Honda!

That’s who!  Seems that Honda got sick of watching fellow Japanese car company Toyota eat its lunch round the clock with nonstop harping on the Prius, and as such has readied a line of its own hybrids to go after some of that fat green–and cash, too.  There will be a Honda hybrid minivan based on the Odyssey (it’s apparently already for sale in Japan) and a regular sedan based around the Insight.

Smart of Honda, I’d say–take advantage of current models to rejigger their fuel systems a bit and churn out a hybrid car.  Strike while the iron is hot and be rewarded with the ability to reshape the market as you see fit.

Hopefully other companies will start to take up this approach–I’d love to see a hybrid Ford Explorer, and if someone comes out with a Jeep hybrid I think I’ll just plain old lose it.

Tags: 2010 models, Honda, honda insight, honda odyssey, hybrid

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It may have been a forgotten model as far as Chrysler is concerned but the Chrysler Town & Country Van launches a 2009 version that is expected to help the Chrysler brand as far as improving the sales boost that the company needs today.

The 2009 Chrysler Town & Country van still is a roomy, comfortable vehicle with top government crash test ratings and unique features, such as satellite TV and second-row seats that swivel to face the rear. And with leather-trimmed seats, power sunroof, power sliding doors and rear liftgate, trailer tow package, power folding third-row seat and rear-seat entertainment center, the Town & Country remains a top luxury minivan.

It’s the flagship 2009 Chrysler Town & Country Limited that has a starting retail price, including destination charge, of $37,600 with 251-horsepower V-6. The price includes curtain air bags, antilock brakes and electronic stability control as well as three-zone air conditioning, 115-volt electrical outlet, heated front and second-row seats, power liftgate and shades for the second-row, power sliding doors.

With rear-seat DVD entertainment system, enhanced by dual screens and Sirius back-seat TV, the price is nearly $40,000.

Town & Country prices are competitive with other minivans, including the 2009 Honda Odyssey, which starts at $27,025 and goes to more than $41,000, and the 2009 Toyota Sienna, which starts at $25,285 and goes to more than $41,000.

(Source) KJRH

Tags: air bags, chrysler town, crash test ratings, destination charge, electrical outlet, electronic stability control, entertainment center, entertainment system, government crash test ratings, honda odyssey, minivans, power sunroof, rear seat, row seat, satellite tv, seat entertainment, sliding doors, town country, toyota sienna, trailer tow package

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Purchasing used cars is the trend these days as consumers try to save on spending for high-cost new cars. And Consumer Reports breaks down the wise used car investments per category as it identifies the most and least reliable used cars for 10 years – from model years 1999 to 2008 – in the magazine’s 2009 Annual Auto Issue.

Reliability data was compiled from the magazine’s Annual Auto Survey, which generated responses about more than 1.4 million new and used vehicles.

Below are Consumer Reports’ picks in five categories:

Small Cars: Honda Civic, Toyota Echo, Scion xB, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Mazda 3, Mazda Protege, Subaru Impreza

Family Cars: Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, Toyota Camry (except ‘08 V6), Subaru Outback (6-cyl.), Nissan Altima

Minivans: Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey

Small SUVs: Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Mitsubishi Outlander

Midsized and large SUVs: Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Lexus RX, Toyota Land Cruiser, Toyota 4Runner, Infiniti FX35, Acura MDX, Infiniti QX4, Lexus GX, Hyundai Santa Fe, Subaru Tribeca, Nissan Xterra (’05 – ‘08), Toyota Sequoia

To help consumers identify cars within their budget, Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Issue also contains a “Models to Look For” list, which is categorized by price. It features a variety of used vehicles which all have above-average reliability and are priced from less than $4,000 to $30,000 and up. CR found 19 cars that can be purchased for $6,000 or less including the 1999 Acura CL and the 2003 Buick Century.

(Source) Press

Tags: acura mdx, corolla toyota, honda cr v, honda odyssey, hyundai santa fe, infiniti fx35, infiniti qx4, land cruiser toyota, lexus rx, nissan altima, nissan xterra, pontiac vibe, subaru forester, subaru impreza, subaru outback, subaru tribeca, toyota land cruiser, toyota sequoia

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