NACTOY finalists, 97,000-pound trucks, Saab bankruptcy, 100 Worst Cars
Episode #261 of the Autoblog Podcast is here with Chris, Dan, and Chris Paukert this week. Topics include the official bankruptcy filing by Saab, Kraft pushing for 97,000-pound tractor trailers, North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists and the 100 Worst Cars of All Time according to Inside Line. Your questions and comments power the end of the 'cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We've embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
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Owners of 2005-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Saab 9-7X SUV models with faulty gas gauges now have some recourse. According to a report in The Detroit News, General Motors will cover half the repair costs for select vehicles with malfunctioning fuel level sensors. According to a GM spokesman, that should mean paying less than $200 for the fix, provided the SUV in question has less than 120,000 miles on the clock.
GM's offer stems from a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation that was launched in April, after GM and NHTSA received thousands of complaints of gauge failure. According to the report, nearly 300,000 vehicles may experience premature wear on the fuel level sensor contacts. This can lead to incorrect fuel level readings, especially after filling the tank, when the gauge may still show empty. But it can also result in the gas gauge showing more fuel than is actually in the tank, leading to the inevitable running out of gas and engine stalling. A total of 867,337 vehicles were included in the investigation.
GM issued a service bulletin to dealers in August, as well as a notification to owners. So if your Trailblazer is running on empty, you might want to check your mailbox and start looking for change under the seats.
Before things went all tipsy in the auto market, the engineers at General Motors were apparently hard at work on some pretty interesting projects. How interesting? How about an actual mid-engine Corvette? Autocar says that an unnamed Saab engineer confirmed that the Swedish automaker had actually been charged with developing a transmission for such a beast when the company was still under The General's wing. Evidently, the cog box used a wet clutch setup and was built to handle up to 590 lb-ft of torque. If you're keeping score at home, you'll likely note that those twist figures are just south of what the ZR1 puts to the pavement right now.
How about them apples.
As Autocar points out, that project was canned when credit went tighter than a fat man's socks, but there may be a ray of light in this whole tale. The UK publication claims that GM has fired up the burners under the C7 project one more time, and that a mid-engine chassis will indeed be part of the recipe. If you're buying what Autocar is selling - and we're not necessarily in that group - a turbo V6 will supply the car's grunt, too.
Autoblog livery for Forza Motorsport 3 - Click above for high-res image gallery
This. Is. Awesome. Autoblog reader Jason L. over at Second Method Graphic Design has been so kind as to share a couple of skins he's devised for both the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe and the McLaren MP4-12C in Forza Motorsports 3. Why do we care? Because these particular wraps are a tribute to a certain blog that obsessively covers the auto industry. Call us vain, but there's something cool about seeing our logo slathered all down the sides of two very lust worthy pieces of metal, even if they only live in the virtual realm.
Maybe we should talk to Cadillac about getting into a long-term tester with a similar theme. Something tells us that McLaren would be somewhat less receptive. Leder says that you can purchase either of the two designs through his Forza storefront for a nominal fee. The guy also has a slew of other very attractive liveries in case you don't feel like sporting your AB pride on your fenders. It's fine, we won't be offended. In fact, might we suggest The Simpsons-inspired Datsun 510 in Mr. Sparkle livery or the Ikea Saab 9-3?
Way back in 2005, General Motors decided it needed a small four-door sedan in order for Cadillac to compete in Europe. The end result? The Cadillac BLS. The car was little more than seriously restyled Saab 9-3 (itself an already aging model), and since most Europeans are neither blind nor ignorant, the car didn't fare well in a market loaded with goods from the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It was scrapped after a mere four years of production.
As usual, there's a little more to the story than that. According to Ny Teknik, GM stuck Saab with the cost of reworking the 9-3 into a Cadillac to the tune of around $140 million after the model tanked. The site quotes Jan-Åke Jonsson, the managing director of Saab, as saying that being out from under GM control will have its advantages. Yeah, we can see how he might feel that way. Top tip, Tom!
2010 Saab 9-5 - Click above for high-res image gallery
In a rumor sure to irk many Saab faithful, Dagens Industri in Sweden is reporting that "sources within Saab Automobile are stating that GM now sees positive opportunities in a closing of Saab." Ouch, that hurts in an insult-to-injury kind of way, dontcha think?
Specifically, General Motors is said to be considering taking the recently competed but not-yet-on-sale 2010 Saab 9-5 and resuscitating it as a Buick for America. If true, the move does make a bit of sense as the car is by all measures ready to go and it would be quite a waste to put it out to pasture before it ever sees the light of day - especially if the car is anywhere near as good as early reports suggest.
Further, the going speculation is that The General could raid Saab's parts and technology bins for more future products, including a possible revival of the large Opel Senator for Europe. If this rumor proves accurate, it would appear that there may not be much hope left for a Saab purchase by Dutch automaker Spyker as indications are that GM is telling suppliers that it is estimating a five-year wind-down of the brand.
For the long holiday drives, our colleagues at Joystiq and Engadget do fine work. Let us know what you think of our podcast by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening!
It’s been a tumultuous year for Saab fans. Hopes for the brand’s future were raised by the proposed sale to Koenigsegg and then dashed when that fell through, but then raised again when Spyker, a Dutch sports-car builder, entered the picture. It’s all over now, though, as GM announced that it will be shuttering Saab for good.
The General had imposed a strict time-table for pushing the sale through and, in navigating the potential deal with Spyker, encountered issues that neither side believed could be resolved. GM is quick to reassure us that this is not a bankruptcy or forced liquidation, and that Saab will wind down in a controlled manner, satisfying supplier debts and looking after customers. After the brand is gone, GM’s remaining dealer network should continue to honor Saab warranties and provide service and parts for the cars.
Information is scarce at this time, but stay tuned for more details as they emerge.
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With the LA Auto Show near at hand, Chris, Dan, and Editor Extraordinaire Paukert sat down and talked over some of the latest for Episode #155 of the Autoblog Podcast. First up is the surprisingly thorough re-rework of the Mustang, before we move on to talk about the early release of U.S.-spec Ford Fiesta pictures. Gazing at photos brings us to the Chevrolet Cruze, which has also been lensed in North American garb. The Chinese-market Buick Excelle is rumored as a possibility for our market, and we scratch our heads about that for a while. Toyota's handling of its gas pedal recall and Nissan's low-priced and well-integrated navigation unit wraps it up before we move on to some of your questions. Right before signing off, we jump back to talk briefly about the newly unveiled Audi A8 and Saab's sad fortunes. At one hour, 50 minutes, it's an epic. We blame Paukert.
If you get bored once the new Autoblog Podcast bliss has worn off, check out our colleagues at Joystiq and Engadget. Let us know what you think by dropping us an email at Podcast at Autoblog dot com, reviewing the show in iTunes, filling out our survey, or even leaving us a voicemail on our Google Voice line 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763). Thanks for listening, we'll see you next week!
After twelve years, the second generation Saab 9-5 finally arrives.
The Saab 9-5 has become sort of a modern classic, in that it’s an old car that’s still currently available at your local dealer. Twelve years and several face lifts after its launch, it is outclassed by just about everything else on the market. But now—finally—the second generation has been officially unveiled just prior to the Frankfurt auto show next month, and it will go on sale later this year in Europe. U.S. sales will begin sometime early next year as a 2011 model, as there will be no 2010 9-5.
