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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Etc. , GM , Pontiac , Holden , Australia Coupes seem to be somewhat resurgent lately, and the stupendously awesome Pontiac G8 GXP might be set to lose a pair of doors. While that would make it essentially a repeat of what came here as a revived GTO not too long ago, the name is not likely to return. The basic idea has been outlined in the Holden Coupe 60 , itself starting out as an updated GTO, but turning out much cooler. The neo-ponycar wars will require the fitment of the 400 horsepower LS3 to run with the Shelby GT500KR , Challenger , and cousin Camaro . The newly unveiled G8 GXP serves as the benchmark for what this coupe will likely come equipped with. That means big 19-inch wheels, uprated suspension, a meaner fascia and, most importantly, an available Tremec six-speed manual transmission. There should be a GT version, too, with "only" 361 horsepower, which should still offer a significant kick in the pants for less cash. The biggest...
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Filed under: Aftermarket , Concept Cars , Minivans/MPVs , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Hatchbacks , Mitsubishi , Misc. Auto Shows , Australia Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Mitsubishi "Panther" Concepts In addition to bringing the good stuff (Lancer Evo, Ralliart) to Melbourne, Mitsubishi has some schlock on hand to counterbalance the awesome. We're talking about the automaker's "Panther" concepts, which leverage bling, decals, and that whole "dealer-installed accessory" vibe to create all-show/no-go machines of questionable taste. We find those "panther scratch" stickers to be particularly egregious -- they'd look right at home on a busted-up Paseo with 15-inch spinner hubcaps. Check out the attached gallery to see what you like most or least about the five Panther concepts. We think the Pajero fares the best of the bunch, and while we'd love to have the Triton pickup in general, we could do without the 22-inch...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden , Australia Click above to view over 40 high-res photos of the Holden Coupe 60 We're elated when an embargo doesn't break or official images don't somehow manage to find their way to the wrong people ahead of time, because then we're totally surprised by things like this: the Holden Coupe 60. Unveiled today at the Melbourne Auto Show, the Coupe 60 honors Holden's 60th diamond anniversary in the car building business. Removing the two rear doors has allowed designers to make the sports coupe concept a full 60 mm shorter than the VE Commodore sedan that shares the same rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform, but the coupe's long wheelbase remains identical to the sedan. The Coupe 60 looks absolutely brutal sitting on its 21-inch wheels that can barely be contained by the car's swollen fender flares. While the VE face up front is familiar, the design as a whole is decidedly clean thanks to a lack...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Toyota , Misc. Auto Shows , Australia Click above to view more high-res pics of the Toyota FT-HS Concept Usually we would have no reason to report on a concept that we've already seen debut. Hence, the Australian debut of Toyota's hybrid FT-HS sports car concept at the Melbourne Auto Show isn't really news. It becomes news, however, when a suit from Toyota Australia makes a veiled comment about the next Supra and its possible ties to the FT-HS. Peter Evans, corporate manger of product planning for Toyota Australia, said "To really appreciate the FT-HS, think of it as a 'Prius on steroids'. Alternatively, it could be a vision for a Toyota Supra of the future." Whaa? Had this quote been given on the show floor amidst a throng of journalists, one might be able to pass it off as a slip of the tongue. The quote, however, appears in Toyota Australia's press release for the FT-HS debut down under, which...
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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Concept Cars , Trucks/Pickups , Green , GMC , Australia click above for more live shots of the GMC Denali XT Concept GM designer Brian Nesbitt publicly unveiled the GMC Denali XT concept today at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The Denali is the first U.S. example of the "Ute" car-based pickup that's built on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform. In this case, the Denali is a four-door pickup using the same rear-wheel-drive architecture as the Holden Commodore/Pontiac G8. It was even designed down under at GM's Australian design studios. Unlike the RWD sedans with which it shares a platform, the Denali has the first example of a flex-fuel engine combined with GM's two-mode hybrid system. The flex-fuel V8 is 4.9L in displacement and has direct fuel injection to maximize both power and fuel economy. According to GM, it expects the powertrain to produce 325 hp and have a 50% boost in fuel efficiency compared to a conventional V8. So far there...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , New York Auto Show , Trucks/Pickups , GMC , Holden , Australia click above for more high-res pics of the 2003 Holden Crewman Australian outlet GoAuto is reporting that GM Car Czar Bob Lutz has confirmed that a four-door ute concept based on Holden's rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform but wearing a GMC badge will debut at the New York Auto Show in late March. From Bob's description, the vehicle is much like the Holden Crewman , which was a version of the Holden Ute with its wheelbase stretched to accommodate a second row of seats and two more doors (all-wheel-drive was also eventually an option). The concept debuting in Detroit will be wearing very masculine GMC styling cues, however, and sounds as if it will be billed as a unibody pickup. This gives the GMC four-door ute a good shot at production since GM knows that demand for trucks in the future has to be satisfied with vehicles that are more fuel efficient than body-on-frame trucks. A recent spate of unibody...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Ford , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden , Australia click above for a high-res gallery of the Holden Efijy concept Despite several automakers opting out of year's Melbourne Auto Show, there's going to be a brawl on the floor for the hearts and minds of the masses. Ford is planning to unveil its full portfolio of new Falcons, something that's been almost ten years in the making. But Holden will attempt to eclipse the Falcon's reveal with a concept that might up the ante over the Efijy concept that debuted back in 2005. According to Bob Lutz, who spoke with Drive.com.au at the NAIAS, the Holden concept will "knock everybody's socks off." Along with the concept, Holden's in-house tuner HSV may show off an amped up version of the SportWagon and a 7.0-liter V8-powered flagship sedan. None of this is good news for Ford, whcih has seen market share drop in Australia over the last few years as the top-selling Falcon has rotted on the vine over...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Podcasts , Euro , Japan , Tokyo Motor Show , Chrysler , Ford , Pontiac , Subaru , Volkswagen , Misc. Auto Shows , UAW/Unions , Australia , FPV We lead off Autoblog Podcast #79 with the most important news of the week. Seriously, this rocked the car world. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are returning to the Fast and Furious franchise for F+F IV . w00t! Moving on to more important news (like anything at all), we touch on the then impending and since finished Chrysler strike . See who was right, since the 'cast was recorded Tuesday, and the strike didn't launch until Wednesday. There's been lots of auto show action, and Tokyo caught our attention this week. The Impreza STi debuted, along with a bunch of other weird concepts from Subaru, Toyota, and Honda. One that caught our eye was the Honda CR-Z . Is it an Insight replacement, a new CRX, or both? Sydney's also having an auto show, and the VW Touareg R50 showed up there, packing a house-pulling 600+ foot pounds of...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Wagons/Estates , Misc. Auto Shows , Holden , Australia click above image for more live and official pics of the VE Commodore Sportwagon var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/design/Holden_debuts_hot_VE_Commodore_Sportwagon_in_Australia_Pics'; The 2007 Australian International Motor Show is underway, and the second debut we're bringing you from the show floor is the Holden VE Commodore Sportwagon. The new wagon from Holden is the latest addition to the VE range of rear-wheel drive sedans. In a nod the cheese, Holden's Chairman and Managing Director Chris Grubbey said, "Holden's new VE Sportwagon turns practi-'cal' into practi-'cool." Corny, yes, but actually he's right on the money. Technically the VE Commodore Sportwagon on display in Sydney is a concept, but Holden says it's basically what Australians will be able to buy in the first half of 2008. Check out more info and the official press release from Holden after the jump and our gallery of exclusive live shots...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , GM , Holden , Australia click above image for more high-res pics of the Holden Efijy Concept It's not uncommon for over enthusiastic gear heads to make offers or even send in checks to buy a concept car with the hope...
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