Autoblog

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.

Thanks to Jim for the tip!

[Source: U.S. News and World Report]

There's probably a few clunkers in DaVinci's sketchbook, too. Looking more gnarled than Van Gogh's Potato Eaters hand studies, Ivan Volkov's Porsche Traveller concept picks up design ideas from the Matchbox Fandango, though it doesn't look like the spare wheel on the Traveller incorporates Rolamatic action. Rather than heap massive derision on Volkov's renderings, it would be interesting to get a deeper explanation of the design goals and features incorporated in this car. The SUV/CUV appears to have a pickup-like division between the front and rear body sections, and one thing's for sure, it's got absolutely no chance of seeing production without much further refinement. We'll grant that the Cayenne isn't the most classically handsome conveyance to roll out of Zuffenhausen, but Volkov's Traveller is exponentially more polarizing.


[Source: Concept Salad via Carscoop]

Tina Turner is one of the most successful performing and recording artists of all time. She's won eight Grammies, hit the Billboard Top 10 seven times and sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. Unfortunately she never learned how to drive stick, but having sold over 180 million records, she could well afford (and as The Queen of the Rock & Roll could hardly afford not) to buy a Lamborghini. So Turner bought an LM002, the Lamborghini of sport-utility vehicles, and had the original Countach V12 ripped out and swapped for a V8 out of a Mercedes E500 with an automatic transmission.

Naturally, the retrofit also included a thumpin' entertainment system, including a 1500-Watt Blaupunkt stereo and a whole load of lights and mirrors. The conversion originally cost twice the value of the truck itself, at 150,000 deutschemarks. The truck has been workin' for the man every night and day ever since, but now it could be your very own private dancer, a dancer for money: the vehicle is on the market for Є179,000. Seems like a fair price for a unique and storied vehicle: we've seen Lamborghini-powered Audis, but never a Mercedes-powered Lambo.

[Source: Autobild via German Car Blog]

We've finally poked our respective heads out of our interweb caves and unleashed episode 67 of the Autoblog podcast upon the world. We've been pretty nutty lately with our new, improved site design and our groundbreaking car giveaway, so please forgive our delay at getting back to this. Our first delightful round of witty repartee centers around the excellent spy shots from the last couple weeks, and more specifically Jaguar's new Starship Enterprise looking shift selector. Expanding on the abundance of uberteched European cars, we carp for a while on the proliferation of new and ill-conceived user interface paradigms. Coming back to native shores, we touch on the new CTS-V, which will eschew the need for bumper nuts by a conspicuously bulged hood hiding a supercharged V8 capable of roasting the competition. Speaking of big power, we touch on the rumored NSX mule running around the Nurburgring in S2000 drag, and then concede that we really have no idea. Again, we come back to the US after a quick jaunt to the Continent, and discuss the upcoming Chevy version of GM's Lambda CUV. We're split on whether that's a good idea or not, but we all agree that the Utes themselves are a great product from the General. What the heck, let's go back across the Atlantic to close it out with insane VAG concepts at the Worthersee gathering in Austria, which saw the unveiling of a mid engine twin turbo GTI, the Audi TT Clubsport design study, and the Pirelli Edition GTI that is a real production car. We decided to only consume about 37 minutes of your time, as we'll be back soon. Enjoy the show!

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The entry price for the Hyundai Veracruz has been set at $26,305* for a GLS, which is no vinyl-seated, three-on-the-tree stripper. For just over 25 grand, you get Hyundai's grunty 3.8 liter V6, standard ESC and ABS, a nifty stereo system, and alloy rims to name but some of the standard bag of tricks. Going full boat for the Limited will raise the bottom line to just over $34k, but considering that the GLS has almost everything you'd want right from the get-go, we can only imagine the smorgasbord of stuff in the mid-range SE model and range-topping Limited.

These unibody midsizers are seemingly the neo-family-wagon, so this segment is generating lots of heat right now. The Veracruz is in the same sandbox as the Mazda CX-9, GM Lambda cousins, Toyota Highlander and the like, but Hyundai's press materials call out more expensive models like the Lexus RX and Mercedes GL. We know this move, as Hyundai pulls it time and time again. The Korean company packs a model with uplevel content and more standard safety and convenience features than its immediate competition can match. Thus, customers are more likely to compare it with more expensive models and marvel at its low, low price. Genius, just genius. We're eager to get one in the Autoblog Garage.

• Veracruz GLS FWD $26,305
• Veracruz GLS AWD $28,005
• Veracruz SE FWD $28,005
• Veracruz SE AWD $29,705
• Veracruz Limited FWD $32,305
• Veracruz Limited AWD $34,005

*$690 destination charge not included

[Source: KickingTires]

Click the image above for a full sized galllery.

Volvo introduced the XC60 concept last night here at the Detroit Auto Show as a way to appeal to the thirtysomething loft-dwelling crowd (drawing on the momentum of the C30, no doubt), and the Swedes also want to make a design statement in the process. "If today you can see that it's a Volvo from 50 meters, I want to make that figure twice as big" says Volvo chief designer Steve Mattin, the XC60 accomplishes this via a strongly-stated grille and slanted headlamps that will make their way onto other future Volvos. Other notable exterior features include a rear tailgate that can be lifted independently of the rear hatch (allowing the loading of small cargo with minimum hassle) and a transparent roof panel.

More impressions and a press release can be found after the jump.



For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

The little Freelander may have been overpriced and downright ugly by U.S. standards... but at least Land Rover was listening. The second-generation version of Land Rover's littlest ute will instead take the alphanumeric name of LR2 and boast design and utility bennies more suited to the American crowd. At the British Motor Show, Land Rover will officially take the wraps off of the grown-up Freelander, which is two inches longer than its predecessor, sports a 3.2-liter V6 that produces 230 horsepower, and puts the power to the ground with a six speed manual (an automatic will be available for those of you who can put the other hand to better use). Styling is also much more heavily based on the vehicle's bigger stablemates, the LR3 and Range Rover, as the pictures we previewed yesterday indicate.

[Source: AutoWeek]

We were on hand to watch Honda executive VP Dick Colliver preside over the official debut of the Honda Element SC. Painted approximately the color of root beer, the various exterior and interior tweaks definitely represent an improvement for the box-shaped SUV (more details here). Honda sees the target audience as young men who are looking for a means of expression, which likely means that suburban baby-boomers will love it.

More high-res shots after the jump...

There are plenty more photos of the Element SC after the jump; each pic is a thumbnail that links to a higher-res version.

While there weren’t any fireworks, models or laser light shows involved with Mazda’s unveiling of the seven-passenger CX-9 in New York today, the sport utility’s sheer size guaranteed a big entrance. Set to go on sale in early 2007, the CX-9 has the largest third-row seat in its class and a lot of room for ingress into the back-back seat.

The CX-9 will also feature Ford’s new six-speed auto and a derivation of the Blue Oval’s new 3.5L V6, which Mazda is giving a preliminary power rating of 250 hp. That’s a conservative estimate, expect that number to rise before the CX-9 hits the street. Available in Sport, Touring and Grand Touring trim, the CX-9 will offer some degree of Zoom-Zoom at each level. All models gets Dynamic Stability Control, Roll Stability Control and ABS with brakeforce distribution.

GM is now making inroads into the large unibody SUV market with the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, and now Mazda is adding its CX-9 to the mix. We’ve shown you both the Outlook and CX-9 at the show… so which would you choose if you needed three rows and preferred a V6?

After the jump there’s more pics and a press release for you viewing pleasure…

It's no secret that SUVs (and their owners) have been vilified at a rising rate roughly commensurate with the escalation of gas prices. No strangers to this debate, most Autoblog staffers believe that they occupy a valuable niche for owners who use them regularly in a manner consistent with their construction (read: hauling all and sundry over hill and dale), and champion the arrival of improved and new models regularly.

That said, we're also firmly of the mindset that a goodly number of consumers fell under the spell of the SUV's charms without issuing themselves a reality check vis-a-vis their daily needs. As such, we welcome the market correction that has seen owners moving to vehicles that more accurately meet their needs-- be they spatial, dynamic or social.

As a result of all this, the SUV segment has been under tremendous social and political pressure as of late, but a champion of the genre has arisen in the form of the web-based SUV Owners of America organization. The San Francisco Chronicle's Vicki Haddock takes a look at the group and its goals, and it's a worthwhile read regardless of which camp you pitch your tent in.

Have a look here.