GM Design Grandisimo Approves Design of Next Holden Commodore Due in 2013

*2011 Holden Commodore Series II pictured here

Good news for Commodore fans; General Motors design boss Ed Welburn was in Melbourne recently to sign off on the styling of the next Holden Commodore, due in Q3 2013. The as-of-yet-unrevealed VF Commodore will be an evolution of the current generation VE, sharing the same rear-wheel-drive platform and V6 engines. "It's the absolute right Commodore for that market,” Mr. Welburn was quoted as saying, “I feel very good about it.”

Holden is said to be looking into lightening the VF’s components to improve fuel economy with the new model, and is also putting a strong emphasis on improving drivetrain efficiency. Though Mr. Welburn refused to comment on whether the Commodore would come to the U.S. badged as a Chevy, he did say:

“They are doing work for Holden and for other projects around the world. They are a very talented team – very talented – and I want to take full advantage of that. So, they are responsible for the look and feel of all Holden products, but they are doing work on Chevrolets, they have done some wonderful Buick work, and I could not be more proud of the work that they do.”

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Pontiac G8 to be Reborn as the Chevrolet Caprice in the USA, According to Lutz

No sooner that we learned that Bob Lutz reversed his decision to retire from GM at the end of the year, deciding to extend his career as the firm's vice chairman in charge of all "creative elements of products and customer relationships", and the 77-year old is offering American car nuts a reason to celebrate. In an interview with Automobile Magazine, Lutz revealed that the Pontiac G8 isn't dead after all.

Despite the fact that only a month ago, in a live chat with online readers, GM CEO Fritz Henderson supported that the rear-wheel drive Pontiac sports sedan won't live in another brand, Lutz told the magazine that the G8 will be reborn in the USA as the Chevrolet Caprice.

"The last time we looked at the G8, we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Can't disagree with Lutz on that one....

He also added that other key factors in this decision were the export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet.

What Lutz didn't say is in what form the G8 will survive in the USA - as a Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8 with a Chevy grille or will GM prefer to import the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman / Caprice? That's probably a good point to start the conversation in the comment section below.

In addition to the G8, Lutz told the magazine that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe could be closer to production than we think, noting that that members of the government taskforce were quite interested in the BMW M3-challenging sports coupe during the presentation of the firm's product plan.

"When we went through design and looked at the future product, the procession stopped at the model of the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe," Lutz said. "I think that some of these guys are personally going to buy CTS-V Coupes."

Source: Automobile , Via: Autoblog.com

Insignia VXR to Make UK Debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed

The high-performance version of the Opel /Vauxhall Insignia will make its first appearance in Britain at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed that runs from July 3-5. The 325HP Insignia VXR (OPC for the rest of Europe) will run the famous hillclimb course twice a day. Joining the Insignia will be the most powerful production model in Vauxhall's history, the rear-wheel-drive, 6.2-litre supercharged V8 engined VXR8 Bathurst S Edition 560HP that will be performing a 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' display in front of the Goodwood House.

GM's British arm will also showcase two concept studies from the past, the gullwing-door XVR that was displayed at the 1966 Geneva Salon and the SRV that made its debut at the 1970 Earls Court Motor Show.

BMW 135i "tii" to take on F1 car and Holden V8 Supercar at 2009 Australian GP

A street-legal BMW 135i Coupe bearing the 'tii' livery will race against a Holden Commodore V8 Supercar and a BMW Sauber Formula 1 car at the "Ultimate Speed Comparison" event that takes place at this year's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. The tii-branded 135i Coupe features a number of performance and cosmetic upgrades from the BMW Performance stable, all of which are available for order. The event is more of a crowd-pleasing spectacle than anything else as the small bimmer is seriously outmatched in terms of performance from both of its race-spec rivals.

The 135i Coupe "tii" has been fitted with a full BMW Performance aerodynamic package, road holding suspension set up, cross drilled and weight saving brake package, and 18-inch light-alloy wheels. Carbon fibre mirror covers and carbon fibre look bonnet with integrated roof and boot sports stripes, complete the changes over the standard car.

There are no mods under the hood with the 135i retaining the stock 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six with 306HP that launches the car from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h or 155mph.

Piloting the BMW 135i at this year's Ultimate Speed Comparison will be motoring journalist Paul Gover. Christian Klien will be at the helm of the BMW Sauber F1 race car while Greg Murphy will take on both BMW's in his Holden Commodore V8 Supercar.

The Ultimate Speed Comparison will be held on five separate occasions during the race weekend of the Australian GP. The event is run with a timed handicap, giving each car a chance at taking line honors.

Via: Worldcarfans

Ultimate Speed Comparison times:

11.40am Thursday 26 March

4.25pm Thursday 26 March

2.15pm Friday 27 March

1.00pm Saturday 28 March

1.10pm Sunday 29 March

Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S with 560HP Supercharged V8

In the land Down-Under, there's a saying that goes "there's nothing like a V8". Well, let's say that for the sake of conversation, we agree with our fellow Australians. What's even better than a 'normal' V8? The answer comes all the way from Great Britain and Vauxhall which introduced a new supercharged version of the Holden Commodore based (Pontiac G8 in the States), HSV Clubsport R8. Thanks to the addition of a Walkinshaw 122 Supercharger, the Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S' 6.0-liter V8 dispenses a mighty 560-horsepower, compared with the standard car's 431HP.

Furthermore, Walkinshaw's 122 Supercharger also boosts torque from 550Nm to an impressive 715Nm (529-lbs /ft). No performance figures have been announced, but let's just tell you that the standard 431HP VRX8 with an automatic gearbox accelerates from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.9 seconds...

For the record, Vauxhall did not only bolt-on a blower to the LS3 V8. The engineered package also includes a large capacity intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a separate cold air intake and Walkinshaw-developed ECU map, while the standard manual gearbox is upgraded with a high-torque capacity clutch.

Buyers also have the option of adding a new Bi-Modal Exhaust that raises power by up to 10-horsepower and allows drivers to select one of two noise settings: 'Street', with an upper limit of 92dbA, or 'Optimum', which releases the LS3 V8's full 102dbA. The two-and-a-half inch diameter system is manufactured from stainless steel with unique chrome tail-pipe finishers and costs £1600.

Other modifications concern the new six-pot front and four-pot rear brake calipers stiffer, height-adjustable springs and Walkinshaw-developed coil-over dampers that have 15 separate valve settings with independent corner adjustment for the owner's preferred setup.

On the outside, the Bathurst S is identifiable by a distinctive graphic pack, front fog light covers and 'Bathurst' badges while inside a console-mounted badge showing the car's build number complements the 'Walkinshaw Performance' tread plates found inside each door opening.

The Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S will be produced in a limited number of units with prices in the U.K. set at £44,995 which comes to $66,520 U.S, $99,520 AUS and €51,300 with today's exchange rates.