Dodge Caliber SRT4 Discontinued for 2010 – Car News

Torque-steering six feet under.
Thumbing through the Chrysler product guide for 2010, we noticed the absence of the SRT4 model in the Dodge Caliber’s powertrain chart. A quick call to the Pentastar’s PR department and it was confirmed: the Caliber SRT4 has been euthanized. Chrysler didn’t attribute its death to a lack of sales, saying instead […]

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2010 Lexus RX450h All-Wheel Drive – Short Take Road Test

Reducing U.S. gasoline dependency, one middle-class family at a time.
For the middle-class—and middle-aged—the hugely popular Lexus RX350 is the crossover of choice. It offers lavish comfort, lots of room, designer-label good looks, and the requisite premium badge right up front. The same traits apply to its hybrid brother, the new Lexus RX450h.

The RX is in […]

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Monday Morning Crew Chief: Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

There’s only so much racing you can watch, so I spent Saturday glued to the IRL at Chicagoland and Sunday morning viewing the Belgian Grand Prix from Spa-Francorchamps, one of the few proper circuits left on the schedule.
The IRL race was another corker, with Ryan Briscoe—who looks like the real deal—just staving off Scott Dixon […]

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Daily Downshift: August 31, 2009

+ We outline Volkswagen’s future products for 2011, 2012, and beyond. [Car and Driver]
+ Ford has announced an all-new diesel engine for the 2011 F-series Super Duty trucks. The new 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel was designed and engineered in-house, unlike the  previous 6.4-liter engine that was a result of  collaboration with Navistar. [Car and […]

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VIDEO: Production Cadillac CTS Coupe breaks through in new 60-second spot

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Cadillac’s Re-Ignition ad — Click above to view the video after the jump

With the tagline “America, we have re-ignition,” Cadillac is out to reintroduce itself to buyers. After bursting out of their underground bunker, the spot showcases all of the models in the line - and at least one to come. The ad has begun to hit the airwaves, and it features what appears to be the production version of Cadillac’s much-anticipated CTS Coupe. The only question is: will consumers feel the fire? Follow the jump to see the spot and check out our high-res gallery of the concept below. Thanks for the tip, Matt!

[Source: Cadilac via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Production Cadillac CTS Coupe breaks through in new 60-second spot

VIDEO: Production Cadillac CTS Coupe breaks through in new 60-second spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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REPORT: Stand-alone Buick, GMC dealers to be dualed, only 17k Pontiacs left

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From a bird’s eye view, bad old bankrupt General Motors’ transition into the new, solvent “good GM” looks pretty much okay. From a marketing point of view, Chevrolet matches up well with Ford, Buick is akin to Mercury and Cadillac is the brand Lincoln would love to be. Or maybe Chevy matches up with Toyota, Buick with Lexus and Cadillac… er… point being, in some justifiable, mostly non-abstract way, those three brands make sense. But GMC? Every truck GMC sells (and all they sell is trucks) is already available as a Chevrolet. In fact, counting the Colorado and the Avalanche, Chevy sells more types of trucks than truck-only GMC. Someone then might raise the question, “Why is new GM keeping GMC around?” Ask a Buick dealer.

Automotive News is reporting that by October 2010 there will be no stand-alone Buick or GMC dealerships. They will all be consolidated into Buick-GMC “duals.” This decision will affect around 3,000 dealerships that peddle/peddled Buick, GMC and/or Pontiac - they will be consolidated into 2,000 Buick-GMC dealers. Said Susan Docherty, general manager of Buick and GMC, “All our franchise agreements will be renewed then, and we’ll only offer one contract: a dual Buick-GMC.” When asked how many stand alone stores will be left selling just Buicks or GMCs, Docherty said, “none.”

Small side note: if you want to buy a Pontiac, you’d better hurry up. The prices have been slashed, they’re selling like hot cakes and Docherty is saying by tomorrow there will only be 16,000 to 17,000 left - and that’s it.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty]

REPORT: Stand-alone Buick, GMC dealers to be dualed, only 17k Pontiacs left originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Fiat Punto Evo to Debut in Frankfurt

Because Fiat plans to bring some of its Euro-designed models to our shores with Chrysler badges, we’ve started paying special attention to the company’s latest products. The Punto Evo is one of those Italian products that piqued our interest.
The Evo will go on sale in Europe this October and replaces the Grande Punto. The three- […]

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BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept – Auto Shows

BMW’s latest concept combines a three-cylinder diesel and two electric motors to deliver impressive fuel economy—plus 60 mph in less than five seconds.
BMW is using its home-market Frankfurt auto show to display its latest contribution to the hybrid trend, the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. The 2+2 concept also contributes to the obviously German trend of giving […]

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2010 Nissan Rogue Pricing Up Slightly, to $21,140

Pricing for the 2010 Nissan Rogue is up only $120 over 2009 levels. Front-drive models cost $21,140 in S trim while SL models command $22,730. Adding all-wheel drive requires an extra $1200 for either version.
There’s also a new 360º Value package for Rogue S models. It bundles 16-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, a rearview camera, […]

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New 6.7-liter Power Stroke Diesel to Debut in 2011 Ford Super Duty Trucks

Ford has announced an all-new diesel engine for the 2011 F-series Super Duty trucks. The V-8 displaces 6.7 liters and uses a single turbocharger. No output numbers have been specified yet, but they should be considerably higher than the 350-hp and 650-lb-ft ratings of the outgoing 6.4-liter Power Stroke engine.
The engine is reportedly 160 pounds […]

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