General Motors has canceled plans to build a new advanced double overhead-cam V8 for its luxury cars.

The move means the future for Cadillac’s V8 car engines is unclear.

In January 2007, GM said it would invest $300 million in its Tonawanda, N.Y., engine plant for the new V8 engine, which was scheduled to start production in 2009 and be used in luxury cars.

GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read said Thursday that the project is dead. That engine likely would have replaced Cadillac’s long-running Northstar V8, which is scheduled to end production in 2010.

Cadillac could switch to high-powered V6s in its cars, except for the Corvette-based XLR.

continue reading "GM cancels V8 program for luxury cars:"

Ford Motor Co. on Thursday told Jaguar and Land Rover workers that it is in “focused negotiations” to sell the brands to India’s Tata Motors.

Ford of Europe Chairman Lewis Booth said in a statement: “Ford is committed to focused negotiations at a more detailed level with Tata Motors concerning the potential sale of the combined Jaguar Land Rover business.”

Booth added: “We will proceed with further substantive discussions with Tata Motors over the forthcoming weeks with a view to securing an agreement that is in the best interests of all parties concerned.”

Ford put Jaguar, a sports-car maker, and Land Rover, which makes SUVs, up for sale in June.

continue reading "Tata closes in on Jaguar, Land Rover: Ford in ‘focused negotiations’ with Indian carmaker"

Mercedes-Benz will take the wraps off a new compact sport/utility model at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The little ute we’ll see in Detroit will be a concept called the Vision GLK Freeside. The production version bows at the Beijing show in April.

“All the compact SUVs look exactly the same,” said Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, “and we wanted to be different.” Mercedes definitely accomplished that. The GLK, codenamed X204, doesn’t look like any other compact ute on the market; the edgy vehicle looks like a miniaturized Mercedes GL. At 180 inches long, the GLK is nearly two feet shorter than a GL.

continue reading "Mercedes GLK Freeside: Itty-bitty Benz: Mercedes unleashes a compact SUV"

BMW have officially let their new X6 Sports Activity Coupé of the leash. In terms of styling, the X6 looks like BMW have cross bred their M3 coupé with their X5 SUV. The X6 is an all-wheel drive affair, seats four and features a massive luggage compartment.

The X6 Sports Activity Coupé comes with three engine options. The twin turbo 225kW version, 210kW variable twin turbo diesel and the 300kW twin turbo V8.

continue reading "The BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupé rolls out"

OUR TAKE: With all of the other SUV choices out there, it’s easy to forget about one of the forefathers, but sales for the Explorer brand show that it’s still a player in the SUV market. And just like its sales, this ute is steady and dependable with few surprises.

The interior is clean and straightforward, the ride is trucky but not objectionable, fuel mileage is okay for a ute, and the cabin is comfortable. Some of the materials inside look and feel cheap, and some of the controls are in weird places, though one of its best features is the power seats in the way-back. Those couldn’t be easier to operate.

continue reading "2008 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4X4:"

More power and a lot more technology–that’s the new Lexus LX 570.

The engine and the six-speed automatic are pulled straight from Toyota’s Tundra and Land Cruiser. The old LX 470 made only 268 hp from its 4.7-liter V8, barely enough to move the 5590-pound SUV around. The new 5995-pound LX 570 goes up to 5.7 liters and 383 hp. Torque increases roughly 23 percent, to 403 lb-ft, enough to tow 8500 pounds. Go ahead, buy that bigger boat. We towed 8000 pounds at the press intro, and the 570 handled it with dignity and aplomb.

Hey, wait a second, you say, is this just a Land Cruiser with a Lexus badge on it, the way the first ES was way too much of a Camry? Oh, ye of little faith and long memory. No, it’s not. Look at the spec sheet. It has more acronyms than a quartermaster’s RFP–at least 13 standard features not found on the Land Cruiser.

continue reading "2008 LEXUS LX570: Too Much Tech?: New Lexus Comes Fully Loaded"

OUR TAKE: The first thing that strikes you about the Red Line version of the fantastic new Vue is its mean (for a small SUV) looks. It’s lowered, with a large air dam in front, and sits on wide 18-inch wheels. The only distinguishing Red Line cues in the interior are the seats with suede inserts that keep you well secured.

With our tester being a front-wheel-drive model, there was initial concern of getting power down. Thankfully, the tires do a good job of hooking up and get things moving well. However, if you like to horse around on occasion, traction control can be killed, and you can squeal the tires at will. There’s mild torque steer to contend with, and steering is pretty heavy.

continue reading "2008 Saturn Vue Red Line:"

Is there still room to fit more crossover SUVs in the market? Sure there is! This month, Infiniti wedges the EX35 into the segment between sporty crossovers such as the Acura RDX and the BMW X3 and sporty sedans such as the Acura TL, the BMW 3 Series and Infiniti’s own G35. This ain’t no Pathfinder.

“Growth in the luxury-crossover and luxury-utility segment has been big, but there are still unmet needs,” said Stefan Conrady, regional product manager of the EX. “Unmet functional needs and unmet emotional needs.”

So the EX is about the meeting of utility and emotion. We couldn’t make this up.

continue reading "More room to cross over: Infiniti EX35 finds still more space in the car-based ute market"

General Motors will replace the Pontiac Torrent with a small GMC crossover for the 2009 model year.

The new vehicle will be called the Terrain, say sources familiar with GM’s product plans.

The GMC Terrain will be built on the same basic architecture as the next-generation Chevrolet Equinox–a new version of the Theta architecture that underlies the current Equinox and Torrent. But the Terrain will have unique sheet metal and a different interior, sources say.

The vehicle will have a bolder appearance than the Equinox. GM will price the Terrain near the Equinox, which starts at $22,995 including shipping.

continue reading "Pontiac to lose Torrent to GMC:"

Our friends at BMW think everything in the lineup should have sportiness, even their SUVs. The next evolution of that philosophy is the X6, which BMW is bringing to the Detroit auto show in January.

We got our first glimpse of the X6 as a concept in Frankfurt, but the Detroit version of the five-door, four-seat “Sport Activity Coupe” is what the dealers will get.

Here’s the best part: The top engine in the X6 line is BMW’s new twin-turbocharged V8 with direct injection that produces 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque in top xDrive50i trim. This motor is the future for BMW’s high performance lines (think M3, M5 … geez, maybe there could be an M1?)

continue reading "BMW’s X6 rolls into Detroit: Hot twin-turbocharged V8 lies under the hood"