All-New 2009 Nissan Z: Sculpted, Engineered and Equipped to SHIFT_ Driving Excitement

– Super Evolution of the Iconic Nissan Z Expands the Sports Car “Sweet Spot” With An Unmatched Balance of Performance, Style and Value –

In the first full redesign of the iconic Nissan Z
since its re-introduction as a 2003 model, nearly every piece and component has been rethought or redesigned – shorter wheelbase, greater use of lightweight body materials, new engine with more horsepower and improved fuel economy, a new 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, a world’s first synchronized downshift rev matching system for the manual transmission, new high quality driver-centric interior and new available technology features.

But to get the full measure of the new model, now designated the Nissan 370Z, one need look no farther than the subtle upswept line of the new rear quarter window. Quintessentially Z, the window harkens back to the original 1970 240Z – a car that revolutionized the sports car world with its unique combination of performance, style and, especially, value. The new 370Z solidifies the Z’s position as one of the most desirable sports cars on the planet – at an affordable price – bringing true sports car performance to everyone.

“The fresh character of the 2009 Nissan 370Z is immediately apparent in the crisp new exterior design, which is sportier yet still immensely identifiable as a Nissan Z,” said Al Castignetti, vice president, Sales, Nissan Division, Nissan North America, Inc. “One usually thinks of evolution as being linear. The new 370Z’s ’super evolution’ builds on the best features of both the first and last generations Z–cars – respectful but not retro, simple yet sophisticated, and 110 percent pure Z.”

Solidifying the strengths of its immediate predecessor, the new 370Z was conceived as an “Everyday Sports Car,” targeting segment-leading performance and a base MSRP of around $30,000 (final performance figures and pricing to be available at a later date).

“The new 370Z lives in the sweet spot of performance, style and value, a position that Nissan invented with the original Z
. It’s an authentic sports car that you don’t have to make sacrifices to own – or drive everyday,” said Castignetti.

The new 2009 Nissan 370Z Coupe model is scheduled to go on sale in North America in January 2009, followed by a new 370Z Roadster for the 2010 model year.

Continue reading →

Gas prices are relatively low now, but they were incredibly high last summer, and could well revert to those high levels. But the price of compressed natural gas (CNG) remains fairly stable, and there’s a strong, reliable domestic supply of CNG. It just happens to be one of many alternative fuel applications being explored in Toyota’s broad sustainable mobility research and development strategy.

That’s why we built a special concept CNG Camry Hybrid that we’ll display at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday.

To convert a stock Camry Hybrid to a CNG vehicle, the gasoline fuel system was replaced with a CNG system that includes a pair of CNG tanks installed in the spare-tire well of the vehicle’s trunk. Because it now lacks a spare tire, the CNG Camry Hybrid rolls on runflat tires.

And roll it does. With the proposed CNG equivalent of 8 gallons of gasoline in its tanks, the estimated range of the CNG Camry Hybrid is more than 250 miles. Link that efficiency to the price of CNG and you can see why we’re interested in this – as this is written, CNG is about a dime cheaper, per gallon, than the national average price of regular-grade 87-octane gasoline.

Continue reading →

Chrysler plans to show at least one, and perhaps all three, of the electric vehicles it is developing at the Los Angeles auto show in a few weeks.

Chrysler has said it will have an electric vehicle on sale in 2010. The three candidates for production are the Dodge EV battery-powered sports car and extended-range electric versions of the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler Town & Country.

Mini’s upcoming electric car will also make its first public appearance at the LA show. Mini plans to build 500 of the Mini E cars this year and lease a few of them to selected customers in California, New York and New Jersey. The electric Mini has only two seats because its lithium-ion batteries take up the space where the rear seat normally goes.

Nissan offers the first look at the upcoming 2009 370Z Coupe, which makes its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19th. The all-new 2009 Nissan 370Z, the first full redesign of the iconic Nissan Z since its reintroduction as a 2003 model, solidifies the strengths of its predecessor with an unmatched balance of performance, style and value. The all-new Z will go on sale at Nissan dealers in early 2009.

These latest spy shots of the 2009 BMW Z4 caught testing in Germany clearly show that the new two-seat roadster will be getting a folding metal roof in place of the current car’s fabric item.

The next Z4 will make its debut at the LA motor show in November before going on sale in the last quarter of next year.

Other changes to the popular convertible appear to be much more evolutionary than revolutionary but there are still some significant differences that can be easily seen. The central rear brake light has been moved inboard from the lip of the trunk lid to near the rear windscreen, and the shoulder line of the Z4 has been smoothed out considerably.

Continue reading →

Toyota is set to roll out the world’s first vehicle powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) and electricity as part of a drive to expand its line-up of hybrid vehicles.

The Japanese carmaker plans to show a concept hybrid CNG-electric version of its Camry mid-sized saloon at the Los Angeles auto show in November.

Encouraged by the popularity of the Prius hatchback, Toyota has made hybrid technology the centrepiece of its strategy to find alternatives to the internal combustion engine.

It plans to offer hybrid versions of its entire model line-up, but has yet to set a target date to achieve this goal.

Hybrids currently make up about 10 per cent of Toyota’s US sales, compared with 3 per cent for the industry as a whole.

Toyota Motor Corp., expanding its line of alternatively powered cars beyond Prius, will unveil a Camry Hybrid in November fueled by compressed natural gas rather than gasoline amid expectations of rising oil prices.

The CNG Camry will be shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Toyota executives told reporters at a conference in Portland, Oregon, yesterday. There are currently no plans to offer the concept vehicle to consumers, spokesman John Hanson said. The show opens to the press Nov. 19.

“We are confirming our interest in pursuing CNG within our R&D scope,” said Irv Miller, a group vice president for the U.S. sales unit of Japan’s largest automaker. A drop in natural-gas prices, an increase in North American supply estimates and the fuel’s lower pollution levels than gasoline make it attractive, he said.

A surge in U.S. gasoline prices to more than $4 a gallon and tighter vehicle emission rules in the U.S. have led Toyota and other carmakers to boost investments in fuel-efficient technologies. Toyota plans to test lithium-ion plug-in Prius cars next year and Japanese rival Honda Motor Co. has begun leasing fuel-cell sedans to drivers in Los Angeles. General Motors Corp. aims to sell a battery-powered Volt by 2010.

Natural-gas prices are down 4 percent from the fuel’s 30- month high set July 3. Gas for October delivery rose 27.3 cents, or 3.6 percent, to settle at $7.931 per million British thermal units yesterday on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Continue reading →

2009 Infiniti G37 convertible

G37 convertible to fingting luxuty brand name around the world instead Lexus SC reflection on the way,a retractable hardtop 3.7 litre VQ37VHR 320 hp

Continue reading →

So now it’s final. Nissan will showcase the next new Z-Car at the L.A. Auto Show this November. This will be the real thing, not a teaser, according to a source, who added that the car looks ‘fantastic.’’

A lot of blurb on the new Z is already out in cyberspace but yes, the new Z will be shorter than now (some four-inches, apparently) but a touch wider, still have two-seats and yes, power will come from the same excellent 3.7-liter V-6 found in the Infiniti G37 Coupe.

So welcome the 370Z and while the new design will be evolutionary, we understand it’s still instantly and unmistakably a Z. Roll on November.

Souce : widing road

2009 Pontiac Vibe
All-new, but still retaining the original’s blend of style performance and versatility, the 2009 Pontiac Vibe also signals the return of the popular all-wheel drive and performance-oriented GT models. The 2009 Vibe will make its public debut at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show(La auto show) and will be available at Pontiac dealerships in early 2008.