Demand in the compact luxury crossover segment isn’t dwindling, which is why Audi wants more of the action. Already the Q5 is a strong contender, but Audi is considering an even smaller A1-based crossover vehicle.

This new crossover will likely help Audi Cherry Hill and other retailers attract a broader demographic, as it will be expected to carry a lower price tag than the Q7. Meanwhile, other compacts still are finding sales as more luxury crossover buyers are looking to ownsize and maximize MPG. That’s just what has been happening at among new Infiniti QX Worcester dealers, who have seen a sharp increase in buyers looking to downsize to the EX crossover in recent months.

Although the idea of an A1-based crossover is appealing, don’t expect it before 2013.

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The winter months can wreak havoc on not only the appearance of your vehicle but also the way it performs on the roads. One of the most important things a person can learn when taking Driver’s Ed or being taught how to drive by a family member is who to drive in the snow. Now, not every person who gets their driver’s license will need to learn how to drive in the snow because of their geographic location. However, for those who live in the Central part of the country and the Northeast, learning how to drive in the snow is crucial to their survival.

Always be prepared when heading out in the snowy weather warns Nissan Service specialists in Washington state. If you are driving in extreme conditions be sure to put chains on your tires or have snow tires put on your vehicle. Also, make sure that you have a shovel in your trunk in the event that your car gets stuck in a snow bank so you can try to dig it out before an accident happens.

When the roads are covered in snow, you should slow down. If the speed limit is 45 MPH, make sure are driving at 30 MPH or even less. Speed is the number one cause of accidents during the winter months. It does not matter if you have chains on your tires, if you have antilock brakes, or if you know how to drive out of a skid, your car will run off the road if you are speeding.

Always apply the brakes when entering a curve on snowy or icy roads. If you take the curve too fast, your vehicle will skid and possibly run off the road. If you brake when going into a curve you increase your chances of coming out of the curve still on the road and completely safe.

Everyone who drives on snowy and icy roads should know how to control a skid. The two biggest tips for controlling a skid include turning your vehicle into the skid and accelerating just a little bit. Westboro Infiniti is always promoting safety, and warns that if you release the brake and turn towards the direction of the skid, you will find that an accident can be avoided.

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When setting out to replace the 350Z, Nissan did the unthinkable – they downsized. While most new vehicle iterations seem to only get bigger than their predecessors, the latest Nissan Z is smaller, lighter, and of course it’s now faster.

The folks at WebRidesTV in particular wanted to experience just what these tighter dimensions and lighter weight delivered on the open road, and simply put they were quite impressed.

Other changes that have contributed to the 370Z’s improved performance include a wider stance for better handling, as well as a more powerful 3.7-liter V6 engine that produces 332 horsepower.

Performance isn’t the only are of improvement on the 370Z. The quality of the interior has been vastly improved, causing Nissan Beverly MA enthusiasts to remark that its cabin now offers more Infiniti-like accommodations with loads of aluminum and suede.

No matter how you look at it, the Nissan has improved upon an already great sports car. And with a base price under $30K, the new Z still holds offers incredible performance for the price, which is one of most beloved qualities among generations of Nissan Z enthusiasts.

If you happen to reside in the Washington State area and are looking for a good deal on a 370Z or other Nissan model, you may want to look for Nissan Quotes Seattle WA today at Advantage Nissan.

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Does driving faster save lives? According to statistics, in 1995 when the speed limit was increase from 55 miles per hour to 65 miles per hour, fewer people actually died in automobile accidents in the state of California. Is another speed limit increase in the making? After all, that is a positive fact.

Just two years after upping the speed limit from 55 mph to 65 mph, the federal government reported that the death rate on the nation’s roads fell to a record low, as well as California reaching a record low too.

In fact, Virginia is currently in the process of increasing the 65 mph limits in rural areas to 70 mph, thanks to the state’s new governor, Bob McDonnell. In addition to Virginia, Illinois is in the middle of a similar vote. Illinois senator, Dale Risinger, believes that a 70 mph limit on the state’s rural highways could potentially save fuel and lower the number of accident-related fatalities.

To support this statement from Senator Risinger, a 2005 study by political scientist Robert Yowell of the Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas shows just that. From 1968 through 1991, the fatality rate per 100 million miles decreased by 63%. You can attribute this to a few things. According to Yowell, “automobile safety features and enforcement emerge as important factors in increasing highway safety,” he stated. “Speed limits are far less important.”

You’re probably thinking that if we increase the speed limits, people will continue to driver over them, right? No necessarily. Utah has experimented with increasing their state speed limits and asked that very question. In “2008, the state legislature granted UDOT [the Utah Department of Transportation] permission to test higher limits on rural sections of the road. Using crash histories, engineering studies, UDOT carefully selected the areas that it believed would best handle the increased limit. The department then conducted before and after surveys of speeds and traffic volume on the three sections where the limit was changed. Although the signs permitted another 5 MPH in speed, the results showed that drivers did not ‘take advantage’ of the new limit to drive significantly faster.”

However, not everyone is in favor of increasing the speed limit. A press release from AAA states that, “Illinois roads are not designed to travel at 70 mph speeds…[they] are currently designed for speeds ranging from 60-70 mph”. That makes sense. It is also said that speed limits are set lower intentionally due to poor conditions that do not always warrant higher speeds. So, while Illinois roads are designed for a maximum of 70 mph, that’s under the impression that the speed limit is set lower.

There are always going to be conflicting arguments. At the end of the day, everyone has their own opinions. So, what do you think? Should states increase their speed limits, or is this a bad idea? Leave your comments below.

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Car enthusiasts knew ahead of time that they would have their hands full in Chicago dealing with the freezing temperatures, bitter wind, and snow flurries; but add to that a 4.3 earthquake this morning and you will see how truly dedicated these car aficionados are. The 2010 Chicago Auto Show has seriously started off with a bang… even a rumble!

Whatever you are looking for from the Chicago Auto Show, they have you covered. On display at the show are: alternative fuel vehicles, concept cars, family sedans, hybrids, as well as pickups, SUVs, and minivans. For more detailed information on your vehicle of choice, check out the 2010 Chicago Auto Show website.

Beginning Friday, February 12, 2010, the show will be open to the public from 10 AM – 10 PM until Saturday, February 20. On February 21, the show will be open from 10 AM – 8 PM. In addition to admittance to the general public, many special events will be taking place at the show.

• First Look for Charity will be kicking off the event on Thursday, February 11, from 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM.
• Tuesday, February 16, is Women’s Day and women are admitted all day for a discount price.
• Chrysler will be the host of the Chicago Auto Show Food Drive taking place Wednesday, February 17 through Friday, February 19.
• School and Group discounts are available for purchase as well.

Media coverage of the event is just getting under way and although information and photos are sparse, here’s some pictures to get you started…

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Check back for more news and photos of the 2010 Chicago Auto Show.

All photos courtesy of AutoSpies

Okay, so things didn’t go too well when GM tried to sell Saturn. Or Opel. Or, so far, HUMMER. And Saab itself has gone through its share of unsuccessful suitors, too. But it looks like General Motors has finally gotten lucky, putting together a deal that sells its Saab division to Spyker Cars, N.V.

Here’s the lowdown: General Motors gets about $74 million from Spyker, along with some $326 million in preferred shares of the new company—Saab Spyker—with everyone quick to point out that this translates into only 1 percent of the voting rights in the new entity. On the other hand, the stock deal is essentially payback for GM agreeing to remain a “partner” with Saab through the end of 2016. It’s not clear exactly what this “partnership” will entail, but the net result is that the General will have some sort of voice in Saab’s new plans for a while yet.

For Spyker, the deal will give less-expensive access to some of the resources that go into its current C8 exoticar and future models, more outlets at which to sell such vehicles and a steadier stream of revenue from Saab products. Speaking of which, the initial lineup looks like it will include the current Saab 9-3, the much-anticipated and completely redesigned Saab 9-5, and the nifty-looking Saab 9-4X crossover. Notably, even though the latter two vehicles didn’t make it into production before GM initially decided to wind Saab down, prototype testing continued anyway. As a result, it shouldn’t take much in terms of either time or money to restart production come this April, which is when Saab Spyker hopes to restart the factories.

As long as that date isn’t narrowed down to, say, April 1, I think this will be one Saab story that gets a happy ending.

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Grand Theft Auto is a series of video games that became popular upon its release in October of 1997.  It has grown into nine stand-alone games with two expansion packs for the original game and two expansion packs for the latest game, Grand Theft Auto IV.  Due to popularity, Chinatown Wars has been released on the PlayStation Portable, the Nintendo DS, and even the iPhone OS.  Chinatown Wars is the 13th game released in the series, whether stand-alone or in an expansion pack; it’s the first of the games to be released for the iPhone OS.

The game for the iPhone OS can be downloaded from the Apple Store for a set price.  Allowing the gamer to play it on their touch screen iPhone OS, without using a controller.  The new Independence FM and the new radio station allow users to download tracks or playlists from their iTunes system, while playing the game.  Other new features include: an enhanced 480 by 320 resolution, multi-touch user interface controls, adjusted difficulty levels, and much more.

Automotive manufactures have been increasingly drawn to gaming as well. While many playing these games are likely too young to buy a car, Nissan dealers Manassas believe automakers at least want to get their brand embedded in their minds for when they are ready to make a purchase. Import brands in particular are finding success among gamers suggest Arlington Toyota dealerships.

Booming in popularity, the Grand Theft Auto video game series has the ability to drive various different vehicles in the game.  The vehicles in the game are not real, even though some cars are modeled off of real-life vehicles.  The name of the series is taken from the real-life crime of grand theft auto, which is the theft of motor vehicles and an intricate part of the game itself.

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Keep up with new automotive games here on our blog.

Auto thefts have become a major problem in the area of Dallas, Texas.  But, local law enforcement agencies will be getting major help, in the form of DNA testing. A federal grant of $500,000 has been given to Dallas County, which will be used by police officers, prosecutors, and the Dallas County crime lab for DNA testing. The program is called the Forensic Evidence Auto Recovery program (FEAR).  Dallas officers will be able to swab areas of the vehicles where thieves may have touched. This is a crucial process in order to track down thieves and possible chop shops that sell salvaged parts.

Sergeant David Landry stated, “Convictions and longer sentences are the results that Dallas County is looking for.  If I can link one person with one car, you may be able to explain it away for whatever reason.  But, it’s harder to explain several.”

The DNA retrieval program could begin as early as the month of March within Dallas County. Running a chop shop, stealing vehicles, or selling these cars to a chop shop are considered a charge that is part of organized crime.   If the person convicted has a prior felony conviction, the charge of organized crime is a sentence of 20 years or more in prison.  If the person involved in the crime only stole a vehicle, he or she can be punished with a prison term of up to 10 years. The grant was awarded from the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice. Law enforcement officials feel this program will be a success because hot-wiring the fuse box to steal a car requires the gloves of the thief to be removed.  This is done because the items are so very intricate, causing the thieves to leave their fingerprints on the vehicle. Ultimately, a Nissan dealer Fife is confident that new practices in law enforcement and the advancement of automotive technology will help reduce auto theft dramatically in the near term.

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Auto insurance is one of the most important types of insurance a person can have these days. It’s right behind health insurance, life insurance, and home insurance.  Today, automotive insurance is required by law by certain state minimums to legally drive a vehicle in the United States.  If you are pulled over while driving, show either your proof of insurance or insurance policy. Otherwise, your vehicle will be impounded, the driver will be issued a ticket, and possibly even arrested.   The owner of a new vehicle should purchase automotive insurance as soon as the vehicle leaves the sales lot.

If you already have automotive insurance, your policy can be transferred from one car to another.  If the car title is in the name of the insurance holder, no problems should occur during the policy transfer.  Automotive insurance can be costly for people with a poor driving record or a bad credit score.  But, most people without traffic tickets or accidents will pay significantly less than other drivers stresses Nissan Seattle, so it pays off to be an upstanding driver.  Finding an automotive insurance company and policy that fits your needs can be done with one click of the mouse.  Type your location into a search engine, along with -automotive insurance companies- and you will see thousands of results in return.

Automotive insurance policies can be for single drivers, a married couple, or a family with more than two drivers who need to be insured.  Many automotive insurance companies will give discounts to student drivers who have attained good grades in school and have a clean driving record.  Some automotive insurance companies will also reward drivers who do not get into an accident for an entire year.

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Last year was rough for General Motors. After emerging from bankruptcy and receiving bailout loans from the government, GM may not seem like it would considered the most innovative company by any measure. But as the Washington Auto Show gets underway, GM has announced that it will be the first major US automaker to manufacture electric motors.

GM is designing and building electric motors for upcoming hybrid and all-electric vehicles within their own facilities, which should make their debut in 2013 on new rear-wheel drive two-mode hybrids.

Vice Chairman Tom Stephens acknowledges that electric motors may become as crucial in the the future as traditional combustion engines are today. By starting to develop this technology now in-house, GM is hoping to make highly-efficient motors that will someday overcome the limitations and challenges of batteries used in today’s hybrids.

Perhaps to no one’s surprise, Uncle Sam has helped GM in developing its electric motor facilities. The US Department of Energy has provided a $105 million grant to GM for improving the automaker’s electric-motor and electric drive component manufacturing capabilities. According to Stephens, this grant will help GM rapidly speed up its R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and hopefully help the “New GM” become more of an innovator than the GM we’ve witnessed in recent years.

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More on General Motors vehicles coming soon.