Recent Comments:
Moscow Preview: Lexus to show LS460 AWD {Autoblog}
Aug 18th 2008 5:28PM Just the thing for those quick runs to Tbilisi over unimproved roads . . .
Port Authority skittish over BMW Hydrogen 7 {Autoblog}
Jul 25th 2008 3:49PM Oh the humanity.
BMW to announce U.S. Spartanburg plant expansion {Autoblog}
Mar 6th 2008 5:49PM @3seriesisking, not sure what you are up on the tire about? The OP mentioned the Carolinas as where American motorsports were "born" and that's incorrect. Check out "Ford: The Dust And The Glory," "The Miller Dynasty," or "The Golden Age of the American Racing Car" for details.
As for the Research Triangle in NC, yes I am familiar with it as I travel there several times a year, but as you say, it has little to do with the automotive industry.
Down in South Carolina, the area around the BMW and Michelin plants is growing into a nice center of excellence, with IBM and Clemson U getting involved in developing the infrastructure as well, but it's a tiny fraction of what you would find in Michigan. And, aside from the motorsports program at Clemson, there isn't a huge link to the mainstream of America's racing industry.
So what's the issue again? I'm not slamming the Carolinas, just setting the record straight on where American motorsports was "born".
BMW to announce U.S. Spartanburg plant expansion {Autoblog}
Mar 6th 2008 3:02PM I hardly think the Carolinas were where motorsports were "born". From a US perspective, Southern California, Detroit, and Indianapolis were all major contributors to motorsports technology in the period before and right after World War I. The Carolinas, as a motorsport technology base, didn't come into their own until the 1960s.
First Drive: 2008 Pontiac G8 {Autoblog}
Mar 3rd 2008 4:57PM It's not a ZF trans, it's a Hydramatic 6L80:
http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en/product_services/2008/08car.htm
Scroll down and find "L76". The 6L80 is the only transmission shown.
BMW X6 pricing and options leaks out {Autoblog}
Feb 27th 2008 5:37PM ello: I hear you about the bogosity of EPA ratings but I was trying to do an apples to apples comparison. Yes, the BMW engine is a nice batch of technology, but in this heavy thing with a 4WD driveline, it can't do much better in terms of mileage than the 4.8 in the X5. Just can't, it's physics. Maybe the GM two-mode hybrid deal can fit in here, but that would only make the thing heavier and yet no less pointless and ugly.
BMW X6 pricing and options leaks out {Autoblog}
Feb 27th 2008 3:32PM Just to follow up on the Corvette comment. The C6 auto gets 15/25 and the manual 16/26 per the EPA. The X5 4.8i (not the same thing I know) gets 14/19. Even assuming a 10% improvement in fuel efficiency for the X6 4.4 turbo, there's no way this sled beats the Vette, which is at least a thousand pounds lighter.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/FEG2008.pdf
GM/Buick planning sub-Lacrosse RWD luxury sedan? {Autoblog}
Feb 25th 2008 6:42PM I agree that Buick might not be the correct division for this, but I think it could work, especially with the Solstice's DI turbo motor. Possibly Pontiac or Saturn?
Detroit 2008: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V revealed with 550 HP {Autoblog}
Jan 8th 2008 6:08PM Smaller capacity blower too -- I think the LS9 is a 2.3 liter job, and they don't mention the twisted-rotor stuff.
Detroit 2008: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V revealed with 550 HP {Autoblog}
Jan 8th 2008 3:57PM I don't want to jinx anything, but could it be that the Big Mo in the auto industry is turning towards GM? Market-leading trucks (if that's your thing), Two-Mode, E-Flex, SIDI from the Solstice, Lambda, ZR-1, Malibu, base CTS, and now this? Kind of an impressive lineup for the first time since the Reagan Administration.
G8 is coming soon and the Camaro too. Hmmm. All we need are some decent light-duty diesels and things start to get interesting.
