thegriffon

You know I always thought that was the nose, not the tail. We must drive differently down under.

Already unveiled in November: http://auto-report.net/WordPress/?p=264

Pure spin. "Woe is me, where's the number for that Caymans account." Hell will freeze over before GM can just "pull out" of a dealership this easily.

lingerie

It's an SUV, to some extent you expect unpainted surfaces at the lower extremities. It's functional.

NASCAR doesn't allow the use of a new engine design. If someone else wants to join their design has to be essentially the same as an existing engine. If Honda or BMW wanted to join NASCAR, they too would have to design a carburetted, 16V pushrod V8 based on an existing engine competing in NASCAR. The "manufacturers" aren't much more than anchor sponsors.

That's a Thai Ranger designed by Mazda, not the American Ranger.

Cadillac

horseman

Transmissions, diesels and the next gen V6 engines are all from Mercedes or DC Commercial Vehicles' VM Motori affiliate.

http://auto-report.net/WordPress/?p=55

TOYOTA: The luxury channel for the Toyota brandTOYOPET: The leading channel in Japan's midsize market TOYOTA COROLLA: Toyota's large-volume channel with an emphasis on (but not limited to) compact vehicles Netz: A 21st century channel targeting customers who have new and evolving values Lexus: Aims to provide the highest-quality products and an unparalleled purchasing and after-sales service experience through a global luxury brand for the 21st century

Oh, and Blade will not be the name in the US, although that was considered.

Newsflash, it's sold in Japan as the Auris as well. The Blade is a more expensive Toyopet. And if Toyota is copying anything with the Auris it's not the Mazda3 wagon, but the Golf and Astra.

I'm not really into blondes, but oh yeah.

Yes, and no. FGP was Fiat-GM Powertrain, but the manual transmissions were developed and built by GM. The F40-6 was actually a pre-existing 6-speed developed by Saab and built by Opel Powertrain in Russelsheim. The only reason it would go away is low orders (blame dealers as muich as customers) and the advantages of the new 6-speed auto. The first true FGP transmission is the M20/32 family built by what was Opel Powertrain Austria and is now GM Powertrain Austria in Aspern near Vienna, which was again a GM core responsibility, and is widely used in the Corsa, Astra and many Vectras.

I have suggested that given Vauxhall's penchant for muscle cars, from the Prince Henry through Lotus Carlton to the Monaro, that Vauxhall be aligned with Pontiac and Buick and the mainstream models (Corsa, Astra Vectra etc.) be unrebadged Opels. Bentley, Bristol, Jensen, Invicta, AC, Rover etc. have all built cars with American V8s, so why not Vauxhall.

It's probably more that it's not big enough for the American market. BTW, read a Car comparison of hot hatches including the Mazdaspeed3 and Astra VXR—with only fwd the 260 hp Mazda is even more uncontrollable than the 240 hp Astra. Both, like the 250 hp Golf R32, need awd.

Looks like the Dodge + to me.

Until recently the Corolla was a subcompact. It's still smaller than the Premio (formerly Corona), but is now around the same price in the only market where both are sold. The Cressida was the export name for the (Corona) Mark II, a more premium model which remained rwd, competing with the Nissan Skyline. The Camry name was first attached to an extension of the Celica line (in name at least) and a sister car to the last rwd Carina. That car was replaced by the fwd V1 Camry in 1982, along with the Japan-only Camry Vista (later simply Vista) hardtop for the new Vista network (recently merged into the youth-oriented Netz network). 4 successive generations followed culminating in the V4 of 1994, however the V3 had earlier spawned a lwb widebody version for the American market—the V1 F, in Japan called the Scepter. In a similar manner the V4 A Camry spawned the American market V2 F Camry, called the Camry Gracia in Japan. Meanwhile the 2nd gen Camry spawned a more luxurious hardtop version called the Camry Prominent, as did the 3rd generation. This also spawned a lwb wide-body version, the first Lexus ES 300, or Toyota Windom. The V4 A was succed by the next wide-body American version, the V3 A, but the Vista survived one further generation (V5) before the Vista channel was merged into Netz, which gained the more-expensive, imported Avensis. The first V-body fwd Camry started out a compact even smaller than the T14 Corona/Carina (in Japan a brief stop-gap rwd model on the older A-body platform of the previous Carina, Celica Camry and Celica coupe—a lwb version was the first Supra, at that time called the Celica XX in Japan), but the first fwd T15 Corona and Carina actually shrank (smaller than a Suzuki Aerio), despite having a longer wheelbase, and has remained smaller than the Camry ever since. T16 was a longer hardtop version (slightly longer, but lower than the new US Focus), effectively a 4-door version of the returning Corona coupe (notchback version of the T16 Celica). The T15 was followed by the T17 and corresponding T18 hardtop and coupe. The T19 Corona/Carina moved to a longer wheelbase in 1992 and the wagon versions merged into the Caldina, while the T20 coupes and hardtop sedans used a shorter version only slightly bigger than the T16/T18. The T21 Corona Premio and Carina were joined by the European T22 Avensis, while the T23 Celica switched to the Corolla platform. The T24 sedans became the Premio and Allion, still compacts (the Premio is less than an inch longer than the Cobalt, the Allion just an inch longer than the Civic), although on a longer 2700 mm wheelbase shared with the T24 Caldina and the European T25 Avensis, now a true (lower) midsize sedan. The new coupe version is the T1 Scion tC. Since the Corolla sedan is just as expensive as the Allion/Premio, but much smaller than its key rivals, I can't help thinking that the latter would be a better rival for the Civic and Sentra in markets where a sedan is favored over the hatchback. The Camry surpassed the X-body rwd Cressida in size with the widebody V3, hence the need to develop a larger sedan, which although based on a stretched Camry platform, retained the X-body designation still used by the smaller rwd Mark II and the current Mark X. The S-body Crown, although larger than the Mark X, is no bigger than the Camry. Even the larger V8 Crown Majesta is not much bigger, although it does accommodate Toyota's UZ- and UR-series V8 engines.

So does the Corolla.If Lutz has run out of ideas, I have some. To start with a certain lower-midsize 4-cylinder sedan, and second a couple of 1.6 L engines.

Cam phasing systems vary timing of one or both camshafts. A few engines add a system for variable lift (BMW's Valvetronic engines, the new Northstar, Toyota's 2ZZ-GE Audi's new 2.8 DI V6). Cam profile switching systems as emplyed by Honda, Mazda, Volvo, Mitsubishi et al can vary timing, lift and duration in two or three steps by switching between different profiles. Audi's aforementioned 2.8 DI which debuted last year in the A6 employs both cam phasing on the intake and exhaust cams and cam profile switching on the intake cam—a method promoted by Delphi as simpler than alternative variable valve-lift systems for cam-phasing CVVT engines. This new Honda system adjusts continuously between high lift-late valve opening, and low lift-early valve opening (due to simple geometry as valve lift is increased the valve timing is delayed). Unlike dual-systems altering both timing and lift continuously but seperately, in this sytem timing and lift are altered in parallel, so a throttling function as in BMW's Valvetronic is not possible. As yet there does not seem to be a practical method of continuously altering duration without direct electro-hydraulic valve activation. Neither cam phasing nor this possible A-VTEC system vary duration as can be done with a different cam profile.

No, Peugeot was when they introduced the BMW designed Double-Vanos/Valvetronic 1.6 L to the 207, that is, if you don't count the same engine in the Mini (fabricated in Peugeot's Douvrin plant and assembled in either Douvrin or BMW's Hams Hall plant). A 1.4 L version is also due. Both engines (and a DI Turbo without Valvetronic) are further developments of the older BMW-Chrysler 1.4 and 1.6 L manufactured at the Tritec factory in Brazil.

Toyota's Dual-VVT GR series debuted some months after GM's 3.6 L. Mercedes of course claimed to be first with their Dual-VVT 3.5 liter, which debuted a year later. Mitsubishi and Mazda/Ford both use cam profile switching like Honda's VTEC system. Audi uses dual-CVVT on it's V-engines now, and has added CPS on the intake cam of a new engine as well. VTEC is not nor has ever been "continuously variable". It has always been a cam profile switching system, and therefore sequential or step based. It is however not merely two step. Depending on the application there are two- and three-phase VTEC systems (more recent 3-phase systems include cylinder shut-off or an idle mode rather than a 3rd cam profile), and of course it is also possible to apply it to the exhaust valves as well as the intake, although I believe that has only been done on the older DOHC engines Honda has largely abandoned in favor of the SOHC setup. CVVT works best on DOHC engines, but can and has been implemented on SOHC engines such as the Gen IV V8s and the Viper's new V10. The nature of CPS means that it works equally well on SOHC and DOHC engines, but for space reasons is usually only applied to the intake valves of SOHC engines A few Toyota engines incorporate variable valve lift in addition to straight VVT, as does GM's rwd Northstar V8, and probably the LY7, but not all versions of the Global V6. Delphi has been promoting a 2- or 3-stage CPS as an easier way to do this. BMW has of course used first VANOS CVVT and now Double-VANOS on every gasoline engine for a long time. Most naturally aspirated engines also now incorporate the variable valve lift Valvetronic sustem, which BMW uses for throttle control instead of a throttle butterfly. Aside from a different bore and stroke, the 2ZZ-GE 1.8 L is distinguished from the 1ZZ-FE 1.8 L by the use of variable valve lift in addition to VVT on the intake cam. Both are being replaced by the new dual-VVT 2ZR-FE.

Actually everyone else has thought Americans are a bunch of pussies ever since Vietnam—and all this talk about pulling out of Iraq is only reinforcing this view. Nobody thought you could stick out a prolonged conflict, and guess what, seems they were right.