New Car Buying Tip: Bentley boys coming to Geneva with flex-fuel concept

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Geneva Motor Show, Green, Bentley

The only thing green about Bentleys is the iconic British racing hue they're ordered in and the cold hard cash used to buy 'em. The behemoths are powered by Jurassic 6.75-liter V8s or twin-turbo W12s that go through gasoline faster than a jumbo jet and spew out about as much carbon. The company's latest, the Continental GTC Speed, may very well be the most egregious of them all, but while they took the wraps off that at this week's Detroit Auto Show, Bentley also revealed its plans to go flex-fuel.

The British luxury automaker, run under the Volkswagen/Audi group umbrella, has been hemming and hawing over the prospect of introducing hybrid or diesel propulsion solutions to its vehicles, but aside from rolling out their award-winning soapbox racer, the company has decided instead to go with bio-fuel. Bentley insists that this is the best way to forge into the environmentally-conscious future without sacrificing the qualities that make a Bentley a Bentley. (Heck, if it's good enough for the Queen...) No telling at this point if the boys from Crewe will have a fresh concept car for us at the Palexpo, but one thing's for sure: it won't just be green in color.

[Source: Inside Line]

Bentley boys coming to Geneva with flex-fuel concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�Comments Continue reading ...

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

click to visit AutoblogGreen

Aside from the obvious (four wheels, a windshield, etc.), the one thing that the three cars you see above all share is a plug. The Cadillac Converj, the Ford Focus EV mule and the Toyota FTEV all show us what the big automakers have in mind for the coming years, and that plug will play a big role. Just saying.

AutoblogGreen for 01.15.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�Comments Continue reading ...

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagons/Estates, Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchbacks, Chrysler, LLC.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Series 5

Ye old Chrysler PT Cruiser is going the way of the dodo this summer, and according to Chrysler LLC President Tom LaSorda, the automaker is actively pursuing a sale of the equipment used to build the PT in Toluca, Mexico.

Speaking with Bloomberg, LaSorda was kind enough to both ask and answer his own questions, saying, "Would we sell those assets? Yes. Do we have any offers to sell those assets? No. Would we be pursuing a buyer? Yes." That makes for an easy interview...

Sales of the PT dropped by 49% last year, with only 50,910 vehicles leaving dealer lots. That's down from the PT's peak when Chrysler was able to offload 144,717 models in 2001. The PT's demise doesn't come as a surprise, particularly considering that Chrysler's owner, Cerberus Capital Management, has slashed six other models from the automaker's lineup since it took control in August 2007. For those of you keeping count, the PT's timely death means that the Chrysler badge is only affixed to three models: the Town & Country minivan, Sebring and 300C.

Gallery: Chrysler PT Cruiser Dream Cruiser Series 5

[Source: Bloomberg]

Chrysler PT Cruiser production to end this summer originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�Comments Continue reading ...

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Toyota

Remember that horrible "Saved by Zero" campaign (no, not that one) that Toyota ran late last year? Besides producing some of the worst commercials the world has ever seen, it was a failure when it came to its singular goal of selling more cars and trucks. Toyota was the only automaker in the top five that actually lost market share at the end of the year, despite running its 0% financing deals. So, what's next? Incentives.

According to Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales here in the States, "The shift that you'll see in January from December is more consumer cash and less APR and lease support through our dealers."

These days, the biggest rebates come on big trucks like the Tundra, but we should also expect some great on everything from subcompacts like the Yaris to hybrids like the Prius. So if you're thinking of buying a new Toyota, you might want to hang on a little while longer.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Not Saved By Zero: Toyota looking to ramp up rebates originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read�|�Permalink�|�Email this�|�Comments Continue reading ...

Filed under: Car Buying, Detroit Auto Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Lincoln

Click above for live, high-res images of the new 2010 Lincoln MKT

Ford just announced pricing on the 2010 Lincoln MKT we saw earlier this week at the Detroit Auto Show. The Ford Flex's big brother will go on sale this summer for a starting price of $44,995 with the base V6 and front-wheel-drive. EcoBoost and all-wheel drive together add five grand to that total, so prices for the premium model start at $49,995. You can get AWD by itself though, along with the base 3.7L, at $46,990. While all MKTs will come with tons of standard features, the company is also offering a few options.

For instance, the Elite Package will be available for $5,000, which includes a bowl of alphabet soup with things like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Warning with Brake Support (gives the driver a "head-up" warning on the windshield), Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), Cross Traffic Alert (BLIS for backing out of a parking space), Voice-activated Navigation, and a power-opening Panoramic Vista Roof. Stand-alone options will include Active-Park Assist (literally "steers" the MKT into a parallel parking spot while the driver controls the throttle and brakes), 20-inch polished wheels, a DVD system with dual headrest-mounted LCDs, second-row buckets that are heated and cooled, a second-row console-mounted refrigerator, and class III trailer-towing capability.

A fully loaded 355-hp EcoBoost AWD MKT should come in around $55,000, or a few thousand less than a similarly equipped Audi Q7. The Lincoln promises better fuel economy, more interior space and some features you can't even get on the Audi, like the Active-Park Assist. There's a full press release after the jump and our gallery of the MKT from Detroit available by clicking any image below.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: 2010 Lincoln MKT live