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The Yukon All-Terrain has a roof-mounted cargo system, 22-inch all-terrain tires and a set of satin nickel tow hooks. (Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

LAS VEGAS — GMC rolled out its Yukon All-Terrain concept at the
2007 SEMA Show
, with an eye toward pleasing mountain-climbing enthusiasts.

The exterior gets a custom four-bar All-Terrain grille, a \”stealth gray\” exterior color and 22-inch all-terrain tires. The cabin is decked out in a custom two-tone look with satin nickel trim and a custom leather headliner.

It\’s not all about roughing it, however, since this concept comes with a unique roof cargo management system and a portable overhead DVD system in the cabin. Other interesting touches include bi-directional remote start, satin nickel oval assist steps and satin nickel tow hooks.

What this means to you: Now you can take on Mount Everest in style.

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Pontiac Solstice SD-290 has a 290-horsepower 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo engine, Club Sport Z0K suspension package and Solo Performance catback exhaust system. (Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

DETROIT — The Pontiac Solstice went on a major diet in time for the 2007 SEMA Show and has re-emerged in racetrack-ready shape in the form of the SD-290 concept.

The teaser image issued by Pontiac in the run-up to the SEMA show only hinted at what engineers had in mind for the car: that is, to capture the “purposeful design of vintage racing cars.”

But now that the specifications have been released, it’s clear that they put the Solstice on a grueling regimen that included weight reduction through installation of a driver-side-only windscreen and elimination of door glass/hardware, convertible top/hardware, climate system and wiper system. Pontiac notes that aerodynamics have also been improved on the… Read the rest of this entry

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PARIS — Formula 1 fans and competitors alike will have to wait until November 15 to get a decision on the outcome of the October 21 Brazilian Grand Prix — and the 2007 world driving championship title.

That’s when the F?d?ration Internationale de l’Automobile’s International Court of Appeal will rule on an appeal by McLaren of a decision by race stewards not to penalize two teams whose cars finished in points-paying positions after there were reports of fuel temperatures that were outside the limits of competition rules.

The Williams-Toyota of Nico Rosberg and the BMW-Saubers of Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld finished 4th, 5th and 6th. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton finished 7th, and the two points he earned for that finish, combined with the 10 points awarded to winner Kimi R?ikk?nen, meant Ferrari driver R?ikk?nen forged a one-point edge over Hamilton in driver points.

FIA President Max Mosley… Read the rest of this entry

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SHANGHAI — General Motors on Monday announced a partnership with the Chinese government and one of the country’s leading universities to build a state-of-the-art $250 million research center focusing on alternative energy and the environment.

The new GM Center for Advanced Science and Research follows the recent announcement of a new $200 million test track that GM is building in nearby Anhui province, in collaboration with local partner SAIC and their jointly owned Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC).

GM’s willingness to commit so much capital and resources to energy and environmental research underscores China’s long-term commitment to the clean-tech movement and the government’s intent to rapidly develop alternative energy sources for motor vehicles.

The Center for Advanced Science and Research will be housed at GM’s new corporate campus in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area. The campus is home to GM’s Asia-Pacific headquarters and its China operations, with… Read the rest of this entry

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Bitter Vero. (Photo courtesy of Bitter)

SCHWELM, Germany — Former racing driver and tuner Erich Bitter started building exquisite sports cars with his own brand name back in the early 1970s, mainly in partnership with Opel.

His latest effort, the Bitter Vero, shifts gears a tad, using another General Motors product — the Holden Statesman from Australia — as its mechanical base and GM’s massive 6.0-liter V8 as its motive power source.

That monster Corvette V8 makes 367 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque in the Vero, which has its top speed electronically limited to 155 mph. A five-speed automatic transmission is fitted, with a six-speed in the pipeline for 2008.

The Vero follows the pattern established with the earlier Bitter CD and SC… Read the rest of this entry

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Smart’s Fortwo will go on sale in the U.S. in January at 70 carefully selected dealerships across the nation. (Photo courtesy of Smart)

SAN FRANCISCO — Smart USA chose the Silicon Valley as the backdrop for the media launch of its Fortwo. As part of the extended drumroll of publicity for the car’s January 2008 U.S. rollout, media are driving the Fortwo today on a junket that includes stops at Stanford University, Google headquarters and the homes of other Silicon Valley icons including eBay, Sun Microsystems and Apple.

The techie stronghold was chosen because, in the company’s words, the Silicon Valley “stands for an open-minded America” and is populated by “‘thought leaders’ who choose innovative solutions as an existential part of their everyday lives.” In other words, the same people Smart thinks will venture to buy the ground-breaking small car.

The Smart Fortwo is… Read the rest of this entry

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Its larger sibling, the space up!, was a Tokyo auto show standout. Now the automaker is reportedly considering putting the up! lineup into production…but not until after the public shows its reaction to the final member of the concept trio, set for a Los Angeles auto show debut next month. (Photo courtesy of Volkswagen of America, Inc.)

WOLFSBURG, Germany — Top Volkswagen officials have been buoyed by the positive response to the innovative up! and space up! concept cars VW displayed at the Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows this fall. But contrary to press reports suggesting they are all but certain to hit the road within the next three years, a decision to place them into production is still a while off, according to Volkswagen R&D Chief Ulrich Hackenburg.

Speaking to journalists last week in Tokyo at the unveiling of the space up!,… Read the rest of this entry

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Inside, the Wrangler Ultimate has black leather baseball stitching on orange mesh and gray leather seat surfaces. The feel of the interior is intended to show the Jeep brand’s “machine character,” the company says. (Photo courtesy of Chrysler LLC)

LAS VEGAS — Mopar came up with at least eight places on the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon on which to lavish lots of chrome as it created the Jeep Wrangler Ultimate for the 2007 SEMA Show.

There’s the fuel-filler door, taillamp guards, tubular side steps, exterior mirrors, tow hooks, door handles, hood hinges and fascia overlays. As if all that chrome weren’t enough to snap show-goers to attention, Chrysler’s aftermarket parts division took it a step further by using what it calls a “wildly experimental” paint called “liquid Charcoal Pearl Coat.”

Still, Jeep insists that the Wrangler Ultimate’s “real story” is its interior,… Read the rest of this entry

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Only the Challenger SRT is expected to be offered for the 2008 model year. (Challenger Concept pictured) (Photo by Marc Ubano)

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Its official debut is still months away, but details are starting to leak out about the 2008 Dodge Challenger. According to Automotive News, Dodge plans to roll out the Challenger in two phases. A 5,000-car limited-run 2008 Challenger SRT will be unveiled at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show in February. The SRT will use the 6.1-liter Hemi mated to a five-speed automatic.

For the 2009 model year, Dodge will expand the Challenger lineup to include both 6.1- and 5.7-liter Hemi versions to be shown at the 2008 New York Auto Show in March. A six-speed manual will be added and possibly a dual-clutch transmission. Dodge will increase the Challenger’s production output to 30,000-35,000 cars in 2009, says Automotive News.… Read the rest of this entry

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Tesla fighter alert: Henrik Fisker has released this teaser image of a gas-electric sports car that he’s aiming to put on sale for under $100,000. The real thing is expected at the Detroit auto show in January. (Photo courtesy of Fisker)

IRVINE, Calif. — Henrik Fisker, the former BMW and Aston Martin design whiz, has released the first official “teaser” image of the new plug-in hybrid that he and his partners plan to unveil in January at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.

As yet unnamed, the gas-electric sports car will be priced from under $100,000 and will be produced in batches of fewer than 15,000 per year — a still-lofty target, given the rather thin demand for standard luxury and performance models in this price bracket.

Fisker has partnered in the hybrid venture with Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide. The new alliance is called… Read the rest of this entry