Car Sport 2011

12/1/09

General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson Resigns, Ed Whitacre Takes Over

Only months after taking the helm of General Motors from CEO Rick Wagoner who was ousted by the Obama administration in March, Fritz Henderson announced his resignation as Director, President and CEO of the company on Tuesday. Henderson will be succeeded on an interim basis by GM's chairman, Ed Whitacre, 68, while an search for a new president and CEO starts immediately.

"Fritz has done a remarkable job in leading the company through an unprecedented period of challenge and change," said Whitacre in a prepared statement. "While momentum has been building over the past several months, all involved agree that changes needed to be made."

"I want to assure all of our employees, dealers, suppliers, union partners and most of all, our customers, that GM's daily business operations will continue as normal. I remain more convinced than ever that our company is on the right path and that we will continue to be a leader in offering the worldwide buying public the highest quality, highest value cars and trucks. We now need to accelerate our progress toward that goal, which will also mean a return to profitability and repaying the American and Canadian tax payers as soon as possible," Whitacre concluded.

General Motors is still on the lookout for a new owner for its Saab unit, the company confirmed on Tuesday. The Detroit automaker said that the firm's Board of Directors have received "expressions of interest" from a suite of buyers for its Saab unit after the termination of negotiations with the Koenigsegg Group AB.

"The Board will evaluate potential bids between now and the end of December. At that time, we will determine whether a suitable arrangement for Saab exists. If not, we will begin an orderly wind down of the global Saab business at that time," General Motors said in a prepared statement to the press.

While GM did not disclose or confirm any names, media reports claim that potential suitors for Saab include China's Beijing Automotive, which had previously agreed to buy a stake in Koenigsegg, and Holland's Spyker Cars - yes, that's the same unprofitable company that decided to move production from The Netherlands to the UK and fire a third of its staff...

So how do you further improve the Maserati GranTurismo coupe? Well, for one you start off with the sportiest model of the range, the 440HP GranTurismo S. Then you begin upgrading it with a bunch of mechanical and styling parts from the company's newly launched "MC Sport Line" customization catalogue.

Maserati did not say which items from the lineup made their way onto the limited edition GranTurismo S MC Sport Line, but we do know that only 12 examples finished in a Matt White "ice" color will be built and sold exclusively to customers in the Middle East.

And if you're wondering why twelve cars, Maserati said it's because that's the number of world titles won by the firm's MC12 racer in the FIA GT International Championship since 2005, but also because twelve are the Middle East cities where Maserati is present with a dedicated showroom.

Each example of the GraTurismo S MC Sport Line will feature an internal plaque with the name of the city to which it is committed.

Later on, Maserati will produced a second run of 11 units of the car, this time finished in a Matt Bianco Fuji with pearlescent nuances, all of which will be destined for its home market in Italy.

Being a new model and all, we thought that, aside from our comprehensive photo gallery, you'd also enjoy some video footage of the 2011 Audi A8 limo that was unveiled on Monday night in Miami. Audi's flagship model that will challenge the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS will begin arriving at European dealers in early 2010 while North American consumers will have to wait until the end of next year. Watch the video after the break.

Bentley's new flagship limousine, the Mulsanne, will arrive in the United Kingdom in the Summer of 2010 with a starting price of £220,000 (including taxes and delivery charges), which comes to about US$365,000 or €242,000 with the current exchange rates, the company announced today.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 6¾-litre V8 engine that delivers a hefty 512 horsepower, the luxury Bentley flagship will offer buyers a wide variety of personalization options including a palette of 114 paint colors, 21 carpet colors, nine wood veneers and 24 different interior leather hides to choose from.

Bentley said it has already held more than 1,000 private customer previews of the Mulsanne at the company's factory in Crewe, England as well as a series of preview events held at dealerships across the UK, Continental Europe and the United States, and that early customer interest exceeds 2010 production targets

"Even at this very early stage, the expression of interest we've received easily exceeds our 2010 production targets," said Stuart McCullough, Member of the Board for Sales & Marketing for Bentley.

"The Mulsanne's credentials are a pure expression of Bentley design and craftsmanship, and that's struck a chord with Bentley enthusiasts across the globe as well as many of the potential customers we have welcomed for tours in Crewe this year. We've been encouraged by the positive commentary, notably from our American customers as the Mulsanne was privately previewed in seven metro markets across the country."

Production of the Mulsanne will commence at the firm's Crewe headquarters in England in the second quarter of 2010 with each example taking about nine weeks to build.

Before you start thinking otherwise, let us to tell you that what Senna Tuning really means by the term 'Super Sport Concept', is a performance package with engine, suspension and wheel upgrades for the Audi R8 4.2 V8 FSI. The main event of the treatment concerns the V8 engine. A reprogrammed ECU, the use of special sport air filter and a custom built exhaust system, all help to boost output from 420HP and 430Nm to 458 horsepower and 470Nm of torque.

Then, the German tuning house adds sport suspension springs that lower the R8's ride height by about 25mm up front and 15mm at the back, while the package is finished with a set of 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped in high performance Dunlop tires.

The full package including the engine modifications is priced at €14,900 or around US$22,500 at today's exchange rates.

Toyota has just released pricing for the new Highlander Special Edition that replaces the current Sport grade while the Japanese firm also announced price adjustments on a dozen current 2010 Toyota and Scion models including the Corolla, Matrix, Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, Yaris, Sequoia, FJ Cruiser, Tundra, Scion tC, xB and xD.

The new Highlander SE is offered solely with a 270 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission that returns EPA-estimated fuel efficiency ratings of 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway on 4x2 models, and 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway on the 4x4.

Standard features on the SE include leather seats, Tri-Zone automatic front and rear air conditioning, power tilt/slide moonroof, heated front seats and exterior mirrors, an audio system with a six-disc CD changer, 17-inch alloy wheels, Homelink universal transceiver, daytime running lights, and a tow package.

Set to arrive at Toyota showrooms in the beginning of January 2010, the new Highlander SE 4x2 will start at $32,480 while the 4x4 model, at $33,930 (not including an $800 destination and handling fee).

The price increases for twelve other Toyota and Scion models range from $100 for the Corolla, Scion xD, xB and tC, to $500 for the Sequoia and FJ Cruiser.

*The Highlander pictured above is not the 2010 SE grade model

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Volkswagen has published the first official images and details of the production version of its new pickup model, the Amarok. Designed to compete in the 1-tonne pickup truck segment, the Amarok will be initially available as a four-door double cab version with a single cab model set to follow in 2011. It will be built at VW's plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with sales set to begin in South America in early 2010 and in Europe during the second half of the year.

The Amarok will also be sold in Australia and South Africa but not in North America - or at least the German firm has no plans to do so at this time.

Featuring a muscular exterior and a passenger-car like interior design, the Amarok's styling has remained virtually unchanged from last year's concept model that premiered at the 2008 Hannover motor show in Germany.

The German automaker said that the Amarok comes with a payload capacity of up to 1.15 tonnes and maximum towing limit of 2.8 tonnes.

It also features a 2.52 m² cargo area that is claimed to have the largest dimensions in its class at 1,555 mm long and 1,620 mm wide, plus a best in class width between the wheelarches of 1,222 mm which, according to VW, means that for the first time on a mid-size pick-up, it is possible to fit Euro pallets sideways.

Under the hood, there's a choice of two 2.0-liter TDI turbo diesel engines producing 163HP and 400Nm (295 lb-ft), and 122HP and 340Nm (251 lb-ft) of torque. Both diesels are Euro 5 compliant and are paired to a 6-speed manual transmission.

The Amarok will be offered with a choice of rear-wheel drive and switchable or permanent 4MOTION all-wheel drive. The full time AWD version uses Torsen differential to distribute drive at a 40:60 ratio to the front and rear axles, while a rear differential lock will also be available as an option.

Volkswagen says that even in the 4x4 version, the 122HP TDI consumes just 7.6 lt per 100 km (31 mpg US) while the more powerful 163HP TDI model, 7.8lt/100km (30 mpg US). Combined with an 80-liter fuel tank, the pickup truck is capable of ranges in excess of 1,000 kilometres (620+ miles).

When it goes on sale next year, the Amarok will be available in three different trim levels. Justifying its name, the base version does not feature any electric amenities (everything is mechanically operated) while the front bumper, door handles and mirrors are not painted. This version rides on 16-inch steel wheels.

Moving up to the Trendline, buyers will get painted bumper, door handles and mirror housings, electrically operated windows, door locks and mirrors along with a CD player, climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, multi-functional display, cruise control system and front fog lights.

The range-topping Highline is upgraded with features like chrome mirror housings, various chrome accents inside and out, and fender skirt extensions that create the necessary space for the larger 17-inch alloy wheels. Furthermore, this model gets a color contrasting instrument panel, automatic climate control (Climatronic), leather detailing, a high-end audio system and specific fabric seat covers.

Prices for the new VW Amarok will be confirmed closer to the pick-up truck's launch date.