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The price of gas headed higher yet again today -- no surprise there -- but now analysts are wondering if $4 a gallon gas will be the national average before long.
The AP reports today that the price of a gallon of unleaded passed $3.51 today, setting a new record, while diesel prices rose to a new record of $4.20 a gallon.
"I wouldn't rule out the possibility that we could get to $4," analyst Antoine Halff told the news service.
The current spiral of prices is, er, fueled by high demand and the fall in the value of the dollar. It's a rough lesson for consumers as prices for everything are rising, especially food, because of transportation costs.
Consumers may be responding in a grass-roots way, however. Cars.com's latest survey of shoppers reports that $4-a-gallon gas for an extended period of time would be enough for 85 percent of consumers surveyed to buy a more fuel-efficient car. Already, the Cars.com survey found, 80 percent of drivers are making sure they do everything to squeeze more miles from each gallon of gas, like properly inflating their vehicle's tires.
What do shoppers think qualifies as a "fuel-efficient" vehicle? Some 73 percent of those polled by the Cars.com survey said 30 miles per gallon would be a good starting point -- and 60 percent said they'd pay $2000 extra for a 40-mpg vehicle. Twenty-one percent said they wouldn't pay any more, though.
It's easy to see the effect of high gas prices on the wallet. But TheCarConnection wants to know -- what are you doing to save money and boost your fuel economy? Tell us in a comment below and let us know if $4 a gallon gas would get you to trade in your guzzler for a sipper.
Posted in : Driving, Shoppers
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Like the
Nissan Altima and
Honda Accord and
Toyota Camry and
Ford Fusion...and...well, like a bunch of other family
sedans, the big new
Chevrolet Malibu is getting a four-cylinder option on its ritziest model.
The newly dubbed
Chevrolet Malibu LTZ will get the 169-horsepower, 2.4-liter version of GM's Ecotec four-cylinder engine. In the Malibu, the engine's teamed with a six-speed automatic transmission that works with it to endow the big family four-door with a 22/32 mpg fuel economy rating. Also appearing on the LTZ version are 17-inch Chrometec wheels and a single chrome exhaust outlet, for carspotters everywhere.
GM's already released pricing on the new model, too. The 2008 Malibu LTZ will sticker at $26,985 including destination charge. The fancy two-tone interior treatment can be had on the four-cylinder LTZ, and heated seats are standard. So are OnStar Turn-by-Turn navigation, XM Satellite Radio and an eight-speaker audio system.
Posted in : 2009, Chevrolet, Sedans, Shoppers
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The most powerful
Mercedes-Benz SL roadster ever goes on sale next year -- and this morning
Motor Trend spilled their guts on the details of the new
2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 Black Series.
The Black Series takes the AMG V-8 engine and twists it until it screams -- upping horsepower by 66 to a total of 670 hp, MT reports, and torque to 738 lb-ft. Though it's capable of 220 mph, Benz will limit top speed to 186 mph. The buff book estimates the SL65 Black Series can rocket to 60 mph in less than 4 seconds.
A five-speed automatic is the sole gearbox, and the Black Series gets a fixed roof, along with flared fenders made of carbon fiber. The electronic suspension in the standard SL range is dumped in favor of an adjustable coil spring suspension, and 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels are fitted. Overall the Black Series loses 570 pounds versus the stock SL-Class, but still pushes 4080 pounds.
Expect a sticker price well over $200,000 this fall -- and a relatively brief window of opportunity, as
Mercedes only plans to build 350 copies total for worldwide consumption.
Posted in : 2009, Convertibles, Mercedes-Benz, Shoppers
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Ford is laying out plans for the next version of its Focus compacts. And this time around,
Ford says it's going to try once more to make the
2011 Ford Focus a global product.
Derrick Kuzak,
Ford's product chief, said yesterday that the company is planning the new Focus in its European operations and hopes that 87 percent of the parts in the new vehicle will be common to its global parts bin. The new Focus range could appear in the 2010 or 2011 model years, more likely 2011 since
Ford is launching its subcompact
Fiesta in 2010.
The current U.S. Focus started life as a part of a global program when it bowed in 2000, but when
Ford redesigned the European Focus mid-decade, the American car soldiered on in largely the same format. This year,
Ford updated the U.S. Focus' s styling and interior.
The new Focus will ride on an updated version of the C1 platform that underpins the current European version of the
Ford Focus. So now's the chance to start lobbying
Ford to keep the hot Focuses in its American plans--cars like the Focus RS and this Coupe-Cabriolet version. Tell us in a comment below if
Ford should build a wider range of Focus cars with the next generation--and tell us which version you'd buy.
Posted in : 2011, Ford, Shoppers
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You had to see this one coming--just a few months after the
Detroit auto show unveiling of the Fisker Karma
hybrid concept, Fisker's being sued by Tesla Motors, which claims theft of company secrets.
C/Net reports that
Tesla Motors filed suit against Fisker in San Mateo Superior Court on Monday. Tesla's suit charges that when it hired Henrik Fisker to design the body of the new WhiteStar sedan it hopes to launch next year, Fisker took some of the ideas for the electric-powered sedan and incorporated them in his own Karma
hybrid concept.
Tesla now says it's scrapped Fisker's designs for the WhiteStar and has started over again, but still plans to introduce the electric-powered or hybrid-powered WhiteStar at the end of next year.
Tesla's roadster is in production and is priced just under $100,000.
Posted in : 2008, Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars, Shoppers
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