2011 Buick Regal

GM America has officially released details & photos of the upcoming Buick Regal. It is basically a restyled Opel Insignia sedan with design cues pulled from the new Buick Regal that was launched last December in China. Buick calls it a "Sport Sedan" though it is very hard for me to see any sporty element on the Regal. Powering the Regal will be a 182-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission with manual-shift capability. There will be a smaller, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 220 hp added to the line-up late next summer. Fuel efficiency is rated at 30 mpg in EPA highway driving for the normally aspirated four while the turbo four is estimated at 29 highway.

The Buick Regal will come with a standard list of equipment like 18-inch wheels and tires, heated leather front seats, satellite radio, four-wheel disc brakes, all-independent suspension, stability and traction control, and Bluetooth capability. Optional upgrade list to your Regal includes rear-seat thorax bags, navigation, premium audio and an interactive drive control system offered only with the turbo engine, with driver-selectable suspension settings and 19-inch wheels and tires.

There are no indication of price yet with the official launching of the model taking place during the Los Angeles Motor Show. p.s. I will take the european Opel Insignia anytime over this.












Source : Insideline

Electric Cadillac Converj Simply Stunning

General Motors Co. will expand its electric vehicle lineup by building the Cadillac Converj, a luxury car some feared would never move beyond the concept stage because of GM's financial troubles. I have to say this is one extended-range electric car that is spared from design faux pas committed by most 'Green Vehicles' out there.

The concept which won accolades at the 2009 North American International Auto Show features solar panels on a glass roof, rear view cameras instead of exterior mirrors, 21-inch tires in the front and 22-inch in the rear. The Converj will have the technology developed for the Chevrolet Volt being assimilated into it. This move will help GM meet consumer demands appetite for electric vehicles & at the same time cut production cost through the spread of EV technology. The converj is also aimed at strengthening GM financially as The Caddy badge carries a premium over Chevrolet.

"Cadillac needs as much excitement in its portfolio as possible, so I think it's a good strategy for them," said Rebecca Lindland, director of auto industry research at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. Those of you that has already planned to have on in your garage have to wait for 2 years after the Volt is launched.


Source : Detnews

AutoAlert : Vauxhall Calibra

Set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show the stunning Vauxhall Calibra. The interior has a 2+2 cabin arrangement with the possibility of having GTC’s Flex4 arrangement, which allows the two seats in the back to slide fully forward, maximising boot space. Under the bonnet, power will come from a range of Astra-sourced engines, including a 157bhp 2.0-litre diesel and a 177bhp 1.6 turbo. A range-topping 2.0 turbo from the upcoming Astra VXR will kick out in excess of 250bhp. Potential rivals includes VW’s Golf-based Scirocco and Ford Capri. I have to disagree with Autoexpress's decision to include the Peugeot 308 RC Z in the list of potential rivals as I feel the 308 RC Z was engineered to take on the Audi TT which falls in the league of serious sports machine.

source : Autoexpress

AutoAlert : New Chevy Spark Debuting In Frankfurt

The new Chevy Spark will make its appearance in Deutchland this coming September for The Frankfurt Motor show. This mini car made famous by Transformers 2 will be available in most parts of Europe by the beginning of 2010 will initially be offered with 2 choice of newly developed powerplant which is the 1.0 liter & 1.2 liter all aluminium petrol engine. For the moment, both power are channeled to the front wheels via 5 speed manual gearbox with the 1.2 liter variant set to make the 0-100 km/h sprint in 12.4 seconds while returning a combined fuel consumption of under 5.0lt/100 km (47+ mpg US). GM should be offering the automatic transmission variant later judging by the interior shots below. The US market will be ushering this baby GM in first half of 2011. I foresee this model following the footsteps of the Chevy Cruze that will help GM improve its financial status if GM decides to throw in a generous amount of standard kit. I personally like the aggressive front end with its over sized Chevy grill and Headlamp which seems to conjure up an athletic feeling. Rival makes will be the Nissan Micra, Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto & Daihatsu Mira.

Source : Carscoop

AutoAlert: 2010 Opel Astra's interior shots

Opel has release high resolution pictures of the upcoming 2010 Astra ahead of its launch in the Frankfurt Motor Show. The sixth generation Opel Astra will also have its equivalent cousin sold under the Vauxhall badge screams style & functionality.

The dashboard design bears striking resemblance with the rest of the family member spawned out of the now bankrupt GM’s global platform like the Chevrolet Cruze & Vauxhall. Key design cues are the red ambient lighting, a four –gauge instrument panel with chrome outline sandwiching an LCD trip display and the use of high quality materials for the button & switches. Acknowledging the lack of storage space in the previous model, Opel came up with a sun glass casing above the door opening on the Driver’s side pen holders, under-seat drawer, a two part glove box & a center console capable of storing 9-CDs.

In my personal Opinion the Astra’s Interior elements are more Sporty in nature in comparison to Vauxhall’s Insignia which lends a more luxury ambiance to its owner. The Cruze’s interior appears to look the cheapest among the 3 unfortunately but it is justified by the fact that the Cruze occupies a lower price bracket.

Engine Options:
· 1.4 liter normally aspirated petrol giving out 120HP – 140HP with 175Nm - 200Nm of Torque.
· 1.4 liter turbo
· 180 HP 1.6 liter Turbo from Insignia
· 1.3,1.7 & 2.0 liter Turbo Diesel Engines.

Source : Paultan.org

Next Article : The Audi A5 Sportback

Related Article : The 2010 Saab 9-5