Frankfurt will make Mercedes-Benz very busy especially since they will be showcasing 19 cars in 15 minutes. Not all 19 cars are exactly new production or concept cars, most are updates and improved versions of existing ones. But one new addition to Merc’s fray is the mommy-magnet 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate of which they’ve recently pulled the wraps off.

I’ve always viewed wagons as boring pieces of machinery fit for those with three yappy kids whose purposes are to stain car upholstery with ice cream and dirt from their soccer cleats. And the C-Class would definitely serve the purpose of ferrying the kids and doing the groceries but boring? Maybe not so.

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Chevy’s midsize sedan - the Malibu just got the price tags for its 2008 line. The MSRP for the base LS model is pegged at $19,995 and its hybrid incarnate at less than $3,000 at $22,790. Now amazingly, this price tag is a lot lower than what you’d expect for a car its size and features making it appealing to those currently in the market for practical sedans.

Air bags (front and side-impact, six in all), ABS, traction control, security, navigation, airconditioning and a satellite radio all come as standard for the Malibu. These luxuries don’t really come as standard in most car makes.

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Suzuki’s created an sedan incarnation of the Suzuki SX4 Crossover (and the SX4 WRC) dubbed the Suzuki SX4 Sport. This four door car has assimilated much of the Crossover’s features but offers the functionality traditionally offered by a sedan.

The SX4 Sport is powered by a 2.0L DOHC engine that brings 143hp under the hood of the car. It’s also designed to exude the agile-aggressive designs sported by cars today with the grill and the body shape. It doesn’t skimp on the common luxuries though with the airconditioning, power locks and windows, four-wheel disk brakes with ABS, airbags, and massive 17-inch aluminum wheels. Oh and keyless entry is standard too.

A huge plus for this car (at least in the American market) is the warranty. It carries the standard warranty for 2007 Suzuki models - 100,000-mile/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.

Source: PR Newswire

Part of your responsibility as a car owner is to make sure that it runs smoothly and you may have to do some maintenance on your own. You don’t always need a mechanic to check things for you. You can always do some of these checks all by yourself and remedy them if needed.

Here are six commonly neglected things in your car that can eventually damage it.

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Apple seems to be jumping into a lot of ventures recently and it shows. Their design savvy has made their gear into status symbols. Many have also followed suit to the streamlined and white design of Apple products. While there is really no relation, just take a look at the Audi and the iMac. Coincidence or an acknowledgment that the way Apple designs its products really do appeal to the market. Years ago, white was not a popular color for cars, even dragging the resale value down. But it isn’t the case today.

Now rumor has it that Apple and Volkswagen are now looking into a possibility of an iCar - a car that exudes Apple’s appeal and most probably loaded with all the existing Apple gadgets - the iPod, iPhone, and quite possibly, a MacBook perhaps. Or a dash with a lot of touch screen interfaces. Or better yet, a scroll wheel a la iPod instead of a steering wheel.

A lot of these rumors have been going about recently. While I’m not too excited about this idea, it would surely be entertaining.

Source and Image Credit: Sueddeutsche (via Google Translate)

It really depends on your locality. If you live in a place where you need to deal with a lot of gang activity, shootouts, and all, then any time of day would be dangerous. However, given ordinary circumstances and typical roads, the worst time to drive is between midnight and 3 AM. Statistics show that fatal accidents are more likely to happen more than ten-fold during this span of time as opposed to driving from 6 AM to 6 PM.

As for the most dangerous time, it’s usually from 2-3 AM on Sunday morning. It’s because Saturday night is party night and bars usually close at 2-3 AM. The more likely the road’s inhabited by drunk drivers. Accident fatality boosts up to more than twenty-fold during this hour.

Talking cars. Well, that’s probably the novelty of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider. The closest we have with regard to that would be the voice recognition of some swankier GPS navigation units. But what if you can make your car “talk” every time you pound on the horn. Imagine you car blaring “Want a piece of me?” whenever another driver cuts you. Well that’s what Horntones can do.

Horntones is a company that makes the Horntones FX-550, a system that allows you to change the sound of your car’s horn using any standard audio file. Make your horn blare an assortment of preset sounds including your own sound clips. It’s a plug and play device and retails at $250.

I would have to admit that this has got to be one of the car accessories that would make me raise my eyebrow. In terms of functionality, I really don’t see a point in this. Well, even if I’m more on car performance over luxury, I really still don’t see any “pimp” value on this one. Horntones or whistle tips? How about some strobe lights and a disco ball?

Source: PR Newswire

It’s green and it’s a hatch. So will that make it sexy and hot at the same time? It seems that the trend now is to flood the planet with little green cars. Another car that we will be seeing in Frankfurt this September is the Peugeot 308 Hybrid HDi. It’s the diesel hybrid version of the already-unveiled 308 hatch.

The 308 HDi’s a diesel hybrid successor to Peugeot’s first hybrid, the 307 HDi. This little green machine is powered by a 110 bhp 1.6L HDi engine that’s paired with a 22 BHP electric motor mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. As far as how green this car can go, a good comparison is that it saves 25% more fuel and is 15% cleaner than a Toyota Prius. Seemingly impressive but this car will only be in the market by 2010 so the Prius is yet to encounter strong opposition (that is consumers don’t experience any more of the Prius’ antics).

Also to be unveiled at Frankfurt is the 308 Prologue SW, a possible wagon version of the 308.

Source: The Car Blogger

The kind of things you’d do if you had tons of money - crash a Lamborghini Murcielago and leave it by the roadside. That’s what Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs did with his Lambo - $350,000 crashed and ditched. Absolutely crazy, if you’d ask me.

Besides, how could you crash one of these. While the Murcielago’s got 580 HP produced by a 6.5L V12 engine that makes 650 pound-feet of torque, it doesn’t give you any excuse at all to crash it. And of all places, a light post? An unfitting killer for such a car.

Police reports that Briggs probably lost control of the car. Briggs is a pretty large guy but if he can’t tame 580 horses from behind the wheel, he should be better off driving a rusted Chevy Nova instead. But that’s not the most horrendous thing about it - Briggs improperly left his wreck by the Chicago roadside. He’s okay though, and still reported to practice for the Bears.

Things are getting a lot more hectic with the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt just around the corner. Maserati’s bringing in one of their latest offerings - the 2007 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S. It’s a four door sports saloon that treads the same line of Mercs on how luxury cars could look spiffy and sporty at the same time.

Its racing setup features a lowered front (10 mm lower) and rear (25 mm) suspension layout with stiffer springs and dampers. It also boasts of a brake system done in collaboration with Brembo that employs dual-cast brake discs - a first in road cars. Those make the car agile with superb handling. That you don’t normally get in a four-door. Hey, that’s what you get for $112,200 (list price for the older models).

Under the bonnet you’ll find a 400 HP 4.2L V8 mated to a proper six-speed automatic tranny.

Source: Tuning News