Cars

The Nissan Leaf should hit dealerships in six months or so.

Over at Autoblog Green, (sister site of our favorite website Autoblog) it’s being reported that the Nissan Leaf is sold out before it even hits dealerships. According to the blog, “During a speech to the Detroit Economic Club …, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn announced that the U.S. market allotment for the first year’s production of Leafs is already sold out more than six months before the EV even goes on sale. Nissan has now received 13,000 orders for the $32,780 electric car.”

The blog goes on to further state that the orders so far come from $99 deposits. However, I think they’re going to sell out their allotment. Based solely on what’s been reported about the Leaf – and from a total lack of first-hand experience – this little electric car could be quite a hit based on the driving habits of most Americans.

Nissan seems to have built an electric vehicle that can actually hold people and meet their driving needs 90% of the time. What’s not to like? Plus, massive tax credits will bring the price down. Who knows? Could this be an Internet Car of the Year winner?

The official videographer of the Internet Car and Truck jury is Roosevelt Gist of AutoNetwork.com. It’s not a real press event unless Roosevelt is there with a video camera pressed to his right eye. Follow him through a walkaround of the Mini Clubman with a Mini product manager.

What’s especially good about this presentation is you can hear auto journalists asking questions about the product while the camera is rolling. It’s unedited comments that you won’t get at most websites.

Also, if you go to AutoNetwork.com, you can also see the manufacturer’s presentations for all the cars and trucks Roosevelt videotapes. That’s an added bonus you can’t find anywhere else that we’re aware of.

Thanks Roosevelt!

Ultimate 911 extracts 620 ultra-efficient, twin-turbocharged horsepower from 3.6 liters; dramatically improved power-to-weight ratio and increased fuel economy

ATLANTA – May 12, 2010 – The time: seven minutes, 18 seconds on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife. The power: 620 hp. The weight: 3,020 lb (1,370 kilograms) in road trim with all fluids on board. The car: the new 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS.

90 More Horsepower, 154 lbs Less Filling

The latest 911 is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche. With horsepower (hp) up by 90 and weight down by 154 lbs (70 kilograms) in comparison with the previous 911 GT2, the new 911 GT2 RS has a power-to-weight ratio of just 4.9 lbs (2.21 kg) per horsepower, by far the best power/weight ratio in its class. These are the ideal ingredients for an ultra-high-performance sports car with supreme agility and truly blistering performance on the road. Perfectly illustrating Porsche Intelligent Performance, the 2011 GT2 RS achieves a reduction of approximately 5 percent for both fuel consumption and CO2 emission reduction when compared with the previous 911 GT2.

The 3.6 liter six-cylinder boxer engine features two variable turbine geometry turbochargers and provides power to the rear wheels exclusively through a six-speed manual gearbox. Equally impressive stopping power comes from Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes (PCCB).

Unique Tires, One of a Kind Performance

New tires were specifically developed for the 911 GT2 RS and measure 245/35 ZR 19 at the front and 325/30 ZR 19 at the rear, delivering cornering performance to match the straight-line speed. Extreme cornering dynamics are ensured by the setup of the springs, Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management (PASM), unique anti-roll bars, specific engine mounts and recalibrated Porsche Stability Management (PSM), whose stability and traction control functions can be switched off individually.

The combined effect of these developments is evident on the racetrack. In fact, the ultimate 911 accelerates from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, boasts a top-track speed of 205 mph and laps the famed Nürburgring-Nordschleife racetrack in just 7 minutes and 18 seconds.

Carbon Fiber, Limited Production

In its looks, the new 911 GT2 RS stands out clearly from the other 911 models through the lavish use of carbon-fiber-reinforced (CFR) components with a matt-black surface finish, even wider wheels (including flared wheel arches at the front), new light-alloy wheels with central locking and “GT2 RS” model designations on the doors and rear lid. Matte-finish carbon also graces the redesigned front spoiler lip and the 3/8th of an inch (10 mm) taller rear spoiler lip – which both enhance aerodynamics and provide extra downforce.

The interior of the 911 GT2 RS also exudes sporting performance in virtually every detail. Lightweight two-piece bucket seats made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic are standard, as are lightweight door panels with fabric straps instead of traditional door handles. The basic interior color is black, which contrasts with red elements, such as the seat center sections, the roof lining and segments of the steering wheel rim. The gearshift and handbrake lever are also finished in red alcantara.

Limited to just 500 units worldwide, the 911 GT2 RS will be available in the U.S. October 2010 and will have a MSRP of $245.000. The GT2 RS is making its world debut at the Moscow Auto Show on August 25, 2010.

OK, so maybe the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe isn’t eligible for Internet Car of the Year but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy its beauty. Juror Roosevelt Gist from AutoNetwork.com shot some video that’s worth viewing. Or, as he puts it, “See what $530k will buy you.”

Could a station wagon be among the contenders for Internet Car of the Year? The 2011 Cadillac CTS-V could. Take a look at this video walk around with Cadillac Design Director Clay Dean. By the way, if you like this walk around, check out this Boston.com interview with Cadillac director of exterior design Max Wolff.

Via Autoblog.com, comes the above great video of a Volvo S60 crashing into the back of a truck. Now, like most folks, we here at Internet Car & Truck of the Year enjoy a good crash video as much as the next person. What’s particularly enjoyable about this one, though, is the Volvo S60 does not work quite like it should during a media demonstration.

You see, Volvo S60s traveling below 30 mph are supposed to stop before striking objects. Volvo said, according to the Autoblog.com post, that it was human error. Um, isn’t it humans that program the system to begin with? Does anybody else out there have a little less confidence in this new system that will be available on the 2011 model S60?

By the way, click this link to see how Volvo presents its safety message (sans unexpected crashes that I’m surprised Volvo didn’t blame on unintended acceleration).

The 2010 Cadillac SRX Turbo V6

In our ongoing attempts to spotlight the reviews of our jurors, we bring you Jeffrey Ross, one of our newest jurors (and a newlywed to boot!), from the website Autotropoilis.com He is a big fan of the Cadillac SRX with the V6 turbo.

Here’s some of what Jeffrey had to say:

With the hot-selling SRX crossover already giving the Lexus RX some stiff competition, the sportier Cadillac SRX Turbo adds a whole new dimension to this midsize luxury crossover rivalry … the more powerful SRX Turbo delivers improved performance to compete against some of the sportier non-V-8 mid-size luxury crossovers like the Acura MDX and Infiniti FX35.

What do you think? I spent a week with the SRX Turbo in Florida and really liked it.

Envy is not good for a person’s soul, but I envy the members of the Internet Car and Truck of the Year jury who had the privilege of going to the launch of the new Jaguar XJ. Oh Jaguar, why dost thou forsake me?

As Mark Elias from Left Lane News so eloquently put it:

“With chief designer Ian Callum performing at the top of his game as the preeminent automotive stylist working today, the Jaguar XJ doesn’t necessarily chart a new course for Jaguar, but it sure does help define the brand. Smooth and capable, this isn’t the Jaguar of yore.”

Aaron Gold from Cars.About.Com

“The XJ is supposed to be the least-sporty Jag, and it does put comfort above handling, but it still knows its way around a curvy road. It’s a different sort of Jag, and I’m still coming to terms with that — but overall, I was really taken with the car.”

2011 Ford Fiesta goes on sale in June.

Ford invited scores of journalists to San Francisco last week to drive the 2011 Ford Fiesta that arrives in the U.S. in late June. Here is what a couple of the Internet Car & Truck of the Year jurors had to say about the 2011 Ford Fiesta:
Mark Elias, Left Lane News

“Designed to compete against the natural predators in the segment, including the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and Nissan Versa, it manages to hold its own both in terms of performance and in its ample feature content.”

Aaron Gold, Cars.About.Com

“(T)he Fiesta is huge fun to drive. I hate to sound like a Euro-car snob, but there’s no mistaking which side of the Atlantic the Fiesta comes from …”

Don’t be surprised to see the Ford Fiesta among the finalists for Internet Car of the Year!

• The 2011 Ford Fiesta adheres to the same noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) control principles as larger Ford car lines, delivers class-leading quietness
• Fiesta highway wind noise at 80 mph is 10 percent quieter than a Honda Fit and still quieter than the Toyota Corolla
• The Fiesta body structure was designed with ultra-high-strength steels for rigidity, resulting in a quiet, rattle-free ride
• Using the global Fiesta as a platform, the North American Fiesta team enhanced NVH control for the market-specific PowerShift transmission and all-season tires

SAN FRANCISCO, April 19, 2010 – The 2011 Ford Fiesta delivers big car quiet in a small car package through the application of principles that until now have typically only gone into the development of bigger, more expensive cars.

“The global Ford Fiesta platform really raised the bar for small car quiet,” said Vehicle NVH Supervisor David Snyder. “For the North American market, we started with an inherently quiet package, enhancing it specifically to accommodate the all-new PowerShift transmission, all-season tires and discriminating customer expectations.”

Fiesta quiet begins with a rigid body structure, half of which is created from ultra-high-strength steels such as boron. These lightweight yet strong alloys give the Fiesta body rigidity, helping to keep the finished vehicle tight and rattle-free.

The stiff Fiesta body structure, NVH control actions taken and a slippery aerodynamic design combine to deliver ten percent less highway wind noise at 80 mph than a Honda Fit. In the same measure, Fiesta is quieter than both Toyota Yaris and Corolla.

Transformational transmission tuned

The PowerShift automatic is a North American Fiesta-exclusive offering. This unique transmission – based on hyper-efficient manual transmission technology – provides the convenience of a traditional automatic while offering the mechanical efficiency of a manually shifted gearbox.

The PowerShift automatic is a key factor in helping the Fiesta deliver up to an estimated 40 mpg highway.

PowerShift-specific Fiesta engine and transmission mounts were specially tuned to virtually eliminate driveline noise. This advanced transmission also features micro-slip, a technology that actually induces minimal clutch slip for smooth gear changes and isolation of engine vibration as an NVH control action.

Quiet in all seasons

To preserve the dynamic driving characteristics of the global Fiesta package while accommodating all-season tires, the North American development team added specially tuned shock absorber valving, increased front spring rates and damping.

These actions result in the North American Fiesta sharing the same engaging driving dynamics with its global counterpart, with reduced noise from the suspension and tires.

Uncompromisingly quiet

Multiple enhancements were made to Fiesta’s interior NVH control package to meet the unique expectations of North American drivers. These include:

• Acoustic-laminated windshield, reducing wind noise
• Wind tunnel-optimized side-view mirrors, reducing wind noise
• Stiffened door modules, reducing the potential for rattles
• Roof-mounted antenna for less wind noise and improved aerodynamics
• Wind noise-optimized grille for reduced wind noise
• Enhanced hood seal for reduced engine noise
• Additional sound-absorbent material for a quieter interior environment
• Revised seals for reduced wind noise

“The Fiesta delivers the refinement and quietness of a larger, more expensive car” said Snyder. “This combined with the expected class-leading fuel economy of up to 40 highway miles per gallon make the Fiesta a compelling alternative for small car buyers.”