Auto Mobiles

General Motors proudly accepts the award of most attractive SUV. Toyoda remains a distant loser as their vehicles are deemed as appliances with wheels.

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Geneva Motor Show, Green

var digg_url = 'http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/23/first-teaser-shot-of-the-tesla-model-s-appears/'; BusinessWeek has a story about last week's trials and tribulations at Tesla Motors, which wraps up most of what we already know, along with some new details. The investment bankers called up Tesla chairman Elon Musk to let him know that the company's IPO plans weren't going to fly in the current financial markets. Musk and the management team reacted quickly by slashing 25% of the company's workforce, shutting down the Rochester Hills, MI engineering office and pretty much halting all non-revenue producing work. That meant the much anticipated Model S sedan was put on the back burner until more cash was flowing into the coffers. Now, the four-door electric sport sedan won't be going into production until at least 2011.

Tesla SVP Darryl Siry tipped us off that the story was being published tonight and more importantly, to the presence of the photo you see above. That's recently hired Tesla design boss Franz von Holzhausen revealing a wee bit of the tail of the Model S. Siry tells us that we probably won't be seeing the whole car until the Geneva Motor Show next March. In the meantime, this is probably just the first of a series of teasers that will appear to keep the publicity pot boiling.

[Source: BusinessWeek via AutoblogGreen]

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Filed under: LA Auto Show, New York Auto Show, Spy Photos, Convertibles, Coupes, Nissan

Here's a question: Are spy shots really spy shots if the subject has been perfectly posed for the cameras? Our answer is "no," with the addendum that automakers regularly parade vehicles around in the hopes that a KGP or Lehmann lens is close by.

Further proof that InsideLine has pictures of Carlos Ghosn in a compromising position comes in the form of two shots of the next generation Nissan 370Z convertible wearing a bit of camo to cover its new nose and redesigned rump. However, further inspection - and a quick read of the text accompanying the pics - reveals that the images are merely Photoshopped versions of the mule that Nissan graciously delivered to InsideLine earlier this month, with the roof and white taping artfully removed.

According to IL, the drop-top Z will continue to use a power-folding soft-top, rather than the expensive and heavy mechanized hard-top coming to the Infiniti G37 convertible. It's a move that should keep both cost and weight in check, making it easier for the new 3.7-liter V6 to motivate Nissan's iconic Z.

Both six-speed manual and seven-speed automatic gearboxes will be offered when the convertible 370Z goes on sale next year, and IL says that the drop-top will be unveiled at the 2009 New York Auto Show, a few months after the coupe debuts in Los Angeles this November.

[Source: InsideLine]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Auction Action, Chevrolet

Click above for gallery of the 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport.

There are quite a few legendary Corvettes - the L88, ZL1 and Z06 to name a few - and modern day super Vettes will no doubt become future automotive icons, as well. None of them, however, have the status of the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport. Only five were produced by the "father of the Corvette", Zora Arkus-Duntov, to battle with Shelby's Cobra roadsters before General Motors cancelled its motorsports activities in 1964. The Grand Sports are rarely offered up for sale, and this is the first time one is being put up for auction. Both RM and Keith Martin, publisher of Corvette Market Magazine, have declared the car to be the most important Corvette ever to be offered for sale. This particular Grand Sport is chassis #002 and is one of only two roadsters. It features a completely original unrestored body and was previously owned by Roger Penske and George Wintersteen. No price estimates were given, but the bidding will surely go into the millions of dollars.

[Source: RM Auctions, Photos courtesy RM Auctions / Troy Wood]

Continue reading Rare 1963 Corvette Grand Sport to be auctioned in January

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Filed under: Convertibles, Supercars, Aston Martin, Special/Limited Editions

Aston Martin has a whole slew of new flagships on the way. The One-77 supercar has yet to be fully revealed, the Rapide four-door is in the pipeline, and the V12 Vantage is undergoing testing. But before any of those hit the market, Aston Martin is preparing to unveil a convertible variant of its current top-of-the-line model, the DBS. However reports suggest that the niche automaker is still undecided as to what name the drop-top Bond-mobile will carry.

Traditionally convertible Astons - four-seaters, particularly - have carried the Volante nameplate, as the DB9 currently wears, while the open-top version of the two-seat V8 Vantage carries the sportier Roadster nameplate. The DBS is based on the DB9 but does away with the rear seats (unless the customer asks nicely), leaving it somewhere in the middle, and leaving Richards, Bez and company scratching their heads. Have any suggestions for the Aston Martin management? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf via eGMCarTech]

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Buick, GM

Tiger Woods has been a Buick spokesman since 1999, but both General Motors and the greatest golfer of all time are in a holding pattern regarding a new endorsement contract. Tiger's current deal, which expires in 2009, was reportedly for $40 million over five years. Though getting Tiger was a coup for Buick, many wonder why GM would give the world's most popular athlete to its low volume Buick brand instead of Cadillac or even use him across multiple marques.

Both GM and Tiger are taking a wait-and-see approach towards negotiations on a new contract, with both sides having met once and agreed only on when they should meet a second time. The automotive landscape is tenuous at best, and GM is taking a major hit on the sales floor and on Wall St., which could make retaining Mr. Woods more difficult. We're pretty sure Tiger will end up hocking cars for one automaker or another, so the General better find some funds fast if it doesn't want to lose the 14-time majors champion to another brand.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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Filed under: Etc., Dodge, Humor

Want to celebrate Halloween with a unique jack-o-lantern that tells your whole neighborhood, "Hey! I'm a gearhead!"? You could try filling a hollowed pumpkin with gasoline and setting it alight, but we really, really don't recommend it. And if you some time on your hands, you could get some ideas from our Performance Pumpkin post.

But we like cars, not vegetable carving, and whatever gets us back to wrench-turning more quickly is what we want. Dodge apparently agrees, and is offering some simple yet effective ways for us to show our allegiance (i.e. give them free advertising). You can choose from either a Challenger farting flames or a Dodge Ram projectile vomiting on a wall and then driving away. At least that's what we see.

You can also submit pictures of your Dodge-themed gourd to Red Letter Dodge for a chance to win a limited-edition Challenger t-shirt. Or send them to us for a chance at international fame.

We also found a stencil for the Nissan GT-R courtesy of Steve at carspyshots.net for all you import loving pumpkin carvers out there. Thanks, Steve!


[Source: Red Letter Dodge]

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Filed under: Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Euro, Supercars, Nissan

Click above to view hi-res gallery of the Nissan GT-R Academy

With a 7:29 lap time, Nissan contends its GT-R is the King of the 'Ring. What better place, then, to introduce the new supercar to its European owners than the track infamously known as the Green Hell?

In conjunction with the Silverstone International racing school, Nissan is taking some 1,300 European GT-R customers to the Nurburgring over the course of 19 days to take ownership of their vehicles with some performance driving tutelage. The program at the 'Ring follows a similar one held for 500 British customers at Silverstone, the former host of the British Grand Prix. According to Nissan and Silverstone International, about half of the participants had taken some sort of advanced driving course before, but the overwhelming majority of them said the GT-R Academy was the best they'd experienced. We're still waiting for Nissan NA to offer something similar at Laguna, Road America or Miller Motorsports park. Just sayin'.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, GM

General Motors ended its Employee Discount for Everyone bonanza at the beginning of October, but it shouldn't be too hard to get a GM vehicle for the price employees pay thanks to a new initiative meant to goose the automaker's sales during this downturn. As it's done a few times in the past, GM is allowing each of its workers to bestow the gift of employee pricing to two additional persons of their choice. With sales painfully low, this move should come as a surprise to no one. Plus, these tactics work, to a degree, as the General's sales figures were actually a few percentage points better than its rivals during September when the Employee Discount for Everyone promotion was in full effect. With that in mind, you can still get a good deal on a GM vehicle just by asking around.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GM, Earnings/Financials

Back in July, General Motors announced its plan to reduce salary spending by 20% and its white-collar workforce by 15% or 5,100 jobs. Those workers are out of a job on November 1st, but a new round of job cuts means even more empty cubicles for the world's largest automaker. The Detroit News is reporting that GM plans to lay off more white-collar workers despite having already reached its goal of reducing the company's salaried workforce by 5,100 jobs. While a specific number of how many more jobs would be cut wasn't given, a letter sent to GM execs confirms that more pink slips will be handed out by the end of this year and into early 2009. To further reduce spending, GM is also canceling certain employee benefits including its 401k matching program, tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance programs. All of these spending cuts are meant to help GM weather the storm until the auto industry bounces back from its own recession. We're sure that's little consolation to the men and women who are out of a job in the mean time, but with fewer and fewer people buying new cars and trucks, GM has little choice.

[Source: The Detroit News]

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