means Archives | AutoDepot

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay means no $1,300 tax credit?

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Sedan, Government/Legal, Hyundai, Earnings/Financials

2011 Hyundai Sonata hybrid

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

In mid-October, Hyundai announced that its 2011 Sonata Hybrid would be eligible for a $1,300 tax credit. The electrified mid-size sedan was to officially hit the market before the end of the year and the first 60,000 buyers who plopped down some coin for the Sonata Hybrid would’ve walked away with that juicy credit in their pockets. However, there’s a hitch: the Sonata Hybrid has been delayed and its release date pushed back until January, and GreenCarReports.com indicates that that will dash any hopes of receiving the credit, which expires on December 31.

Even so, the Sonata Hybrid still remains one of only a few mid-size hybrid sedans capable of achieving great fuel economy – 36 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg highway – and many of its competitors like the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid either no longer qualify for the tax credits or aren’t available for purchase. The Sonata Hybrid is a capable car and one of the most compelling new vehicles in the mid-size segment, so missing out on the credit probably won’t affect sales dramatically, but its delay will mean that early adopters won’t have an extra $1,300 in their couch cushions next year.

Gallery: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

[Source: GreenCarReports]

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay means no $1,300 tax credit? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay means no $1,300 tax credit?”

eBay Find of the Day: 1959 Ferrari 250 California – If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up

Filed under: Car Buying, Classics, Convertible, Performance, Auctions, Ferrari, Luxury

1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

eBay Find of the Day: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder – Click above for high-res image gallery

One of our favorite cars on the planet, and perhaps in the known galaxy, is the Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. This love affair is easily traced back to one Mr. Ferris Bueller and his Most Excellent Day Off. Sure, the car used in that movie was a Ford V8-powered kit car (oh, the delicious irony of that!) but the looks were there and they seared a lasting impression on our retinas and in our hearts. If one were to pop up on eBay, we would surely be ready to buy it – wait, scratch that because one IS on eBay with a current bid of $600,000 and an unmet reserve. This one’s a little rich for our blood but a steal for anyone out there…with the means.

This particular example is not your standard one-of-50-or-so-produced classic Ferrari 250 GT dream machines. This happens to be one of the nine aluminum-bodied competition cars. It also features the Tipo 508 D frame, which was an improvement over the less-stiff Tipo 508 C. The car has an interesting history as well. The son of the second owner was driving it home from a fishing trip in Florida when he was run off the road and landed between two bridge abutments. The body of the car was lightly damaged and some side body panels were fixed using steel instead of the original alloy material.

Since the car is not a perfect specimen, it just might be ripe for the picking. It certainly looks amazing, is original with the exception of the repaired panels and it represents an amazing period in the Ferrari timeline. The mileage is listed at 52,000 and we would love to help someone put a few more on the clock. We’ll even bring our copy of “Beat City” by The Flowerpot Men. Check out the auction for yourself over at eBay Motors and then a look through the gallery below. Finally, don’t forget to take a peek after the jump for a clip of some Ferris Bueller Ferrari action highlights.

PS: anyone who posts video of the car being destroyed will be banned (no, not really) – it’s been years since we watched that scene but our hearts simply cannot take another viewing.

Gallery: 1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

1959 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

[Source: eBay Motors, Motorator]

Continue reading eBay Find of the Day: 1959 Ferrari 250 California – If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up

eBay Find of the Day: 1959 Ferrari 250 California – If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “eBay Find of the Day: 1959 Ferrari 250 California – If you have the means, we highly recommend picking one up”

This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]

Filed under: Hybrid, Japan, Safety, Toyota

Toyota Approaching Vehicle Audible System – Click above to watch the video after the break

After years and years of doing everything in their power to make cars as quiet as possible, it seems somewhat backwards that we’re now talking about adding external speakers to hybrids in order to make them… louder. But that’s the current reality, and Toyota, the undisputed worldwide leader in hybrid vehicles, is leading the way in Japan with its Prius hatchback.

For about $150, Toyota will equip the Japanese Prius with a Approaching Vehicle Audible System. According to the automaker, the technology is “designed to meet new Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism guidelines for hybrid and other near-silent vehicles.” Expect the system to extend to other hybrids from Toyota and probably to countries outside Japan in time.

Anyone interested in making their third-gen Prius sound like a prop from Close Encounters of the Third Kind are encouraged to watch the Japanese-market video after the break. We’re not going to cast a vote quite yet as to whether or not these systems are a good or bad idea, but we will say this: If we heard that noise coming at us from behind, you can bet we’d be rushing to get out of the way…

[Source: Toyota via Prius Chat]

Continue reading This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]

This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “This Means Something: Japanese Prius to get external speaker option [w/video]”

Study: One-third of drivers don’t know what this dashboard light means

Filed under: Safety, Ford

Remember the Ford Explorer/Firestone tire debacle from a decade ago? Thousands of the ‘utes rolled-over and much of the blame fell on insufficiently inflated tires, costing the Blue Oval billions of dollars to replace the tires on just about every Explorer still left on the road. The other fallout from Explorer-gate (or Firestone-gate) was institution of the Tire Pressure Monitoring System that’s now a legal standard on every car and truck built since 2008.

TPMS sensors constantly measure the pressure in all four tires, and when one or more tires is more than 25 percent below the recommended amount, a light illuminates on the gauge cluster. Most of us know the light (on right) and if you do, you’re among the 54 percent of drivers who know what it means. But more importantly, less than half of the population doesn’t.

TPMS maker Schrader recently surveyed drivers to see if there were knowledgeable about all things TPMS, and the results had to be a bit disappointing. First, the good news: 96 percent of all drivers surveyed felt that under-inflated tires were a serious safety problem. Now the bad news: Only 44 percent of drivers polled regularly check their tire pressure. Furthermore, one third of drivers surveyed didn’t know what TPMS was or what it was used for. Another 44 percent were unaware what the symbol was supposed to represent, while still another 14 percent thought the symbol identified a problem of the non-tire variety.

In order to combat some of the ignorance among motorists about one of its main products, Schrader has introduced its TPMS Made Simple website. While it’s not exactly riveting stuff, the site is chock full of information about TPMS, including what to do when that (apparently) inscrutable warning light in your gauge cluster illuminates (Hint: check your tires) and the economic benefit of properly inflated rubber, including improved fuel economy and longer lasting tires. Head over to the site to become a TPMS expert.

[Sources: USA Today | TPMS Made Simple]

Study: One-third of drivers don’t know what this dashboard light means originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Study: One-third of drivers don’t know what this dashboard light means”