When it comes to cars of the future many people think of flying cars, hovercrafts and other futuristic marvels like the batmobile. However, the truth is that with the current global energy crisis evolving rapidly, the cars of the future are beginning to take a more conservative appearance. Aptera is releasing a 3-wheel hybrid vehicle that embodies that future vision perfectly with a vehicle that looks like it came right out of an episode of the Jetson’s.
The new Aptera 2e is actually production-intent, which means the car will be in production soon. In fact, Aptera is working with the department of energy to secure a 184 million dollar loan for the production of the futuristic automobile. The interior is extremely unique and high tech, with LCD panels, and a smooth, sleek layout that is sure to please any fans of the Jetson’s. The control panel also looks like something out of Start Trek, with a digital interactive interface that displays all of the car’s gauges attractively.
Despite the doubt of the automobile industry, Aptera is expected to become a household name in the next 20 years, paving the way for a future automobiles. With only three wheels, the car handles surprisingly well, taking corners just as well as any four-wheel vehicle. From the inside, the Aptera appears to be like the dock of a miniature spaceship. The only question is – will the Aptera 2e be widely accepted by the public, who has become so accustomed to four-wheel automobiles.
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Manufacturers are now beginning to build more stable and reliable vehicles. So, why on earth would you want to purchase a second hand car, when a brand new one has been untouched? Well, actually, purchasing a used car has a myriad of benefits and advantages, and in some cases, it can be more pragmatic to actually choose a second-hand vehicle, over a new one. A line you’ll probably hear time and time again, and a line you’ve probably used before during doing a deal for a car is, “it’s only worth that much? I paid…so much…for it a couple of years ago”, and the reason you’ll hear this is because brand new cars tend to depreciate their most in the first three years.
Therefore, unless you want the ‘new car smell’, and see yourself keeping the vehicle for years and years, then maybe buying the same car second hand, such as from www.motors.co.uk/buy-a-car is the way forward. In fact, the price of a car drops dramatically as soon as it’s driven out of the showroom, and we’re talking thousands here. Many people just subscribe to the notion (and fallacy) that buying a used car is a huge risk, and many have concerns about how it will run once bought. However, as long as you check these things out before you buy (as you would do when buying a new car), then why should this matter? A good running vehicle is a good running vehicle, and even when buying second hand, individuals should always test-drive first. Quite often, the value of a motor levels out, and it stops losing such a high percentage of its value every year, therefore, putting your money behind a used vehicle and ensuring it’s well maintained could well be an excellent value for money decision, and one you’re sure not to regret!
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Car Leasing Deals
Posted on 06. Jun, 2010 by admin.
In this article we will look at the costs of leasing a car and compare it with the costs of purchasing one. These costs are approximations, and car leasing deals are agreed in detail between the dealer and the customer, however the figures that we present here should at least provide you with a guideline on the relative costs.
Here we will consider a top of the range Ford Kuga car, the 2.5T 5 door automatic which costs £27,250 including all the extras that we have chosen. It is usually possible to get a good deal when buying a new car, so we will assume that we can negotiate a real price, the price that we would normally pay, of £26,000.
Next we need to look at how many miles we expect to do and that time that we wish to keep the car. Once we have these, then the next step is to determine how much the car will have depreciated in value during the course of the lease.
Car depreciation is not linear. Firstly it is very steep during the first year of registration; it then flattens off considerably for successive years. If we assume that we will do 12,000 miles a year and that we will keep the car for three years, then by the end of your three the car will be worth about £8,000.
With a Ford leasing deal, we are compensating the dealer for the value depreciation of the car. After the leasing period we return the car and the dealer sells it on in order to recoup the value that is still retained in the car.
Leasing this car for a three year period would cost approximately £660 a month including VAT.
If we took out a car loan to finance the purchase of a new Ford Kuga it would cost us approximately £860 a month assuming that we own a home. Thus our monthly outgoings are reduced by £200 a month. Over a year the is £2,400 and over the three years of the contract is £6,200, which is a massive saving.
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2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Posted on 30. May, 2010 by admin.
The new 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is one of the most attractive consumer cars of 2011, with a stunning interior, n aerodynamic and sleek exterior, and overall performance that can compete with any other mid-size sedan on the market. In fact, experts believe it will set the bar for all other mid-size sedans released this year.
Unlike many other hybrid vehicle variants, the hybrid version of the Sonata is strikingly different from it’s conventional counterpart. Everything from the headlights/taillights to the tires and side sills are completely different in the hybrid version of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Of course, these changes may appear to be simply cosmetic, but Hyundai insists that they make the vehicle more aerodynamic, thus allowing for more gas mileage.
The 2011 Sonata Hybrid is the first consumer vehicle to use Hyundai’s Hybrid Blue Drive Technology, which is a proprietary platform that has been used in prototype vehicles for a while now. The unique Blue Drive can operate fully independent of the opposing power source. In other words, the driver can choose to run the car using it’s 40-horsepower electric motor alone, or the 169-horsepower gasoline engine.
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2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8L Turbo Review
Posted on 11. May, 2010 by admin.
The 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8L Turbo is a drastic improvement over it’s predecessors, in fact would some would even say it looks like a completely different car. The new 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8L Turbo is shorter in stature, shorter in length, and overall it looks a lot less like a wagon and more like a stylish SUV coupe. However, it should be noted that drive-wise the car does not favor an SUV because Cadillac has removed the CTS-based, rear-drive platform, third row seating, and of course the 4.6 liter Northstar V-8.
Instead of being like the rest of the SUV coupes on the market, the 2010 SRX is a purebred crossover vehicle, competing heavily with the Lexus RX 350. Many believe that Cadillac has outdone Lexus this year, offering a 2-row, 5 passenger SUV with all wheel drive. In comparison to other mid-sized SUVs it is not the fastest on the market.
With 300 horsepower it appears to be a formidable opponent for any mid-sized SUV, however due to it’s weight it takes about 7.6 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour from a stand still. This makes the SRX a surprisingly slow mid-sized SUV despite it’s Cadillac heritage. However, safety-wise the vehicles thrives due to it’s premium braking abilities and 5-star safety designs. While the 2010 Cadillac SRX 2.8L Turbo is not the fastest mid-sized SUV, it does bring in about 20 miles per gallon gas mileage, which is definitely a plus.
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2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Review
Posted on 14. Apr, 2010 by admin.
The BMW X6 ActiveHybrid is a unique hybrid vehicle, bearing the famous chrome badge below the X6 moniker that signifies it’s BMW hybrid heritage. Compared to other hybrid vehicles this car drives with style, luxury and class.
While BMW is known for their name, this car is more than just a name. The 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid carries a dual electric-motor inside of a sport/utility coupe that gets an average of 18 mpg gas mileage.
This car is not only fuel efficient, it is also fast, going from 0-62 miles per hour in just 5.6 seconds – so fast that the shiny little badge we mentioned earlier can’t even be seen! The 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid is BMW’s first dual-mode hybrid available. Not to mention it is a one of the only hybrids available that is not a small car made for people of shorter stature.
The BMW X6 ActiveHybrid boasts extensive legroom and luxury features to boot. Many car companies have hesitated when it comes to making a dual-mode SUV because a lot were worried about decreasing the performance of the vehicle. Of course, BMW had to go above and beyond the competition by creating a hybrid SUV coupe that gets about 20 miles per gallon, is packed with luxury features, and goes 0-60 in about 5 and a half seconds.
Nothing short of amazing.