By Marty Padgett November 19th, 2008
Email this page to your friend:
Enlarge Photo
Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said last year his company would have a major new model to show off at each major
auto show. True to form at the Los Angeles show, Lambo pulled the silky sheet from a new
Spyder version of the LP560-4, the latest edition of the
Gallardo.
The
2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4
Spyder comes with a soft top, but all the performance of the stock LP,
Lamborghini says. Putting out 552 horsepower from its 5.2-liter V-10, the
Spyder shoots to 60 mph in 4 seconds and catapults to a top speed of 201 mph. Like the LP560-4 coupe, the
Spyder has a paddle-shifted transmission with sport ("Corsa") shift modes and four-wheel drive.
Sign up for yours now--deliveries start in the spring.
--
Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
Posted in : 2009, Convertibles, Lamborghini, Los Angeles Auto Show, Luxury Cars, Sportscars
By Marty Padgett November 19th, 2008
Email this page to your friend:
Enlarge Photo
The
2010 Honda Insight showed up at the
Paris auto show as a concept, and at the Los Angeles show today it prepared for production early next spring (we'll be driving it soon, so stay tuned). As
Honda unveiled the Insight alongside the Vector-ish new FC Sport concept, it also unveiled an Insight innovation it says will help drivers learn how to get more miles per gallon from their car.
It's called Ecological Drive Assist System, or Eco Assist. Like the new system in the
2010 Ford Fusion, it features a graphic display to show drivers when they're operating their
hybrid at peak economy. The Insight's EcoAssist goes further: it lets drivers choose an ECON mode that makes the transmission, engine and motors operate in a more economical range. And while driving, the readout puts a different color on the background of the speedometer to give a visual clue about instantaneous fuel economy.
The cheekiest--or most cloying--feature is that driving style is rated by leaves--as in leaves on a plant. The more efficient you drive, the more leaves you get. You grow, the car grows, everyone's
green and happy in
Honda world.
The 2010 Insight goes on sale in the spring, and
Honda promises it will be the most affordable
hybrid on the market.
Posted in : 2010, Honda, Hybrid Cars, Los Angeles Auto Show, Technology
By Marty Padgett November 19th, 2008
Email this page to your friend:
Enlarge Photo
The news from
Lincoln for the last several years has been, "We're not dead." While they're far from being healthy, their model line is continuing to improve. The 2010 MKZ took its bow at L.A.'s show, and you'll see that the winged grill of the
2009 Lincoln MKS has made the transition to the smaller
Lincoln. We saw a prototype of the new MKZ back in the spring. We liked it then and we still like it now.
The interior of the 2010 MKZ is also said to be significantly improved. We've seen the pictures you're seeing here, and spent some time with the MKZ during the summer to witness significant upgrades inside--with an almost
Land Rover feel in the use of vertical lines and wood trim. The team used the MKS as a benchmark, and this is a good thing.
On the performance side of things, pre-show press releases offered scant details to back claims of quicker 0-60 mph times (7.1 versus 7.7 seconds), but the claims are there nonetheless. Apparently transmission calibrations have been modified, because the standard 3.5-liter V-6 retains an output of 263 horsepower.
We'll have driving impressions as soon as
Ford sends the new 2010 MKZ out into the world.
MORE PHOTOS: 2010 Lincoln MKZ
--
Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
Posted in : 2010, Lincoln, Los Angeles Auto Show, Luxury Cars, Sedans
By colin November 19th, 2008
Email this page to your friend:
Enlarge Photo
Breaking somewhat from his fellow Democrats who largely back Federal assistance for Detroit's floundering Big Three, tough-talker Chris Dodd of Connecticut was disappointed that The Big Three, during pleas to Congress, "missed an opportunity to be candid about past mistakes" reports the
Detroit Free Press today. Further, Dodd hopes that chances for the $25 billion bailout of the domestic auto industry "remain remote."
For a trip through some of Detroit's worse moments and woeful products,
click over to our review of U.S. News & World Report's summary of ten vehicles that it believed helped sink Detroit into its current mire. GM,
Ford, and
Chrysler have made some great vehicles throughout the years, but their responses to oil shortages, economic realities, and automotive downsizing have resulted in disasters like the
Ford Explorer,
Hummer H2,
Jeep Compass, and the festival of badge engineering that were the
Chevrolet Cavalier/Buick Skyhawk/Cadillac Cimarron/Pontiac Sunbird/Oldsmobile Firenza quintuplets.
As opposed to a bailout, Dodd is in favor of a pre-packaged bankruptcy proceeding for one or more of the three automotive giants, hoping for a restructing without complete destruction of consumer confidence.
Detroit Free Press reports that Dodd does support assistance for domestic automakers in principle, but is frustrated by automakers who don't seem to see the consequences of their poor decisions in years' past. He's understandably wary of giving huge sums of taxpayer money to companies who haven't proven they will manage it well. In Dodd's bankruptcy scenario, terms for lenders, suppliers, and labor would be arranged in advance to ensure continued auto production and a clear path towards future relevance and corporate health.--
Colin Mathews
---
Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
Posted in : 2008, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Industry News, North America, Politics
By colin November 19th, 2008
Email this page to your friend:
Enlarge Photo
Claiming in a
Detroit News article that U.S. Government Assistance for the Big Three would "distort competition across the ailing auto industry," Fiat Group SpA CEO Sergio Marchionne voiced his disapproval of U.S. governmental intervention in ailing domestic fortunes.
Marchionne claims that U.S. assistance would "change the industrial equilibrium of the markets," something that "Fiat cannot accept." He points out that Fiat, Italy's biggest industrial force, has not asked for governmental assistance despite a tough market.
Recently, German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced similar concerns when considering a $1.27 billion loan guarantee to Opel, a German GM subsidiary. She voiced the concerns during a meeting with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday in the city of Trieste. Berlusconi reports that he is unwilling to offer assistance to Italian industry under current conditions.--
Colin Mathews
---
Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
Posted in : 2008, Chrysler, Fiat, Ford, GM, Industry News, Politics
Try our new homepage
Forums
RSS
Follow us on: