Auto Trends

all photos originally uploaded by jquangyt

Car companies right now are struggling to regain the American infatuation with the automobile. There was a time when a person thought of their vehicle as a member of the family. A pet if you will. They would get out the bucket every Saturday, wash and wax it, then take it for a spin on Sunday with an eager grinning Beaver and Wallace sitting properly in the back.

A lot has changed since those days. Cars are expensive. They are often attached to money hungry loans, are cursed for polluting our skies, and have lost their some of their personality with a drone of cookie-cutter, copycat designs. Let’s face it, they are becoming like the slinky… losing their excitement and appeal. This hands auto manufacturers a unique challenge. How to bring back the love affair with the consumer?

They tried to bring back some familiar names, like the Thunderbird and GTO. But they didn’t look anything like the original, and some enthusiasts were disappointed. They tried to come up with retro versions, such as the New Beetle, Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger, to spark some of that good old-fashioned American pride. Acura, on the other hand, has addressed this problem with a bit of a different approach.

The Four-Door Sports Coupe?
What do you do when the SUV, whom Americans used to love so much, yet has become a bit of an antagonist is a world that no longer believes bigger is better? Today, bigger usually just means more expense, more gas, and more pollution. They don’t want full-size SUV’s, they don’t really want sedans either… but maybe something in between will do, says Acura (currently struggling on their fourth year of declining U.S. sales).

Let them have the 2010 Acura ZDX.

We’ve seen vehicles like this before. The BMW X6 come immediately to mind, and the albeit less successfully designed, Pontiac Aztec, should fit in there somewhere too. Acura is calling it their “provocative four-door sports coupe,” but are the consumers going to fall in love with this odd little duck, or simply nod towards its unique design, then dismiss it just as quickly as first noticed?

ZDX Highlights
The ZDX is based off Acura’s MDX platform, except it is slightly lighter (by 100lbs) and has less cargo and rear seat. It is powered by the same 300 horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6, with all-wheel drive. It has been given an all new automatic 6-speed, paddle shifting transmission, which should help slightly in its quest to be considered a sports coupe of sorts.

Its interior has probably received the most praise, featuring a primarily all “soft touch” leather interior, minimal plastics, classy trim, a well designed dashboard, advanced navigation system, and interesting, pod-like, designated seating areas for both the driver and front-seat passenger. The glass moonroof, which rakes across the entire top portion of the ZDX, offers a nice touch of interest for passengers and a great source of extra light.

The 2010 Acura ZDX is scheduled to hit showrooms on December 15^th of next month, starting the base pricing at $46,305. The “Advanced Package”, which includes crash-prevention braking, blind-spot alert, adaptive cruise control, upgraded sound system, advanced navigation (real-time traffic/weather tracking), and heated seats, can be added for an extra $10,000.

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

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!