The evidence: rumor had it at the LA Auto Show that customers would soon have the option of buying a hybrid Toyota Matrix and a hybrid Pontiac Vibe; the 2009 Pontiac Vibe is made at NUMMI, a GM-Toyota joint venture manufacturing plant where the Matrix is also made; Toyota's already got its hybrid synergy drive -- so is GM working on a hybrid with Toyota, or will they use Toyota's hybrid tech
Pontiac officially unveiled the 2009 edition of the Vibe hatchback yesterday, and a question has been raised by several commentors about the powertrain lineup. As we all know, the Vibe shares a platform with the Toyota Corolla and all of its derivatives. The question of why the Vibe uses the Toyota engines rather than GM's own Ecotec lineup was raised during the press conference. After all the 2.4L
We lead off Autoblog Podcast #79 with the most important news of the week. Seriously, this rocked the car world. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are returning to the Fast and Furious franchise for F+F IV. w00t! Moving on to more important news (like anything at all), we touch on the then impending and since finished Dan Roth
In an interview with Car and Driver, Troy Clarke, president of GM's North American efforts, confirmed that Buick would be getting another model by the end of the decade. The forth vehicle to join the Buick stable will be rear-wheel drive and take cues from the Velite concept that debuted at the 2004 New York Auto Show.
Automakers apply camouflage to their test mules in unique ways, so spy photographers are often able to tell what company is testing a vehicle based on its unique "camo signature". These spy shots appeared on the internet this morning of what most auto pundits are calling the next generation Pontiac Vibe, probably based on the strip of camo that's bisecting the grille. After a consult with a friend in the spy business, however, we learned that this vehicle is probably not the next Pontiac Vibe, a
Though individual dealerships and brands have reported different numbers regarding SUV purchases, overall sales for new ones have been declining especially among middle class buyers. Also, many current owners are trying to sell their vehicles and downsize into a more fuel-efficient car in the hopes to save on gas.
Citing expensive changes needed to meet 2007 emissions standards, Pontiac announced Thursday it is dropping the slow-selling Vibe GT (shown) and AWD models from its 2007 lineup. The company will continue to offer the base-model Vibe, which is selling fairly well at its sub-$17,000 price point.
