Here’s a recap – with some additional photos – on the GMC Sierra All Terrain HD Concept, which will make its debut at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It’s shorter, wider and taller than the standard GMC Sierra pickup truck it is based on.

An “extreme truck” not unlike the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, the Sierra AT HD Concept is fortified with heavy-duty hardware such as Fox off-road shocks, custom control arms, all round jounce shocks, automatic locking differentials and a front stabiliser bar with electric disconnection. It wears 35-inch BFGoodrich KM2 tyres that wrap 20-inch aluminum wheels.

It looks like a beast, and has the heart to match. Under that double vented hood lies a Duramax 6.6-litre V8 diesel producing 397 hp and 1,037 Nm of torque. Payload capacity is estimated at 1,225 kg (2,700 pounds) while towing capacity is rated at 5,896 kg or 13,000 pounds.

Gallery after the jump. Chevrolet Captiva owners, does the steering wheel look familiar?

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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GMC has come up with the Sierra All Terrain HD Concept, essentially an exploration of how you can get a heavy-duty truck to become a stylish off-road mule. The rugged 4WD beast, which will debut in Detroit next month, sits on a 2011 Sierra HD chassis, and features a production 6.6 litre Duramax V8 turbodiesel pot offering 397 hp at 3,000 rpm and 1,037Nm of torque at 1,600 rpm, mated to an Allison 1000 six-speed automatic transmission powertrain.

Elsewhere, things have been reworked – the vehicle gets increased ground clearance by 3 inches and a wider track, as well as greater approach and departure angles. Additional off-road elements custom front upper and lower control arms, specially constructed Fox off-road shocks with remote fluid reservoirs integrated in the wheel house liners to prodvide additional compression damping and more controlled rebound, front and rear jounce shocks, electronic front stabiliser bar disconnection and 35-inch-tall BFGoodrich KM2 mud terrain tyres mounted on 20-inch machined aluminium wheels.

A full composite underbody protection system shields the vehicle’s transmission, drivetrain, fuel tank, exhaust system and axle differentials. It starts with the front bumper, which rolls beneath the truck and leads to a composite, integral belly pan that covers a front suspension skid plate. Protective covers are also mounted beneath the driveline components, while the front and rear differentials feature direct-mounted skid plates.

Exterior-wise, there’s plenty of high-intensity LED lighting on this concept – the suitably-equipped headlamps, tail lamps and fog lamp lighting is mounted in impact-resistant composite housings and features edge-lit illumination, and there’s also LED floodlights for the cargo bed and assist steps.

Speaking of the rear, the cargo box features lockable, lighted storage compartments, and a composite bed liner with a unique “circuit board” pattern provides a protective cover for the bed. The cargo bed – as well as the cab – features motorised, deployable assist steps to make it easier to enter and exit the vehicle.

Inside the Iridium Metallic-finished truck, two-tone dark gray leather seats, matched with embossed carbon fibre-style leather on the seating surfaces and red contrast stitching, are joined by a mix of accent details such as stainless steel mesh and satin chrome.

Gallery after the jump.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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Mention GMC and the mental image for most will be full-sized trucks and SUVs with a mega grille to fit those three alphabets, but as we all now know, even the Americans are now turning to smaller vehicles that are more friendly to the wallet and environment. Which brings us to this, the GMC Granite concept, the smallest car ever to wear the famous logotype.

The Granite is 0.6 m shorter than the Terrain crossover, GMC’s current “baby”, but its interior is spacious and flexible to fit the needs of “active people”. Generous cargo space and flipping/folding seats, for example, enable a mountain bike to be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed. A decent 2,631 mm wheelbase means the claims are realistic.

“Granite was conceived as a new type of vehicle from GMC – one that could stretch people’s ideas of what a GMC can be,” said Lisa Hutchinson, product marketing director for GMC. “We call it an ‘urban utility vehicle’ and our goal was redefining what the GMC name could mean to a new generation of customers looking for both bold design and functionality.”

It seems to be a must-have these days, so the Granite gets rear-hinged “suicide” doors. GMC describes the Granite as an urban loft apartment on wheels with “urban-industrial design”. It reminds us a liitle of the Kia Soul, although this concept looks more butch, with a lower roof and wider stance. The glasshouse is very slim, but the flanks don’t look slab sided thanks to those deep creases that “cut through” the car. The wheels are pushed out to the extreme ends of the box and wheel arches are prominent. Looks quite cool to us!

Power comes from a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine matched with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. This engine should be the ECOTEC turbo from the Chevy Cruze which makes 138bhp and 200Nm of torque.

Full gallery after the jump!

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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Looks like its bad news after all for Swedish brand Saab. Just moments ago General Motors, parent company of the brand officially announced that it will gradually shut down Saab, following a breakdown in the negotiations with Spyker. Apparently certain issues arose that both parties believe could not be resolved.

Saab’s sale was previously linked with Koenigsegg but that didn’t go anywhere as well. General Motors then reiterated that it will shut down the brand if it is not sold by end of 2009. Spyker then showed interest and negotiations started but the result is nothing positive.

General Motors’ Europe President Nick Reilly said, “Despite the best efforts of all involved, it has become very clear that the due diligence required to complete this complex transaction could not be executed in a reasonable time. In order to maintain operations, Saab needed a quick resolution.”

“We regret that we were not able to complete this transaction with Spyker Cars. We will work closely with the Saab organization to wind down the business in an orderly and responsible manner. This is not a bankruptcy or forced liquidation process. Consequently, we expect Saab to satisfy debts including supplier payments, and to wind down production and the distribution channel in an orderly manner while looking after our customers,” he added.

The American auto giant assured that it will continue to honor warranties, while providing service and spare parts to current Saab owners around the world. Saab recently sold certain Saab 9-3, current 9-5 and powertrain technology and tooling to BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holdings). General Motors also reiterated that it will concerntrate on its core brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC as well as Opel / Vauxhall in Europe.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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This is a shocking piece of news. Remember Koenigsegg that was this close in buying out Saab from General Motors that a preliminary agreement was signed in June indicating that the negotiations have entered the final stages? Well, the latest update reveal that the automaker has pulled out of the deal to take over Saab. Apparently the reason behind this is the delay in completing the deal that have led to the emergence of certain risks and uncertainties.

Furthermore, General Motors revealed previously that if Saab is not sold by the end of year, it will shut it down. Koenigsegg’s head Christian von Koenigsegg said, “We regret that after six months of intense and goal-oriented work we have come to the painful and difficult conclusion that we are not going to be able to carry out the acquisition of Saab Automobile.”

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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General Motors recently announced that the Opel Insignia will be sold in the US as the Buick Regal. The Insignia is currently being sold in the Chinese market under the Buick brand hence we can safely expect the US version to look more identical to the Chinese model.

The American auto giant did not disclose when the Regal will be launched in the States but the motoring fraternity is expecting it to arrive by the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011. A number of powerplant options should be offered, ranging from a 217HP 2.0 litre to possibly a 2.8 litre that can output up to 325HP. The image above is a spyshot of the US-bound model that was found on Facebook.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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Hummer has facelifted its Hummer H2 truck for this year. Exterior changes include larger slots in the front 7-slot grille as well as the lower bumper grille for extra cooling for the new more powerful V8 engine, and on the interior you get a redesigned dashboard and a new option for a third row, which increases seating capacity to 7 people.

The new L92 Vortec engine is a lighter and more powerful 6.2 litre V8 engine producing 393 PS at 5,700rpm and 574Nm of torque at 4,300rpm. This is mated to GM’s Hydra-Matic 6L80 6-speed automatic with dual overdrives (0.85:1 and 0.66:1). The driver is able to swap through the six cogs manually via steering wheel buttons. 0 to 100km/h takes 7.8 seconds.

Other enhancements in the engine bay include a better cooling system, an electric cooling fan, regulated voltage control, a new data transfer architecture, and a new 3.73:1 rear axle ratio. With the increased power, towing capacity of the Hummer H2 also increases from 2,954kg to 3,727kg. The Hummer H2 itself weighs 3,000kg, and has a 121 litre fuel tank – that’s slightly over RM232 to fill it up at RM1.92 per litre prices.

View more photos of the facelifted Hummer H2 after the jump.

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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The first E85-capable Hummer will be the 2009 Hummer H2 truck and H2 SUT pick-up truck, with GM also planning to offer more than 15 FlexFuel models for the 2009 model year (including the recently unveiled Hummer H3T and H3). As for Hummer, it has committed to offer biofuel options on all its vehicles by 2010.

The problem with E85 Hummers in its native market of the USA is that less than 1% of fuel stations nationwide offer E85. GM wants to get around this by selling the E85 fuel at the dealer. Yup, you buy your car from a dealer, then you go back to the dealer to fill up.

Classic Chevrolet-Hummer in Grapevine, Texas has spent about half a million US dollars to install nine pumps dedicated to E85, E10 and biodiesel. The biofuel station is called Classic Clean Fuels and is located next to the dealer’s Hummer store.

General Motors vice president of R&D and Strategic Planning Larry Burns says in the future GM could also look into hydrogen fueling stations at dealers.

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© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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You will find after the jump a video of the Hummer H3T pick-up truck crossing some snow… and uh, basically that’s it. A rather unexciting video of something that looks as mean as a Hummer. Watch it after the jump anyway.

VIDEO: Hummer H3T Pick-up Truck

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© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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The new 2009 Hummer H3T will be unveiled to the public at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, but product photos have already been released on the internet. The H3T is essentially a pickup truck version of the Hummer H3, based on the H3/Chevy Colorado chassis but has its wheelbase stretched by 86mm to allow for a pickup bed and maintain good cabin space at the same time.

There are a few engine options – a Vortec 3.7 litre inline-5 making 245 horsepower at 5,600rpm and 328Nm at 4,600rpm or a 5.3 litre V8 putting out 304 horsepower and 433Nm of torque. Both engine options are fitted with 4-speed autos, while the inline-5 is also available with a 5-speed manual.

More photos after the jump.

Click to enlarge

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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Apple Computer has teamed up with Ford Motor Co, General Motors and Mazda Motor Corp to offer easy iPod integration with their cars. While some manufacturers have begun offering AUX input so you can plug in external MP3 players and feed music into the audio system, this is not a complete solution as you cannot control the iPod from car controls such as buttons on the steering wheel.

Optimally, a complete integration solution will allow you to browse tracks from an LCD screen and skip tracks from steering wheel buttons. Recently, our local boys Race Rally Research have jumped onto the iPod bandwagon by offering an iPod Nano 1GB integrated with the car audio system with their new limited edition Proton Waja MME and Proton GEN.2 MME.

Source

© 2012 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 12 Feb 12 01:27:09 +0000.

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