["WHAZ UP!?" In The World Of Automotive] Driven: 2011 BMW 535i

The 535i and 550i are the first North American models, and customers can start taking delivery on June 19 of this year. In either trim, the new cars weigh an estimated 180 pounds more than the outgoing, Bangle-rrific E60 model.
Standard wheel/tire size on all American 5-Series imports is now eighteen inches instead of the former seventeens—a great upgrade. Nineteen-inchers come with the practically necessary Sport Package, and even twenties are available for street stylin’. The steering and response and feel at the front axle strike us the way these similar improvements struck us in the latest C- and E-class Mercedes. It’s double-wishbone, and more compact in front, with much more aluminum in the axle structure. The steering is EPS with variable Servotronic.














[AutosExclusive] The XTS Platinum Concept

 

The XTS Platinum Concept, unveiled by Cadillac at the 2010 Detroit Motor Show, expresses the brand's vision for the luxury sedan of the future and combines an evolution of the Art and Science design philosophy with technological interiors and a plug-in hybrid system.


At the 2010 North American International Auto Show Cadillac has unveiled the XTS Platinum Concept, suggesting a new paradigm for the luxury sedan of the future, characterized by a number of technological features, including a plug-in hybrid propulsion system.


The XTS Platinum Concept uses Cadillac’s 3.6L V-6 Direct Injection gas engine, paired with a plug-in hybrid system. The plug-in technology enables the battery to fully charge from a standard electrical outlet, enabling pure electric propulsion in many driving situations, especially urban commutes in which fuel efficiency may double that of a conventional hybrid.



The XTS Platinum Concept was designed from the inside out, re-imagining the luxury sedan as a personal headquarters, built for efficiency, luxury and connectivity.



Interior Design

The XTS Platinum Concept interior is characterized by hand cut-and-sewn materials combined with contemporary forms and themes, including the use of Organic Light-Emitting Diode (O-LED) displays in place of traditional gauges and screens.
The in-car electronics systems includes a deployable touch-screen navigation system that has been already featured in the CTS and SRX product lines.
The XTS Platinum Concept previews this strategy via the minimization of traditional buttons and switches. Designers blended the display screens into a flowing instrument panel.





[The "new" GM : General Motors Company] GM strikes deal to sell Saab brand to...


Deal Journal

An up-to-the-minute take on deals and deal makers.

JANUARY 26, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Spyker Buys Saab for $74 Million in Cash

By Michael Corkery

Dutch sports car maker Spyker Cars has agreed to buy Saab from General Motors for roughly $74 million in cash, according to people familiar with the matter. GM, which confirmed that a deal had been reached, will also receive preferred shares in the new company.
Spyker, which makes only a few dozen cars a year, will contribute $74 million in cash to the deal, while the European Investment Bank will provide a 400 million euro loan ($566 million) guaranteed by the Swedish government.
The deal would mark a hopeful turnabout for for Saab, the Swedish car brand that GM had begun to wind down because it couldn’t reach a satisfactory deal to sell the company.
As part of the deal, GM wil retain preferred shares worth about $326 million in Saab.
Spyker unsuccessfully tried to reach a deal for Saab late last year and returned to the negotiating table this month.
Saab has total assets, including plants, equipment and cash of about 1 billion euros , and liabilities of 528 million euros.
Spyker Chief Executive Victor Muller said in an interview with the WSJ’s Deal Journal last month that he wanted to restore the “Saabish” qualities that have inspired fierce loyalty among Saab owners around the world. Hundreds of Saab drivers have been staging demonstrations in Detroit and Sweden to lobby GM to sell the brand rather than let it die.
Spyker intends to change its name to Saab Spyker Automobiles.
As part of its financing package, Spyker will receive a $50 million loan from Tenaci Capital B.V., which is owned Muller. Meantime, Spyker’s chairman, the Russian banker Vladimir Antonov, has agreed to effectively cash out of the company and sell his shares to Tenaci.



JAN. 26, 2010
BY TIM HIGGINS
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
General Motors has reached a deal to sell Saab to Spyker Cars NV, GM announced today.

As part of the binding agreement, Spyker will form a new company called Saab Spyker Automobiles and it will carry the Saab brand.
The deal, which is subject to governmental approvals, is expected to close in mid-February, according to a GM statement.
The Swedish government is reviewing the deal and requests for guarantees of a European Investment Bank loan.
"Today’s announcement is great news for Saab employees, dealers and suppliers, great news for millions of Saab customers and fans worldwide, and great news for GM,” John Smith, GM vice president for corporate planning and alliances, said in a statement.
GM did not disclose a sales price.


[Honoring Carroll Shelby] A Legend Reborn: Shelby American Brings Back the Sh...

Shelby American brings back the Shelby GT350 on 45th anniversary of car’s introduction


The Shelby is supercharged and enhanced in every way.
The car was introduced during the Barrett-Jackson Opening Night Gala in Scottsdale



SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shelby American, a wholly owned subsidiary of Carroll Shelby International Inc. (Pink Sheets: CSBI), will fulfill the dreams of enthusiasts by returning the legendary Shelby GT350 to its lineup of American performance cars. The Shelby team unveiled a supercharged concept version of the Mustang-based 2011 Shelby GT350 to the surprise of thousands gathered at the Barrett-Jackson Auction Opening Night Gala to honor the 45th anniversary of the first GT350 and first Shelby big block Cobra.
The concept behind the GT350 was to build a car that is light, nimble and powerful. Beginning with the “small block” 5.0 liter Ford Mustang GT as its base, the Shelby American team worked with experts from Ford Racing, Goodyear, Borla, Cragar and Baer to create a car that is fast and has razor sharp handling. Every segment of the car is enhanced or replaced to create the ultimate balanced performance pony car that is true to the spirit of the 1965-1970 MY Shelby GT350.
“The 2011 GT350 balances heritage with modern necessity,” said Shelby American president Amy Boylan. “Former Hot Wheels and Ford designer Larry Wood joined Vince LaViolette, Walter Cardenas, Andrew Smidt and the rest of our Las Vegas team to help integrate 1965-1970 Shelby styling cues with modern aerodynamics. We worked with Ford Racing to supercharge the engine with a goal of 500 horsepower, as well as to sharpen the handling. Baer Brakes helped engineer the fantastic brakes and we shod the GT350 with 19” modern Cragar wheels and super sticky Goodyear tires. This Shelby is truly a complete performance package.”
“Since this was one of the most important cars in Shelby’s history, everyone stepped up to make sure it meets Carroll’s performance standards,” added Gary Davis, vice president of production for Shelby American. “After it was hand built in our new design studio, it began extensive testing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by veteran test drivers Vince LaViolett and Gary Patterson. We’re all proud to be part of this milestone Shelby car.”






[W-Info-Autos] Mopar releases exterior, interior dress-up kits for Dodge Chal...


The parts unit of Chrysler has released an exterior appearance package for the Challenger that includes a new hood with air scoop, a body-color rear spoiler and stripe graphics.
An interior kit gets you a T-handle shifter, bright accelerator and brake pedals, bright door sill guards, floor mats and a car cover.
Both kits can be added to your Challenger at the factory. Suggested price for the exterior kit is $1,995, while the interior kit carries a suggested price of $945 for automatic cars and $780 for manual transmission cars.






[The "new" GM : General Motors Company] General Motors halts Hummer productio...

By LINDSAY CHAPPELL, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
General Motors will stop production of Hummers at the end of this week as the automaker waits for Chinese regulators to approve the brand's sale to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co.

Output of Hummer H3 and H3T models at GM's Shreveport, La., plant will resume once the pending acquisition is completed, Hummer spokesman Nick Richards said.
Richards declined to specify what issues remain to be approved by the Chinese government. He said the U.S. government has approved all regulatory issues.
Under the agreement, Shreveport will continue producing the models for Sichuan Tengzhong through 2011, with an option to extend the sourcing through 2012.
The Chinese buyers are scheduled to obtain an additional diesel version of the H3 from Shreveport in 2011 for global export markets, including China. The line is currently sold in 37 countries.
Shreveport suspended Hummer production last year. Output resumed in October to supply dealers with 2010 models. Hummer accounts for only about a fourth of Shreveport's plant capacity. The factory also produces the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups.
There are currently about 2,100 Hummers in inventory.
GM is scheduled to close the Louisiana plant after 2011.



[The "new" GM : General Motors Company] Chevy to Replace “An American Revolut...


January 20th, 2010
Chevy to Replace “An American Revolution” Slogan With “A Louisiana Purchase”
Chevrolet will move on from its current advertising slogan, the much-derided “An American Revolution” and instead shift to “A Louisiana Purchase,” partially according to reports in today’s Automotive News.

WIKIPEDIA:

An American Revolution is a former advertising campaign used by American car manufacturer Chevrolet. First introduced on New Year's Eve 2003 in the USA to promote its "ten new cars and trucks in twenty months", released since January 2004, but the lineup of advertised cars was later expanded. Also including the Korean made Chevrolet Aveo. The campaign was made by advertising firm Campbell-Ewald
from Warren, Michigan, near General Motors' headquarters in Detroit, Michigan.
An American Revolution was released on the TV program Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on the TV channel ABC. The TV commercials have also been shown on high-audience sports television programs, e.g. the American football program The NFL on CBS.
One of the first TV commercials in the campaign directed by Michael Bay featured the song Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf. The advertisement was titled "An American Revolution, Car Carrier" and featured six not-yet-introduced new cars and trucks boarding a car carrier as it traverses the United States -- notably a Aveo descending the Twin Peaks of San Francisco and making an airborne leap remininscent of Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang in the movie Bullitt — before boarding the car carrier. In July 2009 ,GM announced the "An American Revolution" campaigns would end in the fall of 2009 and would be replaced by new campaigns.

“It’s time for us to take this brand forward. Americans have got the revolution part. Now it’s time we move on to the next phase of American history: territorial expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, made by Thomas Jefferson in 1803,” said Chevrolet brand manager Jim Campbell. “Also, people in the South are pretty much the only ones still buying Chevys.”
The ads, set to premiere during the Winter Olympics — wait is that this year? Okay yes, during the Winter Olympics, the ads will feature popular scenes from the Louisiana purchase with Chevy vehicles in the background. The first ad in the series is called “Jefferson meets with the Treasury department.”
Future ad campaigns for Chevy are expected to continue through American history. “We’re really excited about ‘Chevy: A Louisiana Purchase. But we’re also looking to the future. Right now we’re planning Chevy: A Whiskey Rebellion, Chevy: A Treaty of Ghent, Chevy: A Battle of Tippecanoe, and of course Chevy: A Civil War.”

The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane "Sale of Louisiana") was the acquisition by the United States of America of 828,800 square miles (2,147,000 km2) of the French territory Louisiana in 1803. The U.S. paid 60 million francs ($11,250,000) plus cancellation of debts worth 18 million francs ($3,750,000), a total cost of 15 million dollars for the Louisiana territory.
The Louisiana Purchase encompassed all or part of 14 current U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. The land purchased contained all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, parts of Minnesota that were west of the Mississippi River, most of North Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, northeastern New Mexico, the portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans. (The Oklahoma Panhandle, and southwestern portions of Kansas and Louisiana were still claimed by Spain at the time of the Purchase.) In addition, the Purchase contained small portions of land that would eventually become part of the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The purchase, which doubled the size of the United States, comprises around 23% of current U.S. territory.[2] The population was estimated to be 97,000 as of the 1810 census.
The purchase was a vital moment in the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. At the time, it faced domestic opposition as being possibly unconstitutional. Although he felt that the US Constitution did not contain any provisions for acquiring territory, Jefferson decided to purchase Louisiana because he felt uneasy about France and Spain having the power to block American trade access to the port of New Orleans.
Napoleon Bonaparte, upon completion of the agreement, stated, "This accession of territory affirms forever the power of the United States, and I have given England a maritime rival who sooner or later will humble her pride."


French and American delegates at the Convention of Mortefontaine.
For ads, Chevy will superimpose a Volt into the background.
SOURCE:
MetaCars
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