Mercedes Shooting Break concept (2010),Buy and Sell New and Used Cars,Car Loans,Car Insurance,New Cars, Used Cars,Cars website, car news,

Mercedes Shooting Break concept (2010)

By Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

19 April 2010 23:00

Mercedes is this week – volcanic ash cloud notwithstanding – due to unveil this new Shooting Break concept car at the 2010 Beijing auto show. It's a barely disguised show version of a sporting CLS estate. Think a Mercedes wagon for picky types who find the E-class Estate a tad too sensible.
Stuttgart is being unusually candid about this car's provenance, sprinkling the press kit with hints that this will join the next CLS family as a sporty, crossover coupé-estate. There's even an internal codename – X218 – hinting at its production intent. It seems to us that this Shooting Break concept is an altogether far more attractive offering than the 5-series Gran Turismo which fills a similar nano-niche in rival BMW's range. Mercedes-Benz Shooting Break concept car (2010): the lowdown

The CLS 'coupaloon' was conceived as Merc's 'Jag fighter' and has been a success story since launch in 2004. Now it's time to replace the CLS and this is our first look at the new styling direction planned for the 2011 CLS family – albeit in 20in-shod exaggerated show car form. If this shooting break looks familiar, that's because it follows in the footsteps of the 2008 Paris show car, the Fascination concept. Look out in particular at the body surfacing and the new-look nose – the floating grille appears separate from the bonnet, and those headlamps are entirely LED (all 71 of them). 'The Shooting Break concept car is based on the great tradition of a stylish, cultivated sportiness which has always characterised the great Mercedes coupés, and it takes this unique legacy an exciting step further,' gushed Professor Gorden Wagener, chief designer at Mercedes-Benz. 'At the same time it points the way towards the future design idiom of Mercedes-Benz.'

Lexus LS 460 L,Cars website, car news,Actual Car Information,Car information, new car prices, used car values, used car reviews,new car,latest car,

Lexus LS 460 L
Click to enlarge pictureLexus LS 460 (© Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.) Lexus LS 460



Obviously, $84,125 is hardly bargain pricing for a vehicle, but consider that a Lexus LS 460 L ($70,925) outfitted with the Executive-Class Seating Package ($13,200) gets you most of what you get in the aforementioned Maybach 62 at about one-fifth the price. You have your reclining rear seats (one of them has a footrest) with — ooh, la, la! — lumbar massage; primo leather; a wood-trimmed table; and a cooler for drinks and such.

Click to enlarge pictureLexus LS 460 (© Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.)

Lexus LS 460

An extra $2,080 will upgrade you from the standard 10-speaker stereo to a 19-speaker 450-watt, Mark Levinson surround-sound system.

Read: Lexus Targets the Mercedes-Benz S-Class with a Sporty LS 460

Traffic Fatalities Drop to Record Low,Actual Car Information,Car information, new car prices, used car values,used car reviews,Cars website,car news,

Traffic Fatalities Drop to Record Low
Traffic deaths on U.S. roads have declined for the fourth straight year.



By the Editors of Consumer Reports Driving Into the Sunset (© Digital Vision/Getty Images)Click to enlarge picture Traffic fatalities in 2009 reached the lowest level since 1954, according to preliminary statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The estimated toll for 2009 fell to 33,963 deaths, a drop of almost 9 percent from 2008's tally of 37,261 deaths.

If the final numbers hold true, then 2009 will mark the fourth year in a row of declining traffic deaths on U.S. roads. Total deaths have been reduced even while the number of cars and drivers have increased. Miles traveled has stayed the same. That's demonstrated by significant drops in the fatality rate, which looks at deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The fatality rate itself has also declined for years on end, dropping from 1.46 in 2005 to 1.16 in 2009. Full 2009 fatality statistics will be available this summer.

North America Crucial to Fiat's 5-Year Plan,Cars website,car news,Car information, new car prices, used car values, used car reviews,Actual Car Info,

North America Crucial to Fiat's 5-Year Plan

Fiat chief plans to sell a combined 5.5 to 6 million vehicles by 2014.




By Luca Ciferri of AutoWeek

Dodge NitroClick to enlarge picture

The new five-year plan for Fiat is expected to continue selling the Dodge Nitro in Europe, but with a Fiat badge.

Alfa Romeo will play a key role in the U.S. market, Jeep will lead the charge in Russia, Chrysler cars will bolster the Lancia lineup in Europe and Dodge crossovers and SUVs will wear the Fiat badge in Europe. Those are key elements of Fiat S.p.A. CEO Sergio Marchionne's new five-year plan for the Italian automaker.

The plan won't be unveiled until April 21. But based on earlier announcements and conversations with industry watchers, we've been able to sketch out some likely key elements of the plan.

Marchionne already has promised that Fiat Group and Chrysler Group will sell a combined 5.5 million to 6 million vehicles by 2014. He says Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram will account for 2.8 million of the total. This means Fiat's seven brands (Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia, Maserati, Fiat Professional) will have to sell 2.7 million to 3.2 million units in 2014 to do their part.

Last year, Fiat Group sold 2.3 million units while Chrysler Group sold 1.3 million.

2011 Jaguar XJ — First Drive,Car information, new car prices, used car values, used car reviews,Cars website,Actual Car Information,Car info,car,

2011 Jaguar XJ — First Drive

It's more visually appealing than its German peers, and offers dynamic handling, loads of interior room and plenty of power.





By Kirk Bell of MSN Autos

2011 Jaguar XJ Series (© Jaguar Cars Limited)Click to enlarge picture

Jaguar breaks with more than 40 years of tradition by giving the XJ sedan a new styling theme.

The XJ sedan has been the stately staple of the Jaguar brand since 1968. Though redesigned several times since it was introduced (the last redesign was for the 2004 model year), the styling of this proper British saloon has always been an evolution of the original, so it has had similar looks for decades. As a result, the car has appeared old to some consumers and has struggled to shed the quality issues Jaguar had before Ford Motor Co. took ownership in 1989. Now owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, Jaguar has given the XJ an all-new look for the 2011 model year. But will it be enough for the XJ to take some sales away from better-selling German competitors?