Wednesday, July 2, 2008

US Top 20 Best Selling Vehicles in June: Toyota & Honda Take First Four Positions

Toyota_logo.jpg Honda_Logo_01.jpg

Not that it comes to a surprise to anyone aware of the dramatic shift in consumer tastes in the U.S. combined with the knowledge of what the former Big Three have to offer, but just as they did in May, Japanese carmakers took the first four positions in Autodata’s U.S. top 20 best selling vehicles list.

The only difference compared to May is the order of the protagonists, as the Toyota Corolla/Matrix dethroned the Honda Civic that fell in third position, right after the Toyota Camry that took second place. Honda’s Accord managed to maintain the fourth position, followed by Ford’s F-Series that saw its sales shrink 40.5% compared to last year. Notably, Hyundai’s not so well received Sonata managed to make it in the top 10 list with an 11.9% gain over last June’s sales. Source: Autodata Corp

US Top 20 Best Selling Vehicles in June: Toyota & Honda Take First Four Positions

Toyota_logo.jpg Honda_Logo_01.jpg

Not that it comes to a surprise to anyone aware of the dramatic shift in consumer tastes in the U.S. combined with the knowledge of what the former Big Three have to offer, but just as they did in May, Japanese carmakers took the first four positions in Autodata’s U.S. top 20 best selling vehicles list.

The only difference compared to May is the order of the protagonists, as the Toyota Corolla/Matrix dethroned the Honda Civic that fell in third position, right after the Toyota Camry that took second place. Honda’s Accord managed to maintain the fourth position, followed by Ford’s F-Series that saw its sales shrink 40.5% compared to last year. Notably, Hyundai’s not so well received Sonata managed to make it in the top 10 list with an 11.9% gain over last June’s sales. Source: Autodata Corp

US Top 20 Best Selling Vehicles in June: Toyota & Honda Take First Four Positions

Toyota_logo.jpg Honda_Logo_01.jpg

Not that it comes to a surprise to anyone aware of the dramatic shift in consumer tastes in the U.S. combined with the knowledge of what the former Big Three have to offer, but just as they did in May, Japanese carmakers took the first four positions in Autodata’s U.S. top 20 best selling vehicles list.

The only difference compared to May is the order of the protagonists, as the Toyota Corolla/Matrix dethroned the Honda Civic that fell in third position, right after the Toyota Camry that took second place. Honda’s Accord managed to maintain the fourth position, followed by Ford’s F-Series that saw its sales shrink 40.5% compared to last year. Notably, Hyundai’s not so well received Sonata managed to make it in the top 10 list with an 11.9% gain over last June’s sales. Source: Autodata Corp

DUNE Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 499HP Premieres In Essen

jeep-grand-cherokee-srt8.jpg

The maroon matt-finished Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 by “Delta4x4” that made its global debut at the Essen Motor Show features a series of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades. The standard 425 HP 6.1-litre V8 HEMI engine has been enhanced to 499 HP thanks to the new engine control unit, the sport exhaust system with performance manifold and the modified air-feed. Delta says that the 499 HP DUNE project accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mpg) in less than 5 seconds.
Delta4x4 has also fiddled around with the suspension (+100 mm ground clearance) and the tires as the DUNE sits on new custom light wheel elements IV with 11x23in mounted Continental Cross Contact tires in 305/40 R23. Finally, integrated into the new front spoiler is a Warn winch while the stainless steel roof-rack system and the fender extension contain filigree PIAA main-beam headlights that promise to turn night into day.

DUNE Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 499HP Premieres In Essen

jeep-grand-cherokee-srt8.jpg

The maroon matt-finished Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 by “Delta4x4” that made its global debut at the Essen Motor Show features a series of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades. The standard 425 HP 6.1-litre V8 HEMI engine has been enhanced to 499 HP thanks to the new engine control unit, the sport exhaust system with performance manifold and the modified air-feed. Delta says that the 499 HP DUNE project accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mpg) in less than 5 seconds.
Delta4x4 has also fiddled around with the suspension (+100 mm ground clearance) and the tires as the DUNE sits on new custom light wheel elements IV with 11x23in mounted Continental Cross Contact tires in 305/40 R23. Finally, integrated into the new front spoiler is a Warn winch while the stainless steel roof-rack system and the fender extension contain filigree PIAA main-beam headlights that promise to turn night into day.

DUNE Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 499HP Premieres In Essen

jeep-grand-cherokee-srt8.jpg

The maroon matt-finished Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8 by “Delta4x4” that made its global debut at the Essen Motor Show features a series of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades. The standard 425 HP 6.1-litre V8 HEMI engine has been enhanced to 499 HP thanks to the new engine control unit, the sport exhaust system with performance manifold and the modified air-feed. Delta says that the 499 HP DUNE project accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mpg) in less than 5 seconds.
Delta4x4 has also fiddled around with the suspension (+100 mm ground clearance) and the tires as the DUNE sits on new custom light wheel elements IV with 11x23in mounted Continental Cross Contact tires in 305/40 R23. Finally, integrated into the new front spoiler is a Warn winch while the stainless steel roof-rack system and the fender extension contain filigree PIAA main-beam headlights that promise to turn night into day.

2008 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cabriolet

2008 Nissan Frontier NismoThis Nismo model packs an off-road-spec Bilstein suspension, extra skid plates, trail-ready BFG rubber, locking rear differential and limited-slip differential. And while all that stuff is great on your local off-road trail, it worked surprisingly well on-road, too.

Zipping down the expressway at 80 is uneventful, the ride steady, with a relatively quiet cabin. It also feels pretty good rounding turns. The engine thrashes a bit in the lower gears, but there's no lack of motivation. The V6 is strong, and it's hooked up to a slick six-speed manual gearbox. The manual is pretty slick considering it's a truck--you won't mistake it for a sports car, it feels too stout for that--but it's nice to get in a vehicle like this that still has a clutch pedal. However, you'll quickly find out that the engine is a thirsty beast as the gas needle dips lower and lower during commutes.

The interior is straightforward, with a number of spots to tuck away items, and it's put together well. Its outward appearance is clean, with a particularly tough-looking front end, which is de rigueur for pickups these days, it seems.

This is a nice piece to drive, solidly built, plenty of power, good steering feel and handling, given what it is, even a really nice ride for an off-roadable truck. The Nismo folks have gotten their sums right.source : autoviewpoint.com

2008 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cabriolet

2008 Nissan Frontier NismoThis Nismo model packs an off-road-spec Bilstein suspension, extra skid plates, trail-ready BFG rubber, locking rear differential and limited-slip differential. And while all that stuff is great on your local off-road trail, it worked surprisingly well on-road, too.

Zipping down the expressway at 80 is uneventful, the ride steady, with a relatively quiet cabin. It also feels pretty good rounding turns. The engine thrashes a bit in the lower gears, but there's no lack of motivation. The V6 is strong, and it's hooked up to a slick six-speed manual gearbox. The manual is pretty slick considering it's a truck--you won't mistake it for a sports car, it feels too stout for that--but it's nice to get in a vehicle like this that still has a clutch pedal. However, you'll quickly find out that the engine is a thirsty beast as the gas needle dips lower and lower during commutes.

The interior is straightforward, with a number of spots to tuck away items, and it's put together well. Its outward appearance is clean, with a particularly tough-looking front end, which is de rigueur for pickups these days, it seems.

This is a nice piece to drive, solidly built, plenty of power, good steering feel and handling, given what it is, even a really nice ride for an off-roadable truck. The Nismo folks have gotten their sums right.source : autoviewpoint.com

2008 Nissan Frontier Nismo King Cabriolet

2008 Nissan Frontier NismoThis Nismo model packs an off-road-spec Bilstein suspension, extra skid plates, trail-ready BFG rubber, locking rear differential and limited-slip differential. And while all that stuff is great on your local off-road trail, it worked surprisingly well on-road, too.

Zipping down the expressway at 80 is uneventful, the ride steady, with a relatively quiet cabin. It also feels pretty good rounding turns. The engine thrashes a bit in the lower gears, but there's no lack of motivation. The V6 is strong, and it's hooked up to a slick six-speed manual gearbox. The manual is pretty slick considering it's a truck--you won't mistake it for a sports car, it feels too stout for that--but it's nice to get in a vehicle like this that still has a clutch pedal. However, you'll quickly find out that the engine is a thirsty beast as the gas needle dips lower and lower during commutes.

The interior is straightforward, with a number of spots to tuck away items, and it's put together well. Its outward appearance is clean, with a particularly tough-looking front end, which is de rigueur for pickups these days, it seems.

This is a nice piece to drive, solidly built, plenty of power, good steering feel and handling, given what it is, even a really nice ride for an off-roadable truck. The Nismo folks have gotten their sums right.source : autoviewpoint.com

SunTrust RACING - Brumos Porsche

Brumos_Porsche_250

A brand new race car signals a new beginning for the No 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara team of Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) as it kicks off the second half of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season with Thursday night’s Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The first seven stops on the 14-race campaign have been eventful, to say the least, for SunTrust Racing and WTR. They kicked things off on this very track with a star-studded two-car effort at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Regular co-driver Max Angelelli and team-owner Wayne Taylor introduced new full-time co-driver Michael Valiante to the SunTrust Racing family and Taylor’s 18-year-old son Ricky to the world of big-time racing, and the SunTrust quartet drove its way through various mechanical and electrical predicaments for a top-five finish.

Alongside the No. 10 SunTrust team for the Rolex 24 was the No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley of Penske-Taylor Racing, featuring none other than Helio Castroneves, Kurt Busch and Ryan Briscoe behind the wheel. Under the tutelage of Roger Penske and Wayne Taylor, that high-profile driving trio brought home a podium finish despite overheating and other issues of their own.

In the days, weeks and months since, SunTrust Racing has endured a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows that it’s doing everything in its power to smooth out considerably over the latter half of the 2008 Rolex Series season. Among the highs was the stellar debut of the all-new Dallara chassis, which sported a striking, new tangerine-based SunTrust paint scheme and which Valiante qualified on the front row at Homestead (Fla.) Miami Speedway. Even though the new-from-the-ground-up race car arrived on the scene with virtually no meaningful on-track testing, it showed its tremendous potential by leading laps at three of its first four events and starting from the pole in only its third race at Virginia International Speedway (VIR) near Alton. It seemed the only thing that could slow or stop the new car’s rapid emergence was an eerie series of on-track incidents, none of which were Angelelli’s or Valiante’s doing, at Homestead, Mexico City and VIR. source: theautochannel.com

SunTrust RACING - Brumos Porsche

Brumos_Porsche_250

A brand new race car signals a new beginning for the No 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara team of Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) as it kicks off the second half of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season with Thursday night’s Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The first seven stops on the 14-race campaign have been eventful, to say the least, for SunTrust Racing and WTR. They kicked things off on this very track with a star-studded two-car effort at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Regular co-driver Max Angelelli and team-owner Wayne Taylor introduced new full-time co-driver Michael Valiante to the SunTrust Racing family and Taylor’s 18-year-old son Ricky to the world of big-time racing, and the SunTrust quartet drove its way through various mechanical and electrical predicaments for a top-five finish.

Alongside the No. 10 SunTrust team for the Rolex 24 was the No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley of Penske-Taylor Racing, featuring none other than Helio Castroneves, Kurt Busch and Ryan Briscoe behind the wheel. Under the tutelage of Roger Penske and Wayne Taylor, that high-profile driving trio brought home a podium finish despite overheating and other issues of their own.

In the days, weeks and months since, SunTrust Racing has endured a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows that it’s doing everything in its power to smooth out considerably over the latter half of the 2008 Rolex Series season. Among the highs was the stellar debut of the all-new Dallara chassis, which sported a striking, new tangerine-based SunTrust paint scheme and which Valiante qualified on the front row at Homestead (Fla.) Miami Speedway. Even though the new-from-the-ground-up race car arrived on the scene with virtually no meaningful on-track testing, it showed its tremendous potential by leading laps at three of its first four events and starting from the pole in only its third race at Virginia International Speedway (VIR) near Alton. It seemed the only thing that could slow or stop the new car’s rapid emergence was an eerie series of on-track incidents, none of which were Angelelli’s or Valiante’s doing, at Homestead, Mexico City and VIR. source: theautochannel.com

SunTrust RACING - Brumos Porsche

Brumos_Porsche_250

A brand new race car signals a new beginning for the No 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara team of Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) as it kicks off the second half of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season with Thursday night’s Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

The first seven stops on the 14-race campaign have been eventful, to say the least, for SunTrust Racing and WTR. They kicked things off on this very track with a star-studded two-car effort at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona. Regular co-driver Max Angelelli and team-owner Wayne Taylor introduced new full-time co-driver Michael Valiante to the SunTrust Racing family and Taylor’s 18-year-old son Ricky to the world of big-time racing, and the SunTrust quartet drove its way through various mechanical and electrical predicaments for a top-five finish.

Alongside the No. 10 SunTrust team for the Rolex 24 was the No. 9 Toshiba Pontiac Riley of Penske-Taylor Racing, featuring none other than Helio Castroneves, Kurt Busch and Ryan Briscoe behind the wheel. Under the tutelage of Roger Penske and Wayne Taylor, that high-profile driving trio brought home a podium finish despite overheating and other issues of their own.

In the days, weeks and months since, SunTrust Racing has endured a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows that it’s doing everything in its power to smooth out considerably over the latter half of the 2008 Rolex Series season. Among the highs was the stellar debut of the all-new Dallara chassis, which sported a striking, new tangerine-based SunTrust paint scheme and which Valiante qualified on the front row at Homestead (Fla.) Miami Speedway. Even though the new-from-the-ground-up race car arrived on the scene with virtually no meaningful on-track testing, it showed its tremendous potential by leading laps at three of its first four events and starting from the pole in only its third race at Virginia International Speedway (VIR) near Alton. It seemed the only thing that could slow or stop the new car’s rapid emergence was an eerie series of on-track incidents, none of which were Angelelli’s or Valiante’s doing, at Homestead, Mexico City and VIR. source: theautochannel.com

Seat Toledo New

Seat Toledo N ewgives life a new concept sedan combining sports style and innovative design SEAT functionality and striking spaciousness. The third generation of automobiles Seat Toledo New opens a new stage. This car offers quite an extraordinary freedom and opportunity to express your own style of life.

Seat_Toledo
Seat Toledo New

Whom would you not comparing, Seat Toledo New - the only one of its kind.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Even when Seat Toledo New offers full functionality, there is a way to make it their only: select unique color, which will stress your individuality.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Among the range of shades proposed Seat Toledo New, you can choose according to your taste.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

The equipment in the so-called "Stylance" package is quite properly: fog lights, automatic climate control, electric windows, onboard computer, six airbags, ESP and many others are on board. True weaknesses, the Spaniard with VW-technology, but he holds many strengths.

Seat Toledo New Interior

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Space, safe and comfortable driving behaviour proper flexibility and not least the reasonable price (depending on the motorization and equipment package from 21,000 to 27,000 euros) make it an interesting offer. The design will continue the spirits divorced - but is it not also an argument for Toledo.

Seat Toledo New

Seat Toledo N ewgives life a new concept sedan combining sports style and innovative design SEAT functionality and striking spaciousness. The third generation of automobiles Seat Toledo New opens a new stage. This car offers quite an extraordinary freedom and opportunity to express your own style of life.

Seat_Toledo
Seat Toledo New

Whom would you not comparing, Seat Toledo New - the only one of its kind.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Even when Seat Toledo New offers full functionality, there is a way to make it their only: select unique color, which will stress your individuality.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Among the range of shades proposed Seat Toledo New, you can choose according to your taste.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

The equipment in the so-called "Stylance" package is quite properly: fog lights, automatic climate control, electric windows, onboard computer, six airbags, ESP and many others are on board. True weaknesses, the Spaniard with VW-technology, but he holds many strengths.

Seat Toledo New Interior

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Space, safe and comfortable driving behaviour proper flexibility and not least the reasonable price (depending on the motorization and equipment package from 21,000 to 27,000 euros) make it an interesting offer. The design will continue the spirits divorced - but is it not also an argument for Toledo.

Seat Toledo New

Seat Toledo N ewgives life a new concept sedan combining sports style and innovative design SEAT functionality and striking spaciousness. The third generation of automobiles Seat Toledo New opens a new stage. This car offers quite an extraordinary freedom and opportunity to express your own style of life.

Seat_Toledo
Seat Toledo New

Whom would you not comparing, Seat Toledo New - the only one of its kind.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Even when Seat Toledo New offers full functionality, there is a way to make it their only: select unique color, which will stress your individuality.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Among the range of shades proposed Seat Toledo New, you can choose according to your taste.

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

The equipment in the so-called "Stylance" package is quite properly: fog lights, automatic climate control, electric windows, onboard computer, six airbags, ESP and many others are on board. True weaknesses, the Spaniard with VW-technology, but he holds many strengths.

Seat Toledo New Interior

seat-toledo.jpg
Seat Toledo New

Space, safe and comfortable driving behaviour proper flexibility and not least the reasonable price (depending on the motorization and equipment package from 21,000 to 27,000 euros) make it an interesting offer. The design will continue the spirits divorced - but is it not also an argument for Toledo.

Honda Civic Hybrid Awarded: Greenest Car in UK

Honda_Hybrid_Civic Honda_Civic_Hybrid

The United Kingdom's Environmental Transport Association (ETA) annual awards have named the Honda Civic Hybrid Britain's greenest car for the second straight year. Finishing ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa 13.CTDi and Toyota Yaris 1.4 Diesel, the Civic won out for its superior combination of engine size, fuel consumption, noise pollution and safety impact on pedestrians.
The award for Greenest Off-Roader went to the Toyota RAV4 diesel and the Greenest Luxury Car award went to the Jaguar XJ 2.7 diesel. The wrong end of the list was dominated by luxury brands including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin, proving that making a car really fast still requires a lot of petrol.
Analysis: Small, light vehicles get great fuel economy and are unlikely to mow down pedestrians while large, fast sports cars are made to go even faster by using bigger engines that suck more fuel. That's why the Tesla Roadster is such a revelation - a fast, sporty vehicle that runs on electricity and has zero emissions. By the looks of this list, it will have the other sports cars beaten hands down for environmental performance for a while yet.

Honda Civic Hybrid Awarded: Greenest Car in UK

Honda_Hybrid_Civic Honda_Civic_Hybrid

The United Kingdom's Environmental Transport Association (ETA) annual awards have named the Honda Civic Hybrid Britain's greenest car for the second straight year. Finishing ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa 13.CTDi and Toyota Yaris 1.4 Diesel, the Civic won out for its superior combination of engine size, fuel consumption, noise pollution and safety impact on pedestrians.
The award for Greenest Off-Roader went to the Toyota RAV4 diesel and the Greenest Luxury Car award went to the Jaguar XJ 2.7 diesel. The wrong end of the list was dominated by luxury brands including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin, proving that making a car really fast still requires a lot of petrol.
Analysis: Small, light vehicles get great fuel economy and are unlikely to mow down pedestrians while large, fast sports cars are made to go even faster by using bigger engines that suck more fuel. That's why the Tesla Roadster is such a revelation - a fast, sporty vehicle that runs on electricity and has zero emissions. By the looks of this list, it will have the other sports cars beaten hands down for environmental performance for a while yet.

Honda Civic Hybrid Awarded: Greenest Car in UK

Honda_Hybrid_Civic Honda_Civic_Hybrid

The United Kingdom's Environmental Transport Association (ETA) annual awards have named the Honda Civic Hybrid Britain's greenest car for the second straight year. Finishing ahead of the Vauxhall Corsa 13.CTDi and Toyota Yaris 1.4 Diesel, the Civic won out for its superior combination of engine size, fuel consumption, noise pollution and safety impact on pedestrians.
The award for Greenest Off-Roader went to the Toyota RAV4 diesel and the Greenest Luxury Car award went to the Jaguar XJ 2.7 diesel. The wrong end of the list was dominated by luxury brands including Lamborghini, Ferrari and Aston Martin, proving that making a car really fast still requires a lot of petrol.
Analysis: Small, light vehicles get great fuel economy and are unlikely to mow down pedestrians while large, fast sports cars are made to go even faster by using bigger engines that suck more fuel. That's why the Tesla Roadster is such a revelation - a fast, sporty vehicle that runs on electricity and has zero emissions. By the looks of this list, it will have the other sports cars beaten hands down for environmental performance for a while yet.

Suzuki Bandit Concept at AutoRAI

Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_1 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_2 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_3 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_4 Suzuki Grand Vitara Bandit concept_7 alt=

Suzuki Bandit Concept at AutoRAI

Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_1 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_2 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_3 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_4 Suzuki Grand Vitara Bandit concept_7 alt=

Suzuki Bandit Concept at AutoRAI

Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_1 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_2 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_3 Suzuki_Grand_Vitara-Bandit_concept_4 Suzuki Grand Vitara Bandit concept_7 alt=