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Toyota “Smart” at Frankfurt Motor Show
Toyota will launch a new competitor on the microcar market next September. The new model, which is set to compete with the popular Smart car, will be available from 2008.
This announcement comes as no surprise. Two years ago at the same Motor Show, the Japanese carmaker revealed the concept car Endo and its production was oft-talked about in the press. Though Smart chose to design a very small car for only two people, Toyota decided to be less radical. The Endo was 3m long and provided enough room for 4 people. Insiders revealed that the production model would offer 3+1 seats like the Fiat concept car of Geneva 2004, the Trepiùno.
In order to reduce the production costs, Smart was obliged to share the engine with Mitsubishi. Toyota could go it alone and reuse the 1 litre with an output of 68 bhp already used in the Aygo and Yaris. No diesel engine appears to be planned even though the Aygo is sold with a 1.4 litre engine.
May 1, 2007
Maybach: future plans
Maybach has lost the first round, but not the match. Though the 57/62 did not live up to its expections, the brand image exists and is well known around the world thanks to the Exelero and Jay-Z. The German super-luxury manufacturer is currently working on three projects according to an insider: an SUV based on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, a 4-door coupe like the CLS but for the very wealthy and a 4-seat coupe like the impressive Exelero.
Maybach seems to have resigned itself to testing every possibility and an SUV is one of them. Its competitors have considered doing the same but gave up the idea due to their lack of presence on the SUV market. However, even though Maybach itself also currently has no presence on this market, its parent company, Mercedes-Benz has a long history with the G Class. Despite being almost 30 years old, the G-Class is still a favourite among wealthy buyers. The move to producing a Maybach SUV would seem to be a natural progression.
Considered as a transition model, it would be a windfall for the subsidiary. Built on the GL platform, it would be cheap to manufacture but sold at a high price. Obviously the GL would be modified. It would receive a Maybach grille, new bumpers and a revised rear-end. The interior would get top-grade leather, luxury wooden panels and rear lounge seats like those in the 57/62. The car would be sold outside Europe and only 1,500 would be made every year.
The second – and favourite – project is a smaller limousine that would compete with the baby Rolls. Both manufacturers would meet for round two. Maybach would like to take advantage of the Mercedes CLS-Class success to launch a luxury 4-door coupe. Dubbed super-CLS, the limousine would be based on the S-Class, but designers would not repeat the mistake they made with the 57/62, often known as the über S-Class. The smaller Maybach would have its own design and it is said that the car would include exterior lights to accentuate certain body contours. It would also reuse the 5.5-litre turbo V-12 from the S-Class. The car would be sold at a price of around £150,000.
The last project would be a production model of the flamboyant Exelero, the success of which impressed Maybach’s decision-makers. They gave the green light to product planners for a possible production model. However, no more information is currently available about this project, leaving market analysts guessing about the next move of this struggling carmaker.
May 1, 2007
16th Sherwood Classic Cruising
The 16th Annual Cruisin’ Sherwood Classic & Custom Car Show was this past weekend. I snuck away from work and went with my dad to this great day of fun down in Sherwood, Oregon. We had a blast! Every year they shut down the old part of town and block the streets with every kind of car imaginable. There was an entire street dedicated just to GT Shelby‘s. All while walking around taking pics, we could hear to engines revving and see the smoke form the main show area where people came to spin their tires. Food and drink were available, along with all kinds of booths to shop at. What a great time!
June 13, 2006
Tribute car
Hello fellow car lovers. So sorry for the delay in new blogs, but I’ve been swamped at work and I lost the pics from the classic car show a couple of weeks back. Just my luck! Anyway, this Mustang is owned by a couple I met yesterday. He is in the army and has dedicated this car to VA’s, POW’s and MIA’s. He takes it to car shows around the Olympia area. Very nice. I know the pic is a little blurry, but I wanted to put it on here so everyone could take a look. The front hood has a ton of names of VA’s on it. I think it’s such a great tribute! I’ll try to find out a little more about it in the next couple days and post the info. He offered to put my grandfather’s name on it too! What a guy! Anyway, take a look and see what you think! Have a great week all!
May 24, 2006
Volvo S60: an illusion of change
Have this ever happened to you? You’re going to a club, are ready to strut your stuff on the dance floor. You take a seat and are chatting with your friends when the ladies of the group want to go and powder their noses. You acquiesce and carry on discussing until their return makes you totally confused. Despite your expert eye, you perceive no changes and you still ask yourself the point of this female ritual.
What is the link with the refreshed Volvo S60? Well, the time required by girls for a discussion in front of the mirror is equivalent to the time taken by Volvo to refresh the Volvo S60 – and in both cases changes are impossible to discern.
Let’s be honest: we didn’t expect a revolution for a car that will disappear soon and is still a design success, but the ritual of restyling, when it is not, is irritating, especially since it has become popular among the carmakers. In the case of the S60, it has reached a peak. Indeed, the S60 gets a new grille with the new larger brand emblem, which appeared on the S80, and side indicators integrated in the door mirrors. However the sporty front spoiler is an option as is the new wing spoiler front spoiler, the sills and rear lower bumper, colour coordinated with the car body. Thus a discussion with your friends could run as follows: “Hey, I have the refreshed Volvo S60, but since I couldn’t afford the refreshed trims, it’s indistinguishable from the old model.” The three new exterior colours – Electric Silver, Orinoco Blue and Maple Red and the three new aluminium wheels – Nodus (16 inches), Tucana (17 inches) and Eudora (18 inches) won’t change the feeling of deception. Scrutinizing the interior with a magnifying glass is not better because once again only optional extras will enable you to enjoy the new aluminium metal decor panels, the new three-spoke steering wheel, the new Volvo S80’s inspired instrument panel and the new interior mirror with built-in compass.
This rejuvenation has some good features. The engineers have increased the car’s torsional rigidity by about 25 percent thanks to firmer shock absorbers and springs. They have also innovated and introduced an innovative a new indicator function: press lightly on the lever and the indicator flashes three times. Not a revolution, as you will conclude but Volvo is careful to call this a “refined S60” rather than a refreshed S60 in the hope that the public will confuse the two. To a degree, the fact that there is discussion about this at all is a success for the Swedish carmaker: keeping themselves in the public eye while we wait for the promised successor to the S60.
More photos:

May 3, 2006
Focus on the Facts
Today is a day like no other. Among dealing with things like commission-paid work(God help me!)and a massive chocolate addiction, now I must face the fact that my poor little Nissan is finally breaking apart. The starter is making that awful grinding noise, both chrome bumpers are dented, the tranny is slowing, the windshield is dinged in several places and a squeaking noise is coming from the front somewhere. It truly is a sad day for me, not only because I love my dirty,dented, rust-spotted baby, but because today I was offered a 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 with low mileage for the price of $6000.
In that light, I’ll make 3 points. First of all, my entire life the words,"Ford sucks!" have been drilled into my head by various sources. How many times have I seen the bumper stickers with a picture of Calvin peeing on a Ford logo? Not to dis Ford. Really. It’s just what I’ve been taught. Second, I’m totally turned off by hatchbacks. There is no vehicle less sexy. And I absolutely abhor tiny vehicles. I don’t think anything can make me feel more claustrophobic, not even being stuck in an elevator with Carrot Top. How in the hell do I fit all my camping gear in the trunk? Where do I put my kayak? Certainly, not on the roof. It may cave in!I can probably fit more people in the extend-cab of my truck then in a hatchback! Clearly, you can tell I’m bitter. Lastly, six thousand dollars for a car the size of my fist? To me,someone who lives off commissions, that’s like paying twenty dollars for a snowcone with no flavoring. I can buy half of a new truck for that price,drive on two wheels, and I’d be happy.
Ok, ok, in all seriousness, I really am in a rut about all of this. I do need a new vehicle and the person who offered it is great and wouldn’t screw me around. The hatchback, I’m sure, is very econonmical, especially in these days of totally insane gas prices. Ford most likely isin’t as bad as I’ve been told. It’s just that your car is a major part of your life, therefore a major part of you. I know what my father would say right now."Such is life! You’ll never get exactly what you want, so suck it up and stop whining!" Ok, Dad, your right. Getting from A to B is more important than looking hot and going 4×4-ing. But, let me ask ya, would you give up your Corvette for a Pinto in the name of economics? Didn’t think so.
April 25, 2006
Cool commercials
Ok-for those of you that have already seen this video, you don’t have to watch. But, this would literally be a dream come true for women. For those of us who perpetually need bigger purses, how cool would this be? http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/video/commercials/car_for_women/
Also,check out this great commercial I found for Peugeot. Not sure I’d really wanna do that to my car, but it’s the idea that counts!Dream Car
My advice to the guys today: Don’t buy your dream car until you know it’ll be you driving it and not your wife! Afterall, ladies come first!
April 17, 2006
My First Car
When I turned 19, I decided it was finally time to get my driver’s liscence and buy a car. I remember thinking, "I’m gonna get a 4×4 truck or a nice Jeep!" Then I came home one day and my sweet mother had bought me this exact car. A 1979 Dodge Colt, lemon yellow (and a lemon, it was) with ugly black racing stripes. Not to mention I didn’t know how to drive a stick. After 2 months, that car was dead. I had rode the clutch and grinded gears so much, it couldn’t have lasted much longer than that anyway. That poor car went through hell with me behind the wheel.
To start with, not a week into owning it, my genius boyfriend put diesel in it. Need I say more? After that was fixed, we proceeded to take it 4×4-ing out in the boonies, getting it high-centered and having to walk 5 miles back to town to call a tow truck. Fun fun. And last, but not the only other thing that I did to that poor car, the town I lived in had one main road with a big hill seperating the two sides of town. Be it bad driving or dead car, I couldn’t make it up that hill and proceeded to roll backwards, screaming at the people behind me to get out of the way. Looking back on that now, I laugh of course, but at the time…well…I’m sure you can imagine. I was so embarrassed, I called my poor mother and chewed her out for putting me through such hell. It was all her fault for buying the stupid thing!! Ten years and a couple of cars later, I’ve made peace with my mom, stopped 4×4-ing with vehicles that aren’t supposed to 4×4, and become a much better driver!
April 13, 2006
Trucks
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted a monster truck. Ha ha guys…laugh it up. I know what your thinking,"She wouldn’t even be able to get up into that truck!" Oh, but, let me assure you…you’d be surprised at how I’d handle myself. All the years of dirt-bike riding and 4×4-ing have taught me a just a little bit. It’s the power and the safety about big trucks that feel so great. Sometimes, in rush-hour traffic, when I’m driving in my little Nissan pickup, I fantasize about driving over everyone to get to my exit. Maybe that’s why I have so many traffic tickets, ha ha. If only…sigh…someday I’ll have my dream.
In the meantime, I’ll take a nice new Toyota with all the fixin’s.Sleek, reliable, still a truck, and if I’m good, I just might be able to drive over a few things and get dirty now and then. Is that too much to ask?
April 10, 2006
Looking for you NOW!
Petrol-Head is moving places after being put on hold for some valuable thinking time. In the footsteps of its sister publications in France leblogauto.com (600 000 unique visitors, 1.3M page impressions and 3000 reader comments per month), it is now recruiting a team of 10 bloggers.
Petrol-Head has signed a major partnership with a well known European Sport TV Channel website(yes that one) to produce THE ULTIMATE CAR BLOG.
We are looking for talented writers (you don’t need to be a journalist) who are passionate about cars, the industry and motorsport. Writing skills, a passion for cars and a sense of humour are qualities we’re looking for.
The selection process starts now, write to us with a couple of original sample articles on anything relating to automotive news at phbloggers@gmail.com…
PS: We are also recruiting for dasautoblog in Germany, so if German is your language, feel free to use the same mail to apply…
April 10, 2006