autoinsane

Nissan teases 2011 Quest minivan photos months before LA debut

Nissan has let slip three revealing photos of it’s next generation Quest minivan. The photos show the Quest’s side profile, rear, and interior.

Saab and GM Just Don’t Know How to Quit Each Other

Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in. It was really inevitable. When two companies spent that much time in the same house the split would be hard, especially on the kids: OnStar and Cadillac.

Brabus Vanish: The 800 HP.. um Gorilla?

If you’re one of those people that looks at the Merc SL65 AMG Black and goes “It’s nice and all, but couldn’t it have more power?” Then you’re our kind of person. The pedestrian Black series features a sissified 670 ponies from a boosted V12 6 litre Merc engine. Yawn. It’s also a a girly silver-grey color. In other words, it’s a total Grandma car. If your granny is Ma Schumacher.

The Car Doctor talks Camaro with John Fitzpatrick (radio replay)

Our good friend John Paul (aka the Car Doctor), who hosts his weekly radio show on WROL, 910am Boston, had a chance to talk to John Fitzpatrick, Marketing Manager of the Chevrolet Camaro this past weekend. John and John discussed a recent 5th gen Camaro meet-up in Georgia, the new Camaro Synergy edition, and how great of a deal the V6 Camaro is.

The entire show is an hour long but the interview with John Fitzpatrick is up first and lasts 16 minutes. The rest of the show is just as good, so don’t stop listening after the interview. Check out the full show replay after the break.

VW debuts 2nd Gen Touareg with hybrid powertrain at NY Auto Show: 3 engines to be offered

Volkswagen of America, Inc., unveiled its second gen Touareg, Wed., March 31, showcasing the brand’s first-ever hybrid at the 2010 New York International Auto Show.

The largest Mini, Countryman, debuts at NY Auto Show

It may sound like an play on words – being the biggest Mini ever made – but Mini’s all-new Countryman will boast 4 doors, 4 seats, and a 4-wheel-drive system (caooed Mini All4), a 102.2-inch wheelbase that’s about 6 inches longer, stretch out to 161.3 inches long and nearly 40 cubic feet of cargo space, when it debuts early next year.

Chrysler to build Fiat 500 EV for US market; 140 Dodge Ram PHEV secured with DOE grant, 2011 Dodge Ram HEV canned

In case you missed it, Chrysler announced it will develop the new, zero emission  Fiat 500 eV for the US with a synergy between the Chrysler Group LLC and parent company, Fiat. Production for the US market won’t begin until 2012.
The Fiat 500EV powertrain is comprised of three systems; a high-power electric powertrain module, advance [...]

2011 Nissan Leaf will list for $32,780, but consumers will only pay $25,280 after $7,500 fed tax credit, or lease for $349/month

All that remains to be seen is if American will get charged up and buy Nissan’s all-new, all-electric vehicle – the 2011 LEAF – that runs $25, 280 after the $7,500 federal tax credit and before you add another $2,000 or so for the at-home charging station you’ll need to enjoy your 100-mile eco-friendly daily driving range.

Nissan begins taking reservations for the car — which includes three years of roadside assistance — on April 20.

Other states offering tax incentives include a $5,000 statewide tax rebate in California; a $5,000 tax credit in Georgia; a $1,500 tax credit in Oregon; and carpool-lane access in some states, including California.

“Imagine the possibility of never needing to go to a gas station again. Or of paying less than $3 for 100 miles behind the wheel. Or of creating zero emissions while driving,” said Brian Carolin, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, NNA. “Nissan leads the industry by offering the first affordable, zero-emission vehicle for the mass market. Nissan LEAF truly is in a class by itself.”

[NY Auto Show] BMW launches new, fourth-gen 2011 X5 with 4,000 new parts

It’s often called the Ides of March – a tough and cruel time of year – moreover referred to unfavorable seasonal weather patterns.

Yet, the weather in South Carolina – where the all-new BMW X5 is made – might have stirred the wishes for both good and bad weather for the consumers desirous of this premium SUV that’s been under way for the previous 18 months. BMW used to call it an SAV – in perhaps a nod to it being a Sport Activity Vehicle – which it is – or perhaps to correctly break it free from the then-widening SUV nomenclature that’s now changed course to CUV – but, I digress.

BMW sets prices of 2011 535i ($50,475) and 550i ($60,575) all-new sedans ahead of debut at New York Auto Show

In an effort to excite, and surely drive – pun intended – (foot) traffic to the New York Auto Show, BMW announced the prices of its 535i ($50,475) and 550i ($60,575) sedans ahead of the show’s opening its doors to the public at the cement palace known as the Javits Center in the Big Apple.