Automobiles – Page 2

Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4

Posted on May 2, 2011May 8, 2011 by georgefattell

Well, I’m adding this car to the list of vehicles I will purchase if I win the lottery, or invest in the next Google at the ground floor.

Spec’s:

6.5 litre V12 engine, with 691 hp!!

Weight 3473 lbs

Distribution 43/57% front/rear

Performance: Top Speed 217 mph 0-62 in 2.9 seconds

Cost: $379,900.00

Mercedes Benz F-Cell

Posted on April 16, 2011April 18, 2011 by georgefattell

Cool little car imo.

The MB F-Cell is a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

Electric engine rated at 100 kW (134 hp)

Range: 250 miles

Chevrolet Cruze

Posted on November 4, 2010November 4, 2010 by georgefattell

I recently took an up close look at new Chevy Cruze at a local Chevrolet dealership and I must say I was quite impressed. For the first in my memory it appeared to me the GM had produced a car the could compete with the best sub 25K compacts from Germany and Asia. The fit and finish of the car seemed to quite high for the class that it is in.

I think this car is going to sell quite well for Chevy and it comes to market at a crucial time for General Motors, with the company preparing to introduce a new IPO in just a few weeks.

The Fisker Karma – A high performance hybrid

Posted on September 18, 2010September 19, 2010 by georgefattell

The Fisker Karma will be hitting the streets next year and it should redefine how most people view hybrids. I first saw the Fisker Karma at the L.A. Auto Show last year and I was immediately impressed by Karma’s sleek design and it’s size. This thing is big and powerful. It will start around around $87,000, which is obviously not cheap, but it is within the reach of many luxury car buyers. Can it make people trade in their Benz or BMW or Lexus or Porsche? We’ll see in the not too distant future.

More good pictures, video and information about this very cool car can be found at the Fisker Automotive website.

Honda CR-Z

Posted on August 31, 2010August 31, 2010 by georgefattell

Here is a new commercial for the Honda CR-Z. Good ad imo. Most of the automotive press seems to think that this car falls short in terms of pure performance as a sports car (122 hp & 0-60 in 9 seconds) and pure economy (EPA 34-39), but I still think this unique car will prove to be a success for Honda in the long run. It has great styling and fills a niche that few other cars do right now. Performance will only improve in future versions. If Honda ever installed a 160 hp engine in this car I think it would be extremely popular.

The Porsche 918 Spyder

Posted on August 26, 2010September 6, 2010 by georgefattell

This car is simply beautiful imo. The 918 performs like a real supercar too! Zero to 62 in about 3.2 seconds, top speed of 198 mph and will get 78.4 mpg!!…Now for the downside, cost will be $600K plus. Still, I’m glad Porsche is indeed going to put this remarkable vehicle on sale. Production was undecided when the car was developed, but Porsche decided to proceed when it received a very positive response from potential customers at the Geneva auto show earlier this year.

I hope I win the lottery between now and time this thing goes on sale here, which may be a few years off.

McClaren MP4-12C

Posted on March 25, 2010April 18, 2010 by georgefattell

The recently introduced McClaren MP4-12C is one of my new favorite Supercars, along with the Ferrari 458 and the new Porsche 918 concept.

High Performance Electric and Hybrid Cars

Posted on December 20, 2009December 22, 2009 by georgefattell

I have been very impressed recently by the progress that is being made in the development of high performance electric cars and hybrids. There were quite a few of these cars on display a few weeks ago at the 2009 L.A. Auto Show, where I had a chance to see some of them in person. Some, such as the Audi E-Tron and the Fisker Karma, were truly striking. What is also exciting is that some of these vehicles will be hitting the streets soon. The Karma will go on sale within the next year and the E-Tron maybe ready within two years. Of course, these cars will be expensive and produced in small numbers, but the technology they employ should become much more common in the not too distant future.

Honda CR-Z

Posted on October 2, 2009October 3, 2009 by georgefattell

Honda recently rolled out the latest version of their new CR-Z hybrid coupe a few days ago at the Tokyo Auto Show. I saw a concept version of this vehicle at the LA Auto Show last year and was very impressed by it. This design is very similar, but clearly more refined. The production version, due to be released in Japan next February, should be very close to the car pictured above. I’ve read that the CR-Z should be priced in the $19,000 to $25,000 range. That is a little further upscale than the Honda CR-X, which inspired this car, but think the CR-Z is a fitting successor to bold little hatchback that Honda introduced back in 1983. If this car delivers high milage and drives like a true sports car this thing will be a big hit imo.

The CR-Z may indeed redefine Honda as at least an equal to Toyota in the auto world in terms of hybrid innovation and leadership. The much hyped Honda Insight has failed to that, but the striking little coupe might.

Update

Various web sites report that the CR-Z will have 1.5-liter engine that should produce 140 hp. Given the light weight of this vehicle that might should give it enough power to at least make it fun. The CR-Z is not going to win any drag races with a Corvette or a Ferrari, but it should be able to compete with the Scion tC, Mini Cooper and other sporty cars in the 17k to 25k range.

There are also reports that Honda will introduce a hybrid version of the Fit, also using a 1.5-liter engine. I think that car would be very popular, but it would probably steal sales from the Insight. That’s OK though. The Fit is superior platform. Once the Hybrid Fit is up and running I think Honda should discontinue the Insight or redesign it, make it larger and move it further upscale to complete with midsize hybrids.