Are you thinking of trading in your current vehicle? Then take advantage of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), a federal program that helps you buy or lease a more environmentally-friendly vehicle from dealers when you trade in a less fuel-efficient car or truck. Popularly known as the 'Cash for Clunkers', this is a credit program meant for purchasing or leasing new fuel efficient cars. The main plus point of this program is that the consumers do not have to register anywhere or at any time for this program..

 

  In simple terms, the CARS is basically a $1 billion government program through which the consumers can get a $3,500 or $4,500 discount from the dealer when they trade in their old vehicle and buy or lease a new one. Here are a few important points to keep in mind to utilize the benefits of this program..

 

• The vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
• Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify
• Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements).
• Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
• The program requires the scrapping of your eligible trade-in vehicle, and that the dealer disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in. The scrap value, however minimal, will be in addition to the rebate, and not in place of the rebate.
• Last but not the least, the CARS program runs through November 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first

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Log on to www.cars.gov to know more about the program. The CARS program has been envisaged a program aimed at strengthening the economy, improving auto sales and put safer, cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation's roadways. Take advantage of this Limited Period Offer and go Green!   Enjoy!  

Kelley Blue Book, a leading provider of new- and used-car information, has announced its 2009 Brand Image Awards.

 

  Toyota bagged the Best Value Brand award while BMW was chosen as the Coolest Brand. The Most Family-Friendly Brand award went to Toyota and the Ford emerged as the Most Rugged Truck Brand. BMW secured the Best Performance Brand award while the Cadillac was announced as the Best Comfort Brand. The Best Exterior Design Brand went to BMW and the Nissan received the Best Exterior Design Brand (Non-Luxury) award. Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz have been awarded the Best Interior Design Brand and Best Prestige Brand awards respectively.

 

The 2009 Brand Image Awards, presented to the top brands in 10 categories, are based on consumer automotive perception data from Kelley Blue Book Market Research's Brand Watch study.

 

 The Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention and enthusiasm of the new-vehicle buying public.

 

 

Honda has a legacy of world-changing technological progress and stunning design evolution. Thus the popular saying goes: For Honda's engineers, the future is now. Their unwavering dedication to future developments – from fuel-cell technology and limitless functionality to breathtaking and unique vehicle designs – continues Honda's tradition of fresh ideas, true safety and exciting drives.

 

Futuristic styling. Hybrid power. Advanced interior design. All wrapped up in a lightweight, fun-to-drive package - the Honda CR-Z concept. The Honda CR-Z made its North American debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

 

Acronym for “Compact Renaissance Zero,” the CR-Z is a forward-thinking exercise in inspired design and environmental technology, as Honda claims. The CR-Z is a next-generation lightweight sports car concept equipped with Honda's original gas-electric hybrid system that achieves both clean performance and a high level of torque. Designed to be futuristic and dynamic, the CR-Z combines powerful performance in a compact form with a futuristic image. Distinctive features of the Honda CR-Z concept car include: stylish door mirrors that provide high visibility, LED headlights and jauntyfin-shaped sub-lights. The key words for the Honda CR-Z’s interior design are ‘Hi-tech and Sporty’. The all-new sporty interior fuses the liberating feel of airy spaciousness with an advanced interface that brings out the fun of the drive.

 

 

The all new redesigned 2010 Lincoln MKZ’s pricing starts at $34,995 including destination charges. The all-wheel-drive MKZ will cost a little higher, $36,855. The 2008 MKZ starts at $32,695 excluding destination charges.

 

A power moonroof ($1,200), THX II certified stereo with surround sound ($995) and special White Platinum Tri-Coat pain ($495) are the options. A Sport Appearance Package, all new for 2010, includes stiffer springs and larger stabilizer bars, 18-inch Euroflange polished wheels (17-inch wheels are standard), a unique grille, body-color door handles, darker headlamps and a gussied up interior.

 

The 2010 Lincoln MKZ is available in two versions, with front-wheel-drive and with all-wheel-drive and offers the choice of a Sport Appearance Package. Powered by a 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine rated at 263 hp at 6,250 rpm and 249 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,500 rpm mated to a standard 6-speed automatic transmission, the 2010 Lincoln MKZ comes with a host of standard and optional features.

 

The new Lincoln MKZ offers segment-exclusive safety features, including first-in-class Blind Spot Information System (BLIS(TM)) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA), which makes navigating traffic and parking lots safer and easier. BLIS tracks vehicles in the blind-spot zones on either side of the vehicle using two multiple-beam radar modules behind the rear fenders, and CTA uses the BLIS radar sensors to alert the driver to approaching traffic while in reverse and backing out of a parking spot.

 

 

Diesel fuel has enjoyed a wave of positive U.S. enthusiast publicity, though with its torquetastic nature and noise, vibration and harshness improvements. The turbodiesel station wagons and hatchbacks may seem popular theoretically but they may not really reflect in the sales figures.

 

Thus such vehicles have been only a few here and there cases so far. However, in these days, this has not affected the prospects of diesel vehicles or deterred the people from buying them. There are still some precious few diesel cars and trucks available in the market despite the automakers’ threatening to pull back from future product commitments already announced. Acura is believed to have been delaying or killing the plans for a derv TSX, and the General Motors put its promising 4.5-liter V8 on ice earlier this month. Now, Nissan is likely to delay or scrap its Maxima diesel model announced previously, according to a report in the Edmunds AutoObserver.

 

Interestingly, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI selling is well, the thoroughly wonderful BMW 335d coming on stream and future offerings like an Audi A3 TDI not too far away. Thankfully, the European automakers are moving ahead with their diesel vehicles.  

General Motors has released all the final specifications of its new sports coupe – 2010 Camaro. The Camaro has never been known for its fuel efficiency, but the new V6 version demonstrates the advantages of having extra gears in the transmission. With a 3.6-liter direct-injected V6 engine rated at 94 horsepower more than the 4.0L V6 engine in the 2010 Mustang, the Camaro delivers 3 mpg more on its EPA highway rating. The 380-pound-heavier Camaro has been rated at 17 mpg city and 29 mpg highway with a manual transmission. The automatic (also a six-speed) bumps the city number up to 18 mpg. The combination of the more efficient DI engine and taller gearing allows the new Chevy Camaro to cruise at lower engine speeds.

 

The Mustang with five-speed transmissions for both manual and automatic versions, delivers only 26 mpg on the highway. However, in city driving, the Mustang matches the Camaro with 18 mpg for the manual and 16 mpg with the auto-box. The Mustang is likely to get all new powertrains in 2010, including 6-speed transmissions and potentially an EcoBoost engine, which is likely to improve its efficiency significantly.  

Toyota is developing its own cost-effective hybrid which is expected to take on the 2010 Insight. According to a Japanese business daily, Toyota’s goals for the vehicle are to keep the price 20% to 30% lower than the Prius, and to get the car to market by 2011. This development comes just days after the Honda announced the 2010 Insight’s pricing.

 

Toyota wants the vehicle to come in below $19,800, which is the price of Honda’s hybrid, touted as the first hybrid in the market priced below $20,000. However, the mileage details of the Toyota’s new hybrid are not yet known. Meanwhile, the EPA rates of the Insight is said to deliver 40/43 mpg city/highway, while the 2010 Prius tops that with 51/48 mpg city/highway.

 

The all new 2010 Insight, the hybrid for everyone as it has been made known by the Honda, will arrive  this spring. Meanwhile, the Prius leads the Insight in fuel economy with an estimate of 46 miles-per-gallon in city-and-highway combined driving, compared with 41 miles per gallon for the Honda model. Toyota has sold almost 159,000 Prius hybrids in the United States in 2008.  

Nissan started manufacturing a slightly revised version of the Sentra lineup in January. Now all Sentras with the continuously variable automatic transmission deliver 26/34 mpg city/highway, an improvement on the previous version’s 25/33 mpg. Nissan had to change the trim designation of CVT-equipped trim levels, adding an FE — for Fuel Efficiency — to the Sentra lineup to get the mileage recertified with the EPA.

 

The company has now announced the addition of an entirely new trim level, the FE SR. The current Sentra lineup is as follows now: Sentra FE 2.0, Sentra 2.0 S,  Sentra FE 2.0 S, Sentra FE 2.0 SR and Sentra FE 2.0 SL.

 

The customers have to look at the vehicle’s sticker to see the FE designation or the new mileage numbers to confirm which model they looking at. All Sentras — excluding the SE-R — have the same $2,250 cash-back offer through March 31.

 

The Sentra FE 2.0 SR, however will not go on sale till April 17 and no cash back has been announced for it. It is available at the same starting price as a regular Sentra FE 2.0 S, at $17,760 (not including a $695 destination charge) and gets a Sports Appearance with front and rear bumper treatments similar to the SE-R’s, a rear spoiler, and a different grille, headlights and taillights, along with 16-inch aluminum wheels. It also comes in the same exclusive SE-R colors.  

Every Infiniti vehicle will be transformed into a hybrid within the next 10 years. Leading the pack will be the new Infiniti M hybrid which will feature Nissan's new in-house developed hybrid system next year. At the recent Geneva Motor Show, Infiniti’s head of advanced product planning Francois Bancon said the entire lineup of luxury performance models will be equipped with a hybrid drivetrain within a decade.

 

The premium division of Nissan will be using the hybrid approach to reinvent itself as an environmentally-responsible auto maker. The hybrid power system will reduce fuel consumption without sacrificing the performance image that Infiniti has built up over the last 20 years. The new Infiniti hybrid system was exhibited in the new Essence concept in Geneva. A redesigned conventional M will hit the U.S. market this fall.  

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has introduced a Class 8 hybrid diesel electric truck into its truck fleet at its parts center in Alpharetta, as part of its on-going effort to reduce its global CO2 footprint and fuel consumption. Built for Honda by Peterbilt Motors Company, the Smartway(SM)-certified Model 386 hybrid truck is likely to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost 45 tons per year, as compared to its diesel counterpart.

 

Honda is now using Class 8 trucks to transport service parts between its parts centers and dealerships. The company's diesel truck fleet, operated by its truck fleet partner, UPS Freight Truckload, travels 300,000 miles per day.

 

Jim Roach, senior vice president of Parts and Service for American Honda, said they are excited to add this environmentally advanced truck to their fleet. With Honda’s truck fleet driving hundreds of thousands of miles per day, this is a great opportunity for Honda to further reduce its carbon footprint, he felt.

 

The hybrid trucks will be utilized along two routes-a hilly route in Tennessee and a relatively flat one in Georgia-in order to evaluate the truck's fuel economy under various driving conditions. Honda will alternate the hybrid with a standard diesel truck and will collect data using engine telematics to accurately compare the performance of the two trucks on the same routes. Testing and evaluation will take place over the next year.

 

The hybrid truck operates much like a hybrid passenger vehicle. Similar to Honda's hybrid vehicles, Peterbilt's truck captures energy during braking and stores it in its system's batteries which improves fuel efficiency and lowers emissions by powering the heating, air conditioning and vehicle electrical systems utilizing a no idle auxiliary power unit while the engine is off.

 

Honda will soon be adding a Peterbilt Class 7 medium duty hybrid truck at its parts centers in Irving, Texas, and Alpharetta, GA, a Honda communiqué said.