Most people would come up a little short if it came time to hand over money for a Lexus IS-F. The car is hot, but at $56,000, it’s a good $20,000 over the other IS models. To help us buyers reach a happy medium between luxury and costly performance, Lexus has started an F-Sport Accessory line. It includes options like 19-inch wheels, a sway bar kit and a Bilstein Shock Absorber Set.
Some add-ons are a bargain and will upgrade an IS to proper performance levels. Some (like the $3,025 front brake set) inch you a little too close to the IS-F’s starting price. Either way, 20% off (up to $2,000) the components for the entire month of July probably couldn’t hurt.
If you don’t know who Valentino Balboni is, trust us when we say you want his job. See, Balboni is the chief test-driver for Lamborghini, and supposedly the guy has driven 80 percent of all Raging Bulls ever built. To commemorate the guy’s contribution to Lamborghini history, the company has rolled out this missile. Called the Gallardo LP550-2, the car boasts a 550 horsepower 5.2-liter V10. Unlike other Gallardos, this sucker is rear-wheel drive only. That means you better be as good behind the wheel as good Mr. Babloni if you plan to really flog on this sucker. If you want one (and we know you do), get ready to shell out a lofty $219,800 and be lucky enough to snag one of the 250 being built. [Source: MotorAuthority]
Really? GM’s hoping to position its upcoming Volt as the sportier alternative to green rides like the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. That seems a little odd to us, especially since the Volt has something up its government-owned sleeves its Japanese competition can’t boast. General Motors hybrid only operates off of electric power. At no point does the small gasoline motor ever put ponies to the pavement. While that would seem like a great marketing angle to us, evidently The General has something else in mind.
Instead of highlighting what must have been the innumerable hurdles the company had to overcome to bring the car to market and the sheer technological innovation involved, Chief Engineer Andrew Farah said the car will likely be advertised as a sporty, green alternative. OK. Sporty usually denotes something that’s quick off the line and faster through the corners – something that a hefty battery pack can’t possibly help. [Source: Autoblog]
Dealix held an informative webinar with experts from both Edmunds and Stoneham Ford on the Cash for Clunkers program on June 26. The three panelists included Jessica Caldwell, the manager of pricing and industry analysis from Edmunds, John Giamalvo, the director of strategic marketing, also with Edmunds and Mike Warwick, the internet director with Stoneham Ford. The one-hour presentation covered a variety of dealer-essential materials, from vehicle eligibility to consumer reaction to the program.
Hop the jump for a recap of the webinar, complete with all the information you need on Cash for Clunkers. [Read more →]
And it’s cheap. GMC’s entry into the CUV segment totes a $24,995 price tag, and for the money buyers get one of The General’s most advanced four cylinder engines. With 185 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque, the 2.4-liter mill delivers great power and better fuel economy – topping out at 34 mpg highway in the Terrain. If that kind of gusto isn’t enough to keep you smiling, you can opt for a beefier 3.0-liter direct-injection V6 with 264 horsepower and 222 lb-ft of torque, but expect the price tag to inch upwards for that option. While the Terrain starts out as a front-driver, with a few ticks of the option sheet you can get your power to all four corners, but expect a $26,745 price tag on those models. [Source: GM]
Jalopnik has gone and done what we’ve all wanted to since the Challenger first hit the streets last year – run all of the new muscle cars back to back in a showdown for ultimate supremacy. Now, as a true-blooded, souther- grown boy, few things tug on my heart strings like the pointless extravagance of an American V8. Throw in some tire-melting fury and I’m a puddle of goo. Blame it on being brought up in NASCAR country, but it’s just the way I’m built. I’m sorry.
So what did Jalopnik find out? Well, if you’ve been following the introduction of the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and the 2010 Ford Mustang, you probably know GM’s bad boy has a ridiculous amount of power, the Mustang one of the best suspensions of the trio, and the Challenger more weight than the entire cast, production crew and set of The Biggest Loser. If that doesn’t give you an idea of how the car’s wound up, you’ll just have to pop over to Jalopnik for the full read. Photos courtesy of Jalopnik. [Source: Jalopnik]
Are you stuck with a gas-thirsty car or truck and want something a little more economical? The federal government may have good news for you. According to Autoblog, President Barack Obama just signed new Cash for Clunkers bill into law. Under the legislation, any vehicle less than 25 years old may be turned in for a credit voucher of up to $4,500 so long as the replacement gets 5 mpg better if it’s a truck, 10 mpg better if is a car.
Congress has been batting around different versions of the legislation for about a month now. The final version of the bill was attached to a larger defense spending bill that was all but guaranteed to pass. The government and carmakers are hoping the program will help spur stagnant car sales and take a decent chunk of polluting, over-consuming cars and trucks off of the road.
The Department of Transportation has 30 days to organize the rules surrounding the program, which means you may be able to apply that $4,500 credit toward the purchase or lease of a new vehicle by the end of next month. [Source: Autoblog]
General Motors has unleashed the first volley of pre-production Chevrolet Volts on the streets around its Warren test Center. So far, the public has only laid its eyes on Volt mock ups, that is, big rolling models of the real deal. While only a handful of the pre-production electric rides have seen the light of day so far, GM says it plans to roll out up to 80 of them for testing before the car goes on sale late next year.
The Chevrolet Volt boasts a lithium-ion battery pack, and if the hype is to believed, the extended-range electric vehicle will be able to travel 45 miles on pure electric power. For those out there with an overall commute of less than that range, you could possibly drive that full distance without using an ounce of fuel. At night, owners would plug up their Volt and charge it from a home outlet. GM expects the car to carry a price tag of $32,500 after a government tax rebate. [Source: MotorAuthority]
There is more to Twitter than just tweetbacks and status updates. DriverSide has created an easy way to check service recalls or news about your specific make and model. So, whether you have a BMW 3-Series, a Honda CR-V or, if you’re lucky, a Bentley Azure, you’ll be able to keep in touch with what’s going on with your car at the drop of a tweet. Click here for a list of links to corresponding Twitter pages. If you don’t see your car on here, drop us a line in the comments section.
Owning an AMG-tuned Mercedes-Benz is a big deal. You’re treated to a pretty incredible package of driving dynamics and luxury on a daily basis. But having a massive V8 to play around with can get pretty hairy if you don’t know what you’re doing. Apparently, MB felt the same way, so they’re bringing their AMG driving school to the U.S. for the first time. You can now spend a couple grand to participate in various 4-6-day-long programs starting in the fall that will teach you how to better control a German driving machine.
Did we mention that lucky attendees will be getting behind the wheel of the new 2011 SLS AMG? Thought that’d grab your attention. Find out more at their website. [Source: Mercedes]
On June 16th, Jesse James claimed to have broken the hydrogen-powered speed record on the southern California El Mirage dry lake for an episode of his show Jesse James is a Dead Man, which would have been an awesome feat indeed. However automotive journalist and world speed historian, Louise Ann Noeth, is challenging James’ claim.She states that James did not comply with many of the necessary rules one must follow to break a land speed record.
It would really suck if Jesse did break it, only to have a historian claim some ticky tacky rule violation. This isn’t the NBA Finals we’re talking about here. Whatever happens, let’s hope they don’t settle the spat with a fist fight. We hate seeing grown men cry.
The episode of Jesse James is a Dead Man will premiere sometime in August.
We told you guys about the Fiesta Movement a while back. For a refresh, it’s Ford’s brilliant marketing scheme for their new hatchback - debuting here in 2011. 100 lucky people got the cars for free in exchange for their souls performing “missions” that revolve around their Fiesta. You can see all the mission videos at fiestamovement.com, but it takes time to filter through the lame ones.
Here’s one that we thought was pretty awesome considering it’s just a random dude who was told to make a viral video featuring his Fiesta. How did he find so many hot chicks at such short notice?
Top Gear season 13 is set to make its premier on The Beeb this Sunday, but if you can’t wait that long for a taste of Clarkson’s Anglo antics, take a look at the advert above. Looks to be a true return to form, eh Guvnah?
So it seems that with such a volatile car market, Land Rover has decided that what it needs is to do to remain competitive is to make telephones. Partnering with Sonim Technologies, the duo has created the world’s first IP-67-rated phone, and we all know what that means! Actually, we have no idea what that means, but in layman’s terms: it’s everything-proof.
This nifty piece of kit is resistant to dirt, dust, sand, pet dander and any number of other small particulates that you can think of. The S1, as it’s known, can be submerged in over 3ft of water for 30 minutes, and still take pictures with its 2 mega-pixel waterproof camera. It also comes equipped with GPS, FM radio, a flashlight, and Bluetooth. Lord knows one can get away with all sorts of shenanigans, especially when you have 18 hours of battery life and a pet dander-proof phone. Imagine the possibilities! [Source: Jalopnik]
Lets face it, while not as quirky or radical as the Nissan Cube, the Kia Soul is a damn cool car. With door speakers that pulse a color of your choice along with the music, whats not to like? Now Kia has tired to go viral with this latest moving picture featuring a whole lot of Soul’s strutting what can best be described as their “stuff”. Either way, it’s an easy way to spend 90 seconds. Unless you actually want to be productive, of course.
