Archive for September, 2010
13 Millionth Vehicle Built at GM’s Flint Assembly Plant is a GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Earlier today, a 2011 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD became the 13 millionth vehicle built at General Motor’s Flint Assembly plant in Flint, Mich since the factory opened in 1947.
Flint Assembly started out producing Chevrolet cars as part of GM’s Fisher Body Division. The facility later produced the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, of which only 300 were made. In all, the plant produced 4 million cars, including Chevrolet Bel Airs, Impalas and Monte Carlos, and 9 million trucks, including Chevrolet Fleetside pickups, Chevrolet and GMC Suburbans and the current lineup of light-duty and heavy-duty Chevrolet and GMC pickups.
The Sierra Denali was purchased by James Stubbings, a Michigan resident and president of Heartbeat City in Shelby Township, Mich. It’s the 13th GMC truck that Stubbings has purchased. Combined with its position in GM manufacturing history, the Denali has been nicknamed “Lucky 13.”
[Source: General Motors]
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2010 Paris Auto Show: Volvo DRIVe Electric Headed To Test Fleets
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
New Volvo Cars president and CEO Stefan Jacoby made his first official appearance in the position at the Paris Motor Show, introducing the new V60 sport wagon, along with performance-themed R-Design versions of the S60 and V60—and, surprisingly, emphasizing the importance of electrification in the brand’s future. “We will set a standard in…
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Hyundai Previews ‘Supercar-Inspired’ Sonata Turbo SEMA Showcar
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Hyundai has looked to RIDES and 0-60 magazines, and in turn found some inspiration from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche, to put together a special custom version of its upcoming 2011 Sonata Turbo. The exterior mods on the car are described as “modest and tasteful,” with influences from the Brabus Mercedes-Benz CLS Rocket, and an effort to…
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2010 Paris Auto Show: Lotus City Car Concept
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
With the handful of new production intent concept cars Lotus is showing off at the 2010 Paris Auto Show this week, it’s evident the automaker, typically focused with lightweight sports cars, is trying new things. What’s interesting to see is that Lotus is expanding towards both ends of the new car spectrum, unveiling high-end supercars…
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198,000 BMW, Rolls-Royce Cars Recalled For Brake Issue
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
BMW has announced that it will voluntarily recall 198,000 vehicles for a potential brake issue. In affected vehicles—including BMW 5-Series, 6-Series, and 7-Series models, as well as Rolls-Royce models, spanning from the 2002 through 2010 model years—a vacuum leak might cause a loss of power-braking assistance. Even in such a failure…
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2010 Paris Auto Show: 2011 Porsche 911 Speedster and GTS
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
It’s near the end of the life cycle for the current 911, so the appearance of dueling versions of the current car–the new 911 Speedster and the 911 GTS–at the 2010 Paris Auto Show will close out this generation of the famed sports car with a bang. The Speedster reconnects the 911 to the days of the 356, or more recently to the 1990s-era…
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2010 Paris Auto Show: World Debut Of 2011 MINI WRC Racer
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
MINI chose the Paris Auto Show to pull the wraps off its all-new FIA World Rally Championship car, which is based on the new 2011 MINI Countryman and signals the brand’s reentry into world-stage rally racing. The WRC, which has been under development for two years, gets a 1.6-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engine To be piloted…
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Recall Alert: BMW 5, 6, 7 Series, Rolls-Royce Phantom
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
BMW is recalling 198,000 V-8- and V-12-powered models from the 2002 through 2010 model years for a defective power braking system.
A leak may develop in these cars’ braking systems potentially causing a loss of braking power. The company says there have been no accidents or injuries because of the problem. Models included in the recall are:
- 2002-08 BMW 745i/Li, 750i/Li and 760i/Li
- 2007-08 BMW Alpina B7
- 2004-10 BMW 645i and 650i
- 2004-10 BMW 545i and 550i
- 2003-2010 Rolls-Royce Phantom (does not include Rolls-Royce Ghost)
In the coming weeks, owners will receive a notification in the mail to have their cars serviced at the dealer. For more information, owners can call BMW at 800-525-7417.
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2010 Paris Auto Show: 2015 Lotus Eterne
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
Even Lotus couldn’t resist from entering the burgeoning four-door coupe market, revealing today a production intent concept set to go on sale around the middle of the decade. The concept is the new 2015 Lotus Eterne; a true four door, four seater sports GT. In fact, Lotus is quick to point out that unlike its closest competitor, the Aston…
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Nissan Townpod Concept at 2010 Paris Motor Show
Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by admin.
- Looks like: Nissan Leaf meets Chevy HHR
- Defining characteristics: Hideaway second-row seats
- Ridiculous features: Movable “pucks” to hold accessories
- Chance of being mass-produced: It’s possible we’ll see some wild electrics in the future
Nissan calls the Townpod a vehicle for entrepreneurs. We’re not sure how an all-electric compact van will get anyone angel funding, but there’s a lot of interesting stuff inside this little guy whether you’re a self-starter or a retiree.
What we like most about the Townpod are the little ideas Nissan has added. Little balls, which Nissan calls Pucks, can be placed anywhere around the cabin including in the doors and on the dash. They work with a variety of accessories to hold drinks, smartphones and even objects like a corner desk for the passenger.
Nissan doesn’t emphasize the Townpod as a workspace, however.
We’d like to see a WiMax-equipped car with a desk area. If you can plug it in instead of running the engine it could be a true mobile office. That’s what we want.
The Townpod’s other features include a second-row bench seat that slides all the way up to the front seats. By fitting tightly against the front seats, there is a maximum amount of rear cargo room allowed without having to remove the second row entirely.
There’s also a hole in the roof that opens so odd-size cargo like the gigantic blueprint tubes shown in the press images could fit in the vehicle. Theoretically, this hole also could come in handy with building materials, rugs or sports equipment, however, it certainly wouldn’t do well at high speeds in terms of aerodynamics.
Check out more photos of the wild little runabout below.
