So with the economy going down harder than Superhead on the hip-hop industry, and gas prices seemingly higher everyday it's time to do away with those huge space hogging, gas guzzling full-size cars. I know I am ready to give mine to the first bidder, and hop into one of these small yet extremely sophisticated European imports. The European continent saw the rise in gas prices far before the US so the need for smaller city cars was in higher demand due to that as well as the heavy populations. In Europe, Mexico, and Asia small cars rule the road ways and are slowly converting the American Population.
The MINI Cooper is a small two-door, four-passenger car produced by BMW as a modern version of the original Mini, now offered in both coupe and convertible versions. In the late 1950s, Alec Issigonis designed a small car that would accommodate four adults and their luggage. On August 26, 1959, the MINI was born, produced by the British Motor Corp. Production in 1959 was only around 20,000 cars but by 1962 BMC turned out over 200,000 cars per year and went on doing so for the next 15 years. The first MINI Cooper debuted in 1961 and by 1990 MINI became part of the Rover Group. BMW purchased the Rover Group in 1994 and the first BMW-produced MINI Cooper went on sale in the spring of 2002. The MINI Cooper Convertible was added for 2005, and the second-generation Cooper was introduced in 2007.
MSRP range: $18,800 - $34,000
Invoice price range: $16,920 - $30,600
Price with options: 6 trims available
Aston Martin Press Release:
Aston Martin is pleased to confirm that the Cygnet luxury city car – originally shown as a concept car in March – is to go into production in 2011 at the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire.The Aston Martin Cygnet is a city car that sets a new benchmark for compact luxury, building upon nearly a century of experience building high performance sports cars, luxurious long-range grand tourers, and extremely competitive racing machines.
Cygnet demonstrates Aston Martin’s commitment to innovation and integrity.
“It is time to think differently. Aston Martin is honest and we don’t make compromises” says Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. “Whatever we do, we do right. If we do performance, we do performance; we don’t downsize or compromise our sports cars. The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space. It is a car without compromise, just like every other Aston Martin.“Our customers need a small car for urban and city use, and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality.”
Cygnet expresses a simple but fundamental idea: in the modern city, scale equates to speed and freedom. At just three metres long, the Cygnet gives the driver a new dimension of freedom, able to slot into gaps in traffic, exploit the smallest parking spaces, consume the least fuel and emit the lowest emissions, all while delivering exceptional levels of quality and comfort.“Cygnet is small but luxurious, an Aston Martin tailor fit for the city,” says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Director of Design. With an almost unlimited palette of materials, colours and textures, each hand-finished Cygnet will be truly unique, a personalised space within the city. “Luxury is not constrained by scale.”Cygnet is a product of Aston Martin’s unrivalled experience in craft, technology and design. The future city will present a very different luxury brand landscape, as social change and legislation increases the division between urban and anti-urban product categories. With the Cygnet, Aston Martin will be at the forefront of these changes, ensuring the company’s enduring brand image will continue to prosper in new market conditions.
Dr Ulrich Bez continues: “The Cygnet is designed to support our sports cars by providing a greater degree of freedom in the urban context; it is a very special car, a premium but compact package with heart, soul and personality.The Cygnet, a tailor fit solution for the city, will help drive Aston Martin into the future. “This car is reality; Cygnet is the natural choice for those who want a premium, bespoke commuter car.”Further details on the Aston Martin Cygnet including pricing and specification will be announced later this year. The Cygnet will be the eighth major production car Aston Martin has introduced at its state-of-the art factory since 2004, offering further evidence of the company’s ongoing commitment to British manufacturing, backed-up by a dedicated local workforce and supplier network.
2012 Fiat 500C Convertible adds open-air driving excitement to the nostalgic old world design. So I think it is not a true convertible. The double-layer cloth top and glass rear window pile back on top of the small liftgate, leaving the roof rails in place. The new model includes Italian styling, timeless functionality, efficient design and innovative technology for an entirely new generation of drivers.
2012 Fiat 500C Convertible will be powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, which produces 101-hp and 97 lb-ft of torque . The little four-cylinder is assembled in Dundee, Michigan, and when equipped with the manual transmission. It is bolted to the identical five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions, so utilizes variable valve timing and lift to achieve a best of 29 mpg city and 38 highway. The 500C is expected to return 30/38 mpg with the manual and 27/32 with the automatic.
The new 500C tick upward by about 50 pounds, which should put it over the 2500-pound mark on our scales. The retractable roof has benefits for rear-seat passengers, who not only get the wind in their hair with it pulled back, but an additional 1.2 inches of headroom with it in place.
The Fiat 500C still seats four and is as customizable as the three-door, with three top colors, 12 interior upholstery and trim combos. Voice-activated Bluetooth is standard. Other available features include heated front seats, upgraded audio, leather, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a wind blocker, among other items. The 500C also gets four 15-inch wheel designs, one made of steel and three from aluminum.
The BMW 1 Series is a line of small family cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since 2004. Successor to the BMW Compact, it has been produced in four different body styles.The 1 Series was launched globally in Autumn 2004 and shares many structural, chassis, powertrain, hardware and electronic elements with the larger 3 Series. The model was started to provide a lower point of entry into the BMW range as the 3 Series moved gradually up-market. Initially launched as a 5-door hatchback, a 2-door coupe version was also launched in July 2007. The 1 Series is priced between the MINI and the current E90 3 Series. Because the hatchback is the only rear wheel drive vehicle in its class, it is often considered the successor to the BMW 2002. The 1 Series line is produced in Leipzig, Germany at BMW's factory.
The 1 Series coupe (E82) and convertible (E88) went on sale in the United States and Canada in model year 2008 (30 June 2007)as the 128i and the 135i. Other countries received the 120i and 125i in both platforms. The convertible, unlike the 3 Series convertible, uses a soft-top instead of a folding hardtop. This is lighter and preserves more boot space than the folding hardtop would allow.The North American introduction of the coupe and cabriolet was during the second quarter of 2008, which was credited for helping BMW overtake Lexus as the top luxury brand.
Who said bigger meant better?
The MINI Cooper is a small two-door, four-passenger car produced by BMW as a modern version of the original Mini, now offered in both coupe and convertible versions. In the late 1950s, Alec Issigonis designed a small car that would accommodate four adults and their luggage. On August 26, 1959, the MINI was born, produced by the British Motor Corp. Production in 1959 was only around 20,000 cars but by 1962 BMC turned out over 200,000 cars per year and went on doing so for the next 15 years. The first MINI Cooper debuted in 1961 and by 1990 MINI became part of the Rover Group. BMW purchased the Rover Group in 1994 and the first BMW-produced MINI Cooper went on sale in the spring of 2002. The MINI Cooper Convertible was added for 2005, and the second-generation Cooper was introduced in 2007.
MSRP range: $18,800 - $34,000
Invoice price range: $16,920 - $30,600
Price with options: 6 trims available
Aston Martin Press Release:
Aston Martin is pleased to confirm that the Cygnet luxury city car – originally shown as a concept car in March – is to go into production in 2011 at the company’s Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire.The Aston Martin Cygnet is a city car that sets a new benchmark for compact luxury, building upon nearly a century of experience building high performance sports cars, luxurious long-range grand tourers, and extremely competitive racing machines.
Cygnet demonstrates Aston Martin’s commitment to innovation and integrity.
“It is time to think differently. Aston Martin is honest and we don’t make compromises” says Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez. “Whatever we do, we do right. If we do performance, we do performance; we don’t downsize or compromise our sports cars. The Cygnet needs to satisfy the demands of emissions and space. It is a car without compromise, just like every other Aston Martin.“Our customers need a small car for urban and city use, and they want the right tools for the right job, to downsize creatively without compromising intelligence, artistry and personality.”
Cygnet expresses a simple but fundamental idea: in the modern city, scale equates to speed and freedom. At just three metres long, the Cygnet gives the driver a new dimension of freedom, able to slot into gaps in traffic, exploit the smallest parking spaces, consume the least fuel and emit the lowest emissions, all while delivering exceptional levels of quality and comfort.“Cygnet is small but luxurious, an Aston Martin tailor fit for the city,” says Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Director of Design. With an almost unlimited palette of materials, colours and textures, each hand-finished Cygnet will be truly unique, a personalised space within the city. “Luxury is not constrained by scale.”Cygnet is a product of Aston Martin’s unrivalled experience in craft, technology and design. The future city will present a very different luxury brand landscape, as social change and legislation increases the division between urban and anti-urban product categories. With the Cygnet, Aston Martin will be at the forefront of these changes, ensuring the company’s enduring brand image will continue to prosper in new market conditions.
Dr Ulrich Bez continues: “The Cygnet is designed to support our sports cars by providing a greater degree of freedom in the urban context; it is a very special car, a premium but compact package with heart, soul and personality.The Cygnet, a tailor fit solution for the city, will help drive Aston Martin into the future. “This car is reality; Cygnet is the natural choice for those who want a premium, bespoke commuter car.”Further details on the Aston Martin Cygnet including pricing and specification will be announced later this year. The Cygnet will be the eighth major production car Aston Martin has introduced at its state-of-the art factory since 2004, offering further evidence of the company’s ongoing commitment to British manufacturing, backed-up by a dedicated local workforce and supplier network.
2012 Fiat 500C Convertible adds open-air driving excitement to the nostalgic old world design. So I think it is not a true convertible. The double-layer cloth top and glass rear window pile back on top of the small liftgate, leaving the roof rails in place. The new model includes Italian styling, timeless functionality, efficient design and innovative technology for an entirely new generation of drivers.
2012 Fiat 500C Convertible will be powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, which produces 101-hp and 97 lb-ft of torque . The little four-cylinder is assembled in Dundee, Michigan, and when equipped with the manual transmission. It is bolted to the identical five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions, so utilizes variable valve timing and lift to achieve a best of 29 mpg city and 38 highway. The 500C is expected to return 30/38 mpg with the manual and 27/32 with the automatic.
The new 500C tick upward by about 50 pounds, which should put it over the 2500-pound mark on our scales. The retractable roof has benefits for rear-seat passengers, who not only get the wind in their hair with it pulled back, but an additional 1.2 inches of headroom with it in place.
The Fiat 500C still seats four and is as customizable as the three-door, with three top colors, 12 interior upholstery and trim combos. Voice-activated Bluetooth is standard. Other available features include heated front seats, upgraded audio, leather, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a wind blocker, among other items. The 500C also gets four 15-inch wheel designs, one made of steel and three from aluminum.
The BMW 1 Series is a line of small family cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since 2004. Successor to the BMW Compact, it has been produced in four different body styles.The 1 Series was launched globally in Autumn 2004 and shares many structural, chassis, powertrain, hardware and electronic elements with the larger 3 Series. The model was started to provide a lower point of entry into the BMW range as the 3 Series moved gradually up-market. Initially launched as a 5-door hatchback, a 2-door coupe version was also launched in July 2007. The 1 Series is priced between the MINI and the current E90 3 Series. Because the hatchback is the only rear wheel drive vehicle in its class, it is often considered the successor to the BMW 2002. The 1 Series line is produced in Leipzig, Germany at BMW's factory.
The 1 Series coupe (E82) and convertible (E88) went on sale in the United States and Canada in model year 2008 (30 June 2007)as the 128i and the 135i. Other countries received the 120i and 125i in both platforms. The convertible, unlike the 3 Series convertible, uses a soft-top instead of a folding hardtop. This is lighter and preserves more boot space than the folding hardtop would allow.The North American introduction of the coupe and cabriolet was during the second quarter of 2008, which was credited for helping BMW overtake Lexus as the top luxury brand.
Who said bigger meant better?
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