ETEC 414: Flickr

Aloha, Aloha...

So I'm a little late, but as most of you know...Aloha Airlines is gone. I really can't believe it. Aloha has been such a basic part of my life, it's weird to think they're gone. I haven't been keeping track on business, but how did this happen? Was it Aloha that had that problem where the roof ripped off, and they made a movie about it and everything? I actually don't remember if that was the one, but I'm trying to prove a point. Oh, well...

Superferry under attack again...

Taylor and I went to McDonald's for breakfast this morning, and I lean over to look at the Star Bulletin and what do I see on the front page? The Superferry... Well, it turns out, that the State of Hawaii had been pressured by the Hawaii Superferry to accept them before June 30, 2005 or they wont come to Hawaii. This is all according to an audit that's supposed to be released today. It appears that the State says if they had not made the exemption, the superferry would not have come to Hawaii, and they were under a lot of pressure to make a decision before the deadline. Garibaldi, President of the Hawaii Superferry, said that they were only stating the facts which was that they had a deadline to meet. The future of transportation in Hawaii isn't looking too good. Gas prices going way high, without Aloha the plane rates are going up, and shipping costs are going up too. What are we going to do???

Check out the article at Star Bulletin.

The Electric World

A company called Phoenix Motorcars is introducing two news cars for 2009. The most interesting part, fully electric, highway capable SUVs and SUTs. These cars can travel about 130 miles on a single charge and they're planning on an expansion pack to extend the range to 250 miles. Each Phoenix comes with a 6.6kW charger that plugs into a 220V outlet and takes about 5 to 6 hours to charge. The car also has a connector that can let you plug into a rapid charger that can charge the vehicle in 10 minutes! This thing has power too, 400 ft-lbs of torque at 0 RPMs. Now here's the best part: these things are fully loaded like any other vehicle. AC, power windows, power door locks, AM/FM/CD, keyless entry, and so many more options; even a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. The options go so far to include a premium Pioneer sound system and navigation system, Eibach springs, leather seats, 20" Wheels, custom grill, and the list goes on.

Check out these pages for more information:
Maui Energy Group
Phoenix Motorcars
Popular Mechanics - Video from 2006 SEMA

First Hawaiian Bank International Auto Show

Some time last month, First Hawaiian Bank held its International Auto Show again, and it was as fun as always. Check it out! The new limited edition xB was there, the new Evo X and the STI along with the R8 and the IS F and so many other cool cars.

Save gas, the 3rd world country way.

So a bunch of my friends have been buying up bikes these days with the gas prices so high. I don't care as much, because it's still cheaper to buy gas (by volume) than a bottle of water! However, if you're one of these people, who insist that $4.399 per gal. of gas is a bit pricey (Maui price of Premium, last I checked) then you might be interested in the Honda Wave 125i. This has a 125cc 2-valve, 4-stroke engine. This has lots of customizations too, which has made it very popular in Asian countries like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. Also, check out the Honda C90. Europe appears to swear by this thing, and gets something like 200 MPG! Looks like a moped, it is a moped, but not in Hawaii where anything more than 50cc is a motorcycle and requires a special license.

Too Late Nissan!!! Scion already made a box!

So Nissan has is rumored to introduce their own square car, the Cube, sometime this year to the U.S. Interesting looking, I think I like the xB a lot better. I can really say that though until I actually get in one. Apparently, there is a model of this car that seats 7! Well, that would be interesting to see at the very least.

Oh Honda, you crazy...

The Honda CR-X was one of the more popular cars to come out of that Civic line, and many people were excited to hear that the it would be making a comeback. Well, here's the bad news first. The CR-Z as it's being called is not going to be released as a sports car as many have been anticipating. It is, instead, being made into a continuation of the Insight hybrid car. That's right, hybrid... Oh well. I guess the good news is that it's still sexy and I'm sure it'll be more appealing than driving a Prius. Probably more fuel efficient too.

Smart Fortwo Passion Coupe

The New 2008 Smart car is very interesting. It is produced by Daimler - Mercedes Benz parent company. It doesn't look like much, but it's quite a cute little car. The interior is very nice and, according to Car and Driver, it's quite fun to drive as well. I'm sure it is too. Being that small, it must be so easy to get around with in the city. It comes with a 61 Cubic-Inch, 3 cylinder, 70 HP engine. For a car with a small engine and is small enough to park nose to curb between parallel parked cars, it only makes about 32 MPG according to tests from Car and Driver. If you want all the basic conveniences of regular cars, the car with the options will cost you just under $15,000. If you're interested in a small cute hatchback that's light on the gas, I think you'll get a better deal with a Toyota Yaris. But, it is a comfortable fit for two and is pretty fun, so I guess it has it's good and bad.

ETEC 414: You Can Request It!!!

YOU CAN REQUEST IT!!!

Go, Pontiac! GO!!!

So continuing on with American cars trying to come back, GM's Holden devision in Australia has produced quite a beast (after the GTO). The new Pontiac G8. The GT model comes with a 361 hp, 6.0L V8 and a 6 speed hydramatic transmission. Throw on the options and the G8 GT rises to about $32,745, according to the model tested by Car and Driver. Check the article out at www.caranddriver.com.

Dodge Challenger SRT-8

Apearantly, the days of the American Musscle car is making a comeback. From the Ford Mustang returning its look to something like from the '60 and introducing several different performance versions (i.e.: Shelby Super Snake, Saleen S302E), the return of the GTO and the Charger, and the Corvette setting the bar that much higher with ZR1, and now the return of the Dodge Challenger. The Challenger was introduced in 1978 but was removed from the Dodge lineup in 1983. Now this beast comes back with a 425hp HEMI V-8 and can do a quarter mile in 14.1 seconds @ 103.2 MPH.
For more information and pictures go to my source at CarandDriver.com. Also, if you haven't seen the new Saleen, check it out at ROADandTRACK.com.

Scion's nice try.

So at the recient 2008 NY Auto Show, Scion released a concept of a vehicle that has caught attention of some people in a negative way... I hate to say it, but I kinda like how it looks. And let me tell you, I have a friend who works for Scion and he was "disappointed" when he saw it. HOWEVER!!! From the side, it reminds me of a classic American car, but I can't remember what it was called. Apearantly, that's kinda what they were going for too, according to accounts I found on Auto Spectator. The interior looks pretty jammin' also. The slight downside, is it also looks like a golf cart...
[picture came from autoblog.nl]