech , Crossovers/CUVs , GM GM's new compact front-wheel-drive platform created to replace the Delta platform is longer with a longer wheelbase than its predecessor. This will give allow it to underpin at least eight new models in a range of segments and markets around the world. Compare that to the current Delta platform, which sits under just six models (including the current Cobalt and coming Astra), all of them small or mid-sized vehicles. The as-yet-unnamed platform is expected by 2012 to be produced in volumes exceeding one million units per year. It will form the basis for small, economy models to be sold in emerging markets for under $10,000, as well as luxury models sold in Europe for $40,000, and everything in between. The extra length will also allow it to underpin a small Chevy minivan or CUV, as well as a 7-passenger SUV replacement for the Opel Zafira. Other variants include the next-gen Saturn Astra in 2009 or 2010...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , LA Auto Show , Trends , Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Green , Tech , Crossovers/CUVs , Chevrolet , GM Promising the best possible fuel economy for whichever type of vehicle its customers choose, GM's Bob Lutz and Ed Peper trotted a full lineup of green vehicles from their arsenal. The Aveo5, Impala E85, Malibu Hybrid, Tahoe Hybrid, Silverado Hybrid, Volt, Equinox Fuel Cell, Beat and Groove were used to show off that Chevy will be the brand carrying the greenish flame most prominently into the future for GM. Lutz talked about having a whole range of options available to meet future trends, from hybrids, to flex-fuel burners, to fuel cells, to electrics like start/stop technology and good old-fashioned economy cars that get great fuel economy. Gallery: 2008 Chevy Hybrids at the LA Auto Show Gallery: 2008 Chevy Aveo5 Continue reading LA 2007: Lutz and Peper show off Chevy's high efficiency fleet Permalink | Email...
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Filed under: Economy , SUVs , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Chevrolet , GM , Opel Click the image above for a host of live shots of the Chevy Trax concept. GM is keeping a close eye on the growing cute 'ute segment abroad, and according to a union leader from...
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Filed under: Economy , Hybrids/Alternative , SUVs , Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Ford Ford has figured out a way to take advantage of the current crop of presidential candidates' green-pandering. As has been covered here at Autoblog, one of the measures...
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