In what we think is a good decision, General Motors said that its other plug-in hybrid offerings will not have Volt branding on them to identify with the compact plug-in hybrid that will launch later next year. By contrast, Toyota is planning to make a family of hybrid vehicles that will carry the Prius badging.
“Our thought is to take the Volt technology to other products,” Brent Dewar, chief of global operations for Chevrolet said. “The Volt was the original vehicle that we started, but I wouldn’t see that as a brand marketing direction for us.”
Dewar said that the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid would pave the way for more vehicles based on the same Voltec technology; however, the Volt name will not be found anywhere on GM’s future electric-vehicles.
Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.
2011 Chevrolet Volt:
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According to a report by Spiegel Online, the head of General Motors’ European business, Carl-Peter Forster, is leaving the company after GM’s board of directors decided to keep Opel last week. A former BMW executive, Forster had strained ties with GM after being in favor of the Magna deal.
Forster was expected to head Opel under Magna International. His departure from General Motors would mark the first high-profile manager to exit as a result of GM’s decision to keep Opel and restructure it. Spiegel Online said that GM plans to replace Forster with Nick Reilly, who is the head of international operations based out of Shanghai.
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Wish that the new 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG looked more like the old Gullwing? Well, ever since the launch of the SLS AMG at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the folks at Gullwing-America have been working on their own version of the new Stuttgart supercar – the Gullwing 300SL Panamericana.
After seeing the new 2011 SLS AMG coupe, Arturo Alonso, Gullwing-America’s chief engineer, went back to the drawing board and decided to add a new grille, ribs on the hood and fenders and other touches from the original Gullwing. The kit consists of seven body parts made from Hybrid Aluminum and carbon fiber.
Buyers can add two side vents, a set of chrome touches including a new grille frame, new oval dual xenon headlamps, 19 or 20-inch Gullwing America wheels and a sport tuned muffler system. Owners can also add racing stripes on the front fenders in any combination they desire.
Power still comes from the 6.2L V8 making 563-hp with a peak torque of 479 lb-ft of torque from the SLS AMG.
Click here for more news on the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
Make the jump for the high-res image gallery.
Gullwing 300SL Panamericana (Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG):
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While we still await the arrival of the road-going Mini Countryman Crossover, which has now been delayed to March 2010, Prodrive is reportedly prepping the vehicle for a possible WRC entry for Mini. According to a report by Autosport, a World Rally Car version of the Countryman is likely to be launched at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.
The publication says that Prodrive has been working on a new generation Mini WRC for much of 2009, developing the parts required without actually working on a base model.
“Right now there is nothing to say and I don’t think there will be anything to say until the spring, said Technical director David Lapworth. “This is not an official statement from me, it’s just the way things look. That said, it’s going to be very difficult to keep this thing under wraps.”
- By: Kap Shah
Source: Autosport (via MotoringFile)
The German Design Council said that it will present a 2010 Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Audi A5 Coupe. What does the Head of Design for the Volkswagen Group, Walter de Silva have to say about that?
“The Audi A5 Coupé is the most beautiful car I’ve ever designed and is well on its way to becoming a design icon. I’m therefore thrilled by this accolade, as it also validates my hard work. The A5 Coupé clearly has an automotive personality all its own. It is an absolute highlight of Audi’s progressive and stylish design language. The A5 is naturally a very powerful and supremely sporty automobile. Yet it isn’t the least bit aggressive or arrogant.”
This prestigious design award will be presented as part of the opening ceremony of the International Ambiente Fair in Frankfurt on February 12, 2010. Audi sold some 112,000 units of the A5 Coupe worldwide between its launch in June 2007 and late September 2009.
Personally, we’re bigger fans of the Audi S5.
- By: Kap Shah
Starting in 2012, we can expect to see an influx of Fiat-based Chrysler Group LLC vehicles, according to Automotive News. Joseph Veltri, VP of product planning for Chrysler unveiled the product plan on Wednesday. 56 percent of Chrysler’s vehicles will be derived from Fiat platforms by 2014, Veltri announced in the plan.
Chrysler projects a $5 billion operating profit by 2014, CFO Richard Palmer announced during an eight-hour program outlining Chrysler’s strategy for the next five years.
Palmer predicts that U.S. sales will more than double during that time from 950,000 units sold this year to 2 million units sold. The plan also calls for each Chrysler brand to receive new nameplates that build off of Fiat platforms.
Chrysler’s 5-Year Product Plan:
- By: Stephen Calogera
It was not even a year ago when Ford relinquished half of its stake in Mazda Motor Corp., and Seita Kanai, Mazda’s head of r&d, says that there will be fewer joint projects between the two companies such as the shared platforms and drivetrains that were developed over the course of the 30-year relationship.
“The Ford-Mazda partnership is cited often as an example of a successful international alliance of automakers. Ford first took an equity stake in Mazda in 1979 and brought Mazda under its control in 1996 as the Hiroshima carmaker struggled to survive. But by late last year the tables were turned, and a cash-strapped Ford sold a large part of its stake to raise capital,” Automotive News says of the two companies’ relationship.
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Earlier this morning we saw the lightest model available in Porsche’s lineup – the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder. We now have a video of it in action – check it out after the jump.
Click here to view our original post on the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder.
Refresher: Weighing in at 2,811 pounds, the 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder is powered by a 3.4L 6-cylinder engine with direct fuel-injection making 320-hp. Mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission and the Sports Chrono package, the Boxster Spyder goes from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with a top speed of 166 mph with the roof open.
Make the jump for the video.
2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder:
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Two days ago we saw Chrysler’s brand new logo leaked via the U.S. Patent Office website. We now have the official high-res logo from Chrysler. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section after the jump.
Chrysler Logo:
- By: Kap Shah
General Motors is thus far out performing the estimates of their own viability plan that was conceived before their June bankruptcy, according to Automotive News. “I’m not going to get into whether we’re generating cash or not generating cash, but I would certainly say the situation is more stable than what the outlook was even just two months ago,” Henderson told the press.
The plan as it was originally outlined, called for the stabilization and rebounding of GM on the backs of four core brands; Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC, and called for a 19.5 percent share of the market in 2009. The plan also called for drastic cost cutting as their North American structural costs would decline from $30.8 billion in ‘08 to $23.2 billion ‘10.
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