GM unveiling surprise concept on Sunday
With all the broken embargoes lately, we were expecting NAIAS to be no more a surprise than what we bought ourselves for Christmas (socks, btw). But look there! What's that behind the sparkling Auto Show tree? A gift from none other than Mark LaNeve, GM Vice President of Sales and Marketing, with a note that says do not open until Sunday.
Hmmm. I wonder what it could be. LaNeve gives us a few hints on the FastLane Blog:
On Sunday, Jan. 7, we've got something up our sleeve that we can't talk about - yet. Suffice it to say that it's a game-changing approach to automotive transportation that will eventually make trips to the gas station a lot less frequent and substantially less painful. This concept will make its world debut this Sunday, and we think you'll find it as exciting and promising as we do.
Ok, so it's a bicycle? No, wait. He says less painful. A Pontiac-branded Segway? No, he says fewer trips to the gas station, not more embarassing trips. Hmmm. So then, what is it? We've already heard about the plug-in Saturn. Fellow Autoblogger Damon Lavrinc is guessing it's a flying car powered by kitten farts. Though we like that idea, um, we're not sure which GM brand would sell it. Saab?
Anyway, we're glad there will be some surprise to the show this year. Check back with us Sunday and we'll have all the details. Hey, Damon, how would you go about collecting enough kitten gas to run a car, anyway? Just curious, of course.
Oh, btw, the photo, it's a Buick Enclave under there. We know as much as you do (possibly less) about what's coming Sunday.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DJ 1:45PM (1/06/2007)
GM and others have had kinetic energy/dynamic flywheel engine research programs for years but it's stayed in the shadows behind all of the hybrid hype. It's possible they have developed a working prototype of such an engine. If they have, buy GM stock now and lots of it....
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BrianS 1:43PM (1/06/2007)
"Fellow Autoblogger Damon Lavrinc is guessing it's a flying car powered by kitten farts. Though we like that idea, um, we're not sure which GM brand would sell it. Saab?"
Ah, Comedy Gold!
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Michael Karesh 1:44PM (1/06/2007)
Probably the plug-in concept car, the Chevrolet Volt. GMInsideNews has advance copy from the NYT here:
http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42971
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Kevin A. 1:57PM (1/06/2007)
Some details and a photo:
http://news.windingroad.com/alternative-fuel/chevrolet-to-unveil-volt-concept-on-sunday/
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ruggels 1:57PM (1/06/2007)
yay i hope they build it vs that damn fuelcell sled concept they just drug around from show to show year after year. something like a small gas engine with electric motors at the wheels would rock
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chief engineer 2:05PM (1/06/2007)
10 bucks autoblog will post of a picture of this mistery car before the embargo is lifted.
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BOB 2:21PM (1/06/2007)
A-- So it will be the Chevy VOLT --
Might make up for a number of models, since the 80's, that have been RE - VOLT - ING, lol. I am rooting for the Americans, and hoping those new cars will gain back some share.
B-- The kitten farts guess was pretty good, but I hear there is some problem with kitten farts being worse than Cow Methane for the Ozone Layer .
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Petey 2:36PM (1/06/2007)
Big wup, they were saying the same things when the EV1 came out.
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Bob in Cobb 2:51PM (1/06/2007)
This maybe a product that uses GM Management 'hot air' as a means of propulsion. Something they always have in abundance. As in, "We're gonna" "We're planning to" and other empty pronouncements.
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Sam Abuelsamid 3:47PM (1/06/2007)
I know! I know! ... check ABG later tonight!
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alphaseinor 3:48PM (1/06/2007)
That thing got a HEMI? Nope, Runs on kittens!
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Jeff Crew 3:52PM (1/06/2007)
Winding Road has the Volt pic up from the NYT as well. Embargo... what embargo?? The auto companies need a new way to launch a product and they have not figured it out yet. They send out all the material ahead of time to be friendly with the press, and the press takes liberty with it as they see fit. Someone needs to change the game as the embargo system is clearly not working. I have ideas if anyone at GM wants to here about it.
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Chevy videos 3:58PM (1/06/2007)
This better be good, if they are going though all this song and dance for this car it better be impressive.
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iamhoff 4:54PM (1/06/2007)
Kitten farts. *grins* Although they (kittens) are certainly low impact, it would take a helluva lot of kittens to produce enough farts to adequately power a vehicle. Algore is always complaining about global warming and we know that cows produce enough methane to be a major contributor to greenhouse gases, maybe it should be cow farts. All these cows walking around with tubes coming out of their asses that lead to portable storage devices (balloons). You may laugh, but remember. They laughed at Joseph Francis, when he said that he could get drunken teenage girls to take off their tops for his cameras. Now he owns the Girls Gone Wild enterprises. I don't know what that has to do with kitten farts (except maybe some girl's name is Kitten?), but it's certainly more interesting than being a VP of Sales & Marketing for GM!
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Swade 5:20PM (1/06/2007)
Nothing like a backhand return to get the creative juices flowing, eh Damon?
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laserwizard 5:56PM (1/06/2007)
Yawn! The only surprise from GM worth unveiling would be one of the following:
1. Robert Lutz's hanging.
2. Wagoner's suicide.
3. GM going out of business.
4. All of the above.
5. Any combination of the above.
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ruggels 7:48PM (1/06/2007)
"This better be good, if they are going though all this song and dance for this car it better be impressive."
lol, it will be, in say three or four years when the kitten fart technology exists (more advanced batteries, which GM isn't developing but rather waiting - I'd guess on Fuji HI - for someone to develop)... man my gut was right, another 'what if' car just like that damn fuel cell sled. yawn.
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