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Report: Perana Z-One finally enters production

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing

Perana Z-One

Perana Z-One – Click above for high-res image gallery

Zagato’s been keeping busy, what with the TZ3 Stradale, a new Aston Martin, and the rumored Fiat 500 coupe. Now, PistonHeads reports that another another sexy Zagato-bodied sports car can join the party. The Perana Z-One has finally reached production, with UK deliveries set to commence.

The Z-One, as you might recall, debuted in March 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show, where it stole the spotlight. The custom chassis was reportedly set up by Lee Noble – the same talent behind a variety of cottage-industry sportscars wearing names like Ultima, Ascari, Rossion, Fenix and, of course, Noble. Powered by a442-hp GM LS3 V8, it’s bound for these shores as well, with the order book now open – though precisely when we’ll begin receiving deliveries remains to be seen.

Perana Z-One finally enters production originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 May 2011 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM investing $109M in MI to boost 1.4L Ecotec production

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Earnings/Financials

General Motors has announced that it is investing $109 million to support production of its 1.4-liter Ecotec engine in Michigan. This will create (or protect) 96 jobs at The General’s manufacturing facilities in the cities of Flint and Bay City.

In Flint, $84 million will be used to increase production capacity of the engine, while in Bay City, the remaining $25 million will go towards increasing production of the connecting rods and camshafts used in the 1.4-liter mill.

Currently, GM uses the 1.4-liter engine in both the Cruze and Volt, the former of which adds a turbocharger. Later this year, the 1.4 will find its way under the hood of the new ~~Aveo~~ Sonic subcompact. Follow the jump for GM’s official release.

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GM investing $109M in MI to boost 1.4L Ecotec production originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 May 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2,000-hp “Lamborghini” Indomable Concept to find its way into production

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Etc., Videos, Lamborghini

mostro di-potenza sf22

Mostro Di-Potenza SF22 promises serious power and performance – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Lamborghini Indomable was born from the minds of Daniel Chinchilla Ochoa and Alberto Fernandez Albilares. A concept, it was created as part of a design program sponsored by Lamborghini. Now, however, this conceptual vision is going to become a reality – only it won’t be built in Sant’Agata Bolognese.

A company called 215 Racing has acquired the rights to the Indomable design, and it plans to turn out a production version of the design team’s rendering. Based in Abington, PA, 215 Racing will produce the car, which will be called the SF22, through its sub-company Mostro Di-Potenza. That name means “Monster Power” in Italian, and the moniker doesn’t lie.

According to the company, power for the SF22 will be provided a mid-mounted twin-turbocharged 9.4-liter(!) V8 engine. The mill is a General Motors 572, which will be paired with a six-speed sequential gearbox. 215 Racing expects this beast to produce 2,000-horsepower and 2,000 pound-feet of torque. Just a quick recap for you, this isn’t a train we’re talking about but a road-going two-door that is propelled via its rear wheels.

Of course, any company can claim such dramatic power numbers. So, we can only wait to see just how capable the finished Mostro Di-Potenza SF22 turns out – if indeed salable examples are produced at all. The company plans to build 50 examples total, at a rate of two per month over the course of two years, and says it’s now taking orders for mid-2012 deliveries. The initial deposit will only cost you $1,000, but the fully built vehicle will run you close to $950,000. Click past the jump for the full press release and a video that shows off the Indomable concept from all angles.

Continue reading 2,000-hp “Lamborghini” Indomable Concept to find its way into production

2,000-hp “Lamborghini” Indomable Concept to find its way into production originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM considering cut in full-size truck production

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2011 gmc sierra

2011 GMC Sierra – Click above for high-res image gallery

As the price of fuel rises, those shopping for automobiles began to take an even deeper look at their options before plunking down the greenbacks. It’s an economics carnival ride that never seems to stop running, and consumers can never stop riding. General Motors has been paying extra attention to the amount of trucks it’s selling, and it knows that a 111-day stockpile of full-size pickups is less than ideal.

One month is hardly a trend, however, and GM’s North American President Mark Reuss will be eyeballing the company’s pickup truck inventory as the weeks progress. Should the amount of trucks sitting on lot stay high, Reuss will have to scale back production of his full-size work horses.

As trucks sit and fuel prices rise, economy cars start to look more attractive to shoppers. GM saw a record number of Chevrolet Cruze sedans finding new homes in April. Even though its compacts are surging, trucks haven’t fallen completely flat. Year-to-date demand for pickups, despite falling last month, is still up compared to 2010.

GM considering cut in full-size truck production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 May 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda to shift production schedules in North America

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Acura, Honda

2011 honda accord

2011 Honda Accord – Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda is continuing to adjust its production schedules in the wake of the March 11 earthquake in Japan, and the shuffling will reportedly continue at U.S. plants as well.

The plan is to run full production shifts at U.S. facilities on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from May 9 through July 1, with a single eight-hour shift added for Thursdays. With the exception of Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana plant, all U.S. facilities were running two shifts prior to parts shortages. Workers at these facilities reportedly won’t feel the pinch of the abbreviated production schedules either, as they will have the choice of staying home or completing training without a pay penalty.

Honda spokesperson Ed Miller reportedly told Automotive News the reason for the shift is that it’s more efficient to run operations that way. The automaker likely won’t make any decisions about U.S. production beyond July 1 until the situation is more clear.

On Monday, Honda announced it was suspending June and July dealer orders for the CR-Z, Civic Hybrid, Fit, Acura TSX and Acura RL. Those vehicles are built in Japan, where shortages are still severe. At this point, the Japanese automaker is expecting operations to return to normal production before the end of the year.

This is all very bad news for Honda, and it’s bad for consumers as well. It appears that Honda showrooms are likely to be very short on product for an extended period of time.

Honda to shift production schedules in North America originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 May 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi considering production Q5 Cross Cabrio

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Crossover, Audi, Rumormill, Design/Style, Luxury

Audi Cross Cabriolet Concept

2007 Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was late in 2007 when Audi lifted the veil on the Cross Cabriolet concept. And it seemed absurd then. First of all, Audi only had the gigantic Q7 in its crossover range then, and Nissan had yet to offer its own CrossCabriolet. Several years on, that drop-top Murano is on the open market and Audi has expanded its line-up with the Q3 and Q5. And suddenly the notion of a drop-top CUV from Audi… well, it still seems pretty silly, but maybe not quite as much.

Now, word has it that Audi could be considering at least a limited run of Q5 Cross Cabrios. If production, as sources suggest, were limited to around 5,000 units, the contract could go to an independent coachbuilder rather than trying to fit the square peg of a niche model into the round hole of a mass-production automaker. In typical Audi style, Quattro all-wheel drive, a variety of TFSI and TDI engines and a fabric roof would likely be part of the mix. And while we may very well be getting ahead of ourselves, that’s what people said before Audi and its German compatriots started busting segments with their ever-expanding model lines.

Gallery: LA 2007: Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro

[Source: autoblog.nl]

Audi considering production Q5 Cross Cabrio originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 May 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saab to resume production after securing short-term loan

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, Earnings/Financials

Saab factory

Production at Saab’s Trollhättan, Sweden plant has been shut down for weeks due, as these things often are, to a lack of cash needed to pay suppliers. That should change in the next week, though, as Saab parent Spyker has announced that it has secured a convertible loan agreement with Gemini Investment Fund Limited worth 30 million euros.

The Swedish automaker says the loan will help reboot the plant, but Saab is also counting on a 29.1-million-euro draw-down from the request to the European Investment Bank, which will reportedly arrive next week. With both loans, Saab says in the post-jump press release that it will be able to resume production at Trollhättan, pending a delivery schedule agreement with suppliers.

The loan, which matures in six months and carries a seven-percent interest rate, will act only as a stopgap measure to enable a production restart. Saab is reportedly also trying to strike a deal with a Chinese automaker to help stabilize its operations and provide much-needed funding. Saab is said to be continuing to work out a deal with Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov, who hopes to own 30 percent of the automaker. Hit the jump to read over the press release.

Continue reading Saab to resume production after securing short-term loan

Saab to resume production after securing short-term loan originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 02 May 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opel previews production Astra GTC ahead of Frankfurt debut

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Europe, Hatchback, Opel, Vauxhall

2012 Opel Astra GTC

2012 Opel Astra GTC – Click above for high-res renderings

A staple product of General Motors’ overseas subsidiaries, the Opel Astra has been a long time in the making. The five-door hatchback was revealed back in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which was then followed by the GTC show car that previewed the three-door version in concept form (along with the production Sport Tourer wagon variant) a year later at the Paris Motor Show. Another year after that, Opel will unveil the production three-door GTC in Frankfurt this coming September. The final product is still undergoing development, but while GM’s German division irons out the kinks, they’ve released these preliminary images showing us what to expect from the production version.

Although still months away from its public debut, the order books for the Astra GTC will officially open on June 7, when full details will be revealed. The Astra range, you’ll recall, is also offered a Vauxhall in the UK, as the Buick Excelle XT in China, and as a Chevrolet in Latin America. But while Saturn had a version of the more angular previous-generation model, now that the brand is shut, we’ll likely have to do without. That’s a shame, because we recently saw a five-door model out on the road while overseas and were struck by its fluid design. So we’ll just have to do with admiring from afar. Follow the jump for the brief press release, and scope out the pair of images in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Opel Astra GTC

[Source: Opel]

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Opel previews production Astra GTC ahead of Frankfurt debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Renesas Electronics to restart automotive microchip production early

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda, Nissan, Toyota

Renesas Japan’s Renesas Electronics Corp. is moving up the restart date for automotive microchip production at its last inactive plant. The company says it should have operations back up and running at its Naka plant the week of June 15, a couple weeks earlier than its original estimate.

Renesas is the world’s largest supplier of chips for cars, and is a major kink in the parts supply line for Japanese automakers. The Naka plant was damaged in the March earthquake, and will be Renesas’ last facility to resume production.

The plant will operate on a limited schedule at first, building around 3,000 200-millimeter wafers a month, down from a pre-earthquake total of almost 34,000. To compensate, the company has shifted some production burden from Naka to its other manufacturing plants. For now, Renesas is focused on getting any production restarted, but should know by mid-May when it can resume at full capacity. Read the press release after the jump.

[Source: Renesas via Automotive News | Image: Renesas Electronics Corporation]

Continue reading Report: Renesas Electronics to restart automotive microchip production early

Report: Renesas Electronics to restart automotive microchip production early originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia adding Optima production line to Georgia plant

Filed under: Sedan, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Kia

2011 kia optima ex

2011 Kia Optima EX – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Kia Optima has been a resounding success from the minute the midsize sedan’s redesigned 2011 model hit dealer showrooms. Optima sales have nearly doubled since its November introduction, which has helped the automaker claim a 36 percent sales increase on the year.

The Korean automaker seems to think the good times will continue into the future, announcing a third hiring wave at the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia plant. The additional employees will help increase Optima output when the 2012 model arrives in the third quarter. This is good news for the red-hot Kia brand, and those looking for work in Georgia are likely excited as well. Kia says in the post-jump press release that its hiring spree will increase the workforce at the facility to 3,000 workers. Hit the jump to read over the official release.

Gallery: 2011 Kia Optima EX: Review

2011 Kia Optima EX

[Source: Kia]

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Kia adding Optima production line to Georgia plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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