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Ferrari will use the 2009 Geneva Auto Show to unveil two new variations of its 599 GTB. The first is called the 599 Handling GT Evoluzione (HGTE), an upgrade package that's expected to add larger wheels and tires, retuned suspension components and a revised exhaust.
Also on display for the first time will be the 599XX, a developmental version of the 599 that blends the company's latest technology with customer input. The program is similar to the FXX program that used modified Ferrari Enzos.
Being a former U.S. President has its perks, but unlimited time to do whatever you want is not one of them.
During a recent green technology roundtable in Burbank, California, Bill Clinton said he was looking forward to taking a spin in the Tesla roadster that was on display. A Tesla employee quickly offered Clinton the keys, but Secret Service agents stepped in and denied Bill the drive saying he had to move on to another commitment.
Earlier in the presentation, Clinton called Tesla, "a shining example of the green tech movement," according to a post on the company's blog.
In related news, a report on Valleywag claims that Tesla's former Vice President of Marketing Darryl Siry quit after learning that Tesla was going to start taking deposits for its Model S sedan. The site claims that Siry considered it fraud to take money from customers for a car that existed only on paper. Tesla is counting on Department of Energy loans to fund the development of the Model S and the construction of a factory in which to build the electric sedan.
Tesla Blog: President's Day with a President
Tesla Introduces Latest Scheme to Suck Money Out of Its Customers
No surprise here, the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro will serve as the pace car for the 2009 Indianapolis 500 in May. The announcement was made by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at a press conference that included past winners Johnny Rutherford, Al Unser Jr. and Eddie Cheever Jr.
Like so many pace cars before it, this 2010 Camaro sports a hideous paint job that only a collector could love. In fact, other than the paint scheme and roof-mounted light bar, there are no changes to this Camaro SS.
Now that we've posted our full blown comparison test of the Hyundai Genesis Coupe vs. the 2009 Infiniti G37 Coupe, we figured you might want to take a closer look at how the two cars matched up on dyno.
As Josh noted in his story, the Genesis more than holds its own against the higher-rated Infiniti. It's not until after 6,000rpm where the Infiniti starts to show any considerable advantage. And if you're keeping score, this G37 performed better than the last one we tested, so don't think for a second that the Hyundai was up against a weaker-than-normal Infiniti.
Dyno chart and video after the jump.
A recent report by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University concludes that the cost-effectiveness of plug-in electric vehicles is suspect.
"Large-capacity PHEVs sized for 40 or more miles of electric-only travel are not cost-effective in any scenario," the report's authors insist. Yeah, 40 or more miles of travel, you might have heard that figure before.
According to the report that will appear in an upcoming issue of "Energy Policy," the added cost of the systems required to provide long distance electric power outweighs the savings in fuel costs.
"Forty miles might be a sweet spot for making sure a lot of people get to work without using gasoline, but you're doing it at a cost that will never be repaid in fuel savings," Jeremy Michalek, an engineering professor who led the study, told Bloomberg News in an interview.
![10[1].hyundai.genesis.coupe.dyno.jpg](http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/02/assets/images/101hyundaigenesiscoupedyno.jpg)
We've already tested the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but enthusiasts keen on exploring every facet of its performance credentials now have another data point to consider--our chassis dyno result.
Hyundai pegs its brand-spankin' new Genesis Coupe's 3.8-liter V6 at 306-hp and 266 lb-ft of torque. To detemine just how truthful they've been in this rating, we strapped a Genesis to the Dynojet rollers at MD Automotive's facility in Westminster, CA, and let 'er rip.
Hit the jump for the dyno chart.
We've got some serious number crunchers around here at the Edmunds corporate megaplex. So serious, in fact, that they don't even have to wait until the end of the month to call the sales numbers.
And their predictions for February? Not surprising, yet still slightly shocking.
How about Chrysler down 53.1% year over year? And Ford? Down 47.5%, GM off 46.2%.
A Big Three problem? Not really.
Try Toyota down 38.9% while Nissan is expected to drop 32.9%. Even Honda could be off 32.1%.
Then again, these are only predictions. It could be worse.
Edmunds.com Forecasts February Auto Sales
Business was slightly better for GM in 2008 compared to 2007, relatively speaking of course.
Total losses last year amounted to $30.9B which is nowhere near the $38.7B it lost in 2007.
So yeah, things are looking up.
AutoObserver: GM Posts $30.9-Billion Loss for 2008, Second Biggest Ever
Most concepts from Rinspeed are nothing more than that -- concepts. No real production value of any kind, just a designer throwing stuff out there to see what sticks in people's minds. The Rinspeed E2 is about as practical a car as you're ever going to see from the Swiss design house.
Like every other automaker on the planet, Rinspeed wanted to pretend like it cares about being environmentally friendly. The solution? A two-mode Fiat 500 more or less.
Yup, in "Highway" mode it produces 160 hp which "transforms the Italian flea into a venerable hornet," Rinspeed says. In that mode, fuel consumption is 7 liters per 100 kilometers.
Then there's "Commuter" mode which drops the horsepower down to 60 hp while fuel consumption drops to just 4 liters per 100 kilometers.
Sounds great. Now how often do you think drivers would choose Commuter mode? Uh yeah.
The Mercedes-Benz test track in Unterturkheim is home to the famous vertical curve and now you can experience it firsthand thanks to the Setra S 411 HD "compact" motor coach. Yes, tours of the facility will now include a ride on the 33-foot long, 408-horsepower bus as it careens around the track subjecting its riders to centrifugal forces amounting to twice their normal body weight.
Not hard to see this one coming. With the debut of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe set for the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, the appearance of a cabriolet version shouldn't be a surprise to anybody. Sources have told Inside Line that the soft-top version of the two-door E-Class is scheduled for a fall debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show.
About two weeks ago, Hennessey Performance released information and test results for its modified 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Dubbed the ZR700, the 705-horsepower beast ripped off a 10.9-second quarter mile on stock tires. Not bad.
Now Hennessey has released more video of its ZR700 in action. This time it was in the hands of former GM driver John Heinricy as he lapped the MSR road course in Houston. He hits a cool 145mph on the back straight. Not bad.
Expectations are high for this original 1965 Cobra Daytona Coupe, one of only six ever built. According to the press release from the Mecum auction house, they anticipate this Cobra will, "garner the highest bid ever paid at public auction for an American automobile."
Earlier this week we highlighted a column by Thomas Friedman that ran in the New York Times
over the weekend. In it, Mr. Friedman proposed giving federal bailout money to start ups and inventors instead of companies like General Motors, which he called a "wealth destruction machine."
Well, not surprisingly, GM doesn't agree. On its FastLane blog today, spokesperson Tom Wilkinson fired back in a post called "Two Toms, Two Utopias". He likens Mr. Friedman to Thomas More, the 16th century author of the book Utopia.
With that in mind, Wilkinson wrote, "For centuries, Utopians have dreamed of letting the old world burn and building a fresh new world just over the horizon. In the case of the auto industry, which holds a key to solving the global energy puzzle, such dreams are a dangerous diversion from the hard work at hand."
So which Tom do you agree with?
Inside Line News: An Angry GM Compares New York Times Critic to Beheaded Saint
FastLane Blog: Two Toms, Two Utopias
BMW is developing a navigation system that "learns" owners' driving habits and analyzes a car's current location to predict where the driver may want to go next. Called ILENA, an acronym for Intelligent Learning Navigation, BMW claims it has 80 percent accuracy in guessing the car's next possible destination, which is displayed on the nav screen.
In addition to the convenience factor, BMW claims ILENA increases efficiency since the car's computer and systems will be able to automatically adjust performance and power relative to the next-destination info it gathers, which can lower driving costs by between 5 and 10 percent.
But BMW owners will have to decide if the small savings and convenience ILENA offers is worth giving up a large amount of privacy, and they'll have time to decide since BMW says the system won't be road-ready for about five years or so.
We wonder if ILENA will have a face like Ford's EVA avatar.
Lotus is using the 2009 Geneva Auto Show to showcase a new variable-compression engine it calls the "Omnivore." Designed to run on alcohol-based fuels as well as gasoline, the single-cylinder concept engine uses direct injection and a two-stroke operating cycle to maximize its efficiency.
An adjustable puck at the top of the combustion chamber is used to vary the compression and according to Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain at Lotus Engineering, the Omnivore has potential as a four-stoke, production engine.
"The absence of poppet valves in two-stroke engines makes the incorporation of a variable compression ratio system relatively straightforward. Our research into these systems on four-stroke engines has led us to the conclusion that while thermodynamically it is a desirable technology to incorporate, practically it isvery difficult, particularly taking into consideration production feasibility. This two-stroke engine could solve these practical difficulties and simultaneously permits a much larger range of compression ratio adjustment, with the potential to perform at a much higher efficiency when running on renewable fuels," according to Castle-White.
If it were only true. Instead I hear Hollywood's braintrust is working on another Harry Potter. And there isn't a single Trans Am in the entire movie. Sad.
Ah, to be a rich car junkie with no kids. Such is the life of one Mr. Jay Leno. You may have heard of him?
Now that his Tonight Show gig is winding down, he has even more time to play with cars. In this case, it's the frighteningly ugly Deronda sports car, a V8-powered assemblage of carbon fiber and aluminum that puts the kitsch in kit car.
According to a report in the Swedish paper Dagens Industri, there are three companies in the running to buy Volvo. Two of them are Chinese while the third is a "European constellation." Bids are expected to be in by mid-April.
In the meantime, Volvo has asked the European Investment Bank for a $568M loan to keep the lights on.
Maybe you saw the Hyundai Genesis Coupe commercial that ran during the Super Bowl? That would be the one with the yellow coupe drifting all over Road Atlanta? Hyundai used a cut edited by Billy Corrigan, but it also offered viewers the chance to make their own version by going to its website.
Our in-house photography ace Scott Jacobs recently took a stab at a remake. What do think?
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