2010 Ford Taurus

Ford Taurus is America's version sure get a lot of attention worldwide.Not to forget this 2010 Ford Taurus will be features in the incoming NAIA (North American International Auto Show) at Detroit early next year as the latest car production to be announce during that prestige auto show with all the coolest super car around the world. The Ford Taurus is America's version of the Mondeo and judging by these latest shots caught recently by our spies, the all-new 2010 model will get some styling cues from it's European counterpart – albeit slightly toned down. Front wheel drive will continue to be offered and there will also be an all-wheel-drive option as well, but it is still not official which platform is hiding beneath this prototype. One of the possibility is the Volvo D-platform currently used by the S40or alternatively it could be the Mazda CD3 platform which currently underpins all new Mada6.The 2010 Taurus will be powered by Ford's new EcoBoost engines, with an EcoBoost SHO to top off the line.

 

Speed boat concept inspired by 1963 Corvette

This speed boat concept, based on the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette, was created by Swedish designer Bo Zolland. Though it’s way cooler than this, probably it would be very hard for this concept to ever go into mass production, however, in case someone is interested in it, the Swedish company Stand-Craft could create one-off production boats based on these renderings. Zolland even suggests that GM could show a boat like this at SEMA with a cool GM truck towing.

He also suggests that the boat could be powered by one of these engines: 496 or 502 mercruiser, LS-9 marine or Volvo Penta Diesel up to 550 hp. Pretty neat design, huh?

Volvo to make Aston Martin Rapide safer

Volvo will develop safety systems for the upcoming Aston Martin Rapide sedan, and with Ford still retaining a $40 million stake in the luxury brand, we’re likely to see more Ford engineers playing a bigger role in designing Aston’s future models. Aston Martin> will also benefit in getting raw materials at discount, especially for aluminum.

Aston Martin confirmed that Volvo’s knowledge and resources on safety features would be utilized by his company, just as it was used for the DB9 and V8 Vantage. Experts from Volvo are helping to develop the stiff aluminum structure of the Rapide, including designing the B-pillar and side-members to optimise occupant safety during side impact collisions.

Most Fuel Efficient Cars

Gas prices have tripled since 2000 and it is not going to get any lower. The average gas price in the U.S. is currently $4.50/gallon and that number is expected to rise even further within the next few years. The best ways to save money is not drive at all and just stay home, sit in front of your computer all day long! Most of us can’t do that because we must drive to work and we live in a society where driving is a necessity. How many miles are you getting from a gallon of gas? There will be no expensive cars in this post and none of the cars here will reach 0-60 in 5 secs, but these cars will save you money on gas every year.

Best Gas Mileage Cars - Top 10 List:

1. Toyota Prius: 48 City/45 Hwy, Base Price: $21,100. 1.5-liter, 16-Valve VVT-i 4-Cylinder engine with 110 hp, 0-60 in 9.8 secs. The most fuel efficient car on the market is the Toyota Prius, also the most demanding car in the U.S. Most dealers will charge you an extra $2000 for this car because it is rare and Toyota just doesn’t make enough of it yet. A small sedan, but roomy enough for 5 and it is perfect for those that drive over 100 miles a day to work.

2. Honda Civic Hybrid: 40 City/45 Hwy, Base Price: $22,600. 1.3-liter, 8-Valve, SOHC, i-VTEC® 4-Cylinder engine with 110 hp, 0-60 in 11.3 secs. Second on the list is a Honda Civic Hybrid, perfect for those Honda’s fans that hate the Toyota Prius. 5 seats sedan with an electric motors, allowing you to save money on gasoline.

3. Smart for Two: 33 City/41 Hwy, Base Price: $11,590. 1.0-liter 3-cylinder runs on high-priced premium fuel with only 70 hp. Small, affordable 2-seat car that has a small engine, capable of saving you a lot of money.

4. Volkswagen Jetta TDI: 29 City/40 Hwy, Base Price: $20,000. 2.0-liter, 4-Cylinder diesel engine with 140 hp. Run on clean diesel and it is expected to hit the U.S. market by August 2008; the 2009 VW Jetta TDI actual performances may vary.

5. Nissan Altima Hybrid: 35 City/33 Hwy, Base Price: $25,170. 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder gas engine with 158 horsepower. A midsize sedan made for the Nissan lovers; a bit sportier than most hybrids.

6. Toyota Camry Hybrid: 33 City/34 Hwy, Base Price: $25,350. 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder with 192-horsepower, reaching 0-60 in 8.9 secs. If you love the original Camry, then you should try the Camry Hybrid because it has better fuel economy and it can be a big saver after a few years.

7. Ford Escape Hybrid (tie): 34 City/30 Hwy, Base Price: $26,640. 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder with 155 hp. Along with 2 other SUV, The Ford Escape Hybrid is the most fuel efficient SUV in the world.

Mazda Tribute Hybrid (tie): 34 City/30 Hwy, Base Prices: $25,310 . 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder with 155 horsepower. If you want an SUV that can save you money on gasoline, why not get this Mazda?

Mercury Mariner Hybrid (tie): 34 City/30 Hwy, Base Price: $26,955 . 2.3-liter, 4-cylinder and 155 horsepower. A small SUV that can be a little pricey, but it will make up for it cost in the long run.

8. Toyota Yaris vs Toyota Corolla. Which Toyota vehicle would you rather own? The Yaris is definitely a better buy, but it is smaller than the average sedan and it functionality is very limited.

Toyota Yaris: 29 City/35 Hwy, Base Price: $11,350.

Toyota Corolla: 28 City/37 Hwy, Base Price: $15,250.

9. Mini Cooper: 28 City/37 Hwy, Base Price: $18,700. Engines: 118hp 1.6 L I4. A small vehicle that can also be purchased as a convertible.

10. Honda Fit vs Ford Focus vs Honda Civic. Which do you prefer out of these 3 cars? All 3 cars are under $16,000 and they will get you around 30-miles per gallon of gas.

Honda Fit: 28 City/34 Hwy, Base Price: $13,950.

Ford Focus: 24 City/35 Hwy, Base Price: $14,395

Honda Civic: 26 City/34 Hwy, Base Price: $15,010

Special Car - Honda Civic GX (run on natural gas): 24 City/36 Hwy, Base Price: $24, 590. 113-hp, 1.8-Liter, 16-Valve, SOHC i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine. This is probably the most fuel efficient car because natural gasoline costs less than $1.00 a gallon. However, this isn’t on the top 10 list because it is currently only available in NY and CA and it is very limited. You probably won’t find a natural gas pump at your regular gas station, that is why Honda sells an at home pump you can plug into your home’s natural gas line. A full tank (8 gallons) can travels approximately 170 miles and fueling stations are very limited; make sure to plan your trip correctly if you own a Civic GX.

What do you think of this list? If there are better fuel efficient cars available on the market, please list those cars and link to them. We only list cars that are currently available for purchase and has already been on the market. Cars that are in production cannot be on the list because it is not yet available for purchase. Your comment is very valuable and it will help us keep the list accurate.

Volvo S60 Concept: First Teaser Shots Revealed Ahead of Detroit Show

Today Volvo announced that it will give us our first taste of the next generation S60 saloon at the Detroit international motor show in January 2009 with the unveiling of the S60 Concept car. Although no exterior photos were issued, the Swedish automaker did release a 3D impression of the concept car's cabin that features a 1.6-meter (5.2 feet) long floating crystal center stack. The latter has been developed in cooperation with world-famous Swedish glassworks Orrefors. -Continued

"If you want to explore the full scope of Scandinavian design, Sweden's glassworks are a natural source of inspiration. Large glass areas are very much part of modern Swedish architecture, creating the special, light transparency," said Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin.says Steve Mattin.

"The full-size crystal piece in the concept car will not be a production feature. However, it does open up opportunities to use crystal on a smaller scale in the future. We'll have to see how our customers respond," Martin added.

Although no other details were released, according to our sources, Volvo's next generation mid-size sedan will be loosely based on the underpinnings of the new Ford Mondeo with the production version slated to hit showrooms in 2010.