Nissan only offering GT-R Premium for 2011, priced from $85,060* - will volume be constrained?
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2010
Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Performance, Nissan
The illustrious Nissan GT-R is, quite possibly, one of our favorite cars currently in production. Now entering its third year in America, Godzilla receives a few minor tweaks for 2011, including some minor suspension tuning, a double clear coat on its front and rear fascias, new rear cooling ducts and - wait for it - slightly darker wheel center caps than on the 2010 model that is pictured. Additionally, the 2011 GT-R - henceforth only available in Premium trim - gets more standard features, including auto on/off headlamps, speed-sensitive windshield wipers, Bluetooth, a USB iPod interface and XM NavWeather and NavTraffic. All of this can be yours for $85,060 (*including $1000 destination charge), which represents an increase of $1,020 over the 2010 GT-R Premium. Get your pocketbooks out.
Curiously, the folks at Nagtroc.org are reporting that just 315 GT-R units are slated to come to the U.S. during the 2011 model year. That striking us as odd, we talked with Nissan spokesperson Darryll Harrison, and he says that the automaker can’t confirm the limited production volume. Hmmm. The 2011 model is just now hitting the nearly 700 GT-R certified Nissan dealers across the country, though if the unit constraint holds up, it’s likely that more than half of the approved showrooms will never see one. Either way, hit the jump for the full details in Nissan’s press release.
Gallery: Review: 2010 Nissan GT-R
Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Sources: Nissan, Nagtroc.org]
Nissan only offering GT-R Premium for 2011, priced from $85,060* - will volume be constrained? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Alleged patent images for Porsche Panamera convertible turn up
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2010
Filed under: Concept Cars, Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Europe, Porsche, Luxury
See, apparently we aren’t crazy, though we may have been a little smidge off the mark. Back in October, we reported that Porsche had begun work on an open top version of their then new Panamera super sedan. Only we said it would be a two-door ’cause, you know, drop top and all that. Whoops! If these alleged German patent office images from Autocar are anything to go on, Porsche is going after the highly nuanced (to put it mildly) - and presumably lucrative - four-door convertible market, joining the ranks of such noted automakers as… those dudes in Miami that chop the tops off Chrysler 300Cs. Okay, fine, the Maybach 62 Landaulet is kinda like a four-door convertible (but not quite), though at $1.35 million, it actually might compete in a different segment. And yes, yes - we know - the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is technically a four-door convertible.
But never mind any of that, as judging by these images, the Porsche Panamera convertible looks to be pillarless, something that the neither the $25,000 Jeep nor the mega-bucks Maybach can lay claim to. As such, the Panamera’s chassis would presumably have to be beefed up in a major way to retain some semblance of stiffness and rigidity. Though maybe not quite as much as you (and we) might think. If you look closely at the patent images, you can see that, like the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drop Head Coupe, the A-pillar has been reinforced with a mini-triangle. You’ll also note that the Pan’s butt isn’t any bigger than before, suggesting a folding cloth top as opposed to a space-intensive retractable hardtop. Back to chassis strength - thanks to modern production techniques, it’s possible to substitute in thicker gauge steel that will increase stiffness without adding as much weight as traditional afterthought convertible chassis bracing.
And where does this leave those of us wishing for a modern-day 928? Not in a very good place, we’re afraid. These patent drawings clearly show that the new, most-likely upcoming Panamera Convertible has been engineered as a four-door from the get-go, and never a duoporte. Shame…
[Source: Autocar]
Alleged patent images for Porsche Panamera convertible turn up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Study: Where do our nav systems take us most? Walmart
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2010
Filed under: Etc., Technology
Groan. Remember the $350,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom parked in front of a Walmart? Apparently it’s not an isolated case. That’s right, according to a new survey by TeleNav, most Americans use their navigation systems to find the Arkansas-based mega-store full of cheap stuff that Sam built. The great burning irony, of course, is that most cars with navigation systems are “luxury” products. Though of course that’s changing, as navigation systems are making their way into lower strata vehicles and portable units and smart phones offer full GPS at much lower prices.
After Walmart, us Americans are searching for Starbucks, Target, Best Buy and Bank of America, respectively. Full disclosure time. Have we ever used a nav system to find a Walmart? Yeah, once, but we were in Louisiana and in need of spray paint (don’t ask). We’ll sleep okay tonight. We do, however, wonder how many two-gallon pickle jars would fit inside an Audi Q7.
[Source: AOL Autos]
Study: Where do our nav systems take us most? Walmart originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rattner: Auto bailout saved Michigan from bankruptcy
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2010
Filed under: Government/Legal, Chrysler, GM
Without the government bailout of General Motors and Chrysler, the U.S. auto industry would likely have two fewer domestic automakers and hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs would be history. The Detroit News reports that ex auto task force chief Steve Rattner recently told an audience at a bankruptcy conference that the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit would have faced municipal bankruptcy if Chrysler and GM were liquidated.
Instead, Rattner claims the government bailout not only saved untold thousands of jobs and two enormous American car companies, but the price tag for the government is shrinking as time goes on. Initial estimates by the task force showed that the auto bailout would cost U.S. taxpayers $20 billion or $30 billion after GM and Chrysler’s initial stock sale, but Ratner claims that the current price tag is $10 billion or less. The estimated loss has gone down due in part to the fact that old GM’s assets are worth more than previously estimated and The General is turning around its operations more quickly than originally thought. If GM continues to surprise and delight, the government may even make some money when it goes public with a stock offering this year or next.
Would the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan have gone bankrupt if GM and Chrysler were liquidated? There is no way to be sure, but if the government hadn’t stepped in and bailed them out, its inaction would have probably cost taxpayers untold billions of dollars as well.
[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Neilson Barnard/Getty]
Rattner: Auto bailout saved Michigan from bankruptcy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Report: New GMC Sierra Denali HD to get the dually treatment
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2010
Filed under: Truck, Work, GM, GMC, Luxury
GMC, the “Professional Grade” truck maker under the General Motors umbrella, isn’t finished adding luxe touches to its Heavy Duty series of Sierra pickup trucks. Just yesterday, GMC rolled out a brand-new Denali version of the HD pickem-up truck, but later this year at launch it will be available only as a crew-cab, four-wheel drive, single-rear wheel, three-quarter-ton model.
Before the end of the year, though, GMC will begin spreading the Denali love down its entire line-up of heavy haulers, and PickupTrucks.com is reporting that the dual-rear wheel dually chassis will be included. Naturally, a choice of either the 6.0-liter gasoline-powered V8 or the torque-tastic 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8 will be the biggest choice at the time of purchase, followed by the buyers selection of either black, gray or white. Pricing has not yet been announced.
Gallery: 2011 GMC Sierra Denali HD
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
Report: New GMC Sierra Denali HD to get the dually treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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