2008 Bimmerfest Photo Gallery 
Top AutoSpies.com News
If I asked you what sedan files around the Nurburgring circuit in just a fraction over seven minutes and fifty-nine seconds, and can top out at over 190 miles per hour if given enough wide open space on the autobahn. You might guess a BMW M5, or perhaps a Mercedes Benz AMG variant of some sort. However if I mentioned it also goes 0 to 60 mph in a mere 3.9 seconds and blasts through the quarter mile in 12.0 seconds flat then you may be more than a bit perplexed. As awesome as those fore mentioned sedans might be, none of them are just quite that fast. So what could it be? Another German super sedan, or maybe an exotic Italian brand? If you guess any of those, you would be dead wrong. T
he correct answer is the American made Cadillac CTS-V. Yes the brand better known for chrome plated behemoths and automatic induction to the AARP, has a honest to goodness super sedan with the CTS-V.
Now 009 took a look around at the market and just had to ask, with the CTS-V being such a deal, why consider anything else? With facts as they sit, many of you had run out of reasons to side with the traditional high performance sedans.
Most of us can agree Lexus, BMW, and Mercedes Benz are the leaders in the U.S. market. But the fact remains there are several players that fly under the radar of most buyers. Infiniti in particular, is rising to the occasion and is out for blood in the all too lucrative luxury market. With their performance niche well established to the informed buyers, and
all Infiniti needs to do is target the buyers that fail to consider them as a contender. Can they do it, or are they destine to Audi like sales and never make it to the top? Take a look at Agent00J’s viewpoint though and let us now if you agree that they are a force to be reckoned with.
For the longest time trucks were the mainstay of the U.S. market. After all with rock solid resale and the ultimate in utility they were attractive to even the weekend warrior. But with the advent of high gas prices all of this has changed. Remember I the hey day when a F-150 could retain 60% of its value after 4 years? Well this is no longer the case as 001 has so keenly pointed out.
How about a depreciation rate of OVER 60% in the just first year of ownership! Incredible as that sounds, the high cost of gas has made it true.
When I look at sales each month it is pretty easy to pinpoint the losers and the winners, however a closer look will also pinpoint who is in the best position to weather the storm of poor sales. At first thought, Toyota comes to mind as one that shows its strength in miserly economy and having the models that everyone wants. But looking over the figures, it becomes painfully obvious that
Toyota doesn’t even hold a candle to the resilience of Honda. Not only is Honda kicking tail and taking names, of all of the makers out there, only they have the ability to maintain forward progress if gasoline prices continue to rise. So much for the though that hybrids would rule the world, it seems that small engine sensible cars are the way to go.
