SMS 620 Camaro From Saleen
Steve Saleen completes his SMS muscle car trio with the introduction of the SMS 620 Camaro. The Mustang and Challenger have already received the SMS brand treatment in the forms of the SMS 460 Mustang and the SMS 570 Challenger.
The 0-60 specs are 4.3 seconds for the 620 and a hair above 4.0 seconds for the 620X. Acceleration is provided courtesy of a 6.2L GM V-8. A supercharger will help boost performance to 575 hp and 600 ft-lbs of torque. The more extensively tuned 620X will get 715 hp and 700 ft-lbs of torque. Owners of the SMS Camaro can choose from a manual or automatic transmission.
To help you handle all that brute power, Saleen has provided the SMS Camaro with upgraded brakes and suspension. To keep things stylish, they’ve done up the interior with leather and fancy gauges.
New Aveo RS is a Looker
The Korean-based Chevrolet Aveo has never been a hot item here in the States. It’s cheap and it’s meant to be. Regardless of what dying Detroiters claim, hatches are a rapidly growing item here in America. The Aveo RS, a concept based on the next-gen subcompact, hopes to win over younger buyers with a little more pizazz. 19 in. wheels, performance tires, uprated brakes, and a mean bodykit provide visual cues; real power comes from a 1.4 L inline-four linked to a 6-spd. MT. Problem here is that power doesn’t even reach 140 hp. Put it bluntly: you’re talking econobox territory.
And the Best-Selling Automobile of 2009 was…
…the Ford F series pickup…again.
The honored F was redone for ‘09. But once the shining child of the American auto market, the F is far from its prime. The pickup achieved its high-point in ‘04 with almost 940,000 units sold. The number for ‘09? Well under 414,000. With all the cash, advertising, and labor put into it, the F couldn’t break out of the recession’s pull. The Chevrolet Silverado (#3) was well behind it with 317,000, and Dodge Ram (#10) came in with a rather weak 177,000 units.
The big truck losers? The GMC Sierra came nowhere near the Silverado’s numbers (112,000), making the argument for us that it’s time to assimilate the damn thing into the Chevy line. The Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Ford Explorer were nowhere to be seen. The smaller Tacoma, Escape, and RAV4 all did well, however.
The Toyota Camry was the top car and #2 overall. The sale decline with the Camry was small, as the sedan managed to push out 357,000 units. Behind it were the Corolla with 297,000, the Honda Accord with 290,000, and Civic with 260,000. The only American car to break into the top ten was Ford’s Fusion. That came in at #9 with 181,000.
Video: 600HP Supercharged Camaro SS
Ex-formula one driver Mika Salo drives a 600 HP Supercharged Camaro SS.
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Video: Chevy’s PR Disaster
Looks like marketing chief Susan Docherty may be joining the exec exodus from GM. In case you didn’t catch it on every other auto site, here’s a video clip of a Chevy Volt dance and song number at the LA show. The event was a dreadful publicity stunt, one that Docherty claims to have been unaware of. In any event, things have gotten worse since Fox News covered it. Under the heading “Your Tax Dollars at Work,” the front-page story turned the silly event into an outright political matter. What’s sad about it is that Fox may have a legit point–this was a complete PR disaster.
Jalopnik’s Worst Vehicles of the Millennium…Again, So Far…
Filed under: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Hummer, Jeep
It’s only fair for us to include Jalop’s the Worst10, since that is the more interesting list. Some cars we take issue with being included, others we wonder why not, but the list is generally pretty sensible. Take a glimpse for yourself.
Jalopnik Gives Us Its Favorite Vehicles of the Millennium (So Far)
Filed under: Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Honda, Mini, Mitsubishi, Porsche
We’re pretty fond of the Jalopnik gang–partly for their insults against The Truth About Cars, and partly for their grassroots fondness for automotive and aeronautical performance. Joining a common trend this is their “Best10″ (a play on Car and Driver’s “10Best”) cars of the decade.
Here’s the list with the watered-down specs:
This Week’s Loser: General Motors
Can’t GM keep an exec? The General has lost how many people in the past three weeks? CEO Fritz Henderson bailed right out of nowhere. Then came word Chevy head Brent Dewar flew the coop. Right after the Dewar break came the shock that the Buick-GMC chief, Michael Richards, jumped ship after nine days on the job.
We contend Buick-GMC is a doomed asset, but Richards’s departure is shocking even for us cynics. GM isn’t finding any love in Europe either, with Swede authorities demanding GM sell off Saab before the new year. German treasury and trade officials–as well as the labor force–are equally hostile to the General maintaining ownership of Opel. No rest at home, no rest abroad.
Shame no one wants to live in Detroit.
The Ten Best Concepts of the Decade #10: Chevrolet Nomad
The 2004 Nomad is all about what could’ve been.
GM was going retro, hyping the HHR as part of a fresh and stylish direction. The Nomad was meant to cover the sport compact scene. GM was well-aware of the popularity of the Mini Cooper, and the Nomad had all the potential to be a great rival. Pininfarina assembled the final product, which evoked the 1950s Corvette-esque original. The Nomad could seat four, had more cargo room than the Coop, and used a turbo 2.2 L Ecotec I-4 to deliver 250 hp.
This seemed to offer so much. It looked great, and had power to boot. The downside? GM’s then-notorious rep for ruining good concepts. Odds are the Nomad would’ve had third-rate plastics all over, stiff seats, a sluggish 4-spd., and an underpowered engine choking out 140. On top of that, it probably would’ve been overpriced.
There could’ve been shot at success: look at what pitiful Dodge pulled with the Neon SRT4. Maybe then the Nomad could have worked out. Then again, Detroiters still say hatchbacks don’t sell. (We think Fit, Impreza, Mazda3, and PT owners would care to argue.)
GM’s Decapitated Leadership Creates Waves of Unrest
A lot has been happening with the General. The blogosphere went into a hoot over Frederick “Fritz” Henderson’s resignation as CEO,as the move was unexpected even by his colleagues. As Vice-Chair Bob Lutz put it, “None of us had any hint this was coming.” Ed Whitacre, GM’s board chair, will step in temporarily to fill the CEO slot.
Henderson’s departure comes as GM continues to suffer heavy losses, as well as some very public embarrassments. The Opel, Saturn, and Saab deals all fell through, with European trade and treasury officials publicly questioning GM’s competence. Opel’s CFO, Marco Molinari, quit the exhausted German subsidiary just yesterday. (Not an inspiring sign.)
Mike Jackson, head of the largest US auto retailer, was open about his fears in an interview with Automotive News: “I’m concerned because I think Ed [Whitacre] and Fritz made a great team of complementary talents and I think Fritz’s expertise will be missed. And, since everyone agrees the core business of GM was on a very good path, you have to ask the question, why are they doing this?” Read more
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