Ford Mondeo Individual Programme to be Launched in Paris

The new Mondeo is the latest model in Ford’s European range to be offered with the company's vehicle personalization programme, ‘Ford Individual’. First shown as a design study at the 2007 Frankfurt Show and now revealed in production form at the Paris Show, the Mondeo Individual package focuses on enhancing the car’s interior styling but from spring 2009, it will be extended to include bespoke 18-inch, alloy wheels, with an iridescent ‘Mystique Silver’ paint finish designed to catch the sunlight. -Continued

Developed to complement exterior styling options for the Mondeo, the Individual programme consists of four bespoke themes tailor made for the Ghia and Titanium models. All four colour themes feature heated eight-way power front seats with an adjustable lumbar support, wrapped in high quality nappa and grained leather with ‘hand-stitching’ and embossed with the ‘Individual’ signature. The full leather trim also extends to armrests, door panel inserts, gear shift gaiter and handbrake gaiter.

Additional touches include sports-style pedals and footrest with non-slip aluminium covers, ‘Individual’-branded stainless steel front door scuff plates and special floor mats. The available colour combos are: Beige/Dark Beige for the Ghia, Light Beige/Ebony for the Ghia and Titanium and, Tan/Ebony and Ebony for the Titanium.

Nissan USA Hikes GT-R Prices by 10% or about $7,000

Blaming higher costs for raw materials, Nissan USA has announced a hefty price increase for the 2009 GT-R sportscar. In particular, the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) for the base GT-R has been raised by $6,990, from $69,850 to $76,840. For the GT-R Premium model the MSRP has been increased by $7,190, from $71,900 to $79,090. Nissan said that the adjusted prices do not apply to customer orders already in dealer hands prior to September 5. -Continued

According to the Japanese automaker, to date, about 70 percent of the first year allocation of GT-Rs for the U.S. market have been sold as part of a pre-sale program that has been underway since February 2008. The first customer deliveries of the limited production Nissan GT-R supercar began in the States on July 7, 2008.

Kia Borrego SUV Achieves 5-Stars in NHSTA’s Crash Tests

Just over a week after it was announced that the Hyundai Genesis sedan scored a perfect 5-star rating in crash tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), another product of the Hyundai-Kia group, the Kia Borrego, managed to do the same. The seven-passenger midsize SUV achieved the highest rating possible, for all seating positions in both frontal and side impact crash tests. -Continued

“Borrego is Kia’s newest vehicle and it is a prime example of our commitment and dedication to providing the best and most up-to-date standard safety features in vehicles for consumers,” said Byung Mo Ahn, group president and CEO of Kia Motors America and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia “Borrego joins four other Kia models – Optima, Sportage, Sorento and Sedona – in garnering a five-star crash safety rating, and further positions Kia as a serious up-and-coming contender in today’s competitive and economically challenging automotive market.”

2009 Lexus IS and IS-F Facelift: 36 Official Photos, Details and U.S. Pricing

These are the first photos of the U.S. spec 2009 Lexus IS that is already available for order in the North American market. In Europe, the revised IS will be unveiled along with the IS Coupe Cabriolet Concept (see details here) at the Paris International Auto Show in early October.

Although at a first glance the IS doesn’t look any different from the ’08MY IS, look a little closer and you may notice the new wing mirrors with the integrated turn lights, the slightly altered front grille, the newly designed 17 and 18 inch alloys, the redesigned front bumper with the more rectangular-shaped lower air intake and the revised taillamps with the L-shaped back-up lights. According to Lexus, the 2009 IS 250 / 350 also feature a newly designed center cluster and foldable rear headrests. -Continued

In terms of mechanical changes, Lexus says that both the IS 250 and IS 350 receive a revised suspension and steering tuning to further enhance the sedans’ handling. Additinaly, the IS 250 will be offered with standard with Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) with a cutoff switch, a feature that had been available previously only on the IS 350.

The 2009 IS 250 manual and automatic, IS 250 all-wheel drive, and IS 350 receive a 0.8-1.0 percent increase or $300 with base prices in the U.S. set at $31,155 for the IS 250 with a manual transmission, $32,325 for the IS 250 with an automatic transmission, $34,785 for the IS 250 all-wheel drive and $36,605 for the IS 350.

As for the top-end IS-F that was launched just earlier this year, changes are limited to a revised instrument panel cluster design, illuminated mirror controls, a new open/close moonroof switch, and a piano-black center-cluster finish for navigation-equipped vehicles. Lexus also offers a new terra cotta and black two-tone for the 2009 model. The IS F will have a base MSRP of $56,610 which accounts to an increase of 1.1 percent or $610 compare to the ’08MY IS-F.

2009 Ford Ka: Updated Image Gallery with new High-Res Photos

We’re updating our 2009 Ka story as we got our hands on a brand new set of photos that include shots of Ford’s mini car in a bright red colour (those hub caps look so out of place...) as well as new pictures of the interior. Follow the jump to check out the gallery or click here to read our previous post on the Ka that includes details on the available trims and powertrain options. -Continued

Photos edited by Auto Cars 2011