50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept With Interior Pictures: The Future Of Corvette

There has been plenty of exposure of the Corvette Stingray Concept  in Transformers pre and post movie outings, now GM has crowned the Stingray the 50th Anniversary Concept, but the difference is that many haven't noticed.  Look closer at the story, and this is possible the future of the Vette line.

 Tom Stephen, General Motors's Vice Chairman of Global Production Development stated that along with reducing the weight of the next C7, low resistance tires, direct injection and variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation along with a hybrid powertrain will be offered.  Check out the concept interior in the imagines provided.

 If the new GM continues its blinding quality comeback and product from concept transformation (no pun intended) then the weakest part of the Covette, namely the interior will be relegated to a thing of the past.

Toyota's FT-86 Brother Seperated At Birth: Subaru Rear Drive Sports Coupe

A quote from Toyota Motor Company and Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent company are developing a compact rear-wheel-drive sports car. "The compact rear-wheel sports car to be jointly developed by TMC and FHI is envisioned to offer a new "fun to drive" experience based on an all-new vehicle platform powered by an FHI core-technology horizontally-opposed engine. Market introduction is targeted for the end of 2011. Production is to take place at a new plant to be built at FHI's Gunma Manufacturing Division in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. TMC will consign production to FHI."  

One Of The Best Auto Sites On The Web #1

I will began a segment reviewing automotive websites and the best that is offered out there.  Now this in no way an endorsement of the product or services available, just to inform what is out there in webdom and how user friendly the sites are.

The first site is the Ford Taurus.  After hearing the buzz around the Taurus comparing it to Audi's A6 V8 model, I decided to check out the site of origin and found it to be fun to navigate and informative.  It does peak you interest, so of course claims need to be substantiated for accuracy  but none the less, check it out and enjoy.

 2010 Ford Taurus 

Porsche Designs A New 928

Porsche will revisit its iconic 928 with a new model and slot it above the 911.   Basically a 2-door version of the Panamera, this will be a proper GT competing with the  likes of Bentley Continental GT, Aston Martin DB9.

  Design to be a grand tourer, the benefit of having the motor up front is storage space.  More than likely, the 4.8L V8 in the Panamera will be the standard engine, with variants and other turbo and 4WD options to follow.

Ford To Show 1934 Hot Rod Pushing 400HP With EcoBoost V6 At SEMA

Ford joined Detroit Street Rods and Experi-metal to produce a 1934 Coupe sporting a dropped 3.5L Twin-Turbo EcoBoost V6 with an output of, get this, 400hp and 400 lb.-ft. of torque in its engine bay.  When Ford developed the EcoBoost engine, it was said the V6 would be able to expand in output, to what capacity isn't publicly known. This is the first time that Ford has used the EcoBoost in a rear drive application, even though its a one-off concept.  Future applications will possibly include the Mustang and F-150.

Finally, The "A-Team" Surfaces Again

You know you are bad to the bone when teenagers are blown away that a new A-Team movie is in the works.  My 18 year old  couldn't share with me fast enough the news he had seen an exclusive interview with the cast of the new movie.  My son, being that he is too young to have remembered the original, is so into the show that is aired on a retro network somewhere on the tube.  As it seems, all the original characters are represented, but Liam Neeson as Hannibal, we will have wait to and  see.  Oh, and how cool is this, the original GMC Van will be used.

Challengers Backs Out Of Bob Lutz Cadillac CTS-V "Challenge"

When Bob Lutz offered a challenge to the world to take him on and Cadillac's highly competitive CTS-V, you would have thought this would be a Kodak moment for any major manufacture in the business of making competitive, quality products within this arena.  Everyone from Audi to Subaru should have stepped up to the opportunity to make a name, again for themselves.   Is it possible, being that Cadillac having nothing to lose and everything to gain in this challenge, and realizing this, knows that  everyone else would be marginalized?  For the most part, it was the likes of Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW and others opportunity to step up, seized the moment  and commenced to put Cadillac's  CTS-V and as Jalopnik satirically coined the name " Maximum Bob Lutz" in their respective places. When Jaguar backed out of the challenged, this sent a message to some and subconsciously others might be thinking as well, was this challenge Cadillac's to loose all this time?  As of this posting, Wes Siler of Jalopnik has replaced the opted out Jaguar XFR for an Evo X MR to race at Monticello Motor Club on Thursday along with other CTS-V's from private owners.   Well at the moment, Cadillac and the brain trust at GM, point one and everyone else, "no soup for you."

GM Developing Shape Memory Alloy to Convert Exhaust Heat to Energy

WARREN, Mich. -- The day is coming when the heat from your car’s engine exhaust is captured and converted to mechanical energy capable of powering your vehicle’s stereo, power seats and air conditioning.General Motors R&D received a $2.7 million federal award Monday that will help build a prototype using Shape Memory Alloy, or SMA, that would generate electricity from the heat in automotive exhaust.

“When you heat up a stretched SMA wire, it shrinks back to its pre-stretched length, and when it cools back down it becomes less stiff and can revert to the original shape” said Jan Aase, director of GM’s Vehicle Development Research Laboratory. “A loop of this wire could be used to drive an electric generator to charge a battery.”It is too soon to identify a vehicle where this technology could work, but hybrid or conventionally powered vehicles are possible applications.“No one else anywhere in the world is doing this work as far as we know,”

Aase said. “In a hybrid system, the electrical energy could be used to charge the battery. In a conventional engine, this could perhaps even replace the alternator without any load on the engine.

”The award from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Program Agency – Energy, or ARPA-E, was the only grant to an automaker among $151 million in distributed by the DOE. GM will work with HRL Laboratories; Dynalloy, Inc., a Tustin, CA manufacturer of shape memory alloys specially made to be used as actuators, and the Smart Materials Collaborative Research Lab at the University of Michigan.

"This award is significant for the gains in energy efficiency it could bring, and because it signifies how GM is doing business though collaboration and partnership,” said Alan Taub, GM vice president of global R&D.“The days are gone when we would do this kind of groundbreaking work on our own. We need to continue to find ways to combine our deep technical knowledge with others who can help take our ideas from concept to commercialization,” he said.The idea of an SMA heat engine “has been around for 30 years,”

 Aase said, but the few devices that have been built were too large and too inefficient to make it worthwhile.” Even now, the technology is in the very early stages. Over the next two years, GM and its partners will work to create a working prototype.“We’re taking advantage of a network of people that we’ve been working with for a number of years on shape memory alloys,” Aase said. “And we have some novel approaches to make this high-risk, high return project successful.”

About General Motors: General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 219,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling.

 GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.





Alan Adler
Mobile:  313-319-8486
alan.adler@gm.com

GM to offer WiFi hotspots on certain vehicles

General Motors will be the first to offer Wi Fi Internet routers in selected vehicles through their Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet models.  The router, a dealer installed option, is offered through Autonet Mobile of San Francisco.  The unit creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that extends out 150 feet, allowing use of  portable devices to link into the Web. Occupants in the rear can access laptops, game systems and other portable devices while front seat users can connect to stream internet radio stations.  This opens opportunities for small  businesses to stay connected.  GM will offer service starting in October and the router will be sold through GM accessories site, www.gmextras.com with a retail price of $499.  Internet access is  priced at $29 a month.  The Autonet router unit is mobile and comes with  docking station.

Ford New Mondeo Goes Up Market For 2012

Ford's highly successful Mondeo is looking to take on the likes of Acura TL and Lexus ES models.  With a range of new turbo engines, style and better efficiency, Ford advances its "kinetic" design language making the Mondeo even more appealing.  The new body will feature a higher beltline, more laid back windscreen and lower roof height brings it more into a 4 or 5 door coupe look.   Interior will have more upgrade materials  and tech to compete in the premium segment.

Ford will offer direct-injection, turbocharged EcoBoost engines along with standard 150 hp and 180hp, and there will be a 2.0L engine producing upwards of 200hp but the big new is the new 3.5L EcoBoost V6 with 350hp output.  There has been buzz about the Mondeo coming to the U.S. more than likely as 2012 Fusion or a Lincoln variant.
 Source: Auto Express  

Fiat Planning New Sedans Based On Chrysler 300 LX Platform

Fiat plans on building two models based on Chrysler's 300 LX platform with an annual production of 50,000 units also will include a sedan for an entry-level Maserrati sedan smaller than the Quattroporte.  The first model, a replacement for Lancia Thesis sedan, will be built at Officine Automobilistiche  Grugliasco (OAG), the name of the former Carrozzeria Bertone plant near Turin. The new Phoenix V-6 engine which is scheduled to debut next year in the new Jeep Grand Cherokee will also be used in the Lancia. It has not been confirmed if the models will be offered in the U.S. 

Source:[Automotive News, sub req'd]

An Audi R8 Most Can Afford: Diecast Models With 250-640GB Data Storage

At 1:18 scale, this Audi R8 is realistic  even down to the interior details, and it incorporates a hard drive disk that connects to your PC through USB ports.  File storage available is 250GB, 500GB and 640GB options.  Color options vary along with other available models such as Nissan GT-R and Dodge Challenger HDDS starting from $209.99 for the base 250GB models. Just think of them as upgrade engine options (HP)  for your hard drives.  How fun is that?

Source: Flashrods

New Formula 1 Circuit Yas Marina In Abu Dhabi

This spectacular race circuit built between the desert and water is one of the new world wonders. Normally the area dictate the design of the course, but the Yas Marina Circuit was done so with a blank sheet.

Sporting a marina with a hotel and yacht club, a main tower that is 60 meters high,  a 5-star hotel with 500 beds, two individual pit buildings, and a grandstand that can hold 50,000 spectators, all covered.  The hotel will open first before racing commence. The track runs under the hotel that spans over the runway.  Book ahead of the season for your trip and remember, if you have to ask...

Source: automotorundsport.de/

Should Ford Bring The 2011 Mondeo To The USA

Ford has released the new Taurus into the market this year along with the Fusion, so the next new or revised product to come would possibly be the Mondeo ( as seen in the images being tested along side Lexus ES, and BMW-Series in camouflage).

 Would this be too much of a product overlap, or will Ford bring the Mondeo here as a Lincoln thus justify the higher cost due to the European exchange rate. Ford has a compelling product  in the Mondeo that would appeal to to the performance enthusiast in the US.