There is alot to talk about amongest dealers in Little Rock, Arkansas this week. Many dealers have ventured down to Little Rock for the annual Car Wars sale amongest the dealers. Alot of the vehicles this year at the sale are going to be taking into consideration the high gas prices right now.

Many dealers at the sale are charging outrageous prices for the economy cars, like the smaller sedans, and two-passenger vehicles. Many dealers are wanting to sell these vehicles at over MSRP prices. Yet the trucks they have they cant wait to get rid of.

If this continues on the road we are heading larger vehicles like SUV’s, and trucks are not even going to be able to be given away to consumers. The gas prices are just to high nowadays for the customers to want them. So why would the dealers want to buy the trucks, SUV’s at such low prices when they will just be sitting on their lots?

© dave82689 for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Economy, gas, Little Rock

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General Motors has had to recall close to nine thousand battery packs that were produced by their supplier – Cobasys. All of these battery packs were intended to be used and installed in the mild hybrid versions for the Saturn Vue, Chevrolet Malibu, and Saturn Aura.

According to a report released by GM the batteries had an internal leak – which caused the whole unit to shut down. This is going to seriously hurt GM’s sales. Because of the problem the Saturn Vue hybrid has gone down from 2,683 units from last year to a staggering 326 units this year so far. The Aura has sold only 69 units this year.

Chevrolet stated that they are still planning on starting production on the 2009 Malibu hybrid June 23rd. Likewise Cobasys stated that they have fixed the internal leak and that they will be shipping out more units without the defects.

© Naomi West for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: aura, chevrolet malibu, malibu, saturn aura, saturn vue, vue

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A war is about to erupt in the diesel-powered half-ton pickup truck segment. GM has recently released details on the weapon in its arsenal, a 4.5L Duramax diesel. Due to a narrow angle V-block, this motor is small enough to fit in the same space as many of GM’s small block gasoline powered V8s. This provides hope for applications other than half ton pickup trucks. Surely GM’s large SUVs will see this motor under the hood.

“This premium diesel engine is expected to deliver the power, torque and refinement our customers expect,” said Tom Stephens, executive vice president, GM Global Powertrain and Global Quality.

Utilizing an electronically controlled 25,000psi common-rail fuel injection system this engine is able to produce 310hp and 510 foot-pounds of torque, while increasing fuel efficiency by 25% compared to other comparable diesels. This motor will be 50 state legal and pass stringent BIN 5 and LEV 2 emissions standards by utilizing a diesel particulate filter, and a urea injection system to cut down on NOx emissions.

“This new V-8 diesel meets the toughest emissions requirements in North America, and it also delivers an effortless performance feel because of its high torque across the speed range,” said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM Powertrain Diesel Engineering. “It is also significantly quieter than many other diesels on the road today, with noise and vibration performance approaching gasoline V-8 levels.”

GM has reduced production cost, parts count, and weight by implementing such innovative features as exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder heads and cam shaft cover being built into the intake manifold. This 4.5L turbo diesel will be available in the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra half ton pickups for the 2010 model year.

© 06RedfireGT for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: diesel, Duramax, GM

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The brains at GM have decided it would be a good idea to bring back the El Camino style automobile in the form of the Pontiac G8 Sport Truck. From the front it looks just like the G8 GT but when you look around back you will find a 73.9 inch cargo area (bed), which is barley 6 foot. In this article I am going to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly about this truck hitting show room floor in 2010.

The Good: The truck will be getting its performance from the same LS2 6.0L V-8 as its sister G8 GT. This means it will be putting down 361 horsepower and 385 lb./ft of torque which is not bad in today’s market. With the 6 speed automatic and Active Fuel Management technology, it will provide both a sedan like fuel-economy with small truck capabilities while still posting a surprising 5.4 second 0-60 time. The truck is based on the same rear wheel architecture as the G8 sedan so obviously they had to reinforce various aspects of the truck to handle cargo. On the insider the Sport Truck will have all of the same comforts and amenities as the G8 sedan with A/C, cruise control, driver information center, Bluetooth connectivity, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry and remote start, and others. The truck will be sitting on 18-inch, machine-faced wheels with P245/45R18 summer tires.

The Bad: As I stated earlier it has a 6 foot bed which makes the truck not exactly ideal for hauling anything more then groceries or boxes. Keep in mind you will have to use tie downs and or drop the tail-gate to haul most standard ladders. The total length of the truck is 118.5 inches which is 4 inches longer then the G8 sedan. With fancy styling and design of this truck I can’t really see anyone buying it as a work truck for the fear of scratching or denting a car you paid from the rest of the G8 line approximately 30-40k (actual price has not been announced at this time). If you want leather seats or all season tires that will cost you extra. There is also going to be a Sports Package available which includes 19 inch wheels. I wonder why a Sport Truck does not include a Sports Package.

The Ugly: Well just look at it. GM’s approach of bringing back to life the El Camino, I feel, is going to fall flat. You would have thought they learned when the SSR sold well below expectations and was discontinued in late 2006. You have a 2 seat vehicle with the ability to at most haul a couple of jet ski’s its not practical in any way. I see a loosing battle in the works for the folks at GM. You won’t see me moving to Adelaide, Australia, to seek a long term job.

© Dennis for Modded Autos, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: g8, G8 sport truck, pontiac truck, Sport Truck

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