Europe, I hope you’re listening!
After writing about the need for more diesel cars in North America yesterday, that got me thinking: what are some other cars we miss out on, that we really ought to have a crack at? So I decided to put together a list of five cars that automakers should really send over to us.
Behind every great offering in the automotive industry, there is a great powerplant. And with so many great offerings out there, choosing the best can be challenging. But the crew at Ward’s Auto have been picking the cream of the crop since 1995 with their 10 Best Engines award, and now they’re ready to reveal their picks for 2012.
Buick has finished work on the production version of the Regal GS, after showing us a pre-production show car at the Detroit Auto Show back in January.
The Automobile Journalists Association of Canada has announced the winners of their 2011 Canadian Car of the Year Awards.
The World Car of the Year jury has announced their top 10 finalists for 2010. The top 3 will be announced in Geneva, while the actual awards will be given out at the New York International Auto Show.
Buick’s Regal GS, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, is a car based on the Opel Insignia OPC for the United States. It’s the first sport-oriented Buick in quite some time, and a successor to the company’s Gran Sport heritage.
CanadianDriver was invited to a media preview of General Motors’ show display at the Detroit Auto Show, and they can report that quite a few new cars will be unveiled.
General Motors has been on a bit of a roll lately. Corvette ZR1, CTS-V, Regal, and now this. It’s the CTS Coupe, and first thing’s first, a CTS-V Coupe has been confirmed.
Now, a public unveiling isn’t due until the LA Auto Show in about a week, but these are the first official pictures of the production CTS Coupe, and along with them comes a press release with some details.
It will be powered by the same 3.6L V6 that the CTS sedan uses, which puts out 304 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Not too shabby. As for transmissions, you get the option of an Aisin six-speed manual or a Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic with available shift buttons on the steering wheel. The power will be sent through one of those transmissions to either the rear wheels or all four wheels, depending on whether you choose RWD or AWD.
Looks good to me, but I’ll hold off until the V-Series model comes along.
Oh, and here’s the full press release if you want to read through it:
2011 CADILLAC CTS COUPE: NEW SPORTS COUPE IS CADILLAC’S MOST DRAMATIC DESIGN
LOS ANGELES – Cadillac today unveiled the 2011 CTS Coupe, the latest and most dramatic of the brand’s series of new designs to reach production. Slated to arrive in Cadillac showrooms in the spring of 2010, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the centerpiece of the brand’s revised lineup.
“CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, expressing both our design and technical capabilities,” said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac general manager. “It is intended to appeal to a new generation of car enthusiasts.”
The Coupe joins the CTS Sport Sedan, the 556-horsepower (415 kW) CTS-V and new CTS Sport Wagon as the foundation of Cadillac’s lineup. A high-performance V-Series edition of the Coupe will also be released in 2010.The CTS Coupe’s design carries over virtually unchanged from the concept car that was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008. The Coupe is a classic 2+2 layout bolstered with advanced technology, such as a rear- view camera system and a performance-oriented suspension system coupled to rear- wheel or all-wheel drive.
Design
CTS Coupe emerged as a proposal inside Cadillac’s design studio, where designers have developed and evolved the brand’s Art and Science design philosophy.
“Cadillac has always been an emotional brand – it’s about delivering art regardless of body style,” said Max Wolff, director of exterior design for Cadillac. “With the CTS Coupe, it was about taking something very strong – the CTS Sport Sedan – and extending its potential.”
The coupe has the same wheelbase as the CTS, but an overall height that is approximately two inches (51 mm) lower and an overall length that is two inches (51 mm) shorter.
Although it draws from its sport sedan sister, the CTS Coupe shares only the instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders and grille. Key design features include:
Classic hardtop styling, with no conventional B-pillar
Touch-pad operation for the doors removes the need for conventional door handles, creating a technical, clean profile
A windshield laid at a faster angle (62.3 degrees) and a long, nearly horizontal backglass area combine to create a sleek, aerodynamic look
Sculpted lower front fascia with unique brake-cooling vents
Diamond cut-style rear fascia with mesh lower grilles
Center-outlet exhaust with twin dihedral-shaped tips that pass through the rear fascia
Signature vertical lighting, highlighted with LED light pipes
Rear spoiler integrated into the center high-mounted stop lamp
Sculpted roof-mounted antenna for OnStar and XM Satellite Radio.
At first glance, the shape of CTS Coupe is refreshingly simple, yet amplified with intricately carved details. Distinctive and original Cadillac signature cues combine with hand-sculpted forms, artfully articulating the confidence of the chassis. For example, the rear fenders were purposefully developed by hand in Cadillac design studios to visually acknowledge the RWD powertrain. The gestured profile, coupled with Cadillac’s vertical taillamps and pronounced rear centerline, aim to achieve the most visually confident coupe in the segment.
Performance
The CTS Coupe extends Cadillac’s emerging performance credentials. The CTS Coupe’s standard powertrain consists of a direct injected 3.6L V-6 and six-speed manual transmission. Direct injection technology delivers fuel more precisely to increase the efficiency of combustion, enabling more power while maintaining fuel economy and lowering emissions – including a 25-percent drop in cold-start hydrocarbon emissions.
The 3.6L DI engine is rated at 304 horsepower (227 kW) and offers EPA-estimated fuel economy of 27 mpg on the highway. It also runs on less expensive regular unleaded gasoline.
The powertrain’s performance is channeled through a chassis that delivers sports car performance without punishment. The hardware includes an independent short/long arm (SLA) front suspension system, with hydraulic control arm front bushings; and a multi-link rear suspension mounted on a fully isolated subframe. Also included are four-wheel disc performance brakes, premium steering and limited-slip differential.
Two suspension-tuning levels are available: a Performance Package with 18-inch wheels and all-season tires (available in both RWD and AWD,) and the Summer Tire Performance Package, with 19-inch tires and wheels and a higher level of road holding capability. StabiliTrak, the advanced electronic chassis control system, is standard.
The 304-horsepower (227 kW) 3.6L V-6 Direct Injection engine will be standard, equipped with a six-speed manual, featuring a revised clutch and dual-mass flywheel that offers better clutch pedal feel and improved engine isolation. A 6-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control (and available steering wheel mounted shift buttons) is optional.
Technology
CTS Coupe blends handcrafted luxury with a contemporary, driver-focused interior that supports the car’s high-performance capabilities. The interior includes hand-sewn accents covering the door, center storage console and instrument panel trim. 14-Way adjustable Recaro sport seats, previously exclusively offered on Cadillac’s V-Series model, will be offered on all CTS Coupe models as an option.
The car offers a host of advanced technologies, including:
Integrated iPod/MP3 capability
40-gig hard drive, including the ability to store music and pause-and-replay live radio
Pop-up navigation system
Adaptive forward lighting system
Bluetooth connectivity
Standard Keyless Access and Smart Remote Start
Rear Camera system
Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround audio system
As with other Cadillac models, the CTS Coupe comes standard with OnStar with Turn- by-Turn Navigation, the first factory-installed, fully integrated GPS navigation system from OnStar.
About Cadillac
Cadillac has been a leading luxury auto brand since 1902. In recent years, Cadillac has engineered a historic renaissance led by dramatic new designs and global expansion. More information on Cadillac can be found at media.cadillac.com.
Source: Jalopnik
P.S: Slight formatting issue at the top, 2 lines before the article actually begins, I’m trying to work that out. Problem solved
During a ride-and-drive press event, Jim Frederico, chief engineer for Buick, told journalists that the Buick Regal would get a manual transmission as an optional extra.
This transmission is presumably the same one as in the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia, a six-speed. The optional extra will be added shortly after the launch of the car.
I think this is brilliant news. There hasn’t been a manual Buick in ages, and the Regal seems like a fitting car to finally revive the manual with. Hopefully the range-topper under consideration will receive the manual option as well (Providing that it makes it into production in the first place).
Source: Jalopnik
During the unveiling of the 2011 Buick Regal in Hollywood, Car and Driver had a talk with Bob Lutz and found out the following from him.
A manual-transmission model (Did I mention that it’s snowing in hell?) and all-wheel drive are being considered, as well as a 335hp, AWD range topper. This, presumably, is the rumoured sports model. The Regal name was chosen because of its sporting credentials, and so this range topping sports model seems fitting. The Opel Insignia OPC/Vauxhall Insignia VXR has roughly the same specs as this range topper should have, so presumably it will be based on the sports model of the Insignia (OPC/VXR).
Also under consideration is a Regal Sport Wagon, a station wagon/estate car. A Buick version of the Opel/Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer was planned from the beginning, until the recession hit, so now that GM is recovering, it is a possibility. This model may come in sports trim as well.
I’m looking forward to this, I liked the idea of a sports Regal ever since the first rumours.
Source: Car and Driver