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Opel Insignia heading to the US as the Buick Regal

Harvinder Sidhu — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:46:49 +0000

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 liter to possibly a 2.8 liter that can output up to 325HP. The image above is a spyshot of the US-bound model that was found on Facebook.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.

2008 Hummer H2 Facelift

Paul Tan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:28:56 +0000

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 liter 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 liter fuel tank – that’s slightly over RM232 to fill it up at RM1.92 per liter prices.

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

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.

Hummer to offer E85 and FlexFuel engines

Paul Tan — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:47:36 +0000

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.

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.

Hummer H3T Video

Paul Tan — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:09:30 +0000

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

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.

2009 Hummer H3T to be unveiled at Chicago 2008

Paul Tan — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 21:18:08 +0000

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 liter inline-5 making 245 horsepower at 5,600rpm and 328Nm at 4,600rpm or a 5.3 liter 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

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.

Apple teams up with Ford, Mazda and GM

Paul Tan — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 11:05:03 +0000

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

This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sun, 22 Nov 09 19:24:36 +0800.