Auto & Car Blog

Filed under: Manufacturing/Plants, Chevrolet, GM

General Motors made its case to a Detroit City Council committee on Wednesday in a bid to get some property tax brakes for its Hamtramck assembly plant. The Poletown plant is where General Motor is planning to build the Chevrolet Volt beginning in late 2010 and GM told the council that the new production vehicles there would add 550 jobs to the facility. In return for creating those jobs in the city, GM is seeking $136 million in property tax relief on the improvements over the next 25 years. The plant already employs 1,944 people who build the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS. GM is planning on spending $336 million on the plant over the next two years in order to swtich over to the new, smaller ER-EV Volt. The full council is expected to vote to approve the abatements by sometime next week.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

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Filed under: Government/Legal

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill this afternoon approving a $25 billion low-interest loan for domestic automakers. The bill passed with an overwhelming majority - 370 to 58 - and is on its way to the Senate for a vote on Friday before the White House gets the opportunity to lay pen to paper on March 6, 2009. The rates and rules of the loan are required to be spelled-out by the U.S. Department of Energy within 60 days of the bill becoming law, but automakers could be allowed to repay the loans over as long as 25 years, along with the Energy Department deferring payment for up to five years.

Detroit’s Big Three (or 2.8, or whatever) are counting on the loans to retool factories for more fuel-efficient vehicles, protect jobs and help fund the escalated development costs of fuel-efficient drivetrains. Having seen more government bail-outs than we’d like to over the past couple weeks, we’re not ready to call this one a full-blown bail-out like those given to Fanny Mae/Freddie Mac, and AIG. These are low-interest loans that will likely come with specific stipulations on how the money can be spent. It’s up to General Motors, FoMoCo and Chrysler LLC to spend them wisely.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Supercars

The desire to take on Ferrari has birthed at least one iconic car (GT40) and launched an entire brand (Lamborghini), and for David Frem, a 25-year-old Lebanese design student, the ambition to chase after Italy’s prancing horse has created this: the Frem F1.

After three years of design and fabrication, Frem has created the F1 prototype as a steppingstone to the production version, aptly titled the F2, which is slated to appear at the Detroit Auto Show this January.

The F1 is currently powered by a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-liter four-pot and mated to an Audi gearbox (DSG?), good for a claimed top speed of 124 mph — assuming it doesn’t undress itself in the process. But if the world’s first Lebanese supercar has any chance of catching up to Italy’s finest, it had better be packing twice as many cylinders and a bit more refinement.

Needless to say, the styling and build quality leaves a lot to be desired. The front end might bare a striking resemblance to Frem’s targeted marque, but the massive upright schnoz and gaping air intakes won’t lend themselves well to European pedestrian impact standards. And if you think the exterior is bad, the foam and wood interior, complete with offset steering wheel held in place by a bent metal bracket, is even worse.

If Frem hopes to have a show-worthy car ready by January, he’s going to need a lot more than just a massive wing and a prayer.

[Source: NextAutos]

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show

The 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is looming ever closer, which means the process to choose the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year has begun. The organization behind the very prestigious awards has trotted out the list of semi-finalists for both awards, which includes 26 vehicles total with 14 contenders for COTY and 12 for TOTY.

The defining line between each category has been muddled this year by a bunch of crossovers that could be considered either car or truck, though most were placed in the Truck category except for the new Toyota Venza. There are also two diesel-powered models being considered: the VW Jetta TDI and Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec.

The jury that decides the winners is comprised entirely of automotive journalists, two of which are part of the Autoblog family: John McElroy who writes a weekly editorial called Autoline on Autoblog and Gary Witzenburg who writes a weekly editorial called At Witz’ End on AutoblogGreen.

While the 2009 TOTY award is likely to go to either the new Dodge Ram or Ford F-150, this year’s coveted COTY award will be the most hotly contested one in recent memory. Seriously, which one would you choose? The giant-slaying GT-R? The class-busting Genesis? The Hail Mary pass XF? The techno starship MKS? The Grade-A retro Challenger? You get the idea. Vote for which vehicle you’d like to win in each category below in our straw polls.

View Poll

View Poll

[Source: Inside Line]

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Audi

Good news and bad news go hand-in-hand, but in this case, it’s not entirely unexpected.

According to Audi RS6 project manager Jens Koch, the twin-turbocharged V10 sedan won’t be coming to the U.S. in its current iteration. Originally, Audi thought that the four-door body style would be more appealing to Stateside consumers rather than the Avant, but apparently there’s too much energy and expense involved in making the V10 powerplant pass the more stringent sniffer standards here in the U.S.

On the upside, the third-generation RS6 is being developed for the global market, so the next iteration should arrive on our shores in 2012. Koch hinted that the RS6’s weight problem and 5.0-liter V10 wouldn’t carryover to the 2012 model, and that the next RS6 will be more “revolutionary” and “far more RennSport than anything previously developed.”

Meanwhile, Audi will take the wraps off the RS5 this January in Detroit, with the next RS4 debuting shortly thereafter.

Audi plans to further its goal of taking on BMW’s M division and Mercedes’ AMG lineup with more Quattro-branded vehicles positioned above run-of-the-mill Audis, along with more clearly defined R-, S- and RS-derivatives. “S” badged variants will also be sportier than current S models, while the “R” lineup will be “significantly souped-up” and “RS” will be reserved for lightweight, track-friendly models.

[Source: InsideLine]

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Filed under: Etc.

How much is filling up going to cost you this Summer?

Gas prices are once again steadily climbing with Spring approaching, the possibility now looming for prices to equal last year’s highs of $3 a gallon. Prices in Detroit are up 38 cents in just the last month and are now as high as they were in early December. While prices may fail to reach the $3 level, the fact that Summer prices have for two years running now indicates that the market can sustain such prices during the warmer months.

Analysis: It almost feels like people have come to terms with high gas prices in the same way that most people now believe that climate change is well under way. Why would the oil companies do anything but push the prices to $3 a gallon over Summer if they know everyone will keep filling up?

Related:

• USDA: Biofuel use in U.S. will see spike in next few years, then drop
• London’s congestion charge expansion will cleanly fuel Honda’s sales
• In Europe, fuel efficiency is the primary concern

[Source: Detroit News via Wired]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Motorsports, Pontiac

Click the image above for a full-sized gallery.

Pontiac’s 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series championship-winning GTO.R has been retired. In its place, the G6 GXP.R is set to compete in the 2007 series, where it will rub fenders with the best and brightest from BMW and Porsche.

The tube chassis racer is built to Grand America GT class specs and equipped with an LS2 pushrod V8, making upwards of 450 HP and sending power to the rear wheels. Although the exterior is a dead ringer for the production G6, most of the body panels have been replaced with carbon-fiber pieces.

Expect the GXP.R to make its debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona later this year.

The full press release is posted after the jump.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Pontiac G6 GXP.R

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Convertibles, Sedans/Saloons, Mercedes Benz

Click the image above for a full-sized gallery.

Mercedes-Benz put on an Icecapades-style show here at Detroit, simultaneously celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the all-wheel-drive Mercedes and of the Detroit auto show, where M-B had shown their first four-driver a century ago. Accompanied by a dogsled team, hockey players and figure skaters, the press conference-on-ice showcased Mercedes’ full range of 48 all-wheel-drive 4MATIC models globally, while simultaneously focusing on the introduction of the BLUETEC clean diesel technology. Lastly, fitting in to neither part of the split 4MATIC/BLUETEC double theme, the red carpet was rolled out for the Ocean Drive concept.

Make the jump for the rest of the story and the press release.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Mercedes shows Ocean Drive concept…on ice

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Volvo

Click the image above for a full sized galllery.

Volvo introduced the XC60 concept last night here at the Detroit Auto Show as a way to appeal to the thirtysomething loft-dwelling crowd (drawing on the momentum of the C30, no doubt), and the Swedes also want to make a design statement in the process. “If today you can see that it’s a Volvo from 50 meters, I want to make that figure twice as big” says Volvo chief designer Steve Mattin, the XC60 accomplishes this via a strongly-stated grille and slanted headlamps that will make their way onto other future Volvos. Other notable exterior features include a rear tailgate that can be lifted independently of the rear hatch (allowing the loading of small cargo with minimum hassle) and a transparent roof panel.

More impressions and a press release can be found after the jump.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Continue reading Detroit Auto Show: Volvo debuts the oh-so-Swedish XC60

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Chevrolet

We were excited to announce when Bob Lutz confirmed that GM was working on a higher-performance version of the Corvette. The announcement finally vindicated all those spy shots of a suped-up Corvette test mule, dubbed the “Blue Devil”, that was caught undergoing developmental testing for so long. And it gave fans of American muscle something to look forward to in the wake of the new 600-horsepower Dodge Viper.

Now reports are surfacing that the highly-anticipated 600-hp Super-Vette, which is what we called it in the absence of anything more official, will wear the Corvette SS badge. You may recall that after the storied SuperSport badge got diluted with less than SuperSporty products, Chevrolet promised it would only use the name for cars that truly deserved it. We think it’s safe to say that the upcoming Corvette SS will be a fitting resurrection of the badge, don’t you?

The Corvette SS, which will be known internally as GMX245-SSC (GMX245 is the product code for the C6-generation Corvette), is tipped to make its debut at next year’s Detroit show. Some of us here at Autoblog will be cryogenically freezing ourselves until then, we’re that stoked.

[Source: Winding Road]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Commercial Trucks, Chevrolet

Click the image above for full-size, high-res pics.

In an effort to drum up enthusiasm for Chevy’s new HRR panel wagon, The General decided to enlist the help of some art students and the results hit on both the sick and sweet sides of the spectrum.

The “Skull from Hell” version (seriously, check the red headlamps) of the HHR was developed by Jim McCammon, hailing from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, and was picked by a number of suits, including Bob Lutz, as the winner of the design contest. The idea, we’re assuming, is to appeal to that much coveted 18-25 year-old Death Metal demographic that’s moving out of their parent’s basement and heading out on tour.

The other skinned wagon took a slightly more practical approach as a flower shop delivery van. Regardless, both vehicles can come equipped in either LS or LT trims, with a 149 HP 2.2-liter or a 175 HP 2.4-liter four. No matter the mill, GM boasts that you’ll still get 30 MPG on the highway — sans amps and flowerpots, mind you.

We’ve put together a gallery of both vehicles below, and if you really want us to, we’ll grab a few live shots on Thursday.

Continue reading New York Auto Show: Art school students wrap-up the Chevy HHR

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Commercial Trucks, Chevrolet

Click the image above for full-size, high-res pics.

In an effort to drum up enthusiasm for Chevy’s new HRR panel wagon, The General decided to enlist the help of some art students and the results hit on both the sick and sweet sides of the spectrum.

The “Skull from Hell” version (seriously, check the red headlamps) of the HHR was developed by Jim McCammon, hailing from Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, and was picked by a number of suits, including Bob Lutz, as the winner of the design contest. The idea, we’re assuming, is to appeal to that much coveted 18-25 year-old Death Metal demographic that’s moving out of their parent’s basement and heading out on tour.

The other skinned wagon took a slightly more practical approach as a flower shop delivery van. Regardless, both vehicles can come equipped in either LS or LT trims, with a 149 HP 2.2-liter or a 175 HP 2.4-liter four. No matter the mill, GM boasts that you’ll still get 30 MPG on the highway — sans amps and flowerpots, mind you.

We’ve put together a gallery of both vehicles below, and if you really want us to, we’ll grab a few live shots on Thursday.
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Continue reading New York Auto Show: Art school students wrap-up the Chevy HHR

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Trucks/Pickups, Dodge

click above for 83 high-res images of the 2009 Dodge Ram

Since both The New York Times and AllPar.com have already broken the embargo, we don’t mind telling you all you need to know about the 2009 Dodge Ram. The look is as aggressive as a Ram should be, but slippier through the air than past models. Instead of upping the ante with an even larger grille, Dodge designers instead tipped the angle of the grille forward to impart the face of their truck with a solid presence. Another interesting styling touch is molding the rear bumper around the two chrome tipped tailpipes instead of having the pipes just poke out beneath.

Mechanically speaking, the ‘09 Ram comes ready to play with a new 5.7L HEMI V8 with 380 HP and 404 ft.-lb. of torque (the Toyota Tundra’s 5.7L V8 produces 381 HP and 401 ft.-lb. of torque for comparison’s sake). There’s also a 4.7L V8 available with 310 HP and 330 ft.-lb. of torque and a 3.7L V6 making 215 HP and 235 ft.-lb. of torque. Transmissions include a six-speed manual and four- and five-speed automatics, and gear ratios run from 3.21 to 3.55 to 3.92 to 4.10. When optimally configured, the new Ram can sprint to 60 MPH in a mere 7 seconds. Snappy for a full-size truck, wouldn’t you say?

More after the jump, including the 2009 Dodge Ram’s official rap sheet and 83 high-res images in our gallery below.

Continue reading Detroit 2008: 2009 Dodge Ram breaks through the gate

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, New York Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Green

The New York Auto Show in March will provide the official venue to launch the Automotive X-Prize contest, but all 43 entrants will be making an advanced appearance next month in Detroit at the North American International Auto show. The teams vying for the Auto X-Prize have to bring a combination of functionality and fuel-efficiency in order to win the substantial chunk of change offered by the organizers.

The picture above is the Aptera, which through the use of either a plug-in gas-electric hybrid or a straight electric setup can get 300 mpg and has the potential of being retailed for less than $30,000. Some of the entrants could easily be chocked up to vaporware, but we’re sure our colleagues at our greener sibling site will give us the skinny next month in D-town.

[Source: Click On Detroit via Jalopnik]

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