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Archive for September, 2008
 Four-dollar-per-gallon gasoline may be wreaking havoc on sales of the Mustang, F-150 and Ford Explorer, but it comes along at a convenient moment for the facelifted 2009 Escape and Mariner. Six-speed automatics replace four-speed automatics, there’s a new lower front chin spoiler below the redesigned front fascia and rear tire spoilers for better aerodynamics, and new low rolling resistance 16-inch Michelin tires across the board. The old 153-horsepower 2.3-liter four has been bored and stroked (among other upgrades) to a 171-horsepower 2.5-liter, and the 3.0-liter V-6 gets new cylinder heads, injectors, intake and exhaust cams, manifolds and pistons, and a compression [...]
Last week there was news of GM closing Midwest plants that build light trucks and SUVs. This forecast of decreased production, along with the higher cost of fuel, has triggered a reflection on similar circumstances we have experienced in the past. Higher fuel costs have plagued us for some time now. In the midst of this adversity the automotive and aftermarket industries have adapted and brought about change in the light truck and SUV industry , both from the OEMs and the accessory suppliers. There is very little doubt that we will need to build our vehicles and accessories lighter, stronger and much [...]
CHENNAI: Automobile manufacturer Hindustan Motors Ltd on Friday said they would be launching a high-premium Sports Utility Vehicle in the Indian market soon. “We are expecting to launch the high-premium SUV ‘Outlander’ by this year itself in the Indian market and it would be placed between Mitsubishi’s Pajero and Montero”, Hindustan Motors Ltd Executive Vice-President Y V S Vijay Kumar told reporters here today on the sidelines of the company’s exclusive tie-up with Pune-based Opulent Auto Care Pvt Ltd. To a query, he said that the price may be somewhere between in the Rs.30 lakh range but declined to give [...]
 If you’re like most people, the purchase or lease of a vehicle will be the second largest financial decision you’ll ever have to make. Just think, most of us make that decision every 3-6 years. The choices and options can seem overwhelming. While the decision is as personal as… well, the person, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) have become a very popular choice for many. Need or Novelty? Do you needan SUV, or is it just a novelty? I once told a salesman I didn’t need “Feature X”, or “Feature Y”. With a large smile the salesman said, “That’s OK, because [...]
 2008 AUTO EXPO: TATA SUMO GRANDE Tata Sumo Grande launched, priced at 6.6 lakh and above The new Tata Sumo Grande, launched at the Auto Expo 2008 in New Delhi today, can take the fight to Toyota Innova and Mahindra Scorpio. BY OUR AUTOMOBILE CORRESPONDENT 9 January, 2008 Tata Sumo Grande photo The new version of the successful Tata Sumo, Sumo Grande, was launched by Tata Motors today in New Delhi on the opening day of the Auto Expo. The Tata Sumo Grande will be priced between Rs 6.6 lakh and Rs 7.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The SUV is expected [...]
 After months of speculation, skeptical claims of vaporware, and leaked photography, GM pulled the wraps off the 2011 Chevrolet Volt - its great green hope - at its centennial celebrations in Detroit . It’s easy to see this isn’t the concept Volt, which debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show. Engineers needed to improve aerodynamics for production, which explains why the flat, sharp surfaces of the show car transformed into long, rounded forms on the final product. Though it may look somewhat different than the slinky concept shown at the 2007 Detroit auto show, the premise behind the Volt is still the same. Deemed [...]
CHENNAI: Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) would soon come out with a new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), a company official said on Tuesday. Addressing a HR conclave here, organised by Great Lakes Institute of Management, Allen Sequeria, M&M, Senior Vice-President HR, said the new SUV would be rolled out in another 15 days. But he declined to divulge any details about the product even as reporters sought details from him. Talking about his company, he said, “M&M will be a US Dollar one billion company in the auto component sector and the country’s leading tractor manufacturer by 2010.” Read [...]
 Perhaps you’ve heard: Mercedes-Benz has this new SUV called the GLK, and it’s not just the Sex and the City audience that’s being targeted. The compact ute’s getting-to-know-you tour will make a stop at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, where four concept versions will be on display. We already told you about RENNtech’s hybrid Rally Racer show truck, and now we have some info on the other three versions that’ll join it in Vegas. Naturally, BRABUS will represent, skinning the GLK300 Bluetec in Widestar duds, new wheels, and the de rigeur custom interior. No power upgrade yet, it seems, [...]
 ll-New 2007 Yukon Lineup: Refined, Efficient and Powerful ANAHEIM, Calif. - GMC unveiled the all-new 2007 Yukon and Yukon Denali full-size SUVs Oct. 5. They are based on GM’s all-new full-size SUV family, which features distinctive styling, spacious and refined interiors, exceptional driving characteristics and enhanced safety features. The new Yukon family is distinguished with sleek, expressive styling that announces a new look for GMC vehicles - styling that conveys GMC’s professional grade qualities and a distinct design from other GM vehicles. The vehicles offer more power and better fuel economy than the vehicles they replace, enhancing GMC’s “more than expected” [...]
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