The Cadillac CTS-V held the record for the fastest lap by a sedan at Nürburgring since May 9, 2008, but now that time has been beaten by the Porsche Panamera Turbo. Of course, as pointed out by AutoGuide.com, the Caddy costs about half of what you’ll pay for the Porsche.
That said, Porsche has to be pleased by the performance of this beautiful sedan.
News is out today that Belgium’s R.H.J. may be close to a deal for Opel.
General Motors’ plan to sell its European operations to a Canadian auto parts maker and a Russian bank appeared Monday to be in trouble, when another bidder said it was nearing a deal for the unit, The New York Times’s David Jolly reported.
R.H.J. International, a Brussels-listed industrial holding company, said in a statement that it was in talks with G.M. for the acquisition of a majority stake in the European subsidiary, Adam Opel, which includes the operations of Vauxhall in Britain.
Fiat was also in the running for Opel, but their plans to streamline operations didn’t make the unions very happy.
As for R.J.H., Bloomberg expressed doubt as to whether this proposal would prevail.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. may be an acceptable buyer of General Motors Corp.’s Opel unit if talks with Magna International Inc. fail, said Armin Schild, a board member at the German division.
A proposal by private-equity firm RHJ International SA is unlikely to be a viable option because it’s “a completely different concept” that would raise “many new questions,” Schild, who represents the IG Metall labor union on Opel’s board, said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Germany’s government, which is providing loan guarantees for Opel’s sale as GM works to emerge from bankruptcy, chose a team of Canadian partsmaker Magna and Russian lender OAO Sberbank on May 30 as its preferred bidder for Opel. China’s BAIC, Brussels-based RHJ and Fiat SpA, Italy’s biggest manufacturer, also submitted proposals.
Wired.com’s Autotopia blog has a cool post of five auto-related terms that will be dying out soon along with five new terms that we’ll need to become familiar with. You’ll soon be forgetting terms like gas pedal, MPG, throttle, transmission and tachometer. Here’s one of the new ones:
Parallel vs. series hybrid – These terms have so far been relegated to the geeks, but as the industry progresses and hybrids of all stripes become more common, you’ll want to know the difference. They refer to how the gasoline engine and electric motor are configured. A parallel hybrid like the Toyota Prius uses a traditional transmission to couple the gasoline engine and electric motor to the wheels. Such vehicles use internal combustion and electricity to drive the wheels. A series hybrid like the Chevrolet Volt does away with the transmission because the engine drives a generator that takes over when the battery runs down. The electric motor is the only thing driving the wheels. Many see the series hybrid as the “true” hybrid configuration minimizing energy loss due to wasteful idle engine spinning friction.
Also, get ready to hear the following terms as well: Lithium-ion battery, continuous vs. peak power, kilowatt-hour vs. kilowatt and drive-by-wire.
The new Chrysler is off to a fast start as it decides to reverse a decision to kill off or sell the Dodge Viper nameplate.
Chrysler Group LLC announced today that production will continue for the legendary Dodge Viper SRT10.
Originally slated to cease production in December 2009, the Chrysler Group Conner Avenue Assembly Plant — the exclusive home of Dodge Viper production since 1995 — will continue to build the V-10 powered sports car. Chrysler Group is no longer pursuing a sale of the Viper business assets.
“The Dodge Viper has successfully captured the hearts and imagination of performance enthusiasts around the globe,” said Mike Accavitti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Brand. “We’re extremely proud that the ultimate American-built sports car with its world-class performance will live on as the iconic image leader for the Dodge brand.”
Hopefully this decision bodes well for the new company. The Dodge Viper is an impressive performance vehicle, and the new Chrysler needs signature vehicles for branding purposes.
Great stuff. The General Motors ad that aired on NBC was terrible, but at least the cars were cool!
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