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The GTI-R wasn’t yet confirmed for U.S. consumption when it was revealed last month at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Thankfully, Volkswagen has just given the green light to the top of the line sport-tuned Golf which will take the place of the discontinued R32. 265 horsepower sounds pretty good!
General Motors announced today it has reached an official agreement with Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery to sell its Hummer brand, pending government and regulatory approval.
Part of GM’s deal to emerge from bankruptcy was to rid itself of unprofitable brands such as Saab, Hummer, Pontiac, and Saturn. Saab and Hummer found a home, Pontiac was shuttered, and it seemed Saturn would continue on under Penske Automotive Group. But today both GM and Penske Group announced that the deal would not go through, and that Saturn would cease production.
To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crashed a 1959 Chevy Bel Air with a 2009 Chevy Malibu in order to demonstrate how far the automotive industry has come with safety. The Bel Air crushed like a tin can, see how the Malibu help up in the video.
You definitely don’t have any horses pulling your automobile, so why in the world do we compare our engines using the horsepower measurement? The term was created many years ago by James Watt to help market and sell his steam engine. Let’s take a look at how and why he used the term.
As the U.S. dollar continues to fall against other currencies, many overseas manufacturers have moved more production to the U.S. to protect their profits and slow the price increases to U.S. consumers. The American South boasts affordable labor with little union interference, making it interesting to European automakers battling high labor costs back home. Mercedes may soon be continuing the trend by moving more production stateside.
The current M5 was the first to receive a V10 powerplant, and we were just informed it will now also be the last. BMW reps have confirmed to Inside Line that the next M5 will feature a turbocharged V8 instead of the current V10. But this is BMW, so while they may be making efforts to reduce emissions and CO2, don’t expect the horsepower to be reduced.
Fiat, the new parent to Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler, wants to shuffle the brands and bring Chrysler up-market. Fiat also plans to set paths for the Dodge and Jeep brands, including possibly adding a new “Ram” brand for trucks.
Read More | Chrysler News | Dodge News
Ed Welburn, Vice President of Global Design at GM, recently hinted that the next generation Corvette will bring back the split window design seen on the 1963 Corvette Stingray. Recently speaking to Inside Line, Welburn mentions, “The split window is something that I expect for the next Corvette. With the back-up cameras and blind-spot detection systems that we have these days, the visibility issue is much less of a problem.”
Ford recently announced that it will stop producing the Crown Victoria, a cop favorite, in two years. Not wasting any time, GM has announced that it wants to cash in on the void by offering its rear-wheel drive V8-powered Pontiac G8. But you thought the G8 and Pontiac were dead? Correct, so this will actually be the G8’s Aussie twin, the Holden Commodore. Whatever badge is on the car, we're sure the men and women in blue will be pleased, because unlike some of its other offerings, it’s truly a shame GM had to stop selling this car stateside.
Here in America, we’re used to fleet rental choices such as the Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Malibu, and if we’re lucky enough, the occasional Hertz Mustang GT. Things are a little different in Germany. While everyday Volkswagens are common fleet cars, so are Mercedes-Benz and BMWs, which is why having the option to rent a Porsche Panamera starting October 1st really isn’t that shocking.
Porsche unveiled its 2010 911 GT3 RS today at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Like the engine featured in the GT3, the RS bumps displacement from 3.6 to 3.8 liters. It now delivers 450 horsepower from the naturally aspirated powerplant, reaching a stratospheric 8500 rpm redline. The 15 additional horsepower over the base GT3 brings total output to 118 hp per liter from the six cylinder boxer engine. Even with all this raucous performance, Porsche claims the RS is fully suitable for everyday use, not simply for the track.
