Joke

My husband works in a former supermarket that was remodeled to accommodate professional offices.

One day he overheard his receptionist giving directions over the phone. “Remember the old grocery store?” she asked the caller. “Well, you’ll find us in the meat department.”

To Make The Volt Affordable, GM Needs Toyota

When it comes to cars we’ll be driving in the future, this much was clear at the 2008 Society of Automotive Engineers’ Hybrid Symposia in San Diego last week: The future is far from clear.

There were some pretty sharp papers being delivered by such stars as Ford, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, GM and Chrysler at the event. But by far the most thought-provoking presentation was given by Dr. Menahem Anderman of Advanced Automotive Batteries. His paper, ‘PHEV – A Step Forward or a Detour?’ took a cold-eyed view of the debate over plug-in electric hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) based upon his interviews with over 40 companies, including all the major car manufacturers and battery makers.

Dr. Anderman’s analysis shows that, for one thing, when we talk about hybrids, we’re still effectively talking about one company – Toyota. With an 83% hybrid market share in 2007, Toyota is the 900-pound gorilla in the business of mass manufacturing and selling nickel-metal hydride batteries for automobiles. Moreover, the transition to lithium-ion batteries (as needed by GM for the Volt) will be based less on particular chemistries and technical details than their suitability for being mass manufactured in a reliable, economic fashion.

Audi S5

Audi S5 Adds Power to All-New Model

Audi isn’t going to make us wait for the high-performance version of its all-new A5 coupe. The S5 packs a 354-hp V-8 and Quattro all-wheel drive and it hits 62 mph in 5.1 seconds.

That should be all we have to say about that. The S5 will go on sale in November with a six-speed manual transmission. An automatic will be available six months later. Having the choice between transmissions is a nice plus, since other Audi S models come with either one or the other, but not both. The enthusiast audience still prefers to shift for themselves, especially in a coupe, but there is a growing group of those who enjoy shift-paddle equipped automatics.                                                                                           

cts coupe

Take a look at our Cadillac CTS Coupe video from the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

Cadillac exterior design director John Manoogian II can’t contain himself. He talks about the production CTS coupe and how it will hardly vary from the “CTS coupe concept,” the unmitigated hit of the North American International Auto Show (Detroit), without adding the requisite, “If we were to build it.” And so what’s a poor Cadillac P.R. guy to do, but to say it hasn’t been made official?

silverado hybrid

We´ve spent 90 years making trucks that get the job done right, the first time, every time. And, after years of building the most dependable, longest-lasting trucks on the road,(1) we´re now the first manufacturer to bring you a production two-mode hybrid full-size pickup.

The 2009 Chevy Silverado Two-Mode Hybrid (limited availability starting late fall 2008) is expected to provide the same dependability, power and performance you demand in a Chevy Truck. Plus, it´s expected to feature cutting edge technology to help you through the rigors of your everyday life while being conscious of the environment.

In the first mode, at low speed and light load, the vehicle can operate in three ways: electric power, engine power, or in any combination of electric and engine power. When operating with electric power, it provides all the efficiency of a full hybrid system. The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds to optimize efficiency. It provides electric assist in addition to four-cylinder or full eight-cylinder power when conditions demand it, such as trailer towing and climbing steep grades. Put another way, you´ll experience the benefit of excellent efficiency while also having access to plenty of horsepower and torque.