Auto Trends

Christmas Car, originally uploaded by See El Photo

The automotive experts have spoken again, and guess what they have said? Yup, this holiday season could be the very last of the really great car deals that have been floating around for the past few months. They have been saying this since the end of Cash For Clunkers, clear back at the end of August this year.

Well, this time they really mean it, and here is their reasoning. The surplus of 2009 vehicles is finally tapering down to manageable numbers. Nowhere more is this true than with the extinct Pontiac franchise, who has seen many of their popular vehicles dwindle to the hundreds over the past couple months.

With that said, there are some pretty good deals heading up the holiday season that would look awfully nice in your driveway come Christmas morning. Let’s take a look at these deals from manufacturer to manufacturer:

Audi
Scrooged.

BMW
Throughout the 2009 holiday season BMW will be offering holiday finance credit for those who qualify, up to $2,500. The deal will be covered by most models, offering a minimum of $1,500 credit, lasting through January 5th, 2010.

Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab
Nothing much has changed here. Still just the same old 0% APR financing we have come to expect. They just might have something else up their sleeve come December, as the current financing incentives are set to diminish at the end of November (11/30/90).

Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep
Chrysler is planning on a running start to their 5-year plan this month, ramping up deals just in time for Thanksgiving shoppers. They have increased consumer cashback, anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500, over top of existing incentives. This means if a vehicle was already $1,500 off the sticker price, you can go ahead and pull up to an additional $1,500, for a grand total of $3,000 off. They are also offering 0% financing (60 months), lease discounts on minivans (up to $1,000), and cut rate financing for all 2008 and 2009 Dodge Vipers. Deals are set to last through January 4^th, 2010.

Honda
Honda gets in the holiday spirit with 1.9% APR financing up to 36 months on select models through January 4^th, 2010.

Ford, Lincoln, Mercury
Ford continues to pull new customers through their doors despite the economy, and shows no signs of stopping with its current holiday incentives. Through January 4^th, they will be celebrating their “Year End Sales Event”, which translates to $1,000 cashback on most models, and 0% APR financing.

Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes is offering 2.9% APR financing for up to 36 months on select models through January 4^th, 2010.

Toyota
Toyota has scrooged out a bit, pulling back from its prior 0% APR financing, now only offering a 2.9% APR through the magical date of January 4^th, 2010. They do however redeem themselves slightly with cashback offers up to $2,000 on a very select few models, varying from region to region.

Mazda
Scrooged.

Volkswagen
Scrooged again!

You only have until the beginning of January for most of these deals, so its best to get out there… while the gettin’s still good!

Sources: Auto News and U.S. News

2009 Chevrolet Aveo 1LT, originally uploaded by JDPower.com Photography

Being on top of a list is usually a good thing, but here is a list that no car company would be proud to top. The most toxic list. Each year HealthyStuff.org scans over the interiors of several makes and models of vehicles, looking for levels of toxicity in the vehicles interior.

Interior toxicity can come in many forms, such as the chemicals that make up the dashboard plastics, leather seats, vinyl door panels, and cloth headliners. It could be said that most all manufacturing processes contain some amount of toxicity, but some are much less than others.

To understand the danger of these chemicals, you have to realize that the true danger is not so much in handling of these car parts, as breathing the chemicals once they are released into the air. All interiors are subject to releasing chemicals into the air as they breakdown over time.

Healthy Stuff organizes their findings into a list that ranges from 0.1 to 5.0. A vehicle with 0.1 would be primarily made of soybeans and coconut fibers, and a vehicle topping the list at 5.0, would have measurable amounts of lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chlorine, bromine, tin, and/or chromium within the fiber.

The Worst Offenders for 2009
Out of all the vehicles tested for 2009, there were three within the range of 4.0 and up, which is considered moderately dangerous for passengers. The worst offender of the group was by far the Chevrolet Aveo. It would appear in this case, you get what you pay for when it comes to quality of interior materials, with a 4.8 on their rating scale.

The toxicity of the Aveo is surprising, considering that the Chevrolet Cobalt is only a 0.7 on the scale. The Aveo was found to have a surprising amount of lead in the carpet, door trim, front seats, and arm rests. There is also a notable amount of Chlorine found in the shift knob.

Down from the list is the 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible, which is not much better at a rating of 4.7. The offending chemical for the Eclipse is not lead, but rather excessive amounts of Chlorine and Bromine. The most excessive amounts were found in the carpet, seats, steering wheel, door trim, arm rests, and center console.

The 2009 Hyundai Tuscon rounds out the list with a rating of 4.1, which is mostly due to its high amounts of bromine found in the headliner, front seats, arm rests, and center console. The door trim was also noted as having large amounts of Chlorine.

Interestingly, on most of these vehicles the key offenders appear to be the seats and the center armrest. In some cases, a simple aftermarket replacement may make all the difference, such as a simple fiberglass shell covered in cloth.

Pontiac G8 GXP 017, originally uploaded by Vincent ??

It’s been awhile since we’ve visited Pontiac. What’s been going on lately?

I’ll tell you what has been happening… their last remaining stock of vehicles are getting sucked off the lots like ants invited to an anteater’s family picnic. This isn’t surprising news, as Pontiac did have some rather nice vehicles on hand as they closed the book to their story earlier this year. I’m of course talking about the Pontiac G8, G6, and to a lesser degree the Solstice. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about getting one of these soon to be extinct Tyrannosaurus’, you might want to think about kicking yourself off one side or the other, and here’s why…

Pontiac has announced that their inventory of popular vehicles is becoming dangerously depleted. Just how dangerous are we talking? Well, there were only about 16 Pontiac G8 GXP’s on hand as I wrote this. Considering there will be several more sources publishing these stats, you can assume this number is almost certain to dwindle as the day goes on. In case your not exactly familiar with what a G8 GXP is, I’ll make a rather long story short and sweet:

6.2-liter, 16 valve, V-8, 402 horsepower, 402 lbs-torque, Brembo brakes, 6-speed transmission, and no more than about 4.7 seconds from zero to 60.

While the G8 GXP’s are practically out the door and down the street, dealerships still do have about 530 Pontiac G6 GXP’s. While the G6 version of the GXP is definitely missing the 6.2-liter Corvette engine, you do get the price relief of about $10,000, starting the upper echelon G6 at around $28,000. The G6 features the 3.6 liter V-6 worth 256 horsepower and 248 ft-lbs or torque, the sportier front fascia (foglights, stainless grill), rocker panel moldings, dual chrome exhaust tips, “hammerhead” spoiler, and 18-inch GXP-only alloys. Not a bad way to go!

If you’re willing to forgo the GXP all together, there are about 570 Pontiac G8’s with the “GT” trim. The GT offers a 6.0-liter V-8 powerplant worthy of 361 horsepower and 385 ft-lbs of torque. On the negative side, the base G8 does not come with a “stick” manual option, but the six-speed automatic is a pretty smooth customer for those on a budget. The GT still clears 0-60 in 5.3 seconds, so you won’t exactly be getting left behind at the light. Fuel economy for the GT sits at a rather thirsty 15/24 mpg. Starting at $32,000, these won’t be around for too much longer either.

Finally we come to the Pontiac Solstice, which have about 139 base coupes and 160 GXP versions currently in inventory. The biggest difference between the base-model and GXP is about 100 horsepower, and you will notice the difference. The base Solstice has all the looks and feel of a sports car, but falls a bit flat for most enthusiasts, with its 2.4-liter, 177 horsepower, and 166 ft-lbs of torque. The 2.0-liter turbocharged GXP is a whole other story, featuring a robost 260 horsepower, 260 ft-lbs torque, and a respectable 0-60 in 5.8 seconds flat.

In these hard economic times, I can understand your reservations to part with your hard earned dollar. But owning an Australian, Holden-derived Pontiac G8 GXP just might be worth a two-month stint in the doghouse…

Just think about it, but don’t think too long!