The Demo Site

By: Alex Nunez

Next year, Toyota Australia will begin local production of the Camry Hybrid. To celebrate this (and drum up some PR), Toyota Style Australia has created the HC-CV (Hybrid Camry Concept Vehicle) for the 2009 Melbourne Motor Show. What is that, exactly? Well, it's essentially the recently-updated 2010 Camry Hybrid, gussied up with a custom white paint color, a modified fascia, some snazzy wheels, blue decals and accents, and leather seats that incorporate the Hybrid Synergy Drive wave logo. Strip away the assorted pieces of flair, and you get the production car that's already been unveiled, only with the steering wheel moved over to the wrong side

One of the highlights of the delivery that President Obama gave to the joint session of congress was a vow not to walk away from the automotive industry. The tone seemed directed at the American infrastructure of the automotive industry which directly includes the suffering Big 3.

The points that were brought out by autonews and others in the automotive industry were the positive inspirational parts of the speech saying, “We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.” Then later a specific address was directed towards the automotive industry having an obvious effect on the economy where the President said, “As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.”

The speech will be critiqued among the media and other officials and a new wow factor may be brought out by those in the automotive industry where the President said, “We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.”

With those words it gives the automotive industry a positive and supported hope, one that the President spoke of during his campaign and now lives it out as President of the United States. Others may remain skeptical of his economic remedies but a good portion of America, especially in the automotive world, woke up today with a new inspiration to rebuild, retool and bring this country back to where it needs to be.

[sources: autonews, whitehouse.gov]

Even though General Motors’ Opel stake is on the line, the automaker will source future Buick sedans from the German brand. Of course if you’re familiar with GM and its product lineup you’ve noticed that for the past two years GM has shared its Saturn lineup with Opel vehicles. However, sources say that future products will [...]

Even though General Motors’ Opel stake is on the line, the automaker will source future Buick sedans from the German brand. Of course if you’re familiar with GM and its product lineup you’ve noticed that for the past two years GM has shared its Saturn lineup with Opel vehicles. However, sources say that future products will now go to Buick since Saturn is being sold or spun off.

For some time now, we’ve been told that the 2010 Saturn Aura will come to the U.S. as a rebadged version of the Opel Insignia. According to Automotive News, sources familiar with GM’s product plans say that the 2010 Opel Insignia will now come to the U.S. as the 2010 Buick Regal Sedan.

Of course many of you are wondering what would happen when GM sells Opel. Sources say that GM feels it would be in any future partner’s best interest to continue honoring the global architecture-sharing programs currently in place.

GM is expected to cut Pontiac product offerings and make Buick’s lineup focus more on sedans and crossovers. It said in its viability plan that if it could not sell Saturn by 2012, it will shut down the brand.

We recently saw teasers of the 2010 Kia Sorento but the new Kia SUV has now been leaked on the internet. The 2010 Sorento will make its world debut at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show next month along with a U.S. debut a the 2009 New York Auto Show.
As reported before, the 2010 Kia Sorento [...]

We recently saw teasers of the 2010 Kia Sorento but the new Kia SUV has now been leaked on the internet. The 2010 Sorento will make its world debut at the 2009 Seoul Motor Show next month along with a U.S. debut a the 2009 New York Auto Show.

As reported before, the 2010 Kia Sorento will be offered with a choice of two gasoline engines and one diesel unit. The gasoline lineup will start off with a 2.4L 4-cylinder Theta II engine and a 3.8L V6 making 270-hp. A diesel version powered by a 2.2L will offer 200-hp and a fuel-economy rating of 33 mpg. All engine choices will be available with a new 6-speed automatic transmission.

Rumor has it that Kia may bring the 2010 Sorento to the 2009 New York Auto Show.

2010 Kia Sorento:

Few will claim that Vauxhall VXR8 super-saloon is lacking in the power stakes, but just in case there were any doubters, the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S Edition will put them straight.
Thanks to the addition of a Walkinshaw Performance 122 Supercharger, the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S dispenses 560 V8 horsepower, compared with the standard car's 431 horsepower, and produces searing acceleration throughout the rev-range and a spine-tingling, banshee wail when you hit the loud pedal.
The Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S Edition joins the normally aspirated Bathurst Edition at the top of the Vauxhall family tree, with both cars receiving a raft of technical and cosmetic upgrades over the standard VXR8. Only a limited number of Bathurst Editions will be sold through selected Vauxhall retailers.
To exploit the Bathurst's greater power potential, six-pot front and four-pot rear callipers are now standard on both models, along with stiffer, height-adjustable springs and Walkinshaw-developed coil-over dampers. The bespoke damper units have 15 separate valve settings with independent corner adjustment for the owner's preferred setup.
Dynamically, both Bathursts retain the VXR8's much praised ride quality, but body control is enhanced and the handling made more exploitable for the enthusiastic driver.
At the heart of the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S is Walkinshaw's 122 Supercharger, which not only boosts power by 30 per cent, but escalates torque from an eye-catching 550Nm to an eye-watering 715Nm. Such is the strength of the LS3 V8 engine that extracting bigger figures would have been possible, but retaining the VXR8's driveability and durability was Walkinshaw's priority.
In fact, the 122 Supercharger is so much more than just a bolt-on blower. The comprehensively engineered package also includes a large capacity intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a separate cold air intake and Walkinshaw-developed ECU map, while the standard manual gearbox is upgraded with a high-torque capacity clutch.
As with most supercharged cars, the S's power delivery is exceptionally linear, with a huge slug of torque available from very low down in the rev range; but push the engine towards its redline and there's no let up in the car's performance, just a seamless stream of power.
Outside, both Bathursts are instantly recognisable by their distinctive graphic packs, front fog light covers and 'Bathurst' badges (only the addition of a discreet 'S' badge reveals the supercharged model's extra 129PS), while inside a console-mounted badge showing the car's build number complements the 'Walkinshaw Performance' tread plates found inside each door opening.
Putting icing on the cake for serious drivers is the option of the new Bi-Modal Exhaust, which is available on both Bathurst models. Raising power by up to 10PS, the ingenious system allows drivers to select one of two noise settings: 'Street', with an upper limit of 92dbA, or 'Optimum', which releases the LS3 V8's full 102dbA. The two-and-a-half inch diameter system is manufactured from stainless steel with unique chrome tail-pipe finishers and costs £1600.
Both Bathurst models retain the VXR8's standard colour palette, and can also be specified with optional 20" alloy rims at £1500. List price for the Bathurst Edition is £37,995 - just £2757 above the standard VXR8 - while the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S costs £44,995.