pow

It's amazing how the new Sonata became #3 in such a short period of time. The then-new AURA never caught on even after 2 years, and the current Malibu is still outsold by the dated Impala. Amazing how well the 2010 Fusion is doing, too, especially considering it's just an update of an old car. Could be because Ford's marketing, branding, and advertising is exponentially better than Chevy, I mean, Chevrolet's.

Tinted tails look great!

It's certainly more interesting than the exterior. These new GM Daewoo sedans seem to have more successful interiors than exteriors, especially with the Cruze. I like how the A/C vents continue into the doors, even if they are fake. They're kinda retro... the Prius uses similar vents.

At least they're making money now. Isn't that all that matters?

I'm down for plastic cash. This is HK's equivalent of the dollar bill... lasts longer, doesn't smell, and waterproof:

No $h!... same source that says the Volt doesn't get CA tax credits because it has a tail pipe.

I borrowed a 2011 xB from Zipcar, and thought that was a pretty awesome car for $17K. Lots of interior space, good power, well-equipped... that should really be the Patriot's competition. The CR-V and RAV4 seem larger.

They sold pretty well when C4C was around. Maybe it'll do better if Chrysler chopped $7,500 off the MSRP... because it certainly is worth about $15,000, max. Wasn't the base MSRP for these in the $14Ks when it first came out?

Isn't the V6 Premium way more than $25K? More like $30K?

Awesome. Thanks for sharing! The GTI is such an amazing, well-rounded car.

Sounds good... though a six-cylinder, 3800-lb BMW 528i already gets 22/32 MPG.

Volkswagen GTI? Quick, efficient, comfortable, practical, safe, and relatively sporty.

I didn't use a kit... I just wetsanded my clouded plastic lense covers, then used a rubbing compound by hand, then finally a mild polish with an orbital polish. They look great now.

The 1.8L manual, on paper, is competitive with other manual 1.8L Civics and Corollas. The LS is the "base" model for the Cruze, but really, in this segment it's the mid-level model. On paper, it's sandwiched perfectly between the Corolla LE and Civic LX. GM would be well-advised to stock plenty of LS models. The turbo in the LT and LTZ is the upgrade "premium" motor, which normally, would justify the higher cost. Trouble is, is performance isn't much of an upgrade. For $23,000+ something along the line of a small-displacement Cobalt SS motor (say, a 1.6-liter 170 hp turbo four) is more appropriate. Doubtful there will be a mileage penalty, either, since there will be direct injection. Normally, the 1.8L is the volume engine, while the turbo is a low-volume upgrade; they're trying to switch it around this time.

I haven't seen a single Mercedes taxi in China. They're usually old VWs, Hyundais, and the occasional Citroen.

No, at Oxy. Must have been some drunk students after yesterday's football game. The only colors I see are white on sheetmetal and black on the wheels, presumably from their tires. Unbelievable how irresponsible some people are, ugh.

I got out of my house this morning to discover my car was hit and run. The driver's side of the car was sideswiped from behind, leaving a gash along the rear door, quarter panel, rear bumper, and rear wheel. More worryingly, though, is that the alignment is off; the poor thing now veers right. The Passat has a twist-beam rear axle, and I'm guessing the beam is bent. There really aren't any rear alignment settings for it (I just had the car aligned a few weeks ago, along with new rear shocks). Anyone know if a rear beam can be knocked back to spec, or am I looking at a new axle? I don't have collision insurance coverage on it.

Golf looks great! It's such a timeless car.

Omg, so I just Youtubed the show after those two clips, and I've been watching new ones for the past hour. Hilarious!!

Exactly. They did that with the Malibu; between 2008, when the current car first came out, and now, the base MSRP has risen by $2,700.

Chevy wants the $19K LT with the 1.4 turbo to be the volume model, but if you look at its competition, it's the 1.8 liter LX Civic and LE Corolla that sell best... or, in other words, the $17,000 1.8 liter LS. The LT and LTZ are all 'aspirational' in this segment. I hope they supply dealers with enough LS models...

Hm, so apparently initial Volts won't be able to travel solo on HOV lanes. The AT-PZEV requirement still stands. However, unlike the tax credits, which will have been gobbled up by the time an AT-PZEV Volt becomes available, it's unlikely the same will happen for HOV stickers, since 40,000 will be issued. It's mind boggling how GM didn't engineer a supposedly "clean air" vehicle to PZEV emission standards. I don't think any of their past or current hybrids are PZEV either.

What I just posted above says Volt *can* use the carpool lane...

So while the Volt won't meet AT-PZEV emissions standards, which makes it ineligible for CA tax credits, it will be able to travel in HOV lanes with only one driver: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-legis-20100831,0,4771210.story?track=rss These plug-in cars will get silver stickers; the gold "HOV Access OK" stickers for the old Prius, Civic Hybrid, and Gen 1 Insight will expire at the end of the year. GM say the Volt will eventually meet PZEV standards by MY 2013, but the tax credits will be gone by then. Ironically, this means the current Impala 3.5L emits fewer smog-forming emissions than a Volt in extended-range mode.