Audi A3 TDI Is Bound for US
Audi announced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show that its 2010 A3 2.0 TDI will be coming to the US early next year. The diesel hatchback, which participated in the Audi Mileage Marathon last fall, averaged more than 45 miles per gallon over the course of the 4,000-mile journey. The A3 is considered one of Europe’s cleanest and most fuel-efficient passenger cars. The 2010 A3 is not expected to bring big changes from the 2009 model. It will continue to draw power from the same advanced clean diesel powertrain as last year’s model. The 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will yield 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. Expect superb off-the-line performance and acceleration from the engine—which is mated with a six-speed automatic transmission. Fighting Words Audi considers the A3 a hybrid-fighter, specifically putting the Toyota Prius and the 2010 Honda Insight in its sights. The car is perhaps better compared with the Mini Cooper and Volvo C30 in the sport compact luxury segment. The price of diesel, which remains higher than premium unleaded gasoline, may be a potential downside for consumers. But that deterrent is counter-balanced by great fuel economy, strong performance, a plush ride, and a cabin with loads of high-end upgrades and amenities. Pricing for the 2010 A3 will be announced later this year. read more
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Audi A3 TDI Is Bound for US
Lexus HS250h
Detroit —Never again let it be said that high-mileage hybrids are grim, joyless, or Spartan. With the launch of the new Lexus HS250h, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system shows up in a midsize sedan that is both economical and unquestionably luxurious. As Lexus pointed out at the introduction, more than 60 percent of luxury-car buyers would consider a hybrid if one were available. Now, those buyers have a new option. The HS250h goes on sale in Spring 2009. The HS250h is the Lexus brand’s first dedicated hybrid, just as the Toyota Prius is for Lexus’s parent brand. Previous Lexus hybrids were adaptations of existing vehicles, including the popular RX400h crossover—to be replaced for 2010 by the RX450h —the GS450h sports sedan, and the full-size luxury barge LS600h . While the new Lexus was launched a day before the new 2010 Prius , it’s more closely related to that car than many Lexus buyers may realize. The two cars have different bodies, different engine sizes, and certainly different personas, but you can view the HS250h as a new Prius with a trunk, a bunch of luxury accoutrements, and a different tradeoff between fuel economy and features. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld might say. read more
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Lexus HS250h
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