by Jeff on December 12, 2007
Finalists for the 2008 North American Car of the Year are the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accord.
Finalists for the 2008 North American Truck of the Year are the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and Mazda CX-9.
The North American Car and Truck of the Year will be announced Jan. 13 at a news conference at the start of media days at the Detroit auto show.
The finalists, as selected by an independent jury of 47 automotive journalists, were unveiled during a news conference today at the Detroit Economic Club. Although the awards are announced each year at the Detroit auto show, the show does not give the
awards. Operating expenses for the awards are defrayed by membership dues, and there are no outside subsidies. [click to continue...]
by Jeff on December 10, 2007
December 3rd marks the date when customers could first pre-order the 2008 Dodge Charger. Initially Dodge said that production would be limited to 5000 models, but they’re already received 6000 orders, 4300 on the first day alone. Since the demand has been so strong, officials are saying that production could be as high as 10,000 units.
The Challenger is available in black, silver or HEMI orange, but HEMI orange has been the most popular by far. “More than half of the orders are HEMI Orange,” Mallie said. “It’s been almost 35 years since the last Challenger, and there’s a lot of interest. There’s a lot of people anxious for it. It’s certainly an iconic muscle car.”
Think the 2008 Dodge Charger is popular? Since pricing was announced on November 29, Dodge has seen a 23% increase in its website traffic. MSRP for the Dodge Challenger SRT8 is set at $37,995.
Here are the current released “teaser” photos of the 2008 Dodge Charger:
by Jeff on December 10, 2007
The national credit crisis surround the sub-prime mortgage market is now being felt in the automotive market as well. Toyota Financial Services is now offering 84-month (that’s 7 years!) vehicle loans.
Automotive News is reporting that the most common vehicle loan term is now 72 to 77.9 months, and that this category accounts for nearly 40% of all new-vehicle loans.
Additional findings from the report:
Longer Term Loans are NOT making monthly payments smaller.
Only buyers will excellent credit who are buying more-expensive luxury vehicles typically qualify for the 84-month term.
The average dealership loan is 7.6% up from 6.4% in 2004.
If you have less than perfect credit and are in the marketing to purchase a car, request a free auto loan quote from UnitedAutoFinance.com. Our dealer and lender network will help you get into a new car at a payment you can afford.
by Jeff on December 7, 2007
Cars.com has just released their Top 10 New Features of 2007. Not only are some of these features “just plain cool”, but they improve safety and the overall performance of the vehicles being put on the road. As noted in my earlier post about the 2008 Cadillac Escalde Hybrid, it bothers me to not see more innovation coming from the domestic manufacturers. Many of my friends are engineers - so c’mon guys - when can we expect more innovation in our domestic cars and trucks??? (just a note: I realize that many of these innovations don’t come cheap, but it would be great to see them in cars for the masses). And now, on to the list: [click to continue...]
by Jeff on November 30, 2007
Five Honda models have received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick” for 2008. This award recognizes vehicles that performed the best in the IIHS front, side and rear crash tests. Winners also include only those vehicles that have electronic stability control (ESC) and head protection airbags.
Making the list for 2008 include:
2008 Honda Accord
2008 Honda CR-V
2008 Honda Element
2008 Honda Odyssey
2008 Honda Pilot
In a press release, Honda stated that the total 2008 model year sales volume of all Honda and Acura vehicles that received the “Top Safety Pick” is expected to account for approximately two-thirds of the company’s total sales, and exceed more than one million vehicles.
“Honda has consistently challenged itself to pursue vehicle safety as part of its core business strategy,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “American Honda will put more Top Safety Pick-rated vehicles on the road next year than any other automaker.”
Honda seeks to provide a high level of occupant protection and pedestrian injury mitigation in all of its cars and trucks through a comprehensive and evolving approach to vehicle safety. This process, which honors the company’s “Safety for Everyone” initiative introduced in 2003, benefits all new Honda and Acura vehicles - regardless of size or price - while also increasing compatibility with other types of vehicles in a frontal collision.
Read the full press release here.
Please refer to the AutoFigures.com vehicle profiles to learn more about each vehicle that received this award, or to request a local dealer price quote.
