Variance

Only 30 HUMMER dealers nationwide? That doesn't sound right.

The only things that are priceless are your silly theories and ideas about Japan and Germany wanting to take over America.

Outrageous C6 Corvette to be Shown at SEMA ...[T]he Outrageous C6 lives up to its name by adding a Pro Charger supercharger and Corsa exhaust that kick the car's power output up to 650 hp, as well as 5,600 watts of Sony sound gear, a Le Mans wing and Lambo doors. The overall result is... interesting, and certainly outrageous. We could envision any number of NFL superstars proudly piloting this Vette to the stadium on any given Sunday, and it will surely fit in with the type of cars we expect to encounter at the SEMA show in a couple weeks. Read "Outrageous C6 Corvette set for SEMA debut" @ Autoblog

Chrysler Considering Closing Up Delaware Plant DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group will tap executives from its German parent's Mercedes division to study restructuring moves, including the potential closure of an auto assembly plant, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. The company also plans to seek longer-term relationships with its suppliers as part of a sweeping new cost-cutting effort, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The initiative aims to cut $1,000 in costs from each of the vehicles Chrysler produces - a goal that, if reached, could save billions of dollars, according to the paper. Read "Chrysler may close plant in big cost-cutting move" @ CNNMoney

U.S. Kia Plant Groundbreaking Occuring Today The AIADA newsletter reported that Kia Motors President Chung Eui Sun is coming to America this week to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the automaker's $1 billion assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. The automaker had planned to host the event in April, but plans were delayed when South Korean prosecutors would not allow Chung to travel amid an ongoing investigation by the South Korean government. The plant is expected to be completed in 2009, with an initial capacity target of 200,000 vehicles annually. Read "Groundbreaking for Kia's First U.S. Plant To Take Place Today" @ The Auto Channel

More Legal Issues for Delphi Delphi Corp.'s creditors committee said this week it found several financial discrepancies in the monthly fee statements of Delphi's attorneys and other hired professionals. The creditors committee -- the court-appointed group that consults and investigates Delphi's bankruptcy reorganization -- found, among other things, that one law firm charged more than $10,000 in travel expenses for just two lawyers without detailing the expenditures; two other law firms charged more than they previously said they would, and an attorney at one law firm reported working exactly 8 hours nearly every day she worked, an uncommon practice. Read "Delphi legal bills are in question" @ Detroit Free Press

Going Yellow Given a Yellow Light A move by the nation's largest product-safety laboratory to remove its approval of ethanol fuel pumps has frozen the rollout of new ethanol stations and cast doubt on the legal status of the roughly 1,000 stations already selling E85 fuel. Without certification from Underwriters Laboratories, the company that tests thousands of products for safety and manages the "UL" symbol, state officials and ethanol industry executives say E85 pumps may run afoul of state and local fire codes that require "listed" equipment for pumping fuel. A fire marshal in Columbus, Ohio, ordered two E85 pumps shut down last week because of a lack of UL approval and Michigan officials are wrestling with the question as well. Read "E85 pumps lose UL safety rating" @ Detroit Free Press

Fly, I think I might've found what the problem is (with possible solutions): http://www.nissanmurano.org/forums/showthr...nk+OR+turn+over

Part of a recall due to some hundred four-bangers eating more oil than normal due to a defective part. They fitted a batch of unsold ones with new engines as a "just in case".

Does anybody really give a damn about any of it now? I sure don't.

Another vid: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/autoexpresstv...nissan_gtr.html

Edmunds Evaluation: 2007 BMW M6 Convertible It's hard to put a value on a car like this. It offers so much to the so few who can afford it. In terms of relative size, price and performance, there really is no competitor. Name another 2+2 convertible with its capabilities. Some may say the four-seater Bentley Continental GTC, but it costs a bunch more. The Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG? Similar power and price, but no backseat at all. Jaguar XKR convertible? Close, but not the performer the M6 is. Even compared to the discontinued BMW Z8 with its mere 400-hp V8, all-aluminum construction and original $128,000 MSRP, the M6 convertible is a deal. That kind of leaves the BMW to stand alone in a class of one. And like we said, it's a nice neighborhood if you can afford it, and the songs the M6 convertible sings nearly justify the six-digit tariff. Read "Aural fixation" @ Edmunds

Edmunds Evaluation: 2007 BMW X3 3.0si With BMW's sport-utility sales slipping recently, some might criticize BMW for letting the X3 languish too long before implementing all the enhancements. If the original X3 were as good as this one is, it might've avoided some of the early dissatisfaction and enjoyed even more success than it has. If you're in the market for a small and sporty sport-ute, put the 2007 BMW X3 back on your list. Read "More of a good thing" @ Edmunds

Edmunds Evaluation: 2005 Honda FCX Not exactly a new car but only recently reviewed. Go figure. Honda admitted that the future of fuel-cell cars is uncertain and there is no guarantee that this type of car will ever make a practical contribution to meeting our transportation needs. The platinum fuel-cell stack is expensive and very labor-intensive to assemble. Notwithstanding, Honda has set an admirable example by putting 15 FCXs on the road, mainly with public agencies in California, and has another five cars that are used for Honda's internal fleet. Honda is also pressing forward with plans to introduce a production fuel-cell vehicle slated to go on sale in two years. The cost of this production vehicle, currently named the FCX Concept, has not yet been set or even estimated. And clearly, to make it practical would require the completion of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Hydrogen Highway. This, and many other things about hydrogen fuel-cell cars, are still very much in the planning — and dreaming — phase. Read "Cruisin' the hydrogen highway" @ Edmunds

GM Prepares for Battle with Kerkorian General Motors has retained two investment banks as the automaker attempts to protect itself from a potential proxy fight from its largest individual shareholder, Kirk Kerkorian, according to a report published Wednesday. Citing people familiar with the situation, The Detroit News reported that the automaker hired Goldman Sachs (Charts) and Morgan Stanley (Charts) and began devising other safeguards against Kerkorian while GM discussed a possible alliance with Renault-Nissan. Read "GM reportedly bracing for Kerkorian fight" @ CNNMoney

Exterior pretty much fully revealed at Allpar: http://www.allpar.com/trucks/jeep/liberty-2008.html

Alcantara for More People Chrysler, Cadillac and Mercury will start offering suede-like Alcantara leather in certain sports edition models next year. Alcantara is best known for its use in performance cars like the BMW M3 because it holds drivers in their seats better than standard leather. It’s easy for us to guess that Chrysler’s SRT models and Cadillac’s V series will see Alcantara, but we’re mystified at which Mercury interior will get such treatment. Perhaps it will be one of its SUVs, like the Mountaineer. That seems like a bit of a waste to us. Read "Big Three Going With Luxury Alcantara Fabric in 2007" @ Kicking Tires

Aston Martin DB9 Convertible

New pics plus pics of the new Spyder: http://www.worldcarfans.com/spyphotos.cfm/...s-from-maserati

HUMMER GT by Geiger Wild thing: The HUMMER GT from GeigerCars.de GmbH isn’t only a perfect eyecatcher due to its gullwing doors: The SUV rolls on giant 30-inch wheels and is 225 km/h fast due to its 556 hp / 409 kW supercharger engine. The complete car is available for a retail price starting from 133,900 Euros. Read "HUMMER GT by GeigerCars.de" @ World Car Fans

Well, the Sentra is slowly arriving at dealers in my area. Out of the 3 2007 Sentras here, one is a 2.0 w/CVT: http://www.config.nissanusa.com/Dispatch.j...e&pr=%240&ti=%2 Out of the 5 here, there lies another 2.0 w/CVT: http://www.config.nissanusa.com/Dispatch.j...tching+Accuracy Again, 3 Sentras, 1 2.0 w/CVT: http://www.config.nissanusa.com/Dispatch.j...tching+Accuracy So clearly, you can get them at dealers. (I hope those links work, BTW.) Plus, looking at and pricing some domestic models, you do sometimes get charged for automatics. EDIT: Also, the ABS is a $250 stand-alone option on the Sentra 2.0 and $600 with alloy wheels on the 2.0S.

China Boom: GM up 36.7% in China General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news), the world's largest auto maker, said on Monday its vehicle sales in China rose 36.7 percent in the first nine months from a year earlier, and expected sales for all of 2006 to jump 30 percent. GM sold 645,680 vehicles via its two local ventures in the January-September period, it said in a statement. "For the year as a whole, GM and our joint ventures are on track to again outpace the market," it said. "We anticipate annual sales growth of about 30 percent." Read "General Motors says China sales rose 36.7 pct" @ Yahoo

Rumor Mill: V6 Corvette? Yech... Rumors of a V6-powered Corvette model have been floating around for years but weren't taken very seriously until Motor Trend decided to spend some ink on it a few issues ago and predict the six-cylinder model would revive the "Sting Ray" name. The model would basically be a Chevy-branded version of the Kappa roadster that GM has liberally passed out to such brands as Pontiac (Solstice), Saturn (Sky) and Opel (GT). Chevy's version would be different in that power would come from a V6 rather than an inline-four cylinder, and rumor has it that it would be badged a Corvette. Kind of sounds like a long shot, but Rick "Corvette" Conti, the #1 Corvette dealer in Ohio (w00t!), cites sources somewhere in the universe that tell him the rumors are true and coming sooner than we think. Read "V6 Corvette rumors are rumored to be true!" @ Autoblog

It's ironic how the best looking one is a rental car.