Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Number of sub-$15k cars in U.S. falls by one-third]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/11/number-of-sub-15k-cars-in-u-s-falls-by-one-third/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/11/number-of-sub-15k-cars-in-u-s-falls-by-one-third/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/11/number-of-sub-15k-cars-in-u-s-falls-by-one-third/#commentsFiled under: , ,

2007 Chevy Aveo LT
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.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheapcheap carcheap carsCheapCarCheapCarschevy aveochevy cobaltChevyAveoChevyCobalthonda fitHondaFitnissan versaNissanVersasuzukitoyota yarisToyotaYarisWed, 11 Jun 2008 08:31:00 EST<![CDATA[Cheaper by the Dozen: the race for the $3000 car]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/23/cheaper-by-the-dozen-the-race-for-the-3000-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/23/cheaper-by-the-dozen-the-race-for-the-3000-car/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/23/cheaper-by-the-dozen-the-race-for-the-3000-car/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Reporting on one luxury car hitting the market after another and a seemingly endless race for the latest in technological breakthroughs, it seems hard to believe, but the fiercest competition in the automotive industry is emerging in the ultra-low cost segment. As markets like India and China continue to develop, their billions of citizens are moving up from bicycles and scooters to low-cost cars, and the sticker prices keep getting lower and lower.

Four years ago, India-based Tata Motors vowed to make a car which will sell for $2500. It seemed like a joke at the time, but that car is almost ready to hit the market, and the competitors are getting ready to put up a fight. With its bare-bones Logan sedan, Renault has the leg up on other automakers including Toyota, Volkswagen, Fiat, PSA and GM Daewoo, which are all preparing to get in on the low-cost market.

Carmakers are keeping costs down by developing the cars in India, and though the profit margins are dramatically lower than in premium segments, the companies are clamoring to establish their footholds in the emerging markets and hope that the volume will make it all worthwhile.

While the ultra-affordable subcompacts are being designed with developing countries in mind, automakers are surprised to find their no-frills offerings are being received well even in Europe, where customers see the savings as a worthwhile alternative to spending thousands more on higher-priced cars. Standard safety features and emissions control mean that a car that would cost $3000 in India costs $6-7000 in a Western country, but even at those prices the cheap imports undercut anything else on the market by thousands. It's being hailed as an impending revolution in the automotive industry every bit as pivotal as was the Ford Model T.

[Source: Business Week]

Cheaper by the Dozen: the race for the $3000 car originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 07:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>$2500$3000affordablebusinesscarcheapchinadaciaindialogantataweekMon, 23 Apr 2007 07:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Cheapest Ferraris of 2006]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/08/cheapest-ferraris-of-2006/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/08/cheapest-ferraris-of-2006/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/08/cheapest-ferraris-of-2006/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



We all laughed when Ferrari announced at the recent LA Auto Show that the company would not be developing a "cheap" Ferrari. It was a play on words, because every industry insider has told us that a new entry-level sports car from Maranello is in the works. But Ferrari's right - even if the new model is the least expensive car with a galloping horse on the grille, it still won't be cheap.

Most things, however, get cheap if you wait long enough, and Ferraris are no different. Sports Car Market has assembled a slide show that reveals the Top Ten Cheapest Ferraris of 2006, ranging from a 1986 Ferrari 412i Coupe with 87,500 miles that went for $14,964 at auction to a nice 1980 Ferrari 308 GTBi with only 3,483 miles that someone nabbed for $50,600. There's one Testarossa in the bunch, a white (eww) model from 1987 with 80,270 miles that was won for $42,000. Sure, $15,000 for a car from 1986 with almost 88,000 miles is no bargain, but it's probably one of the cheapest Ferrari ever made.

[Source: Sports Car Market]

Cheapest Ferraris of 2006 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Dec 2006 16:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2006auctioncheapferrariinexpensiveFri, 08 Dec 2006 16:51:00 EST<![CDATA[From the horse's mouth: There is no cheap Ferrari]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/30/from-the-horses-mouth-there-is-no-cheap-ferrari/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/30/from-the-horses-mouth-there-is-no-cheap-ferrari/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/30/from-the-horses-mouth-there-is-no-cheap-ferrari/#commentsFiled under: ,



Today Ferrari laid to rest rumors that it is developing a successor to the Dino, a so-called "cheap" Ferrari... sort of. In a nutshell, a member of management (who is that guy, anybody?) made it clear that the automaker is "not developing a cheap Ferrari." Whether that means the idea of a new Dino is dead or just that no Ferrari should ever be considered cheap is up for debate.

Our transcript of his remarks, deciphered through a thick Italian accent, can be read after the jump.

Related posts:

Continue reading From the horse's mouth: There is no cheap Ferrari

From the horse's mouth: There is no cheap Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cheapdinoferrariThu, 30 Nov 2006 15:14:00 EST<![CDATA[13s in the quarter for $1300 - and 30 MPG, too]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/13s-in-the-quarter-for-1300-and-30-mpg-too/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/13s-in-the-quarter-for-1300-and-30-mpg-too/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/27/13s-in-the-quarter-for-1300-and-30-mpg-too/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Chrysler's "A Platform" hasn't ever received a whole lot of respect from gearheads, but aside from serving as a useful bridge between the K-car and the cab-forward LH, it also spawned the Dodge Spirit R/T. Acceleration came courtesy of the ubiquitous 2.2 L inline four, but topped with a DOHC 16-valve head, and turbocharged and intercooled for good measure. 224 hp was the result, which matched most domestic V8s of the day.

Positioned in the marketplace against other early-90s four-door rocketships such as the Ford Taurus SHO, Chevrolet Lumina Z34, and Nissan Maxima, it was capable of blasting to 60 MPH from a standing start in less than six seconds. Chrysler called it the "fastest sedan built in America", and even today it'd hold its own against any number of other performance sedans in straight line acceleration.

Less than 1,500 of the R/T models were built in '91 and '92, and so the odds of coming across one are slim. The son of Mopar Action's Rich Ehrenberg managed to score one for $1000, though, and threw another $300 at it to run flat 13s at 103 MPH. Oh, yea, and the head gasket wasn't fixed, either. The details here are sketchy - it appears as if we'll have to wait for an upcoming issue of Mopar Action to learn more - but being that the Spirit R/T is a turbocharged car, we're guessing that turning up the wick was a simple matter of wastegate manipulation to increase the boost, and then it became an issue of finding some tires to hook up that power.

[Source: Mopar Action]

13s in the quarter for $1300 - and 30 MPG, too originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Aug 2006 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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