Auto Aficionado 

HYUNDAI Denies the Purchase to Jaguar

No we’re not.

That’s Hyundai’s answer to rumors about the Korean automaker having interest in buying Jaguar from Ford.

The automaker has denied interest in purchasing Ford’s money-losing Jaguar brand saying it had too much investment capital tied up in other places. In a statement, Hyundai said that while it’s true that at one point it did conduct an internal review to acquire a luxury nameplate like Jaguar, that option was dropped in view of immediate priorities.

Executives said that the company is considering launching a premium brand in the future.

GM’s new Camaro for Canada

The new Chevrolet Camaro will be built at General Motor’s Oshawa, Ontario plant in Canada. GM will be spending $658 million for upgrades in the Camaro plant which it hopes will become a flexible manufacturing facility in the long run.

The concept version of the Camaro was displayed at the Woodward Dream Cruise over the weekend together with thousands of other past and future cars.

Meanwhile for the best Chevrolet auto parts just click over to Auto Parts Discount.

TOYOTA and Subaru to produce small cars in Europe

Toyota is reportedly considering providing small cars to Subaru for sale in Europe to take advantage of the growing demand for fuel efficient vehicles there.

News reports says that the deal would include Toyota's popular Vitz model (the Yaris in Europe), and its Aygo model, which is only sold in Europe. The partnership will supposedly take effect as early as 2008.

GM ended its partnership with Fuji and sold out all 20% stake of the company. Toyota bought an 8.7 percent stake in Fuji for US$315 million and became the company's top shareholder.

Toyota will also build the Camry at Fuji’s U.S. plant situated in Indiana starting March 2007.

Green Machines compete in the “Great Race”

New members of the Hybrid Owners Association (HOA), can now join other green-machine drivers in a new race that will pit alternative-fuel vehicles in a 35,000 km race from New York to Paris.

The 80-day race will run from February 12, 2008 and “will prove the viability of the latest sustainable automotive technology”, as promised by the organizers. A $1 million Innovation Prize is at stake for the winner of the Innovation Technology division of contestants.

The race will happen around the 100th anniversary of the original “Great Race” of 1908 will also have classic cars competing for a $500,000 prize.

Audi’s 2007 S4 and A4 Cabriolets Starts at $40K

Audi has announced that its redesigned 2007 S4 Cabriolet will cost from $56,420 with a six-speed manual gearbox and from $57,620 with a six-speed Tiptronic.

While the A4 3.2 V6 is priced at $47,670, the standard 2007 A4 Cabriolet will start at $39,820 with front-wheel-drive, two-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the 2.0 T.

Both the 2007 S4 and A4 Cabrios get fresh styling including Audi’s signature single-frame grille. The A4 2.0T is now packed with a 200-horsepower turbo FSI direct-injection gas engine and can be equipped with a Multitronic continuously variable transmission in front-wheel drive or a six-speed Tiptronic in Quattro all-wheel drive.

The Tiptronic and Quattro are standard on the A4 3.2 Cabriolet, which features a 255 hp V6 FSI. The S4 Cabrio sports come with Quattro all wheel drive as standard, with a 4.2-liter V8 that delivers 340 hp.

Hyundai Reveals updated Tiburon

Korean automaker Hyundai has recently unveiled an updated version of its popular copue, Tiburon at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China.

The face-lifted version has carryover running gear and receives slight changes to its front and rear, the sheet metal though is largely unchanged. The base model is still offered with DOHC 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and a choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic transmission while the uplevel Tiburon comes with a 2.7-liter V6 and a 6-speed manual gearbox.

A full redesign of the Tiburon is expected in 2008-'09.

SAKS Holiday 2006 Mercedes

Christmas is a good four months away but Mercedes-Benz is already thinking ahead by showing off its new 2007 CL600 flagship coupe which will make its debut in the Saks Fifth Avenue’s “The Gift” Holiday catalog. Limited to only 20 units, the Saks Special Edition CL600 coupes features a Mystic White exterior, Porcelain Nappa leather and Piano Lacquer Black interior with five-spoke 18" wheels, and a 510-hp twin-turbocharged V12 engine.

Pricing has yet to be announced this year but if you count on last year's 20 S600 flagship sedans that cost $145,775 which sold out in less than ten minutes, pricing wouldn’t really matter at all would it?

The catalog comes out in October.

The worst list

Here's a list you don't want your brand to be in. The list that Forbes has compiled which highlights vehicles in specific categories: lowest gas mileage, lowest safety ratings, worst predicted resale value, worst predicted reliability, lowest percentage of satisfied owners and worst E.P.A. air pollution and greenhouse-gas scores.

Worst predicted resale value (tie)
Dodge Sprinter van
Ford Crown Victoria
Mercury Grand Marquis
Pontiac Grand Prix

Worst E.P.A. air pollution and greenhouse-gas scores
Ford E-Series van


Lowest gas mileage (tie)
Dodge Durango
Dodge RAM 1500

Worst predicted reliability (tie)
Buick Terraza
Chevrolet Uplander
Pontiac SV6
Saturn Relay

Lowest safety ratings
Saturn Ion

Lowest percentage of satisfied owners
Ford Ranger

Sadly, despite of the efforts being continually made by Ford, GM and Chrysler ti improve their products, they are still everywhere on this list.

Smart introduces fortwo electric version

Before we here in the U.S. can get a taste of the popular Smart fortwo, the lucky people there in the UK are going to get an electric version of the two-seater which will be rolled out on a trial basis in their country. The electric version will be unveiled at the upcoming British International Motor Show on July 18.

The Smart ev has a top speed of 70 mph and goes from zero to 30 mph in 6.5 seconds. According to Smart, the electric car has a range of up to 72 miles. The drivetrain is produced in the U.K. by technology partner Zytek Group. Only 200 units of the 40-horsepower vehicle will be available, with deliveries to begin in November.

Cleaning up your Toyota Wheels

The wheel is one of most functional objects that has been invented by humans. It originated in ancient Mesopotamia during the fifth millennium BC. According to some noted historians, it is one of the predecessors of modern mechanism because it actually works on different contexts, most especially in transportation.

Your car’s wheels could impressively enhance the performance and, of course, the physical appearance of your automobile. Wheels can be eventually corrosive and can actually degrade the appearance of your car.

So here are some tips on how you would enhance and maintain your wheels just by the usual cleaning and choosing the effective cleaner for your wheels. Here are the new groups of car wheel cleaners developed by car care manufacturers:

1. Acid-based cleaners – these type of cleaners are most commonly used by car washes and car dealers to immediately clean the wheels and in the shortest time period of time.

2. Acid-free solvents – these are mild solutions of solvents that is used to remove surface dust and dirt.

3. Detergents – the most commonly used cleaner, detergents are the safest cleaners because there are no harmful effects to the car, and of course, to the owner.

Now that you already know the effective cleaners for your Toyota wheels, try also viewing some of the other Toyota auto body parts on Auto Parts Discount, especially your Toyota wheels if you already need some replacements.