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SEMA ’08 – Making Green Cool Zone

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2008 marked the debut of SEMA’s “Making Green Cool Zone” with a wide range of environmentally oriented vehicles displayed at the rear of LVCC North Hall’s upper level. While I usually leave the camera in the bag at press conferences, this momentous occasion warranted video documentation, with luminaries including the George Barris – the King … Read more

2010 Chevy Camaro V6

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When a GM rep asked if I’d like to have a conversation with one of the new Chevy Camaro’s engineers at SEMA, I jumped at the chance. Although I’ve never owned a Camaro personally, I’ve always seen its merits. Looking at the upcoming car with a historic perspective made me pause to consider the change that the new model brings. Over the years, the Camaro’s gas mileage ratings have rarely been a selling point.

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CNG Yaris 5-Door Concept

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What that you say? A Toyota Yaris that just might be the (oh so green) apple of T. Boone Pickens’ eye? Toyota pulled out the stops for SEMA 2008 and rolled out a bright metallic green wide body five-door Yaris packed with spiffy surprises, including dual video screens, shaved doors, suicides, and a clamshell tailgate … Read more

Electric Ford F-150

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Of all the vehicles shown at SEMA 2008, PML Flightlink’s electric Ford F-150 sits proudly at the top of the hill when it comes to pure innovation. Don’t look for an engine under this F-150’s hood … the means of propulsion has been put out to the wheels, with PML Flightlink’s HI-PA Drive electric wheel motors (clad in shiny green metallic paint) nestled behind each of the conventional rims. This is four wheel drive (4WD) in its purest sense: four wheels, four permanent magnet brushless motors.

The 4WD PML Flightlink F-150 has a range of approximately 100 miles. A 40 kilowatt hour Lithium ion battery, weighing roughly 1000 pounds, is slung between the frame rails. While typical charge time is six-to-eight hours with the 110-volt charger, a fast three-phase charge can be completed in under an hour.

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SUVs Deals: Time to Buy that SUV?

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Contrary to popular belief, SUVs haven’t stopped selling. Although SUV market demand is but a fraction of what it was in its heyday, many of today’s SUV buyers are finding remarkable bargains. Dealers are slashing prices to stay afloat in these difficult times. When you take the evaporation of sticker price into account along with the recent plunge in prices at the pump, conventional wisdom can get turned on its head. The SUV can be a wise choice, in situations with certain needs. The trick is to find the best SUV for the circumstances.

There’s no question that some eschew the perceived excess and creature comforts. But once accustomed to the space and flexibility of a SUV, it can be difficult to downsize. When the lease on Amy’s older Acura MDX came due, she and her husband initially wanted to replace it with an ’08 MDX. They shopped the new MDX along with the Nissan Murano, but ended up leasing a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, based on a significantly lower price.

While it took a bit of negotiation, Amy (the founder of LIParentSource.com) landed a great deal. “Although our pricing — both ours and the dealers — was very far apart at first, the dealer truly wanted to unload these trucks and eventually came down to our price,” Amy explained. “Chrysler itself was offering about $12,000 in rebates at the time so it really enabled us to get a great price on a car that normally would have been out of our price range.” The deal flowed with the factory incentives. “Once we decided on the Jeep, the purchase process was relatively smooth. No trying to sell us things we didn’t need, no trying to upgrade us with other features. It was just what it was and that was it.”

“Because we are a family of 4 with two small kids and a large dog, there was never any question that we were getting an SUV. We wound up leasing a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with not only a V8 engine but a HEMI,” remarked Amy, “It wasn’t what we initially wanted, but the price difference between this SUV and every other one we looked at was so great — the Jeep price was SO far below anything else we looked at — that it really made up for the difference in gas price, still letting us come out on top in the end.”

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