The Bumper Protection Company Introduces the Ultimate Rear Bumper Guard for Cars, Trucks and SUVs.

The New York based Bumper Protection Company specializes in rear car bumper guards and car bumper protection accessories, have recently unleashed the 2010 Bumper Bully Extreme car bumper guard in major U.S. cities and abroad. Think of it as an accessory for your car bumper. It’s the latest fashion statement for parking garages and a must have accessory for parallel parking. New York, NY (PRWEB) February 12, 2010 -- The New York based Bumper Protection Company specializes in rear bumper guards and car bumper protection accessories. They have recently unleashed the 2010 Bumper Bully Extreme car bumper guard in major U.S. cities and abroad. Think of it as an accessory for your car bumper. It’s the latest fashion statement for parking garages and a must have accessory for parallel parking. The Bumper Bully Extreme bumper guard is an innovative temporary car bumper guard that has found use in indoor parking garages, outdoor parking garages, valet parking garages and street parking. Parking in the City almost guarantees a bumper pimpled with screw marks, scratches and abrasions. While most bumper protectors and bumper guards protect only the corners, the Bumper Bully protects the mid-section of a car bumper, the area most susceptible to damage when parking. Each year millions of dollars are spent fixing car bumpers that are damaged while parked. This figure is likely to increase, as more cars are being introduced with painted plastic bumpers. The 2010 Bumper Bully Extreme bumper guard aims to change the way people think about rear bumper protectors, infusing modern design and function into an easy to use car bumper protection product. The Bumper Protection Company understands the importance of providing customers with a high quality bumper guard that’s free of environmentally toxic PVC plastics. Unfortunately, many products in the car bumper protection / car bumper guard industry are made of PVC plastics – a cheap environmental pollutant used to make many items with Chinese based production. Understanding the necessity to provide customers with a superior car bumper guard the 2010 Bumper Bully was designed with the car enthusiast in mind. Several unique features set the 2010 Bumper Bully Extreme bumper guard apart from the competition (1) Unique patented bumper guard design that flows around exhaust pipes (2) Extra wide protection area - at 46” wide and 12” in height the Bumper Bully bumper guard covers almost 3/4 of the rear car bumper, offering unparalleled car bumper protection for your parked car (3) Steel Reinforced Straps helps deter theft (4) Patent pending stabilizer bar system keeps the car bumper guard from folding or curling back and (5) Air Impact Ribs run linearly across the product to provide added cushioning. The Bumper Bully Extreme bumper guard fits securely over your car bumper, utilizing steel reinforced straps that attaches inside your trunk. Once attached the Bumper Bully bumper guard is easy to use – after parking flip it out of the trunk and before driving flip it back inside the trunk. When properly used and maintained the Bumper Bully bumper guard may help protect the rear car bumper from scratches sustained in low impact bumper-to- bumper contact, which commonly occur during parking maneuvers. The main focus of the Bumper Bully is to provide better rear car bumper protection than other products on the market. According to Bumper Bully’s marketing coordinator Tim Russell, “there is no fancy gimmicks or marketing fluff here. People who buy the Bumper Bully rear car bumper guard want the best product at an affordable price. It all comes down to getting the best value for your money and the Bumper Bully car bumper guard is the bench mark.”

All Electric Car Makes a Big Sustainable Impact

Featured this week at the Chicago Auto Show is a fantastic new sustainable vehicle made by Ford. Built for the small business owner, the latest Ford Transit Connect is an alternative vehicle which offers two choices for fuel - either compressed natural gas or electric. Along with a hundred or so other people, I was invited to attend the pre-show reveal at the Museum of Science and Industry's transportation gallery. Surrounded dramatically by hanging full sized airplanes, a train engine, and The Spirit of America (one of the fastest land vehicles on earth), the Ford Transit Connect was in good company. Notable attendees like City of Chicago Commissioner, Norma Reyes, were enthusiastic about the possibilities for both the fuel efficient taxi cabs and all electric fleet vehicles for the future of the City of Chicago. Transit Connect Electric is well-suited for commercial fleets that travel short-range and have a central location for daily recharging. The vehicle, which will accelerate at a similar rate as the gas-powered Transit Connect and will have a top speed of 75 mph, has a targeted range of up to 80 miles on a full charge. Owners will have the option of recharging the Transit Connect Electric with either a standard 120V outlet or preferably a 240V charge station installed at the user's base of operations for optimal recharging in six to eight hours. A transportable cord that works with both types of outlets will be available for recharging at both kinds of locations. Ford confirmed the zero-emissions small van will be in fleet operators' hands later this year. While the original Transit has been well tested, more than 600,000 Transits have been sold since 2003 to customers in 58 countries on three continents; it is the 2011 version which proves unique in its ability to reduce carbon emissions. For me, coming to the Ford Transit reveal was a personal experience. My husband, Luis Coronado, and I are both small business owners, and the Ford Transit is considered a fantastic sustainable tool for small businesses. As the CEO of a computer services company, I felt my husband was the perfect person to bring along to see the new vehicle and put the Ford Transit to the test. Indeed, we found the vehicles surprisingly roomy with some amazing options specifically for the small business owner. For example, the back of the Transit Connect Electric is decked out with a full range of shelving and storage areas for a small business owner to take his business on the road. It would be perfect for a computer services team, a florist, or any number of other businesses that have fleet requirements or require off-site delivery or services. Both the Transit Connect Electric and the compressed natural gas Transit Connect Taxi offer a lot of energy savings. Why go electric with a vehicle like The Transit Connect Electric? It is expected that these vehicles will offer lower cost of operation, because recharging with electricity is generally less expensive than refueling with gasoline. Users may also benefit from much lower maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle.

Consider the following:

* The number of components typical in an internal combustion engine and transmission are

dramatically reduced in an electric vehicle to just a few moving parts in the electric motor and
transaxle, which results in much fewer parts to wear out or maintain

* Electric powertrains operate with solid state electronics, which have demonstrated low or no
maintenance over the life of the product
* Electric vehicles have completely sealed cooling systems that do not require refilling,
replacement or flushing
* Electric vehicles require no oil changes or tune-ups
* There are no belts to wear out or break and no spark plugs or injectors to clean or adjust
* There is no exhaust system to replace and no liquid fuel system to freeze or clog
* The use of regenerative braking reduces wear and tear on brake pads

In addition to the Transit Connect Electric, Ford plans to bring three more electrified vehicles to market by 2012 - the Focus Electric in 2011, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012 and a next-generation hybrid in 2012.

Club Car sees new GPS system as a moneymaker

Feb 11, 2010 (The Augusta Chronicle - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Club Car introduced a new mobile information system at the Golf Industry Show that is now underway in San Diego. The system, called Visage, combines cellular, wireless and Global Positioning System technologies to create the "new face of customer experience." Visage lets golfers see their position on a hole, combined with three-dimensional flyovers with audio similar to network television coverage, and be in contact with the golf course to order food and beverages.

For golf courses, the system is a management tool that improves the pace of play, limits golf car access to sensitive areas and allows for weather alerts. "Course managers remain under pressure to operate more efficiently and grow revenues," said Gary Michel, president and CEO of Club Car. "Visage is a cost-effective way to lower operating costs and attract more play by improving the golfer experience." The system is priced based on fleet size with annual costs ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.

The first Visage units are scheduled to ship by the end of March. Visage can be installed on any brand of golf car. Visage is a joint development of Club Car and Sarasota, Fla.-based GPS Industries LLC. They will be installed at the golf courses, not the Club Car plant in Evans. It may not increase employment at the Evans facility, company officials said, but it is a system seen as important to the company's financial health. "We fully expect Visage to be very good for our business. It will further increase the popularity of Club Car golf cars and it provides Club Car with a growth opportunity despite the fact that the golf market itself is relatively flat," Michel said.

According to parent company Ingersoll Rand's last quarterly report, Club Car revenues decreased worldwide due to weakening economic conditions in key golf, hospitality and recreation markets. In addition, the company was affected by customers deferring golf car replacement by extending their leases.

"Visage leverages technology in ways that the golf industry never has," said David Chessler, CEO of GPS Industries. "It's the right solution at the right time for operators who need to increase margins and create competitive difference that can attract more play." GPS Industries was created in 2009 through a series of mergers. One of its major investors is Greg Norman's Great White Shark Enterprises.

To see more of The Augusta Chronicle, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://augustachronicle.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Augusta Chronicle, Ga.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Proud Malaysia to unveil first Formula One racing car

PETALING JAYA: It will be a grand day for Malaysia at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London this afternoon when the Lotus F1 Racing car is officially unveiled to the world. The weather is freezing cold in the city but the Malaysian management team involved in reviving the historic British legend will be glowing with warm pride as the covers are lifted off the car to reveal the livery in full view.

Air Asia chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes got associated with F1 through the sponsorship of the Williams team and has now thrown his all into the current project in partnership with Proton, the owners of Lotus. His vision was to revitalize Lotus and to show that Proton can be world-class apart from helping to project a bigger Malaysian presence at the highest level of motorsport when the venture into F1 was officially announced on Sept 15 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Meeting the challenge of building the first Lotus car in 16 years seems so far away, especially with the March deadline of the season-opening race in Bahrain. But rest assured that with the launch in place, Malaysians can look with pride as the Lotus cars line up on the grid in Bahrain with the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari, BMW, Renault and McLaren.

The new car, which was assembled with loving care at the Lotus plant in Norfolk, is expected to adopt the famous green and yellow British racing colours.

And chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne, the man in charge of the project, admitted that the challenge of making Lotus competitive in their return to F1 is something he holds close to his heart.

“The launch will be a big day for your country and for us, the folks at Norfolk. I’m a Norfolk boy myself and to bring the Lotus name back in is something special,” said Gascoyne, who was given full freedom in the design of the car right from the start.

Malaysian reserve driver Fairuz Fauzy gave the car its first on-track debut in a private shakedown at Silverstone on Tuesday, three days after the engine was fired up at the Lotus plant

Fairuz will be sharing the centre stage at the launch today with Heikki Kovalainen, the former team-mate of Lewis Hamilton at McLaren, and long-time Toyota driver Jarno Trulli.

Alex Yoong, the last Malaysian to drive a F1 car in 2002, said that it would be a huge step forward for the country.

“It’s no longer a small influence as we have a F1 team with Malaysians in the upper level of management,” said Alex, who was recently appointed as the head of the driver development programme in Asia for the team.

“They are doing everything right and spending money in the right places. But it is a tough business in F1 and we need to have realistic expectations in the first season.”

Kia Ray Plug-in Hybrid Concept Car With Solar Roof

With everybody trying to “go green”, it seems that Kia Motors doesn’t want to be left behind as Kia Motors America has unveiled the Ray, a Plug-in Hybrid concept at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. The most notable feature of this 173-inch long car would have to be the single piece of glass that extends over the hood, and another that starts at the cowl of the windshield, going all the way back to the rear header. The specially coated glass helps to keep the interior cool while your car is baking in the sun, thanks to the roof-top photovoltaic cells that help power the climate control system. Kia claims that it can travel over 50 miles using its electric motor alone, and sports an effective fuel economy of over 202 miles per gallon. The ray is to be the first of what will be many cars in the company’s new sub-brand, EcoDynamics.

Rental car rates rise as Toyota recall shrinks fleet

Rental car rates became even more expensive this week as agencies nationwide grappled with the loss of scores of recently-recalled Toyotas now sitting in mechanics' garages waiting for retrofits.

The dilemma prompted one of the country's largest agencies, Hertz, to say that it won't honor coupons or promotions for new rentals for at least several weeks until it adds popular mid-sized and full-sized Toyota models back into its inventory.

"We've scaled back on the number of deals and promotions we have out there," Paula Rivera, Hertz' manager of public affairs, told WalletPop. She declined to say how many of Hertz' vehicles were affected, but the company's 2008 annual report states that Toyota models make up 13% of its fleet worldwide.

Analysts said that roughly 8% of the country's rental car fleet overall -- or about 104,000 vehicles -- were pulled off lots belonging to Hertz, Enterprise, Avis, Budget, National and Alamo since the massive recall was announced last month.

Some companies were more forthcoming than Hertz. Avis said in a press release that the recall impacted about 20,000 vehicles, or about 7% of its fleet. Dollar Rent A Car told WalletPop that about 1.5% of its vehicles, or about 15,900 cars, were sidelined. The country's largest rental car company, Enterprise Holdings, which operates the Alamo, Enterprise and National brands, said about 4.1% of its fleet was impacted.

The news comes just as the travel industry is readying itself for spring break -- one of its busiest periods of the year.

The rental car rate for a mid-sized car rented for a day jumped about 4% over the last week, said Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group. He cautioned that the rise may not be attributable to the recall, but to typical market fluctuations due to supply and demand.

"Rental car companies have been operating tight fleets for the last year and a half," Abrams said. "This situation has put them in a tighter position."

One thing is for sure, and that is that rental car prices are already up about 30% after companies shrunk the number of vehicles in their fleets by as much as 40% over the last five years, he added.

Whether your rental car is more expensive this spring is likely to depend on where you're traveling. Rental car agents in Southern Florida -- a popular spring break getaway -- suffered mightily during the Super Bowl, with some losing over half the cars in their fleet to the recall.

Car rentals booked through Expedia.com also reportedly increased in weeks following the Toyota recall at several major airports including John F. Kennedy International, Chicago's O'Hare International, Los Angeles International and Miami International.

Fiat in Russian car venture with Sollers

Fiat on Thursday teamed up with Sollers of Russia to produce cars and sports utility vehicles for the Russian market in a joint venture that is supported by the Kremlin and gives a needed boost to the country’s ailing auto industry.

The Italian carmaker’s move represents a significant and potentially risky investment in a market where it has traditionally had a weak presence. Fiat said the joint venture was part of its move to increase its international presence following its acquisition of Chrysler and was one of the largest such ventures it had undertaken outside Italy.

The venture will produce up to 500,000 passenger cars and sports utility vehicles a year by 2016, mainly for the Russian market, with a minimum of 10 per cent of production for export markets. Production will be at a Sollers facility in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, 1,000km east of Moscow, which will be expanded through new facilities and a technology park for component production.

The two companies said they envisaged investing €2.4bn ($3.3bn) in the new facility, which “will become one of the biggest investment projects in the Russian automotive sector and will include all key aspects of vehicle production with high added value”.

Sergio Marchionne, Fiat’s chief executive, said the venture marked “a turning point for our presence in the Russian market”. A memorandum of understanding was signed on Thursday by Mr Marchionne and Vadim Shevtsov, his Sollers counterpart, at a ceremony attended by Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Putin said: “The ministry of industry and trade has drafted a request to the Russian government for financial support for the project. We will make a decision as a result of today’s meeting.”

Fiat’s 50 per cent stake in the venture would add a potential 250,000 new cars to its annual production total, which analysts at UniCredit said would “represent around 10 per cent of the total volumes sold by Fiat Auto”.
They said Fiat’s record of joint ventures in emerging markets “has not represented an easy task in the recent past” but the risks could be mitigated by Fiat and Sollers already working together in the Russian market.

Russia was set to overtake Germany as Europe’s biggest car market before the financial crisis, but car sales plunged more than 50 per cent last year as the economy contracted and cheap consumer credit evaporated. Russia has 230 cars per 1,000 people compared with 450 in western Europe. More foreign carmakers are expected to form assembly ventures in Russia to evade high car import duties.

Sollers, formerly known as Severstal-Auto, was founded in 2000 by Severstal, the Russian steel group controlled by Alexei Mordashov. While other Russian carmakers have struggled, Sollers has expanded, using a loan from VEB, the state bank, to build a new plant to assemble foreign cars in Vladivostok that opened last December.

Sollers builds Uaz sports utility vehicles and assembles cars for Fiat and Ssangyong, the South Korean carmaker, at plants in European Russia. Mr Shevtsov bought Severstal-Auto in 2007.

Shares in Fiat traded about 2 per cent lower on Thursday, while shares in Sollers rose 4.5 per cent.

Volkswagen Group Jan Car Sales +41% On Year

FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- Germany's Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE) said Friday it recorded a increase of 41% in its unit sales, delivering 538,500 vehicles to customers in January.

MAIN FACTS:

-Compared with the overall world market, which grew 22%, Volkswagen holds a significant edge over its competitors.

-One of the main reasons for the good performance is the young and environmentally-friendly model range; the low level of deliveries in the weak month of January 2009 was also a contributory factor in the strong rise.

-Christian Klingler, Group Board Member for Sales, said "... this good performance must not lead us to underestimate the challenges that lie ahead in 2010. The situation on international automotive markets remains tense," he said.

-The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand sold 359,300, which corresponds to an increase of 46.2%

-In Germany, the Group brands delivered 71,800 vehicles in January versus 53,300 in 2009.

-Frankfurt Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 49-69-29725-500

Prince Andrew hit cop with car : report

Police said they were looking into a report that Prince Andrew had hit a police officer with his car as he drove into Buckingham Palace.

The alleged incident happened last week as Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth, headed into a side entrance to the palace and the officer tried to clear tourists out of his way, Britain's Sun newspaper reported.

"A uniformed officer was involved in a collision with a vehicle while on duty on Constitution Hill and sustained minor injuries to his arm," a London police spokesman said.

"The circumstances of the collision are now being examined."

The officer did not need hospital treatment and no arrest was made, but the newspaper said he had complained to his bosses about the prince's driving.

"The royals tend to drive in quickly because of security risks, but this has left the officer really shaken up," a police source told the newspaper.

There was no immediate comment from Buckingham Palace.

Nissan to Take US Orders for Leaf Battery Car From August

By Alan Ohnsman

Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Nissan Motor Co., aiming to be the world’s biggest seller of electric cars, will take “firm” orders in the U.S. for the battery-powered Leaf from August, after pricing the car and accepting some reservations in April.

Nissan, Japan’s third-largest carmaker, will begin letting customers reserve delivery of a rechargeable hatchback with a $100 deposit in April, the company said today in an e-mailed statement. A formal order process starts in August, with the first batch of cars to be delivered by December, the company said.


--Editor: Patrick Harrington

2010 Mercedes-Benz CL-Class

MSRP $110,400 - $154,400 Invoice $102,672 - $143,592 The 2010 CL-Class is a 2-door, 4-passenger luxury coupe, or luxury sports car, available in 3 trims, ranging... read more from the CL550 4MATIC Coupe to the CL600 Coupe. Upon introduction, the CL550 4MATIC Coupe is equipped with a standard 5.5-liter, V8, 382-horsepower engine that achieves 14-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. A 7-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The CL600 Coupe is equipped with a standard 5.5-liter, V12, 510-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 11-mpg in the city and 17-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2010 CL-Class is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Mazda CX-9

MSRP $28,635 - $34,045 Invoice $26,508 - $31,498 The 2010 CX-9 is a 4-door, 7-passenger sport-utility, available in 6 trims, ranging from the Sport FWD to... read more the Grand Touring AWD. Upon introduction, the Sport FWD is equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 273-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. The Grand Touring AWD is equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 273-horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims. The 2010 CX-9 is freshened for 2010.

2009 Honda S2000

MSRP $34,995 - $37,995 Invoice Not Available

The 2009 S2000 is a 2-door, 2-passenger convertible sports car, available in 3 trims, ranging from the 6-Spd... read more MT to the CR A/C 6-Spd MT.

Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 2.2-liter, I4, 237-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2009 S2000 is a carryover from 2008.

2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid

MSRP $28,180 - $28,180 Invoice $25,912 The 2010 Milan Hybrid is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, available in one trim only, the Sedan. Upon... read more introduction, the Milan Hybrid is equipped with a standard 2.5-liter, I4, 156-horsepower, hybrid engine that achieves 41-mpg in the city and 36-mpg on the highway. A variable speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2010 Milan Hybrid is reskinned for 2010.

2010 Lincoln MKS

MSRP $41,270 - $48,160 Invoice $38,053 - $44,254

The 2010 MKS is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sedan, available in 3 trims, ranging from the 3.7L FWD to the... read more 3.5L with EcoBoost AWD.

Upon introduction, the 3.7L FWD is equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 273-horsepower engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 24-mpg on the highway. The 3.5L with EcoBoost AWD is equipped with a standard 3.5-liter, V6, 355-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 25-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.

The 2010 MKS is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Jeep Commander

MSRP $31,575 - $42,830 Invoice $29,949 - $40,280 The 2010 Commander is a 4-door, 7-passenger sport-utility, available in 4 trims, ranging from the Sport 4X2... read more to the Limited 4X4. Upon introduction, the Sport 4X2 is equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 210-horsepower engine that achieves 15-mpg in the city and 20-mpg on the highway. The Limited 4X4 is equipped with a standard 5.7-liter, V8, 357-horsepower engine that achieves 13-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims. The 2010 Commander is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Dodge Avenger

MSRP $20,230 - $21,730 Invoice $19,506 - $20,886

The 2010 Avenger is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, available in two trims, the SXT and the R/T.

Upon... read more introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 2.4-liter, I4, 173-horsepower engine that achieves 21-mpg in the city and 30-mpg on the highway. A 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2010 Avenger is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Chrysler 300

MSRP $27,260 - $44,865 Invoice $26,305 - $42,501 The 2010 300 is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, luxury sedan, or luxury sports sedan, available in 10... read more trims, ranging from the Touring to the C AWD. Upon introduction, the Touring is equipped with a standard 2.7-liter, V6, 178-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway. A 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The C AWD is equipped with a standard 5.7-liter, V8, 360-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 23-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2010 300 is a carryover from 2009.

2011 Ford Fiesta

MSRP $13,320 - $17,120 Invoice Not Available

The 2011 Fiesta is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, or wagon, available in 5 trims, ranging from the S... read more Sedan to the SES Hatchback.

Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 1.6-liter, I4, 119-horsepower engine that achieves 29-mpg in the city and 38-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.

The 2011 Fiesta is all-new for 2011.

2010 Chevrolet Aveo

MSRP $11,965 - $15,365 Invoice $11,486 - $14,750 The 2010 Aveo is a 4-door, 5-passenger family sedan, available in 3 trims, ranging from the LS 4-Door to the... read more 2LT 4-Door. Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 1.6-liter, I4, 108-horsepower engine that achieves 27-mpg in the city and 34-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The 2010 Aveo is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Cadillac CTS

MSRP $35,165 - $48,765. Invoice $33,231 - $46,083 The 2010 CTS is a 4-door, 5-passenger luxury sedan, available in 11 trims, ranging from the 3.0L Base to the... read more 3.6L Premium AWD. Upon introduction, the 3.0L Base is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, V6, 270-horsepower engine. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The 3.6L Premium AWD is equipped with a standard 3.6-liter, V6, 304-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2010 CTS is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Buick Enclave

MSRP $35,515 - $43,995. Invoice $33,739 - $41,795.

The 2010 Enclave is a 4-door, up to 8-passenger sport-utility, available in 6 trims, ranging from the CX FWD... read more to the CXL 2XL AWD.

Upon introduction, the CX FWD is equipped with a standard 3.6-liter, V6, 288-horsepower engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 24-mpg on the highway. The CXL 2XL AWD is equipped with a standard 3.6-liter, V6, 288-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 22-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims.

The 2010 Enclave is a carryover from 2009.

2010 GMC Yukon Denali 4WD

MSRP $55,995 - $55,995. Invoice $52,075

The 2010 Yukon Denali 4WD is a 4-door, up to 8-passenger luxury sport-utility, available in one trim only,... read more the 5SA.

Upon introduction, the Yukon Denali 4WD is equipped with a standard 6.2-liter, V8, 403-horsepower engine that achieves 12-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard.

The 2010 Yukon Denali 4WD is a carryover from 2009.

2010 BMW 1 Series

MSRP

$29,150 - $40,350
Invoice
$26,820 - $37,120

The 2010 1 Series is a 2-door, 4-passenger luxury sports coupe, or luxury convertible, available in 4 trims,... read more ranging from the 128i Coupe to the 135i Convertible.

Upon introduction, the 128i Coupe is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 230-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 28-mpg on the highway. The 135i Convertible is equipped with a standard 3.0-liter, I6, 300-horsepower, turbo engine that achieves 17-mpg in the city and 26-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard on both trims, and a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional.

The 2010 1 Series is a carryover from 2009.

2010 Acura MDX

MSRP $42,230 - $53,755.Invoice Available. The 2010 MDX is a 4-door, 7-passenger luxury sport-utility, available in 5 trims, ranging from the 6-Spd AT... read more to the 6-Spd AT w/Advance and Entertainment Pkg. Upon introduction, both trims are equipped with a standard 3.7-liter, V6, 300-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. A 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. The 2010 MDX is restyled for 2010.

Best Car Deals

The auto industry is once again dominating the headlines, and not in a good way. This time, however, the negative story might actually be masking some good news.

Yes, Toyota halted sales of eight popular models and launched a massive recall campaign due to a gas pedal defect that could, in theory, contribute to an accident (the automaker has since resumed sales on a case-by-case basis). But, while everyone was paying attention to that story, the auto industry quietly pulled a little further out of its recent slump.
January auto sales were up slightly from results just one year ago. Ford saw its sales jump by 25 percent. Upstart Hyundai saw its results grow by more than 50 percent. Even troubled Chrysler got a slight sales bump.

Toyota’s troubles may be making headlines, but rest of the industry is slowly crawling back.

While that might be great for car builders, it’s not necessarily good news for car shoppers. Through the economic downturn, we saw automakers present some of the steepest discounts they’d offered in decades. Now that foot traffic is slowly returning to dealerships, they’re pulling back on those heavy incentives. Car prices traditionally rise in January after a holiday low, but this year, the effect is made more dramatic by the end of many cash-back offers, and shorter terms available on low-interest loans.

There are still, however, good deals to be found. It’s important to shop carefully this month. Rather than across-the-board discounts on most cars, we’re now seeing a market where one car can be much less expensive than its competition -- thanks to certain automakers carrying more significant discount programs than their rivals. Below, we’ll highlight a few of the best.

And owners of those troubled Toyotas have more options than ever, as General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and even Hyundai are offering additional discounts for buyers trading in a Toyota product. Shoppers should be careful, though, that they don’t let the dealership get that money right back by offering a low price for a Toyota trade-in, due to the headlines. Experts say that Toyota products should take a short-term resale value hit, but they may recover their value if Toyota solves its gas pedal problem effectively.