New Car Tracker: 11.21.08

The L.A. auto show brought a host of new models to the table for us to track, as well as a few updated release dates. Ford’s shared-platform trio of the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ will go on sale in spring 2009 alongside hybrid versions of the Fusion and Milan. Also seen at the show were the Nissan Cube and Kia Soul, which will arrive in early 2009 and spring 2009, respectively. As always, we remind our readers that we don't list models that are rumored; we only list confirmed vehicles

Today's News From the Cars.com Family

Ask.cars.com calculates mileage estimates for a Mazda6 with a V-6 engine, as requested by an interested reader. Then go check out PickupTrucks.com for its "kinda sorta liveblog" following the Ford F-150 Raptor through the Baja 1000. Finally, MotherProof.com goes to the L.A. auto show and discovers new ways to keep pets safe during accidents.

What Mileage Can I Expect with the New Mazda6 if I Buy the V-6? (Ask.cars.com)
The Ford F-150 Raptor R Baja 1000 Kinda Sorta Liveblog (PickupTrucks.com)
L.A. Auto Show: Keeping Your Furry Family Members Safe (MotherProof.com)

GM Wins Major Car Award (in Europe)

Oh, irony, are you always this delicious?

While American automakers face complete demolition and pundits everywhere scream about the terrible products coming out of Detroit, GM has managed to win the award for European Car of the Year.

The vehicle? The Opel Insignia. Opel is GM's European brand, and the Insignia is also sold under the Vauxhall brand in England. The four-door sedan has a 256-hp, 2.8-liter V-6 with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Ready for more? The runner-up for European Car of the Year, losing by only one vote, was another Detroit offspring: The Ford Fiesta.

Naturally, neither vehicle is available Stateside, but Ford has plans to bring the Fiesta to the U.S. by 2010, while the Insignia may someday be available in the U.S. as a rebadged Saturn Aura.

Both of these moves, however, do hinge upon important details: Ford and GM not going down in a catastrophic economic fireball, for starters.

European Car of the Year Goes to … General Motors (Wheels)

Electric Vehicles Get Boost in Oregon, San Francisco

We have good news to report for EV fans.

First, Oregon has announced a partnership with Nissan to encourage the production and implementation of EVs across the state. In the deal, Nissan will supply the state with electric cars beginning in 2010, while Oregon and Portland General Electric, a utility, will begin to develop a network of recharging stations to serve the vehicles.

Not to be outdone, San Francisco announced its intent to become the "electric vehicle capital of the U.S." In fairness to its neighbors, Oakland and San Jose are also part of the nine-point plan to introduce the necessary infrastructure when EVs hit the market in a couple years.

The mayors of the three cities will work with Palo Alto start-up Better Place in a public-private partnership that many California politicians see as the model for shifting cars off gasoline. All of them, it seems, eagerly await the federal money that is likely to come pouring in when President-elect Barack Obama takes office.

Bay Area Stakes Claim as the "EV Capital of the U.S." (Autopia)

Congress Denies Big Three Bailout For Now

After two days of hearings, the CEOs of Chrysler, Ford and GM failed to convince Congress that they deserve federal assistance in the form of a $25 billion loan. The Democratic leadership requested more-concrete written proposals by Dec. 2. If the argument is compelling enough, more hearings will follow and Congress will convene Dec. 8 for a vote. This will be the automakers' last chance for action before President-elect Barack Obama takes office Jan. 20. GM in particular warns that it might run out of cash before year end, touching off a domino effect that could take down suppliers and other automakers.

Congress was left questioning if a loan would work, if the companies would be back soon asking for more money and whether assistance would result in long-term viability. The Detroit executives didn't help their case by flying to the hearings on corporate jets and becoming cagey when asked how they arrived at the $25 million figure and if they would personally accept salaries of $1 per year as a symbolic gesture.

Gas Falls Below $2; Let the Trance Begin

The unthinkable has come to pass: Gas has fallen below the $2 mark hitting $1.989 today. What does this mean? A recovered SUV market? The end of plug-in hybrid development? No, of course not.

But are ultra-low gas prices (so low that over the summer, no one would have believed them possible) a good thing? Well—probably not.

It's true that high gas prices on top of the current economic crisis would spell disaster. However, gas prices have bottomed out largely because of the economic crisis that has lowered demand so drastically.

President-elect Barack Obama hit the nail on the head when he said in his recent "60 Minutes" interview, "This has been our pattern: We go from shock to trance. You know, oil prices go up, gas prices at the pump go up, everybody goes into a flurry of activity. And then the prices go back down and suddenly we act like it's not important, and we start, you know, filling up our SUVs again."

Rest assured, the shock will be back. It's just a question of when.

Suburban Dad and the Econobox Invasion

As a dad of two teens, I'm always interested in new cars that may appeal to them. Here in L.A., Nissan and Kia rolled out two new versions of what we used to call, not so charitably, econoboxes. With all the safety advances now required, very few cars are true econoboxes today (just look at their MSRPs), but Nissan's Cube and Kia's Soul are built to take on Scion's xB, already in its second generation.

Of the two, I think I like the Kia better for my kids. (Full disclosure, I own a Kia Sedona). That doesn't mean I think it's necessarily the better of the two, but I think that, given the likely costs of each car, what they offer, and a comparison of features and interiors, the nod goes to the Kia.

Honda Unveils Insight's Eco Assist

Last week, Ford revealed a new energy-conscious instrument cluster — filled with interactive leaves — for the Fusion and Milan hybrids. Ford’s reasoning was that hybrid owners demand better communication in order to maximize fuel efficiency. Well, it appears Honda and Ford hired the same analysts, because Honda has just revealed a very similar system.

Honda’s system, dubbed Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist) will debut in the spring of 2009 on the all-new Honda Insight. The system uses a two-tier instrument cluster (similar to the Civic’s) to communicate effective driving habits. The speedometer’s background color changes depending on how you're driving — green for light acceleration and cruising, blue for hard acceleration and braking.

2008 L.A. Auto Show Recap: Day 2

We're back for day two of the 2008 Los Angeles auto show, and, again, if you didn't already get your fill from the blog, we have full picture sets from the manufacturers and our own staff photographer. Follow the links below for full coverage of today's production vehicles, as well as the concepts of tomorrow. Be sure to stay tuned tomorrow: For gearheads who just can't get enough, we'll have one last roundup featuring all the videos shot in L.A.

Production
2010 Mazda3
2010 Lexus RX 350
2010 Lexus RX 450h
2009 BMW 7 Series
2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible
2009 Porsche Boxster
2009 Porsche Cayman

Concept
Hyundai HED-5 i-Mode
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Honda FC Sport
BMW X6 Hybrid

MotherProof.com
Audi's New Q5 is Another Win
GM's, Chrysler's Silence is Deafening
What's Hot in L.A.
Bikinis Are Out, But Beautiful Models Are Still In

Up Close: 2010 Lexus RX

The old RX aged well, and the new one holds promise. The styling promises similar well-to-do appeal, choosing safer lines over some of the racier curves of its competitors. My only complaint is with the grille: It seems too narrow now, wedged into the tight space between the widened headlights.

Interior quality keeps with that of the old RX, which was fairly good. Various touch points, from the armrests to the center controls, have the sort of premium, soft-but-substantial feel you’d expect in a luxury car. There’s a new mouse-like controller that operates the navigation system, something I’ve never used in an automotive setting before. It’s basically a joystick that operates a moving arrow on the nav screen, and you'll feel the controller respond when the arrow jumps to different on-screen buttons – marking waypoints or zooming in, for example.