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.
Inside Line’s Wacky Predictions for 2010
We don’t consider Inside Line as the highpoint for automotive journalism–any site that runs a comparo between an old Ferrari 308 GTB and a Korean minivan is likely a waste. But the refreshed (and overdone) Edmunds spin-off has run an oddball list of ten events it sees happening in 2010.
The article was done by someone going under the creative name of “the Mechanic.” Rumor has it he was a former Detroit exotic dancer, sometime salesman, and later editor for The Advocate. Actually, we’re not really sure. Nor do we care.
So here is a summary of Inside Line’s predictions:
The BMW 5 Series GT and Honda Accord Crosstour will be colossal failures.
The Chevy Volt will be a sales flop. Read more
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 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:
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.)
Image Gallery: Chevrolet Cruze
Press Release:
Chevrolet unveils the U.S. production version of the 2011 Cruze compact sedan at the L.A. Auto Show on Dec. 2. It is a global car refined for America, delivering many segment-leading features and details that challenge preconceived notions about what a compact car can be in North America.
GM Takes Another Blow in Earnings; Sales Bonanza to be Announced
General Motors reports it lost approximately $1,500,000,000 in the third fiscal quarter of 2009.
CEO Fritz Henderson remained positive with the announcement, saying “today’s results provide evidence of the solid foundation we’re building for the new GM.” Total revenue was up from the preceding quarter and Henderson also announced the company was ready to begin paying back taxpayer loans.
The dour financial news was met by word GM’s remaining US properties would be having a cross-brand sales event during the week. How shoppers will respond to the bleak forecast remains to be seen.
Video: Former Celeb Ian Ziering Violates Chevy EV
-
Social Groups
-
Sponsors
-
