Man I am surprised! The 2008 Nissan Rouge has resurfaced with a new hot package. But unfortunately, I don’t have the complete details about this great looking premium SUV, just a piece of the whole lot of specifications about the ride. I’m sure every car geek will fall for the brand new face of the 2008 Rouge and the great stuff it has to offer - especially those cool brake dust shields.
Anyway, according to my source, the Auto Channel, this is the bottomline:
Nissan’s new rogue crossover sport utility is loaded with great features and decent performance. As a competitor with the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, it can hold its own in performance, comfort and feature content. The fact that it looks like a mini-Murano doesn’t hurt, either.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Model:2008 Nissan Rogue SL
- Engine: 2.5-liter inline 4
- Horsepower/Torque: 170 hp @ 6000 rpm/175 lb.-ft. @ 4400 rpm
- Transmission: CVT
- Wheelbase: 105.9 in.
- Length/Width/Height: 182.8 x 70.9 x 65.3 in.
- Tires: 225/60R17
- Cargo volume: 28.3 cu. ft. (58 cu. ft. with seats down)
- Fuel economy: 22 mpg city/27 mpg highway
- Fuel capacity: 15.9 gal.
- Sticker: $20,450 (base, AWD, plus $745 destination charge)
A report done by Poornima Gupta, a writer for Reuters, stated that General Motors Corp. declared that it is recalling 275,963 Pontiacs, Saturns and Cadillacs which were sold in the United States. According to The Auto Channel, most vehicle owners encountered fluid leak problems. On the other hand, there were no defective brake dust shields mentioned whatsoever in the reason for the recall.
The recall reported that vehicles 2005-2007 model year Cadillac CTS, CTS-V and STS, STS-V sedans, 2005-2007 model year Cadillac SRX crossovers, and 2006-2007 model year Pontiac Solstice and the 2007 Saturn Sky are involved.
This coming January 15, 2008, another exciting awarding ceremony will take place to recognize groups and personas who displayed an exceptional performance during the past year. The independent body of automotive journalists has submitted their final nominees for the 2008 Urban Wheel Awards and they are listed below. Untie those tie rod ends! Check this out!
The 12th Annual Urban Wheel Awards finalists courtesy of my source:
African American Executive of the Year
Bennie Fowler
VP, Quality
Ford Motor Company
Marshilia Snoddy
Zone Manager for Process Improvement, Southwest Zone
American Honda Motor Company
Ed Welburn
VP, Global Design
General Motors Corporation
Asian Executive of the Year
Takeshi Abe
Henry Ford Technical Fellow
Ford Motor Company
Ray G, Young
Group VP, GM Global Finance
General Motors Corporation
Latino Executive of the Year
Dave Mondragon
General Manager, Ford Motor Company Southwest Region
Ford Motor Company
Victor Nacif
VP Design, Business Aspects
Nissan Design America
Supplier of the Year
Detroit Chassis
Ewie Co. Inc.
Pinnacle
Company of the Year
Chrysler
Ford Motor Company
General Motors
Car of the Year
Chevrolet Malibu
Honda Accord
Mercedes-Benz C Class
Truck of the Year
Buick Enclave
Chrysler Town & Country
Infiniti EX 35
Diversity in Motor Sports Finalists
National Hot Rod Association
STAR Motorsports
Urban Youth Racing School
Urban Dealer of the Year
Bill Perkins Automotive Group
Mike Pruitt Honda
Southaven Pontiac/Buick/GMC
"The Urban Wheel Awards brings together top leaders in the auto industry with the multicultural community which represents their true customer base," said Randi Payton, President and CEO of On Wheels, Inc. and founder of the awards. "Inclusion of all its customers is critical to building bridges to the multicultural community and to recognizing the contributions of minorities in the industry."
Shame on you if you’re not familiar with the “King of the Hill”. We know that it rested for quite some time and I’m sure everybody misses the king and its sizzling hot radiator! I’m talking about the 2009 Corvette ZR1.
Speculations are true - the world-renowned street majesty is all set to reign over the roads soon! According to The Auto Channel, Chevrolet has officially announced the unveiling of the 2009 Corvette ZR1 - the All-American super car! The Corvette ZR1 generates new levels for production-based power and performance, and at the same time dares worldwide rivals with a ground-braking driving experience that comes along with an exceptional price of entry.
“The king has returned. The new ZR1 upends the notion of what an American supercar can deliver, with performance that trumps exotics that cost two, three or four times as much - and does so with the driving ease of a daily commuter,” says Ed Peper, Chevrolet's general manager.
“Preliminary testing shows the ZR1 bests the highly respected Corvette Z06 in every performance category, from acceleration and braking, to cornering grip and top speed. It all boils down to the power-to-weight ratio and the ZR1’s is exceptional - better than the Porsche 911 GT2, the Ferrari 599 and even the Lamborghini LP640. In fact, the ZR1 is expected to be the first production Corvette to achieve a top speed of at least 200 mph,” added Peper.
Ford Europe has already confirmed its preparation for their newest and most awaited plan so far… the production of the all-new high-performance Ford Focus RS! It’s indeed a dream come true for all Focus fans from all over the planet. Expect the most from this vehicle - from body styling to the most dazzling spoiler in the face of the earth.
According to Ford’s press release, the exciting all-new, high performance Focus RS model will be all set for launching in 2009. The design sketch is already out which was released by the company a few days ago.
"With two consecutive Manufacturers' World Rally Championship titles under our belt, the time is right to create a new Focus RS. With the Fiesta and Focus ST models, Jost and his team have proved already that they can deliver exciting and practical performance road cars. The success of these models, combined with Jost's experience in motorsport and Ford of Europe's positive business results, mean that we now have a credible business case for a no-compromise Focus RS roadcar for more enthusiastic drivers," says John Fleming, Ford of Europe's President and CEO.
The fundamental concept for the new Focus RS has been enhanced and developed in Ford Team RS under Capito's management for the past few months.
"We have reviewed our technical options and worked closely with the Design team on how the car might look, and I'm very excited by the results," said Jost Capito, "Now with the programme going ahead, the hard work really starts as the small team working on the project takes the car from prototype to production."
"We will use the redesigned 2008 Focus ST as the base for a no-compromise RS model that will become the ultimate road-going Focus. Just as the Focus RS WRC owns the rally circuit, we want the new Focus RS to own the road, so we have the major competitors in our sights as we develop the car's performance, design, handling and braking," Capito added.
"We're not ready to confirm any of the technical details of the new Focus RS yet - Jost and his team have a lot to do to finalise the exact specification and styling," Fleming expressed. "But make no mistake, I can assure you that ultimately, the car we plan to launch will be worthy of wearing the coveted Ford RS badge."
Today, it will no longer be called as the Volkswagen of America Inc. but the Volkswagen Group of America! The name was officially changed by the group and it will be completely effective on the first day of year 2008. Why change the name? Is it as effective as changing fluids on the radiator?
According to my source, the new name was said to be superior in reflecting the information that the Volkswagen Group of America consists of five different brands: Bugatti, Audi, Bentley, Volkswagen and Lamborghini and also the associated financial services functions of Audi Financial Services, Bentley Financial Services and Volkswagen Credit.
"Our company, like the entire Volkswagen Group, has grown dramatically since our formation in the United States in 1955. Our new corporate name allows our individual brands to flourish, while recognizing that we have a common support structure that gives us great strength as we face our competitors. The new name Volkswagen Group of America reflects the much wider array of goods and services we now offer, and prepares us for even more activities in the future," says Stefan Jacoby, President and Chief Executive Officer.
The Volkswagen and Audi brands will keep on providing sales and service under their names that operates under the roof of Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen of America and Audi of America.
What can you say about the 2007 SPEED season? Was it bad? Or quite good?
The Auto Channel has asked some SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge drivers to look back on their season and share what they felt was the defining moment of 2007 for them. Here’s what they say:
"Winning from the pole and leading every lap is as good as it gets," said 2007 SPEED Touring Car Champion Jeff Altenburg. "I had a great car at the end of the race in case my chasers got too close for comfort, but everything went right. I had a new car chief for 2007 in Ron Carrol and there was no better way to start our working relationship. He went on to prove his worth time and again, giving me a fantastic Mazda 6 race car throughout the season."
That's not to say the Altenburg's season didn't have its low points. "A race weekend I would like to forget was the Watkins Glen double. First, I had a bad experience in qualifying for race one, which resulted in a ninth-place start and a fifth-place finish. Not bad, but the car was better than that. Second race, qualified second and ran third for the first half of the race, but then got caught up in the incident with Pierre [Kleinubing], which cost me 10 points and very nearly resulted in losing the Championship. That would have been a tough pill to swallow, but it did cause me to regroup and focus on the important aspects, making the rest of the season much better."
"At the Toronto Grands Prix, on a treacherous wet-to-dry street course, we smoked 'em," Randy Pobst said. "I love when that happens. Will Moody put the magic in the setup that day, and I felt faster than anywhere else all season. I kept looking in the mirror; 'Where is everybody?'"
"The weekend started out awesome," said BimmerWorld driver Seth Thomas. "My car was always one of the fastest in every session at my home track all weekend. I qualified the BimmerWorld BMW E90 in second, only a few hundredths of a second between me and the pole. I wake up race day morning to see nothing but clouds with rain falling from the sky. Not exactly what I had in mind for my home track race as the E90, up to that point, hadn't been proven as a great car to drive in the rain. Fortunately for me, our team engineer had a good idea of the direction to go on the setup, but it was a gamble.”
"If I look back at my season, one of the most memorable times was stepping foot under the RealTime tent at Sebring for the first time," said Kuno Wittmer, who finished third. "When it's a team you have been looking up to since the age of 15, it turns out to be a pretty great feeling. All season the RealTime gang and my teammates have been there for me and the support I received from them, along from my family, sponsors and fan club has been top notch. It's nice to be working with such great teammates not only in the trailer, but on track as well since they are all fierce challengers....LOVE IT!"
Will the upcoming season be as exciting as 2007? Let’s ‘bout that. The radiator hose and other race parts are just around the corner…Waiting…
credit: The Auto Channel
Open up the chilled champagne, let the confetti pour out and turn that ignition switch off as we celebrate along with the 200,000th sales milestone for Land Rover in its 59 year history! Congratulations!
According to The Auto Channel, global sales for the well-known 4x4 company arrived at 205,717 last month, with 27% further for the same month in 2006. It placed the company on track for its third consecutive record sales year. Several markets including China, Russia, Spain and France recorded their greatest sales ever in the month of November.
"This is a significant milestone in Land Rover's history and puts us on a firm footing as we approach our 60th anniversary. This sales achievement has been driven by exciting new product with improved environmental performance. Confidence is high - we're firmly in the black with innovative new products that will continue Land Rover's sustainable development,” says Land Rover's Managing Director, Phil Popham.
Cars.com released this list of the Best Overall Car Resale Values today. Here is the list I found on the official website.
1. Infiniti G37 Coupe (sport ) 63%
2. Jeep Wrangler Sahara (2-door) 62%
3. BMW 3 Series 328i (convertible) 61%
4. Toyota Tacoma Double-cab (PreRunner V-6) 61%
5. Porsche 911 Carrera (coupe) 60%
6. Honda Civic Si (sedan) 60%
7. Mini Cooper S (convertible) 60%
8. Ford Mustang GT Premium (coupe) 60%
9. Honda CR-V (EX) 60%
10. Subaru Impreza 2.5i (sedan) 59%
Infiniti ranked first with 63% residual value. It’s a sports car so it is expected to retain more than 60% value after three years. The Jeep Wrangler Sahara followed on the second spot with 62% close to the number BMW 3 Series 328i with 61% residual value. Toyota Tacoma Double-cab however was also included on the list with 61% residual rate making the Porsche 911 Carrera capture the fifth spot having retained its 60% value.
The Honda Civic Si, Mini Cooper S and Ford Mustang GT Premium were all having the same 60% residual value covering the seventh, eighth and ninth spots respectively. The last one on the list was the Subaru Impreza 2.5i with only 59%.
We should all know the value of the cars after three years. We all don’t live up with the same old car all our lives so we definitely need a new one every after three years. For you to get the right prize after you resell it, you need to choose the car with a high residual value. Of course, it should have the same quality as that of the Mercedes 300sl radiator.
Can your filter sift through this Hollywood-auto buzz! Check this out…
The Ford Mondeo made its Hollywood debut in the James Bond movie Casino Royale last year. Ford has broke into major films for decades now, and re-entering the limelight is the all-American pony car Ford Mustang to be featured in the upcoming blockbuster movie ‘I Am Legend’ starring Will Smith. Watch out for the red 2007 Shelby Mustang GT500 with its famous white stripes to blaze through the streets of New York starting December 14, 2007!
"There is no doubt that the Shelby Mustang GT500 is the costar of the first part of this story. Smith plays the sole survivor of an apocalypse who races around the deserted, gray, empty streets in this fantastic bright red Mustang. The sequences are incredible," says Brian Daly of Ford Global Brand Entertainment (FGBE).
"The shots of the Mustang blasting around totally traffic-free New York will be the envy of every urban driver. I lost myself in that dream just with the sound of that car growling through the city streets,” says automotive reporter Josh Hancock.
According to the Auto Spectator, Brian Daly started negotiating with Warner Bros. regarding 'I Am Legend' in the spring of 2006.
"The producers knew they wanted an American-made vehicle and the Shelby Mustang was perfect casting," he said. "But I also knew Chrysler and GM were making pitches. I kept imagining the folks at Camaro piecing together all kinds of prototypes to get those scenes."
"Getting Ford brand vehicles in movies like I Am Legend works in two ways," said Bob Witter, the manager of FGBE. "First, producers know that as the audience recognizes a vehicle they see in real life or have been thinking about, the story becomes more relatable. And second, when our products are on-screen they can engage the viewer in a totally different fashion and help enhance our commercial and marketing investments."
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