To celebrate the automaker’s 100th anniversary, GM Asia Pacific is set to release a special-edition Corvette, dubbed simply the Corvette S-Limited. The new limited edition ‘Vette will be introduced to the Japanese market on Friday, July 4. Production will be limited to only 30 vehicles in total. Of those 30, 15 will be covered in Arctic White, while the other 15 will get a deep black paint job.

Under the hood the standard 6.2-liter V8 can be found. The exterior will see the addition of chrome exhaust tips, new mesh grille inserts in the front and rear and a subtle deck lid spoiler in back. Split-spoke 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels are sure to turn heads as well. On top of all this, and probably more notable, there is a luxurious yet sporty two-tone leather interior trim that really brings the car together.

The Corvette S-Limited will fetch a price equivalent to $75,403 U.S. dollars and will only be available in Japan, though it will probably see homes in other pacific countries.

Both Above: Nice wheels and nice interior, just what the Corvette needed… 

Dodge says it was inspired by the 1968 Hemi-powered Dodge Dart and Plymouth ‘Cuda package cars. These vehicles were driven by “some of drag racing’s biggest names,” and claims the hot-rod Challenger will be “ready for competition and victories off the Tree.”

Rob Richard, director of Mopar parts, sales and service marketing, says the drag-racing package is “for all you fans that love and follow NHRA.” He went on to say “When Dodge built the SRT 6.1-liter Challenger, we knew we could take it a step further, and that’s what we’ve done…. This car is all about horsepower!”

But probably the most exciting bit was this quote; “You’re gonna see the cars in a few weeks.” That’s right, it will be ready soon, probably by the time some of you read this. If your fans of speed, then your call has been answered. Dodge has what you need to rip into the ‘quarter miler!

Above: Dodge has heard your calls, light ‘em up boys and girls! 

The NHTSA said recently that it has upgraded the effort to an “engineering analysis” in an estimated 2.7 million vehicles. The investigation, which has not reached the recall stage, includes all of GM’s full-size pickups and SUVs from model years 2007-’08 as well as 2006-’08 Hummer vehicles. The engineering analysis covers the automaker’s full-size vehicles, including the 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, the 2007 GMC Yukon and the 2007 GMC Sierra 1500.

According to the administration, the move will help to further “assess the scope, frequency, origin and cause of the alleged non-crash-related engine compartment fires in the subject vehicles.”  The NHTSA said GM has provided it with “41 allegations of non-crash engine compartment fires, including 16 allegations of fires originating with the ignition in the Off position.” Eight of the 41 fire allegations also allege property damage as a result of the fire, NHTSA says.

While no fatalities have been linked to the problem, it is still a great cause for concern for both GM and the NHTSA. The cause of the fires has still not fully been determined, which itself is quite scary. Hopefully, by working together, they can solve this soon.

“We will launch Mondeo in September this year. We don’t have further plans (for expansion), but if the market increases we want to participate,” said Wolfgang Schneider, Ford of Europe’s vice president. “There is currently a very high demand for the Mondeo model,” Schneider said. About 150 Mondeo models are sold monthly and there is a three-month queue for delivery orders.

The company hopes this move will boost annual production capacity to 125,000 cars, including 100,000 Focus models and 25,000 Mondeos. Ford said it is investing $100 million to reconstruct and expand facilities at its factory in Vsevolozhsk near St. Petersburg to accommodate increased production of the new Mondeo.

Above: No wonder it’s selling well, that’s a nice looking car… 

Starting with the 2009 Murciélago, the purchase of a new Lamborghini will include a lifetime subscription to Sirius radio service. So while your cruising at an indicated top speed of 209mph, you can rest assured your getting clear digital radio reception on the way to 210mph.

Sirius previously had signed exclusive deals with the Audi, Bentley and VW brands and since Lamborghini is an Audi owned brand now, it is only natural that this deal would take place. Ever since the merger of XM-Radio and Sirius, the only real choice now is Sirius. But now, thats something Lamborghini owners won’t have to worry about anymore.

Above: At these speeds, make sure to pay attention to the road, not the radio….. 

But that’s not the only news. It’s now going around that Nissan’s luxury brand, Infiniti, will be getting their own version of the new smaller “baby” coupe. It would be slotted below the current G37 as a more sports focused two seater. The G37 is already based on the current Z but is positioned as more of a GT, more grand tourer than grand turismo.

What we can say is that while the new Z will land in showrooms in 2009, the Infiniti coupe will probably turn up in concept form at a motor show within the next year. At least that’s all Nissan will give away for now.

When it does come to light, don’t expect anything less than a medium-displacement V6 and at least 300 ponies in the corral. Some nice eye-candy hardware, like Brembo brakes and monster wheels and tires should also prove to be standard. It should prove an interesting proposition for Nissan. Let’s just hope the new car isn’t too hardcore, or it might put off a typical Infiniti buyer.

Above: This is the only photo I was able to find, and it’s just a digital rendering. If it looks this good, watch out competition!  

A recently introduced service called MyGallons.com allows drivers to fill up their tanks sometime in the future but at current prices, using a debit-like card which banks gallons rather than dollars.

“The price of gasoline was changing all the time. It seemed unpredictable,” Steven Verona, founder and owner of the Miami-based company, said on Monday.

“It seemed there had to be a way to fix the price,” he said.

Working on the assumption that the price of gasoline will continue to rise, Verona started about two and a half years ago to put together the company which gives the driver some measure of control of what he pays for gasoline.

Since a soft launch in January, about 2,000 people representing a cross-section of regions across the U.S. have signed up with MyGallons.com to be able to help them find ways to cope with the rapidly rising price of gasoline, Verona said.

On Monday, the average retail price for U.S. gasoline hit a new record of $4.10 a gallon, rising 1.6 cents over the last week and up $1.14 from a year ago, the U.S. government said.

And while the high price of gasoline has cut demand by about a percent from last year, the record high price of crude oil over $140 a barrel seems to ensure that prices will stay high.

Verona said that new customers generally begin by purchasing 25 to 50 gallons of gasoline.

“Once they are comfortable with how MyGallons work, they are buying 100 to 200 gallons at a time,” Verona said.

Using regular unleaded gasoline as the benchmark, drivers pre-buy gasoline based on their zip code. MyGallons.com determines what that price is based using established providers of oil prices.

Drivers using premium gasoline or premium pay an additional price over benchmark regular gasoline for the higher-priced fuel.

At the pump, the driver swipes his MyGallons card like a debit card. MyGallons.com said that the card is accepted at over 95 percent of U.S. gas stations.

“We don’t sell futures. It’s prepurchased gas,” said Verona, who said MyGallons.com uses a sophisticated hedging strategy to protect and meet obligations to members.

The risk to the consumer is if price of gasoline in the future becomes cheaper rather than more expensive. But if members are dissatisfied, they can drop out of the program and receive a lesser of the current price or what they paid as a refund.

“There is that risk that the price could fall significantly,” said Verona.

“But I think that most people would agree that risk is pretty minimal. Overtime, it is going to go up even if there is no change in the supply/demand relationship because inflation alone would push the price up.”

Story by Reuters via www.pcmag.com.  

As SUV sales plummet, drivers who need the space and towing capacity are looking for alternatives in the form of crossovers.

While it was cool at one time to drive a station wagon or minivan, these vehicles are seldom seen on the roadways anymore.  Now that drivers are turning away from mammoth SUVs, some still have big families.

Now that Ford has discontinued its minivan, the introduction of the 2009 Flex comes at a good time.

Yes, it looks like a big box, but the Flex crossover seats seven and even has a real refrigerator for those long road trips with the family.

Prices range from $28,295 to $34,705.  The Flex gets 17 city/24 highway mpg for the FWD version and 16 city/22 highway mpg for the AWD.  It has a 262-horsepower V-6 engine. 

The new Flex has a nice Sony sound system, DVD player, ambient lighting and comes with the voice-activated Sync system as well.

Drivers are demanding something different from SUVs but those who can’t fit the family in a sedan should take a look at the Ford Flex.  It’s a little bit SUV, station wagon and minivan all rolled into one head-turning vehicle.  Could this replace the dying breed of SUVs?

Check out the full review of the Ford Flex by the Detroit News by clicking here. 

Photos courtesy of Ford.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, 31% of Americans have canceled or shortened their planned holiday weekend vacation because of the recent boost in the price of gas.

The poll comes out as gas prices hit yet another all-time high Wednesday to more than $4.09 a gallon, according to AAA. 

Of the more than 1,000 Americans surveyed from June 26 to 29, 72% said record gas prices have caused them to make changes in their daily lives, and 30% said those changes were major ones, reports CNNMoney.com.

With only so much money coming in every month, after Americans pay their bills and pay increased gas and food prices, there isn’t much left to spend on a July 4 weekend road trip.  It looks like neighborhood and local fireworks displays will be a popular choice for the upcoming holiday.

The National Labor Committee on Wednesday issued a 65-page report, “The Toyota You Don’t Know,” which accuses the Japanese automaker of using “low-wage temps” to build the popular Toyota Prius. “Toyota’s much admired ‘Just in Time’ auto parts supply chain is riddled with sweatshop abuse, including the trafficking of foreign guest workers, mostly from China and Vietnam to Japan, who are stripped of their passports and often forced to work, including at subcontract plants supplying Toyota, 16 hours a day, seven days a week, while being paid less than half the legal minimum wage,” the group said in a statement.

Wow, this is heavy stuff. A company like Toyota is right in the global spotlight, and to have something like this come to light is quite serious. If these allegations do indeed prove to be true, Toyota’s future might be at stake. I for one, would never buy another Toyota product ever again if it proves to be true.

Toyota recently responded to the charges with a brief statement. “We are reviewing the lengthy report issued today by the National Labor Committee,” the automaker said. “As the well-being of our workforce and suppliers is one of our highest priorities, we are taking the allegations seriously.” Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister told the press on Thursday that the automaker has no further comment on the controversial report. Typical, they are now in save-face mode and probably scrambling like headless chickens.

Accompanied by the report by the National Labor Committee was a particular statement. To draw specific attention to the Toyota Prius hybrid and the many celebrities who promote and actively recommend the car, the committee stated; “Celebrities like Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pit, Bill Maher and others have led the way in turning Toyota’s Prius into a symbol of concern for our environment,” They than added; “We hope that these same celebrities will now also challenge Toyota to improve its respect for human and worker rights. As a start, Toyota should cut its ties to the Burmese dictators and end the exploitation of foreign guest workers trafficked to Japan,”said Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labor Committee.

The National Labor Committee made headlines in 1999 for a report that targeted talk-show host Kathie Lee Gifford. The famous report accused her of using “sweatshops in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras” to produce a her own name-branded clothing line. The allegations turned out to be true, and Ms. Gifford publicly apologized and claimed she was unaware at the time.

If these allegations about Toyota do indeed seem to be true, then it would be the biggest news in 2008, at least for the auto industry. Things like this need to be exposed. Human rights are very important and the least we can do is make sure that work conditions are safe and fair for all those people working hard to make your trendy hybrid.