Cars have personality.  Some may be boring, others extreme and overbearing.
Some cars lack personality, and this is arguably the case with most new model vehicles.

Enter the new Z-car from Nissan, aesthetically pleasing and a heritage of performance and pure driving pleasure. The Z is an immovable object and an unstoppable force, at the same time.

Nissan has always kept some passion in the Z brand, and the new model
ignites something inside, demands attention.
This vehicle clearly states, before even being started, that it will not
be like any other “blast-from-the-past” remake of a classic.

Some will mock the design techniques, and ask for “this” or “that” until
the car looks the exact same as the previous model.
What would be the point?  When should there be designs for cars of the future?
So ensue arguments over such new designs.

The car is sharp, clean, and beautiful. First impressions? Now that’s a Z car.
I like this design, and would enjoy more forward thinking like this from all car manufacturing companies.
And I’ll bet if you sat behind the wheel for 5 minutes,
you’d forget about those “silly” headlights.

-J

Often times we’re exposed to cars via Top Gear, Fifth Gear or any number of YouTube videos that no one has ever heard of. As a consumer in the United States market, we get less than those exposed to European markets and we certainly don’t see cars native to countries like Australia. Such was the case with two cars in the second episode of Top Gear Australia. The show’s second segment displayed two cars I certainly never heard of: the FSV (Ford) F6 and the HSV (Holden) GTS. In Australia, Holden v. Ford is a bit like Chevy v. Ford. Even the US market cars, the Pontiac GTO and the Pontiac G8, are both based on Holden cars and use the Corvette  LS based engines. One would expect these cars to be based off of high production models like the Ford Taurus or Chevrolet Impala. However, both of these cars are completely Australian build chassis with looks that match their heritage.

The whole episode I thought to myself, in a particularly limited market like Australia, it’s amazing that cars like this are made at all. In 2007 the Australian car market hit 1,000,000 new cars sold. 7,500,000 new cars were sold in the United States in 2006. With less restrictions that limit high performance vehicles in the US (emissions) and a higher propensity of buyers in Australia to purchase high performance vehicles, cars like the HSV or the FPV make up more than 5% of the Australian market. I don’t think Ford and Chevy sold enough Mustang GT500s or Corvette Z06s to make up 5% of the market. Too bad.

Nevertheless, they are still great cars that seem to have the performance of an M3 with the price of a 1-Series and the size of a 5-series. No doubt the interiors aren’t the most plush in the world, but with the smiles on a HSV or FPV driver’s face, I think the most important thing on their mind is keeping the car under the speed limit.

With the future of the Hummer brand uncertain, the much anticipated Hummer HX is now teetering between seeing production and not. Being a Jeep man myself, this is actually one vehicle I would like to see created to compete with the new Jeeps. I love the HX as is… (well, maybe some cup holders and hybrid like features would be good), and I love the small details and nice touches that have been put into the concept - but will GM or cheap with the production model? I guess only time will tell… but this is one vehicle I’m actually looking forward to owning.

This story comes to you from the “My Current Twin-Turbo V12 Just Wasn’t Fast Enough” file.

Weighing in at 4,122 pounds. With 661 hp available at 5,400 rpm. Twisting those wheels with 738 lb.-ft. of torque through a five-speed automatic gearbox equipped with AMG’s speedshift software. The new Mercedes Benz SL65 Black Edition can hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. The two ton teuton is the newest offering from AMG. It’s meant to fill the space between the outgoing SLR McLaren (since McLaren and Mercedes have officially disolved their street car making relationship) and the up coming Gullwing slated for 2010.

With those massive wheel arches, angry eye headlights, futuristic wheels and overall simple, race-like look, the SL challeges it’s little brother, the CLK63 AMG Black, in every way. Though it’s no doubt faster than it’s less powerful sibling, it’s just as agressive looking but being that it’s based on the SL, it makes us wonder: can I afford to give up the CLK’s two rear seats for a few extra hundred horsepower?

Source: AutoBlog

After 5 years of steadly increasing sales, Scion has steadily become one of the coolest brands for youth automotive enthusiasts. With a combination of funky looking cars like the xA and xB as well as unique commercials and marketing thrusts, this sub-brand of Toyota (ala Saturn) was created in order to subvert the stodgy apperance of Toyota, best known in recent years for cars like the Corolla and Camry. In the course of doing this, they’ve exposed America to cool cars that are fuel efficient and they’ve shown that conceptually, these American versions of Japanese “kei” cars, can make a huge impact in our society.

In the past 5 years, Scion has sold over 620,000 vehicles through over 900 Toyota-Scion dealerships. Despite only offering 3 car types through it’s lineup, people seem excited about the addition of a new vehicle every few years and the vast difference between cars like the xD and the tC. Though many criticize Scion for this move, I believe that it shows they are focused on doing what they do as well as they can and not trying to dilute their brand for “the bottom line.” Last year there was talk that Scion actually reduced it’s prodcution to keep the demand for the cars high by limiting the overall supply of cars.

Scion has proven that despite people’s criticisms, they are doing everything right and have been for the last 5 years. Here’s to you Scion and another 5 years of building quirky, yet great cars!

Source: TheCarConnection

How cool would it be to take your 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T to pickup your 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT-8? Keep reading and after the story you’ll see how cool. Jay Leno, proprietor of the coolest garage in the history of car ownership, has finally got the call from Dodge to pickup his new car, the #4 Dodge Challenger SRT-8. While we’re not sure who got the first 3, we can assume one of them is going to be in a Mopar museum and the other two probably went to some NASCAR team, Chrysler corporate officers or some charity for auction.

I’ve got to say, I agree with Jay in terms of how far the American cars have come. It’s an almost 4100 lbs car that handles well, stops well and goes well too. It’s no M6 or Mercedes CL600, but I could see someone who would otherwise be looking at a 645i or Audi A5 and say, “Man, I remember what it was like to have one of the originals when I was a kid” and take the detour to the Dodge dealer and save himself $20,000. The car’s chassis, as with most of the GT type sedans Dodge makes, is still based off the old Mercedes E-Class so you know you’re getting a solid machine. It looks mean as heck in black (and one of the best looking machines compared to the new-retro Mustang, Camaro and Charger). All in all, props go to Chrysler for making this car. It’s way more exciting than the Charger and I hope sales will show this to be the case. Now for the video:

Or click on the link: Jay Leno Gets A Challenger