The Dodge Hornet is about to be officially a go. Dodge’s Euro B-segment entrant will be produced with Chinese automaker Chery, and won’t have a Chrysler-branded counterpart. The show car, from the 2006 Geneva show, had a supercharged 4-cylinder with 170 hp, and got to 60 in 6.7 seconds. Autocar believes the production version may bow as early as this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though we think that’s a bit optimistic.
The good thing is that the Hornet’s impending production is part of Chrysler’s 3-year, $3-billion product renewal program, which has been “confirmed” since Cerberus bought the company. Though it will likely debut at a European auto show, we have high hopes that Chrysler will bring its Chinese-built B-car to the U.S., as well.
[Source: Autocar]
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The Toyota Land Cruiser has been on the road for more than 27 years, and amassed more than 400,000 miles on its odometer.
In the past three months, it has endured a broken engine mounting, ruptured handbrake cable, broken cross-shaft, damaged power piston and more than a few cosmetic blemishes.
Time to head to the dealership, right?
For Emil and Liliana Schmid, not even close. While driving the 1982 Land Cruiser FJ60 over the past 27-and-a-half years, the Swiss couple has gone through 166 flat tires, 138 spark plugs, 54 shock absorbers, 31 batteries and 22 air filters.
The couple, which embarked on a worldwide travel extravaganza in 1984, hasn’t stopped, and neither has their Land Cruiser. They’ve ridden it through 172 different countries and logged 413,654 miles. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognized them and their vehicle for the longest travel journey, the most miles, and the most countries visited in a single car.
The journey began as a one-year escape from his job as a software developer and hers as a secretary, but it quickly spiraled into one without a return date. So far, they’ve parked the Land Cruiser near Egyptian pyramids and Australia’s Ayers Rock. And everywhere in between.
They’ve been on the road for 9,493 days, according to the meticulously kept statistics on their website, consumed 43,497 gallons of gas and been behind the wheel for 18,482 hours.
Truth be told, they pondered replacing their Land Cruiser once. But after a spirited debate in 2006, they found a place to fix the original in the town of Miri on the island of Borneo, and haven’t regretted the decision one bit.
Thinking about taking an epic journey like the Schmids? We’ve got a few cars that we think will serve you very well while you see the world.
MSRP: $77,955
Given how much success the Schmids have experienced with their 1982 Land Cruiser, we have to recommend the 2013 model.
The Toyota Land Cruiser remains at the top of the class when it comes to luxury and off-road capability. It provides legendary durability and reliability thanks to Toyota’s impressive level of quality control. A 381-hp 5.7-liter V8 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission sends power to the four-wheel drive system. Driving at low speeds on rough or steep terrain, the Crawl Control system automatically controls the vehicle’s engine and brakes which allows the driver to focus on steering
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