The front-wheel-drive 2006 Chevrolet HHR wagon, a late-to-the-market competitor to the Chrysler PT Cruiser, will start at $15,990 including shipping. A base 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser, which gets mild midcycle revisions this year, starts at $14,850, including shipping. The HHR has an on-sale date of mid-October. Chevrolet plans to roll out the new wagon on the East and West Coasts first with nationwide deliveries anticipated by mid-December. The wagon^s national ad campaign will kick off September 5.
New vehicles powered by hybrid electric or clean diesel engines are expected to capture more than twice their present market share, according to a new forecast. J. D. Power-LMC Automotive Forecasting Services predicts hybrids and diesels will capture 11 percent of all U.S. vehicles sales by 2012, up from 4.8 percent today. The report shows hybrids, which accounted for 0.5 percent of sales in 2004, are expected to increase to 3.5-percent market share in 2012. Diesels are expected to grow from 3-percent market share in 2004 to 7.5 percent.
The reasoning behind Peugeot^s decision to withdraw from the World Rally Championship became clearer last week when the French company announced its intention to return to Le Mans in 2007. A program of work has been undertaken to make a winning return to the endurance classic using an HDI Diesel engine.
Rest assured, you don^t have to worry that the Audi Q7 is nothing more than a reskinned Volkswagen Touareg or Porsche Cayenne. Despite the fact that it shares the same platform as the SUVs from VW and Porsche, the Q7 rides on a nearly 6-inch-longer wheelbase that gives it a much leaner and more athletic appearance. Its overall dimensions give it the look of a tall wagon similar to the current allroad, but the Q7 is larger and better proportioned.
Honda Motor Co. is striving to cut the cost of hydrogen fuel-cell-powered cars to a hundredth of the present level to make them competitive with conventional cars, according to a report by Reuters news service. A Honda spokesman said fuel-cell cars could have a market share of 5 percent by 2020. Mass production of hydrogen vehicles came closer to reality on June 17 when the Japanese government approved certification of fuel-cell cars made by Honda and Toyota.
Volkswagen has developed an intelligent driverless system that "learns" how to drive a car. The company demonstrated the system last week in Germany using a Touareg SUV, which successfully navigated an off-road course without a driver at the wheel. The Touareg, which has affectionately been christened "Stanley," is equipped with sensors developed from new technology systems such as the ESP stability system and adaptive cruise control. Stanley uses a combination of these systems, as well as laser sensors and advanced satellite GPS navigation systems, which are accurate to a millimeter..160)
Ford said its all-new 2006 Mercury Milan sedan will start at $18,995 for a well-equipped four-cylinder model and $21,995 for a V6 with six-speed automatic transmission. Prices include destination. The Milan goes on sale this fall, filling the slot to be vacated shortly by the Mercury Sable.