www.news.yahoo.com

Recently at the Detroit Auto Show, GM introduced the GMC Granite concept vehicle.  This is a subcompact crossover, which is 2 feet shorter than the 2010 GMC Terrain.  This vehicle is aimed at young buyers who may not have ever bought a GMC brand vehicle before.  GMC customers are mostly older with full-size sport utilities or pickup trucks.  GM is hoping to interest late teens to mid-30s clientele.

I guess GM hasn’t decided whether to put the GMC Granite into production, but it sure looks as though it will be.  It’s major competition is the Scion xB, Nissan Cube, and Kia Soul.  Assuming the Granite does become for sale, the price is expected to be competitive with its competitors in the range of $15,500-about $18,000.

The GMC Granite is 161.3 inches, the Cube 156.7 inches, Soul 161.6 inches, and the xB 167.3 inches.    There is a new turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission.  There are two doors on each side that open in opposite directions like French doors.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the GMC Granite comes into production, but it sure seems like this vehicle can compete with the others. Might be worth making.

For some of us, I might be alittle late with this blog, but at least you can buy the best vehicle for next year’s winter.  For the rest of us, we still have a good 6-8 weeks left of winter, so if you need a vehicle, I can help you.  Alright, this list is obviously just someone’s opinion, but the people at www.cargurus.com are pretty good, so I value their opinions.

Toyota 4Runner/Tacoma - can handle any weather situation.

Audi A6 Quattro

Honda CR-V

Subaru Forester

Jeep Wrangler - wouldn’t have been my first choice for the weather, but what do I know?

Volvo XC90

Suzuki SX4

Lexus RX

Porsche Cayenne

BMW 328i xDrive

Check out the cargurus website for their explanation of each if you are interested.

So if you missed this news, texting while driving buses or big rig trucks is now banned.  I’m really glad that the government put this into law, but seriously I can’t believe all of the laws that are needed in order for people to use common sense.  This law should extend to anyone that drives and that people should not text, read the newspaper, put on makeup, eat/drink, etc. What should be done while driving is driving.  I find it to be crazy that we need a law to try to prevent texting and worst yet that it probably won’t stop most from texting while driving.  Think about it. It is against the law to talk on the phone while driving.  How many people have stopped talking on the phone. As you drive down the road the next time, notice how many people are talking on their phones.  The same thing will happen with texting. It will stop some people, but not as many as it should.  Drivers just need to use their heads and pay attention to the roads in general.  It hasn’t been that long since we had to actually get out at a pay phone to make phone calls. Just sortof pretend that this is still the case and pull over.  It’s as easy as that. We’ve become just a lazy country that needs to get in touch with people immediately.  Texting is dangerous to you and others.  Use your heads and be safe while driving.

In case you haven’t had the time to check out the auto news lately, I thought I would give you some things of importance (at least in my mind!)

1. The Detroit Auto Show is over and the Chicago Auto Show will begin in the middle of February.  Lots of concept cars were unveiled with certainly more to come at the Chicago Auto Show.

2.  GM is finally getting rid of Saab. Spyker is going to be the new proud owner of Saab. Good news for Saab lovers that desperately did not want to see Saab die.

3.  After the latest recall for Toyota, they have “halted” sales of all models that were recalled.  This continues to be bad news for Toyota. They are a good company so I bet they will find some way to get back on top, but some work will definitely need to be done.

4.  GM will start making their own electric motors for their vehicles in 2012 lower costs and improve quality.

Keep up to date with important/interesting auto news here at centercaps.net!

Things have not been too good lately for Toyota. See the real problem is that Toyota like Honda has a reputation of quality, durability, and steadiness and with recalls obviously this could permanently damage their reputations.    First, there was a recall of 4.2 million vehicles for floor mats that could jam the brake pedal back in September that brought some negative publicity to Toyota. Then there was a recall of 110,000 Toyota Tundra pickups in November for possibility of spare tires falling off. But the most crucial recall is the one from last week of 2.3 million vehicles for a problem that could cause the throttle to stick. That’s not good. And worse yet is that there is no way to fix this problem.  Toyota isn’t sure what to do about it. If this happens to you, you need to turn off the engine, pull over, and call a dealer.  There were several complaints made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about problems. One person was test driving a Toyota RAV4 with a car salesman when the car took off because the throttle was stuck.  Another driver slammed into a palm tree in Florida when the throttle would not close.

I personally have never owned a Toyota, but I know several people that have and they love their Toyotas and the reliability.  These major recalls in the last 4 months are possibility detrimental to Toyota. Many people will change their minds about buying a Toyota especially since this last recall there currently is no solution to the problem.  It’s too bad for Toyota because I’m sure their sales were affected last year with the auto industry problems in general and now they have all these recalls. A great deal of negative publicity. Let’s see how Toyota can fare.  I have a question to Toyota owners…..do these recalls cause you to have concern with Toyota vehicles, or are you ok with this company and they are just hitting alittle bump in the road?!  Let me know.  I would love to hear from you.

www.dieselstation.com

The new 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback is a nice looking car.  If you notice, the rear is more than just a regular hatchback, it is quite sporty with the spoiler on it! Fancy!  It’s different than it’s competitors, the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. It’s a small car but according to different reviews, quite roomy inside.  There are many different models of this car.   The price ranges from $19,190 to a model that starts at $33,590.  It’s a four-cylinder engine but as the price increases so does the horsepower.

The thing is that the Lancer Sportback looks like a nice car for $20,000 but geez I don’t think I’d be dying to have this car for $33,000 let alone more.  I don’t know you can get many others cars for that price that are “more luxury” than a Mitsubishi.  No offense to Mitsubishi of course.  The gas mileage is ok, but not great.  You will get 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway. Might be worth checking out but I’m not totally sold, the uniqueness of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback is what has me interested for sure.

There were 6 (of the many more) 2011 models that were unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show that according to cnnmoney.com are “worth waiting for.”

1.  Honda CR-Z - It goes on sale this summer and it will be a hybrid.  It will get 36-38 mpg on the highway with the automatic transmission and alittle less with the manual. This will be safe small car.

2.  Ford Focus - You’ve heard a lot about this car. The anticipation is great. Hopefully this car pans out as everyone expects it to.  It should get about 33 mpg combined city and highway and the engine will be more powerful than the current Focus.

3.  Lincoln MKX - This is a crossover with a 305-horsepower 3.7-liter V6 engine. That’s power!  Lots of interior upgrades and technologies for this luxury vehicle.

4.  Mercedes-Benz E-class Cabriolet - This car goes on sale this spring.  This is a cloth top convertible.

5.  Ford Mustang GT 5.0 - another one that we’ve heard alot about.  5.0-liter V8 engine with 412 horsepower.  If you want to buy a Mustang, hang on and wait for this one I gues. It’s better than the 2010 model out now.

6.  Cadillac CTS-V Coupe - This is a supercharged 556-horsepower with the same engine as the four-door CTS-V sedan.  It will be available with either a 6-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission.

So hold on to your old cars until these new 2011 models are for sale. Might be worth your time. 

 

Alright I just have to quickly give you my thoughts on concepts. I’m really quite confused about them.  I know that in many cases concepts are a necessity.   They give previews of cars to come and such. I get that. What I don’t quite get is the concepts that are built (and expensive to make by the way) and then are never seen again and that’s the way the automaker wants it.  Some of these concepts are ridiculous. There is no way that these cars would ever truly be driven on the roads.  Why make them?  I guess name recognition is big and if you see a really bizarre concept car that’s worth talking about by a certain automaker, the automaker achieved what they wanted. It just seems like a lot of money is wasted when these concepts aren’t ever going to be put on the road. Though on the other side, if there were no concepts vehicles, first of all, auto shows would be quite boring and also the automakers wouldn’t be able to truly know whether there is interest in a vehicle or not until they built and starting selling them.  I don’t know. I have mixed feelings about concept vehicles, though my feelings aren’t going to stop any automaker from continuing to build these concepts and unveiling them at auto shows.  Some day I might get a better understanding of their true purpose….maybe not too.

Well the Detroit Auto Show is underway to the public now and some auto websites already have been there done that and have some opinions as well (of course!)  Autoblog.com said the auto show was smaller, like last year, than years past and less vehicles or concepts unveiled.  Autoweek.com spent a lot of time there this past week and they came up with the four best vehicles of the Detroit Auto Show, in their opinions of course!  The four categories were Best in Show, Most Significant, Most Fun, and Best Concept.  And the winners are……

Best in Show - Audi E-tron - this is actually a concept car but autoweek hopes and expects it to become a sporty two-seater that will be awesome to drive.

Most Significant - 2012 Ford Focus - this is the European Focus that many have been hoping would come to the U.S. It’s coming!

Most Fun - Mini Beachcomber - a concept that is a preview of the Mini’s new SUV.  This vehicle has huge tires, no doors, and no roof.  That makes it fun already!

Best Concept - Volkswagen New Compact Coupe - Autoweek loved the fact that this concept was “so polished, and how finished” the car looked for a concept.  It looked very ready for production.

There were many finalists in each category, but the staff at autoweek.com hashed it out and came up with these winners.  I’m sure the Detroit Auto Show doesn’t really care who wins what awards, they just want a lot of people there. The automakers want to win awards, but more than that they want there models out there and hope that the economy keeps turning around and people buy their cars. I think that will happen in 2010.  I’m an optimist.

Even though leasing is not as popular these days, there are still a great deal of leasing programs out there and some good ones at that.

Smart Fortwo are running a special through February 28 to lease their vehicles for 24, 36, or 48 months on any 2009 model.  The rates are as low as $169 a month for a 36 month lease.  Smart is hoping to jump start their sales.

I’ll give you the best lease deals for January, according to autos.aol.com in each category.

Minivan - Toyota Sienna $279-$399 mth for 36 mths with $399-$2999 due at signing

- Honda Odyssey $299 a mth for 36 mths with $2499 due at signing

-Volkswagen Routan $379 a mth for 36 mths nothing due at signing

-Mazda5 $299 mth/36 mths with $2894 due at signing

Small cars -Honda Insight $199 mth/36 mths $1799 due

-Mitsubishi Lancer $179 mth/36 mths $2728 due

-Volkswagen Golf $269 mth/36 mths zero due

-Nissan Sentra $149-$179 mth/39 mths $2449 due

Sedan - Honda Accord $199 mth/36 mths $2199 due

-Toyota Camry $169-$199 mth/36 mths $239 to $2899 due

-Subaru Legacy $209 mth/36 mths $1909 due

-Nissan Maxima $299-$329 mth/39 mths $2999 due

Crossover - Honda CR-V $249 mth/36 mths $2099 due

-Mitsubishi Outlander $239 mth/48 mths $2488 due

-Volkswagen Tiguan $339 mth/36 mths zero due

-Acura RDX $399 mth/36 mths $3599 due

SUV - Cadillac SRX $479 mth/39 mths $4054 due

-Kia Borrego $269 mth/39 mths $3364 due

-Acura MDX $499 mth/36 mths $3999 due

So you have a lot of good choices in each category if you so choose to lease this month. Hurry up half of January is already gone by! Can you believe that????