Auto Trends

Everybody is always interested in hearing about the world’s greatest supercars… but what about the little guy. It would seem to us that featuring these hot cars just makes the average driver rather sad in comparison to these technological, bulging, muscular beasts that would give most of our cars an atomic wedgie if it could.

Well, today we are going to make you all feel like you are driving Bugatti Veyron’s… err, something like that. The cheapest “New” Car in the United States right now is without a doubt the Chevrolet Aveo.

For the cost of a 10 year supply of Starbuck’s coffee at $4 a pop ($10,300), one could slide into a stripped down, 100 horsepower 1.6 liter powerhouse that can punch out 0-60 in just under 10 seconds, and that’s without a push start! Anti-lock brakes would not be a part of this package, so you would have to do the old fashioned foot pump action when sliding in the snow, ice, or rain..

15” alloy wheels are actually an “option”, compared to the go cart styled 14” wheels. Maximum air conditioning would be driving with your head out the window, and the upgraded interior refers to “fake” leather, (a.k.a. Leatherette).

Keep in mind that this is the cheapest America has to offer. If you are really on a budget, the Tata Nano has been making waves in India as the absolute cheapest car in the world. For the cost of new brakes on the Veyron ($2,500), you could have an entire car.

33 horsepower, 2 cylinders, 4-speed, no airbags, no air, no radio, enough room in the trunk for a duffel bag, and only a very light sheet of steel that would be just enough to package you up in like a scrunched up newspaper upon impact.

With the introduction of the Tato Nano almost anyone in the world can now own a car. In consideration of the pollution levels around the globe, the lack of oil supply, and the cost of fuel, all we can say is, “Thanks a lot… Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors!”

But you won’t see these things in the United States anytime soon. Their emission standards are not quite up to par unless they offer a “green” version, which just may be in the pipes… God help us all!

You either love ‘em or you hate em’… The Toyota Scion. Well, the new Concept Hako, gives you even more reason to hate or love depending on which side of the fence you originally resided in the first place.

Being quite honest and straight forward, the new concept looks like the lovechild of the Scion XB and a PT Cruiser GT!

That’s right, you take your run of the mill boxed-out Scion XB:

Add a few curves of the PT Cruiser GT…

… and there you have it!

A Supped-up Hot Rod that only a Mother could Love!

Seriously though, the new concept has been taking a lot of slack from a lot of car critics since its unveiling. Jalopnik has even gone so far as to start a contest where they are gathering their readers thoughts on whether or not Toyota’s version of the concept Scion is better… or a few of their readers Photoshop versions.

When you consider the friendly look of the XB, you really have to give the designers credit where credit is due and that is with out a doubt that the new angled front end looks much more sinister than the original. Its low brow LED headlights appear as if the car is glaring at its prey, just waiting to pounce on a sleeping Kia Coupe Concept, which has surprisingly been one of the head turners of the show… and in a good way!

From a manufacturer that has been voted as having one of the top 10 worst resale values of the millennium, the Kia Koup just might become an exception to this ruling if it was to become a production model in the next two years. While still a very conservative look by “concept” standards, the new Koup has a subtle sports appeal that would be as comfortable in the grips of a 16-year-old high school car fanatic as it would in a 50-year-old business executive.

Something that really could not be said for the Scion!

Photo Courtesy of MSN Autos

The Rich Evans Mustang has received a lot of attention since appearing in SEMA this winter. Unfortunately it was not the good kind of attention. More like the “ugliest Mustang ever” and “I think I’m going to lose my cookies” kind of attention. Within every mistake made is a lesson to be learned. Modification is a very delicate practice that involves both bold and subtle changes to a cars exterior, that in theory should highlight its strengths and downplay its weaknesses… here are a few points to remember when modifying your own car to escape these unfortunate mistakes.

• While some may be completely against fake scoops, others tend to ride on the fence. A fake scoop can be a nice addition, if is not played up too much. Many cars are guilty of adopting a fake hood scoop for looks, such as the Z28 Camaro, Rousch Mustang, etc. The featured Mustang here has two scoops that are practically bigger than the entire hood. The eyes are drawn here first, which makes it easy to discern that they are simply tacked on with a little glue, tape, and maybe even a screw or two (hopefully). Too many of these parts have flown off of a car during high speed maneuvering, giving even more shame to its pretend ploy.

• “Tacked on” parts are best in small numbers. It costs much less to add tacked on parts to a car than have it custom fabricated, as much as tens of thousands of dollars less. Just remember that tacked on parts look best when they are purposeful. Much of the tacked on stuff here is questionable as to what it would be actually used for. The duct looking addition on the fender appears to be something that might be used to guide this vehicle in the water… but are we sure about that? No…

• There does have to be somewhat of a theme to your creation, such as road race aerodynamics, custom scalloped, angular, etc. If we look at the design closely we see scallops in the front fascia and spoiler, circles within the grill, side mirrors, and exhaust exits, ovals in the scoops and louvers, and mesh within the wheels. There is no obvious theme that has been followed here. It does not look well planned out at all.

And of course, when in doubt, don’t do it, your first impression is usually the most honest. If you are worried as to whether something is going to look good, it probably won’t if you have to ask yourself that question again and again!