Ford Motor Co. officially unveiled their 2011 Ford Fiesta at the Los Angeles Auto Show today.

The subcompact sedan and four-door hatchback is Ford’s smallest offering in the United States as the Blue Oval continues its plans to bring some of its best European models to America. Ford will debut an all-new Focus, based on the popular European model, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this January.
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Ford is cranking up the horsepower on the 2011 Mustang as it tries to win back muscle car sales from its archrival, the Chevrolet Camaro.

Ford Motor Co. introduced a 305-horsepower V-6 engine for the Mustang this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. For anyone counting, that’s one horse more than the Camaro’s V-6, which clocks in at 304 horsepower. LOL! And it’s far more powerful than the 210-horsepower V-6 on the 2010 Mustang.

Ford also promises better fuel economy from the 3.7-liter, Duratec all-aluminum engine, with 30 miles per gallon on the highway to Camaro’s 29. Let’s let the sales do the talking.
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Those who have followed the Nissan GT-R since it was named the Skyline GT-R (R32) know that there was a variant called the M-Spec. While the R34 V-Spec was made for the track, the M-Spec was more of a grand tourer, providing the best of both the performance and comfort worlds.

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“We’ve always planned that after we released the SpecV, we were going to build the SpecM,” says Kazutoshi Mizuno, the man behind the current GT-R (R35),. SpecM will be sold for around 18,000,000 yen (the equivalent of over $200k). That sexy thing is worth every penny!

NY State rolled out a new license plate redesign that will be required for pretty much all vehicles, new and old, starting next year. The “Empire Gold” license plate, in gold with dark blue lettering, will replace the current white plate with the Niagara falls and city skyline elements and the cost will be another $25 for registration renewals and new registrations. Plus, if you want to your current letter and number license combination, that’ll be another $20!

The State Department of Motor Vehicles says, “Periodically re-issuing plates is important for overall safety, law enforcement and the general integrity of the plate.” More like “We need more $$$!” 
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Toyota Motor Corp. has unveiled a more expensive and bigger hybrid-only model than its hit Prius, underlining the Japanese automaker’s ambitions to make green technology more widespread.

The “Sai” sedan is Toyota’s second hybrid-only model after the Prius. Toyota offers hybrid versions of other car models.

Sai, which means “talent” and “color,” will be sold only in Japan, starting Dec.7, targeting monthly sales of 3,000 vehicles. No global sales plans have been decided, the world’s biggest automaker said. Nice! Bring some of those over here.

Recent concept cars such as the Rinspeed iChange and the Chrysler Global Electric Motorcars Peapod have embraced Apple’s popular iPhone as a device not only for making phone calls or playing music, but as the key to starting the car.

That might sound like an impractical futuristic application of smartphone technology, but in fact, that and many more innovative uses of handheld computers are coming to market in the near future.

Zipcar’s iPhone app will let customers honk the horn on the car they have reserved so they can find it more easily. The press of another on-screen virtual button unlocks the door so the customer can get in and drive away. Neato!

Customers are as increasingly reliant on communications and information technology as much as cubicle-bound desk jockeys, so Ford has developed a suite of technologies and applications aimed at mobile commercial customers it’s calling “Work Solutions.”

These technologies include a theft-proof built-in computer — no more stolen or dropped laptops — and tools for tracking, well, tools, as well as for tracking a truck itself and securing equipment in the beds of pickups to reduce the chance it will be stolen. Work Solutions is a $2,815-add-on cost for pickups, but can be less if buyers pick and choose among the features.
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According to Japanese automotive magazine Mag-X, Honda is finalising the design and details for the 2012 Civic. Apparently, the Japanese automaker is planning to come up with different versions of the car for different markets. Different sedan, coupe and hatch versions!

This is all, of course, nothing more than back-fence talk and speculation. Do you like what you see so far?

On March 24th, the all-new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid hatchback goes on sale with a base price of $19,800 (plus $670 freight), making it the lowest-priced hybrid in the U.S. market. Unlike the original two-seat Insight introduced in 2000, this new one has a back seat and is roomy enough for five people.

The uplevel EX model lists for $21,300.
The EX with a satellite navigation system for $23,100.

Looks like all the other ones, same overall body shape and similar rear hatch. Would you buy this car?

Modeling with the Customized Pink New Beetle convertible at Barbie’s Dream House 50th Birthday Party is, of course, the fabulous Heidi Klum. This isn’t JUST another pink coated Beetle. It’s fully equipped with Rhinestones, Sparkling Paint and Motorized Vanity in Trunk. Geez! What more can a girl wish for. They took this one beyond Valentine’s Day.

From the white custom leather interior and convertible top to the hand stitched floor mats and pink quilted leather lined door pockets and arm rests, even the dipstick is painted to resemble her favorite lipstick. Over five shades of paint were mixed together to create the perfect pink color. What? No Hello Kitty? I’m sure they paid Heidi some serious dough. She’s smiling all the way to the bank.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, unveiled the third-generation Prius hybrid vehicle at the 2009 North American International Auto show. The new version of the world’s top-selling hybrid vehicle offers better mileage ratings and enhanced performance, as well as new design features. The standard 2010 Toyota 3rd Generation Prius also will not be a plug-in hybrid.

The 3rd Generation Prius also features what Toyota is calling a “Solar Moonroof”. A small array of photovoltaic cells automatically powers a ventilation system on hot days. The system allows fresh air to circulate into the vehicle while the vehicle is parked, cooling down the cabin so that the air conditioning doesn’t have to work as hard, thereby conserving power. Impressive!

Behold! The 2009 Honda Civic GX, the only natural gas burning compact car on sale today to the public. 

What’s beautiful about this car, besides the fact that it looks like a big wedge, is it’s pressurized natural gas tank instead of a regular one. Like it?

Behold! The brand spankin new Mazda 6 makeover! To distinguish it from the competition, Mazda ‘sought an exterior design capable of stirring any observer’s emotions,’ an official said. My oh my! Emotions will be stirred, Mazda.

The whole idea was to create a midsize car that broke from the “boring” pack and offered auto enthusiasts an affordable alternative to the appliance cars from Toyota, Honda and other manufacturers. Unlike most engineers, Hiroshi Kajiyama, the vehicle’s program engineer, treated the car “as a work of art rather than an inanimate machine.”

American Honda Motor Co. has overhauled the look of its fuel cell concept cars, unveiling a futuristic, lightweight three-seater. 

The design study concept is inspired by supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain. What’s with the rear side? The extended rear houses cooling radiators for the fuel cell stack. You likey?

Endorsed by all three of the Bay Area’s big city mayors, a $1 billion plan to help make the Bay Area the nation’s electric-car capital plan would provide the re-charging infrastructure that must be in place before most consumers would consider buying or leasing an electric car.

Better Place, Palo Alto start-up, plans to install about 250,000 charging ports, 200 battery-exchange stations and a control center to service Bay Area electric car drivers. The goal is to have most of the system in place by 2012. Nice! Go Green!

Toyota rolls out its first Venza wagon. Toyota Motor Sales USA will price the five-person wagon between $25,975 for its V-4, front-wheel drive model, and $29,250 for the V-6, all-wheel drive model. The V-6 model will hit dealerships in early December, with full production and sales of both models starting in January. How do we say this lightly? Looks like a Camry with a little more junk in the trunk.

The Venza, which is built in Georgetown, Ky., on the platform of its mid-size Camry sedan, will be sold exclusively in North America.

Honda Motors Co Ltd released their new hybrid electric vehicle, which will compete with the mainstream hybrid Toyota Prius. Named as Honda Insight, it is a revival of the first ever Honda hybrid. 

At $20,000, it is the first Honda vehicle with an ambitious hybrid strategy. The 2009 Toyota Prius is rated at $22,660. Honda is planning to roll out four new gas-electric hybrid models between 2008-2012 as part of a global strategy.

Can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next! More photos.

Honda is still offering the same optional DVD-based satellite navigation system that we saw on the 2007 Civic Hybrid model, but has added Bluetooth hands free capabilities to the system. Just in time for CA drivers. Just a month or two ago, talking directly into cell phones while driving has become illegal. Wonder how Californians are dealing with it.

Honda automaker mails a brochure about the 2009 model to dealerships for use when the car reaches showrooms later this year, and scanned images have hit the web through a forum at 8thcivic.com.

Two trim levels have been added: The DX-VP and LX-S, presumably a value and sport package, respectively, helping Civic tweak its price points for broader appeal.

What are your thoughts on the new model?

Behold!!  The Honda FCX Clarity

Honda Motors Co. has started production of a car that runs on hydrogen fuel rather than oil, marking the first time a commercial vehicle will produce zero emissions. The FCX Clarity, which was introduced two years ago as a concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show, runs on electricity made from an onboard hydrogen-powered fuel cell battery. It will be available in July as part of limited lease program offered in California.