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Holden

Holden to produce four-cylinder small car

Filed under: Economy, Plants/Manufacturing, Holden, Australia

Holden, known for it's massive sedans and massively appealing V8s, is on the small car bandwagon with its announcement to build a four-cylinder car in Australia to be sold alongside the Commodore. Holden currently has three four-cylinder cars, but they're comprised of rebadged Daewoo's and an Opel, and haven't set the Outback on fire. The new compact car will be based on the Chevrolet Cruze, but with a body designed by Holden, and will offer both four-pot gas and diesel options. Down the line, Holden said it will investigate ethanol-capable engines and start-stop technology for its new Corolla fighter.

Holden has a few reasons to make such a move right now, changing consumer tastes being one of the most important. The Australian government has also pledged $6 billion (AUD) to its local auto industry, which has allowed Holden to carry out its plans with less concern about the bottom line. Holden will spend $200 million (AUD) and the government will provide another $179 million (AUD). The new compact sedan will have to stave off competition...
Goodbye-amino? Pontiac could kill G8 ST; become one-car brand

Filed under: Pontiac, Holden

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Pontiac G8 ST

It's been a bad month for Pontiac fans. While begging for money from Congress, GM mentioned its intentions to sacrifice the brand to aid the General's recovery and get a few billion from the feds in the process. Now comes word that GM may keep the brand around, but cut its lineup in half... or more.

Automotive News spoke with Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC, who said that Pontiac's Aveo-based 2010 G3 will sticker for $15,000, but says it's a short-term product for the brand. Unfortunately, Docherty also hints the G8 Sport Truck's lifespan could be even shorter. "We would be foolish if we didn't take a second look at whether or not that is the right thing to do."

In a separate AN article, Docherty goes even further and suggests Pontiac's lineup could be pared down from six vehicles to a single nameplate. According to Docherty, "We are not going to spend tons of money on product development" for Pontiac and that the...
Someone did it: Holden Commodore conversion for your Pontiac G8

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Pontiac, Holden, HSV

General Motors has been the perpetrator of several fortunate and unfortunate badge engineering jobs over the years, and the G8 -- based off the Holden Commodore -- is the most recent example. The Aussie sedan was partially developed with American sales in mind and because of that, it doesn't take much to give your spiffy new G8 a nose job inspired by the Land Down Under. Australian firm JHP Vehicle Enhancements will sell you an entire body kit to change your G8 into a Holden for a mere, um, $4,000 if you choose to go all out in an attempt to replicate the HSV model. That's a sizable chunk of change, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Since we're less concerned with appearances, we'd just put the extra scratch towards upgrading to the GXP.

[Source: JHP Vehicle Enhancements via Autofiends]
Someone did it: Holden Commodore conversion for your Pontiac G8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:31:00 EST. Please see our
Australia's Eflin debuts Type 5 Clubman in Sydney

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Misc. Auto Shows, Holden, Australia

Click above for high-res gallery of the Elfin Type 5 Clubman
Fans of the original Lotus 7 will undoubtedly be familiar with Elfin. Others who, like Lotus itself, have come to realize that automotive development has advanced in the past few decades, may be less so. The Australian sportscar-maker is right up there with the likes of Caterham and Westfield, only from the land of reverse-flushing toilettes and leaf-eating marsupials. The company is under the care of Tom Walkinshaw, a legend in the motorsports and tuning communities who has leveraged his close ties with GM's Holden subsidiary for the vehicle you see here, called the Type 5 Clubman. Replacing the discontinued Type 3, the new Type 5 joins the line-up alongside the MS8 Streamliner and was recently unveiled at the ongoing Sydney Motor Show.
The new roadster features the same 260-hp turbo four from the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline, only in a much lighter frame of just 750kg (about 1,650 lbs). The combination of generous power and low weight means the Type...
HSV unveils 40th Anniversary GTS, SV08 in Sydney

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Misc. Auto Shows, Holden, Australia, HSV, Special/Limited Editions

Click above for hi-res gallery of the HSV SV08

It's anniversary time in Oz for HSV, Holden's high-performance division. That means stripes, stickers, commemorative badges and a pair of new unveilings at the Sydney Motor Show. In HSV's case, at least, the extra pieces of flair go on fire-breathing, tire-shredding LS3-powered monsters, so the usual lameness attached to these sorts of things goes right out the window. The 40th anniversary of the GTS nameplate's first appearance (on the '68 Monaro) means we get a special HSV GTS 40th Anniversary model. And since 20 years have passed since the original SV88 appeared, a special edition HSV Senator Signature dubbed SV08 has also been unveiled. HSV will build 100 of the Anniversary GTS models and just 50 SV08s. And yes, we'd happily take one of each, thank you.

Gallery: HSV SV08

Duel: HSV GTS and FPV GT-P face off Down Under

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Ford, GM, Holden, Australia, FPV, HSV

FPV vs. HSV is basically Australian for "Ford vs. Chevy," but on steroids. The two performance divisions have elevated the production of the muscle sedan to an art form, with audacious looks and big power ruling the day. It's as if the original American muscle car era never ended, but got a passport and moved Down Under. Granted, we in the States don't have much to complain about lately, with Aussie muscle now available in a Pontiac wrapper, as well as the 21st century editions of Camaro, Challenger and Mustang waiting to wreak havoc at stoplights.

Still, the sweetest fruit is that which is forbidden, so you might be interested in the Motoring Channel's super acronym showdown: FPV GT-P vs. HSV GTS. The FPV is based on the new Ford FG Falcon, which arrived earlier this year, while the HSV's Holden Zeta platform underpinnings are now a couple years old. Both have V8s, both look evil, and tires break into cold sweats at the...
Holden begins 99Â¢/liter fuel incentive for two years

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Holden, Australia

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Holden Commodore SS-V

Despite the fact that capping the cost of gas didn't work out so well for Chrysler in the U.S., General Motors' Australian arm, Holden, is launching a new incentive that guarantees gas will be 99¢/liter for two years after your vehicle's original date of purchase. The system works much like the one Chrysler used: buyers get a debit card that they use when filling up their tanks. That debit card will be tied to the purchasers bank account, which will be debited a few days later for the reduced rate, regardless of how much the fuel had actually cost. If all of this sounds a bit confusing, click here for the details from Holden. We've also pasted GM's official press release after the break.

As we mentioned, a similar promotion wasn't too successful for Chrysler. There are a few differences, though. Chrysler's vehicles aren't quite class-competitive while Holden's generally are. There were also more fuel efficient vehicles...
Baby got back: HSV launches ClubSport R8 Tourer

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Wagons/Estates, GM, Holden, Australia, HSV

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the ClubSport R8 Tourer

HSV's ClubSport R8 Tourer has officially arrived, giving our friends from Down Under the means to haul stuff, ass and any combination thereof as long as they part with $65K AUD. The super-duper Commodore SportWagon has got LS3 V8 power with 425 horses and 405 lb-ft of torque ready to transfer its rear tires to the ozone layer. To further underscore the undeniable awesomeness of this package, the standard gearbox is a six-speed manual. An automatic is available as an option, as are 20-inch wheels and a full-leather interior. Chances of us seeing this here? Essentially zero, since Pontiac is getting the Ute (G8 ST) instead of the wagon. That's just a shame. Sure, it's no Wagon Queen Family Truckster, but a hypothetical Pontiac G8 Safari GXP would deliver raucous fun for the whole family.

Gallery: HSV ClubSport R8 Tourer

[Source: HSV]
Baby got...

Small recall for big suspension issue on 2008 Honda Element

Filed under: SUVs, Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Honda, Holden
~~All owners of 2008 Honda Elements are being asked to stop driving their cars until they have had them inspected at their local Honda dealer.~~ According to a recall issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front bushing bracket of the left trailing arm of the rear suspension may have been improperly welded. If it fails, it could separate from the trailing arm causing the suspension to release part of the wheel hub, thus leading to a loss of control or crash. Although only 241 Elements are potentially affected (there are specific VIN number ranges during certain production dates), Honda is notifying all owners immediately and will inspect and replace defective parts at no charge. Rather than taking a risk, err on the side of safety and call your Honda dealer if you've got the keys to a 2008 Element in your pocket.
UPDATE: According to Honda spokesman Chris Martin all the affected owners were already notified before this story was published. Approximately half of the affected vehicles were unsold and sitting on dealer...
Rumormill: Lotus considering a Carlton successor

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Lotus, Holden, Vauxhall, Rumormill

Click above for a gallery off the original Lotus Carlton.

Of all the sleepers in automobiledom, the Lotus Carlton holds a special place in our hearts. Based off the Vauxhall Carlton sold in Europe, Lotus stroked out the 3.0-liter inline-six of the standard car to displace 3615 cc, added a couple of Garrett turbos and sent the resulting 382 hp and 419 lb.-ft. of torque through a six-speed ZF transmission pulled from the original Corvette ZR-1. In short, it was the ultimate low-flying aircraft, with room for four, a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of over 175 mph - in 1990.

Lotus head Michael Kimberley told Autocar, that he would "like the company to build another car in the mould of the Lotus Carlton." What could form the basis of the sleeper sedan's revival? The recently unveiled Vauxhall Insignia is the modern equivalent of the Carlton, and with a modified 2.8-liter V6 packing a set of turbos and sending power to all four...

Honda

Ferrari may supply engines for Honda's ex-F1 team

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda, Ferrari

Ross Brawn, who joined the Honda F1 team as Technical Director in 2007 after an extremely successful stint across the paddock at Ferrari, has said that the now-ownerless ex-Honda F1 team he manages would like to ink a deal with its Italian competitor for engines to power its Formula 1 racers. Now that Honda has officially pulled its factory support from the program, the team will need a good, reliable powerplant if it has any chance remaining competitive, and Ferrari already supplies engines to Scuderia Toro Rosso and Force India in addition to its own Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro factory effort.

Regardless of what powerplant Brawn's team chooses, it isn't likely to get an early shot at testing. At this point, the team is just looking to stay on the track as it attempts to find itself a new buyer and any success found on the track for the '09 season would just be icing on the cake. Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: F1 Fanatic - Photo: Tim Wang...
Honda reportedly kills S2000 replacement, V8 program, RWD Acuras

Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Acura, Honda

Honda's attempt to right-size its development schedule and cope with the economic downturn apparently extends beyond the cancellation of the next NSX. According to Autocar, HoMoCo is right-sizing its plans for the next two years, and that includes rethinking the development of a range of rear-wheel-drive Acuras, a new V8, a convertible based on the CR-Z and the S2000's successor.

Acura seems to be carrying the weight of the bad news, with its RWD 7-series rival, originally due out in 2015, cancelled indefinitely, along with development of a V8 engine that would allow the brand to compete with the best and brightest from Germany. The Euro-market Legend could also be on the block and there's a chance that Honda will stop developing two separate Accord models for sale in the U.S. and abroad, instead opting for one mid-size sedan to be sold worldwide.

Unfortunately, the development cease-fire also extends to Honda's smaller offerings. Honda planned to release a drop-top version...
Leakage: Euro-spec 2009 Honda Insight

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Euro, Green, Honda

Click above for a gallery of the Euro-spec 2009 Honda Insight

We're still six days away from the official unveiling of the 2009 Honda Insight at the Detroit Auto Show, but the crew at Carscoop just couldn't wait to release images of the European-spec hybrid ahead of its debut.

The Euro model shown here won't differ too much from the U.S. version, but the stylistic differences between the production version and its conceptual predecessor are obvious at first glance. As we've seen before, the front fascia carries over largely unchanged, although the technorific LED headlamps, deeply recessed fog lamps/air intakes and gaudy brightwork are all left on the designer's desk. The side mirrors have grown in proportion to the door handles, and the C-pillar is noticeably thicker than the concept that bowed in Paris. The rear has also been smoothed over, with the Prius-esque (or is that CRX-inspired?) hatch losing a bit of glass, along with the contoured cut-out for the license plate, which is now mounted...
Vehicle recalls down 30% in 2008

Filed under: Recalls/TSBs, Safety, Chrysler, LLC., GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota
After such a gloomy 2008, automakers are looking anywhere they can for a ray of sunshine. One such glimmer came in the form of a preliminary report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that recalls were down 30% last year compared to 2007, and at their lowest levels since 1994.

It's not all good, though. While automakers recalled a combined 10.2 million vehicles in 2008, the total number of recall campaigns hit a record number of 642 -- a 9% jump over 2007 - and also included a 233 safety investigations last year, up from only 98 in 2007.

David Kelly, acting NHTSA administrator, said his agency is attributing the drop in recalled cars to an early warning system used to alert manufacturers to problems as quickly as possible. Early fixes in a product's production puts fewer flawed cars on the road.

Among the top six automakers, Chrysler had the fewest recalled cars in 2008 at 360,000. That's a huge drop from the...
Undead: Will Acura show NSX in Detroit even after killing it off?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Acura, Honda

Just two weeks after we learned that Honda had suspended plans to introduce a new V10 NSX sports car in 2010 comes word that we may see the car anyway. Sort of. The production program is still dead, but it is being reported that the previously scheduled "concept" will appear at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in a couple of weeks.

In typical Honda fashion, a concept version of a new model appears a few months for the street edition. In this case, the NSX was set to debut next fall at the Tokyo Motor Show with the conceptual preview at the Detroit auto show. Since the concept was already prepared before Honda made the decision to scrap the program, they will show it anyway. Honda's presence in Cobo will still be low-key however, with its press conference having been canceled. The NSX and the production Insight will simply appear on the show floor.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Acura NSX

Spy Shots: 2010 Honda Odyssey to get more corporate schnoz

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivans/MPVs, Honda

The corporate grille that's been inflicted on all of Honda's recent cars and trucks continues to spread roughshod through the rest of the automaker's line and the 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan isn't immune. While it's hard to get excited about a vehicle that's sole purpose in life is to transport humans and their stuff from one place to another, the Odyssey has always been one of the best options available, and while we're anything but smitten with the new schnoz, it isn't going to change the driving dynamics, and you can't actually see that six-sided, angular beak from behind the wheel anyway. The new grille joins a front-end that looks a bit more aggressive and better integrated than before, with what appears to be a steeper slope towards the ground from the windshield. The rest of the van appears unchanged.

[Source: BurlappCars]
Spy Shots: 2010 Honda Odyssey to get more corporate schnoz originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Carmax Reveals Most Searched Used Vehicles

Filed under: Car Buying, Trends, Ford, GM, Honda, Nissan, Toyota

If you shopped for a used car in 2008, odds are you researched the Honda Accord, at least if you were checking out CarMax. For the third year in a row, the Accord topped the search list of CarMax.com, which is dominated by imports, like another popular search site. The list is a big bite of commonplace cars and trucks, the most zooty being the Ford Mustang. We think the CarMax search data just goes to show how smart and practical most buyers are; it would be hard to go wrong with anything everyone else was shopping for. Hit the gallery for the full top-ten.

Gallery: CarMax top ten searches

[Source: CarMax.com]
Continue reading Carmax Reveals Most Searched Used Vehicles
Psych! Honda F1 not being bought by Mexican billionaire

Filed under: Motorsports, Honda
Have you heard the one about the former F1 team that gets bought by the Mexican billionaire? Yeah, well, we heard it, too, and it's completely untrue. Not only has Carlos Slim has not bought Honda, but a spokesman makes clear that "There is no deal for the Honda team. There is neither agreement nor negotiations."

Nevertheless, Honda says it is leaving the team in good shape and everything is still moving forward. Team chief Ross Brawn said "We have enough funding to get us through to Melbourne and we still have a competitive package." Brawn also said so many folks are snooping around that they've got to sort the jokers from the serious players. Cue Dave Richards...

[Source: Eurosport]
Psych! Honda F1 not being bought by Mexican billionaire originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Leakage: Honda Insight coming to Japan with Sporty Modulo trim

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Honda

Click above for more shots of the leaked 2009 Honda Insight brochure

As is so often the case these days, some early details regarding Honda's upcoming Prius-fighter have leaked out before the hybrid's official unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show. Included among the surprises is a Modulo-trimmed Insight featuring a full set of body mods from Honda's accessory catalog in Japan. We can't be sure if any of those bits will come Stateside (we're not betting on it), but it wouldn't be surprising if we got three trim levels similar to what's slated to be available in Honda's home market of Japan. We could get a base DX trim along with an up-level LX edition and a sportier EX model with such tasty bits as a paddle-shifted CVT automatic transmission and navigation system with 7-inch screen.

With just 88 horses underhood along with an additional 14 from the hybrid's electric motor, don't expect the Insight to be a tire scorching performer, as its true calling with be in delivering the best fuel economy...
Japan: Honda Zest gets extra Spark

Filed under: Economy, Japan, Hatchbacks, Honda

Click above for a gallery of the Honda Zest Spark

Honda apparently decided that its home-market Zest Sports wasn't zesty enough. Away it went to the plastic surgeon for a freshened look with more flavor. The result is the Zest Spark. Instead of basically carrying over the base Zest's vanilla look up front, the Spark gets a new fascia with a V-shaped grille/lights combo hovering above the car's big, flat bumper. 660cc NA and turbo kei-spec engines reside underhood. Inside, it's basic kei car stuff, with seating for ~~five~~ four that can be arranged in an optimal date night configuration. Yeah it's small, but it's practical, see?

Gallery: Honda Zest Spark

[Source: Honda via NihonCar]
Japan: Honda Zest gets extra Spark originally...