The new 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is an exciting new concept. It’s huge according to Frank Aukofer of Scripps Howard News Service.  This car will “be dubbed countless times as iconic or perhaps even legendary” says Aukofer.  The Mercedes-Benz is going back a half a century with the SLS AMG by bringing back the gull wing coupe.  This is a two-seater sports car that is “docile enough” to drive comfortably in heavy traffic. This is the perfect every day car for someone……with at least $200,000!!!

The gull wing doors have to be opened and closed manually. Mercedes-Benz thought about trying to have a power pull-down for the doors but this was nixed because it would have added weight.  There is a 6.3-liter V8 engine with 563 horsepower.  The SLS AMG goes from 0-60 mph in about 3.5 seconds.  There are also adjustable driving modes for street or race track.  The transmission is a seven-speed twin-clutch automated manual.  The gas mileage is decent for a sports car….13 mpg in the city and 20 on the highway.

So, if you are looking for an iconic car that will be great for show and can be driven daily to and from work, or wherever, then the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is probably right for you!  Start saving your pennies!

This is a new interesting car.  It is built like a Honda Accord, looks a lot like a Honda Accord, but the Honda Accord Crosstour has nearly twice the cargo space and is a little higher off the ground.  What’s it’s not is a crossover vehicle. There is no third row seating, the cargo space cannot compete, and it’s not as versatile as a crossover.  Nonetheless, Honda and many others that have reviewed it feel as though people are going to like this car. The  Crosstour fits between the Honda CR-V and the Honda Pilot.  Everything about it rides feels like the Accord. It rides like it.  What a better marketing deal for Honda?  The Accord is known for reliability, quality, etc. Why not build a new car very similar, call it something different, and have people already feel comfortable with it because it’s just like an Accord.

Each Crosstour has a 3.5-liter i-VTEC, 271 horsepower V6 engine.  It costs between $27,800-$31,900.  The gas mileage isn’t great at 18 mpg city and 27 mpg highway or 17/25 if you get the all-wheel drive.  There is 51.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the back seats down, and 26 cubic feet with the back seats in place.

Now, it’s not the most attractive looking vehicle. Not as nice looking as the Accord, but the crossovers are not gorgeous either.  If you can get beyond the look (though it’s not awful by any stretch, just not the nicest looking car,) might be worth checking out.

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The Honda 3R-C concept that was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show is very different and quite bizarre looking if you ask me.  Let’s just start by saying it has three wheels. That’s weird in itself.  This is an electric vehicle with only 1 person (preferably a small one to fit in this little car.)  Supposedly it’s very safe. Doesn’t it look it????  The closer I look to the pictures of the Honda 3R-C, the crazier I think it is. I wonder what it will cost. There is a clear canopy on top to protect the driver from the bodywork and doors. By the way, why do you need more than 1 door?  It looks like it can’t possibly be comfortable for anyone.  I don’t know, I guess Hondahas done something write with this car, because people are talking about it. Good marketing strategy.  I just wonder if anyone will buy it, though there will be someone or two out there that will want the Honda 3R-C of their own. Good news for your guys that do…..I doubt they will be sold out, and there will be no competition from Centercaps.net for this beauty!

Vehicles are much safer now. Five-star crash test ratings are extremely common, but of course there are ways that cars could be even safer. CNN reports that Mercedes-Benz has come up with a concept car the Mercedes-Benz ESF that is supposedly the safest car that could become a norm in the near future.  The ESF has several ideas of how cars can be safer.

The first idea is a “braking bag” under the car.  There are sensors under the car and when the sensors detect that a crash is about to happen, the bag inflates which pushes a metal plate down onto the road to slow the car and help reduce impact.  Sounds good to me.

Another safety idea is an air bag inside the a metal beam in the car door.  If there is side impact, the air bag will inflate pushing the beam outward to help take the impact.  Another good thought.

Lights that will use infrared night vision to detect people or animals in the road and then shine lights directly on them to try to prevent a crash/accident. Good idea but seems like a stretch.

During a side impact, the outside seat bolster will push the driver or passenger inward, away from the door.  The last future safety idea that is a part of the Mercedes-Benz ESF is the belt bag.  These are air bags within the seat belts that will help prevent injuries. Ford Motor Co. will be using the belt bag is all of their 2011 Ford Explorer and Mercedes-Benz expects that it will have the belt bags on its cars within 5 years.

Isn’t it amazing the technology that just keeps improving for vehicles?  It’s crazy. Every time you buy a car, there will be some big technological improvement within a year, and to have safety technology improved is great!

Jerry Flint of Forbes.com has “stuck his neck out” and said that the Nissan Leaf will be “more likely be a sales failure than a sales success.”  Actually if you read the article, Flint really doesn’t have anything really good to say about this car that will be made in the U.S. starting in 2012.  I think he has a point in some of his complaints, but not all of them. First of all, one of his complaints is that the all-electric Nissan Leaf has a top speed of 90 mph.  What’s the problem?  Seriously, who needs to go any faster than 90?  When you are running from the cops????  I don’t think that should or will deter people from buying the Leaf.   

Next complaint, the range of the Leaf. Supposedly it will be able to go 100 miles before needing a recharge, but Flint seems to think that cold weather will reduce that, which could be true. This complaint to me is legit. I would hate to constantly be thinking about where I was to ensure that I can get to a charging station or home before my car dies.  That’s a big inconvenience to me, so I agree with you Flint. 

Price could be a concern as well.  Supposedly, the price of the Nissan Leaf will be around $27,000 but it could be much more when all is said and done, though you will probably get a nice tax credit for buying this eco-friendly vehicle. 

Charging is also a potential problem. It takes approximately 8 hours to fully charge the car.  It’s not a problem if you drive to and from work and then charge it at night at home. The problem is if you are out or travelling. There will be charging stations built, but for right now the majority of the stations will be on the West Coast, so if you don’t live there, it may be hard to find a station. That’s a problem. 

Flint said that “for real car buyers, the Nissan Leaf may be a decade or two ahead of its time. That may be true. I guess we will have to wait and see. Some Nissan Leafs will be sold in the U.S. later today and Hertz car rental will start renting cars in the U.S. early next year. Time will tell.      

This may be a very ignorant thing to say and maybe I don’t live in the right area for sports cars, but where are all of them?  I was just checking out autoblog.com, and the half of the blogs/articles talk about sports cars.  I’ll just give you a few examples….The revised Gumpert Apollo is coming to the Geneva Motor Show, “Black Ruby” Rolls-Royce coupe up for sale, 8 special Lotus Evoras sports cars will be auctioned off to raise money for Haiti.

I know that sports cars are fast and have a unique look, but these cars are really expensive.  Obviously people buy these cars because they are being built, but winter (I know, no one drives these sports cars in the winter,)  spring, summer, or fall, I never see sports cars, let alone these really fancy sports cars that cost a fortune.  Where are these cars?  California, Florida, showroom floors, in people’s garages?  Is that where I need to look?  I guess probably.  I wonder how many sports cars are sold in this economy.  I would love to see these sports cars!  Maybe someday.

I’m not privileged enough to have a car with the keyless cars, but there are 155 models this year that are offering an option of the keyless cars.  There were only 41 models with this available in 2006.  So in case you don’t know, the keyless cars work like this. You have to have a fob in your pocket or purse and as you approach the car your car doors will unlock and then you push a button to start your car and off you go.  Sounds easy and awesome, right?  i think so.

Well of course there are the skeptics and the problems with the keyless cars as their is with all new technology.  Not major problems or complaints, and probably in time their kinks will be ironed out.  One complaint by customers is that they are not sure what to do to turn off the car in an emergency.  Some models have your hold down the button, others must press the button 2-3 times.  There is no consistency with these keyless cars. Safety groups are trying to get Congress to have federal regulations put on these cars so that all of the procedures are the same.  This would make it easier for people, especially if these keyless cars become the norm.  That way if people were borrowing a car or renting a car, they would know exactly how the fob/car works without a key.  I love the idea of keyless cars and expect that this technology will become the norm before we know it.  Then I’ll be cool like the keyless car customers are.  Maybe not too, but I’ll try.

Want a new car for pretty cheap?  Well,  Honda is offering a great leasing deal, but hurry it expires at the end of this month.  My first car was a leased Honda Accord. I got a great deal and you can too.   Right now to “superpreferred credit tier” customers, you can get a base model Honda Accord LX for $199/mo with $2199 down for three years. That’s a nice buy!  If you need some more bells and whistles than the basics, you can get the Accord EX sedan for $219/mo. with $2599 down and the EX sedan with a V6 engine for $269/mo. with $2199 down.  Those are good deals as well.

Several years ago everyone leased their vehicles, then leasing declined dramatically last year, because automakers were worried about credit.  Now it’s going to come back alittle bit, because people cannot afford to buy new vehicles and the supply of used vehicles has declined. There needs to be a choice for some people, and leasing is a good option.

Other automakers such as Ford, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen also have good deals running right now. If you don’t need all the extras, I think the Honda Accord or something similar is well worth leasing right now.  Check it out!

So, the Chicago Auto Show came and and it will go on Sunday, with not too much talk or excitement. Of course a few new concepts were introduced, but really quite boring I would say.  Now we are moving on to the Geneva International Auto Show which starts on March 4-14.  Maybe there will be alittle more buzz at this show, though my guess is not. We haven’t had a lot of excitement from any of the major shows so far this year.  The automakers are trying to create sparks, but it’s hard when they are so concerned to not lose more money.  There is one interesting debut to come out at the Geneva Auto Show. Ford will be unveiling the production versions of the new C-Max and Grand C-Max wagons at the Geneva Auto Show, according to autoweek.com.  Wagons are coming back.  I like it!

The C-Max is a 5 seater and the Grand C-Max is a 7 seater and they will go on sale in Europe later this year.  In late 2011, the Grand C-Max (which will be known as the C-Max) will be sold in the U.S. Confused?  The 7 seat Grand C-Max has twin sliding doors.  Both cars are part of Ford’s idea to show the medium size car.  All we ever talk about these days are the small vehicles, so it’s a nice change and something for those not looking for the small Honda Fit or others like it.  The Ford Focus is another medium sized car debuting next year.  I look forward to a slight shift and “bigger” cars being debuted!  I think we should at least check out the Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max. They look different and that can be worthwhile.

Forbesautos.com compiled a list of the world’s most expensive cars.  I know that the majority of us cannot afford 1/4 of these cars but it’s still fun to read about them and their enormous price tags!  I still would love to meet someone who buys these cars, because they probably don’t even really drive them. I’m sure they are “summer cars” or used on special occasions. These most expensive cars are REALLY expensive. I know that sounds dumb, but they are a lot of money.  By the way, the tax is not included in these prices.

Lamborghini Reventon - $1,454,400, horsepower 650, 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds, top speed of 211 mph. 20 will be made.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Coupe - $1,738,080, horsepower 678, 0 to 60 3.3 seconds, top speed of 217 mph.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 - $1,738,080, horsepower 1001, 0 to 60 mph 2.5 seconds, top speed of 249 mph.

Pagani Zonda Cinque Roadster - $1,882,920, horsepower 678, 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds, top speed of 355 mph (yup 355 is what I said!) only 5 will be sold.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport - $2,027,760, horsepower 1001, 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds, and top speed of 253 mph.

AND THE WINNER IS…………………………………..

Koenigsegg CCXR - $2,173,950, horsepower 1018, 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds, and top speed of 250 mph. 4 cars are currently being built.

I know that this is just mindless information really, but sometimes mindless is good.  Plus, it’s fun to see how the “other side” drive!!!!!