Cadillac Refocuses on Global Markets, is Preparing Right-Hand Drive CTS-V

With around 34% of the world's population driving on the left hand side of the road, in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Japan, any automaker that aspires to go global needs to produce right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles.

With only a few exceptions like the fifth generation Seville (built from 1998 to 2004), Cadillac has for the most part shied away from RHD markets. But this is about to change as the wreath and crest brand is getting more serious about increasing its presence in markets outside of North America.

Aside from the product presentations like the new BMW 3-Series rivaling ATS sedan that will eventually be offered with a diesel option as well, Cadillac is also getting ready to introduce right-hand drive models.

“We’re geared up for right-hand drive now. We’re working on it," says General Motors marketing chief Joel Ewanick, according to a report from Autocar magazine.

One of the first models to get a RHD version will be the Cadillac CTS-V that sports a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine with 556-horses.

Ewanick also reiterated Cadillac's newly found commitment to global markets during the interview.

“There wasn’t a commitment to the product before and we didn’t design cars to the market demands,” he said. “The Germans do this very well. There is now a full resource commitment and a vision to get this right. Bankruptcy refocused GM.”

But it's not all good news for Cadillac fans as when asked about the well-received Ciel Concept shown at Pebble Beach last summer, Ewanick said that it's not among the company's top priorities:

“The Ciel reaction was very good. But we’ve got lots of other Cadillacs to do. It’s the busiest time in our history for all our GM brands. It was a strategic time to introduce a luxury concept to the brand, but you need to remember where we are with Cadillac at the moment; the Ciel is a much higher type of luxury.”

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

Mercedes-Benz Releases UK Pricing on New SLK 55 AMG

The most powerful production SLK of all time, the new 2012 SLK 55 AMG, has arrived in Britain and is available for to order with an on-the-road price of £54,950 (equal to US$84,630 / €66,200).

Lying under the hood of the AMG-branded SLK is a naturally aspirated, direct-injection V8 engine with a displacement of 5.5-liters that produces 421-horses at 6,800rpm and 540Nm (398.2 lb-ft) of peak torque at 4,500rpm.

A seven-speed AMG SPEEDSHIFT 7G-TRONIC PLUS automatic transmission drives the rear wheels with Mercedes laying claims to a 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint time of 4.6 seconds and a restricted top speed of 155mph (250km/h).

The roadster model's combined fuel economy is 33.6mpg UK, with CO2 emissions of 195g/km.

Among other standard features, the SLK 55 AMG comes equipped with Nappa leather upholstery, 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, an Intelligent Light System, COMAND Online with Media Interface and a DAB digital radio.

On the options list there's a special AMG Performance Package with revised suspension and brakes with a rear differential lock (£4,105) and the AMG Driver’s Package that removes the speed limited and includes attendance at an AMG ‘Power and Passion’ driver event (£2,755).

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

VW Brand's Global Sales Break the 5 Million Barrier for the First Time Ever in 2011

A couple of days ago, Volkswagen announced that in 2011, it sold 324,402 vehicles in the U.S., which amounts to a 26.3 percent increase compared to 2010 recording the brand’s best result since 2002.

On Friday, the German brand issued another press release revealing that it delivered 5.1 million vehicles worldwide, exceeding 5 million annual sales for the first time in its history and recording an impressive 13.1 percent increase over 2010 when it sold 4.5 million units.

“The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand made major gains last year thanks to a fresh, innovative and environmentally-friendly model range”, said VW Group board member for sales, Christian Klingler.

“Our new vehicles such as the Passat, Jetta and Beetle, as well as the Up!, have made an excellent start in difficult market conditions – conditions that will remain challenging in 2012 – and significantly strengthened Volkswagen’s competitive position," Klingler added.

Apart from the U.S., the VW brand also increased its sales in China by 13.8 percent, to 1.72 million units, South America (+2.2 percent) and even Europe, where it recorded an 11.2 percent increase, exceeding 1.72 million sales.

The brand’s best result percentage-wise, was in Russia: in 2011, VW sold 118,000 vehicles or more than double (+100.4 percent) than the 58,900 units it delivered in 2010.

 

Read More

Volvo to Debut New XC60 Plug-In Hybrid Concept at the Detroit Auto Show

Last month, Volvo launched the production version of its first-ever plug-in hybrid model based on the V60, which will go on sale in limited numbers this November in certain European countries.

Today, the Swedish car manufacturer announced that it would soon be adding another plug-in hybrid in its range, this time based on the XC60 crossover featuring a gasoline (instead of a diesel internal combustion engine like the V60 PHEV).

Although officially it's still a concept, Volvo makes no attempt to hide the fact that in reality it is a forerunner of the production version which will follow and, by its own admission, is aimed squarely at the U.S. market.

“The gasoline plug-in hybrid is ideal for the American motorist who wants an electric car while at the same time retaining all the power and capacity that comes in his or her present vehicle”, said Volvo’s President and CEO Stephen Jacoby.

The XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept features a turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine up front, with an output of 280HP and 380 Nm (280 lb-ft) of torque that’s driving the front wheels through a new eight-speed automatic transmission.

Like the V60 PHEV, its rear wheels are driven by a 70HP electric motor powered by an 11.2 kWh lithium-ion power and the driver can select all-wheel drive at the push of a button. The system's combined output is 350HP enough to accelerate the car from 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in just 5.8 seconds when the “Power” mode is selected.

The hybrid XC60 can be propelled solely by the electric motor for about 45 kilometers (28 miles) with zero emissions when the “Pure” mode is selected.

The default “Hybrid” mode provides an average consumption of just 2.3 lt/100 km (102.2 mpg US), a maximum range of up to 960 km (600 miles) while emitting just 53 g/km of CO2.

The hybrid XC60 bears a “T8” designation in order to demonstrate that its performance is comparable to that of a conventional eight-cylinder engine.

“It’s time to stop counting cylinders”, says Peter Mertens, Volvo’s senior vice president at the R&D department. “Four-cylinder engines are the most effective way to quickly reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption without compromising customer expectations when it comes to driving pleasure and performance.”

PHOTO GALLERY

Read More

TRD Spices up New Toyota Aqua / Prius C Hybrid with Sport Package in Japan

Toyota is losing no time in pushing out its aftermarket proposals for the all-new Aqua hybrid that will be marketed as the Prius C in markets outside of Japan and which will make its North American debut at the forthcoming Detroit Motor Show in January.

On the same day that the regular Aqua went on sale in its home market, Toyota's TRD racing and performance division announced a slew of tuning upgrades for the sub-compact hatchback.

Starting with the exterior package, TRD's offerings include a new front apron with additional air vents and optional LED daytime running lights, matching side skirts, a roof spoiler, and a rear apron that incorporates a diffuser in a matte black finish.

For the interior, there's a new TRD push-button start while performance mods are limited -for the time being- to a sports exhaust system with a pair of chrome tailpipes, larger alloy wheels and a suspension package with new springs and shock absorbers that lower the car's ride height.

TRD said that it will release more styling accessories and performance mods in the near future.

PHOTO GALLERY

 

Read More

Ford Designs a Greener Sleigh Concept for Santa Claus

Ford's UK division is dreaming of a green Christmas this year as the company's designers took some time off from their regular schedule to reinvent Santa Claus' sleigh and bring it to the 21st century.

The first thing you'll notice about Santa's new ride is the absence of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and of course Rudolph, as the nine reindeers have given their place to a gasoline engine and in particular Ford's new 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder unit.

And all for good reason, as Ford car designer Paul Wraith, explains: “They may look cute, but Santa’s team of nine reindeer create a staggering 214,670 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions each year, so something had to be done to help him re-discover his greener roots."

Ford says that the switch from reindeer- to mechanical horse-power will also benefit Santa Claus' pocket as the company calculated that in order to successfully deliver a toy to every child on Christmas Eve, he needs to travel around 200,237,360 km (approx. 124,448,328 miles), which will cost him an estimated £122 million (US$191 million or €147 million) on carrots to fuel his reindeer each year.

By using Ford's 1 litre EcoBoost engine, which delivers 125PS and 170Nm peak torque (200Nm on overboost), the company claims Santa’s fuel costs would be reduced by 90 percent to just £12 million (US$19.1 million or €14.7 million).

Ford says it spoke to Mrs Claus, who appeared to like the idea: “I am not looking forward to telling Donner and Blitzen the news, but the polar bears in the North Pole will certainly welcome the Ford EcoBoost-powered sleigh.”

Mrs Claus continues: “l would of course back anything that means my husband can get home that bit quicker. Getting presents in a shorter amount of time to all the good children each year may even give him time to reconsider a few names on the naughty list. But I can’t promise.”

“Our tongue may be firmly in cheek as we launch this sleigh design, but our heart is in the right place,” said Wraith. “We’re already thinking of the concept sleigh mark II. With electric vehicle battery technology developing all the time, we are keen to get to work on a zero-carbon version of our sleigh.”

Read More