Two trends recently - small cars with a premium and small cars for small budgets. The MINI and its many versions, the Fiat Abarth, and a host of other small cars pack the punch for a price. Toyota has recently just announce their price bumps which included their fleet’s small car, the Yaris. A while back, Tata has decided to shake things up with a budget people car coming in the $2,000 price range.

I am quite confused as to which direction the small car market will go but Tata might just make a killing with such an ultra-budget car. Hyundai is trying to give the Nano a run for its money by pushing forward safety issues. Still, I’m pretty much sure that depending on the market demand for these small budget cars, these companies will be forced to try to create the best compromise between size, performance, cost, and safety. And this recent announcement by Renault seems to be promising - a $2,500 budget car that is also aimed to compete with the Nano.

Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj and Mr. Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Renault and President and CEO of Nissan, today announced they will form a joint-venture company to develop, produce and market the car code-named ULC with wholesale price range starting from 2500 USD. The new joint-venture company will be 50% owned by Bajaj Auto, 25% by Renault and 25% by Nissan.

Targeting the growing Indian new vehicle market, the ULC will be made at an all-new plant to be constructed in Chakan (Maharashtra state) in India. Initial planned capacity will be 400,000 units per year. Sales will start in early 2011 in India, as a primary market, with growth potential in other emerging markets around the world.

Source: Renault-Nissan Alliance

For the health conscious and those who wish to kick their junk food habit while driving on long trips with the family. Here are a few tips on what to eat. It ain’t a nature trail but, it sure does come close to it. By the way, the driver should always keep his or her attention on the road and not on the cooler.

Keep a small cooler in your car. You car might not be a camper with a fridge or a limo with a minibar but a small cooler can always be accessible. Fruit slices like apples, bananas, and pears make good snacks. Dried fruits can also be an option.

Be sure to check that they’re the more healthy variety. Vegetable sticks like carrots and celery are another option. Grapes, cherries, and cherry tomatoes need not be sliced. Kids may prefer to have dips with their sticks so keep yogurt and low fat dressing in the cooler as well. Some cheese and mini sandwiches of cream cheese and peanut butter can also do the trick for the tots.

Instead of candy, pack some trail mix. Try the one mixed with chocolate. You can also mix your own granola at home before leaving. Include lots of dried fruits and nuts!

If you’re the kitchen-type of person, why not bake a batch or two of oatmeal cookies the night before the trip? Include this in your snack pack.

In probably the most exciting race of the season, Ferrari does it again with another win in the Turkish GP, taking 1 and 3 positions after the checkered flag with Felipe Massa clinching 1 and Kimi Raikkonen placing 3rd. Lewis Hamilton is again, back on the hunt for the driver’s title. BMW Sauber should also be happy with the results with Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld clinching 4th and 5th, repectively.

The race saw a lot of exciting moments including Hamilton’s 24th lap pass on Massa for the lead only to be pulled back by a 3-pit strategy for the race.

The results push Massa just 7 points behind current drivers’ standing leader Raikkonen. However, the 2nd place finish also places Hamilton tied with Massa in points with 28 for the season.

Results viewable after the cut.

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Brake warning lights are there on the dash because they serve a purpose. What it does is to alert the driver that something is wrong with the braking system. It it suddenly lights up, immediately check your owner’s manual as it can mean a lot of things.

It can simply mean that the hand or parking brake is on and that you just need to disengage it. It can also mean the DOT-3/brake fluid in the master cylinder is low. If you smell something burning and it comes on, then the reason is obvious. If you do have an ABS-equipped car, then this means that you have an ABS light on the dash. This usually comes on when the car is started then switches off later. If it lights up, blinks, or stays on, then the ABS computer has gone a bit awry. Unfortunately, the problem can be as simple as a foreign matter has messed up with one of the sensors, or as complex as replacing the entire ABS unit.

In any case, if the warning light goes on, the best course of action, still is to get it scanned and tested by a qualified mechanic. Your braking system is not one to just ignore. As I would put it, stopping is more important than getting from 0-60 in sub-8 seconds. Getting a portable ODB-II scanner that you can easily link to your car’s diagnostic port can also give you an immediate result as to what’s causing the problem. Just have a reference guide of the error codes for your car.

Here is a bit of a guide on what to attach to your car when you need that extra space. They need carrier racks but if your car doesn’t have one, there are car clips available in your local automobile accessories store. These babies can be hooked to the ledges on the sides of your car. There are also carriers that already have special straps that can be attached through the inside of the car.

Car back carriers are large cargo bags that can be hung from the luggage rack. Good news, they are easy to load. Bad news, they won’t work with sedans and are of use only to wagons, vans, and SUV’s. Afraid they’d be in the way of your vision when driving? Don’t be. They hang under the rear window.

Car-top carrier bags are basically the same as the one above. The only difference is that they are attached by straps to the rack on top of your car. Choose carrier bags that are UV resistant and waterproof. The only downside to this is that you have to pack them full so they don’t flap in the wind.

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Now this is surely news. There’s a silent killer on the loose - and it’s a Toyota Prius! We’ve all heard the controversy surrounding hybrids and how they pose a threat to visually impaired people. Since they get to use their other senses like hearing, silent hybrids pose the dangers of them not sensing oncoming cars.

Seems like blind people aren’t the only ones to fear the Prius. Eight-year-old Owen Erickson was whanged by a Toyita Prius. He was biking with a friend when the Prius, which Erickson claimed he didn’t hear pasisng by, clipped him. Good thing the kid wasn’t hurt though ending up on the hybrid’s hood.

Kid and mom claims that they can’t hear the hybrid.

Legislation is being pushed to have hybrids emit some kind of noise especially when running on the electric motor.

Source: CNN

With the recent end of the McLaren-Mercedes run, McLaren now starts a new phase to its existence. If there’s one car that Propelled McLaren to the lime-light, it’s the famed McLaren F1 - its first and only proper supercar to solely bear its name. After that, it has been a series of tie-ups and F1 runs.

News has been around that McLaren will be building its long-awaited second supercar almost a decade after seeing the F1. Early prototypes of the car (dubbed as the P11) have appeared since the middle of last month. A production version is set to debut late next year and they plan to have the car in showrooms by March 2010.

Powering the car. is a 550 hp V8 engine. It will also be available in soft and hard tops. Before the days of the Zonda, the CCR, and the Veyron, the McLaren F1 used to occupy the title of the world’s fastest production supercar. But McLaren isn’t targetting that spot with this one, obviously not with a 550 hp car. Insiders claim that the P11 will be targetting the F430 and other cars in the 600hp class. Perhaps a way for McLaren to claim a stake in the market after being always associated with Merc.

But the next car, the P12, is one to be seen. Powered by a 600 hp V10, and to be stripped down for lightweightedness, McLaren’s next car will give the old F1 a run for its money.

Source: Autocar

Ah, the Nurburgring. The ultimate proving grounds for many a performance car that even the famed Nissan GT-R and the still-under development Lexus LF-A have decided to use it as their test track. Not to mention the whole lot of other supercars (like the Pagani Zonda F) that tried to top the ‘Ring’s laptimes. Still standing from the 1920s, the 17.5 mile-long course continues to be a mecca for all gearheads.

Here’s a great documentary video on the Nurburgring consisting of three part. You got to love YouTube. Parts 2 and 3 viewable after the cut.

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Many rich people would definitely argue that driving is a lifestyle. Well, that’s only true for those who don’t feel the rising cost of gas burn a large hole in their wallets. You definitely can’t complain about price at the pump if you roll up in a Mercedes-Benz, right? So what do these people concern themselves with? Why, time pieces (and other accessories) to match their cars of course.

Like this latest release from Merc - an IWC edition of the SL 63 AMG. So what does the Swiss watch maker have anything to do with cars? Well, you can ask, say Ferragamo what does his luggages have to do with Maserati. Still, if this is an excuse to create a spiffy version of an already great car, then why not.

The IWC SL63 AMG sports the magno Kashmir white finish with the AMG carbon kit with matte finish. Powering the car is the AMG-tuned 6.3L V8 dishing out 535 horses. The car sits on titanium gray double-spoke wheels. Stopping it are internally ventilated, perforated composite disc brakes as part of a multi-disc LSD.

And perhaps the best part (*cough*) is that buyers would also get a limited edition of IWC’s “Grosser Ingenieur” watch that features stainless steel housing measuring 45.5 mm in diameter. The wristband perfectly complements the vehicle’s concept.

Orders will be taken in by fall this year and deliveries will start in November. How limited is this limited edition? 200 units.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

We’ve been hearing a lot of pending price hikes recently. Unfortunately for us, automakers are really riled up for profits this year. With legislation hounding them to put in more effort in creating greener vehicles, they surely need the money buffer. And with the prices of just about anything increasing due to inflation, cars are bound to be part of that.

Toyota is probably one of the first to announce their price hikes that would involve 11 vehicles under the Toyota and Lexus badges. The hikes vary per model but expect somewhere from $200 (as with the Yaris) to $900 (as with LS460) additional to the former MSRPs. Sequoia SUV, Tacoma pickup, 2009 Corolla and 2009 Matrix crossover (the Toyota mass staple vehicles) will, however, retain sticker prices (which is actually a good thing).

Toyota cites increasing material cost and current economic conditions (ergo, the sluggish American market) as their reason for bumping prices.

Hold on to your hats as this is just an indicator of things to come.

Source: Automotive News (subscription required)