2012 Chevrolet Sonic Preview

 

2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Photo by Joe NuxollGallery

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Things are going to get very interesting a bit later this year when the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic subcompact sedan and five-door hatchback hit the market. 2011 Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta already own a good piece of the pie, but Chevy is counting on Sonic’s appeal to win over some of the competitors’ buyers – and then some.
But it’s not just a trio in this field of contenders. There’s new competition as well, in the 2012 Hyundai Accent, 2012 Kia Rio, and the U.S. version of Nissan Micra. Just what we like here at Family Car Guide – a good, healthy influx of fresh new products to keep things exciting for family small car consumers.
Debuting at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is all about nifty design details, better interior room than Honda Fit, expected five-star government safety ratings (10 standard airbags, electronic stability control, traction control, and anti-lock brakes), shared Cruze powertrains, anticipated 40 mpg fuel economy, standard OnStar hardware with six months free turn-by-turn navigation, optional remote start, heated front seats, and more.  Read more about Sonic’s Detroit debut in Marty Padgett’s story in The Car Connection.
Quick Sonic stats
Here’s what we know. Sonic will be available in four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models. Size-wise, Sonic sedan sits on a 99.4-inch wheelbase and is 173.1 inches long. The Sonic hatchback is 159 inches in length. Relative to its slightly larger sibling Chevrolet Cruze, Sonic is 2 inches narrower, 6 inches shorter in wheelbase, 11 inches shorter overall, and 500 pounds lighter.
The Sonic is expected to share the same powerplants as Cruze: 135-horsepower 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine (base) and optional 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Five-speed manual is standard in the base model, with five-speed automatic optional. A six-speed manual will go in the turbo.
Interior room is expected to be best-in-class – better than Fit – with 14 cubic feet of trunk storage in the Sonic sedan and 19 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, and more than 30 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down.
2010 sales of competition
Gauging how the Chevy Sonic will fare against the competition is anyone’s guess. Expect some pretty intense marketing on the part of Chevrolet to amp up consumer interest in the new small car.
Media reports have mentioned the all-new 2011 Ford Fiesta’s disappointing sales – totaling 23,273 in 2010 – but it only takes a spike in gasoline prices to $4.00 or more ($5.00-plus in California) this summer to change that sales picture dramatically.
The Honda Fit, on the other hand, saw a decrease of 18.7 percent in 2010 sales of 54,354 (from year earlier sales numbers of 67,315).
The Sonic replaces the Chevy Aveo, which last year sold 48,623 units, up 26.2 percent from 2009 sales of 38,516.
Price needs to be right
There’s also the little matter of price to consider. The Ford Fiesta, which reviewers (including The Car Connection) have applauded as fun to drive, carries base prices of $13,210 to $17,120. The Honda Fit, similarly hailed as fun to drive, starts at $15,100 to $19,200. Both cars received a Consumer Guide Best Buy accolade for 2011.
As for Chevy Aveo, its price was certainly affordable, ranging from $11,965 to $15,365. If Chevy prices Sonic appropriately, the new subcompact’s entry into the marketplace could make for a small car showdown worth watching.
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2012 Chevrolet Sonic. Photo by Joe NuxollGallery

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2012 Audi A6 Wins EyesOn Design Award At Detroit Auto Show

2011-01-12T13:38:00-08:00

Source: MotorAuthority.com

 

2012 Audi A6 live photosGallery

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Understated, simple, even plain. Audi's design themes--outside of the S and RS lines, at any rate--are often a bit sleepy, but they're always tight, clean, and sleek. The 2012 Audi A6 is no different, winning recognition from the EyesOn Design award at the Detroit Auto Show this week.

The 2012 Audi A6 won the award for "Best Production Vehicle," and shows "strong feedback that we haev done our homework," According to Audi's head of exterior design, Achim Badstuebner.

Audi has won the award four times in the last three years. Previous winners include the Audi R8 V10 in 2009, and the Audi A8 sedan in 2010.

The A6 beat out other finalists including the Bentley Continental GT, BMW 6-Series Convertible, and the Hyundai Veloster to win the award.

For the full scoop on the 2012 Audi A6, read our preview and check out the live shots from the show in the gallery above.

Miss South Dakota Takes On Distracted Driving

 

 Miss South Dakota - distracted driving awareness
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If you haven't yet picked favorites for the Miss America pageant this coming Saturday night, and you're concerned about distracted driving, listen to Miss South Dakota. The state's representative in the pageant, Loren Vaillancourt, has centered her message around distracted driving.
Admittedly, pageants make some people uncomfortable, as relics of an uncomfortably gender-biased past (and present). But they also raise awareness of key issues, and give voices to causes that might not otherwise see the spotlight.
In a YouTube video posted by MissAmerica.org (and below), Vaillancourt explains that she lost her brother last year due to distracted driving. A promotional picture also shows her posed in front of a Mazda CX-7.
Vaillancourt drops one of the most important—and stunning—figures: that 30 percent of accidents are now caused by cellphone use in vehicles.
"I want to be your next Miss America because I can save lives," she sums.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood highlighted Vaillancourt's efforts in a post this week on his FastLane blog. "Those inspired by Loren's efforts to educate young drivers and soon-to-be drivers about the dangers of texting or talking on a cell phone while driving should consider opportunities in their own communities to promote an anti-distraction message," he wrote, adding that she has done a "terrific job raising awareness among young people in South Dakota."
If you're especially concerned about driver distraction, it's another reason to root for Miss South Dakota on the 2011 Miss America contest, airing this Saturday, January 15, at 9 p.m. EST on ABC TV.

Now We Know: This Will Be The New 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid

2011-01-17T06:55:00-08:00

Source: GreenCarReports.com

2011 Ford Vertrek ConceptGallery

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Ford was clearly one of the stars of last week's Detroit Auto Show, launching green vehicles and concepts across a wide range of fuel-saving technologies.
The company unveiled just a single concept, the Vertrek crossover, but it's an important one. The production version of the Vertrek will be the replacement for both the Escape crossover in the U.S. and the similarly-sized Kuga crossover in Europe.
We don't yet know if it'll keep the Escape name for the U.S., shift to a new name--Vertrek, perhaps?--or even convert over to the European Kuga label. Regardless, this is the hybrid crossover that Ford will offer, along with a raft of other non-hybrid fuel-saving technologies.
Partying like 1999, no more
The 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid is the last year of a model whose basic design dates back more than a decade to the launch of the original 1999 Ford Escape. The hybrid model, added in October 2004, was both the first hybrid sport utility and the first U.S.-built hybrid of any kind.

 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
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Now we know what the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid will look like: Imagine a Vertrek with slightly smaller wheels, and with door handles added.
Add or subtract a few of the flashier trim elements and design cues, and there you have it: a fully modern Escape, with the company's MyFord Touch audio control system and all the electronic goodies you could want.
'Kinetic design'
The new crossover sports a raked-back windshield and carefully shaped body surfaces, both to lessen aerodynamic drag. The trapezoidal lower front grille offers a family connection to the 2012 Ford Focus compact.

 2011 Ford Vertrek Concept
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Ford calls this its 'kinetic design' theme, and it will be used across most of Ford's lineup of global vehicles. Following the Fiesta and Focus, the first two cars Ford adapted from their European roots to sell in the States, the Vertrek will be the third truly global design to be built and sold all over the world.
The swoopy design resembles the current Kuga far more than than the upright and slab-sided Escape. But the dimensions of the Vertrek are much closer--especially in the all-important wheelbase--to today's Escape, meaning it should have more legroom and interior volume than the slightly smaller Kuga.
The Vertrek show car shows off a panoramic glass roof, which--in light of stringent new rollover roof-strength requirements--may give way to more conventional rectangular moonroof panels.

 2009 Ford Kuga
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Fuel-saving technologies
There's also a power bulge on the hood, which on the concept car is meant to highlight Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
That will be one of two engines offered, and may replace the optional 3.0-liter V-6 offered today. The other engine is likely to be an evolution of the current Escape's 2.5-liter four.
One or both of the gasoline engines may be offered with the engine start-stop technology Ford has said it will offer on various vehicles to eliminate gasoline wasted in idling at stop lights.

 Ford Four-Cylinder EcoBoost Engine
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Best MPGs of all
But the hybrid is likely to offer the best fuel economy of all. Today's 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid is EPA-rated at 34 mpg city, 31 mpg highway in front-wheel-drive form (30 mpg city, 27 mpg highway fitted with all-wheel-drive).
If Ford stands by its promise to offer 'best-in-class' fuel economy on every new vehicle it sells, those numbers are likely to rise for the new-generation hybrid.
Among other changes, the Escape/Vertrek Hybrid will switch to a lithium-ion battery pack from today's nickel-metal-hydride technology, which holds less energy per pound.

By building and selling a C-Max Hybrid and Energi plug-in hybrid in Europe, Ford is expanding its hybrid models outside North America.
Ford is also likely to create a luxurious Lincoln version of its new crossover, complete with hybrid option as well. The 2011 Lincoln MK-Z Hybrid midsize sedan made news in July when it was offered at the same base price--$35,180--as the V-6 gasoline-engined version of the MK-Z.
Ford's other green offerings at the Detroit Auto Show included the 2012 Ford Focus Electric and the pair of C-Max hybrids.
[Ford Motor Co.]
Ford provided airfare, lodging, and meals to enable High Gear Media bring you live reports from the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, including this feature.