Latest Cars Reviews Blog

2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids are Eligible for $3,400 Tax Credit

Ford has announced that the new 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids are now eligible for a $3,400 tax credit.

The $3,400 tax credit is the highest credit amount offered for a hybrid since the end of 2005.

The Fusion and Milan Hybrids have been rated at 41 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, which is better than its closest competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

If you are planning on buying one of Ford's newest hybrids you better do it before March 31, 2009 because after that the tax credit will be cut in half.

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GM Gets First $4 Billion, Chrysler Not So Much [Carpocalypse Now]

GM gets first $4 billion. Chrysler? Still waiting. [CNNMoney]

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Detroit 2009: Third-gen Prius arrives with 50 mpg combined rating [w/VIDEO]

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Hatchbacks, Toyota

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Toyota Prius

After teasing us for months with photos of switches and boot up screens, followed by a leak of the whole car, Toyota finally dropped the third generation 2010 Prius today in Detroit. We already heard many of the mechanical details over the past year or so, but today it was confirmed that the Prius will get a combined EPA rating of 50 mpg. That's 50 mpg under the new tighter EPA testing method, mind you. The engine has been up-sized to 1.8L with an output of 98 hp and the total net output of the hybrid drive system is 134 hp.

The basic design is still instantly recognizable as a Prius, but the body does have a bit more character than before. Nonetheless the shape is smoother with a drag coefficient of just 0.25. The peak of the roof has now been moved back 4 inches giving the car a slightly less egg-shaped profile and increasing rear headroom. Aside from optional extras like LED headlights and lane departure prevention, the most interesting new option is the solar roof. A roof-mounted photo-voltaic panel will power the air recirculation system when the car sits in the sun, reducing the internal temps and the subsequent load on the air conditioning system. The Prius goes on sale later this spring but pricing hasn't been announced yet. Hit the jump to view video of the live press conference.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: 2010 Toyota Prius

Gallery: 2010 Toyota Prius

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Third-gen Prius arrives with 50 mpg combined rating [w/VIDEO]

Detroit 2009: Third-gen Prius arrives with 50 mpg combined rating [w/VIDEO] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beat The Housing And Transportation Crisis, Live In A Shipping Container

PNFC Global Communities co-founder Paul McCarthy and his three partners, Pablo Nava, Kyle Annen, and Mackenzie Bishop have made being destitute almost chic. According to the report in AZCentral, the creation of PNFC was inspired by a trip McCarthy took three years ago as an MBA student to the impoverished Mexico border city, Juarez, where he observed the deplorable living conditions of Fortune 1000 employees. Co-founding PNFC Global Communities, McCarthy made it his mission to change that by converting empty shipping containers into affordable homes, complete with air conditioning, ventilation, electrical wiring, and running water. Although technicalities have complicated mass production, the prototype PNFC managed to design illustrates their larger goal, which is to create entire communities of affordable, aesthetically tolerable housing. The current design model is a standard shipping container, measuring 40′ x 8′ x 8½, and features a modestly sized kitchen, bathroom [including the necessary plumbing], dinette area, and two separate bedrooms. Windows are carved out on either side of the container, and the exterior has been painted white to help deflect the heat.

The biggest problem McCarthy and his associates are facing is akin to similar hurdles designers in the auto industry face, which is keeping the production design true to concept form. More specifically, PNFC is struggling to maintain the core principle on which the container homes were conceived: portable and affordable. The concept container measures a total of 320 square feet, the standard size for shipping containers, in order to allow mass quantities of the units to be transported as well as efficiently stacked to create neat little apartment units [replete with balconies and staircases]. The problem is engineering such compact quarters while keeping the total cost under $8,000. Ultimately, the homes are intended to raise the standards of living in Juarez and places in similar conditions, where hard working families often live in ramshackle housing. McCarthy is quick to explain that PNFC’s housing developments are not intended to be welfare, however, but rather as a stepping stone for workers looking to build up some equity and move onto bigger and better things.

Currently, McCarthy and his associates are in talks with a Mexican law firm local to the Juarez area that has dealt with work-to-housing programs in the past, attempting to make deals with local Fortune 1000 companies in the area to fund PNFC’s start-up costs. They hope to begin production in the near future.

[Photo Cred: www.lwarc.com]

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Detroit 2009: Lincoln MKT debuts with a big, toothy smile

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Lincoln

Click above for high-res image gallery of the 2010 Lincoln MKT

Ford has a major-league hit on its hands with the 2009 Flex crossover - with the media. Sadly, despite its varied and considerable charms, sales haven't met the Blue Oval's admittedly lofty expectations. Blame the recession, blame the marketing department, blame the Flex's divisive styling, blame what you will, but Dearborn is plainly going to have to find more volume for its D4 platform. Enter the 2010 Lincoln MKT.

It doesn't take more than a brief glance to realize that Ford's stylists have exacted much more than a quick nip/tuck on the rectilinear Flex en-route to minting this new Lincoln. But beyond the crossover's assertive looks, there is a host of new technology on offer inside and out that should help put the MKT on luxury crossover shopping lists. Follow the jump to learn more about the MKT and read Lincoln's official press release.

Gallery: 2010 Lincoln MKT

Continue reading Detroit 2009: Lincoln MKT debuts with a big, toothy smile

Detroit 2009: Lincoln MKT debuts with a big, toothy smile originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford Active Park Assist: In Action! [Detroit Auto Show]

We gave you the info late last night about Ford's new Active Park Assist. Now here's video of the system in action along with the first look at the 2010 MKS's paddle shifters.

Ford's Active Park Assist looks to be much more controlled than the system Lexus debuted on the LS460 and will be available as an option on the 2010 Lincoln MKS and the upcoming 2010 Lincoln MKT crossover that will debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

Active Park Assist will accompany Ford's new Electric Power Assisted Steering in the 2010 Lincoln MKS and MKT and will be featured in the rest of Ford's lineup in 2012.

A new six-speed auto-transmission with steering wheel flappy paddle shifters will be available on the 2010 Lincoln MKS and upcoming 2010 Ford Taurus. You'll notice them in the video above if you're paying attention. It's the first time these new shifters have been spotted in the wild.

[YouTube via Ford]

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GM Reportedly Kills the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST!

Pickuptruck.com is reporting that GM has quietly decided to kill plans for the 2010 Pontiac G8 ST.

GM unveiled the Pontiac G8 ST last year at the New York Auto show. The unibody pickup version of the G8 sedan was expected to be V8 powered, feature a 74-inch cargo bed and be able to tow up to 3,500 pounds. The vehicle immediately recalled previous vehicles like the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero.

Last month, Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC stated that GM was going to pare down the number of Pontiac vehicles and that the G8 ST was under review to see if it made sense.

The G8 ST was expected to be launched as a 2010 model with prices starting in the low $30,000's. It was also rumored that GM was going to introduce a V6 version of the vehicle with the same direct-injection V6 as the upcoming Camaro.

Should we be sad?

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Remember When Top Gear Got the Bugatti Veyron Up To Top Speed?

Top Gear is the only show I watch consistently anymore (I used to watch Arrested Development, until they were canceled). I remember when this was aired originally, and I loved it. I loved the way it was filmed and edited and I loved how they got James May to do the driving, since he’s usually the slow one. His expression really shows how awesome that kind of speed is.

407km/h=253mph

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Detroit 2009: Volvo S60 Concept debuts sexy Scandinavian design

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Volvo

Click above for high-res gallery of the Volvo S60 Concept

Volvo's big deal for the 2009 Detroit Auto Show is the S60 Concept, which debuts a new design direction for the Scandinavian brand once known for elevating the art of boxes on wheels. Volvo has continually evolved its signature design language, adding curves and bulges to make its vehicles look more organic than cubic. The culmination of that movement is the S60 Concept, which previews the next-gen S60 production sedan.

The concept features a coupe-like roofline and elegant front end brandishing the largest version of Volvo's iron mask badge that we've ever seen. A new character line running along the sides of the concept nicely updates the broad shoulder that's common on the brand's current cars and SUVs. There are lots of other cool exterior details, which you can read about in the press release after the jump, but the interior is the concept's crown jewel. The floating center stack, inspired by current Volvo production interiors, was made by hand out of Orrefors crystal.

The S60 concept is also full of safety tech, including a Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and pedestrian detection system that will debut in the production S60. It works to avoid collisions with pedestrians under 20 km/h altogether and minimize injury for ones occurring at faster speeds. Powered by a 1.8L four-cylinder turbodiesel with direct injection, the S60 Concept is also frugal with fuel, burning through just 5.0 liters of petrol every 100 km (about 47 mpg U.S.)

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Volvo S60 Concept