Straightline

Straightline http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/  1995-2008 Edmunds.com, Inc. The contents of this feed are for non-commercial use only. Wed, 14 May 2008 15:05:05 GMT Web Crossing(r) Unix-v6.0 built May 6 2008 01:30:43 (source:1029 2008-05-05 23:05:11 -0700)/Unix-6.0 (http://webcrossing.com/) http://backend.userland.com/rss Nissan 370Z exposed Wed, 14 May 2008 14:05:58 GMT http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/43 http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/43 Bob Holland <rsholland@aol.com> Nissan 370Z <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea7470/cmd.233/enclosure..eea7471" align="top" height="281" width="430"> <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea7472/cmd.233/embedded..eea7476" align="right" height="135" width="210">Carscoop lived up to their name by scooping an image of the upcoming Nissan 370Z. The image was taken by someone with a camera phone at a recent Nissan event. As you might expect the new Z will be powered by a 3.7L V6 with horsepower well north of 300. It is expected to debut at the next LA auto show next fall. <a href="http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/05/nissan-370z-unveiled-during.html">Full story here</a>. The smaller image has been enhanced via Photoshop, and can be found <a href="http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showpost.php?p=22279038&postcount=82">here</a> at NASIOC. http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea7472#cm Many old gas pumps can't register over $3.99 per gallon Wed, 14 May 2008 14:05:06 GMT http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/42 http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/42 Bob Holland <rsholland@aol.com> old gas pumps $3.99 <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea7468/cmd.233/enclosure..eea7469" align="top" height="211" width="430"> Bet you didn't see this coming! It turns out that many old gas pumps, those usually found in remote and rural areas, can't register over $3.99 per gallon. It is estimated that there may be as many as 17,000 of these mechanical dial-based pumps still in use. The cost to replace these old units with modern ones run anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 each. Another option is an upgrade to the existing pumps, but that can be as much as $650 each. Now before all you penny-pinchers out there in cyberland scream YES!, there is a solution: That being "half pricing," which is, as you might expect, cutting the price in half and then doubling it when you go to pay the service station attendant. <a href="http://www.motorauthority.com/news/news/fuel-prices-too-high-for-some-us-pumps-to-register/#more-5819">Full story here</a>. http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea746a#cm Tiny Smart is safe; less so for huge 15-passenger vans Wed, 14 May 2008 13:05:20 GMT http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/41 http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/41 Bob Holland <rsholland@aol.com> Smart car Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash testing 15-passenger vans <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea745c/cmd.233/enclosure..eea745d" align="top" height="257" width="430"> As might have been expected, the tiny Smart car did quite well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash testing. "The big question from consumers is, 'How safe is it?' " said Adrian Lund, the institute's president. "Among the smallest cars, the engineers of the Smart did their homework and designed a high level of safety into a very small package." <a href="http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080514/AUTO01/805140371/1148">Full story here</a>. Here's Inside Line's take: <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126276">Smart ForTwo Scores High Marks in New Safety Testing </a> <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea745e/cmd.233/enclosure..eea745f" align="top" height="272" width="430"> On the flip side, those huge 15-passenger vans fared quite a bit worse in safety studies, as the fatality rating is pretty bad when these behemoths flip in accidents when fully loaded. True, many passengers in these things don't buckle up, which is certainly a big factor here, but even so the results aren't good. <a href="http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080514/OPINION03/805140355/1016/AUTO01">Full story here</a>. http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea7461#cm Volvo XC70 and XC90 pick-em-ups Wed, 14 May 2008 11:05:00 GMT http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/39 http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/39 Bob Holland <rsholland@aol.com> Volvo XC90 pickup XC70 pickup <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea73e7/cmd.233/enclosure..eea73e8" align="top" height="264" width="430"> <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea73e9/cmd.233/enclosure..eea73ea" align="top" height="193" width="430"> Nope, these are not to be expected in your local Volvo showroom any time soon, as they are one-off creations by Swedish coachmaker Dalbo Fordonsteknik. These vehicles were spotted outside the Volvo Museum in in Gothenburg, Sweden. Still, pretty neat, I think, as I'm always interested in seeing new and/or different truck thinking. <a href="http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2008/05/volvo-xc70-pickup-truck-spotted-outside.html">Full story here</a>. More images after the jump. <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea73ef/cmd.233/embedded..eea73f2" align="top" height="258" width="430"> <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea73ed/cmd.233/enclosure..eea73ee" align="top" height="258" width="430"> http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea73ef#cm Nissan and Renault to bring electric cars to USA Wed, 14 May 2008 11:05:00 GMT http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/40 http://blogs.edmunds.com/Straightline/40 Bob Holland <rsholland@aol.com> Nissan Renault electric cars USA 2010 <img src="http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea741c/cmd.233/enclosure..eea741d" align="top" height="286" width="430"> Hmmm... Both Nissan and Renault are bring electric cars here? Think they might be the same vehicles, but wearing different badges? The Renault version will be built in Israel, and exported here and elsewhere. Renault is hoping to have it on sale in California by 2010. <a href="http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/05/renault-will-br.html">Full story here</a>. Nissan too is saying they will have an EV here for sale by 2010. Here's Inside Line's take: <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=126192">Nissan To Roll Out Electric Vehicle in the U.S. by 2010</a> http://blogs.edmunds.com/.eea741e#cm