Fiat's Duet

I very seldom use the term "cute" to refer to a car. Cars are usually aggressive, rugged, or elegant looking. Dodge designs a lot of aggressive looking vehicles, Jeep makes rugged vehicles because they have a military background, and Rolls Royce makes elegant cars for the prestigious and royal (like the Queen of England for example). So I typically I have used "cute" for a Volkswagen beetle thanks to Herbie the Love Bug or a Mazda Miata. They can be referred to as cute because of their size and face. One feels joyous in them. There meant to put a small on your face. That is where Fiat comes in. Fiat is a great little Italian car manufacturer and they make great little cars. They now manufacture two cars for the United States. The Fiat 500 and the Fiat 500L. The 500 is a little two door hatchback and the 500L is a four door hatchback they can both be compared to the Mini Coopers because of their size. The Fiat 500L has room for five occupants. This is why the "L" stands for "large" because the Fiat 500 only has room for two adults (it has a small back seat that a car seat could possibly fit on, but really it is for grocery items and or luggage). It sells for roughly $19,164 says Edmunds.com with their true value estimate. The Fiat 500 sells for about $16,163 and does 31mpg city and 40mpg highway. This is an excellent car for someone in the city or any fuel saver. Because of its size it does really well on fuel. Fiats says they focus on three things when designing a car; style, practicality, and fun! These truly are great cars, fun to drive, they make you smile, and you are excited being inside one!
Check out the two Fiats side by side to show you their size comparison. The one in the front is the 500 and the one in the back is the 500L.

Fiat is celebrating 55 years of production now and you can really see how much more advanced they are by comparing the original Fiat 500 to the new one. For one, it is much smaller than the new and that is because of the safety standards of today but in reality they look very much the same. 

And to celebrate their 50th anniversary Fiat has put together a Fiat 595 Abarth limited edition. It celebrates Fiat's racing heritage by giving it the Abarth decor and performance.

Stealth Fighter on Wheels

Ever wonder what a stealth fighter jet would look like on wheels? Well an Italian car manufacturer imagined just that. Lamborghini has released the Sesto Elemento. That means "the Sixth Element" in Italian, referring to carbon, which is an element that was used in the majority of components for the car's structure. It is a carbon fiber and plastic composite. The car is lighter than a Ford Fiesta and it awakes louder than a lion. Thanks to all of the carbon fiber and the windshield which is made of plastic rather than glass, to save weight, the car is 2,202.42lbs. There is also no rear window, just some air vents to keep the engine cool. Another way Lamborghini shed some weight was that they did not use actual seats. The seats are, simply put, pads stuck to the body work. The dash board is almost none existent too. There is a digital screen for a gauge above the center of the steering wheel and most of the switches are on the steering wheel. The driver's window doesn't roll down it has a sliding section that opens. There is no door handle on the inside, it is a little ribbon of red leather and the doors on the inside are like a skeleton. The design is nice and simple, angular and smooth, very basic and everything is black, red, or white. The body isn't even painted. The color that you see is the exposed carbon fiber-plastic composite. The tailpipe is made of a glass-ceramic matrix composite which gives it the ability to withstand very strong heat up to a temperature of 1,652 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of its extreme light weight, the Sesto Elemento has a greater power-to-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron. Lamborghini says that extreme light weight is the future of supercars and that they don't need to strap a couple turbo chargers and a few radiators to a 1,000hp engine. The engine in the Sesto Elemento is the same you get in a standard Lamborghini Gallardo. A V10 aspirated engine with 570hp and a four wheel drive system. It will reach 60 miles an hour in two point four seconds. Just shy of two and a half. That is the same figure as a Bugatti Veyron. It costs three million dollars and only twenty will be in existence.
There is only one problem and that is... It is not road legal. So it is just for fun and the rich. Thing is, they are already sold out.

The Seventh Generation Stingray

Chevrolet has brought the Corvette Stingray back and it is so much different than before. Chevrolet has been making the Corvette for sixty years and the Stingray name has been used on only four previous models. Now it is back for the fifth time and it has such a different flare then any Corvette ever. The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray does not appeal to traditional Corvette enthusiasts. The recognizable Corvette traits are no longer involved, the tail lamps have been redesigned and the head lights as well. Besides the fact that the car is over all larger than the original due to safety standards today, the new design is still dramatic for its time like the original. It remains in American muscle car territory and is Chevrolet's best two door sports car. Because it has been redesigned, the aesthetics of the car appeal more toward a wide range of automotive enthusiasts. Europe for one, is very interested in this new Stingray. Top Gear stated it is "America's New Top Model" and that they are very excited for its appearance. Also, it stands out among the other Stingrays in a good way, yeah not many traditional enthusiasts will like it, but it simply looks epic.

The C7 in its name stands for the seventh generation Corvette, hence the six previous Corvettes lined up behind the new one. With a 6.2L LT1 V-8 engine that produces 450 horse power, Chevrolet is not messing around. It can reach sixty miles an hour from not in under four seconds. One can experience more than 1g of cornering force while racing this new Vette. The Corvette Stingray was a long anticipated car since its concept was released in 2009. Strangely, there is not much similarity between the concept and he actual production car. Usually the concept gets to be over the top and when it begins production, it gets toned down a bit. I only wish the production car looked exactly like the concept. It payed tribute to the original Corvette Sting Ray. I'd have it hung on my wall...

Fisker's Bankruptcy Costs Millions

Fisker is a prestigious, all electric, supercar manufacturer. They produce a car they call the Karma, it is a four door sedan, and most people who can afford it are millionaires. Embarrassingly, they had a recall on their batteries a while back. It involved the car burning to a crisp while it was stationary in a parking lot. However the real issue is that Fisker has filed for bankruptcy and their hearing is scheduled for January 3 2014. Not due to their recall. This well known all electric supercar manufacturer and has lost millions of dollars. Due to Hurricane Sandy, Fisker lost 338 cars in a shipment to the United States and their insurance will not cover them. In addition, Fisker's steep decent began with a $529 million loan gifted by the commitment of the US Department of Energy. Furthermore, the DOE suspended funding in 2011 after Fisker drew $192 million on the Obama administration's green-energy loan. This is also after the fact that they failed to reach multiple sale checkpoints for its four door supercar.
They filed chapter 11 bankruptcy, which means they have a chance at reorganizing the company and will possibly get to build in an old General Motors building in Delaware. Although, there has already been a lawsuit filed from a former employee who did not get his 60 days notice of termination, along with 160 other former employees. This is a load of issues and dollars Fisker has to deal with now and it does not look good, for this once ground braking automotive manufacturer, but I would like to see them continue...

In light of everything going on, Fisker has cost taxpayers $139,000,000. 

That means you and me.

www.csmonitor.com

www.topgear.com/uk

Jeep Brings the Cherokee Back

 The Cherokee is back and Jeep was busy redesigning its appearance. Although Jeep was still producing the Grand Cherokee during the missing appearance of the Cherokee, the smaller edition was missed. The new Cherokee is not small however, but compared to the Grand Cherokee it is smaller. The original Cherokee though, will still be known as the best Cherokee Jeep has ever made. It was ans is classic, very rugged, and people today like to lift it and give it better tires for trailing adventures. With the reveal of the newly redesigned 2014 Cherokee, many Jeep goers are not very thrilled with its new design. The tri-headlight design is ugly and it doesn't look rugged enough to be called a Jeep. It doesn't appeal to regular Jeep owners, maybe rather to a newer, more inexperienced Jeep crowd. Possibly a little more luxurious sport utility vehicle was their goal. However, the trail rated edition "Trail Hawk" Cherokee comes with extras that are standard. Higher clearance including a good approach and departure angle, they are new features which all aid for better off-road maneuverability. Including the "Rock" setting on the traction control which aids the driver during climbs, descents, and rough terrain, this system electronically figures out what needs to be stiffened or given more power to help maneuvering about.

 The Cherokee has some other great aspects that should be noted. Its fuel economy is great, 31 miles to the gallon and a gasoline tank with a driving range of nearly 500 miles. It V6 engine allows for towing capability of 4,500 pounds. The body panels are made of a high-strength steel content for better strength. FIAT group was the designers behind the architecture of the Cherokee and the result is better quality and reliability as well as lower cost and production time is quicker. And the reason for the tri-headlight design is that the top lights are supposed to be the daylight running lamps, the middle ones are the regular head lights and the lower lights are the fogs. Kind of strange but make sense. The designers thankfully kept the signature grill design which if it wasn't for that it would be impossible to be recognized as a Jeep.

Going back to that signature grill design you can see it in the original Cherokee along with their traditional square headlights. It also has a much more rugged look, in other words, the owner wouldn't be so afraid as to get it dirty. One can also notice how much bigger the vehicle is due to the safety standards of today. It would be difficult for car manufacturers to build cars today that are the same size as they were from the 90's or 80's. So the original Cherokee is smaller anyway and the new one is bigger because of safety standards not design alone.

Another Special Edition Bugatti Veyron

This is Bugatti's third racing legend edition. The Bugatti Veyron Meo Costantini is a very limited edition of Bugatti's 1,200hp Grand Sport Vitesse with a different appearance. Bugatti will only make three and their going price is $2.8 million. Its 8-liter W16 engine (16 cylinders in the shape of a W rather than a V6 for example) it achieves an unparalleled torque of 1,500 Newton meters from 1,200 hp at 3,000-5,000 rpm, and can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.6 seconds. Its top speed has been clocked at 253 miles an hour which is faster than an F1 car. F1 cars are raced in the IZOD series and European events and are much lighter than a Bugatti. This also means that this is the fastest convertible in the world. Bugattis are also known to be the most expensive cars in the world. The car is constructed mostly of carbon fiber and the parts that are not painted are hand-polished aluminum that is given a clear coat of lacquer. This also means that Bugatti is the only car manufacturer to produce a car with clear-coated aluminum bodywork. Bugatti's new color "Bugatti Dark Blue Sport" is a reflection of French's signature classic motor sport blue color of Bugatti's racing heritage. As a reference to Costantini's victory at Targa Florio, the silhouette of the historic race course is painted on the underside of the rear wing that comes out to slow the car down at high speeds (air-brake).

It also has  Meo Costantini's name embroidered on the seats and door panels. On the door panels is beautiful simple line work of Bugatti's racing history with Meo Costantini.

Subaru Saves Lives

If you know anything about Subaru, I hope safety is the first thing that comes to mind. Because safety is at the forefront of their design. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests lots of new cars and in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Subaru was and is the only car manufacturer to have earned IIHS's Top Safety Pick for all of their models. Yes, every single car they manufacture in the past four years has earned Top Safety Pick from IIHS! Subaru is the only company that earned this award for every car they manufacture. Check it out!

You can even check out all of the vehicles IIHS tested and watch the crash tests. By doing so, you can become more knowledgeable of the safety of vehicles today and it is my genuine concern that if you can afford a new vehicle that you look at the crash tests and ratings before purchasing a vehicle. IIHS YouTube channel

Subaru Saved My Life is a collection of stories from people who were able to walk away from an accident because of their safety.

Their new Forster is the only small SUV to ace all areas in IIHSs new small overlap crash test. IIHS has started this new small overlap crash test because this type of accident is where a fourth of serious injuries occur in vehicle crashes.

 Subaru has advanced technology in their new cars that can prevent low speed crashes and avoid accidents. This technology is called EyeSight. On the front and rear of the Forster, Outback, and Legacy, is a camera that can see and detect things before the driver can. The sensor can trigger a warning signal to the driver and if needed apply the brakes. EyeSight can also detect if the vehicle sways outside of its lane and warn the driver. Subaru also has Vehicle Dynamics Control, which is a stability control system that detects steering and braking and aids in these areas for better control of the vehicle.

www.subaru.com/engineering/safety