Tis the season, deer season.  Fall is when hunters are allowed to go out and shoot deer, with either a bow or a gun.  Although the exact weapon season itself fluctuates throughout the fall, as soon as it gets chilly expect more deer movement.  More deer movement translates into deer and other animals being on our highways, where they would normally avoid.

There is one product on the market that claims to prevent automobile accidents with deer.  It's a whistle, specifically a deer whistle that mounts to the front of your car.  The product claims to produce a noise that animals can hear, if the vehicle is traveling at least 35mph.  There are those out there that feel it's just a hoax and the product itself does not help in preventing drivers from colliding with deer crossing the road.

These deer whistles claim that they produce an ultra sonic sound that stops deer in their tracks or alerts deer to your vehicle.  However, tests have been done that prove that the deer cannot hear the pitch produced by the whistle.  Furthermore, whistles that deer can hear do not always 'stop them in their tracks', which is hopefully off the side of the road.

The best way to prevent accidents with deer when driving this fall?  Be vigilant, pay close attention to the road, and never over drive your head lights.  Safety starts with the person behind the wheel, not some cheap plastic deer whistle stuck to the front bumper.

I'm fairly certain I'm not the only one making astronomical jokes about the failure that is the Saturn company.  This isn't a complaint about their cars reliability, looks, or even pricing, just about the company itself.  Why should a company like Saturn be kept around by a conglomerate like GM, when it has been losing money since day 1?  Let bad ideas die and concentrate elsewhere.

Dust under the mat eventually create one demonic dust bunny.  In this case, bailed out GM can no longer justify keeping a failing company artificially afloat.  "A Different Kind of Company", that produced a very mundane vehicle line up.

So much for Saturn Astra sparking enough sales in the movie Transformers 2.  This will most likely be the very last entry in the Saturn category.  Fine by me, Saturn never made news enough to write about anything anyway.

Porsche has announced that an entry level Porsche 914 is a priority for 2010.  Although shelved some time ago, the 914 Boxster would be set at a price point that would make owning a Porsche easier than ever, although exact prices have yet to be disclosed.  Furthermore, it's not been announced if the 914 name will be used or some other poor man's Porsche name will be attached.

But this got me thinking, at what price would a Porsche have to be to be considered entry level?  A brand spanking new Porsche Boxster will run you around $60,000.  So, perhaps an entry level Porsche should be available for $40,000?

I'm fairly certain for that kind of money I'd rather own a GT500 or Corvette.  Again, in the realm of luxury, I'm not the target market.  Only those that have a hard-on for the Porsche name need apply here.  Much like a humongous house without any furniture, it's just another status symbol to park in the drive way.  IMHO

2010 Porsche 914

Maybe I'm not being exactly fair, the rendering above by Motor Trend is very sexy.  I just know that cars like the Porsche 944 did not age very well and I can't imagine a new model of budget Porsche would fair any better.

The veil has been lifted on the redesigned 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon.  Everything from the raked front grill and hood, to the pin striping screams pavement-eating-hippie-hater.  The v8 Hemi is more efficient than it's grandpa from years ago, but that doesn't' mean it will be winning any MPG awards.  Consider this, the 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon will be known as one of the most versatile 4x4's ever.

Do you believe the hype?

4WheelOffRoad.com got their hands on one early to do some testing for an upcoming issue.  According to their blog post on the 2010 Power Wagon, it's a worthy contender with lots of promise.  It's bigger, more powerful with 383 horsepower and 400 ft lb of torque, and equipped with a 12,000 lb winch.  Find out if it will walk away with the 4x4 Of The Year Title in the February issue of 4 Wheel Off Road Magazine.

2010 Dodge Ram

I was reading an article earlier today discussing the state of the US economy and what it means to domestic car manufacturers.  They listed the start of the recession as December of 2007, which means we are about to reach 2 years.  Couple this with the news that GM had been losing money on Saturn since day one and it's face palm city.

They say the Midwest is always the last to feel economic changes, well let me tell you we are feeling it.  I've been noticing locally much of the car manufacturers are starting to not park their inventory as close together.  A few years ago you couldn't even drive onto a car lot, now there's enough room to maneuver a school bus.  They say we are starting to come out of the recession, I hope THEY are right.

But it's not just new car inventory that seems to be slipping away.  I've been actively searching for a used car in the $10,000 range for months, without any luck.  People are holding onto their used cars longer or got rid of them 2 months ago in the cash for clunkers program.

Come on economy, start getting better, I'm tired of writing about bad news in the automotive industry.

Nissan has announced some pretty lofty goals, including being the largest manufacturer in the US for electric cars.  The model to make it happen is the 2010 Nissan Leaf, an electric car marvel.  Nissan expects to receive 20,000 orders of the battery powered Leaf by the time it hits the show rooms next year.  I don't see how.

First of all, you are buying a very limited range vehicle, for around $30,000.  Personally, for that kind of money, I'd like to be able to drive wherever, whenever I want.  I don't want to wait around for a charge or risk not being able to find a suitable charging station while I'm out and about.  But of course, I'm not the target audience, those living in the big cities that don't have to worry about rural commutes.

Next, consider the Nissan dealership just might be pushing a $150 per month battery lease option.  Meaning, you buy the car, but lease the battery that powers the car.  This is done to help alleviate the concern of replacing a battery in the coming years, if there were a problem, or they don't have the shelf life they are counting on.

Too many if's and's or's and but's for me.  However, I wish them all the luck and the more competition Toyota has, the better it is for the consumers.  Check out the Nissan Leaf pics below.

The F Series line of pickups from Ford have stood the test of time.  I myself have owned two different ones, a 97 F150 and an 04 F150, both of which I was very happy with.  Dependability, performance, even a little luxury, but maybe they weren't quite as rugged as I would have liked.  That's why Ford offers Super Duty F Series options, for those who really need to beat up their trucks.

The redesigned 2011 Super Duty will over 2 different engine configurations.  The gasoline V8 will be a whopping 6.2 liters, while the diesel version will be a 6.7 turbo charged v8.  Either one sounds like they won't have any trouble pulling whatever you might be able to hook up to.  Also, thanks to Ford's relentless pursuit of efficiency, just because you need a big dog doesn't mean it will eat like one.  Ford claims that the new Diesel 2011 Super Duty will be the best-in-class for fuel economy.

2011 Ford Super Duty

Green News

The Chevy Volt and other electric, hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicles need high gas prices.  Without the threat looming of $4 per gallon gasoline it makes it difficult to stomach a $40,000 investment, in some cases.  Obviously the higher the fuel prices the shorter time it takes to break even and to have the electric car start actually saving you money.

Looking at it this way makes me look like I hate the environment, but that's not the case.  I'm all for doing my part to keep the Earth green and blue, but not at the cost of being in debt up to my eye balls without any return.  There must be a breaking point, where investment shows return, even when talking about green technology.  So, I guess this idea only applies to those who aren't independently wealthy green freaks.

No doubt if fuel prices remain relatively low it will devastate the huge investment companies like Chevrolet have made with the Volt.  Everyone was able to jump on board the research and development when gas prices were high, but what will happen financially to the company now that sales will be directly effected by the fuel prices?  Surely there will be more financial incentive to buy a new all electric car or at least lower the expected price all across the board.

I hope that we will see falling vehicle prices on all cars, trucks, suv's, and not just the special niche green market.  The idea that a vehicle should cost 1/2 as much as most peoples homes is getting to be a little bit ridiculous.  Let's start by slashing that all electric Chevy Volt price.

Seems like 'All New' is the number one method used to increase sales in a recession, at least for automobile manufacturers like Ford.  The all new 2010 Taurus is no exception, marking yet another generation change for the popular sedan.  Ford is labeling it, "Americas Smartest Full Size Sedan."

Personally, I love it, everything about it.  The new redesign doesn't remind of the 4 door sedans elder and instead looks on par with the edgier luxury sedans on the market.  Also, it doesn't quite scream reworked 500, like the previous generation, rather an entire new concept for the Taurus.

Consider this, buyers will be able to put one of the 2010 Ford Taurus into their drive way for around $26,000.  A very attractive price point considering the complete revamping of the line and luxurious feel.

Subaru has announced that they will be opening 9 more Zone Offices in the United States.  Zone Offices are what Subaru calls their dealer support offices, to help create a localized market presence.  The total number of Zone Offices will be 12, once these 9 are opened.

Unlike the usual automotive manufacturer news, Subaru has actually seen an increase in sales over the past 3 months.

"We have made great strides over the past few years improving our
performance in a challenging marketplace. We have our best ever product
line-up, a marketing strategy that is successfully building the brand and
increasing dealership traffic, and we are continually improving our dealer
network. The increase in the number of SOA zone offices will allow us to work
even more closely with our dealers and help us meet our medium and long-term
business goals and sales objectives."

According to Subaru, these new offices will be functional come January 1st, 2010.