The Chevy Spark was leaked on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show, but it was MIA during the next day's GM press conference "car parade." In its stead, we saw the Beat concept once again as GM announced that the Spark would indeed go into production next year. The mystery of why the actual Spark didn't appear in Motown was solved by our friends at Kicking Tires, and today GM has fully revealed the car ahead of its debut next month in Geneva.

As you can see, the production Spark retains most of its Beat cues, right down to that tree-frog-green color, but adds a second set of passenger doors. In a bid to try and keep the original's 3-door look, the rear handles are hidden up in the window blackout trim. This is better executed here than it is, say, on the Jeep Compass, but it's still obviously a 5-door. Inside, you'll find a simplified take on the Chevy brand's current cockpit design, dressed up with body-colored door trim panels and seats that feature contrast stitching and a color-accented fabric pattern. The Instrument cluster is mounted directly to the steering column. GM calls it motorcycle-inspired, but more importantly, it would appear to let the General easily reconfigure the setup for right-hand drive markets.

The Spark will launch in Europe early next year with 1.0L and 1.2L DOHC gas engines, and though nothing's been said, we'd imagine that a diesel will have to make it into the mix soon thereafter. Sales in other markets will follow, including the U.S. in 2011, as previously announced in Detroit. We'll have in-person feedback on the Spark for you next month from Geneva...

[Source: GM]  [ Source: autoblog.com Read The Full Article ]

(Formula 1 World Driving Champion Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes race car; F1 is by far the world's most-expensive motorsport).

 We all could use a break right about now, so let's go to the races. But you might not recognize racing in its 2009 version.

Motor racing of all types became a huge draw during the First Great Depression, from 1929 until the start of WWII.

Today, though, in this Second Great Depression, motor racing is being hit hard, not just in the US, but worldwide.

Every major racing series, from the quintessentially American series like NHRA drag racing, IndyCar and NASCAR to world events like Formula 1, the exciting and interesting new A1 Grand Prix series to World Rally, European Touring Cars and all the motorcycle sports, too, are trying to cut costs through new rules including canceling or shortening on-track test sessions and cutting-back on other expensive development costs, like testing a vehicle's aerodynamics in a wind tunnel.

A year ago, a lot of NASCAR fans started showing up at races dressed as empty seats, while attendance at most all other series dropped, too. This year, there's little if any hope for improvement at the gates of America's race tracks; there were even plenty of empty seats at last year's Indy 500, something unthinkable throughout much of that track's 100-year history.

(This JC Agajanian-owned Indy race car won the event in 1963 with Parnelli Jones in the cockpit; costs for racing were just starting their meteoric rise; that's Agajanian in his trademark Stetson and Parnelli Jones is to the right).

For entire post: MOTOR RACING PREVIEW 2009 - THE ECONOMY'S IMPACT

Might your next (first?) electric vehicle purchase be transacted at Wal-Mart? It's not out of realm of possibility. Mexican company, GS Motors, is already selling 3 different models from China's First Auto Works (FAW) at a so-called "big box" retail chain in Mexico and has plans to replicate the strategy north of their border. Company CEO Kathleen Ligocki says, "I think the product will be ready for the U.S. market within five years." Starting next year, the Chinese designs are expected to be assembled at a factory in Michoacan, Mexico that will be capable of building 100,000 units per annum. FAW, if you're keeping score, is the company the makes the NEV sold as the ZX40 by Miles Automotive. Now, we're not suggesting that Miles is currently involved in any talks with GS Motors, only that the connection is there.

FAW is not the only Chinese automaker looking for an American foothold either. Well known to our readers, BYD is another company with somewhat desirable electric cars and a commitment to compete in the U.S. Their retail sales strategy has yet to be revealed, but we can only imagine they would explore different options. As for the American big box stores, would they consider selling electric cars? Wal Mart said it would and Sam's already has.

[Source: Gasgoo / Automotive News sub req'd]  [ Source: autobloggreen.com Read The Full Article ]

No industry is immune to Obamania marketing. Texas Custom Armoring announced last month that it is offering bulletproof limousines for sale to the public.

It's not exactly breaking news; TCA has been armoring vehicles, including limousines, for more than 30 years for the world's richest people and many heads of states. But interest in its services has dramatically increased since Cadillac debuted the president's new wheels.

TCA can bulletproof almost anything (it currently has a Bentley and a Mercedes-Benz Maybach in its shop), and its typical armored limousine is a custom-stretched SUV, such as an Escalade, that it outfits with European B6 grade protection.

What you get with a B6 grade armored-limo is protection against your garden-variety terrorist or well-equipped kidnapper armed with AK-47s or M16s. The cost: about $160,000 plus the price of the car. If that's not enough armor for your threats, TCA also offer B7+ grade limo armoring, which can withstand more shots at a closer range, protect against land mines, hand grenades, and will also stop black market munitions, such as armor-piercing bullets.

The Cadillac DTS Presidential Limo (Credit: GMC)  [ Source: reviews.cnet.com Read The Full Article ]

Even with budgets being cut almost indiscriminately in Detroit, safety testing is still high on the list of requirements. The engineers at Ford's Dearborn Development Center have found a way to keep testing their new Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support technology, found in the 2010 Ford Taurus and Lincoln MKS, without smashing into the back of the test vehicles.

The balloon car, constructed out of a heavy-duty tarp-like material, features a generally car-shaped profile and a special patch of reflective silver paint on the rear.

Rafael set out to recreate the contemporary Viper Coupe and did so by reinterpreting many of its features as they would have been designed back in the 60's (we'll ignore the actual Cobra from the 1960s it was based on). He started out with research boards depicting classic muscle and sports cars of the late '60s and started sketching around the current Viper chassis, integrating classic design trends with the primitive (yet durable) construction techniques of the era.

 [ Source: jalopnik.com Read The Full Article ]

The pain just keeps on coming for workers at General Motors. The company confirmed this morning that it will eliminate 10,000 salaried positions around the world before the end of this year. That will take GM's global white collar staff from 73,000 down to 63,000. Of the 10,000 heads to be cut, 3,400 will be in the United States where the company currently has 29,500 white collar staff. Those jobs will be eliminated by the end of April through another program of buyouts.

Those that remain in their jobs after May 1 will be taking home less in pay every week. From May 1 through the end of the year, those in executive positions will see a 10% cut in base pay. Those at lower pay grades will see salary cuts of 3-7%. Whether the cuts remain in place into 2010 will depend on the state of the business at the end of this year. In this economy, a job with 5% less pay is probably better than no job at all, but it still sucks.

As you may recall, Mercedes' performance division, AMG, recently put up the white flag on the speed wars. This basically means that they are now looking for more efficiency rather than more brute horsepower. Their previous focus on power came at the expense of fuel economy, natürlich. How will the efficiency shift play out? AMG is welcoming direct injection and Stop & Start (micro hybrid) systems, which will be installed in all 2010 models, two years earlier than expected. The new piezo-electric injectors are the same as the ones fitted to the BlueEfficiency models. Thanks to these technologies and weight reduction, AMG expects to reduce fuel consumption by 30 percent without losing any character at all. Diesels and hybrids will also become part of the offering soon.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]  [ Source: autobloggreen.com Read The Full Article ]

Following a record first-quarter profit for Ferrari, the slowing global economy and tightening credit markets slammed into the car industry and ground what had looked like a promising year to a halt. There was talk of tough times at Ferrari. But Ferrari's ledger sheet still looks bright, says the company, with a 17.6% return on sales.

That marks a 1.6% upturn over 2007, a remarkable result considering the industry's turmoil. Ferrari credits its cost-cutting measures as much as its wide range of cars and relatively strong sales with that result.

[ Source: motorauthority.com Read The Full Article ]