Ever since man began making cars for more than just getting from A to B, two-door coupes have been a sign of automotive enthusiasm and overall sportiness that a four-door sedan simply could not fulfill. A recent wave of sport sedans and four-door coupes have been introduced to the market, but for us sports car enthusiasts, they just aren’t good enough.

For the purposes of this article, we’re referring to a sedan as a car with four doors, and coupe as a car with two doors, even though the technical definition of the two terms are slightly different. Please see Coupe vs Sedan for more information regarding the technical differences.

So which new cars are produced as sedan-only, when they should be offered as coupes? Keep reading… Continue Reading…

According to an interview with Automotive News, Troy Clarke, GM’s North American president, General Motors will keep its promise to Congress to drastically cut costs AND brands. Clarke said that GM will now focus its “product and marketing resources” on Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC.

That means Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and HUMMER face an uncertain future at best, or the chopping block for sure. HUMMER will most likely be sold off or cut entirely (a 60+% drop in sales can do that for a division). Saab probably faces the same fate. GM said it would sell or close Saturn. Since no one has yet stepped forward with cash, or even interest in Saturn, their future is not at all certain. So the rumors that Saturn would be folded in with Chevy or possibly Pontiac seem to be untrue.

Speaking of Pontiac, Bob Lutz said to Automotive News that Pontiac will shrink to offering only four models: the G8, G5, Vibe and Solstice. This news jives with what GM said to congress about making Pontiac a niche brand.

So, it looks like severe times are indeed ahead for what was once the largest, greatest car company on the planet. But let’s get serious for a second … after the jump.

Continue Reading…

It seems like this recent hope of reviving old brands has a limit. The Challenger, Camaro, and other retro-styled cars have made it through, but the El Camino apparently has not. The new Camino, in the form of the Pontiac G8 ST, caused a lot of eyebrows to be raised when it was first released. After all, it hardly seemed to be the right vehicle for the times. And quite honestly, it’s not.

That’s one view. The other is that the ST (Sport Truck) is a viable, honest, and environmentally sound alternative to buying a bona fide pickup. Either one makes sense. We’re not too surprised at this, as GM is currently going through a crisis and is reorganizing its line-up, but we do think that the G8 ST would have been an interesting experiment, if not more.

Keep in mind that this is strictly unofficial: GM has made no statement yet on the future of the G8 ST. Expect this report to be true, however. Or not. Prepare to be surprised by the company that has done a lot of surprising things in recent years. Continue Reading…

Well that’s interesting news. Why would GM want Pontiac to be second in line for the running gear the Chevy Volt will be built around?

This might be a smart move in a bunch of ways, but it does run in the opposite direction from Toyota, who took the Prius mechanicals and put them in an upscale Lexus first, and then put them in a Camry second.

But like I said, it could be a smart move.

Some have complained that all hybrids are more expensive or higher end models, and that if you really want to have more of an environmental impact, you should sell more of them, not fewer.

Hence, things like Honda’s rumored Prius-fighter that comes in for way less dollars.

So, maybe GM is on the right track (for once) and going with a Pontiac variant instead of the assumed Caddy hybrid that a lot of people have been predicting.

Whatever … GM, when are you going to turn out a performance hybrid?

I know, Ferrari already has one in the pipeline (using the F1-derived KERS system), but do you think I can afford a Ferrari? Of course I can’t, I’m a car writer, I can barely afford gas.

I tell you what GM should do, they should make a two seat mid-engined version of the Volt, and crank up the grunt the electric motors are putting to the wheels, OK? Hell, roll it out as a Saturn, and I bet they’d sell a bunch.

Source: Autoblog

Happy Fourth of July to all you car buffs out there!

Since the Fourth of July is a celebration of America and all things American (except maybe gas prices), I’ve put together this little Fourth of July Special, an article dedicated to all American cars. I actually got the idea from Car and Driver, and you can see their article here. Anyway, this is compromised of what I believe are the current finest examples of the American automobile. Not all are in production, but those that aren’t will be. I chose these cars because they herald the new “era” of the Big Three, , who are just beginning to make cars that you actually want. So if you’re a car buff and you love your country, this might just make you proud to be an American again, and just in time for the Fourth of July. And if you aren’t American, these cars might just make you wish you were.

You might not agree with all the choices, and if there is a car you disagree with or if there is one you think should be on the list, any and all comments are welcome. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion of cars that have that good ol’ American feel— and make me proud to be an American. Continue Reading…

Remember that awesome commercial from Pontiac a couple months ago for the G8 that looked like the old video game Spyhunter? Here it is again if you don’t remember:

Anyway, they made a “making of” video for it, which is worth a look-see if you enjoyed the commercial and/or like the technical side of CG and video production: Continue Reading…