Autoblog UK

Since 2004, a string of muscle cars from the sixties and seventies have been making a comeback. Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros can again be found in places other than America. Iconic names bristling with new technology sell well. All that's actually still missing is a retro version of the Firebird, Pontiac's last great cult car.

In 2009, General Motors announced Pontiac's demise due to the worldwide economic crisis. Unfortunately for fans, there won't be a successor to the Firebird. But in the USA, there's one customizer itching to turn dreams into reality. For many years, drag racer John Lingenfelter has belonged to the cream of the US tuning scene. At the SEMA show in Las Vegas, the Indiana-based tuner displayed a Pontiac 455 T/A built on Chevrolet Camaro underpinnings. Lingenfelter intends to gauge the public's response before finally deciding whether to put the Firebird into production. One thing in favour of this relaunch must surely be the performance of the V8 engine under the shaker scoop that should put out 655bhp.

Saab have a genuine SUV (the 9-4X BioPower concept) in the pipeline. But whether it will ever make it on to the market is anyone's guess. For bankrupt Saab could well become the next victim of the collapse of General Motors. Formerly a small but upmarket brand with a niche appeal, it was a bad day for Saab when it was taken over by GM. Gone were the innovative ideas of yesteryear. Today, what we have are bog standard series production cars with no upmarket pretensions which still expect to compete in the premium segment of the market. This quite clearly doesn't work. Whether the luxury sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg can really save Saab remains to be seen. It would, however, be a shame if this marque, steeped in tradition, really does go down the pan. But at the same time, that is the market economy. Only the strong survive.

The much heralded electrically powered Volt is intended to bring about an upturn in the fortunes of the insolvent General Motors corporation. With this low-emission family car, GM hope to set a fashion that will catch on both inside and outside the USA and also, of course, make pots of money. The sister model of the Opel Ampera is due to go on sale next year. It covers the first 40 miles (64km) of any trip purely on power supplied by a lithium ion battery. At this point, a 1.4-litre petrol engine kicks in to recharge the battery as the car drives along. General Motors have based the fuel consumption figures for the Volt on a method agreed with the American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), according to which the Chevy Volt does 230 miles to the US gallon (3.785 litres) on the urban cycle.

Despite the recent slump in business, General Motors have continued to bring out some highly attractive products. For example, the Chevrolet Camaro has overtaken all its rivals to become market segment leader in the USA. The newly released Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac SRX and Buick LaCrosse all received favourable reviews. And before the year is out, we are due to see the launch of the Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and the GMC Terrain, with the Chevrolet Volt, Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac CTS Coupe making their debuts some time next year. There is also abundant evidence of this focus on attractive new products in the Chevrolet Agile which is currently appearing in showrooms throughout Latin America.

Jon Stewart, star of American TV's 'The Daily Show', had a typically ironic view on the insolvency of General Motors: GM has assets of 82.3 billion US dollars, and debts in excess of 172.8 billion US dollars. Taken at the bottom line, that makes a deficit of at least 60 billion US dollars. US President Obama is facing serious risks; and he is now very much involved, since the state acquired 60% of GM. So the American taxpayer is expecting a speedy return to good health. Obama said in his speech that 60% of General Motors now belongs to the American people.

In his show, Jon Stewart expressed his gratitude as a US citizen for his share of 60 billion US dollars of 'debt'. 20 billions of taxpayers' money had already been pumped in and nobody could say where it had ended up. Several millions had been splashed out on advertising. Stewart sees only one solution: burn down GM, and pocket the insurance money. However, GM's insurers are AIG - and last year AIG made a loss of 99.3 billion US dollars. So that won't work either, was Jon Stewart's dry conclusion.

At the insolvent General Motors group, the necessary sell-out has begun and Penske will be taking over Saturn. The transaction should be concluded during Q3, 2009. Under the management of founder Roger Penske, the Penske Group was previously particularly successful in the IndyCar Series. At the moment, the group is again enjoying success with Helio Castroneves, who won the legendary Indy 500 a few weeks ago.

The "Automotive Group" of the corporation came into being in 2007 and did a remarkably good job in selling Smart cars in the USA. The agreement with General Motors aims for Penske taking over the Saturn brand rights, while the vehicles concerned will still be manufactured by General Motors on a contract basis. The model range is, however, being drastically cut back. The Saturn Astra that originates from Opel will be going, as will the Saturn Sky (known in Europe as the Opel GT). What will remain are the Aura based upon the last Vectra and two SUVs: The Vue, which is the Opel Antara and also the Outlook.

It seems that the insolvent automotive manufacturer General Motors has found a purchaser for the Hummer SUV brand. The company advised that an appropriate provisional agreement has been signed. The deal is to apparently to be concluded in the third quarter of 2009. General Motors did not release further information about either purchaser or purchase price, so there is still a seething hotbed of rumours in the States. We can but hope that the brand will indeed continue. To see you through the waiting period, there is a gallery of pictures of the Hummer HX concept vehicle.

By the end of May, General Motors wants to make a decision about who the purchasers of Opel will be. According to General Motors, there are several interested parties, of which two are already known to the public i.e. Fiat and Magna. Apparently, it is all pending a political decision and a European partner is being sought. Within the scope of its salvation package, General Motors is attempting to prevent closing factories, while improving turnover. Production is to be reassigned within European plants and further sales markets targeted are Russia, Africa and Asia.

The German Opel works in Rüsselsheim could soon profit from the new plans. The Buick LaCrosse, which is related to the Opel Insignia is planned to be built in Germany for the US market from summer 2009 as it was not possible to convert the US works in Fairfax to handle production yet. 70,000 units are planned for the first two years.

General Motors subsidiary Chevrolet will be launching their Corvette C6 Grand Sport special model onto the US market some time during 2010. In combination with a sports exhaust system, the 6.2-litre V8 engine brings a guaranteed 436 horsepower onto the road and it is claimed the C6 will reach a top speed of 190mph. Purchasers have a choice between six-gear transmissions – the manual version or the automatic with a shift paddle on the steering wheel. The Corvette will be available either as a coupé or as an open-top with removable roof. Prices for the US have not yet been fixed and no decision has been taken on whether the vehicle will go on sale in Europe.

General Motors subsidiary GMC specialises in large SUVs and pickup trucks. At the New York Motor Show to be held between 10th and 19th April, this American manufacturer will be presenting a new entry model designed to fill a gap in their product palette. The trend in the USA is now also increasingly towards building smaller vehicles. The new GMC Terrain fully incorporates popular off-road visual appeal and is a seven-seater, which accounts for its generous length of 4.7 metres. Terrain purchasers have a choice between a 185bhp four-cylinder or a 268bhp six-cylinder engine. They're not planning to sell any in Europe. I wonder why?