El Camino may return, but it won’t be a Chevy!

August 26, 2007

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Holden just released a new version of its Australian Ute, and it’s been rumored that the VE Trucklet will be US-bound. There’s no doubt that GM is taking a look at the possibility of reintroducing the El Camino’s ethos to American consumers, and fans of past El Caminos (and Sprints and Caballeros) are excited. GM Inside News forum member and photoshopper MonaroSS whipped up a chop of the VE Ute with an imagined Chevrolet nose and emailed it to everyone’s friend, Maximum Bob, at GM HQ. Accompanying the picture was the note “hope the new Ute gets a more Chevy look if it goes Stateside.” The reply from Lutz confirmed a desire on GM’s part to bring the Ute over, but went on to state that it wouldn’t be a Chevrolet if it happens.

What? An El Camino that’s not an El Camino? What brand would sell it, then? There’s GMC, which had versions of the El Camino in the past (the aforementioned Sprint and Caballero), but is it a good fit with the rest of the GMC product line? Pontiac’s already getting the VE cars as G8s, so there would be a level of familiarity on the part of the sales/service organization were the Ute to end up at the Excitement branch. Of course, GM could take a total left-turn and sell it at Saturn or Buick stores, too, but we see those as a remote possibility. Saturn have a slight edge over Buick if it were to ever end up in either of those stores, but it’s nearly as doubtful as the Ute becoming a Cadillac. So - while a certain number of consumers would welcome a new version of GM’s not-a-car-not-a-truck, it’s anyone’s guess who will sell it and what they’ll call it.

[Source: GM Inside News]

 

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Renault Laguna Coupe coming to Frankfurt

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Renault appears likely to show a new coupe based on the Laguna at the 2008 Geneva motor show, based on the Fluence concept it showed back in 2004. CAR Magazine in the UK managed to snag a shot of the coupe at a recent launch presentation for the Laguna sedan. Unlike the sedan, which is styled very conservatively, the small teaser shot of the coupe looks promising as the rear won’t look like any car on the road today. Expect Renault to do away with the front lights on the Laguna sedan for something a little more sporty.

Car is reporting that the coupe will come with a 2.0L petrol and diesel engines with 168hp and 148hp, respectively, a 3.0L diesel with 240hp, and finally a 3.5L petrol engine sourced from Nissan’s 350Z with around 300hp.

The new coupe should be priced moderately higher than the sedan and the performance engines will give it the go to fight with the competition in this highly competitive segment.

[Source: Car Magazine]

 

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2008 Nissan Rogue priced under $20,000

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When Nissan’s small CUV, the Rogue, goes on sale in just a couple of weeks, it’ll carry a sub-$20,000 base MSRP. That just undercuts the popular Honda C-RV and Toyota RAV4, which are right in the Rogue’s crosshairs.

Based on the Sentra platform, the Rogue is a few inches longer than both the Toyota and Honda, but offers less interior room. Rogue’s 2.5 liter 4-cylinder will be paired with a CVT to counter the CR-V’s 2.4 liter and RAV4’s 2.4 liter base engine. No 6-cylinder is planned, Automotive News reports.

[Source: Automotive News via Winding Road]

Gallery: Nissan Rogue

 

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Tata confirms interest in Jaguar, Land Rover

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We’d picked up rumblings a while back that India’s Tata Motors was interested in placing a bid with Ford for its Jaguar and Land Rover properties. Tata’s even gone so far as to set its advisors loose on the potential deal to investigate how solid the investment would be. The automaker wants to strengthen itself through expansion into other markets, rather than being tied solely to the whims of the Indian economy. Jaguar and Land Rover are worldwide prestige brands that would give Tata instant entry to many more markets with a built-in customer base. Ratan Tata confirmed his company’s desire to bid for the PAG albatross brands during an interview with an Indian news channel. Further exposition by Mr. Tata on the subject was not forthcoming, but the full interview will air Sunday and Monday, and may clear up some more questions. After the jump, we imagine what a letter of intent from Tata to Ford might look like.

[Source: Forbes]

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Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sports Coupe

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Click image to enlarge

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sport Coupe never really caught on here in the US, and it was ultimately dumped from the automaker’s Stateside lineup. It has lived on in Europe, however, and it will be updated to bring it closer in appearance to the all-new W204 C-Class sedan. The latest spy shot , posted by a member at GermanCarZone, shows a mildly disguised prototype at a filling station.

As you can see, the new-gen C-Class face has been applied, but since the coupe will continue to be built on the old platform (W203), the rest of the car’s outward appearance is basically identical to the old model (shown at right). This is about as basic a facelift as you can get, and from the look of it, the C-Class Sport Coupe should remain unlamented in the US even after Europe gets the “new” car.

[Source: GermanCarZone via Carscoop]

 

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Rick Wagoner to deliver keynote at 2008 CES

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Last year at CES, we saw how electronic makers were seeing more and more the importance of the automotive industry. It was especially telling that one of the biggest products at the show was Sync, by Ford and Microsoft.

In 2008, CES gets even more friendly with the auto industry by inviting GM CEO Rick Wagoner to be a keynote speaker. It will be the first time in CES’s 40-year history that an automotive CEO has delivered one of its keynotes.

Could Wagoner’s scheduled appearance indicate a big mobile electronics announcement from GM? Possibly big news about the Volt? A competing technology to counter Ford’s Sync? We’ll all know Jan. 8, after Wagoner’s 8 p.m. Vegas-time speech.

Oh, and for you Microsoft fanboys, don’t worry, Bill Gates is still delivering the main keynote Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

[Source: Automotive News (sub. requ’d]

 

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2009 Dodge Journey crossover will debut in Frankfurt

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click above image to view high-res gallery of 2009 Dodge Journey

Meet the 2009 Dodge Journey, a new crossover from the crosshairs brand that will debut early next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. Why the international debut? The 2009 Journey will be an international vehicle, sold both in the U.S. and Canada, as well as markets outside North America. The new Journey is one of those vehicles that wants to look like an SUV, haul stuff like a station wagon and ride like a passenger car.
Known by the code name JC49 for months, the Dodge Journey is actually based on an Avenger chassis with a wheelbase lengthened 4.9 inches. That provides extra room for an optional third-row seat for “occasional use”. The Journey also includes some clever features like a large storage bin beneath the front passenger seat cushion, as well as two in-floor bins behind the front seats big enough to carry a 12-pack each and some ice.

Dodge designed the Journey with a traditional crossover look, eschewing the amped up machismo look of many recent Dodge looks. Of course, the monochromatic R/T looks the best, especially wearing 19-inch wheels. The interior of the 2009 Journey is also not traditional Dodge fare. While we can’t comment on how the materials feel, it does appear the Journey is sporting new switchgear, and a lot of it. The audio and HVAC controls are a barrage of buttons that could be intimidating to some.

More info after the jump, along with VIDEO, Dodge’s full press release and the gallery of high-res pics below.

[Source: Dodge]

Gallery: 2009 Dodge Journey

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