Erich Bitter, founder of Bitter Cars, is at it again transforming GM vehicles for a select few. His latest model is based on the new Opel Insignia [Buick Regal in the States] and these are the first photos of the car, courtesy of the folks over at Motor Talk.
Bitter has yet to make an official announcement on the modified Insignia but it said that it is based on the 260HP 2.8 V6 Turbo 4x4 model with pricing to be around the �65,000 [US$80,500] mark. If true, that's �25,000 more than the model upon it is based and close to �19,000 more than the 325HP Insignia OPC.
Earlier today, we reported that Cadillac announced a 'free service plan' for its 2011MY cars. Here's what the plan includes in GM's own words: "The program, called Cadillac Premium Care Maintenance, covers scheduled oil changes, tire rotations, replacement of engine and cabin air filters and a multi-point vehicle inspection."
Call us picky, but we like to... look between the lines and read between the words. In Motor Trend's report on the matter, not only does the author forget to mention what GM / Cadillac covers in its free maintenance program, but the article goes on to say that "Cadillac managed to up the ante this morning with its announcement" and that " Cadillac's plan essentially mirrors BMW's Ultimate Service program."
One of the 547 Buick GNX muscle cars that GM built in 1987 has been listed for sale by a Las Vegas dealer. Cleverly described by C&D in its days as "Darth Vader's Ride", the GNX is a rare gem, even more so if it has a mere 5,000 miles on the odometer like this example that's priced at US$95,000.
When it came out in 1987, which was the only year it was offered for sale, the Buick GNX was the fastest production car in GM's range (Corvette included) thanks to its 3.8-liter force-fed V6 engine that was factory (under)rated at 276HP and 360 lb-ft. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a modified four-speed automatic transmission.
Bo Zolland of Sweden's Viztech is at it again. This time, the talented designer has thrown together some spiffy computer generated photos of a vintage hot rod called the "33-34". If it were to become a reality, Bo Zolland says the two-seater hot rod would be powered by the Cadillac CTS-V's 6.2-liter supercharged V8 with 556 ponies. Check out the full photo gallery after the break.
Automotive designers find inspiration in all kinds of places. For independent designer Andrus Ciprian from Romania, it was Harley Earls' legendary GM Firebird concept cars of the 1950s. The thing is that he didn't use this inspiration on a GM product but on a futuristic Honda racing car design study that he named Pegasus.
The Romanian designer has dreamed up a small gas-turbine jet engine as the power source for the imaginary winged prototype, while other features include specially designed wheels that increase air-flow to the brakes. Full mage gallery after the break.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the US government is willing to allow carmakers to lower the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAF�) of their future trucks and SUVs at a slower rate than normal cars. In return, the Obama administration wants to reach a deal by early next week that will allow the government to improve mileage standards from today�s target of 35.5 mpg (6.6 lt/100 km) by 2016 to 56 mpg (4.2 lt/100 km) by 2025 for both cars and light trucks, leaving the automakers a longer period of time to bring their large trucks, pickups and SUVs in line.
Auto pricing website TrueCar studied the car buying behaviour of four million Gen Y (18 to 27 year-old) over a twenty-four month period and here�s what they found. Scion took the crown for top brand, with 37.4% of the market and for top model (the tC coupe), with 21.2%, while second place went to Mitsubishi (32.1%) and their Lancer sedan (20.3%). Mazda was the third most visited brand for Gen Y buyers, though only 17th in terms of model. The top four vehicle choices were Japanese, with a German in seventh place and a South Korean in ninth.
Meet the new Opel Combo, GM Europe�s latest offer in the light commercial vehicle segment that will also be available in a passenger car version. In case you didn�t notice, Opel�s newcomer is based on the Fiat Doblo van with the exterior styling changes over the Italian model limited to the design of the front bumper that somewhat awkwardly incorporates the German firm�s family grille.
Car buyers� preferences in China are shifting towards European models and away from domestic and even Japanese vehicles, according to a new study published today by JD Power Asia Pacific. This is the third year that the study takes place. The latest edition included 65 brands and 161 separate models in nine segments and is based on responses from 4,979 potential buyers of new-vehicles located in 53 cities.
Citing two unnamed people that were briefed earlier this week on GM�s future product plans, the Detroit Free Press reported today that the company is mulling the addition of a diesel engine to the Chevrolet Cruze�s range. According to the insiders, a diesel version of the Cruze would return a highway fuel economy of around 50mpg rivaling the efficiency of the Toyota Prius hybrid which is rated at 51 mpg (4.6 lt/100 km) in the city and 48mpg (4.9 lt/100 km) on the highway. A diesel Cruze would also help GM meet the more demanding government gas mileage rules.
It seems like US carmakers are beginning to worry about the rising inventory of their big pickup trucks. For example, General Motors has an inventory of 122 days (or 4 months) of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra according to a report from Reuters, or 50% higher than the typical industry inventory of 80 days. But GM isn�t the only automaker in distress. Chrysler, Toyota and Ford also are behind their projected sales, with 93 days inventory for the first two makers and 79 days for the third respectively.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall campaign for two separate issues concerning GM trucks and SUVs. The first recall concerns 6,768 units of the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon from the 2011MY due to a failure in a transmission clip that may not engage the �Parking� mode even though the driver has moved the lever to the appropriate position. GM�s dealers will repair the faulty automatic transmission free of charge, and the recall is expected to begin on July 19.
A class-action suit has been filed against General Motors in Detroit concerning a defect in the suspension rods of more than 400,000 2007-2008MY Chevrolet Impalas that causes premature wear to the rear tires. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a woman from Pennsylvania named Donna Trusky, who wants GM to replace the defective suspension rods on 423,000 Impalas from the 2007-2008MY the company sold over a two-year period.
General Motors has began delivering its first 2011 Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV) to law enforcement officers across the U.S. Among the first to receive GM�s new patrol car are police departments in Forsyth County, Georgia and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Forsyth County Sheriff Ted Paxton said that after trying out the Chevy for a month his office decided to replace its current fleet of around 175 other patrol vehicles with Caprice PPVs.
It�s a global economy we live in and as such, it doesn�t come to much of a surprise when we see the same vehicles launched under different brands and names in various parts of the world. 
Of course, it would be somewhat unfair to Holden if we didn�t mention that it has played a key role in the development and design of several GM products including the 5-door Cruze that will be show in pre-production trim at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show (AIMS), which takes place in Melbourne from July to 10.
Opel has increased its share in Europe this year, with sales rising 6% up to May, giving the brand a market share of 7.4%, compared to 7% in 2010. So mother company GM must be satisfied, right? Well, not entirely, according to Automotive News. And that�s because Opel�s cars are technologically advanced and due to high German working rates, are quite expensive to manufacture. However, they cannot be sold in prices similar to direct competitors such as Volkswagen because they lack their rivals� image.
By taking a kitbashed GM-sourced LS1 V8 engine and slotting it into an AWD Porsche 996, LS1tech forum member �1dirtyZ� has set out to create something truly unique. Sure, it�s unconventional and perhaps a little sacrilegious...but just look at the Porsche donor car. 
It�s a wreck, the victim of a catastrophic engine fire. It has a ruined interior and a body that�s been damaged both by fire and rust. It would have spent the rest its days rotting away in a car wreckers yard if 1dirtyZ had not rescued it.And even though this confabulation of All-American grunt and German precision engineering is not yet finished (it doesn�t have a rear bumper, for one), it certainly runs and can even be driven around a dirt race track. You can check out our gallery of in-progress images below and a handful of videos showing the V8-powered Porsche 911 running.
General Motors is trying to squeeze every ounce of publicity out its association with the makers of the third Transformers movie, called Dark of the Moon, which opens exclusively in 3D Tuesday and worldwide Wednesday. 
Aside from having an army of cars featured in the film, the Detroit automaker is also launching yet another limited edition Camaro model based on the Autobot �Bumblebee� character. The 2012 Camaro Transformers Special Edition will be offered as a $3,000 package on 2LT and 2SS Camaro Coupes with Rally Yellow paint. Along with the content provided in the RS package, the Transformers edition adds bespoke black rally stripes that cover the hood, roof, decklid and the unique rear spoiler.
A bare-shell of an unidentified model shown in a introduction video on GM�s corporate site caught the attention of a forum member of GMInsidenews. The team over the website believes that this could be an early prototype of the upcoming 2014 Cadillac ATS sports sedan, with which GM wants to compete against the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class saloons.
As promised, GM released the N�rburgring lap time of its modestly tweaked for the 2012 model year, Corvette Z06. The most important change for the 2012 model is the available competition-orientated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup Zero Pressure tires, which helped the Z06 turn around the �Ring in just 7:22.68. The lap time is 20 seconds faster than the previous-best Z06 lap time, recorded in 2005, and just 3 seconds behind the 638-horsepower 2012 ZR1, a video of which you can see in our previous posting here.
However, GM noted that in 2005, the Z06 was timed from a standing start instead of the rolling start technique used on the latest Z06 and ZR1 models.
