08 Dodge Challenger

The latest throwback muscle car is from Dodge and it wreaks of muscle, testosterone, and yes is another lady that makes my pants tight.  Dodge even managed to get the colors right and offer a selection to make anyone feel like a badass behind the wheel of the new 425 horsepower monster.  The new 08 Dodge Challenger comes in a very limited quantity of 6,400 units sporting the hemi v-8 engine.  My guess is the limited production is because of this v-8 Challenger only getting 13 miles per gallon.

Hey, if you are purchasing a new Challenger you aren't worried about gas mileage anyways (at $40,000 SRT-8 sticker price), but if you are expect a girlified v-6 Challenger version in 09.

Gruesome 08 Challenger Details

Engine: 6.1-liter V-8 with 425 horsepower, 420 pound-feet of torque.

Transmission: Five-speed automatic.

Speed: 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

Gas mileage per gallon: 13 city; 18 highway.

Retail Price: $41,310.

Sorry all you mullet sporting, mustache wearing goons, the manual transmission won't be available until the 09 Challenger comes out this fall.  The way it looks, you better go ahead and get in line and pre-order your 09 Challenger, because these cars are hot.

Personally I'm starting to hate how recall's are just an expected part of purchasing a new car.  It would seem no matter what manufacturer, you will have at least a few recalls.  Even after manufacturers spend millions of dollars on testing, research, and engineering they can still screw up and need to spend even more to fix a problem that should have been found. duh!?  I'm curious what portion of recalls effects a car manufacturers red line?

Toyota is the latest to issue a recall, which effects their Corolla and Matrix model lines.  Reportedly the bolts holding the power windows can cause the glass to actually shatter.  While this is minor in terms of some of the recalls out there, minor accidents have already been reported.

The recall is part of Toyota's safety recall with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) involving approximately 539,500 cars. The manufacturing defect is noticed on 2003 and 2004 model Corolla and Matrix cars.

Toyota Matrix XR 2006 Toyota Matrix XR Moon Clean Carfax 5Spd Spoiler CD    US $9,200.00

Toyota Matrix Matrix Save THOUSANDS off new Only 6K miles Immaculate    US $17,988.00

Toyota Matrix XRS 2009 TOYOTA MATRIX XRS 19900 MIL JBL BLUETOOTH XM RADIO    US $13,900.00

Honda has made a very bold statement and/or goal for their 2009 model Hybrid cars, stating that they plan to cut the technology in half.  This huge cost cut is directly related to what they think will be 50% of what is currently used on their Civic.

Tech-On reports on how Kondo create a much less expensive hybrid alternative using already adopted technology.

"The system's cost itself, excluding the (subsidiary) effects of standardizing components, for example, differs (from the cost of other systems seen in the Civic Hybrid, etc)," Kondo said.

It's a big number and it's shaking things up in regards to what Ford is planning on pushing off the assembly line.  Ford just announced that it took a quarterly loss of $8.7 billion, citing a big ass drop in truck sales and leases.

Therefore Ford is planning on ramping up production of it's more fuel efficient lines of autos, like the Focus and Fiesta.  Furthermore they have plans of doubling their hybrid vehicles and bring more European cars to the US market, where we are finally catching up to the high price of fuel.  I'm just curious how trailers are going to be pulled by a 1.5 litre 4 banger and no matter what, there is no replacement for a truck bed when helping a friend move.

Good luck to Ford in turning over some profits next quarter.  As of now Ford is the 3rd largest auto manufacturer in the world, on the heels and/or coat tails of GM and Toyota.

The Lexus GS 300 has been around since the early 90's and since it's birth has been a symbol of elegance for teh Lexus brand.  The Lexus GS model has gone through 3 different generations, each improving upon the luxury sedan and even offering a GS 430 with a v8 power plant.

Through the GS series life it's won a number of awards, not limited to teh JD Power and Associates best mid-size luxury car for 4 years in a row.

* J.D. Power and Associates named the GS series the best midsize luxury car in initial quality for 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.[6][7]
* AAA named the third generation GS 300 the best car in its class for 2005.[8]
* Consumer Reports awarded the Lexus GS as the highest ranked vehicle in predicted reliability in the luxury car class in 2005.[9]
* The GS 450h's Lexus Hybrid Drive system was the recipient of the annual Paul Pietsch Prize for Advanced Technology in 2007, awarded by technical editors of Auto Motor Und Sport publications.[10]
* The Lexus GS 450h was named the winner of the 2007 IF product design award from the International Forum Design group in Hannover, Germany.[11]
* German automotive magazine Auto Bild selected the GS 450h for its "Auto 1" award for best sedan in 2007.[12]
* Smart Money magazine named the Lexus GS the best luxury sedan for the 2003-2004 model year.[13] In 2005, the magazine named the GS its Best New Car Value.
* The GS series was named most appealing midsize luxury car by J.D. Power and Associates in 2001.[14]
* The first generation GS series was named to the Top Ten in Initial Quality list by J.D. Power and Associates in 1994.
* Kelley Blue Book gave the GS series its Best to Hold Value Award in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001.[15]
* The second generation GS was named Import Car of the Year by Motor Trend in 1998.
* Car and Driver named the second generation GS to its Ten Best list in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Almost any 1970 Mustang can find a loving home nowadays.  These muscle cars were absolutely beautiful in their large lines and nasty power.  Furthermore 1970 Mustang's were the year of the Boss 302 and Grabber Orange was the color of choice.  It is easy to see why the 1970 Mustang was so popular, even though ti was a much larger and distant version from the original body style.

A quick search of online auctions reveals that you can't hardly touch any running 1970 Mustang for under $10,000, regardless of shape.  Furthermore a buyer could expect to pay up to $40,000 for a good condition 1970 Boss 302.  I need to take a break with the pictures below because my pants are starting to get tight just talking about it.

1970 Mustang on eBay

Ford Mustang 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe 302 w 351 Boss hood Parts car    US $550.00

Ford Mustang 1970 Ford Mustang Coupe    US $5,000.00

Ford Mustang 1970 FORD MUSTANG MACH ONE    US $5,100.00

Looks like AutoCar.co.uk has spied some pictures of the next generation Porsche SUV, the Cayenne.  I'm not sure if this would be the 2010 Porsche Cayenne or even possibly the 2011 Cayenne, but it looks sharp no matter what.

Maybe I need to move to the UK so I can finally get some first hand photo's of these test cars on road and track.  Check out the spy pics of the new generation Porsche Cayenne below.

Earlier in the year Toyota announced the production of an all new Venza SUV.  Toyota was hoping they could bring enough change to the crossover market to make the Toyota Venza appealing, you be the judge.  Obviously this high priced SUV is marketed towards the 'Boomers' and well-to-do small families.  I think the new Venza looks like fat mini-van.

Photo Keychain

If you are like me then you struggle to come up with an idea to get the women in your life gifts.  Often times for me if I get flowers it looks like I'm up to something, so generally that's a no go.  My wife and I had a daughter about 10 months ago and we can't get enough pictures of her, so I thought about getting my wife a gift she can carry around with her everywhere she goes...pictures of our daughter in a photo keychain.

First of all a photo keychain is right up my alley, since everyone has to carry keys on them, might as well show off our little one at the same time.  It puts that picture at a moments reach to show off to people who may or may not care to see. lol  Plus there are photo keychains available in digital form that allow you to carry multiple pictures in the same little package.

Right now one of the most popular photo keychain available on the market is a 1.5" lcd display and enough storage to contain over 100 pictures.  The photo keychain also comes in a variety of colors and different styles to fit your own mojo.  The best part is these little gems can be purchased for as little as $12.99 in most places or you can find a deal on a photo keychain on eBay.

Photo Key Chain on eBay

Pink 15 Digital Photo Picture Frame Key Chain Keyring    US $.01

Black Digital Photo Picture Frame Key Chain Keyring    US $.01

15 LCD Digital Photo Picture Frame Keychain Album 16M    US $.01

According to industry analysts and Toyota, the manufacturer is planning on producing 100,000 new hybrid cars by 2009.  This is a hybrid only vehicle, which will be released under the Lexus name plate in the US and looks to be an upsale to the great selling green car Prius.

Toyota is obviously hoping this new hybrid car will sell as well as the Prius.  A press release in May announced that Toyota sold over 1 million Prius hybrid cars world wide.

As part of its high-priority environment-management policies, Toyota has made a concerted effort to promote and popularize hybrid technology, chiefly through the Prius. And as hybrid technology can be applied to a wide range of vehicles, Toyota aims to sell 1 million or more hybrid vehicles annually as early as possible in the 2010s.

Toyota Prius