All right, folks, something interesting for you today–back in Spetember we introduced you to the new 2011 Kia Sorento, but today, we’ve got actual footage and a commercial for same that we’re going to take a look at.
They’re going all out to remind you that the Kia Sorento is a “made in America” car, assembled at a factory in West Point, Georgia. Though if the commercial is any indication, the number of actual jobs created at this factory is pretty few as there are clearly more robots in that factory than, say, an average episode of The Jetsons.
Or maybe the average Terminator movie.
But anyway, they want it perfectly clear that buying a Kia supports American jobs. That aside, the new Kia actually looks pretty sweet. It’s got what looks like a built in GPS in the center console and loads of great features. If you went this route you probably wouldn’t be terribly let down. Course, we’ll have to wait for next year to see how that goes.
America pretty much owns the muscle car market. When it comes to a huge, overpowered engine, the United States is the nation of cars to beat. Other countries have sports cars and luxury sedans, but America runs the drag strip.
However, the Australians would like to take issue with a certain facet of drag racing that they believe THEY own–the burnout. And thus, several Aussie burnout enthusiasts have put together a video showing their American counterparts how to PROPERLY do a burnout.
The video is below, and indeed, my hat is off to the Aussies who are clearly kicking burnout tail on an epic scale.
Indeed, the Aussie burnout involves a lot more movement. Truly it can be called “hyperkinetic” without risk of hyperbole, while most American burnouts are done from a still position.
Though I do have to say, an American burnout is somewhat easier to SEE. The Aussies’ constant movement puts up a cloud of tire smoke that’s pretty tough to see through, whilst the Americans’ cloud billows outward from directly behind the car.
So to answer the headline question, yes, a HUGE difference. Though there is something to be said for the spare simplicity of the American burnout, the Australian burnout is clearly the more exciting of the two.
The entire auto industry is doing everything they can to please the market who is currently focused on getting the greenest technology they can. Toyota for one has decided to pursue the hydrogen path and hopes to have their first vehicle hit the scene sometime in 2015.
However, they don’t plan to just release a hydrogen powered vehicle onto the market, they hope to take the market by storm. In fact, AutoBlogGreen reports that when Toyota’s first hydrogen burning vehicle hits the market, the price will be so low that it will “shock” the U.S. auto industry.
Just how low will that be exactly? It’ll take a very low price to shock most of the market. Let’s hope you came up with something good, Toyota.
The entire world is moving towards a greener community, most importantly on the auto side of things. To help things along a bit Ontario will soon announce that they will be giving tax incentives of up to $10,000 for those who purchase a plug-in vehicle.
Don’t get too excited as these reports aren’t confirmed but a program like the abovementioned is sure to be instated soon. In comparison, the US currently offers up to $7,500 worth of incentives for those who purchase a plug-in vehicle in the States.
Let’s hope that all of this will help the auto community move towards more energy efficient cars. Perhaps one day we will even be able to phase out our dependence on oil.
Yesterday we reported to you that Tata’s sub-$2000 Nano passed through European crash testing with generally good marks. Today, we have a video of the car actually undergoing said crash test which you can view here.
Now I know that Europe has deemed the Tata Nano safe enough to be driven on the road and I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t want to be in that car (above others) during a crash.
It’s still not definite but Tata hopes to bring the Nano to the American market sometime before 2011.
It seems that the inevitable has happened – energy efficient vehicles are taking over the world. Japan in particular, due to high gas prices (around $4.50 a gallon) and tax breaks on hybrid vehicles, has proven itself to be the most prominent hybrid vehicle market in the world.
According to AutoBlogGreen, in June alone, Toyota sold 22,292 Prius’ while Honda sold 8,782 Insights, both hybrid vehicles. This apparantly ousts America’s number of 26,205 hybrids sold in the same amount of time.
And, just as a fun fact, there is apparantly a 7-month waiting list for Toyota’s upcoming 2010 Prius.
For half a century, the Ford Mustang has been America’s favorite muscle car and will likely hold on to that niche for more years to come. The secret to Mustang’s longevity may be the devoted team of people who have worked passionately over the years to bring each generation of the pony car to market – never losing sight of the customer and always staying true to the basic tenets born with the brand in 1964: fast, fun and affordable.
During much of the Mustang’s “Fox Body” years from 1983 to 1993, the emphasis was on “fast.” The gas crisis was long over, and Team Mustang focused on the resurgence of the performance aspects of the Mustang.
On April 17, 2009, Ford and the Mustang Club of America will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Ford Mustang with a four-day event expected to draw more than 100,000 enthusiasts and spectators to the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
Yes you heard me right folks, the Russians are going to offer a local Top Gear version, but will it be as successful as the original? The American version hasn’t really been a big hit so far so it will be fun to see what the Russians make of the show. The show comes with a local Stig so with the right subtitles it might be fun to watch. Will it bring anything original to the table or will it try to copy the madness from the UK version?
I am sure you too prefer the original Top Gear show so if your home base is America then you’ll be happy to know that BBC AMERICA will premiere the new, original Top Gear season.
The new season of Top Gear will premiere on Monday, February 9, 8:00 PM ET/PT. So no matter if you’ve somehow seen the new episodes, and notice how I am not mentioning anything about any type of legal or illegal downloading, you will enjoy them again soon on BBC AMERICA. Top Gear 10 and 11 are available on iTunes already at special prices when getting the entire seasons.
I am not going to reveal any of the episode synopsis, which by the way are available already in more than one place, but I just want to remind you that you’ll be able to check all that Top Gear Tesla Roadster testing we’ve been talking about earlier.
