Autoblog

The duPont Registry has listed the best cars in eleven categories, and taking the cake for 2009 Car of the Year is the Bugatti Veyron Gran Sport. Other winners, like the ZR1 for Bang for the Buck and Continental Flying Spur Speed for Performance Sedan, make up the usual murderers' row of marques and models. What isn't usual is that in just one year, the total price of all the cars jumped 200% to $4.5 million because of a certain Bug and a Koenigsegg, and that the total horsepower climbed 57%, from 4,276 to 6,723.

Oddly, though, duPont says that the era of hi-po supercars may have peaked, and things could be going green – but neither the list nor the facts on the ground bear it out. Of the eleven cars, only the Tesla and the Ronn Motors Scorpion could be considered green, and one of them doesn't even exist yet. As for the rest, we don't know what the opposite of green is, but none of the nine other cars are expected to have less horsepower in their follow-up guises. Which means there's still time to get some thrills in, as long as you've got at least $110,000 to spend... Check out the full press release after the jump.

[Source: duPont Registry]

The Detroit Free Press laid out ten industry-redefining cars, and we're, well, a little perplexed. This is the definition, in the paper's own words: "a handful of new vehicles that debut over the next 12 months may shape the future of automakers around the world. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some break new ground for their manufacturers. Others aim to reassert companies' dominance in market segments they created."

We don't believe they are ranked in any order, but first up is the Audi A4, with a "beautifully balanced chassis" and bargain price that could put the shakes into everyone from BMW to Acura. The Chevy Traverse might outsell the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave combined. The new Dodge Ram will be ultra smooth, the new Ford F-150 will be more frugal. And so on...

While all of these are worthy accomplishments, none of them -- not even the 2010 Prius nor the 2010 Lincoln MKT -- appears to have any claim to redefining the industry. But follow the link and see for yourself. Maybe we missed something.

[Source: Detroit Free Press via Chevy Traverse Forum]

Employing research that they certainly did not get from AOL Autos, Forbes is at it again with a list of the Top 10 Fastest Fictional Cars. One of the things we find odd about the list is that there are a number of cars included that you can actually buy or make pretty easily, like James Bond's Aston Martin DBS or the General Lee. That, and a lot of cars for sale today are as fast or faster than some fictional ones on the list.

Yet the strangest thing on the list has to be that Lightning McQueen, he of Cars fame, has a 750-horsepower V8 but takes 4.5 seconds to get from 0-to-60. Disney, come on. It's no wonder Lightning had self-esteem issues.

We won't tell you what No. 1 is, but it goes 800-MPH and runs on Energon, which, sadly, Chevron doesn't carry. Click the link for the full rundown, and check out the list of honorable mentions as well, which includes the Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch and the G-6155 Interceptor from the Spy Hunter video game. Thanks for the tip, Benjamin!

[Source: Forbes]

Forbes has a slideshow of the best and worst places to own a car, and you might be surprised at a few of the winners and losers. The rankings are based on the results of Edmunds.com's True Cost to Own (TCO) study. That study takes into account depreciation, financing, insurance, taxes and fees, fuel, maintenance, and repairs, and figures out how much those little costs you rarely consider as a lump sum will really subtract from your bank account over time. (Or pockets or shoeboxes, depending on where you keep your money.)

Depreciation and fuel are, of course, the biggest costs, and insurance can add a fair chunk over time. The difference between the last spot and the first spot on each list wasn't great -- about $4,000 in each case. But the difference between the best place (least expensive) to own a car and the worst place (most expensive) -- which wasn't New York City -- worked out to almost $12,000 over five years. Click the link to see if your state made either list. And if you want to get the TCO for your specific car, then check out the TCO calculator for yourself.

[Source: Forbes]

Using a formula that takes into account what a buyer actually pays for a vehicle, J.D. Power APEAL Survey results and the Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction Survey, Forbes has come up with the 15 vehicles for which you'll probably pay too. The most overpriced vehicle will cost you $7,158 more than it should. For some reason we couldn't see the 15th and final slide, so all we can tell you is that the 14th most overpriced vehicle will run you $2,447 extra.

The number one slot is held by the $37,105 Dodge Ram 2WD Laramie MegaCab, and the penultimate place was occupied by the $27,470 GMC Colorado. The list is dominated by domestic trucks and SUVs -- the only car on the list is the Mercury Grand Marquis (over by $6,480), and the only import is the Nissan Quest SE (over by $3,441). All of them are long in the tooth, on their way out, or about to be replaced. So if you're in the market for any of them, it's buyer beware time.

Since the Forbes equation factors after-purchase survey results that are of the touchy-feely subjective variety, the list is less a rundown of overpriced cars than it is of cars that have inflated purchase prices and with which buyers weren't totally happy. After all, is there anyone who doesn't think the Lamborghini Reventon is grossly overpriced? (But make no mistake, we'd buy all 20 of them if we had the money.)

[Source: Forbes]

About.com has its list of the top 10 fuel efficient cars you'd actually want to, you know, drive -- maybe even be seen driving. It should really be the top 9 cars, because the Acura RSX isn't made any more, and sadly, there are no domestics on it. For that, you have to go to this list, which includes the Ford Focus -- (when did the Focus stop being fun to drive?). And while we're happy about a list of frugal fun that includes the Porsche Boxster, um, when did 24.5 mpg combined start qualifying as frugal?

[Source: About.com]