TheCarConnection.com's spies spotted BMW's X6 Active
Hybrid undergoing hot-weather trials in Death Valley.
Three
BMW X6
Hybrid cars were spotted, but one of the test vehicles showed one important difference, as its final hood design was visible for the first time on a real-world prototype. Two of the prototypes showcased enormous hood bulges, but the third prototype's hood--while still bulging more than a standard X6--looks clean with a tastefully integrated bump sculpted in near the cowl.
These details lead us to the conclusion that the production X6
Hybrid will take its visual inspiration from BMW's X6 Active
Hybrid concept. Whether the revised hood bulge is there to make room for some hybrid-specific hardware or if its sole purpose is to signal one's green-leaning tendencies is currently unknown.
Stay tuned for more on the 2010
BMW X6
Hybrid.--
KGP Photography
Posted in : 2010, BMW, Hybrid Cars, Sport-Utility Vehicles, Spy Shots
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GM's putting big
trucks on hold as fuel-economy rules reshape the future landscape of big
pickups and
SUVs, the Wall Street Journal reports this morning.
The company is in the midst of a sweeping re-examination of its product lineup as it tries to eke out more miles per gallon per vehicle, and to come up with a product solution to the rise in gas prices that has slammed truck sales for the past year.
A spokesman told the Journal that the company's "whole product portfolio" is under review, and that the company is looking around its global empire for ways to bring more fuel-efficient cars to the U.S. sooner. The most immediate impact could be on GM's full-size truck and SUV program, which includes vehicles from the
Chevrolet Silverado to the
GMC Sierra and
Cadillac Escalade. Those vehicles were supposed to be replaced in 2012, but the Journal says that date will be pushed back.
In recent weeks, GM has said it would introduce new compact cars with fuel-efficient engines, bring out a new generation of the
Chevrolet Aveo, and put its
HUMMER brand under strategic review. On top of that, the paper adds, GM is toying with the idea of canceling a future
HUMMER SUV and with shutting down another brand.
What's your plan for GM--how can it boost fuel economy across the board? Tell them in a comment below.
Posted in : Chevrolet, GM, GMC, Pickups, Sport-Utility Vehicles
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With the
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid off to a slow sales start,
Chrysler is trumpeting the fact that its new
hybrid SUVs are nearly $8,000 less from the get-go.
The
2009 Dodge Durango HEMI Hybrid and the
Chrysler Aspen Hybrid go on sale in August. This morning,
Chrysler said the Durango flavor of the
hybrid would be priced from $45,340, including destination charges. The Aspen? It's $45,570 including destination. If you're interested in one,
Chrysler also points out that the vehicles may quality for a tax credit of $1,800.
The
Chrysler hybrid SUVs use a version of the same two-mode
hybrid system that GM uses in the Tahoe
Hybrid. Total power output is 385 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque.
Chrysler adds that it expects to see a 40 percent improvement in city fuel economy and a 25 percent overall boost, but didn't release final EPA figures. Expect those final figures to come in around 20/20 mpg, compared to the same figures for the Tahoe
Hybrid with four-wheel drive.
TheCarConnection.com gets our first crack at the
hybrids this week in Boston. Stay tuned for blogs and photos from the first drive of the Durango and Aspen Hybrids--and for our full review coming soon.
Posted in : Chrysler, Dodge, Hybrid Cars, Sport-Utility Vehicles
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Isn't it nice to be Mercedes-Benz? With oil near $140 a barrel, most of us are focusing on practical matters, like getting more miles out of an old pair of New Balance walking shoes. In Stuttgart, they've fretted for months wondering if 507 horsepower is enough for the 2009 Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG.
Designed originally for the Shah of Iran's military, the G-Class is fast enough to impress, we think, the tie-less enigma that is Iran's current president. For the new model year, it's not just the upgrade to 507 horsepower that makes the G55 something new and hot (trivia quiz: it was 500 horsepower last year).There's also the 0-60 mph time of 5.5 seconds, and a better controller for the stability control system. Hill descent control's included, too.
The grille's been tweaked, and new 19-inch lightweight wheels are obvious from these pictures, right? Inside, the G55 AMG wears new "designo" leather upholstery and wood and leather trim, along with a dark grey Alcantara headliner. Techno buffs will applaud the upgraded COMAND system, which now has voice control of the navigation, audio, and cell phone functions, along with a 4GB resident memory for music, an SD slot for others to bring the noise, and a USB port that accepts jump drives and iPods alike.
Posted in : 2009, Mercedes-Benz, Sport-Utility Vehicles
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Since I wrote a book on HUMMER four years ago, I've always harbored the notion of actually owning one. I don't really have a use for it other than vanity, and might put only 5,000 miles on it a year. At $50,000, though, the H2's been totally out of reach.
But now might be the time to buy one, according to the tons of ads I see on Craigslist for used SUVs--and to the Wall Street Journal story I pored over on my way to coherence this morning.
The Journal's
story about SUV sales points out the paradox facing car shoppers today: SUVs have never been less logical to own, but at the same time, prices have fallen so much for new and used examples that the price of gas is less of a factor.
Discounts are huge, the Journal points out. The Chrysler Aspen pictured here is running an average of $5,000 in rebates; Ford's Explorer with a V-8 and four-wheel drive can be had for less than $25,000. "It is the ultimate buyer's market," longtime auto analyst John Casesa told the paper.
And if you drive it infrequently, the cost of fuel for an SUV might even the equation, putting a Dodge Durango within reach of a Honda Civic in operating costs--as long as you don't drive it too much.
So far this year, SUV sales are down more than 20 percent and probably are headed further south since a big batch of crossovers such as the Honda Pilot and Ford Flex are hitting the market. The question becomes, are they set to fall even more? Ford's pricing moves on the F-150 suggest it's going to get a lot more aggressive to dump SUVs and trucks before the new model year comes. If it's cheap now, how cheap will it be in September?
For sure, if anything happens this summer to boost gas prices above $4 a gallon--a hurricane, an invasion, maybe even a sneeze from Ahmadinejad--SUVs will become even bigger showroom pariahs. And pariahs come cheaply.
Posted in : 2008, Sport-Utility Vehicles
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Marty Padgett July 2nd, 2008
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TheCarConnection.com's spies spotted BMW's X6 Active Hybrid undergoing hot-weather trials in Death Valley.;)
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