Auto Mobiles

With stricter lending standards and declining used car residual values forcing a pullback from the leasing market , many are wondering how automakers will be affected if the industry switches to a retail-only ...

As fuel prices continue their inexorable rise, car owners should find ways to get more miles from every gallon of gas. Fortunately, there are easy ways to save up on gas money. Here are some smart driving tips from The Car Care Council.

Combine errands in one trip and get good directions before you head out to minimize driving unnecessary miles.

Lighten the load by getting stuff out of the car, including the trunk, with the exception of important emergency items such as a spare tire, flares and a first-aid kit. Items that are not needed weigh the vehicle down, causing an increase in gas usage.

Stay within the speed limit and use cruise control on the highway. Gas mileage usually decreases when going over 60 miles per hour (mph).

Avoid aggressive driving. Your driving behavior has a lot to do with fuel economy and sudden stops and starts and rapid acceleration decrease your vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg).

Check the condition of the gas cap. Approximately 17 percent of vehicles on the road have loose, damaged or missing gas caps, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

Don’t idle your vehicle and go inside instead of waiting in long lines at the drive-through window to avoid wasting gas.

As fuel prices continue their inexorable rise, car owners should find ways to get more miles from every gallon of gas. Fortunately, there are easy ways to save up on gas money. Here are some smart driving tips from The Car Care Council.

Combine errands in one trip and get good directions before you head out to minimize driving unnecessary miles.

Lighten the load by getting stuff out of the car, including the trunk, with the exception of important emergency items such as a spare tire, flares and a first-aid kit. Items that are not needed weigh the vehicle down, causing an increase in gas usage.

Stay within the speed limit and use cruise control on the highway. Gas mileage usually decreases when going over 60 miles per hour (mph).

Avoid aggressive driving. Your driving behavior has a lot to do with fuel economy and sudden stops and starts and rapid acceleration decrease your vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg).

Check the condition of the gas cap. Approximately 17 percent of vehicles on the road have loose, damaged or missing gas caps, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

Don’t idle your vehicle and go inside instead of waiting in long lines at the drive-through window to avoid wasting gas.

We featured the innovative Dockside Green community previously on MetaEfficient. Recently, the entire community was certified to be built to Platinum LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) standards. It was awarded the highest LEED score in the world. (...)
Read the rest of Dockside Green Awarded World’s Highest LEED Score (220 words)

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OK 001, 00J, and the rest of you who either stood in line or in some cases paid for someone to stand in line for them to get the latest 3g iPhone.

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage

Click above for a high-res gallery.

With excursions in light aircraft, aerobatic planes, commercial jets, and helicopters already under our belt, we jumped on Goodyear's invite to take a flight in one of its three blimps stationed (or should we say tethered) in North America. The world's largest tire company has been flying blimps for more than 80 years. Used as a stable camera platform, or simply for advertising, the giant silver balloons have safely carried countless passengers over the decades. Follow the jump to read Autoblog's first review from the gondola of a lighter-than-air dirigible.

All photos copyright Michael Harley / Weblogs Inc.

Continue reading Above the Autoblog Garage: The Goodyear Blimp

 

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Mercedes-Benz is set to increase prices for the second time this calendar year. With sales of the lucrative S-Class sedan down 23 percent in the U.S. for the first six months of this year, Dieter Zetsche, ...

Filed under: Supercars, Mercedes-Benz, Rendered Speculation

Click to view the SLR Speedster rendering courtesy of the artist

With a host of new exotics coming out from both Mercedes-Benz and its F1 and erstwhile supercar partner McLaren, the ageing Mercedes SLR McLaren is about to be shown the back door. But not before one last hoorah. And if this illustration is any indication, it will be one rip-roaring, ear-piercing hoorah indeed.

Based on the spy shots that have already surfaced of the SLR McLaren "Speedster" (we don't know if that's what it'll be called officially, but that's the name we've been tossing around), talented illustrator Jon Sibal has crafted the rendering you see above. According to Sibal, the headlights will be the only element of the exterior carried over from previous incarnations of the SLR to the new, more hardcore roofless swan-song. The hood, which previously melded into the A-pillars, is more flat; the nose draws even more direct inspiration from McLaren-Mercedes formula racing cars; the exhaust pipes have been moved into the side vents... oh yeah, and there's no roof. None whatsoever. There's barely any windshield for that matter, just a couple of deflectors. Needless to say, we hope the actual vehicle turns out to be as dramatic as Sibal's conception.

Check out the gallery below to see the rendering in high-resolution, along with our previous crop of spy shots of the SLR Speedster.

[Source: JonSibal.com]

 

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Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Toyota

If vehicles could be sainted, stained-glass artists all over the U.S. would be busy figuring out the best colors for the Toyota Prius to shine in. Brand new examples of the motorized mollusk that everyone can't wait to buy spend just five days on dealer lots. Last year's model lasts just fifteen days more.

The real coup, however, is in the prices. An unused Prius requires about $26,672 to take home. The used version, with fewer than 10,000 miles, goes for around $27,945. That's right, nearly $1,300 more. More incredible: a 2007 model with more than 22,000 miles will only save you $276 compared to the price of a shiny new 2008. We're not sure you can even call that depreciation.

Toyota is increasing Prius production, but that'll take a moment to be felt on dealer lots. In the mean time, if you absolutely have to have a hybrid, we see a Malibu in your future...

[Source: Next Autos]

 

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons

This November's Los Angeles Auto Show is shaping up to be Mecca for enthusiasts. The 2010 Ford Mustang is due to be revealed in the City of Angels, Volkswagen will supposedly unveil a mid-engine roadster to rival the Elise and it's been all but officially confirmed by Nissan that the 370Z is on its way - two of them, no less.

So with all that rear-wheel-drive hotness on display, the redesigned Mazda3 sedan might have to struggle for attention. Then again, it might not. As suspected, spied and rendered, the next Mazda3 will be taking cues from the recently released Mazda6, including flared wheel arches, swept back headlamps and a gaping air dam. The illustration above (courtesy of AutoCar) is yet another derivation of a reoccurring theme we've seen before, and with the same C1 Ford Focus chassis, the 2010 Mazda3 will have the looks to back up its performance.

As for engines, European consumers will get a choice of gasoline powerplants ranging from 1.4- to 2.0-liters, along with 1.6- and 2.2-liter oilburners. In the U.S., we can expect engines ranging from 2.0- to 2.5-liters, while the Mazdaspeed version is expected to be packing the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder from the Focus ST. The five-door will debut at the Bologna Motor Show in December, and sales are expected to begin in Europe and North America early next year.


[Sources: Autocar, AutoExpress]

 

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