Tata Nano Coming in Around 2 Years, Free With Happy Meal

Here’s the skinny on the tiny: Tata of India has confirmed that they’ll bring over their pint-sized wonder in around 2 years, according to a report by one of their US spokespersons. Of course, this raises a host of questions. For one, what American can actually fit inside one? Can it swim through shallow mud puddles? Will it come with fine Corinthian leather? Details, details.

What we do know is that Tata is promising it will meet all crash and emissions standards for the US, a seemingly tall order for a car built to be as cheap as possible. Plus there are rumors (take with a grain of salt, naturally) of diesel and electric versions making the rounds. In any event, if you want a car so cheap that it makes a Chevy Aveo look like a Bentley, then wait 24 months and save your nickels.

[Source: Autoblog]

Pontiac G8 LIVES! (Cue Mad Scientist Laughter)

OK, OK, so no one’s actually said anything definitive. GM head honcho Fritz Henderson said “not a chance, suckers,” when asked about the likelihood of the G8 surviving the bankruptcy. But now there’s dissention in the ranks, as Tom Stephens (a VP in charge of product development) says it might live … with another GM badge.

If any of you wise-asses shouted out “Holden!” you get brownie points for creativity. But we think Mr. Stephens was referring to an American badge … Chevy? Wait, what do they have left? Maybe a GMC! But before you get your hopes up, Stephens went on to say this about the potential for the G8: “I know there’s still discussions on it. But Chevrolet already has several sedans. How many sedans do you need to cover the waterfront?”

Hmm, jury’s out on this one! Can someone calculate the Vegas odds of this happening?

[Source: Jalopnik]

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium retains edge, adds smoothness

Adequate dynamics, very capable, super handy. That about sums up the last ten years of the Subaru Forester. And yet – once the sportier turbocharged version put rally-bred heat under the skinny pedal, the Forester was no longer just the squishy, squeezy Official Car of Vermont. It was suddenly possible to haul the family Newfoundland to the groomer and scorch the doors off more prestigious iron by flattening that Birkenstock. Eat our dust, punctuated by a “Be Green” sticker. More luxurious appointments were also put on offer, there was once even a Nardi edition. For all that, the Foresters were still little funk machines. For 2009, Subaru’s Forester retains and expands what has historically been great about this Fuji Heavy crossover, but the rough edges have been hammered flat.

A crossover before the term existed, the Forester began life as Subaru’s stab at the still-burgeoning SUV market of the late 1990s. Grabbing the handiest platform, the little truck wound up riding on Impreza hardware. Basing its compact SUV on a car continues to be one of the Forester’s biggest assets. The personality stays driver-friendly, and the lower center of gravity and modest weight make the Forester responsive instead of lumbering.

2009 Lexus IS F pursues perfection, might need more personality

The Lexus IS F is the sole Japanese contender in a crowd of compact high-performance sport sedans. Boasting a full complement of performance upgrades, including a 5.0-liter V8 mated to a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission, the 416-horsepower sedan blasts to 60 mph in well under five seconds. But the stats only tell part of the tale. Do the sum of the IS F’s parts make it a contender against the best from Germany and America? Let’s find out.

The first Lexus IS rolled into showrooms about a decade ago. The rear-wheel drive sedan sported a silky 3.0-liter inline-six (2JZ-GE) and went head-to-head against the standard BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4. A fine compact sedan under anyone’s scrutiny, the first-generation IS only offered one engine. Lacking a factory-tuned performance variant, it was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch as the competition’s high-performance M3, C43, and S4 frolicked through America’s canyons and race circuits.

Verna Transform is not America’s next top model Hyundai Accent

On Wednesday, we brought you the first pictures of Hyundai’s new Transform, a Korean market derivative of the Verna hatchback that is a close relative of our stateside Accent, the automaker’s lowest-cost offering. For 2010, the KDM Verna Transform model incorporates a unique front fascia and a controversial looking grille among other changes. The big question we had on our mind after seeing it was: Is this model bound for the U.S. – or was it simply another foreign Accent?

Well, we put exactly that question to Hyundai P.R. manager Dan Bedore, and he indicates that the Verna Transform is not representative of what we will see in the U.S. – on the contrary, our Accent successor “…will have a distinct, exciting new look of its own when it is introduced. The Verna Transform pictured here is a sport package for the KDM model Verna only.”

BMW manufacturing plant expansion construction almost completed

Last year, BMW began the expansion of its U.S. plant at Spartanburg, South Carolina. The total project cost was evaluated at $750 million and it would have added 1.5 million square feet to the existing infrastructure.

Nearly a year later, BMW announced that the expansion construction is nearly complete and the project stayed within the budget and time frames. The new plant design is very similar to the large BMW factory in Leipzig, Germany and has added several new technologies.

The Spartanburg plant will manufacture the X5, X6 Sports Activity Coupe and also the new BMW X3 which moved its production to the U.S. The Motorsport version of the X models, X5 M and X6 M, will also be manufactured here.

Next month, BMW promised to release more information regarding the expansion and we will have more information for you.

Press Release

It has been over one year since BMW Manufacturing announced it would invest $750 million in its upstate South Carolina factory to add 1.5 million square feet. Since that time, design, engineering and construction crews have been busy constructing the new 1.2 million square foot assembly facility and have added 80% or 300,000 square feet to the existing paint shop.

This investment is the largest ever announced for the Spartanburg County factory, increasing investments of the BMW Group in its South Carolina operations to nearly $4.6 billion (total investment for BMW through 2008 is $3.9 billion).

The new assembly facility is now fully enclosed and equipment is being installed. Expansion construction to the existing Paint Shop is also complete and new equipment is being tested. A new 1/3 mile conveyor system has been constructed to connect the expanded paint shop to the new assembly hall.

“We are very pleased that construction is nearly complete and that the project is on budget and on time,” said BMW Manufacturing President Josef Kerscher.

The new plant design is very similar to BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany, the newest plant within the BMW Global Production Network. It has been designed using “fingers”. The fingers are constructed along the sides of the new plant and allow for direct deliveries to the exact point of use on the production line.

A logistics warehouse has also been constructed as part of the new assembly facility. “We are committed to lean manufacturing and adding a logistics component attached to the plant was critical to ensure leaner processes and quicker delivery routes,” said Barbara Bergmeier, Vice President of Assembly.

In the expanded paint shop area, BMW has added several new technologies, many borrowed from other BMW plants, including the Leipzig plant in Germany.

One such technology is a new “RoDip” system. This new conveyor system represents a breakthrough in paint conveyor technology for pre-treat and e-coat processes. Previously, BMW Manufacturing used a “pendulum” system, similar to a ski lift, which carried the car along a rail and lowered it under the water. The new “RoDip” system rotates the entire vehicle 360˚ through each process tank. This reduces the amount of chemicals that are “removed” from tank and reduces chemical and dirt deposits inside the vehicle.

“Many new and innovative technologies have been implemented into the new Paint Shop area. This is exciting for the entire BMW Global Production Network as we are creating synergies and increased efficiency by implementing lessons learned from around the globe,” said Doug Bartow, Vice President for Paint at BMW Manufacturing.

Once the new paint shop and assembly facility are operational, the BMW plant in Spartanburg will manufacture the BMW X3, X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and X6 Sports Activity Coupe and their respective variants for over 120 markets worldwide.

[Source: BMW ]

MT Tech Editor brings out his 1967 Sunbeam Alpine

Frank Markus' 1967 Sunbeam Alpine - As we wandered around this year's Orphan Car Show, we ran into Motor Trend's Michigan-based technical editor Frank Markus. It turn's out Frank was displaying his own summertime toy, a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine roadster. Frank told us that he has owned this particular machine for over 20 years and it runs great. In fact, people familiar with Sunbeams are surprised when they hear it drive by. It turns out that contrary to the spirit of the Orphan Car Show, where the machines are supposed to be largely unmodified, the original Rootes Group four-cylinder has been discarded along the way. Instead, Frank's roadster is powered by a twin-cam Fiat engine that easily revs up to 6,500 rpm. Rather than being an immaculate concours restored machine, this one is a well maintained, mostly original example that shows some signs of its four decades of use but remains relatively corrosion free. Looks like a fun way to spend a sunny Sunday morning.

GM stops trying to sell medium duty truck line, will cease production of Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick

For the past four years, General Motors has been trying to sell its medium duty truck business, which produces the giant Chevy Kodiak and GMC Topkick. Navistar, Isuzu and other unnamed suitors were all at one point in discussions with GM to make a deal, but none ever happened and today the automaker announced that it would will "wind down" production of the Kodiak and Topkick and cease production altogether on July 31st.
In addition to the consumer-oriented models from Chevy and GMC, the medium duty truck operations also produced the commercial grade C4500, C5500 and C6500 models. Halfway between a full-ton pickup and an actual semi, these mammoth haulers were best suited for just that: towing. Chances are if you ever saw one on the road, there was a trailer behind it.
The Topkick also earned acclaim for its acting prowess in the Transformers film franchise playing the Autobots' weapons specialist, Ironhide. Unfortunately, success on celluloid didn't transfer to sales on the street, and it looks like Ironhide may be taking his last curtain call in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.
[Source: GM]

Fiat finishes dead last in new British J.D. Power survey

What automaker has a lower owner satisfaction score in the UK than Chrysler? The one and only company that makes automobiles less tasty to UK consumers is Fiat. Both brands, which are soon to be joined at the arm rest, scored significantly below both the industry average and survey champ Lexus, which enjoyed its ninth year topping the charts. The rest of the top five are Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Skoda, and Toyota.
What owners in the UK have to say about Chrysler and Fiat doesn't necessarily go for the rest of the world; after all, they prefer Rugby and Cricket to our Football and Baseball. It just may be, however, that like those seemingly separate but similar sporting endeavors, the overseas opinion of Chrysler and Fiat as bottom feeders may not be entirely far off from what North American consumers think.
[Source: JD Power | Photo Illustration by Sean Gallup/Getty]

Is Bentley testing a hybrid Continental GT?

Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen has repeatedly said in the past that the British luxury marque will introduce lower-CO2-emitting powertrains over the next several years, starting with the flex-fuel W12 in the Continental Supersports that arrives this fall. As part of the Volkswagen Group, Bentley is likely to follow some of the same paths as the rest of the group, including diesel. Hybrids are likely to be part of the picture as well, however.
Some new spy photos have turned up of a Continental GT running somewhere in southern Europe, and they might indicate that Bentley is already working on a hybrid Continental. Lots of unusual gear is visible through the back window, and the photographer claims the car was running very quietly, possibly suggesting a hybrid running in EV mode.
If the Bentley is a hybrid, it's probably using the same system developed by VW, Audi and Porsche that will be appearing in the Touareg, Q5, Cayenne and Panamera in the next couple of years. Thanks to Andrus for the tip!
[Source: FastestCar.com]