Euro NCAP's Rating for the 2007 Dodge Caliber

The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) has just released the safety ratings for the 2007 Dodge Caliber. And the results are…

Adult Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Child Occupant Protection: 4 stars
Pedestrian Protection: 1 Star

Well, although the 2007 Dodge Caliber did not earn the highest possible 5 star rating in the three categories, these results are still impressive.. aren’t they? Thanks to the vehicle's host of safety components like driver and passenger front airbag with occupant sensors and multi-stage deployment, knee airbags, front roof airbag, two height adjustable head restraints on front seats, two head restraints on rear seats, and 3-point reel rear seat belts on driver side, and passenger side and center side.

Check out the other highlights of the 2007 Dodge Caliber.

Engines: 1.8L Inline 4; 2.0L Inline 4; 2.4L Inline 4;
Transmissions: 0 Speed Continuously Variable; 5 Speed Manual;
Drivetrains: Front Wheel Drive; All Wheel Drive;

Exterior
- Body side molding
- Body color front and rear bumpers
- Chrome/bright trim on side of body
- Driver and passenger power black door mirrors
- Front fog lights
- Complex surface lens halogen bulb headlights
- Roof spoiler
- Windshield wipers with variable intermittent wipe

Interior
- Full dashboard console with open storage box , full floor console with covered storage box
- Bucket driver seat with height adjustment , bucket passenger seat
- Front seat center armrest
- Illuminated entry system
- Remote power locks includes trunk/hatch and speed sensing
- Power steering
- Front power windows with one one-touch , rear power windows
- Front reading lights
- Three asymmetrical split bench front facing reclining rear seats with zero adjustments
- Rear view mirror
- Steering wheel mounted remote audio controls
- Upgraded cloth/velour seat upholstery with additional upgraded cloth/velour
- Leather covered multi-function steering wheel with tilt adjustment
- Ventilation system with recirculation setting
- Voice activating system

Top 10 Cars & Trucks That Had an Impact by USA TODAY

As a part of the 25th anniversary of USA TODAY, one of the nation's leading news publications, the company will be releasing Top 25 anniversary memorabilias every week for 25 weeks. In addition, USA TODAY also released their list of Top 25 Cars and Trucks That Had an Impact. Unfortunately, USA TODAY had only released the Top 10 among them. Check out the vehicles and along with the description as told by the staff of USA TODAY.

1. 1992 Toyota Camry
"Not sexy, but a game-changer. Japan Inc.'s first truly American sedan. The late Robert McCurry, then head of Toyota's U.S. sales, demanded Japan deliver a bigger, smoother sedan. That Camry became best-seller, muscling Detroit aside in the car segment."

2. 1991 Ford Explorer
Genteel by the standards of the day, smoother and more powerful than Jeep Cherokee and Isuzu Trooper, Explorer started the SUV craze. Despite a breathtaking sales plunge, it's still among the top-selling SUVs.

3. 2001 Toyota Prius
"Too weird, critics said, when it hit U.S. shores in summer 2000. Who'll gamble on an odd-looking sedan with a preposterous gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain? Just 400,000 U.S. buyers so far, who love the 40-plus mpg."

4. 1984 Chrysler minivans
"Revolutionary. Family-size Chrysler, Dodge and Plymouth vans fit the garage, were easy to park and had the first cupholders. Unstoppable until SUVs came along."

5. 1986 Hyundai Excel
"Hah, hah, hah, hah. A little South Korean car cheap enough at $4,995 to put on your credit card. Solid foundation, apparently. More models were added, sales boomed, quality improved. Hyundai's now No. 7 in sales, behind Detroit 3, Japan Big 3."

6. 1986 Ford Taurus
"Crisp handling for the time, wholly out of synch with the barges Detroit had been selling. A wild success until the late '90s when Honda Accord and Toyota Camry turned Taurus into a rental car."

7. 1990 Lexus LS 400
"A Japanese luxury sedan as good as Mercedes-Benz? Absurd. Not."

8. 1990 Mazda Miata
"The affordable, two-seat sports car lives. Better than your best euphoric recall of those Triumphs and MGs you couldn't quite acquire during your misspent youth, or wished you hadn't if you did."

9. 1986 Acura Legend
"The first separate luxury brand from a Japanese maker prices its flagship Legend sedan at -- gasp -- $20,000. Pioneers the way for Lexus and Infiniti and helps establish the notion that the Japanese are capable of true luxury cars."

10. 1996 Toyota RAV4
"SUV body on a Toyota Corolla compact car chassis. Voila, the first crossover SUV."

Make Your Car "Green"

You don't need to own a hybrid, fuel cell, or electric vehicle to contribute to the environment. Regardless of what size, type, or model, you can make your car as a "green" (environmental friendly) vehicle with the right knowledge. That is according to the Car Care Council (www.carcare.org)

In connection with this, the Car Care Council recommends these tips for car owners to make their vehicles as green as possible. Take time to read and follow these guides to save our environment.

1. The first step is to keep your car properly tuned for optimum
performance. A well-tuned engine delivers the best balance of power and
fuel economy and produces the lowest level of emissions. A 21st Century
tune-up for modern vehicles includes the following system checks:
battery, charging and starting; engine mechanical; powertrain control
(including onboard diagnostic checks); fuel; ignition; and emissions. A
21st Century tune-up can improve gas mileage by an average of four
percent. Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen
sensor, can improve gas mileage by as much as 40 percent.

2. The second step is to regularly check and replace dirty air filters. An
air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air
and creates a "rich" mixture -- too much gas being burned for the
amount of air -- that wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power.
Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10
percent, saving about 15 cents a gallon.

3. The third step is have the spark plugs checked -- if they haven't
already been checked as part of the tune-up -- and replaced if
necessary. A vehicle can have four, six or eight spark plugs, which
fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles. This results in a
lot of heat, electrical, and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug also
causes misfiring, which wastes fuel.

4. The fourth step is to maintain the cooling system of your vehicle. A
cooling system thermostat that causes the engine to run too cold will
lower the fuel efficiency of a car by as much as one or two mpg. There
also are improved radiator caps on the market today that allow the
cooling system to operate at a higher temperature before boiling over,
increasing the system's efficiency and reducing emissions.

5. The last step toward keeping a "green" car is to properly maintain and
repair your car as outlined in the council's Car Care Guide. The guide
helps drivers understand their car, the care it needs, and when it
needs it and why. Single copies of the free guide may be ordered on the
Car Care Council Web site, http://www.carcare.org/.

The New Toyota Car that looks like a Nissan

I have seen several shot of the latest Nissan 350Z body online and I can say I am familiar with the car from a Japanese car maker. This is really funny that I thought this new white painted car is the new version of the Nissan. At first glance you definitely would have thought that it was the Z but it was not. And yes, it is built by a Japanese car maker that is even more famous than both Honda and Nissan---what company can be more famous than these two other than Toyota.
The car was identified as a Toyota car because of the background of the picture. According to some readers, this was the latest concept version of the Lexus named under LF-A prototypes.

Of course, some photos of this new car are taken from the road where the new Nissan mule was spotted. You cannot blame me is I assume that the LF-A was a Nissan car, I mean look at them, they are very similar. However if you can recall the FT-HS concept which was one of the highlights of the passed Detroit Auto Show last January, they also looked very similar, right? But anyway, let us all wait for the right time when this car will be revealed by the maker itself. I am sure this car will be a talk of the town. Hey its Toyota guys. Come to think of it!

Production Version of Renault Koleos Concept SUV Spotted

Spy shots of what is thought to be the next-generation Nissan Murano has turned out to be a test mule for the production version of Renault’s Koleos concept SUV.

It can be remembered that it was at the 2006 Paris Motor Show where Renault has chosen to unveil its Koleos Concept. This concept SUV foreshadows a 4WD vehicle which Renault plans of launching in the first half of 2008.

The new Renault SUV will borrow technology from the Nissan Qashqai and will be produced by Samsung at a plant in South Korea. A portion of the car’s development was administered by teams in Asia where a rebadge version of the new SUV is to be offered under the brand Samsung QMX.

The 4WD system which is claimed to be capable of sending 100 percent of torque to the rear wheels in case it detects any slip is to be provided by Nissan for the Koleos.

As a genuine off-roader, the new Koleos will be equipped with safety features such as the Hill Down Control (HDC) and Hill Start Assist (HAS) and will be given a ground clearance of 200mm with front and rear aluminum protective skid plates.

And as part of Renault’s plan to further boost its lineup upscale, the base models of the Koleos are likely to feature 19in wheels and 180hp 2.0L diesel engine.

Feature of Koleos SUV includes the following:

• Driving dynamics
• Seating for four
• 2.0 dCi common rail turbo diesel engine
• 6-speed manual transmission
• Gauges for atmospheric pressure, altitude and gradient (stress the adventurous nature of the vehicle)
• Electronic traction control
• LED backlighting, navigation, and a panoramic glass roof
• New four-wheel drive chassis
• LED headlamps, with additional lights and indicators in the exterior mirrors
• Body strips (between the body sides and the roof) reinforce the stance of the car
• The glazed roof panel topped by profiled aluminum roof bars
• The chunky wheel arches house 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels fitted with "concept pattern" tyres
• Steeply raked rear window (emphasizes Koleos Concept's dynamic feel)
• Twin exhaust tailpipe incorporated into the rear bumper
• Aluminum door sill extensions (deploy when the doors are open facilitate ingress)
• Two-tone color scheme sporty interior
• Beige leather seats
• Centre console is made from a transparent material and contains the individual controls for the climate control system
• Navigation system, multimedia applications and specific data useful for all-terrain motoring
• Ample headroom and shoulder room (enable to seat four adults, whatever their physique)
• Numerous stowage compartments
• Split-opening tailgate (makes the vehicle easy to load and easy to access in cramped parking spaces)
• The lower part of the hatch (designed to enable two people to sit comfortably for picnics or for open-air activities during holidays or weekend excursions)
• ABS, Emergency Brake Assist and ESP
• To minimize polluting emissions, the 2.0 dCi is equipped with a periodic regeneration particulate filter
• Six-speed manual gearbox that gives Koleos Concept touring car level driving pleasure

Technical Characteristics

Dimensions, Transmission and Power train
Overall length 4,520mm
Width (excluding exterior mirrors) 1,890mm
Height 1,700mm
Four-cylinder 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged diesel engine with particulate filter, Euro4-compliant
Maximum power: 130kW/180hp
Six-speed manual gearbox
Four-wheel drive, transversely-positioned front-mounted engine
Electronic traction control as a function of available grip (front/rear split from 0 to 100 per cent)
19-inch wheels
Hankook 255/50 R19 tyres

GM's Future Plans

Soon, GM showrooms will be dominated by alternative fuel vehicle models.

Why? This is because the Detroit-based automaker has recently announced that it is planning to move about 500 fuel cell experts from its advanced development laboratories to work with GM's engineering team for future production of fuel cell, hybrid, and other alternative fuel vehicles.

"Eight years ago we said that hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle technology could make a major contribution to solving the energy and environmental challenges facing the automobile industry. Today's announcement signals another important milestone as we move fuel cell vehicles closer to future production." said Larry Burns, GM Vice President, Research and Development.

"Moving our fuel cell experts from advanced development laboratories to our core engineering organizations highlights our strong commitment to developing electrically-driven vehicles using diverse energy sources" added Tom Stephens, GM Group Vice President of Global Powertrain.

More than 400 fuel cell engineers, lead by Dr. J. Byron McCormick, the Executive Director of GM Fuel Cell Activities will report to GM's Powertrain Group to begin the production and engineering of fuel cell systems. There are also 100 fuel cell engineers that will be transfered GM's Global Product Development organization.

GM's future plans for fuel cell and other alternative fuel vehicle production include:

• E85-capable biofuel vehicles - GM is a leading producer with more than 2 million on the road today

• GM's 2-mode hybrid system for large city buses

• GM's Hybrid System in the Saturn Vue Green Line and Saturn Aura Green Line

• Coming this fall, GM's 2-mode hybrid system in the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon full-size SUVs, which provides a more than 25-percent improvement in fuel economy to what is already the industry's most fuel-efficient large SUVs, with no compromises in performance or towing capability

• Due next year, a front-wheel-drive 2-mode Saturn Vue Green Line that is expected to deliver up to a 45-percent improvement in combined city and highway fuel economy compared with the current non-hybrid Vue, based on current federal test procedures

• Plans to produce a plug-in version of the 2-mode hybrid Vue Green Line that has the potential to achieve double the fuel efficiency of any current SUV

3 Merc Models recipients of the J.D. Power and Associates Award for Highest Ranked IQS

After all the rumors and accusations hurled at Chrysler for tainting the immaculate image of German luxury car brand, Mercedes-Benz,--- here comes J.D. Power and Associates announcing that Merc has obtained three awards for the highest ranked in segment vehicle quality----which is not really surprising if you ask me.

Aside from the three awards, J.D. Power results also show that Mercedes-Benz is one of the brands that demonstrated the most dramatic increase in ranking of any manufacturer included in the study. Moreover they also said that Mercedes car models have improved significantly, and the extent and speed of these developments clearly shows the commitment to quality of the German luxury brand.

For this year the recipients of the J.D. Power and Associates Award for highest ranked initial quality were E-, S-, and SL-Classes. These three Mercedes models led in the following segments: Midsize Premium Car, Large Premium Car and Premium Sporty Car respectively.
According to the Mercedes-Benz USA President and CEO Ernst Lieb, "We are delighted to have J.D. Power and Associates recognize Mercedes- Benz with these awards." He also added, "This recognition is a result of the intense efforts we have made to return product quality perception and customer satisfaction to the levels we have historically enjoyed. In every aspect of our business, our focus is on meeting and exceeding our customers' expectations. At Mercedes-Benz it's about delivering the customer's dream." ---very well said Mr. CEO.

All-New 2008 Infiniti QX56: Price and Features

Nissan Motor Corporation's Infiniti luxury brand has recently announced the availability and manufacturer's suggested retail price for the 2008 QX56 full size luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV).For the 2008 model year, the Infiniti QX56 comes with new standard features inside and out, as well as optional amenities for the customers to choose from.

"This new Infiniti QX56 represents a major step up for Infiniti's flagship SUV - more standard features, new technology, restyled exterior and a luxuriously refined interior. With power, utility and Infiniti style, this new Infiniti QX56 has it all." Mark Igo, Vice President and General Manager of Infiniti said.

Outside, the 2008 Infiniti QX56's comes with a bunch of exterior enhancements like new front and rear fascias, new front fog lights, revised one-piece roof rack design, and two new exterior colors: Lakeshore Slate and Serengeti Sand.

New highlights of the all-new 2008 Infiniti QX56 includes:

Standard 12-speaker Bose(R) Premium Audio System with Burr-Brown DAC
Standard 20-inch chromed aluminum-alloy wheels and heavy-duty P275/60R20 Michelin tires
Standard 9.3-gigabyte Music Box hard drive for digital music storage and playback
Standard Intelligent Key
Optional XM NavTraffic(TM) system with real-time traffic information

These new features will add up to the other interior and exterior components offered for the 2008 Infiniti QX56 including:

Sojourner leather- appointed seating
Infiniti Navigation System
RearView Monitor
Bluetooth(R) Hands-free Phone System
Power-operated tailgate
Power-folding 3rd row 60/40 split seat
New illuminated steering wheel controls
New wood grain interior trim
Optional Infiniti Mobile Entertainment System with 8.0-inch screen
Tow Package
2nd Row Split Bench Seat
Technology Package with Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
Front parking sensors
Painted front and rear splash guards

Under the hood of the 2008 Infiniti QX56 comes a monstrous 5.6-liter DOHC V8 engine that is capable of pumping out 320 hp and pulls out 393 lb ft of peak torque. The engine is coupled with 5-speed automatic transmission to complete the powertrain package. MSRP for the 2008 Infiniti QX56 is $52,150 for the two wheel drive (2WD) variant and $55,250 for the 2008 QX56 4WD. The vehicle will roll out in Infiniti dealerships all over the US this summer so watch out for it!

May 2007 Sales

When you browse the some popular automotive news and information websites at the end of the month, the latest news entries are always dominated by monthly sales report from domestic and international automakers. Autoblog (www.autoblog.com) didn’t want us to waste our time in reading every company press release regarding May 2007 sales, that is why they compiled the sales report from popular automakers and posted it on their website.

Check out the May 2007 sales by brand.

Acura –5.3% at 15,920 (05/06: 16,171)
Audi 18.7% at 8,788 (05/06: 7,120)
BMW 3.9% at 26,689 (05/06: 24,688)
Buick –15.9% at 17,087 (05/06: 19,533)
Cadillac –9.7% at 17,380 (05/06: 18,510)
Chevrolet 1.6% at 220,870 (05/06: 209,108)
Chrysler –8.2% at 53,157 (05/06: 55,680)
Dodge–0.6% at 103,366 (05/06: 99,976)
Ford –12.9% at 212,572 (05/06: 234,655)
GMC 8.6% at 48,336 (05/06: 42,809)
Honda –0.9% at 129,447 (05/06: 125,639)
HUMMER –5.9% at 4,636 (05/06: 4,737)
Infiniti 5.6% at 10,748 (05/06: 9,786)
Isuzu –9.8% at 1,271 (05/06: 1,355)
Jaguar –44.1% at 1,379 (05/06: 2,374)
Jeep 15.7% at 42,870 (05/06: 35,605)
Kia 3.4% at 28,494 (05/06: 26,494)
Land Rover 3.1% at 4,269 (05/06: 3,981)
Lexus 2.0% at 31,847 (05/06: 29,999)
Lincoln 23.0% at 13,880 (05/06: 10,847)
Mercedes –3.1% at 21,771 (05/06: 21,621)
Mercury 5.5% at 18,178 (05/06: 16,565)
MINI 8.1% at 4,130 (05/06: 3,672)
Mitsubishi 11.0% at 13,651 (05/06: 11,821)
Nissan 2.9% at 82,314 (05/06: 76,881)
Pontiac 13.7% at 36,325 (05/06: 30,728)
Porsche –2.2% at 3,600 (05/06: 3,541)
Saab –8.9% at 2,872 (05/06: 3,030)
Saturn 68.6% at 26,905 (05/06: 15,347)
Subaru –4.6% at 16,282 (05/06: 16,406)
Toyota 10.9% at 237,176 (05/06: 205,709)
Volkswagen –2.9% at 22,325 (05/06: 22,100)
Volvo –12.7% at 9,142 (05/06: 10,124)

Hyundai, Mazda, and Suzuki haven’t released their May 2007 sales report.