I've not been paying as close attention to the new 2010 Suzuki Kizashi as I should have.  These latest pics appear to put fears to rest, in regards to what a 4-Door luxury Suzuki could look like.

This is not a Suzuki laid out over a GM platform, this is a completely redesigned and revisioned 4-Door sedan from Suzuki.  Personally, I love the looks, and if they can add just the right amount of luxury they will have a serious contender.  According to industry analysts, like Edmunds.com, expect 4 cylinder and performance 6 cylinder options available.

Edmunds.com has also just announced that Suzuki may be working on a 2011 release of the Kizashi, in hybrid form.

There are lots of conflicting information about he upcoming Chevy Volt, that just doesn't seem to add up.  Past news has presented the Volt in a light that makes the electric car look like GM's savior.  But what can an expensive vehicle focused on a small niche market do for a failing monster like GM?

Furthermore GM has announced that the Volt will get 230 miles per gallon, which is true, if you don't understand basic math.  This issue has been discussed at length with GM's 100 mpg Hummer as well, electric cars and hybrids have limitations, which aren't taken into consideration when figuring gas mileage.

All of this aside, from a strictly economic perspective, do you know how much gas I can buy for $40,000?  At a price of $3 per gallon I can purchase over 13,000 gallons.  Assuming I drive an average of 20,000 miles per year in a vehicle that gets an abysmal 16 mpg, I can purchase 10 YEARS worth of gasoline.  So, with a cost analyst of buying a Volt, the only people interested will be the rich hippies.

As far as I'm concerned, we still don't have a viable option to the traditional internal combustion engine.  Count me out until the next big thing hits.

It's time to start talking about Subaru, especially posting figures that sound like a 34% increase in sales for 2009.  One of the key models in the Subaru lineup responsible for such gains is the Forester.  Unlike other competing brands, the Subaru Forester sales have increased over 32% compared to figures in 2008.  But why?

The closest comparable competitors to the Subaru Forester would be the Honda CR-V, Ford Escape, and Toyota Rav4.  Looking at these comparables the Forester is the least expensive to offer all wheel drive, starting at just over $20,000.  Other experts believe the success of the Subaru Forester lies in the fact that it is just the right size, not overwhelming large, and not so small as to put it in another class.

Subaru hopes to continue to the success of the Forester in the 2010 model year.  Pricing has already been set and for a baseline automatic expect to pay around $22,000, compared with $23,000 and up for the other competing manufacturers.

Another driving force behind the success of the Subaru Forester is it's ability to offer utility and still provide adequate gas mileage in this competitive and green conscious market.  The 2010 Forester checks in at 24mpg with the 2.5l Turbo Charged 4 cylinder engine.  Pretty impressive, especially considering the 2010 Forester produces over 220 horsepower.

2010 Subaru Forester

Save on previous year model Subaru Foresters.

Subaru Forester 25 X 07 AWD AUTOMATIC SUNROOF MILES19K ARIZONA    US $1.00

Subaru Forester L 2001 SUBARU FORESTER5 SPD MANUALAWDCLEAN    US $4,000.00

Subaru Forester S NO RESERVE LEATHER S VERY CLEAN ALL WHEEL DRIVE AWD    US $500.00

By now everyone has heard of the Cash For Clunkers program by the US Government.  It's the program where the government (see tax payers dollars) gives large incentives to consumers looking to buy a new fuel efficient vehicle.  It breaks down by allowing a higher dollar amount, up to a max of $4,500, for buying a vehicle that gets over 10 more mpg than the vehicle you are trading in.

It's a program that has proved very successful on paper, so much so they have even extended the program by an additional $2 billion.  However, such a program can't last forever, which got me asking a few questions.

First question, will future buyers be waiting around for government assistance before they buy their next vehicle?  That is to say, once this incentive ends will the sales dry up until the next government intervention or will dealerships be capable of staying afloat on their own?  I'm on the mind that sales will again tank, more dealerships will close, and consumers will hold on to their money again until the next incentive.

Similar consumer buying habits changed back in the mid 90's when 0% financing was first introduced.  It created a flux of buyers looking to capitalize.  However, once dealerships tried to end the special promotion the sales ended as well.  Just to keep the status quo, dealerships have had to continue that special promotion to some extent to maintain sales.  Are we going down this road again?

No.

There have been a number of people speculating about the all new hybrid coming from Lexus and it's relation to the wildly popular Toyota Prius.  Most of  the speculation claims that the Lexus HS 250h is as similar to the Toyota Prius as the Ford Ranger is to the Mazda pickup.  Thankfully for those in the market, this isn't true.

There is a single shared component between the HS 250h and Prius, which is the hybrid technology.  The name of  the system is the series/parallel and refers to the technology, not the actual components.  The series/parallel type hybrid means that the traditional engine component can drive the wheels directly and be disconnected from the drive train to allow the electric motor component to drive the wheels.  This type of system is used in the Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid, and soon Lexus HS 250h.

The rest of the HS 250h is completely different than the Prius.  Some of the main component differences is the 2.4 l engine, double wishbone suspension, and a ton of electronic creature comforts.  There will nothing to confuse onlookers as to what type of car it is, the Toyota or the Lexus.

Is it possible for the renown super car maker Ferrari to produce a potent vehicle worthy to wear the Ferrari badge and get decent fuel mileage?  According to Ferrari engineers they will be producing the 458 Italia, complete with a 0-60 time of 3.4 seconds and will do so at 17 mpg.

Take this announcement with a grain of salt, especially considering actual specs have yet to be released.  Furthermore, the harder you stomp the right pedal the faster the fuel gauge drops, no matter the technology.  I would think it would be pretty difficult to keep the foot off the go fast pedal in something as sleek and sexy as a Ferrari.

The Ferrari 458 Italia fuel efficient super car can be seen below.  Image courtesy of Ferrari.

17 MPG Super Car