The current economic environment in the United States is hurting all auto makers these days, even mighty Toyota, which was once considered immune to so-called market realities. Though its overall performance last year would be considered a stellar achievement for any other automaker, Toyota's 28% profit plunge in the fourth quarter of 2007 points to an expected 27% drop in annual profits in 2008. If Toyota's revised forecast proves accurate, 2008 would break a nine-year stretch of profit growth. In addition to the slowing U.S. market, Toyota also cites high material prices, the worldwide credit crunch and a strong yen as contributing factors in its mild downturn.
Toyota's expected profit drop is certainly newsworthy, but we just have to wonder how the money-losing American car companies will cope in the U.S. market with the same issues. While sales of cars are gaining strength, the SUV and truck markets are sinking with what could be Titanic-like implications for the truck-heavy lines from Ford, Chrysler and GM.
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Mazda6
Mazda recently sent out a survey request to potential customers, the purpose of which was to allow these survey takers to build a 2009 Mazda6 with whatever options, packages and colors they wanted so that the automaker could gauge which will be most popular when the car goes on sale. Unfortunately, Mazda was smart and the survey can only be taken once, but one person recorded all the information he saw and posted it on the Mazda6club.com forum. His notes after the jump give us an idea of what trim levels, options and pricing will be available when the car does go on sale, though none of it is written in stone.
It appears that the 2009 Mazda6 will be available in two basic versions: the Mazda6 i that comes with a 170-hp 2.5L four-cylinder with VVT and the more powerful Mazda6 s that's motivated by a 272-hp 3.7L V6. The Mazda6 i will be offered in SV, Sport, Touring and Grand Touring models, while the Mazda6 s will be available as Sport, Touring and Grand Touring. As far as pricing goes, the Mazda6 i SV kicks things off with a base price of $19,850 while the Mazda6 s Grand Touring tops the range with a base price of $29,150. That's quite a large range that should satisfy the wants and needs of most buyers, and features like Xenon headlamps, Bluetooth, a Blind Spot Monitoring system, rain-sensing wipers and wheels up to 18-inches in diameter should position the new Zoom-Zoom sedan well against its mid-size family sedan competition.
Check out all the packages, standard features and pricing info after the jump, but remember they may not be the same when the car officially goes on sale. Thanks for the tip, Joel!
Click above for high-res gallery of the BringBacktheSHO Concept V2
We heard yesterday from a group of Ford Taurus SHO fans who were questioned in a focus group by Ford employees working on the next Taurus program, so we know that the Blue Oval is at least considering a high performance version of the next Taurus. Combine that with a grainy cell phone pic we posted of what could be a design study for the next Taurus and you've got fertile elements for our friends over at BringBacktheSHO.com who specialize in letting their imaginations run wild. Ryan Pasch who runs the website actually attended the focus group in question earlier this week, so these renderings based off of that grainy camera phone pic may be more accurate than we realize. Pasch calls the car in his renders the BringBacktheSHO Concept V2, and judging from the pics in our gallery below, we're as ready for the SHO's triumphant return as he his.
When the Chevy Cobalt first hit the scene as a 2005 model, it was a much better car than the basic transportation it replaced, but it was still a bit too Cavalier-looking for some. All that is scheduled to change for the 2010 model year, as the bow-tie will unveil a new Cobalt based of the same global Delta platform that will also underpin the Volt and next Saturn Astra.
Brenda Priddy and her voyeur minions caught a well-disguised 2010 Cobalt roaming the streets, and while it looks like it was doused in silly-string, we can still see plenty of promise. Most noticeably, the 'Balt's profile looks much more refined than that of the current model, with a more graceful greenhouse and prominent nose. Thankfully, the handsome two-tier grill looks to be making its way over from the Malibu, which will help further separate the Cobalt from its economy car past. A sedan and coupe will be available, and we're assuming that we'll see a new, faster Cobalt SS, as well.
High gas prices already have the Cobalt selling in record numbers, and if GM can pull off a better Cobalt by next summer, the amount of them leaving dealer lots should grow considerably. Hit the read link below to see the spy shots. Thanks for the tip, noe!
There's an old saying, you only want what you can't have. It holds particularly true in the context of Australia's Mitsubishi 380. The vehicle's Adelaide manufacturing facility was recently shuttered, partially due to lack of interest in the six-cylinder sedan. However, the vehicle's cancellation announcement ended up increasing demand for the final batch of 380s to roll off the assembly line. For that reason, Mitsubishi decided to auction off the final car to its suddenly sentimental Aussie dealers. The last domestically produced 380 ended up fetching $100,000 Australian dollars ($93,364) after all was said and done, which is more than three times its MSRP. John Hughes Mitsubishi, a Perth, Australia dealership, coughed up the cash for the winning bid. Mitsubishi also gave it the honor of choosing a charity to benefit from the proceeds of the sale. Knowing that the 380 in Australia is basically a Down Under-ified version of the Galant on sale in North America, is there any circumstance under which you could imagine paying that much for a Galant?
It's no surprise that BMW plans to attempt to bring its uber-saloon up to AMG-levels of power when the new M5 debuts in 2011. That means that output needs to surpass the current model's paltry 501 hp, so BMW will bore out the current V10 to 5.5-liters, slap on a couple of turbos and use direct-injection to bringing power levels up to 550 hp, or more. Grunt will be shoveled to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or the new seven-speed M DCT dual-clutch 'box.
But it's not all about pavement-pummeling power. The use of the twin-turbochargers and DI is as much an attempt to reduce emissions as it is to boost output, and BMW is intent on making the next 5-series, due out in 2010, one of its most fuel-efficient vehicles. That means that start-stop technology will be used on the engine, along with its Efficient Dynamics system that uses regenerative braking to reduce load on the alternator, improving both fuel economy and engine output.
Click above for gallery of more modern Taurus SHO renderings
Being an avid Super High Output fan, any news of a Taurus SHO return gets my imagination going. Should it be FWD, AWD, or RWD? V8-powered or have a twin-turbo V6 underhood? Should it be light and handle well or compensate for its mass with awesome amounts of power? I ask these questions to myself, but last Monday a group of 11 Chicago area SHO fanatics were asked those same questions by members of the Taurus program from Ford.
As told by Don Mallinson on V8Sho.com, the story goes that this band of brothers participated in a focus group and had their brains picked for an evening about what makes a SHO a SHO, and if the much missed name were to be resurrected, what should the car be like today? Mallinson is clear that he and the focus group participants did not see a prototype, sketches of a prototype, or anything else that would confirm development is well on its way. The experience was pretty much a one-way street of questions, but these 11 people may have influenced Ford's decision to bring back the SHO and, if so, in what way. Such an awesome responsibility, I probably couldn't handle it.
There can be absolutely no doubt that Detroit automakers created some horrendous products over the years. The '70s was a particularly low point, as the Big 3 struggled to cope with new safety, emissions and fuel economy standards. This past weekend, U.S. Senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was pontificating as politicians are wont to do, and he declared to an Indianappolis radio station that the car in which he learned to drive, a Ford Granada, was the worst car ever to emerge from Motown. The 1975-82 Ford Granada was an absolutely awful car from its baroque styling to its awful build quality. As I entered college in the mid-'80s, I was looking for a used car and a friend's dad had a '79 Granada for sale. I took it for a test drive and after the high beam switch went through the rust hole in the floor, I determined that even $750 was way too much for this hunk. As bad as the Granada was, in an era of Pacers, Cordobas, Vegas and Ford's own Mustang II, can we truly call the Granada the worst of all? You tell us in the comments.
Click either image for a high-res gallery of the Vauxhall VXR8.
Our friends across the pond finally get to enjoy the new LS3 that's currently powering the Pontiac G8 GXP and Holden Commodore HSV, with the revised Vauxhall VXR8. The upgraded V8 has grown from 5,967 cc to 6,162 cc and is producing 425 hp at 6,000 rpm. Coupled with the revised automatic gearbox, 0-60 times drop to 4.9 seconds (from five), and the run from 80 to 100 mph is reduced from 4.3 seconds to four seconds flat. Fuel economy remains the same as the outgoing LS2 and automatic-equipped models now get a transmission cooler standard. The new VXR8 is currently on sale in the UK for £35,695, an extra £485 over the outgoing model.
Click above for high-res gallery of the Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport
The Ford Mondeo has been a well received car in Europe, and Ford says that there's so much demand for high-end models that it's decided to introduce a new top-of-the-line version called the Titanium X Sport. Dubbed "the most desirable Mondeo yet" by Ford, the Titanium X Sport will be available either as a saloon (sedan) or estate (wagon) and be powered by Ford's 2.5L turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine or its 2.2L TDCi diesel mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission. New 18-inch alloy wheels, side skirts and chrome dual exhaust tips add a premium punch to the visuals, while the interior benefits from red stitching on its leather seats, as well as a cow hide-covered steering wheel and shifter. You'll find no wood veneer on this car's instrument panel, as aluminum inserts and piano black inlays give the Mondeo's domicile a more stark and modern feel. There is a "sports suspension", but it appears that the Titanium X Sport is more show than actual go. Buyers will, however, get a nice long list of standard features to keep them company while accelerating to 62 mph in 8.4 seconds in the diesel-powered version.
The current economic environment in the United States is hurting all auto makers these days, even mighty Toyota, which was once considered immune to so-called market realities. Though its overall performance last year would be considered a stellar achievement for any other automaker, Toyota's 28% profit plunge in the fourth quarter of 2007 points to an expected 27% drop in annual profits in 2008. If Toyota's revised forecast proves accurate, 2008 would break a nine-year stretch of profit growth. In addition to the slowing U.S. market, Toyota also cites high material prices, the worldwide credit crunch and a strong yen as contributing factors in its mild downturn.
When the Chevy Cobalt first hit the scene as a 2005 model, it was a much better car than the basic transportation it replaced, but it was still a bit too Cavalier-looking for some. All that is scheduled to change for the 2010 model year, as the bow-tie will unveil a new Cobalt based of the same global 
Pontiac El Cami-"NO"
Spy Shots: Baby Cayenne caught on 'Ring!
First Peek: 2009 Dodge Ram R/T
Spy Shots: Corvette ZR1 attacking the Nurburgring
2008 International Engine of the Year awards announced...
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen
Project Track Slut, Part One: Pick a weapon on the cheap
By the Numbers: April 2008
First Drive: 2008 Shelby GT500KR, Part 2
