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Autos by Lisa Scherzer (Author Archive)
What's Hot at the New York Auto Show
AUTO ENTHUSIASTS HAD a chance to forget about record high gas prices and economic uncertainty for a while as they ogled the latest trucks, cars and funky design concepts — watch our video — at the New York International Auto Show this week.
Diesel is no longer the smoky, noisy pariah of the auto world that it used to be — and Mercedes plans on proving it. Its new M-Class is one of three diesel-driven SUV lines — the R-Class and GL-Class are the others. And it's the first line of diesel cars to meet all 50 states' emissions criteria. With a V6 turbodiesel engine and 210 horsepower, the BlueTEC is not only powerful, but also gets about 24 mpg on the highway and an estimated 18 mpg in the city. Expect this Big Blue to hit showrooms this fall, priced somewhere in the mid-$40,000 range.
Nissan hopes the "liquid motion" design theme of its latest Maxima will take this four-door sedan in an even sportier direction than previous versions. On sale this summer, the new Maxima will come in two models — the S and SV — and will be priced similar to the outgoing model — around $28,000. As for fuel economy, preliminary estimates are 26 mpg for highway and 19 mpg for the city.
Some noteworthy appearances at the show: Mercedes' diesel-driven SUVs and the new version of Nissan's trusty Maxima. There were also a few drop-dead gorgeous offerings out of Germany, like the BMW CS sedan, which is for now a concept car, and the race-car-inspired Audi R8.
But it was fuel-efficiency that really stole the show with subcompact and hybrid offerings galore. Hybrid SUVs and pickups promised the best of both worlds: Large capacity vehicles that curb their gas-guzzling ways. The lineup included hybrid versions of such behemoths as Chevy's Tahoe, GMC's Sierra pickup and Cadillac's Escalade.
From the much-anticipated rebirth of Chevy's "king" (a.k.a. the Corvette) to earth-friendly subcompacts, view our slideshow to see what auto makers have been up to:
Mercedes ML320 BlueTEC
Diesel is no longer the smoky, noisy pariah of the auto world that it used to be — and Mercedes plans on proving it. Its new M-Class is one of three diesel-driven SUV lines — the R-Class and GL-Class are the others. And it's the first line of diesel cars to meet all 50 states' emissions criteria. With a V6 turbodiesel engine and 210 horsepower, the BlueTEC is not only powerful, but also gets about 24 mpg on the highway and an estimated 18 mpg in the city. Expect this Big Blue to hit showrooms this fall, priced somewhere in the mid-$40,000 range.
2009 Nissan Maxima
Nissan hopes the "liquid motion" design theme of its latest Maxima will take this four-door sedan in an even sportier direction than previous versions. On sale this summer, the new Maxima will come in two models — the S and SV — and will be priced similar to the outgoing model — around $28,000. As for fuel economy, preliminary estimates are 26 mpg for highway and 19 mpg for the city.
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Posted: 9:48 AM EST March 27, 2008
Posted by: lisa30
WOW!
Posted: 9:06 AM EST March 25, 2008
Posted by: fmdog44
I like it and I believe it will sell. To those that are former teens in the 60's that are now near retirement this is a 'cool' idea. We don't want some of the new fast cars. Consider Pontiac's blunder with the GTO. It bombed because it did not resemble the goat of the 60's. Now if Chevy would just remake the 'ole 55' I would buy a hundred of them!!
Posted: 8:49 PM EST March 24, 2008
Posted by: McMillan968
They could make MORE MONEY by ADJUSTING the Corvair to make it SAFE and putting THAT back out TOO!!!
Posted: 11:22 PM EST March 22, 2008
Posted by: pioneerurban
What market does this vehicle fill? If someone wants a small truck, they go and buy a two wheel drive truck. If they want a car, they go a buy a car. The El Camino concept was great back in the 70's. But 30 years later, this platform won't work.GM could make MILLIONS, simply by bringing back the three cylinder Metro. A car that gets 50 mpg. Why wouldn't they bring it back. Someone at GM really needs a reality check to see what the consumers want. With gas over $3.25, why wouldn't they respond with this super gas sipper? Start it out at $10,000 or so and there would be people lining up to buy one.
Also, why does GM compete against itself with the Chevrolet and GMC line up of trucks?
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