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For 2009, eGMCarTech will be making a lot of changes. We thought we’d introduce one to you before the clock hits midnight tonight.
In an effort to increase commenting in our car obsessed world and create discussions between visitors of eGMCarTech, we’re now making things easier for you by allowing you to use your Facebook account to comment on the site.
Already logged into Facebook? eGMCarTech will automatically recognize it and let you comment without going through the hassle of entering your name, e-mail address or blood type (we really don’t ask for your blood type – that’s a joke for those of you think we’re serious all the time). You don’t even have to create an avatar image – the comments section will automatically use your Facebook default picture. Give it a shot after the jump. And hang on – we have many more changes coming during the first week of 2009.
Volkswagen planning a 178-hp Polo GTI
All of you Volkswagen Golf GTI fans are going to love this – well at least if you’re a Golf GTI fan that lives in the UK. According to AutoExpress, Volkswagen is planning the wildest, fastest and sportiest version of the Volkswagen Polo when it makes it debut in 2009.
The Volkswagen Polo GTI will make its debut shortly after the next-generation Polo makes its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009. It will get all the visual aggressiveness of the Golf GTI with a black grille highlighted in red and GTI badging and big air intakes.
Power is expected to come from a 1.4L supercharged and turbocharged 4-cylinder TSI. That will be good for 178-hp with maximum torque of 184 lb-ft allowing for a 0 to 60 mph time of 7 seconds with a top speed of 140 mph.
Unfortunately, it is highly-unlikely we’ll ever see the Polo GTI on the stateside but with the way that consumers are shifting to smaller cars – never say never. Not to mention Volkswagen is considering the Polo for the U.S.
2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI:
Source: AutoExpress
Pininfarina to cease contract manufacturing, will concentrate exclusively on electric-cars
After being approved for a financial rescue that saved it from the equivalent of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Italian firm Pininfarina has announced that it will cease contract manufacturing when current production ends. Pininfarina said that it will concentrate exclusively on building electric-cars.
In a press release, Pininfarina said that it will not look to get new contract manufacturing orders after its current contracts expire at the end of 2011. The Italian company is currently working on the Alfa Romeo Brera coupe and Spider and the Ford Focus coupe-convertible.
The company said that it will launch production of the B0, an electric-car that it is building in a joint venture with French company Bollore, in 2010 with volume production to begin in 2011.
Pininfarina B0 is a 4-seater, 4-door, automatic electric-hatchback that is powered by an electric-motor and lithium-polymer batteries produces by Bolloré. The B0 will have the capacity to travel 153 miles on a full charge with a top speed of 80 mph.
Pininfarina B0:
Chrysler cancels annual dealer trip, faces backlash from taxpayers for “Thank You” ad
As Chrysler faces financial challengers, the company has canceled its annual getaway that rewards top-performing dealers. Chrysler told dealers this week that it would not send representatives from 300 dealerships to the Mexico for five days to stay in the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort in San Jose del Cabo.
While many taxpayers probably think that’s the right thing to do – others are angry at Chrysler for thanking them for investing in Chrysler. That’s right – Chrysler is facing major backlash from taxpayers after running a series of full-page news paper ads last week thanking Americans for investing in the company via the $17.4 billion federal loan.
Angry critics are saying that Chrysler, who is about to get $4 billion of the bailout money, should not be spending on expensive advertisements. A full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal runs between $206,000 and $264,000. The same spec ad goes for between $112,200 and $217,000 in USA Today.
“It’s quite ridiculous to be spending that kind of money,” Princella Smith, national spokeswoman for American Solutions, told Fox News. “Those ads are just a precise example of the fact that they do not get it … and it’s just in our faces.
Chrysler – Thank You America:
Source: Detroit News
BMW is moving ahead with the Progressive Activity Sedan
If you thought the BMW X6 was a huge risk by the popular luxury German automaker, wait until you see what else they have in the works. According to AutoCar, BMW is moving ahead with plans to produce what is known as the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS) or a “5-Series GT.”
The BMW PAS, which insiders say is “modern grand tourer with a luxury cabin and interior flexibility,” will be priced somewhere between the BMW 5-Series sedan and wagon and the 7-Series. It will be pitched at drivers who want an SUV but are not looking for a full-scale sports-utility.
So is this just a smaller X6? Those who have already been up-close-and-personal with the PAS describe the car as a “tall 7-series hatchback than a low-rise X6,” reports AutoCar. Inside the car is said to offer rear leg-room that of a long-wheelbase 7-Series.
Engine lineup is not yet known but expect to find the 3.0L twin-turbo 6-cylinder as well as the 3.0L turbodiesel under the hood.
Source: AutoCar
2010 Kia Soul Pricing Revealed
Everyone’s soul has a price and now, so does Kia’s Soul. Kia has dropped the pricing details on the new 2010 Kia Soul which will start at $13,995. That number is for the base model that will come with a 122-hp 1.6L 4-cylinder engine, AC, AM/FM/CD/MP3, USB and AUX jacks, power windows and locks, ABS and ESC and 6 airbags.
Moving up a notch will be the Kia Soul + (plus) which starts at $14,950 with manual transmission and $15,900 with an automatic. Power comes from a 2.0L 4-cylinder making a total of 142-hp. The Kia Soul + will come with everything that base Kia Soul does plus 16-inch alloy wheels, rear disc brakes, cruise control, keyless entry, power outside mirrors and Bluetooth.
There will be two range-topper models including the Soul ! (exclaim) and Soul Sport. Both models come standard with 18-inch alloy wheels, an upgraded audio package, fog lamps, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and a metal finish interior trim. The Soul ! also offers a sunroof, read/black interior trim, sport cloth seats and a metal pedals. The Soul Sport a new front and rear fascia, side skirts, a rear spoiler and a sport tuned suspension. Pricing for both models starts at $16,950 and $17,900 respectively.
Follow the jump for the high-res image gallery.
2010 Kia Soul:
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