Autoblog

GM unveils three futuristic, urban EN-V concepts

John Neff — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:06:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, China, Hatchback, GM, Electric

GM EN-V concepts - Click above for high-res image gallery

Today General Motors unveiled a trio of EN-V concepts that showcase the automaker's idea for a new global, urban mobility vehicle. Developed in conjunction with its partner in China, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., the EN-V concepts build on last year's P.U.M.A. project that was developed with help from the balancing-on-two-wheels experts at Segway. Each of the three EN-Vs, which stands for Electric Networked-Vehicle, sports a different design. Why three? The various shapes demonstrate the flexibility of the electric drivetrain and are supposed to express three different characteristics: Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh). Jiao (the bubbly blue one) was designed in Austrlia by Holden, Miao (the blocky black one) was designed at GM's studio in California and Xiao (the streaky red one) was designed in Europe.

The EN-V concepts are GM's solution for the congested urban centers in which we're all likely to live by 2030. Their all-electric, two-wheel drivetrains take care of the emissions problem. They're also fitted with the latest GPS, vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity and an array of sensors and cameras that allow fully autonomous driving. The effect of all this tech is less congestion on city roads and the virtual elimination of accidents. Zero emissions, zero traffic jams and zero accidents - the future's looking bright!

Lithium ion batteries will take each EN-V up to 40 kilometers on a charge, which isn't that hard considering they only weigh 1,100 pounds. And since they're each less than five feet long, up to five times more of them can fit in a parking lot than your average car of today. Do they look as fun to drive as a Porsche Cayman? No, but driving a Porsche Cayman in a congested city center isn't all that much fun anyway. If we all end up living on top of each other, these little electric runabouts might be the best way to go.

The EN-Vs will be on display at the SAIC-GM Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai beginning in May. Feel free to follow the jump for GM's official press release that talks more about what our crowded future will look like and how the EN-V will help.

Gallery: GM EN-V concepts

[Source: General Motors]

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GM unveils three futuristic, urban EN-V concepts originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 10:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Number of sub-$15k cars in U.S. falls by one-third

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Budget

Click above for more high-res shots of the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo

Every year, cars get just a bit more expensive. There was a time, which doesn't seem too long ago, that ten grand and a signature was all you needed to walk out of a dealership as the owner of a brand new car. Today, not so much. In fact, according to J.D. Power and Associates, $15,000 gets you just two-thirds of the choices you had just two years ago. Holding up the bottom of the list is the Chevrolet Aveo, which, along with the base-model Cobalt, makes GM the only American player in the cheap-car sweepstakes. The 2009 Aveo, however, has a higher base price than before thanks to the elimination of the lowest price value model. The Koreans in the form of Hyundai and Kia offer three choices, and the remaining five slots are ably filled by Japanese manufacturers.

While there may be a few more vehicles that have base prices below the $15,000 mark, J.D. Power's numbers actually reflect transaction prices rather than MSRPs. Some vehicles, like the Honda Fit, are able to maintain some driving enjoyment to go along with their low prices, and these cars often command higher prices because of the demand for them.

Gallery: Autoblog Garage - 2007 Chevy Aveo

[Source: JD Power via Winding Road]

Number of sub-$15k cars in U.S. falls by one-third originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barrett-Jackson: The bargains

Frank Filipponio — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions

click above image to see gallery and info of 10 bargains at Barrett-Jackson

Although the million dollar muscle cars are what steal all of the headlines, the Barrett-Jackson auction has so much more to offer. You don't need to be stocking your own personal museum or have a race team or Fortune 500 company with your name on it, either. For those people who roll into Scottsdale early in the week, there are actually bargains to be had. Normal folks like us. Now the cars might not be the rarest of the rare, but they are basically the same shapes and sizes as those six-and-seven-figure dream rides. They might require a bit more elbow grease to get ready for prime time, but there are some fun cars that fly in below the Speed radar every day at B-J. Take the jump for a sampling of some of the fun cars that went for reasonable prices early on. You can get live results and lot listings at the Barrett-Jackson website. Check out our gallery of 10 bargains at Barrett-Jackson to see if you can afford anything that's crossed the auction block so far.

[Source: Barrett-Jackson]

Gallery: Bargains at 36th Annual Barrett-Jackson Auction

Barrett-Jackson: The bargains originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Testing a full slate of cheap cars

Frank Filipponio — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:26:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Chevrolet, Honda, Kia, Nissan, Saturn, Toyota

They miss the Yugo, godblessum. Those wacky guys at Slate long for the days when a new car could be had for less than the price of a modern television set. Surveying the bargain basement offerings of the automotive world, they found that only the Chevy Aveo can be had for under 10 grand, let alone the four thousand bucks a Yugo stickered for 20 years ago. Even at an adjusted-for-inflation price of $7500, the Yugo GV earns its initials and indeed represents a Great Value. Well, you get what you pay for. Anyway, Slate rounded up a field of econoboxes for a brief comparison test to see what you can realistically expect at the bottom end of the scale.

Slate's Seth Stevenson, an admitted cheapskate who drives a '96 Saturn with 103,000 miles on it, laments the fact that the lowest rung of the car market actually spans $12,000 to $17,000 nowadays. But what exactly do you get for that much cash? More than some might guess in a few cases. Mainly in response to escalating gas prices, several automakers have brought thrifty new models out to make the bargain hunters happy. Slate tried out the Saturn Ion, the Kia Rio, the Nissan Versa, the Scion xA, the Toyota Yaris, and the Honda Fit. When he went in to rent a Chevy Aveo, the counter agent told him, "You do not want to drive that car." So he skipped it. We don't want to spoil the rankings, but after trying cars that were too boring, too jerky, and even too flashy, he finally found one that was a perfect fit. Click through for the car-by-car reviews.

Thanks for helping us fill our slate, smj!

[Source: Slate]

Testing a full slate of cheap cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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