Skydiving SUV Kicks off Donation Program(9/23/2005)
A 2006 Jeep Commander "parachuted" from a Sikorsky helicopter, accompanied by seven skydivers in a bit of automotive showmanship that was designed to highlight the brand^s partnership with a national nonprofit organization. It took the Jeep Commander, which was attached to a platform, about 30 seconds to drop from an altitude of 1,200 feet. "This has never been executed before outside of military operations," Jeep said in a statement. The company said no modifications were made to the sport-utility vehicle.
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Not all automakers are rushing headlong to embrace hybrids as a solution to fuel economy woes. Carlos Ghosn, joint CEO of Nissan and Renault, described gasoline-electric hybrid cars as a "terrible business proposition," despite moves by many rivals to expand production of the vehicles. "Hybrid sales account for less than 1 percent of global sales," Ghosn said. "It is a niche technology. The question is how much the consumer is willing to pay for them, and if they are unsure at $70 a barrel [for oil] then I would be very worried. For now it is a terrible business prospect," he said.
Dodge will make its multidisplacement system technology, which improves fuel economy as much as 20 percent, standard on Hemi V8 versions of its 2006 Dodge Durango SUV. The EPA rates the Durango V8 at 14 mpg in city driving and 19 mpg on the highway. The technology automatically turns off four of the eight cylinders when less power is needed to conserve gas; when more power is needed for passing or acceleration, it switches back to eight cylinders. Chrysler^s MDS lineup also includes the Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Ram, Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Honda will host a month-long Civic-A-Day giveaway starting in October, in an effort to spotlight the redesigned car and Disneyland^s 50th-anniversary celebration. "The Coolest Ride in the Galaxy" sweepstakes is linked with the relaunch of Disneyland^s signature ride, Space Mountain. Park guests will get a scratch-off card when they enter the gate, with finalists participating in a daily ceremony to award the car. The redesigned Civic, which is on sale now, has a base price of $15,110, including a $550 destination charge.
Fenomenon^s Stratos has nothing to do with Lancia though, and like all most unauthorised celebrity biographies, it could be all the better for it. The Frankfurt Show provided the opportunity for Fenomenon to make a couple of important announcements. The first is that design studies have been completed for three versions of the Stratos: Stradale (coupe), Barchetta (roadster) and Stratos Competizione, a club racing special. More exciting is the serious possibility of the Stratos actually being produced for customers in small numbers.
Daihatsu showed an exciting new concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week, the Hybrid Vehicle Sports (or HVS for short). The exterior and interior of the HVS don^t give much away, looking like it would be a suitably upmarket replacement for the little Copen (itself given a revamp at the show), replacing that car^s cute looks with sharper creases and a more universal sporty appearance. The interior has a little concept gloss, but the basic shape looks ready for production, and it looks like a good competitor to the likes of Mazda^s new MX-5. 
The third generation Toyota RAV4 was shown in Frankfurt last week offering more capability both on and off road with an improved range of engines as well as more space and comfort inside the newly beefed up body. The new RAV4 offers a range of three engines; two of these are diesel and the other petrol. The diesel 2.2-litre four-cylinder (D-4D in Toyota speak) is now available in two versions. These produce 136 and 177bhp respectively and maximum torque of 295lb.ft. This new power unit has been greeted with acclaim in other Toyotas, namely the Avensis and the Lexus IS200, and should suit the needs of the Rav perfectly, endowing the SUV with conventional saloon car performance (0-60mph in 9.5 seconds and 126mph all out), as well as the torque needed for the towing jobs many SUVs are also called upon to perform.
One of the more intriguing concept vehicles at this month^s Frankfurt motor show is the Mila, short for Magna Innovation Lightweight Auto, by German automotive supplier Magna Steyr. The concept gives a glimpse into the future of natural-gas vehicles. Powered by a standard 1.6-liter, four-cylinder engine that^s converted to run on natural gas alone, the roadster is designed to appeal to "individualists, techies and lifestylers with a penchant for pioneering vehicles," according to Magna Steyr. The Mila^s engine produces 150 horsepower with a top speed of 124 mph. The natural-gas concept can accelerate to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds.
Volvo will pull the wraps off its newest — and smallest — vehicle, the C30, in January at the North American International Auto Show here. The C30 will go on sale next fall in the United States as a 2007 model.
Audi is playing it safe with the new A4 Cabriolet, making its world debut at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show. Externally, the only significant differences between the new car and the old are around the new single frame front grille and shapely headlights, as used on the A4 saloon. At the rear, the only changes are to the style of the lights, though their outline remains the same. Most of the changes lie under the modestly updated skin. Four engines are available at launch, three of which are new to the Cabriolet range, including the 2-litre turbo unit from the Golf GTi (197bhp), the charismatic 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine (251bhp) and Audi^s superb 3-litre V6 TDI engine, itself not short of a few ponies at 229bhp and 396lb.ft of torque. The familiar 1.8-litre turbocharged four-pot sits at the start of the range, but the most promising is certainly the diesel variant.