Car Blog

The production of the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando is already in the pipeline and with their crossover compact ready for roll out, General Motors turns its eye on their truck spin off for the GMC. The new crossover for GMC came in the form of GMC Granite concept during the Detroit Auto Show.

The GMC Granite is dubbed by the carmaker as an urban-industrial wagon designed specifically for young professionals. The Granite has gets its styling lines from all over the GMC range, and it has some similarities to other successful wagons like the Scion xB and the 2010 Kia Soul.

The designer of the Granite compares the vehicle to an urban loft and true enough it has its modernist feel—tall headlamps, almost a vertical rear, truckish grille, and other details for the interior dominated by suede and cream shaded plastic.

The GMC Granite concept is linked to the Chevrolet Orlando by the 138 horsepower 4-cylinder 1.4L engine which is coupled with 6-speed automatic gearbox.

The Cadillac designers and engineers get the green light to produce the V version of the recently unveiled 2010 CTS Sports Wagon. General Motors will be going after the wagon versions of German marque like the Mercedes Benz, Audi, and the BMW.

The news first popped on the Twitter page of InsideLine without revealing the name of the GM insider tipster, the confirmation of the news item is said to be accurate and the CTS-V sportwagon is well on its way to the assembly line. So Cadillac fans are rejoicing with the availability of the CTS from the sporty coupe to a functional wagon.

The most likely target of the Cadillac sport wagon will be Europe where there is a big market for stylish wagons. The CTS-V can help the American brand build a following in Europe and widen their global customer base.

After six decades of conquering unimaginable terrains, the boxy do-it-all Defender by Land Rover is getting an update. The recognition for this automotive icon can be claimed anywhere in the globe and it is about time for the designers and engineers to pay homage to classic vehicle and give it a new look.

The team responsible for the new Defender is working with their drawing boards covered under the moniker Project Icon. The goal is to update the old Defender and apply principles of modern design to make its lines more appealing to today’s consumers. Land Rover wants to keep the vehicle simple and preserve its capability for which the Defender is known for.

The new Defender might avoid the aluminum body but instead borrow some concept from the rugged steel body works of the Range Rover and the Discovery. Most of its current siblings in the garage are going for the lighter aluminum but the ruggedness of the Defender might just be calling for a harder shell.

It will initially be assembled in England but the car maker has plans to spread production in China, India, and Russia.

It is never easy to find the right vehicle insurance and when you’re dealing with a vintage limousine then the search becomes even more difficult. Much of the limousine insurance policy will be based on how and if you use your vintage limousine and how much it is worth. Of course the limousine value has to be calculated so that the insurance will take into account that vintage vehicles increase in value each year and not lose it.

There are many important things to keep in mind when it comes to auto insurance for vintage limousines. If you aren’t careful in what kind of insurance and coverage you choose, then if something happens you may find out the hard way that your bad decisions will result in you losing a lot of money. You will probably have to ask around before you even find insurance companies that even offer insurance for vintage limousine, because vintage coverage is just not something that every insurance company is involved with.

Insurance premiums will vary greatly between vintage limousines that are used for private purposes and those that are used for business purposes. The more you intend to drive, the higher the insurance premium will be. A vintage limousine that is used as part of a business will also need more coverage, higher insurance amounts and a premium that will cover the equity value. You need vintage car insurance – but on another level!

The make and features of the vintage limousine also influence the auto insurance policy. Since a vintage limousine is expensive to repair, you need good insurance that has little co-pay or you may end up spending a lot before the insurance will take over paying repairs from an accident.

The chances of road mishaps if you are driving in Chattanooga, Fort Collins, or Sioux Falls are a lot lower compared to other metro areas in the United States.

In Sioux Falls, drivers will have an interval of 13.5 years in between road accidents. That is about 2.5 times longer than the 5.1 years of safely driving in Washington, D.C.

The figures are based on the study made annually by Allstate. The survey coined “America’s Most Improved Driving City” looks into the collision frequency in the 200 biggest cities in the U.S.

This year the cities of Arlington, Texas, Lexington-Fayette in Kentucky, and Alexandria, Virginia are considered the most improved placed to drive in this year. Comparing the list last year, oddly, 5 cities in Virginia also got in.

The mid portion of the mainland U.S. seems to be a safer zone for drivers. These cities which often have slippery roads during winter ironically top the list. Some New Jersey cities on the other hand are among the worst roads to drive on.

Among the bigger cities, Phoenix is considered as among the safest where the average is 8.8% above the average nationwide. On the other side of the coin, Washington D.C. is considered as among the riskiest roads of America together with other cities like San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Allstate uses their claim data collected in the last two years to analyze the chances of collisions on the roads of the different states.

The History of Nissan Cars is an exciting one. The Nissan car company has been around a long time and so has its cars. The original name of the Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. was Datsun and this company was founded in 1932. Nowadays Nissan is part of the Nissan Group which consists of a number of companies from around the world.

Throughout its history, Nisssan has had many relationships with other automakers from around the world. In fact, in the 1930s when cars were first being built, the technology used for it all came from the United States as did the chief designer of the cars. From 1993 up until 2002, Ford was also working with the Nissan company and a result were two minivans, one sold under each company name, that were built exactly the same and used the same parts. Since 2008, the French automaker Renault owns a large part of Nissan. This working together with companies around the world has greatly influenced the Nissan cars which are now the third best selling Asian make on the market.

Infiniti released the official tag price for its 2009 EX35 crossover starting at $33800 as it rolled out of dealerships. The new EX35 provides more standard and safety features.

The RWD base model at $33800 provides standard leather seats, roof rails, HVAC vents on the rear, and a reverse camera. The AWD that has the same features has a sticker of $36000.

The RWD Journey variant sells for $35200 which comes with some upgrades like the 6-disc CD entertainment system, steering column enhanced with telescoping capabilities, automatic climate control, and a coat hanger on the head rest of the driver. The AWD Journey tops the list at $37400.

Consumers can also opt in for an AVM or Around View Monitor which helps drivers dealing with blind spots during parking through cameras installed on the side and rear of the vehicle.

A technology package is also available. This upgrade gives the driver warning systems for lane departure and forward collision, cruise control, and brake assist. Other upgrades consist of a navigation system and 18 inch wheels.

The global financial crisis has hit the car industry so hard that automakers worldwide have been reportedly filing bankruptcies and closures one after another. At present, those who are lucky enough to dodge bankruptcies are trying to keep afloat with diminishing sales or new ownerships.

Sadly, another car company is raising the white flag. Karmann, who has become famous for the conversion of its Karman Ghia, is finally shutting it doors. Almost a year has passed with back to back bankruptcy scares, closures, and purchase.

Of course, the next possible step is filing for bankruptcy. However, the firm is not yet certain if Karmann would take the alternate route.

While Karmann holds contracts for other companies, the latest model it built was the Mercedes-Benz CLK, which the E-Class Coupe replaced.

The need to go green is felt on every corner of the auto industry as car owners give more attention to how their driving affects the environment. The bar is set higher and higher that premium brands like Bentley invests a lot on making more eco-friendly cars.

The Continental Supersports highlights its flex-fuel capabilities and soon Bentley will unveil greener features like aids to upgrade the aerodynamics and deactivation system for the engine’s cylinder.

Recently, the car manufacturer said goodbye to its famous Arnage flagship but Bentley has ambitious foresights to upgrade its fleet. There are talks about the production of a super Arnage by the end of 2010 which will be a bigger car, more luxurious ride, and more fuel efficient with its cylinder deactivation technology.

Cylinder deactivation is engineered to decrease fuel consumption dramatically by sealing off individual chambers of combustion when the demand for power is low. An innovative superheat and high pressure technology will also be used to curve the ideal lines for the most effective aerodynamics.

Holden designers engineered the new compact Cruze sedan to be appealing to the global market. The car is on sale in Australia, Europe, and Asia and is expected to hit the U.S. shore in the near future.

Thinking of the global appeal a Holden must have, variants or derivations of the car like the new hatchback should also be sellable to the global market.

The head of the Australian division of GM Mark Reuss revealed that a hatchback following the drawing lines of the Cruze will be in production by the third quarter of 2010. The hatchback will be designed and assembled in Australia and will definitely different from the sedan Cruze from which it will be derived.