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Rumormill: Cadillac still wants a big rear-drive sedan to battle the import flagships

Filed under: Sedan, Cadillac, Rumormill, Luxury

2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept

2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Imagine a Cadillac and you’re about as likely to conjure up images of big, rear-drive landyachts of yesteryear as you are to picture the automaker’s considerably tauter products of today. But Cadillac has long been rumored to be pondering a return to its classic formula with a new flagship sedan, and those rumors are rounding the mill once again.

This time, word has it that Cadillac is developing a new rear-drive luxury sedan to slot in above the upcoming front-drive XTS in pursuit of territory currently dominated by the likes of the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8 and Lexus LS. If and when it does materialize, sources place its launch around 2014. Power would more likely come in the form of a V8 than the 13.6-liter V-16 engine of the 2003 Cadillac Sixteen concept pictured above (though that would no doubt be incredibly awesome), but a hybrid variant could follow.

The new model would be built on a new platform reportedly dubbed ‘Omega’, but while the architecture would be developed uniquely for the big sedan, a further extension is being muted as a possibility to take on the likes of the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bentley Mulsanne and the Maybach. Far-fetched? Probably. But intriguing nonetheless.

Gallery: Cadillac Sixteen Concept

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[Source: Car and Driver]

Rumormill: Cadillac still wants a big rear-drive sedan to battle the import flagships originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2011: Chrysler’s SRT division open to smaller engines, but there’s still a market for big V8s

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, SUV, Chrysler, Luxury

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 6.4-liter HEMI V8

2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

When asked about Chrysler’s Street Racing Technology (SRT) division rolling out another big-bore, high-horsepower engine at the 2011 New York Auto Show, Dan Reid, the company’s head of media relations, said “there’s a market for it – cars that go fast and sound good.”

Joseph Grace, the vehicle line manager for the SRT division, agreed that “big, naturally-aspirated V8s” can still find enough buyers to support halo cars. The tuning arm is open, however, to less potent options. “There’s a precedent for four-cylinders [with the Dodge Neon SRT4], and a 6 [on the Crossfire SRT6], and when we get the right platform we’ll look at it again.” Added Reid, “The five areas for SRT are powertrain, braking, handling, interior and exterior,” and any potential SRT vehicle has to live up to that first qualification. Grace then told us that the 6.4-liter engine in the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, with its cylinder deactivation and active exhaust system, was “the most efficient way to deliver the kind of performance the customer expects.”

“We had great success with the SRT4 and there’s a trend toward smaller displacement turbo engines, there’s actually a demographic that that appeals to,” Grace said. But when asked whether there could be something like an Dodge Journey SRT, Grace suggested not and said, “That’s why we have the Man Van.”

As for where else Chrysler is looking for special models, Reid said, “Want to expand the 300 model line to a car for every personality, tailor models to different customers. Right now we have a ‘bare-bones’ model, the 300, 300 S, 300C Executive, and SRT8. We’re looking at the non-traditional customer and seeing what they’d like.”

Gallery: 2012 Chrysler 300 SRT8: New York 2011

New York 2011: Chrysler’s SRT division open to smaller engines, but there’s still a market for big V8s originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York 2011: Dodge’s new Avenger R/T stiffens up in the Big Apple

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Sedan, Dodge

2012 dodge avenger r/t

2012 Dodge Avenger R/T – Click above for high-res image gallery

Dodge seems eager to inject a shot of sportiness into any model it can. The redesigned Avenger is a model that could certainly use the help, thus the 2012 Dodge Avenger R/T seen here. While we would love to see an SRT-tuned version of the sedan (or a better sedan entirely), the R/T touches are a good start.

Rather than focusing efforts on the 283-horsepower, 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, the engineers at Dodge have elected to fiddle with the suspension. Roll stiffness, strut damping and spring rates have been increased both front and rear, while the rear stabilizer bar has grown from 19-millimeters out to 21-millimeters.

In order to let you know you’re looking at an Avenger R/T, Dodge has added a signature decal across the front fenders, an R/T badge on the back, a rear spoiler and 18-inch painted-aluminum wheels. You can see the upgrades for yourself by strolling through the gallery below. Pricing has not yet been released, but the car will arrive in the third-quarter. Click past the jump for all the details in the full press release.

Gallery: 2012 Dodge Avenger R/T: New York 2011

Gallery: 2012 Avenger R/T

Continue reading New York 2011: Dodge’s new Avenger R/T stiffens up in the Big Apple

New York 2011: Dodge’s new Avenger R/T stiffens up in the Big Apple originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Meat eaters, meet the Big Taste Grille

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Specialty

Big Taste Grill

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the world’s largest barbecue on wheels, the Johnsonville Sausage Big Taste grill. It’s been travelling the country since 1995, hitting up events like the Superbowl and Daytona 500, and turning ton after ton of pork into delicious, juicy bratwurst.

Not only does it rove the land dishing out grilled delicacies at every turn, the Big Taste Grill is a rolling fund raiser for a host of charity organizations. According to Johnsonville, they’ve used it to raise more than $3 million since its inception.

And with that… it’s high time for some tasty beer brats, don’t you think?

[Source: Big Taste Grill via USA Today Image: Big Taste Grill]

Meat eaters, meet the Big Taste Grille originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Production Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback says hello before big show

Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Hatchback, Chevrolet, UK

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback – Click above for high-res image gallery

Meet the Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback. This five-door Cruze will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, which officially kicks off on Tuesday, March 1st. The Cruze Hatchback concept that generated excitement at last year’s Paris Motor Show is the inspiration for this production model, which has a sloping roofline that’s more sleek than geek. Cargo space is improved, of course, and doubly weep-inducing for North American hatchback fans, this one will only be available in Europe, with a delicious 161-horsepower diesel engine and six-speed manual transmission available.

The Cruze Hatchback will be in UK Chevrolet showrooms next to the latest Orlando, Captiva and Aveo models starting in the summer. With the Cruze recently winning the British Touring Car Championship and the World Touring Car Drivers and Constructors Championship, there’s a possibility that a Cruze Hatchback could be campaigned in motorsport, as well. Check the press release after the jump for the official Chevy announcement.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Production Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback says hello before big show

Production Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback says hello before big show originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barrett-Jackson 2011: Big Toe Monster Bike *Update: w/video

Filed under: Auctions, Motorcycle, Specialty

Big Toe Monster Bike

Big Toe Monster Bike – Click above for high-res image gallery

Here we have another one of Speed’s Fantasy Bidding Game machines. Click here if you’d like to test your auction pricing mettle by guessing what this monster motorcycle will end up bringing at the auction block – you could end up winning a prize, like an Apple iPad.

Tom Wilberg, the Swedish creator of this machine, named it Big Toe, and it is indeed a chip off the old block… that is to say, Bigfoot, the most famous monster truck known to man. Clever, no?

We’re not going to argue with Wilberg or The Guinness Book of World Records when they claim that Big Toe is the World’s Tallest Rideable Motorcycle, but we do have to wonder if our definition of the word rideable differs with theirs.

In any case, this larger-than-life, tractor-tired, 5.3-liter V12-powered motorcycle is getting ready to roll across the auction block here at the 2011 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, and you can see its official auction page here. Check out our high-res image gallery of the machine below.

*Update: Check out the video of the Monster Bike being auctioned after the break.

Gallery: Big Toe Monster Bike at Barrett Jackson 2011

Big Toe Monster Bike at Barrett Jackson 2011

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2011: Big Toe Monster Bike *Update: w/video

Barrett-Jackson 2011: Big Toe Monster Bike *Update: w/video originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Slew of big personnel changes take hold at GM

Filed under: Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Buick, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

It’s musical chairs season at General Motors. The automaker has announced a rash of personnel changes in positions ranging from U.S. vice president to chief technology officer. Perhaps most interestingly, The General has appointed Mary Barra as the company’s new vice president of global product development. That’s quite a change from her previous post, where Berra served as the vice president of global human resources – a position she’s held since 2009. Berra officially takes the reins on February 1.

That’s the same day that Linda Marshall will take up her new post as president of OnStar. Marshall is taking the place of Chris Preuss, who has left GM to work as a communications consultant. Marshall joined OnStar in 2010 as the company’s executive director of business strategy and development. Before that, she held senior executive positions with both Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel.

GM has also cooked up a new position to handle the wave of new technology flooding into vehicles. Vice Chairman Thomas G. Stephens has been chosen to be the company’s new global chief technology officer. Stephens will be responsible for investigating new “game-changing” technologies for the company’s products. He most recently served as the company’s vice chairman of global product operations.

On the marketing side of things, Chris Perry has replaced Joel Ewanick as the GM vice president of global marketing. The move allows Rick Scheidt to take over Perry’s old duties as the U.S. vice president of Chevrolet marketing. Ewanick, meanwhile, has moved to become the company’s global chief marketing officer.

Additionally, John Schwegman has moved from being the U.S. vice president of Buick-GMC marketing to just handling VP duties for GMC. Tony DiSalle will take over as VP of Buick marketing. DiSalle formerly held a position as the product and marketing director for the Chevrolet Volt. Hit the jump for a slew of press releases.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Slew of big personnel changes take hold at GM

Slew of big personnel changes take hold at GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford’s Big Goal in 2011: Get out of junk status, lower loan rates

Filed under: Ford, Earnings/Financials

2010 was a banner year for Ford Motor Company. Market share and profits were as good as they’ve been in years, and there is genuine buzz surrounding the Blue Oval’s cars and trucks. Heck, even Ford’s stock has been a monumental success. But not all that glitters is gold, as Ford is still mired in junk bond status, which in turn makes it more expensive to borrow money. That makes it more pricey for Ford to offer incentives to customers, and lease terms are less attractive than they would otherwise be.

K.R. Kent, Ford’s new executive director of investor relations, is charged with getting Ford out of Junk status. Automotive News reports that Ford has been in junk status since 2005 and is currently four grades below junk status after being upgraded by two levels back in August. Ford CFO Lewis Booth admits that the company still has “a lot of steps to go before we get to investment grade.” Making the matter more urgent for Ford is the fact that Ally Financial, the finance arm for General Motors and Chrysler, became a bank holding company in the second quarter of 2009. Since that time, AN says that it has been cheaper for Ally to secure loans than Ford Credit.

We’re thinking that Ford has a big job in the year ahead, and getting out of junk status will likely take improved auto sales and continued quarterly profits. Booth says Ford will reach its junk-free goal by showing the investment community “authoritative and highly credible insight into our automotive business and Ford Credit.”

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Ford’s Big Goal in 2011: Get out of junk status, lower loan rates originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Facing high gas prices, dealers get cautious with big SUVs

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Crossover

SUV parking lot

The average gas price in the U.S. is over $3 right now, and there’s a good chance it’ll go higher before too long. What do you do in this situation if you’re a car dealer with a lot full of SUVs and big crossovers? You start being cautious.

That’s the takeaway point from an Automotive News article, with the key quote coming from a New York Ford dealer, who told the industry publication:

SUVs are still important in this area, but people are downsizing to more fuel efficient SUVs instead. We are still stocking with the idea that it may go either way. Hoping for the best, but prepared for anything.

For the moment, gas prices aren’t high enough to make people panic and try to offload their gas hogs the way we saw in 2008, but Kelley Blue Book analyst Alec Gutierrez told Automotive News that SUV sales could drop “dramatically” once gas reaches $3.50 or $4 a gallon, saying, “The days where a dealer could just go to auction and stock up on a bunch of SUVs and hold them for 40 or 60 days are over.”

The last time gas jumped up to panic levels was in 2008. That’s when Joe Crawford took the picture that illustrates this post. In the accompanying Flickr caption, he writes:

So a local (Culver City) car dealer started storing cars on the top of our parking garage. I always park on the roof, so anytime I am up there I see the cars. I have taken to think of these cars as an economic indicator. They all seem to be SUV vehicles. I wonder about why they are up there, and why there seems to be more every week. I suspect the fact that they’re stored here has something to do with the price of gas.

We suspect he’s right, and we can’t imagine there are dealers out there who want to have to go through a process like that again.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req. | Image: Joe Crawford – C.C. 2.0]

Report: Facing high gas prices, dealers get cautious with big SUVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mercedes students create B55 using big V8 and little B-Class

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Europe, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz B55

Mercedes-Benz B55 – Click above for high-res image gallery

After the nuclear apocalypse wipes out all of civilization, there will still be cockroaches wedging huge engines into tiny cars. You just can’t kill the oldest recipe in hot rodding history, and for good reason. As a handful of trainees at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Rastatt just found out, the big engine, small car combo is the easiest way to mint cheap speed. Plant manager Peter Wesp got the idea to squeeze a 5.5-liter 385 horsepower V8 from the likes of the big E550 into the Silver Arrow’s trim B-Class.

After finding a B200 CDI that had been sacrificed to training, Wesp and his team set about the mechanical contortions necessary to pull off the swap. Surprisingly enough, the workers were able to use the original engine mounts, and with a little parts-bin raiding, everything was sitting pretty under the hood. The team snugged in a rear axle from a W 2010 E-Class, front brakes lifted from a C32 AMG and bolted on snazzy 18-inch wheels from AMG as well. How’s that for perfection? Hit the jump for the full press blast.

Gallery: Mercedes-Benz B55

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Continue reading Mercedes students create B55 using big V8 and little B-Class

Mercedes students create B55 using big V8 and little B-Class originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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