The Truth About Cars » Future VehiclesThe Truth About Cars is dedicated to providing candid, unbiased automobile reviews and the latest in auto industry news.Kia Soul Engines Announced- July 16, 2008 Korea&39;s Kia has released photos of its Soul. To herald the U.S. arrival of its new citycar&8211; which looks to have the Chevy&39;s Aveo Beat&8211; Kia&39;s announced the Soul&39;s engine lineup. Globally, the Soul will offer three powerplants. Yanks are denied the 1.6-liter turbodiesel with 128 horsepower. We get to choose from either a 1.6-liter, ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/kia-soul-engines-announced/ Bob Lutz: Pontiac will be nourished with products- July 15, 2008 After Rick Wagoner&39;s announcements this morning, GM Car Czar Bob Lutz was bubbling over with product news. Of course, Maximum Bob overlooked the fact that someone else&39;s year-old warmed-over Pontiac leftovers may be nourishing, if they&39;re seldom appetizing or appealing. Anyway, MB revealed that the Chevrolet Cobalt will be around for a lot ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/bob-lutz-pontiac-will-be-nourished-with-products/ Kia Forte Out on Street (in Korea)- July 14, 2008 Kia sent out some press shots of its new Forte compact sedan last week. But real world pictures of cars are always a step up. Those candid photos, along with scans of the Korean brochure, are here for you to peruse, thanks to the fans at Kia-World.net. IMHO, the Forte looks quite good in ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/kia-forte-out-on-street-in-korea/ Tesla Death Watch 10: Ride a Painted Pony- July 14, 2008 Tesla Prez and CEO Ze&39;ev Drori has e-mailed customers with important news! &34;In large measure we deliberately limit the production until we install our own born and bred final transmission by mid-September, at which time production will start to ramp up leading toward a monthly rate of over 100 cars in December.&34; Translation: Tesla owners ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/tesla-death-watch-10-ride-a-painted-pony/ Ford F-150 to get Turbo-4- July 14, 2008 PickupTrucks.com reports that Ford&39;s veep for product development, Derrick Kuzak is considering (what&39;s the hurry) &34;right-sizing&34; the F-150&39;s power plant. Ford may stick an EcoBoost four-banger into the base the F-150 pickup truck. And why not The current V6 F-150 is dead for 2009; the base V8 offers better performance and fuel economy. So FoMoCo ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/ford-f-150-to-get-turbo-4/ Wild Ass Rumor Of The Day: VW up! To Become Baby Beetle- July 10, 2008 Motor Trend (MT) is filling-up bandwidth and hyping-up baby boomers with a post on the forthcoming New Beetle Mk II. The bulk of it isn&39;t all that earth-shattering: there will be a new New Beetle. MT reckons it will be based on the next Golf and it should arrive in 2010. ...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wild-ass-rumor-of-the-day-vw-up-to-become-baby-beetle/ Alfa Romeo Coming to a MINI Mart Near You!- July 10, 2008 It turns out that Fiat and BMW&39;s axis of platform-sharing may help facilitate Alfa&39;s stateside arrival. Automotive News sub reports that the Fiat version of the automakers&39; joint agreement states that &34;as part of possible cooperation, BMW Group will provide Fiat Group Automobiles with support in launching the Alfa Romeo brand in the North American market.&34; And really, it&39;s perfect. BMW already has a chain of boutique dealers in the more &34;sophisticated&34; American...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/alfa-romeo-coming-to-a-mini-mart-near-you/ Volt Birth Watch 64: NHTSA Calls GMs Bluff- July 10, 2008 In a move bound to raise howls of protest from the Chevy Volt&39;s cheerleaders, GM (along with nine other manufacturers) has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to lower the 4.5 percent annual increases in the CAFE standards projected between 2011 and 2015. To justify the request, GM stated they won&39;t have enough Volts and Vue plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on the road by 2015 to meet the more stringent standards. GM &34;strongly discouraged&34; any...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/volt-birth-watch-64-nhtsa-calls-gms-bluff/ U.S. Carmakers Launch Fresh Assault on CAFE Regs- July 10, 2008 New Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards are enshrined in federal law. It&39;s 35mpg by 2020, or a 4.5 percent annual increase. So why would The Big 2.8, Toyota and Porsche renew their efforts to raise the bar Especially as someone might be looking for federal loan guarantees... As mob boss Carl Rojeck said in &34;My Favorite Year,&34; &34;the fighting is in rounds.&34; Now that the The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration&39;s (NHTSA) writing the fine print, the kvetching..http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/us-carmakers-launch-fresh-assault-on-cafes-regs/ Why The Chinese Arent Coming- July 9, 2008 Automotive News China sub managing editor Yang Jian has a column warning Chinese firms not attempt to buy Volvo anytime soon. Yang considers the Shanghai Automotive Industry Works (SAIC) and First Auto Works (FAW) as the most likely suitors for Ford&39;s Swedish division. They alone have access to the state-controlled bank financing needed to make the deal happen. Never mind that, Yang says, there are a wealth of lessons that China is still not ready to buy-up western car brands. The...http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/why-the-chinese-arent-coming/ |