Jeremy Korzeniewski
- http://www.autobloggreen.com
2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight
2011 Ford Fiesta for America revealed, hits 40 mpg-
BREAKING: Mitsubishi Colt is coming to America
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LA 2009: Third-Gen 2011 Toyota Sienna is a rock star
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LA 2009: Mazda unveils North American spec Mazda2 for 2011
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Green:
LA 2009: Honda's P-NUT cracked open for all to see
REPORT: Chevrolet Cruze SS being pushed for hard by company insiders
2011 Chevrolet Cruze - Click above for high-res image gallery
Still mourning the death of Chevrolet's pint-sized pocket rocket, the Cobalt SS? According to a report from Motor Authority, you're not alone, and a number of those fellow fans come from right inside Chevrolet's own hallways. This begs the question: With the Cruze set to replace the aging Cobalt for the 2011 model year, is there any chance that General Motors will revive the SS nomenclature for a high performance version? Could be, though we're certainly not holding our breathe.
The powerplant for the supposed Cruze SS is ripe for the picking in the form of the excellent 260-horsepower turbocharged and direct injected 2.0-liter four-cylinder called Ecotec and six-speed manual gearbox as seen in the defunct Cobalt SS and still-available HHR SS, including the very cool Launch Control and No-Lift Shift technology. Of course, the Cruze's rear torsion bar suspenders may limit the car's handling prowess a bit, but a wholesale redesign would cost way too much for a low-volume SS model.
In any case, if the car ever does come to market – and, like we said, we're not holding our breathe – it won't appear right away, perhaps instead for the car's planned mid-cycle refresh in 2014.
Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze
[Source: Motor Authority]
What Price One-Upmanship? 2011 Bentley Mulsanne available from $285,000
2011 Bentley Muslanne - Click above for high-res image gallery
With a starting price of $285,000, Bentley's newest flagship model won't come cheap. Nor should it, with its 505-horsepower, 725 lb-ft, gasoline-fed 6.75-liter V8 engine sitting behind the automaker's trademark mesh grille and four round lights.
Also included in that price will be an eight-speed paddle-shift automatic transmission, 16.54-inch front and 15.5-inch rear carbon ceramic brakes and 20-inch wheels. And lest we forget, it will also come with a 2,200-watt stereo and the brand's new Driver Dynamics Control system, which comes with "Bentley," "Sport," "Comfort" and user-definable "Custom" modes.
Want one? Production is slated to begin at the Crewe factory in England in the second quarter of 2010, and the first deliveries will make it to America later than year in the fall. Get yours in one of 114 available paint colors, 21 carpet shades, nine wood veneers and 24 interior leather hides, but get your order in fast – Bentley reports that early customer interest has already exceeded 2010 production targets. Click past the break for the official press release.
Gallery: Monterey 2009: 2010 Bentley Mulsanne
[Source: Bentley]
BREAKING: GM CEO Fritz Henderson steps down
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Dec 1st, 2009 at 4:45PM 
Well, that was quick. Fritz Henderson, the recently appointed CEO of General Motors, is stepping down. Company chairman of the board Ed Whitacre (remember the "Satisfaction Guaranteed" commercials, that's the guy) is set to act as the interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found.
This marks the second CEO that beleaguered automaker General Motors has lost this year, the first being Rick Wagoner, who was asked to resign by the Obama Administration's Task Force for Autos. Over the last few months, deals that GM had made to offload Opel, Saturn and Saab have all fallen through, and some have reported on clashing styles between Whitacre and Henderson.
General Motors has just confirmed the news via a press conference being held as we speak. Stay tuned for more as we learn it.
UPDATE: Official Statement from Ed Whitacre, GM's new interim CEO, added after the jump.
[Source: Free Press, GM | Image: Philippe Lopez/Getty]
"Viridian Joule" picked as winner of Chevy Volt Paint Color Contest
2011 Chevrolet Volt in Viridian Joule - Click above for high-res image gallery
The votes have been cast, the tallies tallied and the winner determined: Viridian Joule will be the official name of the silvery-green hue as seen on a slew of Chevrolet Volt marketing material for what seems like the last decade or so. So, um, what does Viridian Joule mean? We'll let the winner himself, 40-year-old David Thomas of Sanford, Florida, explain:
We needed a bit more help, so we looked up the word 'viridian'. So says Dictionary.com: a long-lasting, bluish-green pigment, consisting of a hydrated oxide of chromium. OK, fine. Joule wasn't so hard to figure out, but here's the definition anyway: a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere is passed through a resistance of one ohm for one second. So, there you have it.I looked at the photo of the Volt on the contest web site and thought it looked emerald in color, which led to jewel and then to an alternate yet appropriate play on that word – joule.
Want to know more? Click past the break to read the official press release, and see the image gallery below for more views of a Viridian Joule Chevrolet Volt.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Chevrolet]
Hyundai tops list as most fuel efficient automaker in the U.S.
Quick – name the most fuel efficient automobile brand in America. Did you say Toyota? Honda? Surely, you're not alone, but incorrect all the same. In fact, the answer is none other than Hyundai, which publicly set out to nab the title just one year ago. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Hyundai cars averaged 30.1 miles per gallon for the 2009 model year.
Rounding out the top five are Honda (29.7 mpg), Volkswagen (29.6), Toyota (29.4) and Kia (28.0). Naturally, we can expect all of these figures to continue rising in the coming years as every automaker strives to meet the upcoming 35.5 mpg U.S. standard for the 2016 model year.
Hyundai promises to meet that requirement with such technologies as direct injection, turbocharging, hybrid powertrains and lithium polymer batteries. The Korean automaker's first hybrid vehicle will be the 2011 Sonata sedan, which will hit the market early next year. Click past the break for the press release.
[Source: Hyundai]
REPORT: Initial Chevy Volt launch will be in select U.S. markets only
2011 Chevrolet Volt – Click above for high-res image gallery
Undoubtedly, the 2011 Volt is one of the most hotly anticipated new model launches in Chevrolet's long and storied history, and it will likely be seen as a halo model of sorts for General Motors as a whole. As we experienced first hand when we slid behind the wheel of a preproduction Volt the other day, the car is well on its way to becoming a production reality, but actually getting the vehicle into the hands of customers will be another matter entirely.
According to a report from Automotive News, GM is currently in the process of selecting which markets will get first crack at the Volt when it finally goes on sale in just under one year's time. Chevrolet division President Brent Dewar said that the automaker is looking at a number of factors to determine those unannounced target markets, including the existence of an EV charging infrastructure and available tax credits. After this initial launch, the rest of the citizenry will get its chance to see the USA in an electric Chevrolet.
Gallery: Quick Spin: 2011 Chevrolet Volt
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Spy Shots: Smart ForTwo+2 in the works?
Smart, the German-born automaker that revived the stagnant microcar market in the first place, has seen itself fall behind in the city car wars with Toyota's oh-so-clever iQ taking the top spot with its extra space for passengers and packages via its brilliant layout. What's more, new machines are on the way from BMW (the long-rumored Isetta revival) and the Audi (the A1, which will be debuted at the next Geneva Motor Show).As such, we're not surprised to see Smart engineers out and about testing what appears to be the next generation of the diminutive Fortwo. Judging from the fender flares, we might make and educated guess that the new model will be slightly wider than the current car, which makes sense as the same platform is rumored to gain an extended-wheelbase variant called the Fortwo+2.
Unlike the previous Forfour, the Fortwo+2 would share the expected rear-engine, rear-wheel drive architecture with the base car and would come equipped with what would surely be a mini set of rear doors. According to Auto Express, we should see the next Fortwo in dealerships late next year with the +2 showing up in 2012. Electric and hybrid versions are reportedly in the works – and here's hoping they finally fix that horribly awkward transmission.
[Source: Auto Express]
Scion unveils $18,320 xB Release Series 7.0, will debut in LA
Scion xB Release Series 7.0 - Click above for high-res image gallery
As we've come to expect, Toyota will roll out a special edition Scion model at the upcoming LA Auto Show. As has typically been the case with these special editions, the xB Release Series 7.0 will sport a standard body kit and an unmistakable color palette inside and out.
For numero 007, Toyota has chosen a four-piece DAMD body kit that includes front and rear lower lips plus a set of side skirts. It's certainly not the best looking body kit available, but the real kicker is the color. The hue is called Murasaki, which means "purple" in Japanese. Yep, purple.
Inside, black fabric seats will be highlighted with more matching purple insets and a leather-wrapped RAZO GT Formula Spec shift knob. Suspension bits are upgraded with TRD lowering springs and a new exhaust system features a sportier sound and twin center-mounted tail pipes. For what it's worth, there's an optional rear spoiler but no alloy wheels.
Those with a hankering for a Grimace-inducing-and-recalling Scion will be able to get one of the 2,000 planned models for $18,320 with a manual transmission or $19,270 with an automatic (plus a $670 shipping and handling fee) starting this month. See the high-res gallery below and hit the jump for the press release.
Gallery: Scion xB Release Series 7.0
[Source: Scion]
VIDEO: The Mustang skates in latest episode of Unleashed
2010 Mustang Unleashed Session - Click above to watch the video after the break
Though we all owned skateboards in our younger years, we can admit that we were never really any good at riding them. That doesn't mean we didn't fantasize about all the great stunts we wished we could perform. And were there any among us who don't remember sitting in the back seat of a car watching the scenery go by at speed and thinking of all the sweet jumps and flips cars should be able to do?
Filmmaker Jeff Richter undoubtedly has such memories, and Ford was kind enough to let him unleash those inner fantasies with a brand-spanking-new 2010 Mustang. Also along for the ride are street skater Pat Duffy and X-Games gold medalist Jake Brown. A quick blip pops up at the start of the film letting the watcher know that some of the scenes are real and others are computer generated... we don't think you'll have too much trouble distinguishing one from the other. Hit the jump to watch the video.
Gallery: Mustang Unleashed Session
[Source: Ford]
Not-so-shocking admission: Zap kills Xebra, slows development of Alias
Our sleuthing colleagues over at The Truth About Cars have dissected electric car maker Zap's latest 10-Q filing, and they unearthed the following little tidbit: "The decrease of $1.5 million (in revenue) is primarily due to the phase out of our three wheeled Xebra vehicle with reduced selling prices."
We can't say that we're particularly shocked that Zap has found it difficult to continue moving its little three-wheeled Xebra contraption, especially with discretionary spending money in such short supply these days and reasonably-priced hybrids flooding the used car market. Perhaps even more damning for Zap, though, is the admission that it is doing "less work on the development of the Alias prototype vehicle."
Whatever the future has in store for Zap in 2010 and beyond, one thing is for sure: there will be no shortage of press releases to let us all know what's (supposedly) going on behind closed doors.
[Source: TTAC]
LA Preview: 2011 Ford Fiesta for America revealed, hits 40 mpg
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
VIDEO: Lexus LFA illicitly investigated by fanboy in secret warehouse
LA 2009: 2011 Hyundai Sonata debuts with style, four-cylinder only and less weight
Officially Official: Volkswagen Amarok pickup makes the scene
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Autoblog Podcast #155: 'Twas the night before LA...
Chris, Dan, and Editor Paukert go over some LA Preview action and quietly whoop it up on the podcast.
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