Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Click the image above for a host of live shots of the Chevy Trax concept.
GM is keeping a close eye on the growing cute 'ute segment abroad, and according to a union leader from the ABVV, the General has already tasked its Antwerp, Belgium factory with building the small SUV in the second half of 2010.
The new model, likely to spawn both an Opel and Chevy variant, is expected to take cues from the Trax concept show at last year's New York auto show, and will do battle in Europe with the Fiat Sedici and Suzuki SX4. GM's new small-car platform, co-developed with Daewoo Auto and Technology in Korea, may underpin the new model, although there's no word on whether such a vehicle will find its way here to the States.
[Source: Automotive New – Sub. Req.]
Gallery: New York Auto Show: 2007 Chevy Trax Concept
The new Epsilon II based replacement for the Opel Vectra is now expected to make it's official debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, and the first interior shots have now surfaced. A pretty much camo free prototype was nabbed while testing in Colorado and the photographer managed to get some shots of the interior. Judging from this mule it looks like the new Opel will have an interior almost identical to the GTC concept that was shown at Geneva this year.
In addition to a whole new look, the Vectra is also likely to get a different name. The new sedan will probably be called the Insignia, although it's likely to retain the Aura name when it shows up at Saturn dealers in 2009.
click above image to view high-res gallery of the Opel Flextreme Concept
For those unfamiliar with the suicide-style rear door, it's basically a car door with the hinges located closer to the rear of the car, usually on the C-pillar. The design isn't new, but it recently had a renaissance with cars like the Mazda RX-8 and Rolls-Royce Phantom adopting the unique style.
The rear opening doors will soon be featured on some General Motors products, as revealed by its Vice Chairman Bob Lutz on his blog. GM recently previewed its design, dubbed FlexDoor, on its new Opel Flextreme at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week. Engineers were able to do-away with the center B-pillar, which means opening both doors on a single side of the car leaves one giant opening the size of two doors. This was important because designers learned from focus groups that people, especially those who use child-seats, wanted easier access to the rear compartment.
The Flextreme itself is only a concept and Lutz was coy about when we might see them on a production car, so we suggest you don't hold your breath.
Click to enlarge the Opel Flextreme E-Flex concept
We all got a premature look at the Opel's rendition of the GM's E-Flex platform over the weekend, but now we can reveal more details about the new Opel Flextreme concept. The third car uses a 1.3L common rail diesel engine as its range extender. Unlike the four door coupe/sedan styling of the Volt, this one has a mono-box layout with side-opening gullwing-style hatches over the rear cargo area.
The Flextreme has picked up styling cues from GTC concept coupe that debuted last March in Geneva, including the scalloped door panels and rear quarter shoulders. Aside from the styling, another unique feature of the Flextreme is the special cargo hold in the back that comes loaded with two Segway scooters. To ensure that the Segways are always ready to go, the compartment is equipped with charging points for the scooters.
General Motors has now done computer simulations of E-Flex running the European test cycle (ECE R101) that's used to determine fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The Flextreme scored a CO2 emissions rating of 40g/km which puts it at less than half of the best current production car the Smart ForTwo CDi which scores 88g/km. For more on the Flextreme differences from the Volt and the current state of development, check out AutoblogGreen.
The Opel Flextreme concept is GM's European answer to the Chevy Volt, and it's destined to be one of the stars of this year's very green-tinged Frankfurt Motor Show. The vehicle's name was leaked in a Financial Times article published on August 31, and this evening, several photos and more information about the concept were published online. We happily share what's available so far.
The Flextreme sports a Euro-friendly hatchback/crossover-style body as opposed to Volt's US-targeted sedan duds, which allows for an area in which a pair Segways can be stored and charged by the car's onboard electrical system. It's also got a glass panoramic roof, rear suicide doors, and rearview cameras in lieu of traditional mirrors.
Under the skin, the Flextreme and Volt are largely the same save for the engine supplying power to the car's onboard generator. The Flextreme utilizes a 1.3-liter Ecotec turbodiesel instead of the 1-liter 3-cylinder turbo E85/flex-fuel unit featured in the Volt. A lithium-ion battery pack provides the juice for the car's front-mounted electric motor. Battery-only range on a full charge is 40 miles, and when battery power has been exhausted, the diesel will kick in to start replenishing it. It's a PHEV, so it can also be charged by being plugged into an electrical outlet.
The gang headed to Germany will bring us all plenty of live shots and first-person coverage next week.
We don't get it. Saturn has done an amazing job transmogrifying itself into a productive division for The General, and people are wistful for the Saturn of yore? In internet parlance, WTF? Three years ago, it would have been apt to predict that Saturn would be nearly done circling the drain by now and well on its way to the same fate as Oldsmobile. What has in fact happened has been an impressive brand renaissance, invigorated by GM's smart utilization of its global operations. Jerry Garrett opined in the September 5th Wheels section of the New York Times that GM's realignment of Saturn amounts to quietly smothering the brand with a pillow and then swiping its identity. Saturn's communications director Kyle Johnson shot back a reply on the GM FastLane blog, and it all makes for fascinating reading.
We'd like to point out that global asset and platform sharing has been going on for decades at GM. It's really no big thing that Saturn is selling Opels. Heck, the Chevette was an Isuzu Gemini, and who can forget the final Pontiac LeMans? Platform sharing has been going on for a very long time at all of the big three, we're not sure why Saturn's excercise of the practice is such news to Jerry Garrett. Kyle Johnson delivers a pretty good dope-slap of a reply, too. It's always entertaining when the fur flies on the interweb.
While GM will be showing a high performance OPC version of the current Opel Vectra at the Frankfurt Motor Show next week, it looks like we'll have to wait until the Geneva Motor Show next March for the new Epsilon II Vectra. Nonetheless, an OPC version of new Vectra has been spotted lapping the Nurburgring. The car is still covered by vinyl tape meant to obscure the contours and confuse autofocus systems, but all of the heavy camo is now gone. The OPC coming next week, meanwhile, has a 280-hp turbocharged V-6, and this powertrain is likely to carry over to the new car.
The Chevy Volt concept that debuted this past January in Detroit has generated more buzz than any concept in recent memory, mainly because of outrageous gas prices, coupled with the fact that GM is working its tail off to get one built by 2010. To generate the same level of buzz across the Atlantic, team GM is prepping an Opel version of the battery-powered green-machine. The two models will vary in design, and the Opel will likely produce electricity via a diesel powerplant instead of a small gasoline engine. The European model will also charge in about half the time of the Volt, as its 220v capability can take twice the juice as our sorry American 110v infrastructure.
Since the Volt and Opel variant are both built on GM's next generation global small car platform, there is a strong possibility that the Opel version will give hints at the design of the next generation Astra. That's important to us here in the States due to the fact that Saturn will likely sell an exact duplicate of the small car. You may have to take a few days off if you plan on keeping up with the progress at Frankfurt at the end of September, there will be a lot of news, and we plan on covering all of it.
During the same round of the OPC Race Camp that saw the introduction of the Opel Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition, former Opel works driver Manuel Reuter decided to update the official Nordschleife record book. He did this by taking a production-spec Corsa OPC and lapping the course in 8 minutes, 47.99 seconds -- a new record for superminis on The Green Hell.
The Corsa OPC is no stranger to the Nordschleife, as Opel uses the track regularly during the development of its automobiles. The little hot hatchlet is driven by a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that delivers 192 horsepower. Its peak torque rating of 169 lb-ft can be bumped up an additional fifteen percent thanks to the car's Overboost function. We sit here waiting patiently for the next Corsa revision, so that we can see a Saturn-badged version take on the forthcoming Ford Fiesta/Verve/Whatever when both ultimately arrive Stateside. If the Detroit automakers cooperate, we'll get a Red Line vs. SVT duel, too. (Fingers crossed.)
Opel pulled the wraps off the Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition at Round 4 of the OPC Race Camp, a competition that will ultimately produce a driver team the Automaker will send to next year's Nürburgring 24-hour race. Opel and the Nürburgring go way back, with test stints on the Nordshcleife a standard part of production models' development process. The Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition is a nod to the legendary track. Like its "regular" Astra OPC kin, the Nürburgring Edition is a 150-mph hatchback powered by a 240-horsepower turbo four mated to a six-speed manual.
The special edition is finished exclusively in white with an offset checkered-flag graphic that runs along the hood and roof and fades away on the hatch lid. A high-mount spoiler, carbon fiber accents on the b-pillars and mirrors, and lightweight white wheels complete the visual. Inside, the full-leather interior is accented with an embroidered track map on the headrests and special numbered badging on the glove box.
Meanwhile, all we think while looking at this is "Saturn Astra Red Line." Please make this happen soon, General.
Although the German tuner Irmscher wasn't kind enough to provide us a press release in English (a Google-translated version is after the jump), we were able to decipher a small amount of information about its newest Opel creation. Utilizing the already capable two-liter turbocharged Ecotec four in the Opel GT (aka Saturn Sky) the firm was able to boost power up to 315 HP, although no torque figures were available. Additionally, they didn't explain how the extra 45 ponies were released, but we'd stand to guess that some revised intake plumbing and ECU tweaks were employed, along with the firm's stainless steel dual exhaust.
The exterior receives a new front lip and 19-inch GT-Star aluminum wheels, wrapped in 245/40 ZR 19 tires, while the interior gets a mild makeover including a leather-wrapped wheel and seats. The GT also sits a bit lower to the ground, but again, no details were given on how this was achieved.
General Motors' Opel division will use the IAA in Frankfurt to push its ecoFLEX initiative, which will see the automaker leverage multiple technologies to help lower its offerings' CO2 emissions and fuel consumption. Headlining ecoFLEX for the automaker is the Opel Corsa Hybrid Concept, which mates a 1.3L diesel with the next-gen Belt Alternator Starter (BAS) light hybrid system (BAS is the mild hybrid setup used in the Saturn Green Line vehicles), which trades in the current system's NiMH battery for a lithium-ion unit. The arrangement is good for a claimed fuel economy rating of 62.7 mpg (3.75 L/100km). It also emits just 99 g/km of CO2 per km.
Joining the Hybrid Concept in Frankfurt is the Corsa 1.3 CDTI ecoFLEX, which has 75 hp, boasts fuel economy of 52 mpg and CO2 emissions of 119 g/km. In addition, Opel will showcase CNG-powered vehicles, promote its "Eco-Turbo" approach to using smaller turbocharged engines that match the power of larger units but are more efficient and cleaner-running. Finally, the Vectra FlexPower will be on display, which is powered by the 175 hp E85-compatible 2.0L turbo engine used in the Saab 9-5 BioPower models.
This puts Opel in line with other European competitors, which are also actively downsizing engines and embracing biofuels, etc.
The upcoming Epsilon II based Opel Vectra has already been heavily photographed for months now. But as with most European cars, General Motors European team has been running the car extensively at the Nürburgring ahead of its debut in Frankfurt Motor Show next month, and someone with a video camera has caught it in action. The car can be seen with minimal camo both heading out to the track from the Opel garage and circulating in the company of a current generation Vectra. Check out the video after the jump.
American designer Phillip A. Zak has just been appointed to head the design team for General Motors Europe, where he'll be taking the reigns of the Opel, Vauxhall and Saab brands. The man behind the Chevy Cobalt, Pontiac G6 and the "Excitement" division's GXP line, will also have a hand in designing "certain Saturn products for North America."
In addition to the aforementioned production models, Zak has also stuffed his portfolio with several concept cars including the Pontiac REV and the Saturn Prevue, two designs that have had a direct influence on the styling direction of both brands.
We're interested to see what will come out of the GM's European studio with Zak at the helm, especially considering the recent propagation of Euro designs in the Saturn lineup.
click above image for more views of this Opel Vectra mule testing in the U.S.
Though they look similar, the current Saturn Aura and its European cousin, the Opel Vectra, do not share the exact same platform as many mistakenly believe. General Motors will correct this when the next-generation of each car arrives, and we've already seen a number of spy shots showing a new Opel Vectra being tested in disguise.
These spy shots we bring you today are no different, except instead of being taken in some far off land, they were taken in Death Valley, U.S.A. This is the first time we've seen the new Vectra being tested in the U.S., and for that matter, with so little covering. It's easy to see through the camo to the Vectra's new styling, which is heavily derivative of the Opel GTC Concept that debuted in Geneva last March. That's fine with us, as the GTC is a stunning coupe concept and adding two more doors has hardly lessened the design's appeal. We particularly like the swoop that starts where the A-pillar meets the base of the windshield and then carves a nice line into the front door. It reminds us of a similar swoop on the rear doors of the Toyota Camry, though with a more subtle and tasteful execution. The size of the front and rear overhand is a little alarming, as we think the design would be served better by pushing the wheels out to the corners, but overall the proportions are right on. The car looks neither heavy nor insubstantial, and it appears wider than the current models, as well.
The next-generation Opel Vectra will debut first, and then around 2010 we'll get our version in the form of a new Saturn Aura. It shouldn't be difficult at all to extrapolate what the next Aura will look like from these pics, as we expect a different grille to be the biggest difference.
Sydney 2007: Aussie-only 281 HP Mazda3 MPS Extreme
Sydney 2007: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X - LIVE PICS
Sydney 2007: FPV crosses over, unveils F6 X
Sydney 2007: Holden debuts VE Commodore Sportwagon
Sydney 2007: Holden HSV Maloo R8 a "coupe with a damn big boot!"
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
In The Autoblog Garage: 2007 Subaru Forester Sports 2.5X
Walkaround: 2008 Pontiac G8 GT
By the Numbers: September 2007
