Another round of dealer cuts imminent at GM

Just a couple of weeks ago General Motors revealed that it would be cutting ties with over 1,100 dealerships, and the bad news keeps coming for dealers as the struggling automaker is expected to cut a further 450 dealerships in the coming months.Many dealerships are under franchise agreements with GM that are expected to finish late next year - at which point around 450 dealers will most likely not have their contracts renewed. The dealerships facing the axe from GM have been chosen because they "have very specific issues", the automaker’s sales chief Mark LaNeve revealed to Automotive News. These issues include the fact that certain dealerships may have been exclusively stocking the now-defunct Pontiac brand, or be underperforming in regards...

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First 2010 Subaru Legacy rolls off the line in Indiana

The 5th-generation Subaru Legacy has officially begun production, with the first car rolling off the Lafayette, Indiana assembly line late last week to confetti-strewn, ribbon-cutting fanfare.In keeping with Subaru's recent new-model introductions, beginning with the current Impreza and continuing with the new Forester, the 2010 Subaru Legacy wears controversial new bodywork that abandons the elegantly understated lines of the outgoing model in favor of a more stylized (overstyled?) face attached to a car that has grown dimensionally in order to be better-positioned against the likes of the Honda Accord.With production now underway, look for the new Subaru Legacy to start arriving in U.S. showrooms by July. We'll weigh in with our impressions...

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Hamann does its thing to the new BMW 7 Series

The arrival of the new F01 BMW 7 Series means that aftermarket companies have a new toy upon which to apply their talents. Enter Hamann, the German tuner with a penchant for Lambo-dooring, among other things. Thankfully, the firm's workup of the all-new 7 Series leaves the factory door hinges intact, but that's about it.A new aero kit makes the big sedan less vanilla-looking with updated fascias, skirts and spoilers on both the rear decklid and roof. Naturally, a lowered suspension is offered, which, when combined with a selection of new wheels and the aforementioned bodywork, gives the über-Bimmer a nastier stance.Inside, Hamann will fully customize the cabin appointments to your taste, or lack thereof. The Hamann 7 Series isn't necessarily...

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GM reveals project to construct new small car at idled assembly plant in America

When the new small car will go into production also hasn't been disclosed, though with the Volt set to enter production late in 2010 and the Cruze aiming for an early 2010 release, it could be timed to fit between them, sometime in summer 2010. In an atypically cryptic press release, General Motors announced that it will be building a new small car at an unnamed idled UAW-staffed assembly plant here in the U.S. The new vehicle will be in addition to the already-planned 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Cruze, but it's not yet known which small car it will be. The new small car is apparently expected to be a major volume seller, with GM upping its estimate of the percentage of U.S.-built GM sales from the current 67% to over 70% by 2013. "Small cars...

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Volkswagen California Black Edition Revealed in Germany

With the summer camping season just around the corner, Volkswagen has unveiled a new limited edition California Black motorhome.Based off VW's Comfortline trim package, the new California Black Edition features a unique monotone exterior with darkened tail lights, black 18-inch alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlights, and plenty of chrome trim.The interior also receives a number of special touches including leather and Alcantara upholstery, tri-zone climate control, park distance control with a rear view camera, and GPS navigation. Of course the real coup de grâce is the van's electrically operated pop-up roof.Powered by a 130 hp (96 kW) TDI engine, the California Black Edition will be priced from 77,736.75 euros in Germany.Source:VW via World Car...

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Devon Motor Works is only serious bidder for Viper business

Chrysler confirmed in March that it had received three offers for its Dodge Viper sports car business, and that it was currently doing due diligence ahead of making a final decision, but documents unearthed in the company's bankruptcy filing reveal that no 'serious offers' were ever really tendered. Even at a bargain-basement price of $10 million for the 392,000 square foot Viper plant, there were no takers. "We received no purchaser interest," said CEO Bob Nardelli. "The market for such assets is extremely depressed at this time." The best offer was a $5.5 million low-ball from Devon Motor Works (DMW), which sought to purchase the entire Viper brand, lease the Conner Avenue Viper plant for a year and take on none of the brand's debts or...

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Jaguar XF Being Evaluated as Police Pursuit Car in the UK

Is it necessarily true that a luxury car loses its snob appeal once it becomes a fleet vehicle? That question may be answered in a few months time if the UK Police forces decide to purchase a fleet of Jaguar XF Diesel S models which they are currently evaluating. These are the first ever Police-spec Jaguar XF units to be tested by the law enforcement across the UK.Press Release PERFORMANCE JAGUAR XF IN POLICE PURSUIT Jaguar UK has launched a high performance Police pursuit vehicle based on its award-winning XF Diesel S model. The first ever Police-spec XF is currently being evaluated by Police forces across the country. Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director for Jaguar Cars, said: "Police forces are looking for vehicles that represent...

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Ford Fiesta Rallycross heads to Pike's Peak Hill Climb

Ford's new Fiesta won’t be arriving in local showrooms until early next year, but the company is pulling out all the stops to promote the stylish compact with various motorsport and social marketing campaigns to build excitement. To further this, the Blue Oval recently announced a goal to get 100,000 people to test-drive the new Fiesta before the North American production version is released, and now the company has announced that its Rallycross racing version will tackle the arduous Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb on July 19. Andreas Eriksson, 35, is a four-time Swedish rally champion, with multiple Rallycross victories, and Marcus Gr0nholm, 41, is one of World Rallying’s greatest drivers, with two world championships and 30 WRC victories...

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Hire Him: Next-gen Subaru WRX STI is privately rendered awesomeness-with Video

It's fair to say that Subaru has enjoyed a run of strong product in recent years, as well as an exponential credibility increase in enthusiast's eyes, essentially ever since the automaker began shipping over the Impreza WRX back in 2001. Those considerable achievements aside, it's likewise fair to say that Subaru has yet to well-and-truly crack the aesthetics portion of the modern carbuilding equation, having produced some daring (if ungainly) entries like the origina B9 Tribeca and a series of aggressive yet unpretty Impreza variants. And while we applaud originality, we think the folks at Fuji Heavy Industries could use a consistent design force, a man (or woman) with a mission that's out in the public eye as something of a known quantity....

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VATH V63RS: POWER C-CLASS CLUBSPORT WAGON

Väth Automobiltechnik presents the new V63RS, an uncompromising sports car on the basis of a Mercedes-Benz C-Class wagon.German tuner Väth is slowly gaining a reputation for kits that are somewhat over the top. At this point the company introduces the new Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Estate-based Väth V63RS Clubsport wagon. It follows on the V63RS Clubsport sedan that was announced just over a year ago.To increase handling, a new sport suspension system has been incorporated into the V63RS, as has a high performance brake system and new 20-inch wheels (9×20 and 10,5×20, 245/30 and 285/25).VATH V63RS C-Class CLUBSPORT wagonFor the interior of the V63RS CLUB SPORTS offers Väth Automobiltechnik sport bucket seats with optional Sidebags and a cage instead...

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Greek court rules against Daimler on China SUV

There's an old saying that "justice is blind," an adage which has taken a literal meaning thanks to a Greek court's decision to dismiss Daimler's lawsuit against a Chinese copy of the Smart fortwo. Although the case looked promising for Daimler early on, a Milan court ruling in mid-December 2008 in favor of Shuanghuan in the BMW case seemed to have put the nail in Daimler's coffin. The court found that visual and price differences between BMW's X5 and Shuanghuan CEO were enough to prevent consumers from confusing the two. After winning the case against BMW, Shuanghuan resumed the sale of its CEO SUV in Italy. The Greek court determined that "an informed buyer would not confuse the Noble with the Smart Fortwo." They also stated that because...

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