Looking for a Sweet Ride
Everything old is new again.
Revamped versions of some of America's best-known cars — the Toyota Camry, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Ford Taurus, and the Volkswagen Beetle — are all going on sale in the 2012 model year.
The industry hopes that as buyers trickle back after the economic slump, they'll be delighted by new styling, significantly better fuel economy and, in the Camry's case, lower prices.
While gas prices have moderated since the spring, automakers say efficiency remains one of buyers' top considerations, and they'll have plenty of new gas sippers to choose from.
The new Chevrolet Sonic subcompact and redesigned Nissan Versa are expected to get close to 40 miles per gallon. Toyota is releasing the Prius V, a wagon version of its wildly popular Prius hybrid, that's expected to get 43 mpg.
There will be several new small cars on the market, including the Scion iQ and an as-yet-unnamed Dodge.
And for those who don't want to use any gas at all, Ford will release an all-electric Focus.
There will be some brawn on the market, too. One of those is Jeep, which is releasing the Grand Cherokee SRT8, a performance version with a 470-horsepower Hemi V-8.
Here is a rundown of many of the new cars that will go on the market from now until next fall.
<B>VERANO:</B> The luxury version of the Chevrolet Cruze aimed at the Lexus IS 250 and Acura TSX goes on sale in the fall of 2012.It's powered by the same 2.4-liter, 177 horsepower, four-cylinder engine as the Regal, with a zero-to-60 time of eight seconds and an estimated 31 mpg on the highway. A turbocharged 2-liter engine will come later. General Motors promises that the car will be among the quietest in its class.It's starting price is $23,470 including shipping.
<B>SONIC: </B>The General gets serious about selling mini-cars in the U.S. for the first time with the Chevrolet Sonic, an Americanized version of a new tiny global vehicle.The Sonic comes as a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback, and it has the same engines as its bigger brother, the Chevrolet Cruze. That means the Sonic will be faster from zero to 60 and should get better gas mileage than the Cruze, upwards of 40 mpg on the highway.The base engine in the Sonic is GM's old 1.8-liter, 135 horsepower four banger. Drivers also can elect the Cruze's 1.4-liter turbocharged engine with 138 horsepower. Five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions are available. GM engineers promise that the car will handle better than its main competitors, the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent.With a base price of $14,495 including shipping, it's pricier than some competitors, but GM says it has more standard equipment, including 10 air bags, air conditioning and alloy wheels.It's due in showrooms this fall.<B>CAMARO:</B> The all-powerful Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, equipped with massive 6.2-liter, 550-horsepower supercharged V-8 engine, is a new version of the venerable muscle car. General Motors borrowed the name from a 1960s all-aluminum racing engine.The ZL1, due out early in 2012, will look different from the existing Camaro with a new front grille and carbon fiber center section of the hood. The car will have a “track-ready” suspension, high-performance six-speed manual transmission and huge brakes. Performance numbers haven't been released, but the Cadillac CTS-V, with same engine, goes from zero to 60 mph in a crazy-fast 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 191 mph.No price has been announced.<B>MALIBU:</B> An all-new midsize car built on European underpinnings comes out early next year as a 2013 model, replacing a car that was good in its day but has been passed up by the competition in the highly popular segment.GM says it will have an all-new, 190 horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with direct fuel injection, which makes it more efficient than older engines. The company promises a wider, more athletic stance and handling that's comparable to more expensive sport sedans.GM also brags that it will have best-in-class aerodynamics for better fuel efficiency. Mileage for the base model hasn't been released yet. The current car gets 22 in the city and 33 on the highway.An eco version of the 2013 Malibu with GM's e-Assist technology, which shuts off the engine when the car stops for traffic lights and uses an electric motor to help it accelerate, is supposed to get 38 mpg on the highway and 26 in the city. It also has 10 air bags.GM has not released the price.
<B>300 SRT8:</B> The flagship brand gets a pavement-eating version of the 300 luxury sedan, powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with 470 horsepower.It's supposed to go from zero to 60 in the high 4-second range with a top speed of 175 mph. Chrysler promises great handling, too.
<B>TOP-SECRET COMPACT:</B> With the U.S. auto market moving toward compact cars for fuel economy and cost reasons. The new Chrysler-Fiat company is promising better things with the debut of a new compact sedan in the second quarter of next year.The name hasn't been released yet, but it's code-named “PF,” and it's based on the stylish Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The sporty Italian compact is powered by engines ranging from a 1.4-liter turbo with 120 horsepower to a 235 horsepower turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder.Alfa also has some small diesels powering the Giulietta, but it's unlikely they will come to the United States. Dodge has released no information on the car but says it will debut at the Detroit auto show in January.<B>VIPER:</B> The ultimate roadster makes a comeback in 2012 after a one-year absence. Chrysler says it will look different from the 2010 version and will handle better with improvements to its chassis.Horsepower is likely to increase from the 2010 version, which had a whopping 600 with a special V-12 engine. The company has released little information on the car.<B>CHARGER SRT8: </B>Gets a 470 horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 that features 45 more horsepower and 50 more lb.-ft. of torque than its predecessor. Zero-to-60 time in the high 4-second range.
ELECTRIC FOCUS: Ford's first all-electric car, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, goes on sale at the end of 2011. Ford hasn't said how many miles the car will be able to go on a charge, but says it will be competitive with other electric cars like the Nissan Leaf, which has a range of around 73 miles.Ford is also releasing the sporty Focus ST in the latter half of 2012, a specially tuned version with a turbocharged four-cylinder with 247 horsepower.Pricing on those models hasn't been announced.TAURUS: Ford is releasing a redesigned Taurus sedan in the spring as a 2013 model. It's lower and wider, for a more aggressive look, and will have the MyFord Touch voice-activated entertainment and navigation system.It will also get Ford's 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, which will give it 237 horsepower but keep fuel economy at 31 mpg.VERTREK: Ford is expected to replace the boxy, aging Escape small SUV with a new small SUV in early 2012.The sleek Vertrek concept, introduced at the Detroit auto show in January, gave a strong hint at what it will look like, but Ford hasn't released other details.
