It’s true – Less than a year since production commenced on the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe, it has ceased. July 29, 2009 marked the last day of production for General Motors Company’s Boxwood plant in Delaware, which is responsible for making GM’s Kappa-platform, the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and the recently introduced 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe. The hard-top Solstice Coupe took the 2008 New York Auto Show by storm. The more aggressive and sleeker looking targa-top fastback offers up an alternative for those who aren’t always looking for fun in the sun, but alas, as the rest of the Pontiac faces extinction, so does the Solstice. “To me, it’s not a celebration,” said James Graves, a 29-year veteran of GM’s Boxwood plant. “It’s a sad day. It’s like a funeral.” Click through to read more and to view the high-res image gallery . Reviewed: 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP : 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe GXP Specifications : Base Price : $30,375 Price as Tested : $33,140 Engine : 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder Ecotec – 260-hp/260 lb-ft of torque. Transmission : 5-Speed manual Curb Weight : 3018 lbs 0 to 60 mph : 5.5 seconds Fuel-Economy : 19/28 mpg city/highway Exterior : “The new Solstice coupe has all the design cues and pleasing performance of the original roadster, and is an all-season alternative for people who enjoy open-air driving,” said Susan Docherty, vice president of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. There is no doubt that the 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe looks outstanding. Put it on the road next to any other coupe or sportback, and it is sure to attract the lion’s share of the attention. However, despite the dramatic new look, GM says that engineers made minor changes to create a hard-top version of the Solstice. The model features a fixed roof aft the B-piller, complete with side windows and a rear lift-glass providing easy access to the storage compartment behind the seat. The sloping roofline provides the look of a classic fastback, as it runs from the front of the roof and merges with the ever fashionable ducktail style rear spoiler. The roof, which weighs 31 pounds, can be removed easily by one person – or so GM says. I personally had trouble taking...

In a one-two punch to the diversity of Canadian showrooms, both Saturn and Saab have announced that they’re pulling out of the Great White North. The Penske Automotive Group, which is purchasing the Saturn brand from General Motors, has already notified Canada’s 46 Saturn dealers that it won’t be selling the brand in Canada after the sale is .. See the rest here: Saturn And Saab Skip Out On Canada

The evidence is now clear: drivers of Mercedes vehicles are safer on the road than drivers of other car brands. This is the result of a study of Mercedes accident research based on official, anonymous data samples from the Federal Office of Statistics. Having looked at 18,748 accidents resulting in personal injury during the period from 2003 to 2007, the study found that the risk of being seriously or fatally injured as the driver of a E-Class, is 10.4 percent lower than for comparable vehicles of other brands. Read the original here:  Mercedes-Benz E-Class Drivers Benefit From Higher Level Of Road Safety

There’s been a lot of chatter about the MINI Roadster (also known as the MINI Speedster) which is set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in just a couple of weeks. That’s not surprising: everyone likes a roadster, and the sporty renderings popping up on the web have sparked the interest of journalists and enthusiasts alike. The MINI .. Read more: BMW News: MINI Crossover Delayed, Isetta Based On Toyota iQ?

Mercedes-Benz is launching its first series-produced fuel cell car on the road: the new B-Class F-CELL. The environmentally friendly electric car has better a performance similar to than a 2,0-litre petrol car and is fully suited for everyday driving. The zero-emission drive system consumes the equivalent of 3.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres in the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle). Production of the B-Class F-CELL will commence in late 2009 with a small lot. The first of around 200 vehicles will be delivered to customers in Europe and the USA at the beginning of next year. Go here to see the original: New Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell Gets Ready For Series Production

If you were away this weekend you missed something pretty exciting – BMW unveiled its new Vision EfficientDynamics Concept prior to its Frankfurt Motor Show debut next month. The company has just released a video of all the engineers and designers talking about the work they contributed into creating this outstanding concept. You can check it out after the jump. Refresher : Power comes from a 163-hp 1.5L 3-cylinder turbo-diesel engine and two electric motors producing a total output 356-hp with a maximum torque of 590 lb-ft. 0 to 62 mph comes in just 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph and fuel-economy is estimated at 63 mpg. Click through for the video . BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept : BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept : – By: The Daily Auto Editor             Continued here:  Video: The creators of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept Read the original here: Video: The creators of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

Pricing for the 2010 Nissan Rogue is up only $120 over 2009 levels. Front-drive models cost $21,140 in S trim while SL models command $22,730. Adding all-wheel drive requires an extra $1200 for either version. There’s also a new 360º Value package for Rogue S models. It bundles 16-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows, a rearview camera, a chrome front grille, and a rear spoiler for $1040. Buying all the components separately costs over $2000. Read our test of the Nissan Rogue: 2008 Nissan Rogue SL AWD – Road Test No related posts. Read the rest here: 2010 Nissan Rogue Pricing Up Slightly, to $21,140 Read more from the original source: 2010 Nissan Rogue Pricing Up Slightly, to $21,140

You know, car actions, and the value attached to some cars are funny things. For no apparent reason, some car or another can become the flavor du jour amongst collectors (especially at an auction), and the next thing you know, prices rise sky high, and the chances of “normal” gearheads every affording one disappear like campfire smoke in a hurricane. I shudder to think what will happen if these money-soaked ne’er-have-tastes turn their gaze to what are now, cheap fun cars … it could be all over. It’s this feeding frenzy combined with fashion of the moment mindset that lead to the huge Ferrari boom and bust of the early 90s. Sure, for cars like Ferraris, I can understand it, but now comes word that there’s a Plymouth Superbird out there that some collectors are saying is worth $3 million. Look, I got nothing against Plymouth Superbirds. They’re great cars. Unique. Tons of style. Fast as all get out, and they are a really rare commodity in one particular way: They have an American racing heritage. The Plymouth Superbird was created back in the day when NASCAR ran actual stock cars. What you saw on the track was literally what you could buy down at the local dealer, and if any of the car companies involved in NASCAR racing were crazy enough to make and sell something like a jet-enigned sedan, it seemed like NASCAR would be OK with it. You want to trick out your car, aero-wise? Sure, who’s NASCAR to argue with you? Then again, NASCAR figured, who would be crazy enough to go THAT overboard? Plymouth, that’s who. Back when the 60s turned into the 70s, Plymouth really went to town in the wind tunnel and created the Superbird. Essentially a Plymouth Roadrunner with a bullet nose, sloped backlight and a HUGE wing riding high. To say that they were fast and crushed the opposition was an understatement. And to think that you could drop by the local dealer, drop down some cash and actually drive a road legal one of these ‘Bird home seems like an insane idea in today’s world. But you could. I remember seeing them now and again on the streets when I was a kid, just as fast and impressive there as they were at Daytona or Talladega. Then came the gas crisis of the early 70s, and Plymouth dealers couldn’t...

A satnav study released last week reached some interesting conclusions: U.S. drivers who use GPS systems with traffic-enabled navigation save the equivalent of four days on the roadways each year. Moreover, as a result of driving smarter and shorter, those folks reduce their CO2 output by 21%. Brits don’t fare quite as well: traffic-enabled .. Go here to read the rest:  Traffic-Enabled Satnav May Save Drivers Four Days Per Year

Soon to face a rare metal shortage? By next year, the Prius hybrid car could help Toyota sell 1 million hybrid cars per year, if there are enough rare metals available for such an output. According to reports , the supplies of rare metals needed for the electric motors and batteries of hybrids is beginning to tighten. And, eventually, China – the biggest supplier of such metals – is going to reduce its exports. Fortunately, however, new mines in Canada and the US are set to open. View post: Prius: Biggest rare metal guzzler

We're not sure why anyone would take this much time to build a working model of a V8 out of Legos, but who cares, it's cool anyway. See the video after the jump to watch it run.  Hacked Gadgets Go here to see the original: Working V8 Made of Legos More here: Working V8 Made of Legos

Here we have a classic rivalry. On one side there's the 2009 Lexus ES 350, the brand's best-selling car and the one model that solidified Lexus as the "new Buick." On the other hand, there's the new 2010 Buick LaCrosse. It's hoping to lure Lexus buyers back with more interesting styling, stronger engines and all the features luxury buyers expect to see these days. So which sedan is the "real" Buick? Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton breaks them down to find out in our latest luxury sedan comparison test. Comparison Test: 2010 Buick LaCrosse vs. Lexus ES 350. See the original post: Comparison Test: Buick LaCrosse vs. Lexus ES350 Original post: Comparison Test: Buick LaCrosse vs. Lexus ES350

According to reports coming out of the United States, Toyota is talking to BMW about using the company’s Mini Coupe and Mini Roadster platform for future model variants. In return, Toyota will give BMW its iQ minicar platform to upderpin a production version of BMW’s upcoming city electric-car, rumored to be called the Isetta. The Mini Coupe Concept and the Mini Roadster Concept will make their world-debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor show later next month. Both models are expected to make it to production in two to three years. BMW’s CEO, Norbert Reithofer, confirmed earlier this month that the automaker will launch a new sub-brand to market its upcoming Megacity Vehicle . He said that the new sub-brand will sell a range of substantial vehicles. Aston Martin is already working with Toyota to use the Japanese automaker’s iQ platform for its Cygnet minicar . – By: Kap Shah Source: AutoCar   Read the rest here: Report: BMW to use Toyota iQ platform for new Isetta minicar Read more from the original source: Report: BMW to use Toyota iQ platform for new Isetta minicar

Ford never could figure out how to make money on Jaguar and Land Rover, and now Tata Motors is struggling with the very same problem, albeit in a much tougher economy. The Wall Street Journal reports that the company posted a net loss of $67 million (3.29 billion rupees) for the fiscal quarter ending June 30. In the same quarter last year, Tata recorded a net profit of $147 million (7.2 billion rupees). With the addition of the Jaguar/Land Rover model lines, Tata's net sales were actually up 13 percent year over year, says the WSJ — yes, even though Jaguar-Land Rover unit sales were way down in the U.S. and Europe. But this wasn't enough to offset the added expense of owning these two brands. So now there's just a little more on the line with the make-or-break launch of the redesigned 2010 Jaguar XJ, which goes into production this fall. Wall Street Journal  (sub.req) Inside Line First Look: 2010 Jaguar XJ View original here: Tata Loses $67 Million in Most Recent Fiscal Quarter More: Tata Loses $67 Million in Most Recent Fiscal Quarter

Details on the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept come out ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show coupled with a new video. There has been a wide open speculation as far as the powerplant found in this new concept but now is known to be compromised of a plug-in hybrid system with a 3-cyl turbo-diesel engine. That astonishing factor of the equation is that BMW plans to get “M” (Motorsport) performance out of this plug-in hybrid claiming a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds while still able to get hybrid fuel saving figures at the same time. Below is a new video and full press release of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. Press Release – source: BMW THE BMW VISION EFFICIENTDYNAMICS CONCEPT The latest BMW Concept Car for the EfficientDynamics philosophy. Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, 29 August 2009, 6pm Eastern … For decades, BMW has made the reduction of emissions and fuel consumption a key part of its product development strategy, just as enhancements to the dynamic ability of each BMW have been a lasting, sustained brand value. BMW’s EfficientDynamics engineering philosophy – the pursuit of an enhanced, athletic driving experience while simultaneously lowering the consumption and emissions of each vehicle – resulted in the most dramatic drop in fleet consumption of any automaker from 1990 through 2005, according to an Environmental Defense study. Now, the BMW Vision concept car clearly demonstrates that the EfficientDynamics objectives are fully compatible when applied to a sports car. Conceived as a 2+2-seater with plug-in full-hybrid technology, this unique car combines the performance of a BMW M vehicle with a standard of fuel efficiency and emission management that exceeds even the current levels achieved by the latest small cars. This outstanding result is made possible by the combination of BMW ActiveHybrid components with an extremely economical combustion engine, and outstanding aerodynamic qualities. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the result of a “clean-sheet” development process to ensure that the correct achievements were made in the areas of efficiency, driving pleasure, technology, and emotional design. BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is the most comprehensive implementation of the EfficientDynamics philosophy seen so far. The...