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Filed under: Etc. , Ford , GM Of all the preposterous ideas floated around this, the new automotive landscape, none seem as ridiculous as Ford and General Motors merging together to create a singular domestic monolith. But according to a BusinessWeek source, the idea was recently floated by execs during a meeting of the General's generals... and then shot down moments later. While we wouldn't describe this as a close call, the fact that it was even mentioned speaks volumes about the dire straits Detroit's Big 3 (or 2.8, if you prefer) are in. Between plummeting sales, increased material costs, high fuel prices and union woes, both automakers are facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. But creating a $350 billion bloated corporate entity with excess production capacity, weak brands and more cannibalizing product overlap than has ever been seen, there's no doubt that it would be suicide for all involved. Not to mention the fact that the amount of resources necessary to...
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Filed under: Etc. , Celebrities The debut of the U.S. version of Top Gear is supposedly only three months away and Popular Mechanics had a chance to sit down with Adam Carolla, the import's new front man, to discuss the show, his co-hosts and what buns are in the oven when the series debuts this September. Make the jump to read all the details. Continue reading Popular Mechanics lands interview with Adam Carolla, details on Top Gear U.S. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. , Lifestyle , Celebrities You may remember Alex Roy from his book, The Driver , about his team's record-breaking run across the U.S. in a BMW M5, but he's also a deep automotive insider that gets information from a number of cloaked sources who wear dark sunglasses and pass manilla envelopes under the yellow lights of parking garages. He's got some new information about Top Gear's plans for the U.S., and what's interesting is that it doesn't involve the TV show. It seems that TG hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond may be developing a touring car show for the U.S. called Top Gear Live. If you're thinking it will be like the famous MPH car shows they do in the UK, you're wrong, so so wrong. According to a document Roy has seen, Top Gear Live will be Circue-Du-Soleil meets Stomp... with cars. We're thinking a stage, lots of ramps, people playing instruments made out of car parts, dancers, etc. So let's recap... the...
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Filed under: Economy , Etc. , Marketing/Advertising , Hatchbacks , Chevrolet , GM You know how there was a question of whether or not we'd ever see the Chevy Beat for sale in North America? The answer to that question is looking more like a big fat yes. Of course, a subcompact like the Beat makes perfect sense in a landscape where gas is selling for well over $4 a gallon in many areas. Our quasi-confirmation comes not from El Generalissimo, however, but from the set of Transformers 2 , which was recently given its tagline: Revenge of the Fallen . In the photo above, next to Bumblebee, is the Chevy Beat -- partially covered, but the Beat nonetheless. You know what putting it in the movie does, right? It makes people want it. Last summer, it was the Camaro. Next summer, it looks like GM's gonna make the Beat a big star. You can see the above photo and more from the set at the Transformers Live Action Movie Blog . Thanks for the tip, Cory! Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Beat...
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Filed under: Etc. Most American readers (and bloggers) have the day off today as we in the United States honor those who have given their lives in military service by observing Memorial Day. The holiday also acts as the kickoff to summer, and is marked by parades, barbeques, and other assorted gatherings with family and friends. Be safe during your travels , watch out for the fuzz (they'll be out in force, as they are every year), and try not to eat too much. We'll be posting on a reduced, weekend-style schedule today and back to normal posting tomorrow. If you missed last year's post on our experience taking part in one of the thousands of local parades around the country, click here to check it out. It was a lot of fun, and chances are something just like it will be playing out in your city or town later today. Go enjoy it. Happy Memorial Day. Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Trucks/Pickups , Etc. , GM , Pontiac It comes as little surprise, but Cars.com has all but confirmed that the "El Camino" moniker has been nixed as a potential name of the new G8 Sport Truck. The site reports from a recent media event that a Pontiac spokesperson said that there was internal strife regarding use of the Chevy-associated nameplate on a Pontiac vehicle. Frankly, we agree with this decision. If GM wanted a legit El Camino, it would have simply handed the Ute to the Chevy division. GM has mismanaged its vehicle naming process enough as is -- one needn't look any further than Pontiac, where it's nuthin' but a "G" thang, baby... unless you're talking Vibe or Solstice. Way to be consistent, guys. Like everyone else, we're curious to learn what the badge applied to the G8 truck's tailgate will read, and it sounds like we should hear something fairly soon. Now, can we have another contest to give the G8 sedan a real name, too...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , Etc. , Ford , Celebrities You'll see more of him this Fall. Click above for a gallery of the new KITT. var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/NBC_greenlights_Knight_Rider_weekly_series'; The Knight Rider TV movie was not good . The updated, Shelby Mustang-based KITT looked undeniably cool (when not in Ugly... er... Attack Mode, at least), but the acting was wooden and the writing was a horror show. Still, the ending completely set up a potential ongoing story. Today comes word that the ratings were apparently good enough for the suits to give a thumbs-up for a new weekly series starting this Fall. Early reports suggest a Friday night timeslot is in the works, but that's subject to change; all will be known on Wednesday when NBC presents its early upfronts. We'll assume that at the very least, stars Justin Breuning (Mike Traceur) and Deanna Russo (Mike Traceur's Girlfriend) will return to fill our flatscreens with emotionless line reading...
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Filed under: Etc. , HUMMER Click above for first high-res official pics from the G.I. Joe movie The HUMMER HX concept would have made one hell of a live-action VAMP in the upcoming G.I. Joe flick, but we have it on very good authority that this particular bit of vehicular dream casting is not to be. The HUMMER HX/G.I. Joe rumor is one we've been trying to chase down since early last week when we first heard it, and we finally cornered a well-placed source who explained that HUMMERs will appear in the movie, but not the HX. If Clutch had made the cut to be part of the movie's cast of characters, he'd probably be really upset right now. Bummer for GM, too, as HX could have been this movie's Bumblebee . On an unrelated note, it would appear that director Stephen Sommers' wardrobe department got the look for Snake Eyes exactly right. ( Ray Park , who played Darth Maul in Phantom Menace, is in the suit.) Gallery: G.I. Joe movie Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. We just got word that world-renowned car customizer, Boyd Coddington died this morning around 6 am. Although we don't have any details on what caused Coddington's death, we do know that he was in and out of the hospital over the past month. A spokesperson for the Coddington Corporation confirmed his passing earlier today and they'll be releasing a statement soon. Our heartfelt condolences to his friends, family and fans. [Source: Jalopnik ] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. , Commercial Trucks , Ford Just as Ford's F150 has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for decades, their E-Series (née Econoline) vans have also been sales champs since before the dawn of the 1980s. A strong presence in the trades delivers forty percent of the full-size van market to the E-Series. Ford's adding some new features and an upgraded interior to the E-Series for 2009 to help it continue to earn its keep. The full-sizers got an exterior nip and tuck last year, so the biggest body changes this year are rear doors that open wider. Ford's Work Solutions system is a natural addition, and it makes just as much sense in the work van as it does in a pickup. The biggest news is a revised instrument panel with -- bar the door -- four auxiliary switches. Actually, not having a mish-mash of toggles and rockers drilled through the dash face for aftermarket gear is a nice touch. The panel itself has an uncluttered, no-nonsense layout, though...
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Filed under: Etc. , Supercars , Chevrolet , Police/Emergency var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Be_afraid_be_very_afraid_620_hp_Corvette_ZR1_police_car'; Bob Lutz has just posted a photochop on his GM Fastlane Blog of what the Corvette ZR1 could look like donning Michigan State Police livery. Bound to be the bane of speeders in the Wolverine state, the Corvette is sporting all the cop car traits necessary to scare the living Hell out of law breakers, including the prerequisite light bar, bumper guard (!) and spotlights. We, however, are particularly partial to the blacked out 20-spoke rollers. Despite lacking nanotechnology and more spoiler blades than a Cuisinart, we think this imaginary ZR1 cop car could give the new sci fi-inspired GT500KR-based KITT car a run for its money. UPDATE: GM let us know this is not a prototype or anything official that implies a ZR1 cop car would actually be built. Someone sent this photoshopped pic of the ZR1 cop car to Lutz and he liked it enough...
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Filed under: Chicago Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Dodge click either image to enlarge We've received word that a small group of Car and Driver readers have been selected to help the magazine select its the cover of its April issue that features the production 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8, a car that's fast becoming the worst kept secret in Detroit. This past week, both a preproduction Challenger SRT8 and R/T were driven around Detroit without camouflage just long enough to be photographed by all the right people, and now this. We assume Car and Driver didn't intentionally break an embargo on releasing images and information about the Challenger, but at this point their motivation for this move or lack thereof is irrelevant. Their mistake is your gain, as not only do we get confirmation that the Challenger SRT8 will be rocking 425 horsepower (not a big surprise), we also learn that the Pontiac G8 GT will have 362 HP. As for the Challenger itself, this is our first time...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Etc. click above for a high-res gallery of fresh faces from Detroit Detroit upheld the tradition of auto shows employing numerous pretty faces to keep the journalists focused on the right product at the right time. It seems the Italian marques are the ones using this tactic most egregiously (Lamborghini also hired a guy in a bull costume for good measure), but almost every manufacturer had at least one model on hand. Like Los Angeles , Detroit also had a few celebrities in attendance to make the press conferences more entertaining. We also saw a few presidential candidates as well, but their faces are anything but fresh. Enough of the talk, you want to see the pictures. Click away to enjoy some of the faces we've seen in Detroit. Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Fresh faces from Motor City Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Etc. , Hirings/Firings var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/business_finance/GM_s_Rick_Wagoner_tops_Motor_Trend_s_power_list'; Rick Wagoner must be doing something right as the Chairman and CEO of General Motors, as the auto-pundits at Motor Trend have named him the No. 1 auto industry power broker in their 2008 Power List of the top 50 players. While we haven't received our February 2008 issue yet and don't have all 50 names to share with you, MT was nice enough to reveal the top 10 and a few notables (see below). GM and Volkswagen are most well-represented automakers in the top 10 . The General landed Bob Lutz, Ed Welburn and its new CFO Fritz Henderson on the list in addition to Wagoner, while VW had three in the top 10, including Supervisory Board Chief Ferdinand Piëch, Chairman Martin Winterkorn and Group Design Chief Walter Da Silva. Curiously, no Autoblog staff members made the top 10. Personalities of note on the 2008 Power List include: #14 Alan Mullaly...
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Filed under: Etc. , Videos click above image to view teaser trailer var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/NBC_Airs_New_Knight_Rider_teaser_hear_Will_Arrnet'; Had you been watching Sunday Night Football yesterday, you would've seen the Redskins pound on the Vikings. Exciting stuff. If you blinked, got up to microwave some nacho cheese sauce or changed stations to watch the Amazing Race 12, then you may have missed the first official Knight Rider trailer to hit the airwaves. The short spot will probably be the first of many that primes our nostalgic hearts for the return of Knight Rider as a network series, kicked off by a two-hour movie on February 17th . The trailer shows KITT covered on a stage, motionless until his light bar begins glowing red and doing sweeps. Note that because the Shelby GT500KR actually has a pair of nostrils, there are really two light bars this time. Then, we hear the slightly synthesized voice of Will Arnett say, "Hello Mike." Getting...
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