Cars.com recently released its 2008 Hybrid Buying Guide which is intended to help consumers choose which of the 2008 model hybrids are going to be the best buys. Cars.com also disclosed that they designed the guide to assist consumers in choosing which hybrid would suit their lifestyle. The guide also has specifications, price, and fuel efficiency numbers of the top chosen vehicles. One could also find comparisons of the chosen hybrids with non-hybrids.

Here are Cars.com’s top ten 2008 model hybrids:

1. Toyota Prius

MSRP: $21,100

EPA-estimated mileage (city/highway, mpg): 48/45

2. Saturn Vue Green Line

MSRP: $24,170

EPA-estimated mileage: 25/32

3. Honda Civic Hybrid

MSRP: $22,600

EPA-estimated mileage: 40/45

4. Toyota Camry Hybrid

MSRP $25,200

EPA-estimated mileage: 33/34

5. Lexus RX 400h

MSRP: $41,280

EPA-estimated mileage: 27/24

6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid

MSRP: $33,700

EPA-estimated mileage: 27/25

7. Ford Escape Hybrid

MSRP: $26,505

EPA-estimated mileage: 34/30

8. Chevrolet Tahoe 2 Mode Hybrid

MSRP: $49,590

EPA-estimated mileage: 21/22

9. Saturn Aura Green Line

MSRP: $22,140

EPA-estimated mileage: 24/32

10. Lexus GS 450h

MSRP: $54,900

EPA-estimated mileage: 22/25

Underscoring the excellent quality and safety of Toyota automobiles, the Camry sedan and RAV4 SUV recently earned top honors for side/front crash safety. The two Toyota vehicles dominated the other models evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Other models tested included the latest versions of the Dodge Caliber, Kia Optima, Lincoln Zephyr, and Hyundai Tucson SUV. All six vehicles garnered “good” or “acceptable” ratings in front crash tests. However, five of the six vehicles got a poor rating in rear-end collision protection. Only the Kia Optima got a good rating for rear crash safety though it was not tested for side impact crash. The tests involve crashing the vehicles into a barrier at a speed of 40 mph as well as hitting the vehicle from behind at 20 mph.

The vehicles with side air bags got the highest marks. This bodes well for the NHTSA’s mandate for industry-wide use of side airbags. Apparently, side air bags can save up to 1,200 lives in the US every year. However, side airbags remain as an option (priced at about $650) in most vehicles today. Only 38% of current vehicles come with standard side airbags, while another 30% offers the safety feature as an option.

The information gathered from more than 60 million visitors of Kelley Blue Books’ kbb.com, the most visited third-party auto web site in the net, comprised of the raw data of the latest most researched vehicles for the first six months of 2006. Included in the Top 20 list of America’s most trusted source of new and used automotive information are the following.

Honda Civic
Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Rav4
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Toyota Highlander
Chevrolet Tahoe
Honda CR-V
Ford Mustang
Nissan Altima
BMW 325
Acura TL
Toyota Sienna
Toyota 4runner
Ford Escape
Infiniti G35
Toyota Avalon
Mazda 3

On top of the list are Asian models, Honda and Toyota. Seven slots are occupied by Toyota and five by Honda, which are all included in the Top Ten. In place of the Chrysler 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which has fallen off from the current list, are Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Tahoe. Together with the Tahoe is the Ford Mustang, the sole domestic models that made it to the most researched line-up.

Two utilitarian minivans came in at the 6th and 7th spots, the Honda Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna respectively. Three entry level luxury vehicles also made it in the list - the BMW 325, Acura TL and Infiniti G35 (pictured above) – which according to Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and market analyst of Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com have definitely become the brands and vehicles that the public aspires to drive and own.

London is fast on the road to becoming the super car capital of the world boasting record sales figures of Bentleys, Lamborghinis and Bugattis. Yesterday, Jack Barclay Ltd, the sole dealer of Bugatti cars in the United Kingdom took delivery of its first Bugatti Veyron, arguably the world’s fastest car. The Bugatti Veyron can reach up to a stunning 250 mph (400+ kph) and can go from standstill to 62 mph in 2.5 seconds. All this power comes from a monster W-16 engine that can produce 1,001 horsepower.

Ever since Bugatti announced its intentions to produce a Supercar with 1,000-hp engine five years ago, interest in the Veyron has built up to overwhelming proportions. The Bugatti Veyron is also the most expensive car to date priced at a million euros or $1,192, 057. It topped Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s most expensive cars for 2006, which we featured last March. In the UK, Jack Barclay has received 15 orders for this very exclusive, limited edition car and is expected to sell the full UK quota before the year ends.

Much has been said about the current financial crisis that America’s top automakers are experiencing. Sales continue its downward trend as demand for large and midsized SUV’s fall. May sales figures were down by 4.6% compared to last year. However, America’s automakers are producing much improved vehicle models generating a lot of buzz. There have been a number of exciting new sedans and coupes introduced such as the Saturn Sky and Ford Shelby GT500. Impressive new vehicle models have also come out from Detroit’s Big Three over the last few years.

To find out which among these new American vehicles are the best, BusinessWeek.com attempts to rank the newest domestic cars of 2006 according to reported reliability, government crash-safety ratings and total cost of ownership. Data were gathered from various sources such as Consumer Reports (Reliability), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Safety ratings) and Edmunds.com (total cost of ownership or TCO). TCO refers to the ownership expenses incurred over a five year time span including such costs as financing, taxes, maintenance, operating and depreciation costs. For this list, only cars with 2006 as the base model year were considered. Not all cars in the market were compared, however, due to the lack of complete safety and reliability data.

America’s best for 2006:

Small Car – Ford Focus

Sedan – Chevrolet Malibu

Wagon – Ford Focus Wagon

Minivan – Dodge Caravan

Small Truck – Dodge Dakota

Large Truck – Ford F-150

Luxury Sedan - Chrysler 300

Mid-Sized SUV - Jeep Grand Cherokee

Luxury SUV - Jeep Commander

Supercar/Exotic - Saleen S7

Hybrid - Ford Escape Hybrid

Coupe - Dodge Viper SRT10

Source: MSNBC

The legendary Chevrolet Corvette widely regarded as “America’s Sports Car’, zoomed to the top of 2006 list of the top ten “sexiest, hottest, and wildest wheels” released by Road and Travel Magazine. The other pony car, Ford Mustang, came in at second. Rounding up the elite list were the BMW Z4, Hyundai Tiburon, Honda S2000, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercedes-Benz SLK, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Dodge Charger, and the new Pontiac Solstice. As expected, almost all the cars listed were sports cars and coupes with the exception of the Dodge Charger, the only four-seater on the selection.

All these cars possessed one common denominator: pure sex appeal. Road and Travel Editor-in-chief Courtney Caldwell explained the predilection towards sports cars. She said that ‘sports cars are all about the sensations they inspire from how the supple leather feels on our skin to its aromatic splendor, from the youthful spirit felt driving one to the sun on our back and wind in our hair; Sports cars are about fantasy and self image. Just looking at one incites erotic thoughts and visions of grandeur. Owning one turns those images into reality!’

The other cars who made it to the list have already won accolades from other award-giving bodies. The Pontiac Solstice took home the ‘Most Sex Appeal’ award at the 2006 International Car of the Year Awards. The Dodge Charger won the coveted top plum: Car of the Year. Meanwhile, Nissan 350Z’s ads won for it the 2nd Annual Heart String Award for best car commercial, also given out by Road and Travel Magazine.

The market share of the three major domestic automakers continues to slip, with sales for the month of May remaining flat, and market share falling to a near-record low of 52.9%. General Motor’s share fell to 22.7% down from 28.8% in 2005. Ford also experienced a slight drop in share, from 18.9% last year to 18.6% this year. Ford’s perennial bestseller, the F-150 saw a drop in sales by up to 6% last month, despite incentives. Chrysler’s share took a dive to 14.3% from 15.5%.

Meanwhile, Asian automakers continue to expand their share of the market. Toyota’s sales were stronger by 17% boosted by strong performance from luxury arm Lexus. For the second consecutive month, sales of Toyota brands outpaced that of Daimler-Chrysler’s. Meanwhile, Honda sales, riding on the very successful Civic, grew by 16.1%. Not all Asian brands, however, were looking up. Sales for Nissan dropped to 7.3% as most of the cars and trucks in its lineup are nearing the end of their model life. Demand for minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks stayed flat with buyer interest shifting towards smaller, fuel-efficient cars because of the high gas prices.

The results are in for this year’s fifth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year award. The jury of almost two dozen automotive journalists from across North America has chosen which among the 25 concept vehicles and 12 production preview vehicles that debuted in 2006 stand out above the rest. The award honors the vehicles that are most likely to shape the future of the automobile industry.

The Volvo C30 and the Aston Martine Rapide were adjudged as the 2006 Production Preview Vehicle of the Year. The Rapide, stylish, four-door, luxury coupe, impressed the jurors as much as the gorgeous Volvo C30 did. Meanwhile, the highly contested 2006 Concept Car of the Year Award went to the Chevrolet Camaro, highlighting the resurgence of the popularity of ‘Muscle Cars’.

In the Truck and SUV category, the Dodge Rampage emerged as the 2006 Concept Truck of the Year, besting other contenders with its innovative features like Stow-N-Go seating and dual-level cargo-bed. Meanwhile, in the Specialty Concept Category, the Ford Reflex snapped up the top spot. The Ford Reflex sport coupe also garnered the highest scores among the four finalists and emerged as the 2006 Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year.

The North American Concept Vehicle of the Year awards is given out annually for the five consecutive years now by the South East Automotive Media Organization or SEAMO.

Every demographic and age group has their own favorite domestic vehicle deemed as the most buzz-worthy. A study conducted by the Kelley Blue Book and Harris Interactive identified the top-ranked buzz-worthy cars for each generation. Among the domestic vehicles cited, the Dodge Charger entered the top 5 in two categories and is the top-ranked buzz-worthy vehicle in one. Here’s the shortlist of the top buzz-worthy domestic vehicles per generation/demographic group:

Generation Y (1977-1986) – Chevy Cobalt
Generation X (1965-1976) – Hummer H3
Baby Boomers (1946-1964) – Dodge Charger
Pre-Boomers (1945-earlier) – Ford Five Hundred
Hispanic, African-American – Shelby Cobra GT 500
Asian – Lexus 400h

Luxury automaker Lexus took home AutoPacific’s 2006 Vehicle Satisfaction Rating for Top Brand on account of the solid performance of its LS 430 premium luxury car and excellent ratings of other models in its lineup. Meanwhile, Lincoln Navigator Luxury SUV owners were the most satisfied with their vehicle, while the Hyundai Azera was the highest rated car. The auto consulting firm’s Vehicle Satisfaction Awards aims to objectively gauge owner satisfaction with their new car or light truck. Six automakers were honored in eighteen Vehicle Satisfaction categories. The results were calculated according to owner satisfaction in different areas including vehicle operation, comfort, and safety. This year’s top performers are the following:

Top Brand: Lexus

Top Passenger Cars:

Premium Luxury Ca: Lexus LS
Entry Luxury Car: Cadillac CTS
Luxury/Large Car: Hyundai Azera
Premium Mid-Size Car: Volkswagen Passat
Mid-Size Car: Mercury Milan
Image Compact Car: MINI Cooper
Compact Car: Honda Civic
Sports Car: Chevrolet Corvette
Sporty Car: Acura RSX

Top Light Trucks:

Large Light-Duty Pickup: Nissan Titan
Large Heavy-Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD
Sport Utility Truck: Honda Ridgeline
Compact Pickup: Mitsubishi Raider
Luxury Sport Utility: Lincoln Navigator
Large Sport Utility: Nissan Armada
Premium Mid-Size Sport Utility: Mitsubishi Endeavor
Mid-Size Sport Utility: Hyundai Santa Fe
Compact Sport Utility: Suzuki Grand Vitara
Minivan: Honda Odyssey