Whats your car of the decade.
01-06-10, 03:38 PM
#76
If you are going to look at factory-designed chopped/lowered roofs as contenders, then the Dodge Magnum and Chrysler 300 actually started that trend before the CLS and VW CC had them....although, of course, the Magnums and 300s were more squared-off instead of the CLS humpback-whale shape.
However, only the CLS was called a four door coupe.....and it has been coped by others like the Volkswagon CC. Even our 3GS has a low coupe-like silhouette that is derived from that CLS.
Last edited by Ice350; 01-06-10 at 03:45 PM.
01-08-10, 11:38 PM
#78
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http://www.google.com/hostednews/can...XtryiTllVv5KUA
Toyota Prius ranks top-selling car in Japan last year - first time hybrid clinches spot
TOKYO — The Toyota Prius was the top-selling car in Japan last year - the first time a gas-electric hybrid has clinched that spot.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday that Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius was No. 1 in its ranking of sales by vehicle models - with 208,876 Prius cars sold in 2009, nearly three times the numbers sold the previous year.
The big success of the Prius in the home market for Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, highlights the growing consumer acceptance of green vehicles.
Hybrid sales already make up about 10 per cent of new vehicle sales in Japan.
That's huge compared to other global markets, where hybrids are eye-catching but remain a relatively niche product. Green Car Congress, which researches and compiles reports on green technology, said hybrids have a 2.8 per cent share of new vehicle sales in the U.S.
But car owners around the world may be about to embrace not only hybrids but also plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, which are even greener than the Prius.
The competition in green autos is expected to heighten as new models from other automakers are expected in 2010, including the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle from General Motors Co.
So far, the Prius reigns supreme in Japan.
It easily outsold the No. 2 hybrid, the Honda Insight, at 93,283 for the year, and ranking fifth in overall Japan sales.
Coming in second for overall car sales was Honda Motor Co.'s Fit, followed by the Toyota Vitz. Both aren't hybrids but are small and fuel efficient models.
Green models have gotten a huge lift this year in Japan from a government cash-for-clunkers program and tax breaks, aimed at boosting sales during a global slowdown that has seriously hurt Japanese automakers.
The Prius was the top-selling model for every month from May last year - the month when an upgraded version hit showrooms. It is so popular buyers must wait weeks to get their Prius. Demand for the Prius has also been strong in the U.S.
"The numbers speak for themselves," said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo. "The Prius represents the ideal package people in Japan are looking for in terms of environmental and driving performance."
The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the world, racking up a cumulative 1.6 million units sold so far, according to Toyota.
The new Prius gets a combined 50 miles per gallon, compared with 46 mpg for the 2009 model, according to Toyota.
It does even better under Japanese government testing standards, at 38 kilometres per litre, which converts to 90 miles per gallon.
Hybrids, by going back and forth between a gasoline engine and electric motor, tend to offer better mileage in slow-speed and stop-and-go driving common on Japanese streets, rather than on highways - just the reverse of conventional cars.
In an effort to ride out the competition of rivals, Toyota has also kept prices down on the Prius - starting at $22,000, unchanged from the base price for the 2009 model, and a more basic U.S. model starting at $21,000. In Japan, the Prius starts at 2.05 million yen, or about $22,000.
Japan's auto market has been stagnant for decades, and the perk from hybrid sales is a bright spot amid overall dismal demand.
Auto sales in Japan declined to their lowest level in 38 years last year, slumping 9 per cent to 2.9 million vehicles, and falling below 3 million units for the first time since 1971, according to the association earlier this week.
Japanese automakers are looking to emerging markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia to keep demand going as prospects for growth are also weak in the U.S. and Europe.
Toyota Prius ranks top-selling car in Japan last year - first time hybrid clinches spot
TOKYO — The Toyota Prius was the top-selling car in Japan last year - the first time a gas-electric hybrid has clinched that spot.
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday that Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius was No. 1 in its ranking of sales by vehicle models - with 208,876 Prius cars sold in 2009, nearly three times the numbers sold the previous year.
The big success of the Prius in the home market for Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, highlights the growing consumer acceptance of green vehicles.
Hybrid sales already make up about 10 per cent of new vehicle sales in Japan.
That's huge compared to other global markets, where hybrids are eye-catching but remain a relatively niche product. Green Car Congress, which researches and compiles reports on green technology, said hybrids have a 2.8 per cent share of new vehicle sales in the U.S.
But car owners around the world may be about to embrace not only hybrids but also plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, which are even greener than the Prius.
The competition in green autos is expected to heighten as new models from other automakers are expected in 2010, including the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle from General Motors Co.
So far, the Prius reigns supreme in Japan.
It easily outsold the No. 2 hybrid, the Honda Insight, at 93,283 for the year, and ranking fifth in overall Japan sales.
Coming in second for overall car sales was Honda Motor Co.'s Fit, followed by the Toyota Vitz. Both aren't hybrids but are small and fuel efficient models.
Green models have gotten a huge lift this year in Japan from a government cash-for-clunkers program and tax breaks, aimed at boosting sales during a global slowdown that has seriously hurt Japanese automakers.
The Prius was the top-selling model for every month from May last year - the month when an upgraded version hit showrooms. It is so popular buyers must wait weeks to get their Prius. Demand for the Prius has also been strong in the U.S.
"The numbers speak for themselves," said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco in Tokyo. "The Prius represents the ideal package people in Japan are looking for in terms of environmental and driving performance."
The Prius, now in its third generation since its 1997 introduction, is the best-selling gas-electric hybrid in the world, racking up a cumulative 1.6 million units sold so far, according to Toyota.
The new Prius gets a combined 50 miles per gallon, compared with 46 mpg for the 2009 model, according to Toyota.
It does even better under Japanese government testing standards, at 38 kilometres per litre, which converts to 90 miles per gallon.
Hybrids, by going back and forth between a gasoline engine and electric motor, tend to offer better mileage in slow-speed and stop-and-go driving common on Japanese streets, rather than on highways - just the reverse of conventional cars.
In an effort to ride out the competition of rivals, Toyota has also kept prices down on the Prius - starting at $22,000, unchanged from the base price for the 2009 model, and a more basic U.S. model starting at $21,000. In Japan, the Prius starts at 2.05 million yen, or about $22,000.
Japan's auto market has been stagnant for decades, and the perk from hybrid sales is a bright spot amid overall dismal demand.
Auto sales in Japan declined to their lowest level in 38 years last year, slumping 9 per cent to 2.9 million vehicles, and falling below 3 million units for the first time since 1971, according to the association earlier this week.
Japanese automakers are looking to emerging markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia to keep demand going as prospects for growth are also weak in the U.S. and Europe.
02-26-10, 01:00 PM
#79
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Seems like Robb Report agrees with my selection
The time has come for luxury mag Robb Report to issue its latest Car of the Year. Being that the end of 2009 also marks the end of a tidy little decade, the editors at the magazine took the opportunity to bestow one important car with the title Car of the Decade – the first time in the 17 years that Robb Report has been handing out automotive awards that it's granted two in one year. So, who won?
First up is the Car of the Year, which goes out to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In taking the award, the SLS AMG beat out 11 other worthy contenders to the throne. Certainly not a terrible choice by any means, though this particular writer has yet to find himself lodged behind the Gullwing's leather-wrapped steering wheel. Moving on, then.
Robb Report's Car of the Decade trophy has been awarded to the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. A good choice? Click here to refresh your memory on what it's like to pilot a $2,000,000 drop-top cruise missile. Yeah, as good a choice as any, we'd say. Click past the break to read more commentary from the magazine and click here to visit the new RobbReport.tv, where you'll see a series of videos recorded during the crew's testing in Napa Valley.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/r...of-the-year-b/
First up is the Car of the Year, which goes out to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. In taking the award, the SLS AMG beat out 11 other worthy contenders to the throne. Certainly not a terrible choice by any means, though this particular writer has yet to find himself lodged behind the Gullwing's leather-wrapped steering wheel. Moving on, then.
Robb Report's Car of the Decade trophy has been awarded to the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. A good choice? Click here to refresh your memory on what it's like to pilot a $2,000,000 drop-top cruise missile. Yeah, as good a choice as any, we'd say. Click past the break to read more commentary from the magazine and click here to visit the new RobbReport.tv, where you'll see a series of videos recorded during the crew's testing in Napa Valley.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/02/26/r...of-the-year-b/
That said I can totally understand the Bugatti's win. It truly is something!
02-26-10, 01:11 PM
#81
Lexus Fanatic
Thread Starter
Now my DVR collection of car videos is the following
1. Making of 500 GTB Fiorano
2. MAking of Murcielago LP670
3. Making of a Roll Royce Phantom
4. making of Murcielago LP 670 SV
5. making of the Bugatti Veyron
02-26-10, 07:51 PM
#82
Lexus Champion
I think they Bugatti Veyron is the "best" car of the decade, but the honor of "THE" car of the decade goes to Toyota's Prius IMHO.
Hybrids, hybrids, hybrids. It's all we here about the future of cars and all of that is because of the success of the Prius. With the exception of Honda, no one thought this technology was viable or profitable. Toyota proved everyone wrong and now they are the leader in hybrid sales.
Hybrids, hybrids, hybrids. It's all we here about the future of cars and all of that is because of the success of the Prius. With the exception of Honda, no one thought this technology was viable or profitable. Toyota proved everyone wrong and now they are the leader in hybrid sales.
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