Infiniti of Elk Grove

By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer ? Tue Jun 9, 5:39 pm ET
WASHINGTON ? The House on Tuesday approved a "cash for clunkers" bill that aims to boost new auto sales by allowing consumers to turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for vouchers worth up to $4,500 toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

President Barack Obama has encouraged Congress to approve consumer incentives for new car purchases as part of the government's work to restructure General Motors and Chrysler. The House approved the bill 298-119.

Supporters pushed for the measure to stimulate car sales and increase the fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation's highways. The auto industry has sought the incentives after months of poor auto sales. In May, overall sales were 34 percent lower than a year ago.

"Stimulating sales is the only way to get the auto industry back on its feet," said Rep. Donald Manzullo, R-Ill.

General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC have received billions of dollars in government aid and the entire auto industry has watched car sales plummet during the past year. In May, overall sales were 34 percent lower than a year ago.

"Our industry has been stuck in neutral and really has not started to move," said Larry Kull, president of Marlton, N.J.-based Burns Kull Automotive Group, which includes General Motors, Honda and Toyota dealerships.

The vehicle scrappage bill has been under negotiations for months as lawmakers try to find a solution that boosts car sales while providing some environmental benefits. Proponents have pointed to similar programs in Europe that have enhanced auto sales.

Opponents said the bill failed to include incentives for used vehicles and represented an artificial incentive for the industry.

"It's defying the laws of economics and saying we can manufacture enough of a demand to keep the auto industry afloat," said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Separately, House and Senate appropriators were discussing providing $1 billion to a supplemental war funding bill for the "cash for clunkers" program, which aims to generate about 1 million new auto sales. Since the yearlong vehicle program is expected to cost $4 billion, lawmakers would attempt to find the additional money later this year.

Under the House bill, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 miles per gallon. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the window sticker.

Owners of sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle. Consumers could also receive vouchers for leased vehicles.

Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio, the bill's chief sponsor, said the bill showed that "the multiple goals of helping consumers purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, improving our environment and boosting auto sales can be achieved." Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., has backed a similar version in the Senate, which has the support of automakers and their unions.

The bill would direct dealers to ensure that the older vehicles are crushed or shredded to get the clunkers off the road. It was intended to help replace older vehicles ? built in model year 1984 or later ? and would not make financial sense for consumers owning an older car with a trade-in value greater than $3,500 or $4,500.

The U.S. industry is expected to generate about 9.5 million vehicles sales in 2009, compared to more than 13 million in 2008 and more than 16 million in 2007.

Auto analysts questioned whether it would be enough of an incentive for many consumers burdened by debt or financially stressed by the troubled economy.

"That is the major sticking point for Americans: How do you finance your vehicle? How do you pay for it?" said Rebecca Lindland, an auto industry analyst for the consulting firm IHS Global Insight.

A group of senators led by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein were pushing an alternative version that would require consumers to trade up for more fuel-efficient cars and trucks to qualify. They complained that even a 2009 Hummer H3T, which gets 14 mpg in city driving and 18 mpg on the highway, could qualify for the incentives under the House bill.

Under Feinstein's plan, a passenger car owner's trade-in would need to get 17 mpg or less to qualify and only new passenger cars getting at least 24 mpg would be eligible. Owners could receive a $2,500 voucher for a new car that gets at least 7 mpg more than their old car. The voucher would increase to $3,500 for new cars with a 10 mpg improvement and $4,500 for new cars with a 13 mpg increase in fuel efficiency.

With gasoline prices reaching new heights on a weekly basis, perhaps the most important information you can have is how to make your gas last longer and how to find the lowest prices. Here are some handy tips that might help take some of the sting out of your next visit to the pump.

1. _{Fill up on weekdays - Prices usually rise on the weekend, so the best times to buy gas are typically Tuesday afternoons or Wednesday mornings.}
2. _{Track your mileage - Have your car checked if the average miles you get per gallon continues to decrease over time. To calculate your mileage, note the odometer reading and number of gallons purchased each time you fill up. Divide the number of miles traveled between fill-ups by the number of gallons purchased.}
3. _{Look for discount gas cards - Shell, Gulf, BP-Amoco, Exxon-Mobile, and others have rebate programs that offer as much as 5 to 10 percent off the gas you buy!}
4. _{Avoid running on empty - When your car is on empty you’re actually using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently. Fill your gas tank when you have half a tank or a little less.}
5. _{Less is more - Don’t carry around items you don’t need. For every 100 pounds of weight in your car, fuel economy decreases by one to two percent. Put heavy items in the trunk instead of on a roof rack, which creates drag and eats up gas.}
6. _{Look around - Find the places near you that offer the cheapest gas and shop there first.}
7. _{Consider checking into these great online resources: Cheap Gas, Gas Buddy, and Gas Price Watch.}
8. _{Avoid idling - Shut off the engine if you have to sit in your car for more than one minute.}
9. _{Check your tire pressure - Under-inflated tires require more energy to roll. More energy means more gas. When it’s time, consider replacing worn tires with low-rolling resistance tires.}
10. _{Slow down - Driving at posted speed limits saves fuel and saves lives. Each 5 mph over 60 mph is like paying an additional 10 cents per gallon. Use cruise control to maintain your speed.}
11. _{Avoid gas stations near freeways - Research shows that prices are often higher there.}
12. _{Don’t upgrade - Unless your owner’s manual suggests using a higher grade, buy regular gasoline. Costlier high-octane gas does not improve the performance of your vehicle.}
13. _{Avoid topping off - When you top off your tank, the pump doesn’t have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing.}
14. _{Maintain your car - Change your oil, spark plugs, and air filter on schedule. Always go to a repair shop if your “Check Engine” light comes on - a faulty oxygen sensor could be the cause, lowering your mileage significantly.}
15. _{Tighten gas cap - Tightening the gas cap on your car will prevent gas from evaporating and escaping into the air. If you’ve lost your gas cap, buy a new one as soon as possible.}
16. _{Combine trips - Several short trips taken from a “cold start” can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Carpool whenever possible.}
17. _{Choose your vehicle wisely - If you own more than one vehicle, remember to drive the one that gets better mileage when you have the option.}
18. _{Choose your route wisely - Take the route with the flattest terrain and fewest stops. Try to avoid traffic jams and stop-and-go traffic.}
19. _{Avoid sudden stops and starts - Erratic acceleration and braking can waste up to 50 cents a gallon.}
20. _{Limit air conditioning - Your A/C consumes fuel. At lower speeds, open the windows or sunroof to stay cool. At higher speeds, use the car’s fan instead. Open windows create drag that reduces mileage.}

A few more bright ideas

• Buy gas from busy stations - Gas station pumps that are refilled regularly are more likely to have fuel that is fresh. Fresh gas has more power than gas that has been sitting in a station’s pump.

• Made in the shade - Park in the shade and it will minimize fuel evaporation as well as help keep your car cool in the summer.

• Fill up at night - Believe it or not, pumps deliver more gas when temperatures are lower.

• Get a tune-up - A simple tune-up on your car can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent!

And here’s a bonus tip

Check your oil - Use the recommended grade of motor oil, preferably one with “energy conserving” on the label. Gas mileage could improve 1 to 2 percent.

 

Road Test: Full Test

Full Test: 2008 Infiniti EX35 This Crossover Thinks It's a Sport Coupe By Michael Jordan, Executive Editor Date posted: 10-25-2007 We're hammering the 2008 Infiniti EX35 on Mulholland Highway in the mountains of darkest Malibu where the movie people live and we've just passed the Rock Store where bikers profile on weekends. Ahead lies the snakiest mile of the whole road. So we drive even faster. The hard-edged 297-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 spins a little quicker while the front suspension occasionally chatters a little in the hairpins, and a short time later we get to the top in the kind of a rush that makes a whole day of driving worthwhile. Then we look over our shoulder and realize that there's a whole backseat behind us, plus the big cargo compartment and we realize again that we've just done the whole Mulholland drive in some kind of crossover-utility thingy. It's a little unseemly. Who knows what the locals thought? Probably figured we were some kind of Malibu catering service running a party platter to some screenwriters. But of course the 2008 Infiniti EX35 really isn't any kind of crossover at all. Morphing the Sport-Utility Now that we're decades into the whole sport-utility deal, we sometimes fail to remember the way utility vehicles have morphed into so many shapes and then filled all the little niches in the market where plain old cars used to live. With the 2008 Infiniti EX35, Infiniti tells us that it's personalizing the sport-utility concept, creating a practical vehicle that has a fine sense of luxury and goes about its business like a personal coupe. But there's no talk of crossovers or station wagons from the guys at Infiniti. And since they like to portray the EX35 from a low angle, the vehicle seems to loom above you in pictures as if it were the size of a Nissan Pathfinder. But once you're standing next to the Infiniti EX35, you realize it's not a crossover or even some kind of utility thingy. It's really just a tall wagon, more like a Volvo XC70 than a BMW X3. This explains everything about the EX35's combination of practical luxury and the kind of driving dynamics you'd expect for express delivery of a party platter in the mountains above Malibu. Look, There's a G35 Sedan Under Here! The Infiniti EX35's speed secret lies in the platform of the Infiniti G35 that lies beneath the utility-oriented sheet metal. The wheelbase of the G35 platform has been stretched 2.0 inches to 112.2 inches, while the body is 4.7 inches longer than a G35 sedan at 187.0 inches. The EX's sculptured form looks substantial next to the G35 mostly due to an increase in height of 4.7 inches over the sedan, although 1.2 inches of this comes from the EX's higher ride height. All the serious hardware is as familiar as the G35 sedan. This version of the Nissan 3.5-liter V6 puts 297 hp at your command, and it's always a pleasure to rev it to 6,800 rpm to get every last bit of it. There are 253 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm, yet this can't begin to capture the exhilarating rush this engine delivers as the tach needle sweeps all the way across the dial, a mechanical vitality that makes the personality of this V6 different from any other. The EX35 does business with the road through a front suspension that duplicates the G35's, but the rear suspension is derived from the Infiniti FX's, a measure to accommodate the 16.8 cubic feet of cargo room behind the second-row seat. Good thing, too, because a BMW X3 can still haul twice as much. Naturally there are some consequences with the EX's new shape when it comes to weight, but the 3,752-pound version of the rear-wheel-drive model is just 255 pounds heavier than a rear-wheel-drive G35, and the fully equipped 5,029-pound all-wheel-drive EX35 AWD is just 241 pounds heavier than an all-wheel-drive G35x. Even the weight distribution is only fractionally different, but the rear-wheel-drive model is predictably a bit sharper and quicker than the all-wheel-drive model. Hurry to the Store There's not meant to be a lot of hurry in something like the EX35, mostly short trips around town while you wave to people on the sidewalk at the gourmet grocery. It's a utility vehicle, but not like some giant box-on-wheels that you'd back up to the loading dock at Home Depot. The EX35 adapts to this sort of thing with far more grace than any other Infiniti, and it rides city streets with brilliantly sophisticated composure, using plenty of its suspension travel yet without feeling tall and tippy in the way many crossovers do. The five-speed automatic transmission shifts smoothly, and the V6 gives back 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. (We recorded 17.0 mpg in our mixed usage.) All the rough edges of the G35 sedan's personality have been smoothed down, and the EX feels deliciously deliberate in comparison. But when you're looking for a little bit of hurry from the EX35, it's there for you. It leaves in a decent amount of haste from a stop, getting to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds and then passing through the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 96 mph. A BMW X3 is left far behind. When it's really important, this 3,820-pound rear-wheel-drive EX also comes to a halt from 60 mph in 118 feet, an excellent performance from the G35-spec brakes and Dunlop SP Sport 7000 tires. Of course there comes a time when you have to make peace with the increased overall height of the EX, and you can find it in quick transitions. Yet the EX35 still weaves through the slalom at 66 mph, reassuring you with its feel of control and stability. After all, this is a G35 sedan at heart, and good body control and those P225/55VR18 all-season tires help deliver 0.82g of cornering grip on the skid pad with a fine balance that can be adjusted with throttle input. Again, the last X3 we tested would have trouble keeping up. Maybe the Infiniti EX35 is meant for more than shopping. Infiniti Discovers Luxury at Last You can't help but expect performance from the EX35 since it's always been the nature of the G35 sedan. The surprise comes in all the little things that the EX does. Of course, you have to step up to the consequences on the price sticker, because the estimated $33,000 base price of the rear-wheel-drive EX forces you to endure the same generic interior trim that has disappointed us in the past. Once you add all the good stuff, expect a price tag above $40K. Once you start checking off the option boxes, you find yourself surrounded by African rosewood trim and upgraded leather, which makes it possible to believe the Infiniti designers have finally visited a store that sells fine leather goods. With an 11-speaker Bose audio system, a navigation system based on a 9.3GB hard drive (with enough room left over for MP3 music storage) and all the usual lights and flashes, this is the complete premium Infiniti experience, more like the now-departed Q45 luxury sedan than some kind of crossover thingy. The Infiniti EX35 also goes the extra distance with a few bits of cleverness you'd expect in a vehicle that puts utility and luxury in the same sentence. The power-operated 60/40-folding split-back rear seat can be triggered from the cargo area. (Buttons between the front seats enable you to flip them upright again.) There's a lane-departure warning system, and it lightly engages the stability control to bring you back into your lane, although you can turn it off if you like. And the EX35 introduces "Around View Monitor," a system of four small cameras that give you an overhead view of the whole vehicle in order to simplify parking. The only thing the EX35 can't give you is extra passenger space. Although the EX provides 107.1 cubic feet of passenger volume, an increase of 8.1 cubic feet over the G35 sedan, it's still not easy to clamber into the rear seat through the small doors and there's less headroom than you'd like. What's the Difference? It's Fast The 2008 Infiniti EX35 doesn't really fit our idea of a crossover. It goes down the highway like a luxury sedan, but the tiny tremble from the wide tires tells you there's a high-performance sedan lurking beneath. It steers crisply through the corners. In short, it's one of the most satisfying examples of a vehicle with "utility" in its job description that you'll find anywhere. Yet the best news might be the way the EX35 adapts to the role of luxury transportation. Premium furnishings, a composed ride and the ability to adapt to all kinds of weather, all kinds of driving and all kinds of adventures makes this Infiniti's best choice for real-world driving. We've been waiting for something that really delivers on the whole promise that the Infiniti brand makes, and the EX35 is it. Just pack light. The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

Infiniti to expand lineup with 10 new vehicles by 2010 Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, China, Euro, Crossovers/CUVs, Infiniti, Nissan Dave Guilford of Automotive News sat down with Carlos Tavares, Nissan MoCo's global product chief, and the fruits of his investigative labors revealed that Infiniti has big plans over the next three years. A product push that involves a number of new models and expansion of the Infiniti brand into 90-percent of the luxury markets globally are the cornerstone of the marque, with sales likely to begin in South Korea and Russia, along with Europe in the latter half of next year. Product-wise, Infiniti intends to bring approximately 10 new vehicles to market by the end of the decade, and although Tavares was mum on specifics, he did state that more crossovers, a "sports-oriented" car and a flagship are all part of the future lineup. [Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE REVEALS 2008 ALL-STARS WINNERS -

An Exclusive Stable of Ten Cars from Across the Automotive Spectrum - (LOS ANGELES, November 14, 2007)

—AUTOMOBILE Magazine, America’s leading automotive lifestyle publication, today announced the winners of its 2008 AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE All-Stars Awards, delivering an exclusive selection of vehicles at the top of their class.

“This year’s list includes a number of stalwart All-Stars winners, namely the iconic BMW 3-series, as well as new entries, such as Chevy's impressive new Malibu and the sexy Volvo C30," said Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of AUTOMOBILE Magazine. “These ten cars are the year's most exciting cars, our picks for the vehicles we'd most like to personally own in our dream garage."

Each year, the editors and bureau chiefs of AUTOMOBILE Magazine convene to test, evaluate, and debate the performance, significance, and pure enthusiast appeal of the cars that have made the biggest impact. The prestigious list of the deserving award winners is featured in the January 2008 issue, available on newsstands December 4, 2007.

AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s list of 2008 All-Stars, with editorial assessments, includes:

Chevrolet Malibu – The best Chevrolet family sedan AUTOMOBILE Magazine’s staff has ever driven. Smooth, quiet, well-finished and more than able to keep up with more powerful cars, it represents a true sea change in what GM is offering the public. This is the kind of car Americans have wanted from Detroit for years.

Infiniti G37/G35 – The yin to the BMW 3-series’ yang. Picking a winner between them—which is to say, choosing the best sport coupe/sedan in the world—is less about what the cars can do than it is about what their drivers want. The interior of the Infiniti is a pleasure dome, but the car’s power is obvious the instant you punch the push-button starter and hear the feral growl of the engine.

Volvo C30 – A perfect example of smoothly chic, Scandinavian cool. The C30 is whisper-quiet, perfectly composed and has a six-speed manual that you could teach your grandma to row flawlessly in fifteen minutes. The car embodies the one perfect criterion for All-Stardom: anyone would have it.

Chevrolet Corvette – Evolutionary improvements keep the Vette in a class of its own. The revised 2008 edition does the 0-to-60-mph sprint in 4.3 seconds—with an automatic transmission. There are faster new cars than the Corvette, but all of them cost a lot more.

Mazda CX-9 – Trucks and sport utilities seldom earn a berth on the All-Stars list, but when was the last time you could call such a vehicle’s engine charming, or its transmission silky? The CX-9 ventures beyond the obligatory nine-to-five routine to play party animal in the off-hours.

Volkswagen GTI – The GTI is magic. What else do you call a hatchback that can shame supercars? The GTI eclipses the class-clown Mini Cooper for spark and verve, and makes sense for real people who actually have to lead real lives. Fast, fun, cheap, and German. If you don’t like it, you’re probably dead.

BMW 3-series – Maybe we should give it a lifetime achievement award. We didn’t set out hoping to give the 3-series another All-Star award—this is the car’s thirteenth—but then we got in the car and started driving. BMW still does chassis tuning like no other carmaker. The 3-Series is the car that instantly makes any mope who slides behind its wheel a better driver.

Mercedes-Benz S-class – This year, Mercedes got it just right. The car drips with luxury accoutrements and high-tech accessories, but the S-class is more than just the sum of its equipment list. Rides and handles in a way that belies its size, and comes with a quartet of engines that range from supremely competent to mind-blowing.

Lotus Elise – The mid-engine sportster is a bravura engineering performance that reprises the truest Lotus virtues, namely light weight and fealty to handling excellence. The best-handling sports car we know—an audacious-looking thing that goes from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds.

Porsche Boxster/Cayman – If you’re afraid people will think you bought a Cayman because you can’t afford a 911, we hereby inform you that those people are fools. The Boxster and the Cayman are exquisite to drive, with steering so communicative you’ll feel more of the road’s surface only if you crawl along it on your hands and knees. Few cars are as entertaining to drive at school-zone speeds.



Criteria and Evaluation The AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE All-Stars are chosen by the AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE staff, its worldwide bureau chiefs, and its contributors, following an intensive test drive of the year’s most innovative and important new cars. Vehicles considered for the All-Stars awards combine the following traits: • Redefines an existing category or creates a new market segment • Provides excellent value and performance for the money • Exhibits an exceptional design • Offers pure driving enjoyment After a 1000-mile road trip, winners are determined by a round-table discussion that results in a vote for the ten winners. The award decisions are not made through an instrumented test process.

When you lease a new or qualified pre-owned Infiniti, you'll enjoy:

• Lower payments. Because you're only purchasing the right to use a vehicle for a period of time, your financial responsibility and your monthly payments may be reduced significantly.

• Hazard-free driving. Because most leases last for 2-3 years, your vehicle generally provides warranty protection for as long as you drive it.*

• True convenience. When a lease expires, you simply turn your vehicle in and pay off any remaining fees (such as for excess mileage), wear and tear, and taxes. If you'd rather not part with your Infiniti at lease-end, you can also take the opportunity to purchase it at a predetermined price. In either case, there's no need to take care of selling it or trading it in.

When you purchase a new or qualified pre-owned Infiniti, however, you'll enjoy:

• Ownership equity. Once you've completed your payment schedule, you can drive your Infiniti for as long as you choose without any further payments.

• Flexibility. Leasing requires that you specify in advance the number of miles you will drive each year. Owning your car means you can drive it as much as you like, as far as you like.

• Freedom. Ownership gives you the ability to maintain and customize your vehicle however you see fit.