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Just a few years ago, 405 HP was seen as an enormous amount of power for a passenger car. That was the heady tally for Chevy's Corvette Z06. A scant eight years later, Dodge and Chevy are dancing around the 600 HP mark with their '08 Dodge Viper and '09 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 respectively. If 600 HP isn’t enough for you, there’s always the ultra-exotic Bugatti Veyron which produces an astonishing 1001 HP.
Despite the fact that vehicles like the Veyron, Viper and Corvette ZR-1 make up an insignificant portion of the millions of the vehicles sold each year, a top-ranking official for the Environment protection Agency(EPA) wants manufacturers to put an end to the horsepower wars. Instead of funneling money towards the development of vehicles that have the most chest-thumping horsepower and torque, the official suggests that manufacturers look at the opposite end of the spectrum and produce the most ultra-efficient, lowest-polluting vehicles on the planet.

Powerful performance in V8 versions, eye-catching retro styling inside and out, friendly ergonomics.More features are added to the 2008 Ford Mustang. This includes standard front seat side airbags, available xenon headlights and, for the V6 models, 18-inch alloy wheels. Those who have a thing for pink should be thrilled with the new Warriors in Pink package that provides their ride with that color's accents inside and out. Sales of this package also help support the Susan G. Komen cancer charity.

The 2008 Ford Mustang is available as a coupe or convertible in four trim levels: V6 Deluxe, V6 Premium, GT Deluxe and GT Premium. The V6 Deluxe includes keyless entry, 16-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, full power accessories, cruise control, a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. The V6 Premium adds a "Shaker 500" premium audio system with CD changer, upgraded wheels and a power driver seat. An optional Pony Package for V6 Mustangs includes firmer suspension tuning, 17-inch wheels, foglamps and a unique grille. The convertible versions feature a power vinyl top with cloth material as an option.
Behind the grille of V6 Mustangs is a 4.0-liter V6 making 210 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. The rip-snorting GT sports a 4.6-liter V8 with 300 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque. That power gets to the ground through either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission; all Mustangs are rear-wheel drive. The GT with a manual transmission can run to 60 mph in about 5.7 seconds and clear the quarter-mile in 14.3 seconds.
Four-wheel disc brakes and front seat side airbags are standard on all Mustangs. Antilock brakes and traction control are optional on the V6 models and standard on the GT. Neither stability control nor full-length head curtain airbags are available.
With its dual-hooded dash, three-spoke steering wheel and old-school gauges, the cabin of the 2008 Mustang gives more than a nod to the past. Yet this is not an outdated, ergonomic mess -- controls are simple and the seats are comfortable, though they could use more lateral support for enthusiast drivers.

Though fit and finish are generally good, the interior has an abundance of hard, monotone plastics that would be disappointing at any price point. Springing for the Interior Upgrade Package helps somewhat, providing satin aluminum accents and color-changeable backlighting for the instruments -- at the press of a button, one can choose either white, blue, green or orange hues. Both the Mustang coupe and convertible offer seating for four, and average-size adults can sit in back with little problem.

Acceleration is respectable with the V6, regardless of whether you choose the fun-to-shift manual or the responsive automatic. The Mustang GT provides the quintessential muscle car experience, of course, with loads of torque available right off the line and an exhaust note to match. Powerful brakes rein in the Mustang in short order, as a stop from 60 mph takes less than 125 feet. Despite its switch to an all-new platform a few years ago, the 2008 Ford Mustang continues to use a rather basic solid-axle rear suspension design. This allows Ford to keep the pricing low, and careful tuning results in reasonably precise handling through the corners and a surprisingly compliant ride.

The 2008 Toyota Yaris broadens it lineup and appeal with a new sport liftback, but still faces tough competition from other worthy rivals in the crowded subcompact segment.

Very fuel-efficient, comfortable ride, handsome interior, liftback's available multifunction rear seat.

Acceleration-sapping automatic transmission, awkward seating position, centrally placed gauges.

Introduced last year, the affordable 2008 Toyota Yaris adds a sporty three-door "S" hatchback to its lineup, which shares features like 15-inch wheels, front and rear spoilers, CD/MP3 player and other upgrades with its S sedan counterpart.

The 2008 Toyota Yaris subcompact is offered as a three-door hatchback coupe (dubbed liftback) or four-door sedan in two trim levels. Standard models are pretty basic, with 14-inch steel wheels, intermittent windshield wipers, air-conditioning, four-way adjustable front seats and a tilt steering wheel. S-trim equipment levels vary between coupes and sedans, but share 15-inch steel wheels, a ground-effects body kit and a CD/MP3 stereo with an auxiliary audio jack. Many model-specific package upgrades are available and include items like 15-inch alloy wheels, powered accessories, cruise control (sedan only), 60/40-split-folding rear seat (sedan), a sliding and reclining rear seat (liftback), a rear window defroster and upgraded interior trim. Remote keyless entry, foglamps and a rear spoiler are also offered as stand-alone factory options on all models. A full range of Toyota accessories are available to further personalize the Yaris.
All Toyota Yaris models are equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels through a standard five-speed manual or an optional four-speed automatic transmission. The Yaris accelerates adequately with the manual gearbox, but off-the-line performance feels sluggish with the automatic. EPA-estimated fuel economy with the manual transmission checks in at 29 mpg city and 36 mpg highway (35 mpg highway with the automatic). These figures are among the best found in the economy car segment.
With 3 more inches of wheelbase and nearly 20 additional inches of overall length compared to the hatchback, the Yaris sedan is a space-efficient and reasonably roomy choice among subcompacts. As you might expect, the sedan is the more conservatively styled of the two, both inside and out. The hatchback offers optional sliding and reclining rear seats that add versatility and help compensate for its more restrictive backseat space.

Though both models feature centrally located instrumentation, the hatchback's dashboard is quite a bit different from the one found in the sedan and contains three gloveboxes -- including one uniquely positioned behind the steering wheel -- plus an unusually narrow center stack that coordinates well with its more playful exterior design.

The interior is not without its foibles. Those center-mounted instruments pull your eyes away from the road, while tall drivers will find the driving position akin to sitting atop a stool. Also, the tilt steering wheel cheaply drops like a 4-ton anchor when its lever is released.

General Motors like so many other automakers have a number of concept vehicles that all have one thing in common, and that’s that they are fuel-efficient hybrids. According to CNN, GM’s latest offering is the Saturn Flextreme, and should be a huge hit with the Americans is the car goes into production, as the U.S. consumer are starting to think about the environment.

General Motors are aiming for an estimated driving range of 444 miles from the Saturn Flextreme, and hope that this hybrid could go into production by 2010-2011. The Saturn Flextreme will use batteries to charge an electric motor and also a 1.3 liter, three cylinder low-sulfur turbo charged diesel engine.

If you was to use just the electric motor, then the vehicle will have a range of just 34 miles, then the diesel engine will kick in to power the car while charging the batteries up. GM says that many people who travel a short distance to work will not need to use the diesel engine, and they can charge the batteries when they get home.

Chrysler has been treating people to three new concept vehicles, one of which is for drivers who think about the environment. The three vehicles are the Dodge Zeo, Jeep Renegade and finally the ecoVoyager which according to MLive uses an advanced electric system to power the car; all three vehicles were designed in-house by Chryslers ENVI organization.

The Dodge Zeo is the car that has got everybody talking, as not only does it have that electric-only drive system, but it is also the only sports car to use such technology. The Zeo has a range of 250 miles on a full charge.

The Chrysler Renegade only has a range of 40 miles, but with the help of its BLUTEC clean diesel engine this can be extended to 400 miles.

The Chrysler ecoVoyager also has a range of 40 miles on its electric engine, but working in conjunction with its hydrogen fuel cells this can be extended to 300 miles, with the added benefit of zero emissions.

The Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 has been open now for the past week and you have to hand it to the Japanese they really know how to put a show on. We have not covered the show as much as Detroit 08 and I would like to apologize for that as we have missed out on some great cars. To give you an idea on the kind of cars on show here Auto Blog Chinese has some Live Shots direct from Tokyo Auto Salon 2008 showing off the awesome Nissan R35 GT-R.

Although there was a host of other cars from people like Amuse, Blitz Power Enterprises, it was only that Nissan R35 GT-R that mattered, and here are some wonderful shots from the show to show you what we mean.

I’m not one to scare people with the likelihood of oil reaching $200 a barrel, but one thing stands in the way of this, and that is the world’s cheapest car, the Tata Nano. This car is the newest vehicle from Indian car maker Tato Motors, and has been produced to make motoring affordable in India.

Sean Brodrick from Money and Markets raises a very interesting point, and that is that in the U.S there are a 1,000 cars for every 1,000 adults, in Germany that figure is 550 cars for every 1,000 adults, while in India it is just four cars for every adult.

The reason for this low ownership of cars in India is because wages are low and car prices are high, but now that is about to change with the production of the $2,500 Tata Nano. It looks as though ownership of vehicles are about to go up massively, and just think India has a population of 1.1 billion.

So now with cheap motoring the Indian Government are pushing for car ownership, this will put a huge demand on India’s oil dependency, and this in turn will lead to price increasing for oil. India is the second largest when it comes to the growing automarket with China being the fastest.

Do you think that the arrival of the Tata Nano will send oil prices though the roof?