Ryan Mickle, seen above and apparently afraid of no ghosts, has had a change of heart since purchasing his Range Rover Sport new in 2006. Since then, gas prices have shot through the roof and fighting climate change has become a favorite global pastime. Seeing that his SUV gets about 13 mpg, Ryan doesn't want to drive it, doesn't want to sell it and doesn't want anyone else to get behind the wheel -- ever. Trouble is, he's not quite sure how to go about it just yet. So, he wants you to help him decide the fate of his SUV. A few initial ideas: catapult it into the Pacific Ocean, blow it up or convert it to a run on either electrons or biodiesel.
We're hoping that common sense wins out here and the vehicle is somehow saved from such an inauspicious fate as being merely blown to shreds -- after all, that's not very eco-friendly either. While a biodiesel conversion might be fun, we'll put our official vote on the EV idea. Yank the engine, drop in a nice electric motor and some decent batteries in the rear cargo area... presto-chango, problem solved. Well, maybe it's a bit more complicated than that. Watch Ryan's video after the break. Thanks for the tip, everyone!
click above image for a high-res gallery of the Chevy Tahoe 2-mode Hybrid
We've been waiting for General Motors to step up to the plate with its own incentives now that Ford has offered employee pricing on its F-Series trucks and Dodge has offered $2.99 fuel to go along with its various incentives for the Ram. It seems that GM has finally anted up and increased the incentives for the Silverado, Avalanche and Sierra trucks, along with the Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade and Suburban. The pickups all get $2,000 in customer cash to go along with an extra $3,000 if you already own a GM product for a total of $5,000 total off the sticker price. Those shopping for an SUV will even get an extra grand. In what may be an even larger sign of the times, for the first time ever GM's hybrid Tahoe and Yukon get $4,000 off, but only if you already own a product from the General.
If you want to get in on the savings and don't mind guzzling some gas, you have until June 7 to make it to your nearest Chevrolet or GMC dealer. No rush, we doubt there'll be a line.
Thinking of trading your gas-guzzling SUV in for something smaller, a bit more fuel efficient? You are not alone. The rocketing cost of gasoline, and diesel fuel, is having a ripple effect on the SUV market. With consumers trading in their behemoths by the thousands in exchange for more frugal transportation, dealers are stuck with a surplus of unwanted sport-utes sitting on their lots with values dissolving.
Diesel-burning trucks aren't immune either. As diesel fuel costs hovering about fifty cents per-gallon above gasoline, some of the bigger oil-burning SUVs and trucks are losing measurable resale by the day. Overall, according to CNW Marketing Research, used SUV sales were down 14% in March alone. With any surplus, come big discounts. It may be a ghastly time to fill a 30-gallon tank on an SUV, but it is the perfect time to negotiate with a dealer for that seven-passenger family truckster you've been fancying. No need to hurry -- there will be an even better selection tomorrow.
Word just came in from General Motors that the automaker will be reducing shifts at four different plants that produce its full-size trucks and SUVs in an effort to bring production "in line with market demand". The output slowdown will begin on July 14th at GM's Flint, Janesville and Pontiac assembly plants, which produce the Chevy Heavy-Duty Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado and GMC Yukon, Yukon XL and Sierra. The Oshawa truck plant will also be affected starting Sept. 8th. All told, the shift reductions will nix 80,000 full-size pickups and 50,000 full-size SUVs from GM's North American production capacity.
According to GM, both vehicles have lost ground in the market across the industry, with sales of full-size pickups dropping 15-percent and SUVs down 26-percent for the first quarter of 2008. This isn't surprising considering the cost of fuel right now and the subsequent reduced demand for larger vehicles. GM didn't provide specifics about how this would affect workers, only saying that it will "result in lower staffing requirements at all four plants," and that the details "would be worked out over the next several weeks with the UAW and CAW."
Naturally, GM felt the need to brighten up the lackluster announcement by highlighting that car and CUV sales are up. However, it hasn't made a decision to boost output of either type of vehicle in lieu of said increased demand. Check out GM's full press release after the jump.
These are amateur shots of what is claimed to be the new Infiniti FX55. The front has been given the curvy treatment that is lately a mark of Nissan's design language, with the fenders pulled up like wings over the front wheels. The grill is the same rounded, convex trapezoid found on the G37, but beneath it the bumper juts out like an underbite, all of which is supported by a receding chin. From the side it looks like the car has pulled its hood back to snarl, like a canine.
A sleek, segmented headlight housing wraps around to the sides, almost Ford Verve-like. The profile stays pretty much the same, which is good, since it's one of the rare SUV's that has managed to be sleek and stylish. Out back, it looks like there's a bit more curve added across the rear, and the tail lights get a similar, segmented design treatment.
The "55" moniker could indicate a new 5.5-liter V8, or something completely different and as-yet-unknown. The new FX is rumored to debut at the Geneva Auto Show in a few months.
Hybrid vehicles still don't make much sense for automakers. The cost of the technology is more than what consumers are willing to pay and in many cases the fuel-saving benefits can be achieved with a simple diesel motor (at least in Europe). Because of this, coming up with the right sticker price can be a major stumbling block. Price it too high and no one will want to buy your hybrid, but discount it too much and money will be lost on every model sold.
GM got into a spot of bother recently when alleged prices for its new full-size hybrids SUVs were released on its website last month. The problem was that the listed prices "were too low" according to GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan. The Chevy Tahoe 4-Door two-wheel drive hybrid was listed at $47,915 and the four-wheel drive was listed at $50,720. The GMC Yukon two-wheel drive hybrid came in at $48,370.
The 'correct' prices are scheduled to be announced next week, though Popular Mechanics already have the two listed as $49,270 for the Yukon Hybrid 2WD and $48,815 for the Tahoe Hybrid 2WD. If that's the case, then the prices accidentally released last month weren't off by all that much.
Pop quiz: if you're driving an H2 and you see a sign forbidding vehicles above 6,000 pounds to use a street, do you avoid that street? Neither does anyone else. In a sarcastic, meandering article touching on carbon dioxide, gasoline, SUV-haters, municipal codes, and testosterone, the LA Times looks at the genesis of road weight restrictions and how SUV's trample on them.
The California Motor Vehicle Code has all sorts of byzantine rules applicable to different kinds of trucks and what roads they can use. Certain roads and bridges are explicitly off limits to vehicles weighing more than three tons. But those rules were made when nobody expected the random businessman, housewife, or athlete to be driving a vehicle weighing more than three tons just for the heck of it. (FYI, a half-ton Suburban weighs more than 7,000 pounds before the first soccer mom gets in.)
But in spite of the proverbial legal limbo, a city spokesman said the rule applies, in general, to "business and commercial trucks." Even better, he was backed up by a pickup-truck-driving LAPD officer who let everyone off the hook by saying "We are not going to cite somebody for driving an SUV down the street." Roll on, ladies and gentlemen, roll on.
Today Ford announced pricing for both of its redesigned compact sport utility vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape and 2008 Mercury Mariner. The Escape will start at $19,245, including $665 for destination charges, which is $740 less than the base price of the current model. The Mariner begins at $21,345, again including $665 for destination, which is $460 less than the current model. Across each lineup, Escape prices will drop an average of $1,100 and Mariner prices $1,300. The hybrid versions of each model will also see their prices drop. The Ford Escape Hybrid falls from $26,320 to $25,740, while the Mariner Hybrid drops from $28,615 to $26,430.
Obviously both the Escape and Mariner are all new for 2008, which means you're getting more for less if you've waited this long to buy either.
2008 Ford Escape: $19,245 (inc. $665 destination) 2008 Ford Escape XLT V6: $22,545 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: $25,740
For all it's flashy orange hue and muscular styling, nobody seems to much care about the Volkswagen Tiguan as it just cruises around. Looks pretty bitchin' to us, though, with that hulking profile and flared out fenders. You certainly don't think "prettied-up tall Golf" when you watch the video. The Tiguan is intended to take on the RAV-4 and CR-V, as well as European competition from the likes of BMW and Volvo. The Tiguan's end of the CUV market is heating up, and it will be interesting to watch how VW positions it in terms of pricing and options. Oh, and dig that "Clean TDI" diesel clatter we hear at the end.
General Motors and Ford Motor Company minivan sales are being hit hard. The two automakers, in addition to others, are being faced with declining sales (to the tune of 9.6 percent so far this year) in the segment long preferred by soccer moms who didn't hop on the SUV bandwagon. Taking the place of minivans are cars, which are more fuel-efficient, and crossovers, which boast SUV-like styling with the handling and fuel efficiency closer to that of a car than an SUV.
Things aren't so terribly bad for the imports, but GM and Ford are suffering heavily. Down 35.8 percent and 30.3 percent respectively in the minivan segment, GM and Ford are hoping their crossovers can woo former minivan and SUV owners alike.
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