Scion's Models of the Future???

Contest Winner: Micro Car

Scion is a genious! Recently at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, Scion held a contest to see who could design the best Scion model and market it. This is a brilliant idea because Scion is having young people, its major target market, design a product that they would want to buy. The outcome: some really strange models, a few lookers, and some very bland ones as well. The winner, shown above, was a front heavy "Micro car" designed by Hyun Tae Kim. He decided to go with the Micro car concept because of the popularity of this type of car in Europe. Kim even went as far as designing a blueprint of the car and demonstrating its functionalities and where the passengers would fit. Personally, this car looks a little too crazy European to me and I'm not a big fan. When I was in France awhile back, I just laughed when I saw grown men driving around in these itty bitty cars. My favorite is the pimped out SUV (below). It has nice big rims and it looks like people could actually fit inside it. Although Scion doesn't currently have any big cars, let alone a SUV, I think this would still go along with Scion's unique personality and look.

My personal favorite Scion Concept

For more information about the contest and even more concept pictures: Visit the AutoWeek Article.

Car and Driver's Top 3 Winners for "Spoilsport Sedans": All Japanese of course!

The Winner: Infiniti M45

Ok, so we all know now that Car and Driver Magazine appeals to the car enthusiast and not someone who just wants to save a buck. Well in the recent May 2005 issue, they testdrove 8 of "the latest generation of mid-size luxury sports sedans will spoil you as never before." The 8 models all had a price cap of $55,000 and were compared on whether the sedan demonstrated that it could balance sports car performance with a cultivated personality. Ok, well now for the important part, Car and Driver's overall rankings:

1. Infiniti M45 Sport


2. Acura RL


3. Lexus GS430


4. Mercedes-Benz E350


5. Audi A6 4.2 Quattro


6. BMW 530i


7. Cadillac STS V-8


8. Jaguar S-Type 4.2 VDP Edition

So, I guess that means that Japanese cars are in fact fun to drive AND reliable. The contest's winner, the M45, "aced everything in the lane-change and skidpad tests, helped no doubt by its 19-inch high-performance summer tires—real tires, someone called them—as well as by its wonderfully linear steering, crafty chassis geometries, and tightly constrained suspension. Then it spanked everything at the track. All this for just $51,860, Jack."

I have to admit that I really would like to buy the Infiniti G35 coupe if I had a little bit more money to spend. It seems like the M45 is this car's bigger sibling. I feel like the M is something Infiniti desperately needs to gain a bigger share of the mid-size luxury segment. From all the positive reviews, it looks like the M45 is going to be a real winner! What do you think?

M45 Inside Line Forum

Forget the TSX, I want an all new 2006 Lexus IS 250/350

The Redesigned 2006 Lexus IS 250

Ok, so I really like the Acura TSX, but after reading reviews and seeing pictures of the newly redesigned Lexus IS, the TSX seems like a distant memory. Lexus' current IS 300 has a in-line 6/RWD engine with 215 hp. However, for 2006, the IS will have four different model types:

IS 350 RWD and IS 350 AWD: 3.5L V-6 Engine with around 300hp

IS 250 RWD and IS 250 AWD: 2.5L V-6 Engine with 204hp

Lexus also decided to axe the IS Sportcross wagon due to low sales and instead may introduce an IS hardtop convertible. The IS 250/35o was introduced at the Geneva Auto Show this year while the 350 model could be seen at the New York Auto Show. The new IS will be revamped with more luxurious features and pull away from the current cheap looking interior. Some highlights are an input port for your iPod, optional Mark Levinson audio, a better navigation system with a rear-view camera, and a total of ten air bags. I think the BMW 3-Series should be scared...VERY scared.

If anyone wants to donate $5000 to Sara wants an IS fund, let me know!

IS interior

The Future of Hybrid Cars

The World's 1st Luxury Hybrid: RX 400h

Gas prices are still on the rise around the world, and consumers are seriously looking for autos with better gas mileage. People are beginning to consider trading in their Dodge Durango and Cadillac Escalade SUVs when a trip to the gas station now costs $60. Now that hybrids have become more mainstream due to the success of the Toyota Prius and Honda hybrid Accord, you'd think that they'd penetrate more than the current 0.5% of the US car market. The main problem is to overcome the technology hurdles, such as the size of the battery system, the performance the hybrid delivers, and the manufacturers' battery capacity. I think many people shy away from buying a hybrid because they're not sure if saving money on gas will make up for the premium price increase. If the car manufacturers can reduce the size of the battery, the price will decrease and the engine will be more powerful: a win-win solution for the driver. Currently, Honda estimates that 60% of the price premium is because of the battery technology. If the price increase decreased by half, the company thinks that the hybrid technology would be able to penetrate 2/3 of auto sales.

Still, many driving enthusiasts complain about the lack of performance and pleasure they feel when driving a hybrid. Well that's all about to change when Lexus releases the first luxury hybrid SUV, the RX400h this month. The 400h boasts the power of a V-8 engine and the gas mileage of a 4-cyl, making you forgot that you're even driving a hybrid. Many people must think that this car will be worth the $5000 price premium because there's already 13,000 people who have put down a deposit for the SUV as early as 1 year before it was even released!

It is obvious that hybrid cars are popular already. There are waiting lists of up to a year to even get your chance to buy one. Many celebrities like Cameron Diaz and Leonardo DiCaprio own a Toyota Prius when we all know they could easily afford a $100,000 car instead. In my opinion, it's just a matter of time for the engineers to fine-tune the technology until the hybrid market will really catch on to the general public. Until then, you're going to have to wait a long time to buy one and pay a significant price premium as well.

Honda looking into introducing a diesel engine in US

Diesel Accord Released in Europe

AutoWeek recently released a story on how Honda executives would like to release a diesel engine Honda into the U.S. Market, but is unable to do so because of our strict emission regulations. Honda feels that there is a demand for diesel-based cars in the United States, but it currently does not have the technology available to reduce the emissions (Diesel engines release 8 times more Nitrogen oxide than their gasoline counterparts. However, a major advantage of diesel engines is the increased gas mileage, something very important right now to consumers while the prices are skyrocketing. Honda realizes that diesel technology has been its downfall because it has already investing heavily in hybrid and fuel-cell technology. Executives at Honda know one thing: the car industry needs a drastic change away from its dependence on gasoline engine cars or the environment and society in general will suffer. Right now, I think that a lot of people are shying away from diesel engines because of the fact that the cost of diesel fuel is higher than regular gasoline. I learned in my business and the environment class last semester about biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel fuel can be made out of waste vegetable oil and can drastically reduce the amount of carcinogens that normal diesel fuel emits into the environment. It is a win-win solution because it not only is cleaner, but also reduces disposal problems of the waste. Hopefully, biodiesel fuel will become more mainstream and affordable in the future.

Voice your opinions on a diesel forum!

Consumer Reports show Japanese auto domination

2005 Honda Accord Hybrid

©www.cars.com

Throughout my blog's short life, I have continually mentioned how much more superior Japanese cars are to their American and German counterparts. Now there's more proof of my opinion after Consumer Reports released their yearly review of the best cars in the US. All but one of the vehicles in the magazine's list of "top picks" in 10 different categories for 2005 are Japanese. The only non-Japanese car was the Ford Focus, which won for best small sedan. However, Consumer Reports decided to remove the Focus from its list of recommended cars after side-impact crash results were released. Hmm..now that means that there were NO german or American winners at all, now that's a disgrace. Consumer Reports even noted that American auto were still more reliable than the European counterparts. I seem to recall that Mercedes Benz really took a lot of heat because almost none of its classes were recommended as used cars that people should consider. I have to admit that I chuckled a little bit after reading Consumer Reports at the Lexus dealership last week. Anyway, here are the following winners:

Best Family Sedan: Honda Accord Hybrid

Best Upscale Sedan: Acura TL

Best Luxury Car: Lexus LS430

Most Fun to Drive: Subaru Impreza WRX/STi

Best Small SUV: Subaru Forester

Best Mid-size SUV: Lexus RX330

Best 3rd Row SUV: Honda Pilot

Best Minivan: Honda Odyssey

Best Green Car: Toyota Prius

Best Small Sedan: No Pick after Removal of Ford Focus

Spreading the Word about Blogs...and eBay Motors

So I guess blogs are kind of cool. Over Spring Break, I was actually excited to show my boss, Tom, at the Lexus dealership my Japanese car blog. He became so excited about it that he decided that he wanted to start up his own blog for the dealership. Tom said that he had always wanted to build his own website but didn't want to pick up an HTML book and learn how to code. Well there you go, blogs are perfect because they require minimal knowledge of HTML. I will keep you guys posted if a Lawrence Lexus blog ever enters the so-called blogosphere.

Also new this week is the addition of live eBay links to Japanese car auctions on the left hand column of my blog. I think I would actually consider buying a car on eBay only if the person selling it was in driving distance. I don't think I could fully trust buying a car without physically looking or driving it. Surprisingly though, we have people come to our dealership from around the country to pick up cars they bought on eBay from us. We even have an eBay salesperson! eBay Motors is also finding that buying a car online removes the traditional price haggling bargaining process that many people, especially women, do not like. With eBay Motors, the seller does not know the buyer's characteristics, which can be very advantageous for people with a lack of car knowledge. I'm definitely an eBay fan, but I might need to see a ridiculous deal before I buy my next car on eBay Motors. Let me know about your own thoughts or experiences.