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Detroit '09 Preview: Volvo S60 Concept

Next month in Detroit, the Volvo S60 Concept will serve up a teaser for the 2010 production sedan that'll likely debut later in the show season. The S60 Concept demonstrates that Volvo's new sedan will ditch the rather conservative duds it currently wears in favor of a new, much more aggressive visual ensemble. Profile views show off a coupe-ish roofline, while pointed headlights extend back onto the fenders and flank a reshaped, more detailed grille up front. The concept's rear is similarly detailed, with LED taillamps that hide the various signal colors until they are actually illuminated.
posted : 12/22/2008 @9:24:40 PM
Detroit 2008: GM Style 2008, Music, Fashion and Cars

Last Saturday night before the Press Days began for the 2008 edition of the Detroit Auto Show, the 2nd annual GM Style event took place in a huge tent set up in a parking lot near the Renaissance Center headquarters of General Motors. Like last year's event, this runway show featured cars and fashions, but the feel of it was a bit different this year. This time last year, GM had yet to make its big design comeback breakthrough, for instance. Also, the cars were almost secondary to the celebrities last January. This time around, a year after the CTS, Malibu and Volt debuted in the days following the first GM Style event, the red carpet was gone and the fashions were worn by anonymous models, with musical accompaniment from Mary J Blige, Maroon 5 and Kid Rock. For 2008, the cars were the real stars. The automotive lineup was bookended by the oldest and newest Corvettes with a group of contemporary models in between. BTW, the tall gentleman in the front row who's white brimmed hat keeps popping up at the bottom of the pics? Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
posted : 1/19/2008 @3:48:08 PM
HUMMER HX Design Managers talk about their new concept

Much to the consternation of the communications staff at General Motors the press photos and story on the new HUMMER HX concept got published a few days earlier than planned last week. Thankfully for us the company didn't rescind their invitation to come down to the Design Dome at the Warren Tech Center to see the new vehicle and talk to the design managers before the chaos of the scrum after the official reveal at Cobo Hall for the Detroit Auto Show. Interior Designer Stuart Norris and HUMMER Design director Carl Zipfel spent a few minutes talking to us about the new Wrangler challenger.
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posted : 1/17/2008 @4:03:58 PM
Detroit 2008: Saturn shows off Vue hybrids, plug optional

Saturn showed off the second and third hybrid versions of the Saturn Vue today at the Detroit Auto Show, both of which use GM's two-mode hybrid technology just like the big Tahoe and Yukon hybrids. For the smaller Vue, however, the entire system has been repackaged for a front-wheel-drive application. Where versions 2 and 3 differ is the battery technology. Version 2 comes late this year using the more common nickel-metal hydride type battery packs in combination with the General's direct-injected 3.6L V-6 to give a reported 50% boost in fuel economy. Version 3 comes late 2009 at the earliest and swaps the nickel battery for a lithium-ion unit. Those batteries will come with a plug that allows the owner to get a full grid charge in about 4-5 hours. That's enough juice to run around at city speeds for about 10 miles without starting the engine. If they meet their Job 1 target, GM will likely be the first manufacturer to put a plug-in hybrid into production.
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posted : 1/15/2008 @7:38:06 PM
Detroit 2008: Officially Official - Its the Lincoln MKT!

We first saw spy photos of the Lincoln MKT concept only a week ago, and it's now here as a concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Based on the fact that a development mule was spotted already, you can ignore Lincoln when it says the MKT is a potential new vehicle for the brand. It is a new vehicle for the brand. The new premium CUV is believed to be based on the platform of the Ford Flex and follows the Explorer America concept in being powered by one of Ford's new EcoBoost engines. Like its sedan sibling, the MKS, this one gets a turbocharged 3.5L V6 that allows you to choose between either E85 or premium grade petroleum-based gasoline. The premium requirement is the result of the engine being optimized for the higher octane ratings of the biofuel. The upside is that output jumps from 340 hp/340 lb-ft to 415hp and 400 lb-ft. All of that twisting force is transmitted through a six-speed automatic transmission and distributed to all four wheels for propulsion. The voluminous interior of the MKT has also been optimized for comfort and luxury with only four seats allocated for passengers. If a production version with a third-row bench arrives, this looks like the likely candidate to replace all those Town Cars in livery fleets. The body work incorporates more of the new Lincoln design cues that first turned up on last year's MKR concept but were too late for the MKS. That body work is formed from "upcycled" plastics produced by Sabic Innovative Plastics, the same people who produced the materials used on the Chevy Volt and Hyundai Qarmaq concepts.
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posted : 1/15/2008 @5:02:17 PM
Detroit 2008: Audi unleashes its diesel monster, the R8 V12 TDI

Today Audi brought some more of its Le Mans-conquering technology to the street in the form of the new R8 V-12 TDI. The R8 V12 TDI is a concept that melds the 6.0L V-12 diesel from last years Q7 concept with the award winning R8 sports car. The concept engine shares a cylinder count with the race-winning R10, but it's actually a completely new engine with a 60-degree bank angle instead of the 90 degrees used on the race engine. While the 500 hp is only par for the course in its class, the 738 lb-ft of torque is enough to shred all four tires with ease. While the R8 V12 TDI storms to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and maxes out at 186mph, it also manages to get 23 MPG. The combination of a 29,000-psi direct-inject fuel injection system, particulate filters and urea injection allows this beast to pass 2014 EuroVI emissions standards, too. Check out our live high-res images of the R8 V12 TDI in the gallery below. These are our best shots from the show so far, so enjoy!
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posted : 1/15/2008 @3:49:24 PM
Detroit 2008: Ford Verve Sedan concept

The rise in gas prices has increased demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars in the American market, a call to which Ford has so far only paid lip service. The debut of the 2008 Focus at last year's Detroit Auto Show following the debut of several recent European market models like the Mondeo also caused people to call on Ford to bring its European Kinetic design to the U.S. Ford has finally responded on both counts, or at least it will for 2010 when the production version of this concept finally goes on sale here.
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posted : 1/14/2008 @10:57:51 PM
Detroit 2008: Fashion, Music, and a few cars, Its GM Style

For the second year in a row, General Motors kicked off the North American International Auto Show festivities with its celeb-studded GM Style Event. The show this year featured music from Mary J Blige, Maroon 5 and Detroit-area native Kid Rock. The star of the show, however, was the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The 620hp+ sports car was the finale of the runway fashion show that featured an assortment of GM production and concept cars. We'll have more on the rest of the GM Style Event later, but for now, just enjoy the ZR1.
posted : 1/14/2008 @10:53:36 PM
VIDEO - PICS: Your Corvette ZR1 questions answered by design manager

General Motors invited Autoblog down to its design dome at the Warren, MI Tech Center to have a look at a couple of the vehicles that will be displayed at the Detroit Auto Show next week. Fortunately, it was one of those rare instances where they allowed us to bring in cameras and we took full advantage. One of the two vehicles on display was the recently-unveiled Corvette ZR1. At the time, there was some controversy in our comments about certain design elements of the ZR1, including the window in the hood, the side vents, the carbon fiber and the wheels. We had the opportunity to talk with Corvette Exterior Design Manager Kirk Bennian at the design dome and ask him about all of your concerns. Before you all get riled up, the car we were allowed to photograph was not mechanically correct, but rather a standard Z06 used by the design staff to test out exterior parts. That means it doesn't have the carbon brake disks and there's an LS7 under the plastic window instead of the new LS9. For all of you who thought the ZR1 badges on the previous press photos looked cheesy and tacked on, that's because they were. The proper badges weren't available yet when GM did its original photo shoot. This car does have the proper badges.
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posted : 1/14/2008 @9:49:45 PM
Detroit 2008: Buick Riviera Concept debuts in US

At the Max Fisher Music Theater in Detroit yesterday, GM VP of Design Ed Welburn and Buick Design boss Dave Lyons showed off the Buick Riviera concept for the first time in the US. Yes, we know the Riviera is hardly new. It debuted at the 2007 Shanghai Motor Show and was in fact designed and built by GM's Shanghai Tech Center. This concept is important, however, for a number of reasons. First, it shows that while Chinese manufacturers may largely have their heart set on creating cheap knock-offs of established designs from the west, Chinese designers are actually capable of creating some great designs. Although GM refuses to say whether Buick will get a new coupe based on the Riviera, they do say that design elements of the car will appear on a new production Buicks to be unveiled later this year as well as other future models.

Source: Buick
posted : 1/14/2008 @8:46:15 PM
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