Street Life Auto Club

It has eighteen speeds, curtains, and an air horn—and it goes 95 mph.

Things I did in preparation for driving a big rig: Watched “Maximum Overdrive” (it came highly recommended; I recommend it only to those whose lives seem 97 minutes too long); bought a camouflage hat at a truck stop; and checked with the Michigan Secretary of State to confirm that I am legally allowed to drive such a vehicle.

Turns out my class-B commercial driver’s license with air-brake endorsement is sufficient documentation for the authorities, as long as I don’t try to tow more than 10,000 pounds at once.

Keep Reading: 2009 International LoneStar Harley-Davidson Limited Edition – Road Test

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Original Post By Google News David Gluckman

+ Despite skepticism from many, the federal Cash for Clunkers rebate has been a success and is NOT suspended. [Car and Driver]

+ Kia has released renderings of the VG, an upmarket sedan slated to replace the Amanti. [Car and Driver]

+ Mazda has released a special JDM-only MX-5 Miata in celebration of the roadster’s 2oth anniversary. [Car and Driver]

+ Our spy photos confirm that BMW is nearing production on the X6 hybrid that will share the two-mode system that was co-developed with GM and DaimlerChrysler. [Car and Driver]

+ With the success of the CARS program, the House of Representatives voted in favor to provide an extra $2 billion in funding for the Cash for Clunkers rebate. Senate approval is still needed. [Car and Driver]

+ Dealers share their experiences with Cash for Clunkers up to this point. [Automotive News]

+ Due to Michigan’s continued economic hardships and the inability to secure sponsorships, officials have cancelled the 2010 Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix with hopes of bringing it back in 2011. [Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix]

+ Schumacher dodges F1 test ban by driving an old car in preparation for his return to the series. “Although those cars are not current or last year’s ones, I simply like to drive as much as possible.” [Autocar]

+ Chrysler has announced that it will continue production of the PT Cruiser, a car they refer to as being “too cool to categorize.” Since its introduction in 2000, 1.3 million PT Cruisers have found their way into the garages and hearts of people across the world. [Chrysler]

+ Forbes reporter Christopher Steiner, author of $20 Per Gallon, speculates about how daily life would change at $8 and $18 dollars per gallon in this interview. [The New York Times]

+ A Facebook poll of Italian Fiat fans results in the Fait 500 “So Pink” special edition. The Barbie Beetle finally sees competition. [Fiat on the Web]

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1. Daily Downshift: July 30, 2009

Original Post By Google News Car and Driver

The power of a large dump truck, with the fuel economy . . . of a slightly smaller dump truck.

On the scale of political incorrectness, the BMW X6 contends for the top slot with such behemoths as the Porsche Cayenne, Hummer H2, and Cadillac Escalade. All of them will draw the attention of your local Earth Liberation Front chapter, but the bad-boy BMW makes its case by being not only huge, but loud, thirsty, unconscionably fast, and the least practical of the bunch, too.

But BMW may be the tiniest bit embarrassed by the X6’s brash manners. A few years ago, BMW teamed with GM and DaimlerChrysler to form the Global Hybrid Cooperation, headquartered in Troy, Michigan, the three jointly developed the two-mode hybrid system already available in the General’s full-size Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade SUVs. Mercedes-Benz, now separated from Chrysler, will debut the two-mode system in the 2010 ML450 hybrid at the end of this year, and BMW has already shown the technology on the X6 ActiveHybrid concept. Now spy photos confirm that the concept is nearing production.

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Original Post By Google News Jens Meiners

The House of Representatives voted 316 to 109 to provide an extra $2 billion in funding for Cash for Clunkers. When the CARS program became a runaway success this week, car buyers and dealers believed the $1 billion allocated for CARS rebates would be depleted too soon and urged Congress to provide more funding.

The bill still has to be approved by the Senate, which will vote on the proposal next week. If approved, the $2 billion would be taken from renewable energy funds made available by President Obama’s economic stimulus package. The sum could be enough to allow another 500,000 cars to be traded in.

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Original Post By Google News Jake Holmes

Mazda is commemorating 20 years of top-down fun with a JDM-only special edition of the Mazda MX-5 Miata, known as the Mazda Roadster in its homeland. Two versions are being sold, the Roadster RS with a do-it-yourself soft-top and six-speed manual and a retractable hardtop version with six-speed automatic. All 20^th Anniversary Roadsters come with a white (or Crystal White Pearl Mica in Mazda speak) exterior, unique red leather and black Alcantara RECARO seats, exclusive 20^th Anniversary badges, and clear front fog lights. Other special equipment includes 17-inch wheels, a strut-tower brace, and padded soft-touch materials on the door panels and center console lid.

Mazda delivered its first Roadster/Miata to the world in 1989 and landed a Guinness World Record for the world’s most produced two-seat, open-top sports car when production reached 800,000 units.

Read our test of the MX-5 Miata: 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata Grand Touring – Short Take Road Test

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Original Post By Google News Christopher Champion

The Korean carmaker has released renderings of its new upmarket sedan, the VG. Kia says the look exemplifies a “sophistication by simplicity” design language, and we’d have to agree. Sure, the wheels look too big, but otherwise this is a classy-looking sedan. There even appear to be LED head- and taillights.

Kia says the VG will replace the Amanti (known as the Opirus outside the U.S.) in Korea, North America, and Europe—but oddly, not the U.K. It’ll be on sale in Korea by the end of 2009. When it comes to the U.S., we’re expecting front- and all-wheel-drive with a 3.5-liter V-6 engine. Prices should be somewhere around $30k.

Read our spy coverage of the VG: 2011 Kia VG / Amanti Replacement

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Original Post By Google News Jake Holmes

We were pretty skeptical of the federal CARS (aka. Cash for Clunkers) rebate scheme. But the program’s been much more successful than anyone anticipated.

Originally, $1 billion was set aside for CARS rebates, enough to trade-in about 250,000 vehicles. The plan was for CARS to continue through November 1 or until the money ran out. Yet by Thursday, dealers had already requested $96 million in rebates for 22,782 traded-in clunkers, according to Automotive News.

That created fears that the federal money would run out too soon. Some dealers reported problems with the online CARS tracking system, and there was panic last night as it was unclear whether the program had been canceled or was suspended. Today, an unnamed White House source told AN that the program was still running, but that its budget was under evaluation. There’s currently a push by several members of Congress to expand funding to $4 billion, enough to trade in one million old cars.

Just how successful is the program? Ford’s sales chief told the Detroit News that CARS was “a huge success” that had bumped up Ford’s monthly sales figure. Chrysler dealership traffic jumped significantly over the weekend and a third of buyers had taken advantage of CARS, said spokeswoman Kathy Graham, fueled in part by the company’s offer to double the federal rebate. Volkswagen sold about 700 new cars through Wednesday, nearly half of which were clean diesel models like the Jetta TDI, said spokesman Thomas Wegehaupt.

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Original Post By Google News Jake Holmes

Toyota has announced pricing and some changes for certain 2010 models. The Avalon, FJ Cruiser, RAV4, Tacoma, and Yaris will reach dealers in August. The Highlander will arrive by September.

The FJ Cruiser now starts at $24,480 for the two-wheel-drive model and $26,070 with four-wheel-drive. The $360 price increase over last year helps pay for an extra 19 horsepower and 1 mpg from the 4.0-liter V-6, thanks to dual variable valve timing and roller rockers. Suspension tweaks have reduced the FJ’s turning radius and there’s a new Army Green exterior color.

Stickers for the RAV4 are unchanged and start at $22,300 for a four-cylinder front-drive model; the range-topper 4WD V6 is $28,610. Limited models receive new chrome interior accents.

Both gasoline and hybrid variants of the Toyota Highlander remain at 2009 prices, which start with the front-drive four-cylinder model at $26,505. An optional backup camera will be available on V-6 models and a power moonroof joins the four-cylinder equipment list. A new stainless-steel exhaust tip on Highlander Sport models bumps cost up $50.

Tacoma pricing hasn’t changed from 2009 levels. Plan on dispensing $15,970 for the base regular cab with a manual transmission.

As for passenger cars, the Avalon adds a Sandy Beach Metallic color and auto up/down rear windows. Prices are up $100; the entry XL model starts at $28,695 and the Limited is $36,035.

Toyota fixes one of our gripes with the Yaris and makes traction, stability control, ABS, and electronic brake force distribution standard on all models. (Previously, ABS was optional and stability was unavailable.) Base prices rise just $150, to $13,105 for the base three-door model and $14,665 for the sedan.

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Original Post By Google News Jake Holmes

+ Malcolm Bricklin founded Subaru of America, imported the Yugo from Russia, and even worked with Chery. He tells C/D what he would have done differently. [Car and Driver]

+ Pricing for the 2010 Subaru Impreza was announced today and not much has changed from the 2009 model. The 2.5i Premium will shed $1000 from its starting price, while other trims will see minor changes. [Car and Driver]

+ If you thought that it was The Dude you heard in one of Hyundai’s commercials, you were right. But he’s not the only celeb lending his voice to help manufacturers sell cars. [Car and Driver]

+ New legistlation has been introduced in hopes to ban texting while driving, possibly as a result of our own research. [Car and Driver]

+ Suzuki finally pulls the sheet off of the 2010 Kizashi for it’s formal introduction. We like what we see. [Car and Driver]

+ How the NHTSA instructs dealers to destroy clunker engines. [Car and Driver]

+ We spend time in Volkswagen’s Touareg TDI. [Car and Driver]

+ We’ve put 15,000 miles on our long-term Genesis sedan over 6 months. Read about what we’re getting into with this special 100,000-mile test. [Car and Driver]

+ A new documercial video shows Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni getting sideways and talking about the new two-wheel-drive Gallardo that bears his name. [You Tube]

+ Felipe Massa is already planning his return to F1. His doctor reports “he is back to normal” and appears to have no problem with his left eye, as thought previously. [USA Today]

+ L’Automobile Magazine in France is reporting that Audi has an ePerformance version of the R8 planned for a debut in Frankfurt this September. While nothing has been confrimed yet, an electric R8 sounds about as bizarre as an electric SLS, so it might just happen. [L'Automobile Magazine]

+ Ford’s ad onslaught for the 2010 Taurus will debut August 4. Aimed at tech-savvy and style-conscious consumers, Ford will also launch five webisodes pairing the Taurus up with Audi, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti sedans. [Jalopnik]

+ EDO Competition is launching some performance and apperance goodies for the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. EDO says the upgrades to the car’s exhaust, intake, and a re-programmed ECU will bump the 6.2-liter’s power to 555 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. [4WheelNews.com]

+ The National Corvette Museum celebrates its 15th anniversary on September 6th with an exclusive raffle for a one-of-a-kind Corvette Grand Sport. All 2009 raffle tickets will go for $150 a pop. Feeling lucky? [Corvette Blogger]

+ Toyota’s assessment of Scion could see an expansion to the brand. Toyota Motor Sales USA’s CEO believes “product freshness is key” for the sub-brand. [The Detroit News]

+ Ford commits to two more years in WRC. Not many changes for the 2010 campaign, but 2011 will see a switch to an all-new Fiesta S2000 rally car. [Autoweek]

+ Swedish university computer-model traffic study finds speeders and aggressive drivers may help traffic flow. (To Umeå University from C/D: Thank you!) [The L.A. Times]

+ Carbon Motors, makers of the future E7 police cruiser, has found a new home for HQ and production in Connersville, Indiana. The company plans to invest $350 million to renovate the facility in order to begin production in 2012. [Autoblog]

+ Electric motorcycle company Zero Motorcycles introduces its third new model since April. Company CEO calls it “the world’s most versatile electric motorcycle.” [Wired]

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Original Post By Google News Car and Driver

Taking the loooong view.

Current Mileage/Months in Fleet: 14,853/6 months
Average Fuel Economy/Range: 21 mpg/428 miles
Service: $447.73
Normal Wear: $4.00
Repair: $0

The Hyundai Genesis represents a real stretch in brand coverage for Hyundai, one that could almost be seen as on par with Toyota’s launch of Lexus in 1989. Even though Hyundais are competitive—and best in class in some cases, such as interior quality—the automaker is still synonymous with value at the volume end of the market. It was the same with Toyota when it launched its Lexus luxury brand. Now, of course, Toyota has a cast-iron rep for quality and is perceived by many people as making the best family vehicles. The Lexus brand is astutely distanced from Toyota, but has an equally stellar image.

Keep Reading: 2009 Hyundai Genesis 4.6 – Long-Term Road Test Intro

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Original Post By Google News Mark Gillies