Cadillac’s all new 2008 CTS has fed the automotive rumor mill ever since it was announced. In fact, the 2008 CTS is one of the most photographed prototypes of the year. The hype surrounding this new vehicle is not surprising, since the new CTS is the heir of a legendary and award-winning luxury car. Now it is confirmed that the new CTS will have its world premiere at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The new CTS will then be available to American buyers by late summer of 2007.
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For six consecutive years, silver has been the color of choice for new car buyer – and its reign is expected to continue well into the future. In an annual study by PPG Industries, a premier maker of automotive and specialty paints, the color silver is still the champ when it comes to vehicle colors. PPG also predicts that when automakers reveal their new vehicle models in years to come, the popular color will still be silver – or some shade, tint or hue of it.
However, PPG also sees natural colors gaining some popularity in recent years. “We’re going to see a lot more browns and graphite colors, as well as blues emerging in the future”, says Jane Harrington, color styling manager at PPG. Aside from browns and blues, green and gold are also becoming a popular color choice. Specialists at PPG study fashion, consumer goods and architecture which are then incorporated into new paint colors and applications.
Every year, the editors over at Consumer Guide Automotive evaluate hundreds of new vehicles to select those models that are worthy to receive their Best Buy or Recommended award in various vehicle segments. This year, American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) scored a first when its 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara garnered the top spot in the compact sport utility segment to be Consumer Guide’s 2007 Best Buy for that segment.
The Grand Vitara bested 20 other compact SUVs evaluated which included models such as the popular Toyota Rav4 and Honda Element, the luxurious Acura RDX and BMW X3 and new models such as the Jeep Compass and Mercury Mariner. In selecting the year’s Best Buy vehicles, Consumer Guides considers a vehicle’s price, features, accommodations and performance during test drives and grades the vehicles on 10 rating categories.
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In an effort to help curb the growing number of alcohol-related road mishaps that kill thousands every year, Saab has designed its AlcoKey, a car key equipped with a mouthpiece and a breathalyzer. The driver breathes into the device which then sends a signal to the car’s electronic control unit through a radio transmitter. If the device detects alcohol in the driver’s breath sample that is above the permitted levels, the car’s electronic unit will immobilize the engine.
The Saab AlcoKey project is being supported by the Swedish National Road Administration. It is currently being tested in Sweden. It’s quite easy to use and is relatively affordable. If trials prove to be successful, it may be offered through Saab dealers in Sweden and elsewhere around the world.