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

2011 Chevrolet Cruze, originally uploaded by Cars dot com

There are a lot of rumors sorting around behind the Chevrolet Cruze. We do know that it looks a lot like the Chevrolet Cobalt, and was engineered with the idea of eventually phasing it out it. With that said, the Chevrolet Cobalt will probably continue to see the light of the showroom floor, at least for a few more years.

Like the Cobalt, the Cruze is approximately the same size (five passengers), front-wheel-drive, and will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder powerplant. Unlike the turbo Cobalt SS, featuring a 2.0-liter powerhouse with 260 horsepower and 260 ft-lbs of torque, the Cruze will use its turbo towards a different cause. Not speed or power, but rather moderate go-power and maximum fuel savings.

The slated 1.4-liter turbocharged powerplant of the Cruze has been confirmed at somewhere around 140 horsepower and 130 ft-lbs of torque. This is pretty equivalent power numbers of the standard Cobalt’s 2.2-liter 4-cylinder. The biggest difference, beyond the noticeable space around the hood thanks to its 1-liter deduction in size, will be an increase of 5 mpg. The Cruze is speculated to achieve 40 mpg+, putting it in line with many hybrids currently in production today.

The actually specs of the Cruze have so far been kept pretty hush-hush, but we do know that production should begin sometime around the late summer/early Fall of 2010. Chevy originally had it slated for this coming summer, but decided to delay in favor of an impeccable launch. If its mileage capabilities prove as impressive in real life, the Cruze could set a new standard for compact gas vehicles, which has formerly been held by such vehicles as the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit.

While the Yaris and Fit, both can grace the 40 mpg mark, neither of them offers this kind of mileage, with the performance capability of 130 horsepower. Part of the plan of the Cruze will also be to utilize some of the lighter materials available today, to give it a slight weight to power advantage over many other compact vehicles. The Cruze will offer the kind of pep, handling, and fuel economy most consumers crave, at a price they can afford.

Who says you can’t get excited over 130 horsepower?

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.