Pontiac G8 to be Reborn as the Chevrolet Caprice in the USA, According to Lutz

No sooner that we learned that Bob Lutz reversed his decision to retire from GM at the end of the year, deciding to extend his career as the firm's vice chairman in charge of all "creative elements of products and customer relationships", and the 77-year old is offering American car nuts a reason to celebrate. In an interview with Automobile Magazine, Lutz revealed that the Pontiac G8 isn't dead after all.

Despite the fact that only a month ago, in a live chat with online readers, GM CEO Fritz Henderson supported that the rear-wheel drive Pontiac sports sedan won't live in another brand, Lutz told the magazine that the G8 will be reborn in the USA as the Chevrolet Caprice.

"The last time we looked at the G8, we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Can't disagree with Lutz on that one....

He also added that other key factors in this decision were the export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet.

What Lutz didn't say is in what form the G8 will survive in the USA - as a Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8 with a Chevy grille or will GM prefer to import the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman / Caprice? That's probably a good point to start the conversation in the comment section below.

In addition to the G8, Lutz told the magazine that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe could be closer to production than we think, noting that that members of the government taskforce were quite interested in the BMW M3-challenging sports coupe during the presentation of the firm's product plan.

"When we went through design and looked at the future product, the procession stopped at the model of the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe," Lutz said. "I think that some of these guys are personally going to buy CTS-V Coupes."

Source: Automobile , Via: Autoblog.com

Insignia VXR to Make UK Debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The high-performance version of the Opel /Vauxhall Insignia will make its first appearance in Britain at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed that runs from July 3-5. The 325HP Insignia VXR (OPC for the rest of Europe) will run the famous hillclimb course twice a day. Joining the Insignia will be the most powerful production model in Vauxhall's history, the rear-wheel-drive, 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engined VXR8 Bathurst S Edition 560HP that will be performing a 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' display in front of the Goodwood House.

GM's British arm will also showcase two concept studies from the past, the gullwing-door XVR that was displayed at the 1966 Geneva Salon and the SRV that made its debut at the 1970 Earls Court Motor Show.

GM Says Holden is Safe from Bankruptcy Proceedings, will be an Important Part of 'New GM'

It appears that -at least for the time being- Holden has escaped unscathed from the bankruptcy of its parent company, General Motors. As stated by the American automaker, Holden will continue normal operations in Australia and New Zealand as the company is not directly affected by GM's bankruptcy process in the US. "We don't anticipate this decision will have any direct impact on Holden's workforce, dealers, or suppliers," said Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mark Reuss.

"Holden is a subsidiary of GM but we are a corporate entity in our own right – an independent company under Australian law. Beyond that, GM has indicated that Holden will be an important part of the New GM," Reuss said.

According to Holden's chief, the automaker will continue to maintain its focus on the planned product programs and activities. "That means technology improvements to our best selling Commodore range, launching the all-new Holden Cruze this month, and the introduction of our locally-built fuel efficient, four cylinder small car next year," he added.

Report: Aussie Editor Says Recession will Kill GM's Holden Unit

As speculation grows on whether or not General Motors will be filling for bankruptcy, questions arise on the future of the company's subsidiaries such as the firm's Australian unit, Holden. In a report on the future of Australia's automobile industry from AAP that was hosted on several news sites, Clive Matthew-Wilson, Editor of the car buyers Dog & Lemon Guide, claims that Holden will most likely be the first carmaker from Down-Under to bite the dust due to the recession. "It's not a matter of whether they close down, but when they close down," said Matthew -Wilson referring to Holden, Ford and Toyota Australia.

On May 4, Holden slashed the Commodore's production of its in half at its in Elizabeth plant in South Australia in response to slow sales and a shift in Australian buyers taste to smaller vehicles. Matthew -Wilson told AAP that this move 'signaled the beginning of end for Holden'.

"Globally, there's a glut of new cars at bargain prices, yet Australia, which produces a small number of high cost cars, is trying to compete with countries like China, which produces ten million cars a year and pays its car workers as little as one dollar per hour. The Australian government can throw $6 billion or $600 billion at these car plants, but they still won't be economically feasible," he said.

In concern of Holden, we'd also add that, even if the future of the Australian auto industry as a whole wasn't so pessimistic as portrayed by Matthew-Wilson, with the reorganizing - bankruptcy -call it whatever you want of GM that is already trying to get rid of many brands like Hummer and Saab, Holden's outlook would still be seen challenging.

Source: AAP , Via: SMH

BMW 135i "tii" to take on F1 car and Holden V8 Supercar at 2009 Australian GP

A street-legal BMW 135i Coupe bearing the 'tii' livery will race against a Holden Commodore V8 Supercar and a BMW Sauber Formula 1 car at the "Ultimate Speed Comparison" event that takes place at this year's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The tii-branded 135i Coupe features a number of performance and cosmetic upgrades from the BMW Performance stable, all of which are available for order. The event is more of a crowd-pleasing spectacle than anything else as the small bimmer is seriously outmatched in terms of performance from both of its race-spec rivals.

The 135i Coupe "tii" has been fitted with a full BMW Performance aerodynamic package, road holding suspension set up, cross drilled and weight saving brake package, and 18-inch light-alloy wheels. Carbon fibre mirror covers and carbon fibre look bonnet with integrated roof and boot sports stripes, complete the changes over the standard car.

There are no mods under the hood with the 135i retaining the stock 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six with 306HP that launches the car from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h or 155mph.

Piloting the BMW 135i at this year's Ultimate Speed Comparison will be motoring journalist Paul Gover. Christian Klien will be at the helm of the BMW Sauber F1 race car while Greg Murphy will take on both BMW's in his Holden Commodore V8 Supercar.

The Ultimate Speed Comparison will be held on five separate occasions during the race weekend of the Australian GP. The event is run with a timed handicap, giving each car a chance at taking line honors.

Via: Worldcarfans

Ultimate Speed Comparison times:

11.40am Thursday 26 March

4.25pm Thursday 26 March

2.15pm Friday 27 March

1.00pm Saturday 28 March

1.10pm Sunday 29 March

Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S with 560HP Supercharged V8

In the land Down-Under, there's a saying that goes "there's nothing like a V8". Well, let's say that for the sake of conversation, we agree with our fellow Australians. What's even better than a 'normal' V8? The answer comes all the way from Great Britain and Vauxhall which introduced a new supercharged version of the Holden Commodore based (Pontiac G8 in the States), HSV Clubsport R8. Thanks to the addition of a Walkinshaw 122 Supercharger, the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S' 6.0-liter V8 dispenses a mighty 560-horsepower, compared with the standard car's 431HP.

Furthermore, Walkinshaw's 122 Supercharger also boosts torque from 550Nm to an impressive 715Nm (529-lbs /ft). No performance figures have been announced, but let's just tell you that the standard 431HP VRX8 with an automatic gearbox accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.9 seconds...

For the record, Vauxhall did not only bolt-on a blower to the LS3 V8. The engineered package also includes a large capacity intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a separate cold air intake and Walkinshaw-developed ECU map, while the standard manual gearbox is upgraded with a high-torque capacity clutch.

Buyers also have the option of adding a new Bi-Modal Exhaust that raises power by up to 10-horsepower and allows drivers to select one of two noise settings: 'Street', with an upper limit of 92dbA, or 'Optimum', which releases the LS3 V8's full 102dbA. The two-and-a-half inch diameter system is manufactured from stainless steel with unique chrome tail-pipe finishers and costs £1600.

Other modifications concern the new six-pot front and four-pot rear brake calipers stiffer, height-adjustable springs and Walkinshaw-developed coil-over dampers that have 15 separate valve settings with independent corner adjustment for the owner's preferred setup.

On the outside, the Bathurst S is identifiable by a distinctive graphic pack, front fog light covers and 'Bathurst' badges while inside a console-mounted badge showing the car's build number complements the 'Walkinshaw Performance' tread plates found inside each door opening.

The Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S will be produced in a limited number of units with prices in the U.K. set at £44,995 which comes to $66,520 U.S, $99,520 AUS and €51,300 with today's exchange rates.