Z-06

When you have a poop accident, air bags do not go up to cocoon your butt. When your Toyota has an accident, air bags safely cocoon you in their shield. +1 Toyota

Poop comes in different sizes and physical states and can take any shape possible. Same cannot be said about Toyotas. +1 Poop

There were three men who are asked one question. What is the fastest known thing? First man says - The light, nothing can travel faster than light. At speed of light one can blaze from one galaxy to other in no time. The second man says - Thoughts. The speed with which a person can think is faster than the speed of light. The third man says - Poop. I had diarrhea last night while watching TV. Before I could think to turn on the light it was all over. Diarrhea>Thoughts>Light>Toyota +1 Poop

Heated Seats in Toyota can help you give warmer poop. Warm poop cannot heat Toyota. +1 Toyota

That is a steal, considering it is only $5-6 K more than the LS7. I wonder how much the LSA will go for. Great pricing.

Add some more on the passenger seats too. Co-pilots need EXCITMENT!!!!!!!!! too.

Linkity Sketches of Opel Ampera Leaked Europe's Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market Becomes Discordant Europe's Office for Harmonization of the Internal Market (OHIM) maintains a trademark database that helps to ensure a minimum of conflict and easy filing for claims. That same database also lets slip basic sketches of car designs before their official unveiling on a regular basis, and this time the Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid gets its unofficial debut. The new Ampera is essentially Opel's version of the Chevrolet Volt and it is set to make its debut in production trim at next month's Geneva Motor Show. While the Volt will first hit showrooms in the U.S. late next year, the Ampera isn't expected to go on sale until sometime in 2011. These official renderings and sketches give us a preview as to what the Ampera will look like, revealing that its basic styling will remain almost the same as the Volt. Subtle differences will be unique bumper designs and alloy wheel patterns. Powering the car will be the new 'Voltec' plug-in hybrid system that was showcased recently in the Cadillac Converj Concept at last month's Detroit Auto Show. Voltec is the latest iteration of GM's E-Flex plug-in hybrid powertrain and features both a compact internal combustion engine and an electric drive system. For short trips of up to 40 miles, the Ampera will run only on lithium-ion battery power charged via a standard European 230-volt outlet. According to Frank Weber, the vehicle line executive for the Volt and Ampera, charge times will only take about two to three hours. This will ensure that the Ampera is well-suited to the daily driving schedule of most European customers. For example, approximately 80% of German drivers travel less than 30 miles daily. For longer distances, the car will continue to drive on electricity that is generated by the small internal combustion engine, boosting the driving range to more than 500 miles. A comparison of Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera can be found at Autoblog's Spanish website. [sources: Motor Authority, Autoblog Green, Autoblog En Espaniol]

If our country was a communist or dictator regime, these people would have been slaughtered - innocent or not. At least I would have sent a few behind the bars if not all of them to create some fear and responsibility. I guess "power of democracy" has made these passive-aggressive numb nuts survive, which is due to inaction of people who hold "power" of democracy i.e. common people. By not even raising a finger and going overboard in helping them is even more lack of accountability on part of our government and us.

Made me think of a girl I call Manchester.

It says a total of 30B which includes the 13.4B which they have already received. So 16.6B more.

Linkity CHRYSLER RELEASES VIABILITY PLAN GM UP NEXT By KATHY SHWIFF and SHARON TERLEP Chrysler LLC is seeking an additional $2 billion in federal funds on top of the $7 billion bailout it requested in December as part of the viability plan submitted to the Treasury Department on Tuesday afternoon. Fellow auto maker General Motors Corp. is expected to submit its viability plan to the Treasury shortly. Chrysler, which cited an "unprecedented decline in the automotive sector" since December, said it expects to remain viable and conduct an orderly restructuring outside of bankruptcy. Chairman and Chief Executive Robert L. Nardelli said the company's standalone viability plan, enhanced by a strategic alliance with Fiat SpA, is the best option for Chrysler employees, unions, dealers, suppliers and customers. The company so far has accepted $4 billion of its original $7 billion request. Chrysler now expects industrywide sales of 10.1 million vehicles in the U.S. in 2009, a 40-year low, and an average of 10.8 million annually through 2012. That number is 7.2 million less than Chrysler predicted in December and means a reduction of $18 billion in revenue and a $3.6 billion decline in cash inflow for the company during the next four years. Chrysler has signed a nonbinding agreement with Italian auto maker Fiat to create a joint venture in which Fiat would provide technology and engineering for the U.S. company to make small cars. Fiat also would help the company operationally, he said. Chrysler's viability plan includes 24 launches in 48 months and the introduction of electric vehicles to help meet current federal fuel economy standards. In addition, the company plans more restructuring this year, including cutting 3,000 jobs and eliminating one shift of manufacturing, discontinuing three vehicle models, removing 100,000 units of capacity, lowering fixed costs by $700 million and selling $300 million additional non-earning assets. Chrysler said concessions from the United Auto Workers, dealers, suppliers and second-lien lenders have been implemented or fundamentally agreed on. GM REPORT DUE At GM, overnight negotiations with the United Auto Workers failed to produce a deal that would substantially cut labor costs, sources familiar with the talks said. Bargaining continued Tuesday. The auto maker also is working to convince bond holders and other creditors to accept terms that will reduce its substantial debt. GM said it will submit its restructuring plan regardless of whether is succeeds in cutting deals with the union or bondholders. GM's plan, which sources say is 800 to 900 pages long, explains how the auto maker can turn around operations that have lost more than $70 billion since 2004. It is expected to detail plant closings, plans to eliminate models and brands and to further reduce structural costs. UAW negotiations hinge on GM's efforts to change terms under which it pays the union to assume responsibility for billions in retiree medical costs. The two sides made progress over the holiday weekend but were still hammering out significant differences, according to people familiar with the talks. In an email to dealers, GM Sales Chief Mark LaNeve asked for support and urged them to focus on selling cars and trucks. "While a lot of our attention will be focused on the viability plan update the next few days, we cannot lose focus on our customers," he wrote. Ford Motor didn't ask for federal government aid, although the auto maker is likely to seek concessions in line with what GM and Chrysler win. A person familiar with the matter said Ford has made "substantial progress" with the UAW including, but not limited to, new work rules. It was not expected that Ford would have a new agreement with the UAW Tuesday night. [source: Wall Street Journal]

Siegen, in your euphoria you forgot blanking the tag in the third picture. I haz now find u!

Slush

Similar game of chess as GM is playing in Canada. Queen's gambit accepted.

If you are talking warmer I possibly think it is a Front Track Cabriolet, Quattro Avant or Quattro Sedan. Going by your choices (TL, TSX et, al.) I think you are looking at a sedan.

May be your computer is using its Volkswagen firewall that prevents other German vehicles from being viewed. I checked the link using IE and FF on all my computers and it works.

Songs

Linkity The Z-28 - the Ultimate of the Camaros May Return If Luck, Cash, and Government Permit Highlights: LSA Engine That Breaths Life into the CTS-V Reworked Front Facia Fastest Chevy Modern Muscle Car Since the ZL-1 These are strange times at post-bailout GM. Having taken taxpayer money, the company is no longer master of its own destiny. It was bad enough when, late last year, new-model programs were halted to conserve dwindling cash reserves. Now, though, there's another thread running through GM's product planning process: not, should we build this vehicle, but is this a vehicle we should be seen to be building? The Camaro Z/28 is one of those vehicles. Sources inside GM say the new Z/28 is basically done. The image you see on these pages is very close to the final signed-off design, based on photos of a scale clay model we've seen. Key details to note are the deeper front bumper fascia, with larger front aperture under the grille and the spotlights mounted in deep vents on either side. The Z/28 also gets a different grille mesh compared with the standard Camaro's. At the rear is a taller lip spoiler that runs the full width of the car. A new rear-bumper fascia features a deeper section with integrated exhaust outlets. The wheels are 20-inchers with an aggressive "tuning-fork" five-spoke pattern. A new hood features a large, forward-facing scoop. Underneath is the 6.2-liter supercharged LSA V-8 that also powers the Cadillac CTS-V. As we have already confirmed, this is quite a powerplant, delivering 556 horsepower at 6100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3800 rpm. The Z/28 will also share the CTS-Vs six speed manual and automatic transmissions. The near-4300-pound CTS-V thunders from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds and nails the quarter mile in 12.3 seconds (automatic) or 12.4 seconds (manual). Top speed is limited to 175 mph in the auto (to preserve the tranny), but the manual will storm to an autobahn-melting 193 mph. As the Z/28 will weigh 200 to 300 pounds less than the CTS-V, it may nail 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and run the quarter in the very low 12s. This Z/28 could be the fastest Chevy ponycar since the legendary ZL-1-powered COPO 9560 Camaros built 40 years ago. Only problem is the Z/28 is on hold. First, GM ran out of money to finish and launch the car. Now, some inside the company are wondering whether selling a super-fast, super-powerful two-door Chevy coupe that will likely get no better than 13-19 mpg is the right thing to do for a company that's had to beg for money from a bunch of politicians who seem to think it really ought to be building gas-sipping Prius clones. "In the current environment, it would be very difficult to get any traction on a large rear-drive program," says one insider. But a hard core of performance enthusiasts inside GM are hopeful they can get the Z/28 back on track. "If we leave it too long, the car will become irrelevant," frets one source. One idea reportedly under study calls for a strictly limited production run, with each car individually numbered, to attract collectors and enthusiasts, and priced to ensure a solid profit margin. According to sources, GM product chief Bob Lutz has said that, while he would love to do the car, "We need to make the world right first." However, that could take cash-crunched GM a long, long time. The Australian-developed Zeta platform that underpins the Camaro was the linchpin of GM's global rear-drive strategy. Although developed as a much lower-cost architecture than the Detroit-developed Sigma platform that underpins the Cadillac CTS, it was being considered as the basis for an all-new rear-drive replacement for the STS/DTS sedans. That program, like every large rear-drive program at GM, is on hold. It's not just the fact that GM is short of cash; the other issue is the tougher CAFE standards that will mandate the automaker meet 35 mpg across its fleets by 2020. While being grilled by Congress last year, all three Detroit automakers unequivocally agreed they would meet that target. Which means large, heavy rear-drive cars don't have much of a future beyond the end of the next decade. The Zeta platform is good through 2016, say GM sources. Engineers will work on weight reduction and efficiency improvements, such as better aero and standard six-speed transmission, on all Zeta-based vehicles to keep the platform viable through then. Zeta's future is critically important for GM in Australia, where it underpins the volume-selling Holden Commodore and variants. But there are signs GM is prepared for a post-Zeta world Down Under. The company has already announced a version of the Chevy Cruze will be manufactured in Australia. And now it plans to build a car based off the next-generation Epsilon architecture there, too. The new Epsilon can be stretched large enough to give the interior package Aussies want; more important, it can package all-wheel drive and even a transverse-mounted V-8 under the hood. If Zeta goes, where would that leave Camaro? One scenario is that by 2020 it will be a smaller, lighter ponycar built on the compact rear-drive Alpha architecture being developed for Cadillac. [source: Motortrend]

Linkity Saab 9-5 Upclose Heavily Camouflaged Mule Spotted The Saab 9-5 is long overdue for an overhaul, with the current model first hitting the streets as far back as 1997. A totally redesigned model was rumoured to make an appearance last year but its release was pushed back due to limited resources at Saab and the introduction of the facelifted 9-3. Saab's parent company General Motors has since confirmed that the car will now make its debut later this year along with the new 9-3X crossover. Underneath the heavy camouflage of this prototype for the new 9-5 is a heavily revised version of GM's FWD Epsilon II platform, which is also shared by Opel for its new Insignia range. To differentiate Saab as a premium product engineers will provide a stiffer suspension set-up, a new steering rack and a different range of electronics. The car's wheelbase will stretch 2.84m, which is up 14cm on the current model. Engine options will include a range of four-cylinder petrol and turbodiesel units including a biofuel model. There will also likely by an AWD flagship model with a turbocharged petrol V6 displacing 3.6L and developing upwards of 350hp (261kW). Other engines will include a 210hp (157kW) 2.0L unit and mid-level 2.8L V6. A petrol-electric hybrid model is also expected. The new 9-5 will be sourced from Opel's Ruesselsheim plant in Germany with production tipped to start in the middle of the year. It will then make its debut at September's Frankfurt Motor Show as a 2010 model. The included computer generated rendering shows that designers will be sticking with the avant-garde styling of the original Aero X concept car, and will likely keep the protruding nose, large vents and sculpted bodywork. Other details will include a sleek, coupe-like profile and hatchback rear end.

Linkity Mercedes Benz E Class Coupe Debut for Geneva Highlights: 4 to 8 cylinder engines making 136hp to 382 hp. Coefficient of Drag of 0.24. Uses technologies seen in the bigger brother - SL Class like road sign recognition, emergency breaking etc. One of the hottest cars set to grace the stands at next month's Geneva Motor Show has been revealed today in the form of the all-new 2010 Mercedes Benz E-Class Coupe. The svelte two-door is the hotly anticipated replacement for the aging CLK Coupe, which has been falling behind against newer competition such as the Audi A5 and E92 BMW 3-series Coupe, and on initial inspection it looks like the latest E-Class Coupe has the competition nailed in the styling department. The Coupe's styling is based heavily on the new 2010 E-Class Sedan, unveiled at last month's Detroit Auto Show, and it shares most of its engines and its interior with the four-door as well. Thankfully, the new E-Class Coupe also retains the pillar-less glasshouse design and fully retractable side windows of the previous generation CLK. At the same time the most aerodynamic variant of these achieves an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.24Cd – a figure that is comparable with cars like the Toyota Prius and upcoming Chevrolet Volt. The range of engines available for the new E-Class Coupe comprises four, six and eight-cylinder units with outputs from 100 kW/136 hp to 285kW/382hp - the top end model being the E500/550. Expect to see an AMG version, however, debut with at least 500hp (373kW) later in the year. The four-cylinder engines are newly developed direct-injection units, which develop a higher output and torque than the comparable V6-engines of the preceding series despite a smaller displacement. Also fitted to the E-Class Coupe is Mercedes' Agility Control active suspension set-up. This automatically adjusts the firmness of the suspension given the driving conditions and works together with a user-controllable selective damper setting called Dynamic Driving. Other technologies include drowsiness detection warning systems, a pop-up bonnet, road sign recognition, automatic emergency braking, and adaptive self-dimming head lights. The new E-Class Coupe will first hit European showrooms this May and should be on sale in the U.S. by the third-quarter of the year. Expect pricing and availability details to be revealed following the car's debut at the upcoming Geneva event. [source: Motorauthority]

This is the problem of our country.

Welcome back Mr. Camino. I thought you had the long trip that you were wanting to - to get your Nirvana.

Fixed

Seriously the name should be The Troll About Cars. 97.7 WTTAC - Troll Country USA.

Linkity General Motors Death Watch 232 Chevrolet Corvette Must Die A mainstream carmaker has no business building niche products. Literally. For one thing, they're hardly ever profitable. For another, even when they are, their profits are relatively insignificant. And most importantly, "halo cars" are four-wheeled glass and steel versions of Dumbo's magic feather. They lead manufacturers to mistake cause with effect: if we build this, we must be good. In fact, any automaker that focuses its creative, financial and corporate resources on a halo car risks forgetting how to do what it did to get those resources in the first place—and an eventual plummet towards the circus floor. The Chevrolet Corvette may be only one of GM's magic feathers, but it's the most famous and, therefore, visible. GM should kill it, STAT. Next week, GM's heads head back to the bailout buffet. They'll try to convince your elected representatives to provide another heaping helping of taxpayer bucks (a.k.a. federal loans). Both the company and its camp followers [sic] will, once again, concentrate on the numbers: union wages and benefits, bondholder debt-for-equity swaps, VEBA payments, the old SAAR, the projected SAAR, the car SAAR, who's SAARy now, etc. And why not? As a Harvard MBA, General Motors lifer and former CFO, GM CEO Rick Wagoner never met a balance sheet he couldn't dress-up for a party—even if it's a freaker's ball. Which brings us back to the 'Vette: the freaker's ball pace car. The Chevrolet Corvette is a singular machine, a modern throwback that offers more bang for the buck than Marietta's Bullet Stop. An enthusiast who buys one is beyond reproach, in the same sense that a homeowner who restores a Victorian pile deserves nothing by kudos. And? The Corvette is a brand anomaly; it's as much a Chevy as a Cayenne is a Porsche, only less so. Again, the Corvette is awesome machine in and of itself. But out and outside of itself, it makes no sense. Do Chevrolet products need a personality? Of course not. The Malibu is the proper template. It's a car. Good mileage, reasonable price, adequate comfort, reliable (fingers crossed), not ugly. Value. While pistonheads worship at the temple of Bowling Green, Chevy buyers are busy bowling. They're working class people who can't afford a sports car, never mind one that costs $50K+. The new 'Bu and old Impala are their best case scenario. The only possible defense for this great landing at the wrong airport: symbolic value. "America's sports car" and all that. Which is why Wagoner should announce its termination. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, General Motor's future hangs by a thread. The decisions we make today mean life or death for this great American enterprise. We take our responsibility seriously. GM can not—will not—shy away from the unpleasant parts of this monumental task. "We have therefore decided to re-examine our entire brand and product portfolio, to decide which brands and vehicles can help us survive, and which vehicles and brands we must abandon to ensure our survival. "It is with great regret that I must announce that General Motors will no longer build the Chevrolet Corvette. "We here at General Motors are proud of the fine men and women who have designed and built this vehicle for generations of appreciative enthusiasts. But General Motors must leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of profitability. We must address our problems and shortcomings with unflinching honesty, and do whatever it takes to correct them. "As part of this process, we are refocusing the Chevrolet brand. Chevy will now offer a limited range of entry-level automobiles. Each one of the brand's three models will provide class-leading quality, comfort, fuel economy and value. "The Corvette is a world class sports car. But it does not fit our mission-critical effort to restore Chevrolet, and thus GM, to profitability. We take our obligation to repay the generosity of the American taxpayer seriously. If we must sacrifice the Chevrolet Corvette to satisfy our obligations, we will do it. "At some point in the near future, as soon as we can, the Corvette will rejoin GM's fleet as a Cadillac. It will be a different car, with the same goal: to give enthusiasts the world's best and most thrilling sports car, bar none. An all-American product. "For those of you disappointed by this news, I'd like to point out that we are redoubling our efforts to deliver the plug-in Chevrolet Volt, a hybrid vehicle that will reinvent the way Americans drive. It's a new kind of product that will help us refocus Chevy on what made the brand America's most popular car brand. "I thank you for your time and understanding. Rest assured that as painful as this is, the Corvette's sacrifice will be GM's gain." [source: The Truth About Cars]