It’s been a rough ride for Detroit in the last year — with a perfect storm of the credit crunch, gas prices hitting an all-time high this summer, and the economic downturn threatening the auto industry’s very survival. These same factors have also made consumers all the more cautious about buying a new car.

For that very reason, we here at Yahoo! Autos are excited to announce today’s launch of our freshly redesigned research pages for make, model and trim — giving you more information than ever to make a truly informed decision about picking up your next set of wheels.

For instance, head to our homepage and look up the 2009 Prius. You’ll find the page is now cleaner and easier to use, especially for reviewing the specific trims available. Selecting the Touring package allows you to then drill down to more detailed information including bigger photos, virtual tours, comprehensive user reviews and expert reviews from partners like The Car Connection, as well as pricing data, including our new streamlined price with options functionality. We’re also pleased to introduce hundreds of new vehicle videos through WheelsTV as part of this launch – like a virtual test drive to save you time before you hit the dealerships.

Less inclined to buy a shiny new car in this economy? No worries – we’ve also launched used vehicle research pages, where you can find photos, reviews, specs and pricing information for cars dating back to 1997.

We tie all of this vehicle information to more than 2 million new and used car listings sourced via Cars.com. After doing your research, you can find the availability of those vehicles in your own neighborhood.

So for those of you out there thinking it’s time to retire the old jalopy, wanting to find the best bang for the buck, or just curious about the new vehicles hitting the market, take our pages for a spin. We’d love to know what you think.

Lesley Kao
Director, Yahoo! Autos