| Swiss tuner Hirsch Performance has revealed a new tuning program for the Saab 9-3 Convertible. Sporting a new aerodynamics package and an engine upgrade, the car takes only 6.4 seconds to accelerate from zero to 100km/h and achieves a top speed of 260km/h (162mph). The Hirsch Edition model will be officially available only in Germany. |
| What 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit has to offer automotive fans? This year 2009 NAIA in Detroit, Michigan will review last year NAIA 2008 and introduce some new cars for production 2010.Well, from their web, NAIAS will take place early next year Jan. 11 - 25, 2009.What i was expecting was review picture and performance of Lebanon First Supercar, Frem F1 by David Frem. |
With the current automotive industry crisis, the SUV segment took one of the hardest hits, sales dropping really fast. And the Detroit carmakers are being forced to cancel a lot of SUVs in order to keep going. Chrysler has already announced that the end of 2008 will also mark the end of the Aspen and Durango production. Earlier this month, GM has announced that they’ll stpo the production of Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Saab 9-7X SUVs in December. Now, through its vice president, Bob Lutz, GM has announced that it they’ve canceled plans for the next generation Tahoe and Suburban SUVs. Apparently, the $2 billion needed to completely redesign the cars and retool its assembly plants to build them is too much for GM right now, Inside Line reports.
The two models were scheduled to enter production in 2011 (together with next generation Yukon and Escalade), but slow sales (this year, Tahoe sales went down 30 percent) forced GM to take this decision. The carmaker didn’t say anything about the current models being continued until 2011 or canceled earlier.
After a few days ago we got the chance to see a sneak peek, today GM released the first teaser photos of their Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid that will be available in 2010. The GM blog post also mentions that design was and is a very important part of the Volt development because the drag force can account for up to 20 percent of the energy consumed in an average vehicle.
From the photos we can get a pretty good idea of the Volt’s styling, with the rounded and flushed front fascia, tapered corners and closed grille. Like one of our readers pointed out, it reminds us a little of Saab design, but still, that doesn’t meanit doesn’t look good.
Cadillac’s General Manager Jim Taylor recently confirmed that the next generation BLS sedan, which currently is available only in Europe will make it also be available to US customers in 2010. So far, Cadillac hasn’t decided on a name for the car, which will be placed right under the CTS in the range and it also hasn’t decided whether to offer the car with a V6 unit besides the 4-cylinder engine.
“There is a big debate as to whether it is four only. I think that is a bridge too far,” Jim Taylor said, quoted by Automotive News. “There is a piece of the team who is thinking, ‘Well, with this whole fuel economy and gas thing, we ought to go all the way, say, to fours.’ We are resisting that at this stage.”
The current BLS is not very successful in Europe, first of all because it’s built on the outdated Saab 9-3 platform and because Cadillac suffers from poor brand image compared to its German rivals, the BMW 3 Series or the Audi A4. The upcoming BLS will probably be based on a rear-wheel-drive shortened version of the Zeta platform and will be available in Europe too.
The next-generation Saab 9-5
sports sedan has been an on-off project for quite a while now and even though
the vehicle is supposed to be in showrooms by 2009, we have yet to see any
decent prototype models on the road. Instead, for the past few years Saab's
engineers have been fiddling around with Opel Vectra and now, Opel
Insignia test mules. These latest scoop pictures were shot by a reader of
Sweden's Auto Motor & Sport magazine
who stumbled upon a camouflaged Opel Insignia in a ferry boat from Denmark. A
closer look inside revealed that the test mule was equipped with a Saab-styled
dashboard. -Continued
Despite the fact that there's a
lot of reflection from the driver's window and even though the steering wheel is
from the Insignia (see picture below), it's rather clear that the dashboard
features all the typical Saab design elements such as the three-piece instrument
panel and the green illumination on all the controls.
And now for a bit of Q&A: Could this vehicle be a 2010 Saab 9-5 test mule? The answer is yes as the next 9-5 will be based on the Insignia platform and mechanics. Are we 100% certain? Of course we aren't - what kind of a question is that? If it isn't a 9-5, then what could it be? Well, there's a possibility that Saab might be working on the 9-3's replacement, but if that's the case and judging from GM's lack of cash, then expect to see a 20th Anniversary edition of the current 9-5 in 2017...
