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Neuer Volvo XC90: Technik-Flaggschiff
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Nevs wins creditor protection, may lose rights to Saab brand
After rejecting National Electric Vehicle Sweden’s Thursday request for protection from creditors, a Swedish court has approved a revised filing that gives the Saab owner a bit longer to secure funding.The company is said to owe creditors approximately 400 million SEK (~$57.5 million USD). Some of the suppliers recently asked the court to force the company into bankruptcy, potentially leading to asset liquidation.
Nevs yesterday claimed progress in negotiations with two companies that may be able to save the company from bankruptcy, providing the necessary investment to restart production of the all-electric Saab 9-3. Previous reports have pointed to Inda’s Mahindra and China’s Dongfeng as potential suitors.
Interestingly, the financial troubles have led Saab Group, the aerospace and defense giant, to withdraw Nevs’ rights to continue using the Saab brand, according to Reuters.
It is unclear if Saab Group will be willing to renegotiate a fresh trademark agreement for the Saab name if Nevs is successful in its quest for new financial backers.
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2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata to get coupe, multiple engine choices?
Industry whisperings suggest that the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata may offer multiple engine options in addition to a fixed-roof coupe bodystyle.
One of the more hotly anticipated new car debuts in recent memory, the lighter, more focused 2016 MX-5 Miata is less than a week away from its unveiling, but Mazda is keeping a tight lid on details concerning the iconic sports car.
However, rumors have sprung up to fill the information void, with Automotive News reporting that the new Miata will receive a coupe derivative about a year after the convertible launches. Likely to supplement, rather than replace, the existing power folding retractable hardtop option, the coupe will boast fastback styling and should help the Miata cater to a wider range of buyers.
Also helping to expand the customer base is a rumored two-engine powertrain lineup. Whereas the current model makes do with a single motor, Australia’s Go Auto states that the new Miata could offer a choice between 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter SkyActiv four-cylinder mills. A six-speed manual will almost certainly be the standard-issue transmission.
While the authenticity of the rumors is impossible to verify at present, that won’t be the case for long – the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata will be officially unveiled on September 3, and we’ll have the full story along with a full set of photos.
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Toyota first to win approval for high-pressure hydrogen fuel tanks
Toyota has announced that it has gained government approval to build and inspect hydrogen tanks that will be installed in the FCV fuel-cell vehicle.Japan is said to have stringent regulations for production of pressurized gas containers, which must be made available for official safety inspections during the assembly process. Before receiving the recent greenlight, Toyota’s tanks also had to be inspected before installation in prototype vehicles.
“The inspection schedules had a direct impact on inventory control and the manufacturing timetable for Toyota’s FCV prototypes,” the company said in a statement.
Toyota can now self-inspect the tanks, allowing the company to ramp up production and reduce costs.
The hydrogen vessels are built from carbon fiber and designed to withstand pressures of over 700 bar (10,152 psi), requiring extremely robust construction to avoid rupture in an accident. To highlight tank strength, the company early this year claimed a .50-caliber bullet barely made a dent and failed to penetrate the tank wall.
Toyota is competing with Honda to be the first to bring a fuel-cell vehicle to market, with both companies potentially launching their rival models sometime in 2015.
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GM promises Z71 off-road packages for Tahoe, Suburban
Confirming rumors that surfaced last year, General Motors has announced plans to offer Z71 packages for the 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban.The company has maintained that its body-on-frame SUVs are naturally more off-road capable than unibody alternatives, but the Z71 trim level was initially missing from Chevrolet’s 2015 SUV lineup.
Full details have yet to be announced, but the packages are expected to feature heavy-duty lifted suspension, skid plates, high-profile tires, roof racks and potentially a few body tweaks.
“In 1988, the first official special Z71 package appeared on Chevrolet’s new-generation full-size pickup trucks, and in 2001, Chevrolet added the Z71 package to Tahoe and Suburban,” the company said in a brief statement.
Additional features and production timing will be announced late in September.
Photo by Mark Elias.
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Toyota prices Tundra TRD Pro pickup
Toyota has finally announced pricing information for its largest TRD Pro Series pickup, the Tundra.The full-size pickup with Toyota Racing Development upgrades fetches $42,385 (including $1,100 freight) in double-cab form, or $45,000 with the extended CrewMax cabin.
Like its smaller counterparts, the Tundra TRD Pro features Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs for increased oil capacity and suspension travel. Lifted front springs have also been tuned with a lower rate for better ride quality over harsh terrain, while a front skid plate helps protect the undercarriage.
The pickup is easily spotted by its 18-inch all-black TRD alloy wheels with off-road tires, TRD Pro quarter-panel bed stamping and a unique front grille. TRD logos can also be found on the floor mats, shift knobs and instrument panel.
The company is offering a new color for the 2015 model year: Inferno orange. Buyers can also opt for existing black or Super White body paint.
The Tundra TRD Pro is scheduled to arrive in showrooms next month.
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Ford kicks off 2015 Mustang production at Flat Rock plant
Ford is celebrating the start of production for its redesigned Mustang, built at the Flat Rock Assembly Plant outside of Detroit.The 2015 model will be exported globally for the first time since the original Mustang arrived in 1964, eventually heading to 120 countries. Flat Rock workers will be tasked with building both left-hand-drive and right-hand-drive variants, which will finally bring the nameplate to the UK, Australia, South Africa and dozens of other markets.
The company boasts a total production tally of 9.2 million Mustangs sold in its 50-year history, with over a million units built at the Flat Rock facility.
The plant is said to have been transformed in the past year, adding a flexible body shop to support simultaneous production of multiple models. Other improvements included in the $555 million upgrade plan include laser brazing, dirt detection and a three-wet paint process.
The 2015 Mustang hopes to attract more buyers with its optional 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost engine, redesigned suspension system and tweaked aesthetics. US customers will have the first chance to buy the new pony car when it arrives in showrooms this fall.
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Kentucky plant worker wins Toyota’s 10 millionth Camry
A worker at Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, assembly facility has won the company’s 10 millionth Camry.Rather than placing the milestone vehicle in the visitor center beside the first Camry, which rolled off the assembly line in 1988, the company decided to hold a random drawing and give it to one of the plant’s 7,000 workers.
The winner was Tom Keith, a 26-year veteran who works in the quality control department. Interestingly, he is one of approximately 200 remaining workers who was working at the plant 26 years ago when the first Camry was built.
“It’s highly appropriate that our 10 millionth vehicle goes to one of the team members who made this milestone possible,” said TMMK plant president Wil James. “Our team members are the heart and soul of this company, and they make all of our successes possible.”
Keith plans to give the car to his wife as a surprise upgrade from her current vehicle, a 2007 Avalon.
“I’m going to go [to her workplace] this afternoon, move her car out and park the new Camry in her space,” he said. “She’s going to scream.”
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Mercedes teases Paris-bound AMG GT [VIDEO]
Mercedes-Benz has published a short teaser video that previews the upcoming AMG GT. The company’s next sports car will be unveiled online on September 9th, and it is scheduled to greet the public for the first time at the Paris Motor Show that will open its doors next October.The GT will ride on a shortened version of the SLS AMG’s platform, although the latter car’s signature gullwing doors will be replaced with conventional units to improve structural rigidity and reduce mass – overall, the GT is expected to weigh in at around 3,400 pounds. Visually, the AMG GT will adopt softer lines than the SLS and boast a silhouette that is more fastback than traditional coupe.
Mercedes has provided us with two interior photos of the upcoming supercar. The GT’s interior is an evolution of the SLS’, featuring the same wide dash and throw-back air vents. Mercedes says the center stack was designed to resemble a NACA duct, and it has also cleverly arranged the controls for the car’s AMG Drive Unit to mimic the cylinder layout of a V8 engine.
Mercedes has previously announced the AMG GT will inaugurate a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that will generate 510 horsepower at 6,250 rpms and 479 lb-ft. of torque between 1,750 and 4,750 rpms in its most powerful configuration. Called M178 internally, the twin-turbo mill will feature a dry-sump lubrication system that lowers the center of gravity by eliminating the conventional oil pan, lightweight forged pistons and a patented Nanoslide coating on the cylinder walls that reduces friction losses. Mounted in front-mid position, the eight-cylinder will spin the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic transmission controlled by shift paddles.The M178 engine will gradually replace the naturally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 that is currently found under the hood of numerous AMG-badged cars. Look for a detuned version of it to power both the upcoming C63 AMG and the AMG-massaged version of the next E-Class.
Full details about the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT will emerge in the coming weeks. Following its unveiling in the French capital, the GT is expected to land in showrooms across the United States next year. -
Details emerge about Volvo’s E-Class-fighting S90 sedan
Volvo is preparing to introduce a large sedan called S90, and a new report give us a better idea of what to expect when it lands.Designed to replace the aging S80, the S90 will take the form of a large four-door sedan whose overall design will be inspired by the recently-introduced second-generation XC90. The S90 will be decidedly more upscale than the S80, and it will likely spawn a long-wheelbase model designed primarily for buyers in China. However, Volvo has hinted the stretched S90 L could be offered in the United States and in select markets on the Old Continent if there is enough demand from buyers.
The S90 will ride on an evolution of the modular Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform that underpins the 2015 XC90, and the two cars will share the bulk of their mechanical components. Base and mid-range versions of the upcoming sedan will be offered with a wide array of gasoline- and diesel-burning four-cylinder engines sourced from Volvo’s Drive-E family, while the range-topping model will pack an efficient gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid drivetrain. An eight-speed automatic transmission will come standard all across the board.
Although the S90 is shaping up to be the most upscale Volvo sedan in recent memory, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson has refuted company chairman Li Shufu’s earlier statement that it will fight head-to-head against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series.“We will never have V12 or V8 engines. I think Mercedes will not see this as a S-Class competitor,” explained Samuelsson in an interview with Australian magazine Motoring. Another executive revealed to the same source that the S90 is being developed to fight head-to-head against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5-Series.
The Volvo S90 is scheduled to go on sale late next year, meaning it could be presented to the public at next year’s edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Additional information about the company’s new sedan will emerge over the coming months.
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