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February 23, 2009
2010 Ford Transit Connect
Ford has released order information and pricing for the 2010 Ford Transit Connect. The Transit Connect has been an extremely popular commercial vehicle in Europe and Asia. We anticipate that this popularity will carry over to the U.S. For a detailed look at the 2010 Transit Connect, take a look at this month's Featured Vehicle page.
We have had a number of inquiries regarding production. The schedule below will give you some idea about delivery time for the vehicle. Also keep in mind that pricing has been released - give us a call if you have any questions about specs or pricing.
IMPORTANT ORDER INFORMATION:
• April production: orders must be placed by March 5th . Vehicles built in April will arrive at dealerships in early July.
• May production: orders must be placed by April 9th. Vehicles built in May will arrive at dealerships late July/August.
• June production: orders must be placed by May 7th. Vehicles built in June will arrive at dealerships in August/early September.
Stop the presses - Ford just announced EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2010 Transit Connect - 22 MPG City; 25 MPG Highway.
2010 Buick LaCrosse
Redesigned from the ground up, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse luxury sedan made its world debut at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. I saw it at the recent Chicago Auto Show and it is very attractive automobile. The exterior design is faithful to the Buick Invicta show car introduced at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show.
The LaCrosse offers all wheel drive, a suite of advanced intelligent personal technologies and safety features, and a choice of two fuel-saving V-6 engines.
LaCrosse’s stiff body structure serves as the foundation for precise suspension tuning, safety and a quiet ride. Buyers can choose from a family of efficient, direct-injection six-cylinder engines and a fuel-conserving six-speed automatic transmission with tap-up/tap-down control.
The direct injection engines in the LaCrosse create more power with less fuel and reduce vehicle emissions through greater combustion control – particularly cold-start emissions that are reduced by up to 25 percent.
The 2010 LaCrosse will be offered in three models - CX, CXL and CXS:
CX – equipped with a new 3.0L direct injection V-6, premium cloth seats and 17-inch wheels. The 3.0L engine generates an estimated 255 horsepower and 211 lb.-ft. of torque and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
CXL – also equipped with the new 3.0L direct injection V-6, adds leather-appointed heated seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, fog lamps, outside rearview mirror with LED turn indicators and puddle lamps, and 18-inch wheels. Intelligent AWD is available.
CXS – equipped with a 3.6L direct injection V-6; real-time active-dampening suspension; perforated, leather-appointed, heated and cooled seats, and chrome-plated 18-inch wheels (19-inch optional). The 3.6L engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, generates an estimated 280 horsepower and 261 lb.-ft. of torque.
Inside, the two-tone interior is defined by a flowing, uninterrupted design theme that wraps around the instrument and door panels. Attention to detail is evident throughout the interior, including the analog instrument cluster, chrome offset by dark wood accents, and the contrasting thread and French stitching on the instrument panel. Buick’s signature QuietTuning – an engineering process to reduce, block and absorb interior noise – provides a distraction-free passenger environment. An unexpected, inviting touch is the cool blue ambient lighting throughout the cabin from the center console, instrument panel and door panels.
LaCrosse production will begin this June at the Fairfax Assembly facility in Kansas City, KS.
Fleeting Tidbits
Chrysler introduced all-new 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs at the recent Chicago Auto Show. The highlight of these new chassis cabs is a new Crew Cab along with Regular Cab and Quad Cab models. For a more in-depth look at these new models, check out Bob Barr's Truck Talk.
We have updated our 2009 MY Final Fleet Order Date page with the latest final order dates from the manufacturers. For some manufacturers this has been a moving target with changes made almost weekly. I would suggest that you check the page regularly to determine final order dates for each model.
Our 2010 Start of Production page lists the initial date you may place orders for a specific 2010 model and the Job #1 date for that model.
Taillights
New Driving Offense - DUIIC
A man in Frankston, Australia, discovered his vehicle’s breath test alcohol interlock device gave a false positive reading after he ate a Bubble O’Bill ice cream treat, preventing him from returning home. His discovery prompted him to ask the local court to remove the device from his car. After a skeptical magistrate demanded proof, the man complied by blowing into the device before he ate another Bubble—resulting in a 0.00 BAC—and conducting the test again shortly after eating the ice cream—yielding a 0.018 BAC—at which point he was declared impaired. And you thought that ice cream only had an effect on your waistline!
2/23/09 | |
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