Audi reveals 2009 model pricing, changes; price hikes across US lineup

The German luxury car-maker has announced pricing and equipment changes for nearly all of its 2009 models for North America. Absent from the list, for now, are the A4 sedan and Avant, the TTS coupe and roadster (pictured above), the Q7 3.0 TDI with 50-state legal clean diesel engine and the Q5. The A4 will arrive in September, with the TTS following in late 2008. The Q5 and Q7 are expected in the first quarter of 2009. Also coming in September is a Quattro-equipped 2.0-liter S tronic A3.

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Fuel costs force many to cut food budgets

A further one in 10 said they would consider getting rid of their car altogether if fuel prices continue to climb.

A litre of unleaded petrol currently costs an average of £1.18, a rise of 22 per cent over the past 12 months. It is estimated that the cost of filling an average-sized car could rise to £72.60, with drivers of larger executive cars having to pay more than £85.

Mark Dowsey and his wife, Joanne, tell the programme that rising fuel prices have forced them to cancel their summer holiday for the first time in seven years. About six months ago it cost Mrs Dowsey, 50, £30 to fill up her diesel car - it now costs her £45. Filling up her husband's diesel van has increased from £50 to £75.

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Fond du Lac couple beats high fuel prices with new electric car

After shopping around at an electric car dealer in Janesville, the Hylands plunked down about $11,000 for a Miles ZX40S in May. With room for four, plenty of safety features and a top speed of 25 mph the car is the ideal around-town ride for the family.

At first, Paul, a former military man, thought he would be the laughingstock of the neighborhood for driving around in the small car. He was wrong. Not only does he chuckle every time he passes a gas station, the car "gets more attention than a 1968 Pontiac GTO."

Other motorists stare, and people are constantly approaching the couple to find out more about the vehicle.

"It happens everywhere; it's hilarious," said Meghan. "We can't go anywhere without people asking us about the car. Someone even rang our doorbell at 8:30 at night to talk to us."

The reaction of passersby is usually the same.


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Driving 55 isn’t the answer, but it’sa start

Given technological improvements since 1974, at what speed is the typical vehicle most fuel efficient?

2. If a national speed limit were enacted, what would be total fuel savings, and what would be the savings for the average driver?

3. How many fewer barrels of oil a day would Americans consume? Would there be a reduction in price at the pump, and what ranges would cost reductions be?

4. If the feds reduced their oil consumption as asked, how many barrels of oil might be saved?

Congress will be considering all its options, said Sen. Warner, who reminded Secretary Bodman that, years ago, the 55-mph speed limit, officially known as the Emergency Energy Conservation Act, “worked."

Adele Ferguson can be reached at

PO Box 69, Hansville, WA 98340.



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Rising fuel prices could influence car market

The current boom in diesel car sales could slow down, as the average price of diesel fuel at the end of June reached 132.27p per litre - 22.5 per cent higher than it was at the beginning of the year, according to figures from Experian, the global information services company.

The figures provided by Catalist, an Experian company, show the biggest increase in diesel fuel prices for the first six months of any year in the last decade.

The average price of petrol has also increased significantly to 118.9p per litre - 15.4 per cent higher at the end of June compared to the beginning of the year.

Furthermore, while both diesel and petrol prices have been rising, diesel prices have crept up at a faster rate over the last six months. There is now an 11.2 per cent difference between petrol and diesel prices, compared to a 4.8 per cent difference in January 2008.



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Japan's New Green Car Push

A new version of the Prius, which promises to be lighter and more fuel-efficient than the current generation, should also appear in 2009, and a plug-in version, which like the Volt will use lithium-ion batteries, is due to arrive a year later. By 2010, Toyota is also believed to be planning two more dedicated hybrid models, including a new hybrid minivan.

Toyota Takes a Long-Term View

Toyota will start production of Camry hybrids in Thailand next year and in Australia from 2010, and is already building a new factory in Japan for nickel-metal hydride batteries used in today's hybrids. "Toyota will continue to increase production of its current hybrid technology and should be selling over 800,000 units a year before we even see the first Chevy Volt," says Kurt Sanger, an analyst at Deutsche Bank (DB) in Tokyo.



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Electric dreams: Running on nothing

All a Roadster owner has to do is spend to maintain the car. And because it's electric, there are fewer moving parts in it than in internal-combustion vehicles, so maintenance is significantly much easier.

The response to the Tesla Roadster has been phenomenal. Since it started selling earlier this year, the car has not just been sold out, but there a one-year waiting list for those who are willing to wait to get one.

Being a sports car, and an electric one to boot, the car is not cheap. But surprisingly, it's no more expensive than less-efficient, worse-performing sports cars that run internal-combustion engines. At $109,000 (around P4.7 million), most of the Roadster price is due to the fact that the vehicle is, in fact, a performance sports car. And it's a sports car because Tesla wanted to prove a point about electric cars.



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