truth about domestics

For several years now, the public has been waiting for the launch of the Chevrolet Volt.  The Volt is an extended-range electric vehicle, a technology that has never been mass produced before.  The Volt will be charged by the owner over night, provided a 40 mile, electric only range from its batteries.  Once that charge is depleted, a small gas generator kicks in to power the car.

Once production was announced for the car, people began to wonder about the price.  The battery technology alone was said to cost close to $10,000, not to mention the car has two powertrains.  Well the wait is over, we finally know how much the Volt will cost the early adopters.  The purchase price for a Volt is $41,000, with a lease option pegged at $350 a month for 36 months with $2,500 down.  Not a bad price in my opinion, as costs will surely come down significantly with the second generation Volt, especially as production increases above the initial 10,000 units planned for the first year.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

Question: when can you have too much power? Never! Check out the latest creation from the Hennessey performance tuning shop in Houston, Texas – the Hennessey HPE700; a twin-turbo Camaro with 847 horsepower and 801 lb-ft torque at the rear wheels.

Check out the video of the car strapped to a dyno and read the full story at Autoblog.

General Motors has teamed up with The Gas Company in Hawaii to set up a pilot system of hydrogen fueling stations.  Those stations would be used to then move some of the Project Driveway fuel cell powered Chevy Equinoxes to the isalnd of Oahu.  This would mark one of the first ventures of its kind and help Hawaii move towards its goal of 70% clean energy within one generation.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog!

(Image source: Photobucket)

Looking for great financing on some American metal?  How about cash back?  If so, then you are in luck!  Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram are offering varying levels of incentives, everything from 0% financing to $4,000 cash back.  Challenger buyers can even get $2,000 towards Mopar accessories.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ram)

The 2011 Ford Fiesta is getting close to sale here in the United States and Autoblog has had a go at both a manual version and an automatic, the sedan and the hatchback, and their review is quite good.  They do have some negatives to point out, like how the soft touch IP looks much better than the non-soft touch door trims, but what competitor in this class offers even half the features or looks of the Fiesta?  None!  The Nissan Versa is one of the ugliest cars I have ever seen, the Toyota Yaris is downright boring (what Toyota isn’t?) and the Honda Fit is rather uninspiring.  For the full review, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford’s EcoBoost has already been making strides in bringing over conquest buyers to the brand.  EcoBoost is Ford’s way of categorizing its engines that feature direct gas injection and turbocharging.  The concept is not exactly new, but instead of using the application for performance gains only (as in the Mazdaspeed3 or the Chevrolet Cobalt SS) FoMoCo has decided to use it to increase fuel economy as well.  The added power of the turbo chargers means the engine can be downsized, taking weight out of the vehicle.  The direct injection means the engine car run higher compression ratios and also run a slightly leaner mixture, allowing a reduction in emissions.  This adds up to a more fun to drive vehicle that is easier on the environment too.

This week at the 2010 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, Michigan, Ford will announce that the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost will make its way into the 2011 F-150.  This will be the first rear wheel drive application for this engine and should really show what this engine is capable of.  The peak torque available at 1,500 rpm should appeal to truck buyers too, especially those who regularly tow or haul a large load around.  The other announcement was that the 2.0L EcoBoost I4 will be going into the 2011 Ford Edge sometime this year.  Ford also upped its sales predictions for EcoBoost to 1.5 million units by 2013 – way up from their original estimate of 750,000.  Stay tuned for more details, until then, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

The Ford Edge crossover has just been named the Pet Safe Vehicle of Choice Top Dog award from Bark Buckle UP!  Things like ease of ingress/egress, ventilation, and the space a vehicle provides.  Along with the Edge, 3 other Ford Motor Company products took home awards including the Ford Transit Connect, the Flex and the Lincoln MKT.  For the full story, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Ford Motor Company has decided that it will start enforcing a new energy policy designed to help reduce operating costs as well as reduce its carbon footprint in the process.  The program is designed to get employees to turn off their computers for the night and especially the weekends.  Their figures showed some 60% of computers at the company were left on after business hours.  Ford will work with Microsoft Windows’ energy settings to help with the goal of cutting wasted energy down.  They will also schedule updates for select days after hours, at which time the computers will be awake to receive the updates, but won’t allow the updates to interfere with normal business operations.  Estimated carbon reduction of 16,000-25,000 metric tons per year.  For more, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)

Chrysler has some positive news for the first time in a long time.  Then this little nugget of good news comes down the pipeline.  According to a statement released by Chrysler, the Auburn Hills, Michigan automaker will be sending out letters of intent to reinstate dozens of dealers that they have been in contact with over the past few weeks.  This can only be seen as good news, as this will hopefully indicate a sales increase for the first time in eons for Chrysler.  For more details, head on over to Autoblog.

(Image source: ridelust.com)

I have been wondering how long it would take before Ford started to offer a Lincoln MKZ hybrid.  I mean, the MKZ went through a very substantial redesign for 2010 just like the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, yet it was the only one not available with a hybrid option.  That will change this year, now that Ford has planned to unveil a hybrid version of the MKZ at this year’s New York Auto Show.  Since the MKZ hybrid will most likely feature the exact same powertrain as the Fusion/Milan hybrid, it should hit close to the same 41 city / 36 highway miles per gallon of the less sedans.  This would position it above the Lexus HS 250h as the most fuel efficient luxury car available on the market.  For more details, stay tuned or click on over to The Detroit News or Autoblog.

(Image source: Ford)