Autoblog

There's not a whole lot going on for General Motors at the LA Auto Show, but the company's making some minor announcements via press release before the shindig in la-la land gets underway tomorrow. The Pontiac G6 receives a minor facelift as a 2009½ model, with updated front and rear fascias and some interior tweaks. Those interior improvements bring the G6 up to par with its platform-mate brethren and include new trim bits, the standard GM radio (in a 2007 G6 I drove, the radio had this ridiculous ribbing on the dials -- a very 90s-Poncho feel), "all-new" (read: GM partsbin) HVAC controls, and an optional MY LINK communication package that includes Bluetooth, a dash-mounted USB port and related tech. You can also get a more attractive 2-tone interior with leather or cloth seats as an upgrade over the standard (and dreary) all-black treatment.

Underhood, the G6 Coupe is now available with the 4-cyl/6-speed powertrain combo, complete with paddle shifting. A flex-fuel 3.5L V6 is also available at no additional cost over the gas version in the full range of body styles, so the dozen G6 shoppers who also have access to actual E85 pumps should be enthused. The convertible's 3.9L V6 carries over and the 3.6L "high feature" V6, as before, is exclusive to the GXP. By the way, the GXP does not get any facelift love, and thus the infamous "Street Edition" remains ugly enough to stop every clock in a 132-mile radius.




[Source: Pontiac via finchannel.com]

When the 2005 Ford Mustang debuted, it thoroughly reinvigorated the pony car segment that it created four decades earlier. After 25 years of being assembled on the archaic rear-wheel-drive Fox platform, the Mustang finally had an all-new platform and styling that hearkened back to the late 1960s. Known as the S197, this Mustang appeared at a time when it was in fact the only surviving member of the muscle car class. The Camaro and Firebird had been cancelled two years earlier and Chrysler had been out of the rear-wheel-drive sport coupe market since the 1970s. The Mustang's enormous success inspired Chevrolet and Dodge to create their own retro-styled muscle cars in the form of the new Camaro and Challenger. Fortunately for Mustang fans, Ford has not been sitting idle, and even while it was creating all those special edition Mustangs over the past few years, it was also working on thoroughly revamping its core pony. For the 2010 Mustang, Ford has taken the best parts of the S197 and fixed most of what was broken. Read on to learn what's new.

We're less than a day away from hearing all the official details on the new 2010 Mustang and bits of information are still dribbling out on the interwebs. The latest is that we now have some purported pricing and option information on at least the Mustang GT Premium package. If accurate, the price of the GT Premium will climb by about $935 to $30,095, a jump of 3.2%. Looking at the equipment list though, it appears some new features are included in that price like 18-inch wheels that were previously optional and SYNC. Other standard equipment includes automatic headlamps, LED tail-lights and body-colored mirrors. If this information is accurate, one other annoyance of the 2005-2009 Mustangs has been addressed with an interior trunk release, something that was previously missing. Ford will be revealing everything very soon, so stay tuned.

[Source: MustangBlog]

We weren't surprised when Chrysler decided to nix plans for a Dodge Challenger convertible. The LX-based coupe wasn't developed with a drop-top variant in mind and it would've taken far too much cash to shore up the chassis with the roof removed. And if you hadn't heard, Chrysler isn't doing too well in the cash department.

Now, MotorTrend is reporting that General Motors is delaying the launch of the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible for the same reason, putting off the introduction for another year as the General attempts to keep its head above these financially troubled waters. Spending on such extravagances is hard to justify for both GM and consumers, and if the Federal bailout goes through, it's safe to assume that legislators and the public us would have hard time seeing our tax dollars being used to sell a niche vehicle.


[Source: MotorTrend]

As we move inexorably toward the electrification of cars, companies that have made a business out of tweaking engines for more power will have to make some significant changes to their business model. BRABUS is a company known as the primary third-party alternative to AMG when it comes to enhanced cars from the house of Daimler, and today has announced its first foray into electricity. The German tuner is now offering a package of changes for the very few people who have or will soon own a Tesla Roadster. For the moment at least, changes to the all-electric powertrain are verboten. That means BRABUS has focused on other things like stylistic "enhancements" and a supremely odd "space sound generator" that emits the roar of a V8, race car engine or two futuristic sounds called "Beam" and "Warp".

A set of LED running lamps mounted in the front air intake look kind of like they were ripped off an Audi. Perhaps BRABUS should have developed a new headlamp cluster that integrates the LEDs like real Audis do. Meanwhile, the underbody neon lighting looks like something from 1989 Miami and the rear wing is a questionable addition, as well. It's hard to judge the matte white paint finish in the available photos, so we'll set that aside for now. The only visual change that actually works is the new 18-inch front/ 19-inch rear wheel/tire package with Pirelli P Zero Nero tires. Given the number of Tesla Roadsters that actually exist at the moment, we probably won't see very many examples of this package on the road, which debuts later this month at the Essen Motor Show in Germany.


[Source: BRABUS]

Our friendly neighborhood Toyota/Lexus spokesman, Curt McAllister, dropped us a note with an official announcement of what's coming to the Lexus booth at next week's LA Auto Show, and as expected, the big reveal will be the reworked RX luxury crossover. Like the current crossovers, the RX will come in two prescription strengths: the conventional RX350 with a 3.5L V6 and the hybrid flavored RX450h. The bump in nomenclature from the current RX400h likely implies some enhancements to the powertrain including a bump from the current 3.3L V6 to the 3.5L engine used in the 350. It's assumed the RX400h will also boast enhancements to the hybrid drive system with tech pulled from the 2010 Toyota Prius. The photo above, taken of the Japanese brochure, appeared online showing an evolution of the current design rather than a revolutionary redesign. In addition to the RX, LA will host the North American debut of the all-wheel-drive equipped LS460 and the IS 250C Convertible.

[Source: Lexus]

When car makers don't have anything truly new to offer, they often make special editions. Such is the case right now with Saab. General Motors' Swedish brand is putting out its second limited run version of the 9-3 convertible this year. Unlike the somewhat garish Yellow edition that came out during the summer, the new one is more subdued. The latest special edition 9-3 Convertible is meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the very first Saab convertible from 1983. The special part comes in a choice of Jet Black, Carbon Grey and the new Bright Champagne. Power comes from the standard Saab 2.0L turbo with 210 hp. The anniversary convertible will magically appear on the show floor at the LA Auto Show next week without a press conference before it goes on sale in January at the "bargain" price of $46,725. The 9-3 is a nice enough car, but with pricing like that it's no wonder the brand is struggling.


[Source: Saab]

The current Bentley Arnage family's farewell tour culminates with this. We've already seen the Brooklands coupe and the Arnage Final Series sedan, and now with the L.A. Auto Show, the Azure droptop gets its opportunity to take a curtain call. Say hi to the 2010 Bentley Azure T, which gets the same 500-horsepower, 737 lb-ft 6¾-liter V8 lump found under the substantial bonnets of the aforementioned duo. A 6-speed auto directs all that grunt to the rear wheels. What's it cost? No word yet, but the regular Azure is already a mortgage on wheels, so use your imagination. Then add more.

The T is distinguishable by its "Le Mans" vents, a darker grille finish, and 20" five-spoke wheels, among other things. Based on the photo to the right, it would seem that there are no more cows or trees on Earth, because Bentley is using all of them to trim the Azure T's passenger compartment. Top speed is 179 mph and zero-to sixty takes 5.2 seconds. Not bad for a sled that weighs in at a shade under 5,700 pounds. Stopping power comes from the same massive carbon/silicon carbide brakes fitted to the Brooklands. Is all this excessive? Sure. Does it have the approximate carbon footprint of Indonesia? Quite possibly. Do we want one? Oh, hell yeah.

Bentley's unnecessarily verbose press release follows after the jump. They could have done it in a couple of sentences, like "It comes with everything. Bring money. " See? Done.


[Source: Bentley Motors]

Automotive News is reporting that Volkswagen has moved the debut of its mid-engine roadster from this month at the LA Auto Show to January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The only reason given for the move is that VW expects there to be more interest for the concept two-seater in Detroit than LA. We would hazard a guess that it's also got something to do with budgets being trimmed back, but what do we know.

There's still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the VW mid-engine roadster, like what size four-cylinder will be installed behind the seats and whether or not the platform will make extensive use of aluminum to keep weight down. Though the car debuting in Detroit will be a concept, a production version is expect in 2011 if things go according to plan. Because a two-seat, mid-engine roadster is anything but a volume seller, however, this new sportster from VW could be in danger of being cut due to the ailing auto market in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

If you were this close to purchasing an SLR but recent events concerning a guy named Lehman severely reduced your amount of disposable cash, then allow us to introduce you to the SL Carbonite. For the price of a 2003-2008 Mercedes SL, plus $47,400 for Carbonite's hood, fenders, front and rear fascias, lowered suspension and Mandrus 20-inch wheels, you can have an SL(R) for a song that's a lot less pricey than the Mercedes-McLaren. Carbonite has also said it will only build 20 of these cars per year, which means your money could get you even more exclusivity than the real thing. Of course, what your money can't do is erase the fact that you don't actually have the real thing -- but that hasn't stopped so many others... Check out the high-res gallery of doppelganger shots below.