kelowna car » Kelowna Cars

Nissan GT-R – Fastest Acceleration

kelowna Car — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:17:02 +0000

That the Nissan GT-R lapped the Nurburgring circuit in Germany a month or two ago in a blistering time of 7 minutes, 26.7 seconds is well known. What isn’t is the zero to 100km/h acceleration time of 3.5 seconds it set during the lap. For the record, the GT-R is officially “the fastest four-seater production car in the world in terms of acceleration”. The Guinness Book of World Records says so.

Toyota ‘world’s largest carmaker’

kelowna Car — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 03:20:23 +0000

Japan’s Toyota has overtaken US rival General Motors to become the world’s biggest carmaker, a spokesman for the company has said.

According to company figures, Toyota sold 2.348 million vehicles in the first three months of 2007.

General Motors (GM) is estimated to have sold 2.26 million cars and small trucks during the same period.
Japanese carmakers have been boosting foreign sales and making gains in the US, the world’s largest car market.

Toyota Camry North Americas most popular car.

Toyota has enjoyed strong sales on the back of the success of its pioneering petrol/electricity hybrid, the Prius, and new models of popular car ranges like the Camry Sedan and Corolla.

Meanwhile, its Detroit rival GM has struggled to compete as high fuel prices have driven people away from its trucks and sports utility vehicles.

The American car giant has been forced to cut thousands of jobs and close factories to turn around its business.

The first-quarter results steps up the heat on GM – which sells vehicles under a range of brands, including Saab, Buick and Cadillac – to maintain its long-held status as the world’s number one carmaker by global sales.
One lucrative avenue GM is pursuing is the coveted Chinese market, where it is already the market leader with sales of 876,000 cars in 2006 through its joint ventures.

The firm is investing about $1bn (Â£500m) annually in order to reach its target of selling an additional 500,000 cars a year in China.

GM’s new Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid vehicle
GM has been forced to go green as consumers start to snub SUVs

The battle between Toyota and GM for the top spot will be keenly monitored until annual production figures reveal any transformation in the pecking order.

But Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said overtaking GM was not Toyota’s first priority.

“Our goal has never been to sell the most cars in the world,” Nolasco said. “We simply want to be the best in quality. After that, sales will take care of themselves.”

One lingering concern for the Japanese carmaker loved by the America consumer comes from lawmakers in big manufacturing states in the US.

They assert US carmakers are being unfairly penalised by the Japanese government keeping the yen artificially low.
Source The BBC

Sirius to Launch TV Service in Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep autos

kelowna Car — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:45:28 +0000

Willa Norris, 8, left, and Hannah Fowler, 10, sit in a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country minivan during a demonstration of Sirius Backseat TV on Thursday, March 29, 2007 in New York. Chrysler, which invented the minivan, is teaming with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to bring three channels, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network, to the next generation of select Dodge and Chrysler 2008 model vehicles. The driver’s TV screen, for safety reasons, operates only while the car is in park.

AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

The system will cost about $470, which includes the first year of service, when packaged with Chrysler’s rear seat entertainment system in new cars. Customers must subscribe to Sirius Satellite Radio.
The company, which invented the minivan, is teaming with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to bring three channels â€” Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network â€” to the next generation of minivans, as well as the 2008 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Dodge Magnum, Jeep Commander and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Kelowna car

10.5 Million Alternative Fuel Autos on Roads Today

kelowna Car — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:37:42 +0000

Automakers kicked off National
Alternative Fuel Autos Week by announcing that there are 10.5 million
Alternative Fuel Autos on the nation’s roads today, according to 2006 sales
data from R.L. Polk and Co.
The Polk sales figures also reveal that an unprecedented 1.5 million
Alternative Fuel Autos were sold in 2006, surpassing automakers’ sales
expectations by 50 percent. Currently manufacturers are offering 60 models
of Alternative Fuel Automobiles for sale including hybrid electric,
ethanol- capable E-85, and clean diesel, up from just 12 models for sale in
2000. A complete list of available autos can be found at
http://www.DiscoverAlternatives.com.
“There are 10.5 million Alternative Fuel Autos on the roads and
highways of every state across the country. We are happy to see that
consumers are, in fact, discovering the alternatives that are available to
them on dealership lots nationwide,” said Dave McCurdy, president of the
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “We believe that the numbers of
Alternative Fuel Autos on the roads continue to rise because consumers can
choose from a variety of autos that reduce fuel use while still providing
the utility, safety, performance and comfort they seek.”
In addition to the 60 Alternative Fuel Autos currently being offered,
auto engineers are working to include a diverse range of highly
fuel-efficient technologies in new vehicles. Today, every model for sale is
available with some kind of fuel-efficient technology, such as fuel
injectors, four-cylinder engines, variable valve timing, continuously
variable transmissions, cylinder deactivation and more.
Automakers are also working with the energy industry to develop a range
of alternative fuels capable of sustaining mobility while ensuring more
secure energy sources. In fact, Alliance members have forged more than 25
partnerships, joint ventures or research and development projects with
energy producers to expand the fueling infrastructure for fuels such as
ethanol, biomass and hydrogen. Automakers are also working with the
government, fuel providers and fuel retailers to help grow the E-85 ethanol
fueling infrastructure. Since mid-2005, the industry has helped add 200
fueling stations in 13 states.
McCurdy added, “Having exceeded our sales expectations in 2006, we hope
that 2007 will be another banner year for sales of Alternative Fuel Autos.
This year marks the first-ever National Alternative Fuel Autos Week and
automakers hope to draw more attention to the availability of these autos
currently for sale.”
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 9
car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler,
Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Mazda, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche,
Toyota and Volkswagen. For more information on advanced fuel-savings
technology, visit the Alliance website at http://www.autoalliance.org.

Ford to bring back once popular Taurus name

kelowna Car — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:13:29 +0000

DETROIT (AP) â€” Ford Motor Co. will rename its slow-selling Five Hundred model the Taurus, a name Ford previously had used for a car that became the nation’s top-seller, two company officials said Tuesday.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition they not be identified by name because the official announcement had not yet been made.

Is the Five about to have a name change?
The Taurus, considered by some the car that saved Ford, revolutionized the way autos look and feel when it was introduced in 1985.
The Dearborn-based automaker ceased production of the Taurus in October after 21 years and sales of nearly 7 million, perplexing many industry analysts and former Ford executives who said the brand name had great value.

Ford spokesman Jim Cain would not confirm that the Taurus name will be brought back, but said new Chief Executive Alan Mulally has been interested in the Taurus ever since arriving from aviation giant Boeing Co. last year.

Cain said the company would make news at the Chicago Auto Show later this week, but he would not say what it was.

“It will be announced in Chicago, whatever it is. I’m not confirming or denying,” he said.

The Five Hundred, built on Volvo architecture, sold moderately well in 2005, its first full year on the market, but sales nose-dived last year from almost 108,000 to about 84,000.

It will get a new, more powerful engine and some cosmetic updates for the 2008 model year, when the name change likely is to take place. The new version will be in showrooms this summer, company officials have said.

The Taurus, called a “jellybean” or “flying potato” when it first was introduced because of its futuristic curved design, was an immediate hit, with buyers snapping up more than 263,000 in 1986, its first full year on the market.