GM Plans Chevy Orlando Concept All-In-One Utility Vehicle, Apparently Unfamiliar With Idiom: “Jack of All Trades, Master of None”

Beating the Ford Kuga to the American punch, Chevy has announced plans to unveil their new crossover SUV, the Chevy Orlando, at the Paris auto show next month. The 7-seater multi-purpose vehicle is part of Chevy’s attempt at shifting with the growing trend, namely, growing young families who need the space, but resist buying a minivan like a cat avoids water. Chevy spokeswoman Nancy Libby explained to Auto News, “Chevrolet is looking at all its options to meet the needs of buyers…We’re looking at what works in markets around the world.”

Apparently, what buyers around the world want is a family wagon/van/SUV crossover that is just ambiguous enough to convey either “I’m a single guy who mountain bikes on the weekends” or “We’re late for soccer practice.” For the ambitious single father whose going for both, however, the Orlando’s rear tinted windows provide the perfect cover for the dual car seats you’ve got riding in the back while you lay your best mack down on the knockout sitting next to you at the red light.

Related posts:

• Detroit 3 win Ben Stein's money support
• Chrysler Improves Gas Mileage by 2 MPG on 2009 Minivans
• Infiniti Hits a Home Run with the Stunning Essence Concept
• Looking Back: November 2006
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS - SPY SHOTS

Related posts:

• BYD F0 Sport Unveiled At Guangzhou Auto Show [Guangzhou International Auto Show]
• Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The Million Dollar Oldsmobile? [Nice Price Or Crack Pipe]
• 2010 Volvo C70
• Cover Your Eyes: The Porsche Panamera Mega Gallery [Porsche Panamera]
• Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni

Read More!

Science Proves Hot Cars = Hot Girls

A study commissioned by the ultra-exclusive British insurer Hiscox proves beyond all doubt that supercars turn women on, and econo-cars just don’t.

David Moxon subjected 40 men and women to the sounds of a Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and a Volkswagen Polo then measured the amount of testosterone in their saliva (a measure of arousal). He found everyone had higher levels of the stuff, especially women, after hearing the first three revving supercars. As for the VW Polo? Everyone had less testosterone after listening to it.

“We knew owners of luxury cars felt a connection with the sound of their vehicles,” says Steve Langan, managing director of the insurance company. “We have now scientifically proven the physical attraction people feel when it comes to cars.”

100% of the women were aroused by the Maserati.

“We saw significant peaks in the amount of testosterone in the body, particularly in women,” Maxon says, noting that even women who said they had no interest in cars were turned on. “Testosterone is indicative of positive arousal in the human body so we can confidently conclude from the results out today that the roar of a luxury car engine actually does cause a primeval physiological response.”

And yet, a survery by GM found that nearly nine in 10 women would rather talk to a guy in a Prius than a Porsche, and eighty percent of respondents said they find people who drive fuel efficient cars more interesting than those that don’t.

So theres a disconnect here, as always, between what women say they want, and what they actually want. How surprising.

Related posts:

• Porsche CEO Goes Bye-Bye
• 2010 Porsche Panamera SPY SHOTS from Vegas
• VW Recalls 340,000 Jettas and Rabbits
• More Photos of the 2009 VW Scirocco Leaked
• VW denies reports of pulling sixth-generation Golf from U.S.

Related posts:

• 465 Horsepower Porsche 911 GT3 RSR Unveiled
• Porsche spy shot day at The German Car Blog
• Porsche Boxster S: Kills Jeremy Clarkson!
• SEAT ALL NEW EXEO SALOON
• Porsche Cayman: Spy shots of the second generation!

Read More!

MG Kills TF Roadster’s American Debut, Correctly Assumes U.S. Market Already Saturated With Fruity Little Cars

MG TF Roadster

After China’s Nanjing Automobile Corporation bought the ailing MG Rover back in 2005, all traces of new production had virtually disappeared. Three years later, MG’s ghost town of a plant in Longbridge, England has begun to churn out cars again, though in a very small capacity. According to NAC MG’s Sales & Marketing Director, Gary Hagen, the small number of TF Roadsters currently being assembled are meant to serve as the comeback kids for the MG line. Originally, a slightly over-ambitious NAC MG had plans to introduce the MG TF Roadster to the United States, but Sales & Marketing Director Gary Hagen reportedly told UK’s Austin Rover that the U.S. “just isn’t on the short-term radar as an anticipated market for us.”

According to Hagen, MG is planning 4 new models, the first of which is slated for launch in 2010 and will share the Roewe 550 platform. “After that,” Hagen continued, “There will be a C-Segment compact and a B-Segment supermini.” Although an eventual North American launch is still very much in the cards, MG is wisely opting to regain their footing on their home turf before throwing themselves into the cutthroat U.S. market.

[Source: Austin-Rover UK]

Related posts:

• Infiniti Hits a Home Run with the Stunning Essence Concept
• Consumer Reports Flubs Child Seat Study
• Looking Back: November 2006
• Two 1950's show cars up for grabs at January RM auction
• Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS - SPY SHOTS

Related posts:

• 2009 Ford Fiesta Spy Photos...Ford Gets Serious About Small Cars
• Suburban Dad: 2007 Nissan Armada
• Gary and Pam Beineke’s Awesome 1971 One of None Superbird
• Top Gear Russia 01×06
• Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 3 Engine and Drive Train CC: 2968 ...

Read More!

Lexus Nuaero: Self-Absorbed Car Designers Rejoice

Jon Rådbrink’s Lexus Nuaero concept

Ah, car design students, they’re pretentiousness embodied. Aside from actors, there really is no more self-absorbed group. Young Swedish designer, Jon Rådbrink, presented this concept at the Royal College of Art graduation show in London last month. This really is function sacrificed at the altar of faux-futurist form.

It’s called the Lexus Nuaero, and instead of a transmission, it has individual motors located at each wheel. That design also allows for open, catamaran underbody, since there’s no driveshaft or trans under there. There’s also no brake or gas pedal, all the controls are in an airplane style steering wheel. To apply the brakes, you push the wheel away from you. That’s actually all well and good, new design is interesting and shakes things up, what bothers me is the designers idea of what defines quality.

See, the Nuaero is 15 and a half feet long, 6 and a half feet wide, 4 feet high, with a 11 foot wheelbase…yet it weighs 1700 pounds, about the same as a Smart Fortwo. It seems like a stiff wind would loft this car up like a kite.

“I believe that this design paradox of low weight and large presence could be the way we’ll define premium in the future,” the designer says.

Really? Because that’s actually how most human beings intuitively define “low quality”, the exact opposite of premium. Low weight + large presence = no substance. It’s just a big hollow plastic form. But then again, maybe I was a little harsh, what do you think?

Here’s the pics and a video:

Related posts:

• Should All Cars Have Gas Mileage Displays?
• Hybrid Cars getting Special Parking Privileges
• 20th Anniversary Subaru Impreza WRX STi Revealed For Japan [Subaru WRX STI]
• Infiniti's 1-Series Fighter is Still 3 Years Away
• 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part Two [Jalopnik Reviews]

Related posts:

• Harley-Davidson Iron 883: No Frills
• Download Scooby Doo Meets Batman
• Scooby Doo Meets Batman Full Length Download
• Greener golf with a solar golf cart
• Herbie Fully Loaded Download

Read More!

Toyota Looks To Export Tundra, Sequoia; Says Big Girls Can’t Get No Love

Toyota Tundra Gets Dumped By North American Buyers

In response to large-vehicle sales reaching record lows in North America, Toyota announced tentative plans to begin exporting the Tundra pick-up truck and Sequoia SUV. Explaining Toyota’s plan [still in the preliminary stages of implementation], Steve St. Angelo, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, said that the large vehicle market overseas isn’t nearly as dismal, there could be a sizable niche for exported pick-ups and SUVs [see: military junta fleet sales].

According to Toyota reports, sales of the Toyota Tundra were down this past month 15.2% while the Toyota Sequoia enjoyed a momentary break from the trend with a 32.8% increase this month. After recording high inventories of both vehicles, however, on Friday, August 8th, Toyota began idling plants responsible for production while they attempt to navigate through the rocky economy. Production is scheduled to resume in mid-November, but the near future for the Tundra and the Sequoia on American soil is looking grim.

[Source: Automotive News]

Related posts:

• Consumer Reports: Honda Insight Disappoints
• Ford F-150 Raptor Teased In Online Video [Ford F-150 Raptor]
• Five Possibilities For National "Car Czar" [Carpocalypse Now]
• Fiat Reinvents Chrysler
• The Thunderstorm Is Part Geo Storm, Part Subaru Brat, 100% Awesome [Found On EBay]

Related posts:

• Ten Questionable Best Used Car Deals
• Formula One Pot Boils Over
• Gazprom wants to create a network of natural gas fueling stations
• 2009 Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid: First Drive [Jalopnik Reviews]
• Should we be thinking about standardized everything for plug-in vehicles?

Read More!

The Shuanghuan CEO: Showdown At The EU Corral

 
The Shuanghuan CEO has been put on official notice.

The uproar started at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year when Hebei, the Beijing-based parent company of Shuanghuan, introduced their new SUV, the CEO, to the public. The Shuanghuan, a 4-wheel drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon, features a 5-speed manual transmission, and a DOHC 16-valve, 4-cylinder in-line engine.

Oh yeah, and approximately 120-horsepower.

Regardless of the glaring mechanical differences between the CEO and the X5,  the CEO apparently bore enough of a resemblance to the BMW X5 at the Frankfurt Auto Show so as to cause the Bavarian auto company’s skin to prickle. Essentially crying highway robbery, BMW filed a lawsuit against Shuanghuan in September 2007 for blatant design and copyright infringement; ultimately seeking to ban the sale of Shuanghuan CEO’s in Germany. In June of 2008, a Munich court sided with BMW and ordered the production and distribution of Shuanghuan CEO’s in Germany to halt immediately. Additionally, all current models of the CEO are to be destroyed and/or permanently removed from German roads. In response to the ruling, Shaunghuan officials assured the public that they would be appealing the decision to the European Union.

The obvious failure in the German market aside, the Shuanghuan has been met with mild success in the rest of the European market and is rumored to be currently evaluating the merits of a North American launch. I say, Hi-Ho Shuanghuan, we Americans love a little bit of scandal.

Related posts:

• Bentley: Considering hybrid and diesel engines!
• Stupid Mutual Exclusivity Of The Day: Audi A8L Option Packages
• A BMW 1-Series Hatchback in the Dakar Rally?
• Yet Pontiac is the company with the slogan of “game changing performance.” ...
• Getting Out of Your Lease For Cheap

Related posts:

• ExxonMobil Posts Largest Profit In US History, Makes $1,865.69 A Second [News]
• Jaguar launches anniversary XK60 model
• Novitec Rosso Ferrari 430 Scuderia Photos & Specs
• 2007 Detroit Auto Show: 2008 Lexus IS-F
• Lexus F range could expand to include LS F

Read More!