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Say Goodbye to the current Corvette!

From AutoNews:

Time is tickin’ on the current generation Corvette.

The C6 Corvette will be offered for the 2012 and 2013 model years, and that’s it. In fact, 2013 may be an abbreviated model year for the Corvette, according to a Chevrolet source.

C6 is General Motors’ designation for the current generation Corvette. The C6 has been on the market since the 2005 model year, and is long in the tooth.

While the source didn’t say, presumably a shortened model year would give the plant in Bowling Green, Ky., plenty of time to retool for the redesigned Corvette, coming for the 2014 model year. That car is referred to as the C7.

Interestingly, that means Corvette’s 60th anniversary will be marked with the current generation Vette, the 2013 model.

And if the past is any guide to the future — Corvette created special packages to mark previous anniversaries — I think we can expect a special edition 2013 Corvette to commemorate the event.

Read the full article.

Chrysler repays government loans

From the Detroit News:

It’s official. Chrysler Group LLC today confirmed the wire transfers have gone through, and the automaker has repaid loans from the U.S. and Canadian governments.

The automaker has repaid $5.1 billion in loans, as well as $1.8 billion in interest and other fees, releasing Chrysler from all monetary commitments to the governments less than two years after the bailouts kept them in business. Chrysler went to the capital market for lower-interest financing to get out from under the government loans that carried interest rates as high as 20 percent. The refinancing — which is much like refinancing a home mortgage — will save more than $300 million annually.

Today, Chrysler repaid the U.S. Treasury more than $5.9 billion; Canadian governments received $1.7 billion to retire their loans to the automaker.

At a celebration attended by 1,100 workers this afternoon at Chrysler’s Sterling Heights plant, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne wore a pin that said “Paid” on his customary black sweater.

Read the full article.

Commercial Van Market might include Vito Van from Mercedes

Form AutoBlog.com:

Mercedes-Benz has been sufficiently pleased with the performance of its Sprinter van that it is now seriously considering importing a smaller sibling for its full-size load lugger.

Benz has offered a smaller commercial vehicle, the Vito, in various world markets since 1996, and the second-generation model underwent a mild facelift in 2010. Available with a range of CDI diesel engines in both cargo and passenger-carrying configurations, the Vito has recently been testing in all-electric E-Cell guise. If the Vito does make it to North America, we’re unlikely to get the complete range – this light commercial vehicle is available in three lengths, two roof heights and in both rear- and all-wheel drive.

While the Vito is indeed smaller than the Mercedes/Freightliner Sprinter carryall, it’s not as diminutive as the Ford Transit Connect we’ve come to know in the States. In its smallest form, the baby Benz spans 187.5 inches, nearly seven inches more than the Turkish Ford. In extra-long format, the Vito rings up at 206.2 inches, which is still well shy of the aged Ford E-Series van (216.7 inches in its shortest form), making the Vito something of a tweener in size.

For the moment, our source tells us that the idea of importing the Vito is in “an early stage,” and even though consumer clinics have been held to judge market interest, the van has not yet been given the green light.

Read more from AutoBlog.com.

First look at the Aston Martin V12 Zagato

From InsideLine.com:

No, Takahashi did not just Photoshop an Aston Martin Vantage with a Nissan GT-R. But it kinda looks that way, eh?

Aston Martin released the first official photos of its V12 Zagato ahead of the car’s official unveiling tomorrow at the Villa D’Este Concours in Lake Como, Italy. The car is a result of a collaboration between Aston and Italian design house Zagato, and comes on the 50th anniversary of the legendary DB4GT Zagato.

“The Zagato design language is a perfect complement to our design and engineering expertise,” Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez said. “Fifty years ago, Italian design houses were widely seen as leading the way with new designs … but Aston Martin has its own in-house design ability, so this new venture with Zagato is more collaborative than it perhaps would have been in the past.”

Indeed, the V12 Zagato is the latest in a line of special, low-production Astons that have included the DB4GT Zagato, V8 Vantage Zagato and DB7 Zagato.


Read the full article.

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