2009 Hyundai Genesis

After seeing a nearly finished concept in New York last year, the final production version of the Hyundai Genesis sedan shouldn't be a big surprise. However, Hyundai has plenty of surprises for us when it comes to details about the company's attempt to move upmarket.

The starting price for a V-6 Genesis will be less than $30,000, but of course Hyundai is mum on pricing for the top-of-the-line V-8 model, which will pump out a whopping 368 horsepower and 324 pounds-feet of torque — on regular gas, no less. That puts a whomping on most of the competition in this class in terms of power.

The V-6s don't sound like slouches either, with two to choose from producing either 268 or 290 hp. All three engines come with six-speed automatic transmissions.

Hyundai is comparing the Genesis with every luxury make on the market — including Acura, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes — but seeing these early interior photos, we think the Genesis will really compete with the Pontiac G8s and Chrysler 300Cs of the world in terms of interior feel.

Still, there is a lot jam-packed into the Genesis. On the safety side, there are eight airbags, including front- and rear-seat-mounted side airbags, which is not the norm. The Genesis' electronic active head restraint system is also a Hyundai first. Antilock brakes and stability control come standard.

There are also a number of amenities Hyundai has listed for the Genesis, but it's not yet saying whether they're standard or optional.

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2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring

Hyundai has added a hatchback version of its Elantra compact sedan to battle it out with cars like the Dodge Caliber, Toyota Matrix, Mazda3 hatchback and Nissan Versa. Like the Elantra sedan, the Touring will battle those cars on value and price, but certainly not on styling.

Standard equipment includes four-wheel-disc antilock brakes, six airbags, a tire pressure monitoring system and stability control, something not found standard on the competition. Other features new to the Touring model are standard USB and auxiliary audio inputs. The center stack design has also been changed.

Power still comes from the same four-cylinder engine, but for an economy car it isn't completely anemic.

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2009 Hummer H3T

Hummer went out and did it — it's made a pickup version of the H3 SUV. The truck you see here will go on sale this year and test the waters to see if there's still a healthy market for Hummers. When the H3 debuted it saw healthy sales, but they've stalled lately as gas prices have risen. We wonder if the H3T will add a spark or fall flat.

As a product, the H3T is pretty interesting. It's a tad longer than the SUV to accommodate its five-foot bed, so it's positioned above midsize trucks but below full-sizes. Hummer hopes its offroad capability will help sell it, with standard full-time four-wheel drive and 32-inch tires. Front and rear locking differentials and 33-inch tires will be optional.

The rear seats fold flat to create a level surface, but we prefer truck seats that fold up, exposing a flat floor. The bed itself has a standard bedliner, a rail system and built-in storage compartments.

The H3T Alpha will top the range with a 300-horsepower V-8 engine, while the base model gets the 242-hp five-cylinder in the current range.

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2009 Honda Fit

The new Fit that's headed to U.S. dealerships this fall is virtually identical to the Japanese model that was introduced earlier this year. Buyers will be pleased to learn that Honda says the cargo space is class-leading. We're more interested in the ease of use of the one-touch rear seat, which lifts up without the use of handles or switches. Honda calls it the Magic Seat.

There's also a hidden compartment under the floor behind the driver's seat. Honda hasn't released power numbers yet, but the engine is a new 1.5-liter four-cylinder with a five-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The Sport model again comes with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.

A navigation system will be available as an option, and a USB plug will be standard on Sport models. Standard safety features include side-impact and side curtain airbags, but stability control and active head restraints will be optional.

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Honda FCX Clarity

Automakers are so excited about hydrogen-powered cars that they're building real working production models to put into consumers hands. That's Honda's plan with the FCX Clarity. Yes, it's powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, which powers electric motors to propel the car. The FCX will be crash-tested and meet all federal regulations before it hits the streets. It will also get a window sticker that shows EPA adjusted mileage figures, which Honda says will be 68 mpg.

The 100 folks who are lucky enough to get on a waiting list and receive an FCX will have to pay a $600 a month lease fee for three years and live near a hybrid fueling station, like the ones in Santa Monica, Torrance and Irvine, Calif. We're still years away from the FCX hitting showrooms nationwide, as the technology costs are well beyond even most B-list celebrity pay grades. Oh, and there's not a hydrogen distribution infrastructure. But besides those two things...

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2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt

Ford just can't get enough of the venerable Mustang name, can it? We've seen all types of special editions since the new design came out a few years back, and for 2008 the company is going straight for nostalgia with the new Mustang Bullitt.

Yes, this car is in honor of the famous movie starring Steve McQueen. The paint job is the same Dark Highland Metallic as the 1968 Mustang GT from the movie, and engineers even used a DVD of the film to get the exhaust note just right.

Under the hood is the same V-8 found in the standard Mustang GT but with an open air intake — the first in a Ford production car — and specially tuned exhaust. The suspension was tweaked and more-aggressive shocks and struts were used.

With just a modest bump in power and few alterations, it's nice to see that Ford kept the price of this special edition reasonable: $31,075, including the destination charge. Because of that price, we expect the limited run of 7,700 for North America to sell out pretty darn quickly.

source : cars