Archive for August, 2010

Interested in the new Chevy Cruze but not sure if you’re ready to step away from the segment-leading Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla? GM has you covered with a new plan that asks 3,000 dealers to buy a new Civic and Corolla and have them on hand for comparison test drives at the dealership.

Chevrolet is clearly confident about the new Cruze. With ten air bags and top scores in European crash tests (US test results are pending), the new compact sedan promises high levels of safety. And with special sound-deadening glass and acoustic mats, the cabin will no doubt be quiet and refined. A new 1.4-liter turbocharged engine promises up to 40 miles per gallon on the highway for the special Eco model, too.

Chuck Russell, vehicle line director for Cruze, told Automotive News that the new Chevy sedan has more shoulder room than the competition and offers many of the premium features you’d normally find in a midsize car. He expects the car to appeal to folks who want to downsize without losing any gadgets or gizmos. Prices will range from $16,995 to $22,695 with shipping included.

But the big challenge will be in managing three test drives at one dealership. Sales consultants don’t like to leave the lot for long periods of time because it cuts into their selling time. There are bound to be headaches if a customer drives all three cars and then walks away.

Still, the offer to cross-shop all three cars at once is enticing. And if the 2011 Cruze is as good as GM says it is, Chevy’s got nothing to fear.

Ready to watch the Emmy Awards this Sunday? Fans of the NBC comedy, “Community,” might want to tune in for the commercials, too, because the cast is taking part in a special joint promotion with Infiniti.

Jeff Winger and his lovable band of misfits will star in a three-part story that follows the Greendale Community College crew as they drive to an Emmy Awards party and talk about what the evening may or may not have in store. Since Infiniti is official automotive partner for the event, the cast will be riding in the stylish new QX56, naturally.

We don’t know yet which characters will be involved in the storyline, but the Infiniti QX56 does have three rows of seating to fit Jeff, Britta, Abed, Shirley, Troy, Annie, and Pierce. Professor Duncan will presumably have to hitch a ride on Señor Chang’s scooter.

Infiniti also plans to show off their new M37 and M56 luxury sedans at the event. Stars will be shuttled to and from the red carpet in either the M or QX. Not a bad way to make an entrance if you ask us!

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata has been selling like hot cakes since it came to market earlier this year. The stylish midsize sedan sold 107,085 units through July, up from 73,862 for the same period last year.

Sales are so hot that Hyundai has been running its plant in Montgomery, Alabama at maximum overtime for several months to meet demand. With new Sonatas still in short supply, Automotive News reports that Hyundai is shifting production of its Santa Fe crossover vehicle to free up capacity.

The Santa Fe is reportedly scheduled to move to a plant in West Point, Georgia that’s owned by corporate cousin, Kia. Hyundai’s crossover will be built alongside the new Kia Sorento, with which it shares a platform.  A source familiar with the issue said that new workers have already been hired to staff the second production line.

Though Hyundai is staying tight-lipped on the subject, this is obviously good news for the company and good news for the local economies in Montgomery and West Point.

What makes an ultimate commuter car? How about fast, stylish, and cheap on fuel? That’s the idea behind a new version of electric cars tailored for drivers on a mission to their daily 9-to-5.

In fact, there is currently an around-the-world race taking place right now made only of these ultimate commuter cars. The Zero Race, as it is called, is made up of teams from four continents that compete to traverse the planet in 80 days using no gas at all. The only rules of the race are that the vehicles:

• Be propelled by an electric motor
• Drive at least 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) distance at an average speed of at least 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 miles per hour)
• Be able to reach a maximum distance of 500 kilometers per day (about 310 miles), with a recharge stop of 4 hours during the competitor’s lunch break
• Carry at least two people on board

The race started on August 16 in Switzerland and you can follow along on their journey here.

I had the opportunity to drive around in one of the original versions of these commuter cars two years ago. The Sparrow was originally conceived of and produced by Lee Iaccoca and I had a chance to take one out for an exhilarating spin around the block. Some say the concept was ahead of its time. While that may be true, I definitely had fun putting the pedal to the metal in this baby. And the looks that I got from passerby’s were priceless.

I happened across another electric commuter car at this year’s Plug-In 2010 conference called the Arcimoto Pulse. The Pulse is less designed for speed as it is for comfort and efficiency. It features room for two and a has an MP3 stereo system to accompany your ride around town. It has a 40-mile range, a top-speed of 65 mph, and charges in 4 hours.

Electric commuter cars revolutionize the way we think about mobility. Does it really make sense, for example, to drive our SUVs that seat eight if we are going solo to our jobs? These cars are yet another example of the wide variety of technologies that are shifting our transportation sector towards clean electric drive.

Dr. Shannon Arvizu loves driving clean, green machines. You can find out more at MissElectric.com.

The Smart ForTwo has been turning heads for several years now, but a new version may give its cousin a run for its money when it starts zooming by on city streets this fall. A Smart ForTwo Electric Drive (ED) is in the works and a select group of drivers will have the opportunity to be one of the first early adopters for this clean, green machine.

I happened across the Smart ForTwo ED a few weeks ago at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, CA. This annual conference was the place to be to catch a glimpse of some of the most innovative cars of the future. The convertible Smart definitely caught my eye on the exhibition floor and I contacted Rick Bourgoise, Director of Communications for Smart USA, to find out more.

Rick told me that the Smart ForTwo ED has been in development in the U.K. since 2007. An electric version was part of the initial vision for the Smart ForTwo, given its mission to be one of the cleanest automotive product lines in the world. In fact, the original design was built to accommodate an electric vehicle powertrain without compromising the structure of the vehicle itself. The Smart ForTwo ED is nearly identical to the conventional ForTwo – the battery pack and electric drive system take up the same space once occupied by the engine and fuel tank.

The Smart ForTwo ED is optimized for urban driving. The car is powered by a 30 kW drive motor from electricity stored in a 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery. Smart says that initial acceleration is brisk and that top speed will be a highway-capable 60 miles per hour.

Using a 220-volt outlet, like the kind your clothing dryer plugs into, this Smart can fully charge in less than eight hours and offers a range of 82 clean miles on a single charge.

For those cutting-edge early adopters looking for a clean ride for their urban commute, Smart USA is now accepting “hand-raisers” who are interested in being part of their field test trial program. They will offer a limited number of Smart forTwo EDs in five target markets: Portland, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Orlando/Tampa, and cities along the I-95 corridor from Boston to D.C. The vehicles will be available starting in October 2010 for a four-year lease for $599/month. Production-ready vehicles for sale are expected to be available in 2012.

Rick mentioned that each field test driver will have their own web page that details real-time usage of their Smart forTwo ED. This information is intended to provide drivers and Daimler (manufacturer of the Smart ForTwo ED) data that will be used to inform the ultimate design of the production-ready version.

While being an early adopter is not for everyone, having the chance to test out future car technology (while getting a lot of head-turning attention on the road) is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

There are a wide variety of options for clean mobility in the near future, and the Smart ForTwo ED is a welcome addition to the bunch.

Dr. Shannon Arvizu loves driving clean, green machines. You can find out more at MissElectric.com.