Archive for the ‘Minivans’ Category

It is a project that should have been presented yesterday to the European Commission, but must await the end of the month to be considered (it was announced October 21, 28 last time). Objective of this new legislation: manufacturers impose limits on emissions of CO2 utility light, as is the case for private vehicles. If the project is accepted, emissions of CO2 VUL will no longer exceed 175g CO2 per kilometer by Read the rest of this entry »

Cityland dead, the Land Rover Freelander2 does not run out a special series on the Spanish market attractive and appears Bulgaria. So far only known to be available during the month of May, with a budget so complete that it becomes the option to choose.

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“Variety is the spice of life”: It’s a phrase could very well be borrowed as the tag line for Chrysler’s latest versions of its minivan lineup. Between its flagship Chrysler model, the luxury-level Town & Country, and its entry-level Voyager, rebadged last year from the Plymouth side of the family, this automaker offers eight distinct models that allow buyers to choose important options such as all-wheel-drive, three different engine sizes, as well as a variety of sporty features. And, from its new design, both inside and out, it’s clear that Chrysler understands the varying needs of its buyers, who are looking for versatility, convenience and safety features and will use their minivan sometimes as a seven-passenger shuttle bus, sometimes as storage vehicle, and sometimes merely a form of individual transportation. After all, Chrysler (and sister division Dodge), now under the DaimlerChrysler umbrella, claims to have established the minivan formula 17 years ago and since has built over 8 million, a figure that represents over half the minivans sold worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »

In the past, the words “sport” and “wagon” presented such as dichotomy that they could never be placed side-by-side. In the time of leisure suits and disco balls, wagons were decidedly un-cool and the only time Dad would be caught behind the wheel was when he was shuttling the family off on a summertime trip to the Grand Canyon.

Two decades later, the wagon is hot and, with the entry of several new models from the Europeans, it is definitely sporty. In fact, BMW’s new 3-Series sport wagon seems to be the perfect match for hip dads (or moms) who need the extra cargo space, but have a yearning for a performance-oriented sedan. BMW reports its target buyer as being a near even split between the sexes (55% men, 45% women) who are 45 years old and married (70%) with an annual household income of $110,000. Read the rest of this entry »

It wasn’t that long ago that wagons were thought of as the entirely un-cool mom-mobiles, which sported a carload of screaming children hanging out of every window. Images of these old, rumbling wood-paneled wagons bring to mind the Brady Bunch kids gone wild. But today’s European-bred wagons, now driven only by the ultra-hip, offer none of these connotations. And even these two Swedish-born SUV alternatives, in the past criticized for their stodginess and lack of creative design, exhibit a fabulous collection of innovative features in a package the valet won’t sneer at. Despite the Swedish influences in both, each has its own distinct personality catering to two radically different buyers. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes a name does make a difference. I understand it’s just badging, but when it comes to a vehicle, Montana sounds a lot better than TranSport, its predecessor.

Pontiac decision makers obviously agree, that’s why a couple years ago they changed the name of the division’s entry into the minivan category from one of the worst names (TranSport) to one of the coolest names (Montana).

But even despite the name change, the Montana faces tough competition in the minivan market, which includes the Dodge Caravan, Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna and Ford Windstar. Automakers realize the importance of this vehicle as a family hauler and each of their minivans has enough appealing features to make the decision of which one to buy a tough choice for consumers. Read the rest of this entry »

The vehicle market power will develop small-to-small next year in France.

The French company Heuliez will make its contribution to the building: it has announced it will propose in 2010 a range of four electric vehicles.

There will be pick-up electric ‘Simply City Up “, the electric tricycle” Pelican “self Erlangen” Friendly “version and the family (4 door) of the” Friendly “.

Caradisiac you had presented the prototype of these clean vehicles at the Mondial de l’Automobile de Paris 2008.

The projects become reality, it’s good!

According to a study by an insurance company in Australia, 77% of drivers believe that the sedan 4×4 represent a hazard on the road. It was enough to take action and thus a petition involving nearly 20 000 signatures was filed this week in the Parliament of Queensland. The claims are: raising taxes on circulation of 4×4 non-commercial and deny them access around schools and shopping areas.

The petition then insists on the environmental aspect and the amount of fuel consumed by these devices: “A 4×4 vehicle uses almost 2 times more fuel and emits 17 times more pollution Read the rest of this entry »

Honda Odyssey makes a minivan easy for the driver and riders.

BUCKHEAD, Ga. — It’s so easy: Steering Honda’s Odyssey minivan on a tight course through narrow lanes at a shopping mall off Peachtree Road in Atlanta’s glitzy Buckhead suburb, we’re hardly working.

There’s scant room for error on this car-crowded lot, slab-sided fenders and protruding chrome bumpers left and right but traffic moving at the pace of slugs on a sidewalk. Still, our Odyssey inches ahead and, when a parking space opens on the left, we slip effortlessly into place. Read the rest of this entry »

The minivan craze started in the early 1980s when Chrysler was the first automaker to launch the vehicle that would soon become the mode of transportation for families.

This marked the beginning of the steady decline of the full-size van market. Along with station wagons (now almost extinct), the full-size vans were the way to haul families and cargo before the birth of the minivan.

So, why did the minivan replace the regular van as a family vehicle? The key word here is mini, with full-size vans simply being too big for people to drive around town on a regular basis. Their size makes it difficult just to simply park in a crowded lot, let alone trying to fit the large van in a normal-sized garage. Read the rest of this entry »