PriceWheels Blog

Toyota is planning on expanding its hybrid allure by planning to offer a sportier coupe version of the next generation Prius hybrid. The coupe would have a significantly lower roof-line than the regular Prius and could possibly be a strict 2-seater, though a 2+2 configuration is much more likely.

Though no official word has come out of Japan, the rumors are spreading like wildfire. A coupe version of the Prius makes sense because it can start to attract different demographics to Toyota’s hybrid models.  A sports car hybrid could have people changing their minds if it’s convincing.

Technical specs should mirror the regular Prius who will carry over its hybrid system almost unchanged with the exception of a small bump in displacement from it’s 1.5-liter engine to improve performance without sacrificing fuel consumption. The coupe should be slightly faster though, as it will weight in a quite a bit less than the regular four-door Prius. Both models should be out next year, with the regular 4-door coming first followed by the coupe a few months later.

-Source: Motor Trend

Chrysler is in the process of recalling 20,283 2006-’09 Dodge Charger and Magnum vehicles built with the police package and equipped with a column shifter. The reason for the recall is that the gearshift cable may become disengaged from the steering column mounting bracket. This malfunction can cause an incorrect transmission gearshift position display, which the NHTSA stated in its recall summary, ” could allow the vehicle to move inadvertently and cause a crash without warning.”

Though no injuries have been reported, nine customer complaints and 55 field reports of problems with 2007 Dodge Charger and Magnum police vehicles have already been reported. To fix the problem Chrysler dealers will add a locking mechanism to the gearshift cable at the mounting bracket to “ensure proper retention and shift linkage function.”

This is an important recall as is can impede officers from doing their duty out on the field, create a safety hazard, or even worse, it could cause an unintended accident. The recall is expected to begin in early November.

-Source: Inside Line

-Photo: Chrysler LLC 

Mercedes-Benz had a concept debut at this year’s Paris Auto Show that drew a lot of questions. Called the ConceptFASCINATION, this new car debuted a design language that many were whispering would be the new CLK or E-Class sedan. Well there was some truth to those whispers after all.

These shots were taken recently as a prototype for the new CLK was lapping an undisclosed European track. It’s obvious that with the CLK and E-Class being the only models that have yet to adapt Mercedes’ new flamboyant design language, that these models would be next to take a trip to the styling studio for a re-skin. The ConceptFASCINATION’s design cues are quite obvious here, and you can expect both models to carry a similar face, like the older CLK and E-Class models of yesteryear.

Expect a host of new engines to be employed, including the new 3.5 liter V6 with around 280-300hp. An almost 400hp V8 should follow shortly after for the CLK550, as well as the potent AMG version with around 500 ponies to play with. All the cars will be equipped with Mercedes’ new 7-speed automatic transmission.

Mercedes-Benz plans to unveil the CLK Coupe at the 2009 Geneva show in March. It goes on sale in the U.S. around May-June 2009. The obvious upcoming convertible variant will make its debut at the 2009 Frankfurt show in September, and go on sale a few months after its debut.

-Source: Road and Track

-Photos: Brenda Priddy & Company for Road and Track

If there has been one car that I’ve been dieing to see, it’s Volkswagen’s new mid-engined roadster concept. Scheduled to debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, VW has now announced that they are moving the reveal date to the Detroit Auto Show instead.

The reason for the switch was that VW thought the new Roadster would attract a lot more attention in Detroit rather than L.A. At least that’s what a company spokesperson told a reporter for Automotive News Europe.

The exciting part for V-Dubbers though, is the word going around that this new roadster concept previews a production car that VW actually plans to launch in 2011!!! This car will work sort of like an image booster for the company, at least that’s the plan. Even more of a salivating thought is the fact that, according to that same report, the chassis that underpins this new sports car will be a derivative of the Audi R8’s chassis! What else could you ask for?!?

This will be a car we will definately be keeping an eye on, so expect more updates form us in the future. Hopefully this car will get some traffic back into Volkswagen showrooms. As a die-hard VW fan, I for one can’t wait to see it.

Above: This is a concept from two years ago, it hinted that this day was coming. Will the roadster that debuts in Detroit look anything like this gorgeous machine??? 

-Source: Auto Week

-Photo: Volkswagen AG 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall of 130 Volkswagen Passat, Passat Wagon, and CC models over a possible faulty steering system. The Volkswagen’s system, which is fully electromechanical, may have a steering gear control unit that can malfunction due to a damaged capacitor.

“If this malfunction occurs, the driver’s steering input is not properly processed by the system, and the vehicle may not respond as the driver intends,” NHTSA said in its recall summary. “This defect can only occur immediately after vehicle start-up when the steering wheel is moved for the first time and at speeds less than 5 mph. A malfunctioning steering system could lead to a crash without warning.”

The NHTSA also noted that driver attempts to “overcome the system during malfunction” can cause vibrations in the steering wheel and the steering system motor to turn off. The red steering system malfunction indicator light may also illuminate and audible warnings will start chiming.

The recall is slated to begin on December 5, with the fix being Volkswagen dealers replacing the steering gear in the affected vehicles for free. If you own one of these mentioned VW vehicles than head on over to your local Volkswagen dealer and have this checked out.

-Source: Inside Line and the NHTSA

What if you could have a car that made 600hp, went 0-60mph in under 3.5 seconds, weighed in at less than 2000 pounds, and got 40 miles per gallon? Why, what you’d have is the RMC Scorpion! This new supercar debuted at this years SEMA show to the surprise of many people. The surprise wasn’t the engine performance, but rather, the engine’s consumption.

RMC stands for Ronn Motor Company and founder Ronn Maxwell is on a mission to, um, save the supercar. You see, what Mr. Maxwell has done is implement hydrogen technology to the Acura derived 3.5 liter V6 (which is twin turbo’d) in an attempt to solve a few annoying little issues associated with supercars. First, they guzzle gas by the buckets. Second, they are quite pollutant as their high performance engines are usually equipped with little exhaust restriction.

So here is the genius of RMC system, the hydrogen is produced through electrolysis of water using the power generated from the vehicle’s electrical system. Unlike a regular hydrogen vehicle which uses a fuel cell packed under pressure with highly volatile liquid hydrogen, the hydrogen employed in the Scorpion’s Hydrogen Fuel Injection (HFI) system is hydrogen gas, which is then injected directly into the engine’s intake air/fuel mixture. What this means is you don’t need to go to a hydrogen filling station to get your hydrogen. All you have to do is fill a small tank in the front of the car with a little bit of water, that’s it. This amazing system allows the engine to run at an whole other level of efficiency. In fact the Scorpion generates between 20% to 40% better gas mileage and reduces CO₂ emissions to almost nothing!

On top of all this revolutionary and ground breaking technology, you get a sweet looking supercar with devestating performance. Ronn Maxwell designed the exterior himself and it’s safe to say he knows what he is doing, the car has a menacing presence. Its body is made entirely out of carbon fiber, which is how it manages to have such a low curb weight.

RMC is already tacking orders for its Scorpion supercar. Thet go for around $175,000 so they aren’t cheap. But with the innovative technology your getting, and the performance, it’s quite a bargain actually. Most modern Ferrari’s start around $250,000 and all they can give you is the performance factor. The RMC on the other hand is the full package. In fact, I think Ronn Maxwell might have just accomplished his goal. RMC has saved the supercar!

-Source: Road and Track

-Photos: Cris Cantle for Road and Track 

With the holiday season just around the corner, this is that last thing that people working for GM need to hear. An announcement was made recently about the company’s plans to lay off over 3,600 of its hourly paid workers. These lay offs will be mostly of production line workers. The company recently announced they are slowing down production of its most popular models because of lack of demand.

GM also has plans to idle certain production plants for weeks. When those plants eventually resume production (let’s hope), the rate of production will be lower. “We’re adjusting (production) on some of our most popular models, not because they have cooled off, but because the market isn’t buying anything,” said GM spokesman Chris Lee.

Lee also said GM hopes to eventually call back the laid-off workers in the future. “Everything we do is based on market demand,” he said. “It is our hope to bring these people back to work if demand returns.”

I doubt most laid-off workers will believe that. With the state of the U.S. auto industry, it would take nothing less than a miracle for these people to get their jobs back anytime soon, or ever.  GM especially has already announced that at the rate in which they are going, the company will be out of money by the middle of next year.

-Source: Automotive News 

In one of his first acts as president of the United States, President Obama has met with his economic advisory board about the current state of the U.S. auto industry. President Obama went as far as asking the White House to accelerate financial aid to the weakening American auto industry in an attempt to jump start the healing process of what has become one of our biggest modern economic challenges.

Later calling the auto industry as “the backbone of American manufacturing,” President Obama has since urged the Bush administration to “do everything they can to accelerate the retooling assistance that Congress has already enacted.” Obama also said his transition team is considering additional legislation and policy options “to help the auto industry adjust, weather the financial crisis and succeed in producing fuel-efficient cars here in the United States.”

It is obvious that without federal assistance (and fast!) the Detroit “Big 3″ cannot survive in the long run. President Obama knows how important of an infrastructure the auto industry is to the U.S. economy, but more importantly his push for more fuel efficient cars is evidence that he doesn’t want the same mistakes made again. Whether or not congress is on his side is still to be seen.

-Source: Inside Line 

In a decision that has been linked with a need to raise its profitability, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer has recently announced that the company have scrapped plans to build the Mercedes-Benz CLS rival, the CS. The Concept CS was shown at many automotive shows this year as a upcoming player in the fast growing “four-door coupe” segment. Even though BMW has a history of building, at least in some form, production versions of their concept cars it seems this is one that will be filled away under the history section of BMW’s plans.

At the core of this decision is profit margins. BMW recently posted an operating return on sales of less than 1.3 percent and  a sharper focus on profitability has led to product decisions being revisited, according to a company statement. “At the moment we do not need that kind of brand shaper”, Reithofer said. Indeed, it seems that the company that touts itself as being “An Independent Company” needs to reassess its business goals and return to profitability if it wants to stay that way.

Still, with this news also comes some insight into what BMW has in store for the future. The company will be focusing on showing its electric version of the Mini Cooper (read about it on our site here) and concentrating its immediate efforts into building more fuel efficient vehicles.

“The next step will be a mega city car with two different drivetrain options–one with electric powertrain and one with a highly efficient combustion engine,” Reithofer said. He most certainly means the new Mini Cooper, and with this shift in focus BMW hopes to once again sail the seas of profitability.

-Source: Auto Week 

It seems that in these dire times, the automotive community would be too busy taking care of itself before it would start helping others in need. Thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case. Chrysler automotive designer Ralph Gilles is hosting an fund-raising event to help the people of Haiti.

The small island nation has been devastated by the recent hurricanes that have ravaged the region. In a country were most people live below the poverty limit, it’s good to see people stepping up to help those who cannot help themselves. The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, at Gilles’ home in Oxford. Payment of $125 per person will be accepted at the door (check, cash, Visa, or MC) or in advance via Paypal to haitiannetworkdetroit@gmail.com.

The fund-raiser will be worth it to the attendees as well. People from all walks of life have donated their time or their business to this wonderful and selfless cause. Everything from autographed memorabilia to driving school packages to box seats for sporting events are up for grabs. A lot of this stuff is going for way less than its commercial value, and the prices are set in a way so bidding is fun and exciting.

Most importantly, the money raised will go directly to the cause of thousands of Haitians, many of whom were left without homes during the devastating events. This is the kind of thing that makes me proud to be an automotive enthusiast. You can email Gilles’ wife Doris at drgilles@gmail.com to RSVP and for directions. If you have the means to help, please go!

-Source: Auto Week