Chrysler recently announced their uconnect service, which will provide wireless technologies to users in and around their cars. I wrote previously about this likely trend in my post, Your car goes digital.

Briefly, this is what Chrysler is making available to you with their uconnect service.
• uconnect phone
  Bluetooth connectivity to your phone, allowing hands-free calls while driving.

• uconnect tunes
  Includes a 30-gigabyte hard drive for ripping up to 6,700 songs from CD or USB memory sticks. Photos can be uploaded to the same hard drive so you can personalize the systems home screen. Movies can also be played on the screen when the car is not moving.

• uconnect gps
  uconnect GPS will combine the features of uconnect phone and tunes with navigation and real-time traffic. Includes voice recognition.

• uconnect studios
  This feature offers optional SIRIUS Backseat TV, featuring three channels of family TV programming and optional SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

• uconnect web
  uconnect web gives you the ability to turn your car into a mobile hotspot. With faster 3G technology providing the connectivity and a WiFi network within the car, occupants will have internet access with any wireless device such as a laptop or phone. And you'll be able to log on to your vehicle's wireless network up to 100 feet away.

These are all technologies that Chrysler hopes peaks your interest in their cars. Road warriors will certainly benefit, with their car providing the connectivity they need back to the home office. Of course the access is only there if the uconnect system is within sight of a cell tower. You're still not going to have a connection out in the middle of nowhere.

The hardware will be available in all 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. What about the cost? The router module is $449, with dealer installation running $35-50. The wireless internet account will be $29 a month with a one-time $35 activation fee.

Are automatic's killing our fun?

It just recently came to light that Pontiac will not be dropping a six-speed manual into their new sports sedan, the G8 GT. If you prefer three pedals and the option of double-clutching, you'll have to opt for the high performance variant, the G8 GXP.

Now, to be fair, modern day slush-boxes are incredible pieces of engineering. Simply look to the SuperFast2 transmission in Ferrari's Scuderia. The Ferrari is, of course, a pricey example. Other auto makers such as Volkswagen and Porsche have developed dual-clutch manuals as alternatives to automatics as well. Commonly referred to as DSG, or Direct-Shift Gearbox, these are transmissions that seemingly operate as both an automatic and a manual, without a conventional clutch pedal.

With transmissions such as these, is there a growing trend in the automotive industry to move away from manual transmissions? Automatics easily outsell traditional manuals, with the reasons outlined above. Today's automatics are blurring the lines between the two, providing drivers the ease of shifting automatically to shifting manually with a paddle or lever. Why put up with that pesky clutch pedal, lurching and jerking your way through rush hour traffic?

All of the above are great examples of modern day drivetrains. But what about us traditionalists? Believe it or not, there are a group of enthusiasts that actually prefer to shift gears manually, leaving the upshifts and downshifts to our discretion. Simply put, it's more fun! We enjoy being as involved in the driving experience as possible.

So where does that leave us, the gear heads that like a manual five or six-speed? Safe for now. None of the auto makers has announced the death of the manual. But what can be said about the future? Current trends in the automotive world point to a future of hybrid or all-electric cars. Vehicles that won't need driver operated transmissions, with the electric motor providing a continuous flow of power. No shifting required.

As an enthusiast, this is just a bit frightening. This "electric wave" does not bode well for true drivers out there. Who wants to drive a car with so little control? What do you think? Are we on the brink of a major evolution in the automotive industry? Do you plan on keeping your manual trans car, the car that soon may be called "old school"?

Only 338 of the 4,000 Chevrolet dealers nationwide will receive an allotment of Chevrolet's new super car, the Corvette ZR-1.

Chevy hasn't announced final production numbers for this hottest of all Vettes but even the dealers that sell the most nationwide will only receive a few.

If you had planned on purchasing a ZR-1, be prepared to do a little work. For example, Cauley Chevrolet in West Bloomfield, Michigan, will only get four cars, even though they sell 150 Corvettes a year.

Will Chevrolet only offer the ZR-1 in limited numbers? Probably. Demand from Corvette fans will be high but at $105,000, Chevy will sell far fewer than standard Vettes. If you're lucky enough to get your hands on one, your guaranteed one thing...exclusivity.

And the Lexus LF-A while you're at it!

Nissan must be feeling a bit uncomfortable lately with that huge bulls eye on their back. The target? Their new super-coupe, the GT-R.

But you would expect them to feel the heat, especially after your car became the gold standard for performance around Germany's Nürburgring. Nissan's GT-R has proven to be quite an anomaly, establishing an incredibly low lap time of 7 minutes, 29 seconds. And now the latest up and comers have the car in their sites, with Honda's 2011 NSX one of a few waiting in line for their crack at being the fastest around the 'Ring.

According to Inside Line, Honda's CEO, Takeo Fukui, has laid down the gauntlet, establishing the GT-R as the car to beat. But not only does he want the new NSX to best the GT-R's lap time, he also wants it to be faster than the Lexus LF-A.

Reports are the NSX’s new engine is a 5.5-liter V10, packing as much as 550 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Apparently it is a slightly larger version of the V8 set to appear in the next-gen RL sedan. The NSX will also benefit from Honda’s SH-AWD system, or Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive.

All very exciting news for Honda (or is it Acura) fans who are eagerly waiting for this new version. Check out the video above of the NSX testing on the Green Hell. But be prepared. After you hear the sound of this car, you may find yourself checking your local raceway's schedule for the next open track day!

Just a quick post here. I've been checking out the new micro-blog Plurk and find it a more enjoyable experience than Twitter. Plurk, not unlike Twitter, is a place to contect with your group of Friends.

Two things set Plurk apart. First, initial posts are set up on a time-line rather than a vertical scrolling list. Like Twitter, each post can be responded to by Plurkers at large or your own group of Friends. But here's the second difference. Responses to your post remain with it, organized in a drop down list. So at a quick glance, just by clicking your post or anothers, you know who has commented and what they said. Nice and organized.

If your interested, join up and add me as a Friend. I'll return the favor. I'm also interested in starting a Plurk Clique for car crazy car people like me. Let me know if your interested.

I ran across this video over at Carversation. Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson pits the Audi R8 against the Porsche 911 GT3.

I love both of these cars. I've been a die-hard Porsche fan forever yet the R8 seems like a better daily driver. Judging from the video, the GT3 is not as quiet on the road, which may prove tiring on long commutes or trips. But on the track, I think I'll take the Porsche. Again, it appeared the GT3 was more of a handful when driven at 9/10s but isn't that part of the fun?

Anyone have an opinion? Which car do you prefer? Or is there another car you feel is even better than these two?

flickr photo credit: Larry Boswell, Chevy Volt Concept

I wrote not long ago about the Volt and the costs of innovation that General Motors decided to accept for its development.

In an article in the Seattle Times, GM's Bob Lutz revealed that the first generation Volt will sell for $40,000, about $10,000 more than originally projected. Lutz went on to say the auto maker will not profit from sales of the car.

Lutz has made it clear that cars like the Volt are the wave of the future. He expects a quarter of all cars sold between 2020 and 2025 to be either electric or hydrogen powered.

Like I explained in my previous post, I'm unsure about the government subsidizing the cost of the vehicle. The United States Congress is looking into tax breaks for those who purchase vehicles like the Volt. I would rather the government take the money and invest it in expanding an alternative fuel infrastructure, such as hydrogen fueling stations. Stations such as these will need to be available once those alternatives become more viable.

I was reading comments from readers over at the Autoblog and one stuck in my mind from Keat. He made the point that as production ramps up, like any new product, the price comes down. Basic economics. Plus, as GM switches gears and produces more fuel efficient vehicles, the Volt will be the auto makers "halo car". It will be the car that set's the stage for GM as the innovator they need to be as we head into a future of sparse yet expensive fuel supplies.

General Motors released the official specs today of the upcoming 2009 Corvette ZR1 and the performance numbers are staggering.

• 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds
• 0-100 mph in 7.0 seconds
• Quarter-mile elapsed time of 11.3 seconds at 131 mph

Yes, you read that right. In the time it takes some fairly fast cars to hit 60 mph, this Corvette is doing 100.

The ZR1 will top out at 205 mph, making it the fastest Corvette ever. With these kind of stats, it certainly has to be ranked among the super cars available around the world, in many cases outperforming the European exotics. The ZR1's advantage? Price. Yes, this new Vette starts at $103,300, including the $850 destination charge. But the performance to price ratio clearly gives it a leg up.

Taking on those worldly super cars is one hopped up American V8. The LS9 6.2L supercharged small-block makes 638 hp and is hand-assembled at GM's Performance Build Center, in Wixom, Mich.

"A favorable power-to-weight ratio gives the ZR1 an advantage over the competition and performance that has to be experienced to fully appreciate," said Tom Wallace, Corvette chief engineer. "Of course, on a racetrack, drivers of competitors' cars may appreciate the ZR1 in a whole different manner."

The standard ZR1 comes with the same basics as the Z06, including lighter weight seats and components. The available uplevel interior package includes power-adjustable, heated and leather-trimmed sport seats (embroidered with the ZR1 logo); side air bags; Bose premium audio system; navigation system; Bluetooth connectivity; power telescoping steering column; custom leather-wrapped interior available in four colors and more. Chrome wheels are the only other available option on the ZR1.

On top of the base price, be prepared to pay:
• $1,700 Gas guzzler tax
• $10,000 Option package
• $2,000 Chrome wheels

"The ZR1 is an incredible machine by any measure," said Ed Peper, North American Vice President, Chevrolet. "There's simply no other vehicle in the world that does a better job of balancing performance, price and fuel economy."

Taking command is everyone's dream. And commanding a road in a car can make you feel nearly invincible. Or can at least be pretty exciting.

Well, we're on the brink of Cadillac announcing production of their new CTS-V and it feels pretty damn good. First off, I think one can argue that this car should be named America's true sports sedan. I think this was Cadillac's goal from the start and there's not doubt they achieved it. A fast, affordable American-made four-door for the masses, courtesy of General Motors.

We've been keeping an eye out for more information about the new CTS-V, hoping for the smallest tidbit of information to wet our appetites. Just a few days ago, on the Cadillac Drivers' Log, they released the final performance numbers that we've been waiting to hear.

Here's the specs from the Log and a General Motors press release:
• CTS-V, with its supercharged 6.2-liter LSA engine, has achieved SAE-certified peak output of 556 horsepower (415 kW) at 6100 rpm and 551 lb.-ft. (747 Nm) of torque at 3800 rpm. CTS-V accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.
• CTS-V covers the quarter-mile in 12 seconds at 118 mph. These acceleration times are believed to be the fastest for any V-8-powered sedan currently in production.

So, is the term "sports sedan" fair? Anyone can produce a sports sedan today. Shouldn't this be an "exotic" or "super sedan"? OK, that might be a bit much. But you get the point. This is truly an exciting car, being produced by an American car maker. We like it!

Message to GM: Is it possible to put a CTS-V in the Ridestory Garage for a few days so we can wring it out in the real world? Please?

Take one talented Turkish car designer, mix in a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano or a Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 and what do you get?

The amazingly beautiful cars from Ugur Sahin and his studio in Gorinchem, The Netherlands.

Wired talks about Sahin who has taken these high-performance exotics and "modified" each into something arguably better.

What do you think? Should Chevy or Ferrari hire this guy? Of course, that's far fetched. A great car designer prefers a studio of their own. Pininfarina is one such a studio that comes to mind. I'm sure Sahin would love to gain the notoriety of a Pininfarina. It may not be much of a problem for him as long as he continues to create the road-going beauties you see here.

Follow the link above to check out the portfolio of all of his cars. There's a good chance you'll be left speechless.