Original and versatile Fiat QUBO

Aggressive and original on the outside, practical and flexible on the inside. The Qubo has its very own distinctive personality: reliable, sturdy and functional, it is the car you can always count on.
The sturdy front and innovative rear, with its tipping, ‘strong box’ boot, emphasise its sturdiness without hiding its original, non-conformist character. The fluid sides with their large windows provide the cabin with lots of light and an excellent view of the road, while the sliding rear doors guarantee easy access to the cabin.
The compactness and simplicity of the Qubo are apparent: 3.959 metres long, 1.735 metres high, and 1.716 metres wide, with a turning circle of less than 10 metres, making narrow city centre streets and the slaloms of urban traffic equally easy.

First Look - Lexus ISC SEMA 2009 Video

SEMA Show 2009: Hyundai Genesis R-Spec and PRICE

At the SEMA Show in Las Vegas gambler's paradise of shows, the Korean car maker Hyundai Genesis coupe in its model 2.0T R-Spec version. In addition to costs has been saved in the special Genesis, especially a lot of weight. The package includes, among other things, a newly tuned suspension, a Brembo brakes, a Torsen limited-slip differential and new performance tires on 19-inch wheels.
The Genesis Coupe R-Spec has a turbocharger with intercooler and makes 201 hp. Koreans give the maximum speed of around 220 kilometers per hour. In addition to Bluetooth and a cruise includes an onboard computer and a multifunction steering wheel is standard equipment. In the U.S. you have to shell out for the Genesis R-Spec $ 23,750.

New Dirty Car Arts Photo Gallery

GM Extends “May the Best Car Win”

GM’s 60-day money back guarantee offer is now good to the end of the year.    “May the best car win” was designed to impress consumers with the company’s faith in its products and entice them to overcome long simmering reservations about quality and give those products a try.

So far, only a handful of car buyers have actually returned their vehicles, usually for just a different variation of the model.  Nevertheless, the campaign seems to be helping sales grow and GM will extend the offer through January 4, 2010.

Jay Spenchian, GM's executive director of the marketing strategy support group, told The Associated Press on Thursday that more people are considering GM's four brands — Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick — and few vehicles have been returned.

"We're starting to see big consideration changes and opinion changes," he said.

That's what the company was hoping for when it created the campaign, which includes advertisements comparing GM vehicles to those of  competitors. The nation's largest automaker needs to improve sales so it can repay billions in government loans and stay in business.

Spenchian said October's numbers appear to be up. GM on Wednesday said it is likely next week to post its first year-over-year monthly sales gain in 21 months.--October 30, 2009

GM News:

“May the Best Car Win” Winning with Consumers; GM Extends 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee

October 29, 2009

GM’s “May the Best Car Win” marketing campaign is boosting consumer opinion and consideration of its cars and trucks. The ads scored in the top quartile for all automotive advertising in the last three years in terms of consumer opinion, consideration and relevancy, according to GM’s internal testing data.

The campaign is getting the word out about how good GM’s new products are,” Jay Spenchian, executive director, Marketing Strategy, said Thursday during a media update on the marketing campaign.   “We’ve seen positive coverage and increased awareness of launch products like the Buick LaCrosse and GMC Terrain.”

Spenchian also said GM’s successful 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee, which is part of the campaign, will be extended through January 4.

“More than 99 percent of buyers who choose to take the Satisfaction Guarantee are keeping their vehicle,” he said.

The next phase of the campaign will launch in December with head-to-head ads in magazines, newspaper and web sites.---Oct. 30, 2009

SOURCE:  

Bob Lutz and many others behind the making of this marketing campaign deserve a big bunch of credit(from the industry, media and of course the tax payers). This is going to be recorded as one of the MOST successful and yet uniquely courageous( with having to report the progress and results to some 290+ million US tax payers) marketing and sales pitch ever practised by GM( or any other manufacturer present or represented in the US )since 3 decades; I insist..! AND let me tell you, it hasn't been easy to accomplish. Expecting more good results to keep coming to help us sustain our high hopes for the fast recovery of GM. There is some "good" reading if you may be interested, posted earlier in the following blogs; please click on the links below(your comments will be highly appreciated): /MT
W-Info Autos                                  The "New" GM

                             

  

CTS-V Challenge VIDEO

500 000 FORD FIESTAS SNAPPED UP SO FAR

FORD SAYS: One year after its debut, more than half a million customers have purchased the new Ford Fiesta, marking an important milestone as Ford Motor Company prepares to bring the fuel-efficient, global car to the US and other key Asian Pacific markets next year.

The new Fiesta, the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan, went on sale in Germany in October 2008. It quickly became the second-best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe's market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage points this year through September to 9.2%, the highest since 1999.

After its European introduction, the Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Global retail sales of the car reached 470 000 units through September of this year, with 430 000 sales in Europe and 40 000 in the Asia Pacific region. Continued strong demand for Fiesta through October has pushed the total number beyond 500 000. In South Africa, Fiesta is the third best performing B-segment vehicle sold through the dealer network and continuously appears in the top ten passenger car sales.

"Customers around the world are recognizing the new Fiesta delivers on the global Ford DNA — eye-catching design, innovation, outstanding driving dynamics and great value," said Jim Farley, group vice president of global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America.

The new Fiesta will make its North American debut when it is revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December. Set to arrive in North American dealer showrooms next summer, the Fiesta already can claim more than 50 000 potential U.S. customers thanks to the Fiesta Movement, a social media initiative in which 100 young trendsetters are test driving and living with a European-spec Ford Fiesta for six months.

Customers so far have been drawn to higher end models of the Fiesta, with more than 40% of European buyers choosing the Titanium and Ghia trim levels. The variety of colours that Fiesta offers is also proving to be a hit.

So far this year customers in the UK and Germany, Ford of Europe's two largest markets, drive off in a "Panther Black" Fiesta more than any other colour. Drivers in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Greece are also among those countries that favour black.

However, buyers in Spain, Austria and Russia are selecting "Hot Magenta" as their top colour. The Scandinavian countries are setting a pattern all their own. The Swedes select "Moondust Silver" most often. Norwegians favour "Hot Magenta." Denmark goes with "Panther Black," while the Finns tilt toward "Tango."

Top choices among China buyers are "Passion Orange" and "Winning Blue." But throughout Asia Pacific overall, the top-selling colour is "Moondust Silver," with South African's also favouring "Frozen White" while Australians go for "Panther Black" in nearly equal numbers.

When the Fiesta hits American shores next year it will feature bold colour choices, including "Bright Magenta” and "Lime Squeeze.”

500 000 FORD FIESTAS SNAPPED UP SO FAR

FORD SAYS: One year after its debut, more than half a million customers have purchased the new Ford Fiesta, marking an important milestone as Ford Motor Company prepares to bring the fuel-efficient, global car to the US and other key Asian Pacific markets next year.

The new Fiesta, the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan, went on sale in Germany in October 2008. It quickly became the second-best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe's market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage points this year through September to 9.2%, the highest since 1999.

After its European introduction, the Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Global retail sales of the car reached 470 000 units through September of this year, with 430 000 sales in Europe and 40 000 in the Asia Pacific region. Continued strong demand for Fiesta through October has pushed the total number beyond 500 000. In South Africa, Fiesta is the third best performing B-segment vehicle sold through the dealer network and continuously appears in the top ten passenger car sales.

"Customers around the world are recognizing the new Fiesta delivers on the global Ford DNA — eye-catching design, innovation, outstanding driving dynamics and great value," said Jim Farley, group vice president of global marketing and Canada, Mexico and South America.

The new Fiesta will make its North American debut when it is revealed at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December. Set to arrive in North American dealer showrooms next summer, the Fiesta already can claim more than 50 000 potential U.S. customers thanks to the Fiesta Movement, a social media initiative in which 100 young trendsetters are test driving and living with a European-spec Ford Fiesta for six months.

Customers so far have been drawn to higher end models of the Fiesta, with more than 40% of European buyers choosing the Titanium and Ghia trim levels. The variety of colours that Fiesta offers is also proving to be a hit.

So far this year customers in the UK and Germany, Ford of Europe's two largest markets, drive off in a "Panther Black" Fiesta more than any other colour. Drivers in Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands and Greece are also among those countries that favour black.

However, buyers in Spain, Austria and Russia are selecting "Hot Magenta" as their top colour. The Scandinavian countries are setting a pattern all their own. The Swedes select "Moondust Silver" most often. Norwegians favour "Hot Magenta." Denmark goes with "Panther Black," while the Finns tilt toward "Tango."

Top choices among China buyers are "Passion Orange" and "Winning Blue." But throughout Asia Pacific overall, the top-selling colour is "Moondust Silver," with South African's also favouring "Frozen White" while Australians go for "Panther Black" in nearly equal numbers.

When the Fiesta hits American shores next year it will feature bold colour choices, including "Bright Magenta” and "Lime Squeeze.”

Again rumors about a new Porsche 928

With the ability to drive and rear wheel drive platform is widely used. A new Porsche supercar will unfortunately not easy, but a fast GT looks like a convertible, but to come. Porsche is obviously not outweighed by the SLS AMG, R8 V10. Both cars that rise above 911 on many fronts. They are faster, offer more luggage (at least the SLS) and do not look like a beetle. Then you look outside Germany than his own ends the Gran Turismo, Continental GT and Porsche 599 GTB would even potential buyers will win.

Look around you 20 years back there you see a Porsche that these cars could make a lot harder, at least a spiritual successor. This new 928 aka Panamera Coupe GT is on the schedule for 2012. There will be a V8, V8 and turbo hybrid variant appear. The latter seems Audi's supercharged six-cylinder to use. Of the Cayenne and Panamera will already hybrid versions of this technique appear. Auto Express has made an impression of the coupe version.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

In one way or another call matte colors have associations with more normal "things up. Smurfs blue, gray garbage bags (/ black), green frog. In everyday life, just not everything is shiny, and perhaps makes the matte color on cars are familiar. The 599 looks in this color at least a lot more desirable than that eternal red. Actually those are separate lines of Fiorano is anyway consistent with a banana, and that you will not have red gloss. More pictures are on Junk Cars, courtesy of Flamingo on the spot!

MORE of The Aftermath / CTS-V Challenge

NYTimes- Wheels Blog/Oct.30, 2009::::

Cadillac V-Series Challenge: The Cup Runneth Over

The V-Series Challenge may have ended Thursday afternoon, but the discussion seems to have only begun. And what started off as an off-the-cuff remark by General Motors’ vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz, and became a casual competition has evolved into viral monster — the publicity gift that keeps on giving, as it were — providing fodder for countless forum threads, video sites and blog posts.

Much of the debate has been about who won the competition. The timesheet shows that John Heinricy, G.M.’s test driver, recorded the fastest lap time at 2 minutes and 46 seconds. But Web sites, such as Edmunds Inside Line, point out that Michael Cooper, a competitor in a BMW M3, actually won the competition because, he beat Mr. Lutz with the best time posted by the civilian (non-G.M., nonprofessional)

drivers.

On the G.M. Fastlane blog, Mr. Lutz, who at age 77 is considerably older than his challengers, wrote, “There were no winners or losers today — the point was to have fun with great cars because that’s what they’re all about, and to show that G.M. vehicles can compete with the best in the world, in every class.”

David Caldwell, a spokesman for Cadillac, had the same message, emphasizing the fun quotient. “This is not proper motorsports,” he said in an interview. “There were no trophies. This would be analogous to a magazine comparison test.”

One thing is for certain, G.M. squeezed quite a bit of mileage out of its CTS-V promotional stunt. The event was also good for Jalopnik, which played up its involvement in a series of posts, and even for The Times. A regular freelance contributor to the Automobiles section, Lawrence Ulrich, posted a very respectable (and Lutz-beating) time of 2 minutes 53 seconds in a CTS-V.

But the V-Series Challenge was especially good for Mr. Cooper of Long Island, whose Lutz-shattering performance has made him an overnight hero in cyberspace.

And if you haven’t gotten enough of the V-Series Challenge, Mr. Caldwell said Speed TV was at the event and would broadcast its coverage on Dec. 5.

The Truth About Cars / By Jack Baruth-October 30, 2009

.......----I am grateful to Cadillac for helping me out, in the spirit of  racing, when I needed a hand. I’m grateful to Monticello for letting a poverty-stricken club racer enjoy their zillion-dollar facility. And I left the event with plenty of respect for the CTS-V. Don’t get me wrong: I’d still rather have an MKS Ecoboost as a daily driver. But if you don’t think the CTS is capable of running against the fastest sedans in the world on an equal footing, you’re crazy. Whether that means anything in this economy, in this environment, in this era… that’s up to someone else to decide. I came, I saw, I conquered nearly everybody. Good enough for me.

INSIDELINE / Published Oct 30, 2009 ::::

MONTICELLO, New York — As part of GM's new "May the Best Car Win" marketing campaign, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz recently challenged any journalist or private citizen to a duel with the Cadillac CTS-V and its competition. In a posting on the GM FastLane blog on Thursday following that race here, Lutz declared, "There were no winners or losers today." Manufacturers including Audi , BMW, Jaguar and

Mitsubishi apparently went home with their self-esteem intact following the GM-sponsored event.

GM News:
The Bob Lutz/Cadillac V-Series Challenge
October 29, 2009
What started as a typically unscripted remark from Bob Lutz during a phone conference with journalists turned into something quite unusual -- Cadillac and Bob bringing some fun back into the car business.
The Lutz/V-Series Challenge was a simple premise -- Bob challenged some motoring journalists, and a private car owners, to a time-trial duel. "Run what you brung," was the format, a competition among the world's best high-performance sedans, including the remarkable Cadillac CTS-V.   It happened Oct. 29 at the new Monticello Motor Club in New York, with 3 top auto journalists, 5 private car owners, a few sports car legends and some incredible machines, in front of a crowd of VIP spectators, camera crews and countless enthusiasts following on the web.
Sources:  NYTimes-Wheels Blog     TheTruthAboutCars     Insideline       News

The Aftermath / CTS-V Challenge

The Detroit Bureau

CTSv Wins Challenge – But Of Course

Lutz comes in seventh.

by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.29, 2009

No, we’re not saying the fix was in, but we somehow never really doubted the likely overcome of Bob Lutz’s “Winner Take All” challenge.

The septuagenarian executive had, last month, issued a challenge to all comers that no production sedan could beat the Cadillac CTSv on the track.  And though the various competitors opted to ignore the opportunity, a number of foreign models still found their way to Monticello Motor Club, in mid-New York State, for today’s time trials.

With the legendary John Heinricy, winning racer and long-time General Motors test driver behind the wheel, the Caddy super sedan handily posted the best lap time, 2:46.560, and overall, the various folks who manned the CTSv delivered six of the seven best laps.
As for Lutz, sometimes known as Senior Bigone?  Well, we’ll say he did pretty nicely for a 77-year-old, with the seventh-best lap time, off a little less than 10 seconds from Heinricy’s best turn around the windy Monticello course. The v did get some competition from a pair of  Beemers, both an M3 and M5, with a Jaguar XF, Audi RS4 and even a Mitsubishi EVO showing up to take GM on.

The race was a typical Lutz affair.  A month ago, the GM Vice Chairman, now the automaker’s top marketing executive, announced a campaign directly comparing General Motors products to their competition, and offering to prove that the Caddy CTSv could take on the names more likely to come up in a discussion about world-class sports sedans.

Though several makers initial considered playing along, they backed out, one by one, Jaguar pulling an XF-R barely a day before the time trials.

“Young whipper-snappers showed me a thing or two,” conceded Lutz, who used to race under the pseudonym, Senior Bigone, following the day’s events.  But he quickly added, “Let’s see them do this when they’re 77.”

The 2010 CTSv is the second generation version of Caddy’s sports sedan.  With a supercharged Cadillac-derived V-8 under the hood, it pumps out a hefty 556-horsepower through its rear wheels.

Does the Monticello meet close the books and earn the Caddy bragging rights as best-in-breed?  Probably not.  We’d need to see something with less opportunity for bias and with formal entries from all the various makes.  Nonetheless, the GM luxury marque does come out looking pretty good.

CTS-V Running @ Monticello

FORBES

GM's Lutz Lets Loose

Automaker's sales czar pits his Cadillac against all comers in racing challenge and scores a marketing victory.

Bob Lutz threw down the gauntlet to drivers half his age--and if he didn't beat them all, he got what he came for.

General Motors' 77-year-old vice chairman placed a time of 2:56:321 around a wet, 3.5 mile track at Monticello Motor Club on Thursday in upstate New York after he challenged journalists to race any performance sedan against his $62,020 Cadillac CTS-V.

His wasn't the best time of the day, but then again, it wasn't really about times anyway. Lutz got just what he wanted out of the event--inexpensive and relevant marketing for his recently introduced 556-horsepower V8.

"There's enormous attention being paid to this, and if you compare this cost-wise and effectiveness-wise to, say, making a bunch of TV commercials, this is a highly effective way to get the word out about how good the car is," Lutz said. "If we sell 50 or 100 of the CTS-V off this, we'd consider it a success."

Lutz, a marketing wizard known for his colorful quotes to the media, issued his "run what you brung" challenge weeks ago during a conference call about GM's new marketing campaign, "May The Best Car Win." The theme of the campaign is that GM's new models can hang with any competition--and, true to his maverick reputation, Lutz didn't go halfway. (The former Marine and helicopter pilot awarded himself a congratulatory cigar after his final lap: "delayed gratification," he declared triumphantly.)

After getting an enthusiastic response to his invitation from reporters, Lutz extended the challenge--via Facebook, YouTube and a Web site--to any competitive car owners who wanted to take on the CTS-V. According to GM, entries poured in right away, with 120 challengers stepping forward before organizers narrowed the field to three journalists and five non-journalists.

Jalopnik Vs GM: Bob Beats Blog

It appears GM, even a just-emerged-from-bankruptcy GM, still has the power to beat a blogger. Our Wes Siler, in a $41,000 Mitsubishi EVO, has fallen to "Maximum" Bob Lutz driving a $60,000+ Cadillac CTS-V.

It's not what you'd really call a shocker. We kind of expected it given the vehicle situation (thanks Jag!) — but sad nonetheless.

A spectator — who may or may not have been Phil Floraday from Automobile Magazine — questioned whether his overly-tight pants may have contributed to the epic failure. We'll never know because clearly Wes will never wear loose pants.

Our guess is that Lutz is a pretty damn spry 77-year-old silver fox and the CTS-V is a damn capable car. Still, there is the issue of that BMW M3 to deal with...

CTS-V Challengers @ Monticello

SOURCES:
       

SIX OUT OF 8 LOOMS FOR NISSAN OFF-ROAD TEAM

NISSAN SAYS: Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford (Donaldson Nissan Navara) take on the final round of the Absa Off Road Championship for production vehicles, the RFS Magalies 400, in Gauteng this weekend (November 6 and 7) as the newly crowned national off road champions and winners of the premier class SP.

They will be aiming to win the season-ending event for the second year in succession and take their total wins this year to six out of eight.  Nissan Motorsport is aiming for its seventh win of the season (Hannes Grobler and Juan Mohr won the Nissan Sugarbelt 400 in KwaZulu Natal in May in a Donaldson Nissan Navara) and its 58th from 72 races since entering off road racing in 2001.

Grobler, national champion driver with Nissan in 2003, 2004 and 2006, is locked in a battle for runner-up honours with Nissan Motorsport team-mate Ivar Tollefsen (who is second with 82 points) and Toyota Hilux driver Gary Bertholdt (third with 73 points).  Grobler is fourth with 62 points and, with a maximum of 25 points on offer for an outright win, has his work cut out to haul in his Norwegian team-mate.

While Pitchford has wrapped up the co-drivers’ championship, Tollefsen’s co-driver Quin Evans (82 points), Grobler’s co-driver, 2008 champion Juan Mohr (62 points) and Bertholdt’s co-driver Andre Vermeulen (61 points) will squabble over who takes the overall honours for the season.

“Last year’s event was made particularly difficult by the rocky terrain and if the route is dry it will be very dusty this year,” said Glyn Hall, general manager of Nissan Motorsport.  “We’re hoping it will be rougher than last year.  While Duncan is under no real pressure, Ivar will be doing his best to finish second in the championship and Hannes will be pushing hard to score a win in his final appearance for Nissan.”

SIX OUT OF 8 LOOMS FOR NISSAN OFF-ROAD TEAM

NISSAN SAYS: Duncan Vos and Ralph Pitchford (Donaldson Nissan Navara) take on the final round of the Absa Off Road Championship for production vehicles, the RFS Magalies 400, in Gauteng this weekend (November 6 and 7) as the newly crowned national off road champions and winners of the premier class SP.

They will be aiming to win the season-ending event for the second year in succession and take their total wins this year to six out of eight.  Nissan Motorsport is aiming for its seventh win of the season (Hannes Grobler and Juan Mohr won the Nissan Sugarbelt 400 in KwaZulu Natal in May in a Donaldson Nissan Navara) and its 58th from 72 races since entering off road racing in 2001.

Grobler, national champion driver with Nissan in 2003, 2004 and 2006, is locked in a battle for runner-up honours with Nissan Motorsport team-mate Ivar Tollefsen (who is second with 82 points) and Toyota Hilux driver Gary Bertholdt (third with 73 points).  Grobler is fourth with 62 points and, with a maximum of 25 points on offer for an outright win, has his work cut out to haul in his Norwegian team-mate.

While Pitchford has wrapped up the co-drivers’ championship, Tollefsen’s co-driver Quin Evans (82 points), Grobler’s co-driver, 2008 champion Juan Mohr (62 points) and Bertholdt’s co-driver Andre Vermeulen (61 points) will squabble over who takes the overall honours for the season.

“Last year’s event was made particularly difficult by the rocky terrain and if the route is dry it will be very dusty this year,” said Glyn Hall, general manager of Nissan Motorsport.  “We’re hoping it will be rougher than last year.  While Duncan is under no real pressure, Ivar will be doing his best to finish second in the championship and Hannes will be pushing hard to score a win in his final appearance for Nissan.”

OH-SO-CLOSE HIRVONEN JOINS RACE OF CHAMPIONS

FORD SAYS: FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Mikko Hirvonen will drive the record-breaking Ford Focus RS World Rally Car in the Race of Champions in China next week.  The 29-year-old Finn, who missed out on a maiden world drivers' title by just a single point in Wales last weekend, will compete in both the ROC Nations Cup and the Race of Champions itself in Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium – home to the 2008 Olympic Games.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver will partner former team-mate Marcus Grönholm in the Finnish team in Tuesday's Nations Cup team event, before taking on stars from various motorsport disciplines in Wednesday's Race of Champions individual competition. 

Rivals will include Formula 1 stars Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard, former 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, Le Mans 24 Hour winner Tom Kristensen and X Games multi gold medallist Travis Pastrana.

Hirvonen will drive a variety of vehicles at his maiden ROC appearance, including the familiar Ford Focus RS World Rally Car which he drove to second place in Wales on Sunday.  The car has now scored points on a record 119 consecutive world rallies, dating back to the start of the 2002 season.  M-Sport, Ford's senior partner in WRC, has provided three white Focus RS WRCs, which will appear in a special Race of Champions livery.

"After the disappointing result of last weekend's Rally of Great Britain, I'm looking forward to the fun of the Race of Champions," said Hirvonen.  "I won't have to worry about points and world championship positions in Beijing.  But that doesn't mean I won't be taking it seriously.  I'll be as keen to win as every other driver and it will be good to link up with Marcus again in the Finland team for the Nations Cup.  Just like the old days!"

Hirvonen, co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen and Ford team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will be at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend as guests of one of the team's principal partners.  Also in attendance will be Ford of Europe motorsport boss Gerard Quinn and BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson.  

OH-SO-CLOSE HIRVONEN JOINS RACE OF CHAMPIONS

FORD SAYS: FIA World Rally Championship runner-up Mikko Hirvonen will drive the record-breaking Ford Focus RS World Rally Car in the Race of Champions in China next week.  The 29-year-old Finn, who missed out on a maiden world drivers' title by just a single point in Wales last weekend, will compete in both the ROC Nations Cup and the Race of Champions itself in Beijing's Bird's Nest Stadium – home to the 2008 Olympic Games.

The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver will partner former team-mate Marcus Grönholm in the Finnish team in Tuesday's Nations Cup team event, before taking on stars from various motorsport disciplines in Wednesday's Race of Champions individual competition. 

Rivals will include Formula 1 stars Jenson Button, Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard, former 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, Le Mans 24 Hour winner Tom Kristensen and X Games multi gold medallist Travis Pastrana.

Hirvonen will drive a variety of vehicles at his maiden ROC appearance, including the familiar Ford Focus RS World Rally Car which he drove to second place in Wales on Sunday.  The car has now scored points on a record 119 consecutive world rallies, dating back to the start of the 2002 season.  M-Sport, Ford's senior partner in WRC, has provided three white Focus RS WRCs, which will appear in a special Race of Champions livery.

"After the disappointing result of last weekend's Rally of Great Britain, I'm looking forward to the fun of the Race of Champions," said Hirvonen.  "I won't have to worry about points and world championship positions in Beijing.  But that doesn't mean I won't be taking it seriously.  I'll be as keen to win as every other driver and it will be good to link up with Marcus again in the Finland team for the Nations Cup.  Just like the old days!"

Hirvonen, co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen and Ford team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila will be at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend as guests of one of the team's principal partners.  Also in attendance will be Ford of Europe motorsport boss Gerard Quinn and BP Ford Abu Dhabi team director Malcolm Wilson.  

MITSUBISHI I-MIEV OPERATING SYSTEM TAKES BIG AWARD

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), announced today that the "MiEV OS" integrated vehicle control system installed in Mitsubishi Motors' new-generation electric vehicle i-MiEV, has been selected by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame, a non-profit organisation (NPO), as the winner for its "2009 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car Technology of the Year" award.

Utilising the long wheelbase from the gasoline-powered "i" rear-midship layout on which the i-MiEV is based, the high-capacity drive battery is installed under the floor, and the high-output high-efficiency power unit is mounted under the luggage area. Through this structure, the i-MiEV has plenty of range for daily driving while keeping the spacious interior of the "i" base vehicle.

The introduction of the MiEV OS (MiEV Operating System) - an advanced integrated vehicle management system into which the company has poured its wealth of know-how gained from decades of electric vehicle (EV) research and development - has provided the kind of high performance and reliability that befits a new-generation EV. The i-MiEV garnered praise as the realization of the ultimate in environmental efficiency as it emits no CO2 while being driven.

MITSUBISHI I-MIEV OPERATING SYSTEM TAKES BIG AWARD

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC), announced today that the "MiEV OS" integrated vehicle control system installed in Mitsubishi Motors' new-generation electric vehicle i-MiEV, has been selected by the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame, a non-profit organisation (NPO), as the winner for its "2009 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car Technology of the Year" award.

Utilising the long wheelbase from the gasoline-powered "i" rear-midship layout on which the i-MiEV is based, the high-capacity drive battery is installed under the floor, and the high-output high-efficiency power unit is mounted under the luggage area. Through this structure, the i-MiEV has plenty of range for daily driving while keeping the spacious interior of the "i" base vehicle.

The introduction of the MiEV OS (MiEV Operating System) - an advanced integrated vehicle management system into which the company has poured its wealth of know-how gained from decades of electric vehicle (EV) research and development - has provided the kind of high performance and reliability that befits a new-generation EV. The i-MiEV garnered praise as the realization of the ultimate in environmental efficiency as it emits no CO2 while being driven.

Lutz' Sleeves Up!!! - CTS-V Answers the Challenge

The event took place today at the Monticello Motor Club in Monticello, N.Y. and we now have the results

image credits:

Well, the put-up or shut-up moment has now passed for 77-year-old Lutz and, well, he didn't win.

He posted a quite respectable 2:56:321. 

That was enough to blow away the privately owned BMW M5 (3:05:395) but the range of track-driving experience here today is huge. So we hesitate to read too much into those relative times.

Lutz was about 7 seconds behind GM development engineer and Nurburgring veteran, Aaron Link. He was about 5 seconds slower than the one earlier CTS-V driven by journalist Jack Baruth. Lutz also trailed the BMW M3 by about 5.5 seconds.

Lutz was driving a CTS-V with an automatic. Link drove a CTS-V with a manual transmission.

Taking top honors was former GM Performance Division Executive John Heinricy with a lap time of 2m and 46.56s in the Cadillac CTS-V.
By Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman:
Today, at the Monticello Motor Club in New York, the Cadillac CTS-V stood tall in the V-Series Challenge, a race pitting the CTS-V against several of the best production sedans on the market today — those that showed up, that is.
Here are the results from the track. There were no winners or losers today – the point was to have fun with great cars because that’s what they’re all about, and to show that GM vehicles can compete with the best in the world, in every class.
It was a great day for the CTS-V, and an exceptionally fun day for me.  I’ll have to issue another challenge so I can do this again sometime soon, although I wish I had started doing these when I was younger!

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