Jay Leno orders a 2011 Jaguar XJ – w/Video

John Suit — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:00:57 +0000

Jay Leno, as he says a couple times during the videos after the jump, usually buys his cars second-hand. Then, Jaguar asked him to introduce the 2011 XJ sedan at a show, and he ended up ordering one. The videos follow his car from creation to delivery, so fans of Jaguar or Jay Leno should be pleased.

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Part 2:

by John Suit

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Chevrolet Volt Pricing, Fuel Requirement

John Suit — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:59:23 +0000

Yesterday, GM announced the official price of its upcoming EV (Electric Vehicle). I’ve reported on the Volt before, but with a price and a government tax break, the Volt is getting closer to reality. The base price? $41,000. The rumor? It requires premium fuel.

Automotive site The Truth About Cars (TTAC) delved into GM’s Online Order Guide for the Volt, and found the Standard Equipment List. This list contains exactly that – all of the Volt’s standard equipment, including anything that could be used to help market or sell the sedan once it enters production, presumably later this year.

In pouring over the details, TTAC found a funny little detail: the Volt’s “range-extending” gasoline engine, which is only to power the on-board batteries, requires Premium Fuel. Yep, no 87-octane “regular” fuel for Volt customers, just the good stuff. While this sounds odd, and it is, it’s probably due to some extra efficiency the engineers were able to squeeze out of the tiny engine when running higher-octane fuel.

Online Ordering Guide - Click to Enlarge

While this small detail won’t be costing the average Volt user a whole lot of money during their time with the car, it is a black mark on such a green car.

Meanwhile, the pricing was announced by GM. The car will start at $41,000, and there’s no word yet on options and their prices. There will be a government-backed tax rebate of up to $7,500 for buyers of the Volt, so the actual price should be closer to $33,500, including destination charges. This doesn’t include any upgraded electric work you need to have done to charge the Volt in a decent amount of time.

Lessees will be paying $350 per month for a 36-month lease, for a total of $12,600, leaving the car with an approximate residual value of $28,400, or $20,900 after the tax rebate. That’s a pretty good residual value, and unlike GM’s previous EV-1 electric vehicle, those who choose to lease a Volt will have the option to buy it at the end of the lease.

by John Suit

Sources: GM, The Truth About Cars

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Jay Leno orders a 2011 Jaguar XJ – w/Video

Chevrolet Volt Pricing, Fuel Requirement