It is not often that we discuss racing around here, but this was something that was deemed too important to overlook. Danica Patrick has risen in the sport of Indy Racing based solely on her talent and business acumen. She is a sharp driver and pragmatic about her career choices.
As product and brand placement have become synonymous with racing it would only make sense for someone in racing to turn that standard around. Some may question her choices in these matters, but in the end they are her choices. The same complaints were lobbed at Anna Kournikova when she pursued her modeling career while chasing after that ever elusive Grand Slam. So the lingering question for Danica Patrick will be whether her modeling opportunities detract from her pursuit of her first major victory, or of the greatest victory in motor sports: The Indy 500?

What might be the oldest roadster builder in the world is looking to tackle the greatest hurdle existing today in the auto industry. But they are not only looking to prove it can be done.  They want to show that a car producing zero emissions can still give rise to an exciting auto that is a thrill to drive.
The Morgan LifeCar is a fuel cell hybrid sportscar that is getting ready to be presented at the Geneva Auto Show. The design of the car is based off of Morgan’s more modern roadster the Aero 8, but the whir beneath the bonnet is all new. In partnership with Morgan to make the LifeCar Concept possible are QinetiQ, OSCar and Oxford University.

The two more prevelant features of the Morgan LifeCar Concept are the ultra light weight chassis of the car and the hybridization built in. The propulsion system is based around a smaller hydrogen fuel cell that uses air that is pulled from around the car to be mixed and converted into electricity. Ultra light capacitors are designed to capture and store the excess electricity from the main unit and from the regenerative braking system, which will be used for acceleration.
The light weight chassis that houses the fuel cell hybrid system and the cars passengers is a key component in the LifeCar Concept. It allows for the use of less energy in acceleration and permits for he use of a smaller fuel cell. Combined they expect the Hybrid system and minimized weight of the car to reach a driving range of 200 miles. That is 200 miles of excited driving.  Gallery of Photos to follow

With more Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealerships being unified under one roof a large number of dealers have joined the chorus in calling out for a new Firebird based off the new Camaro. Considering the three auto brands they really do not have any flashy lures of the sports car variety to bring in new blood, and nothing would chum the waters like a flashy new Firebird. But the hammer has fallen and the decision (for now. for good?) from GM is No.

The popular excuses for the failure of the Firebird to reach production are the new CAFE regulations and the cost to reach production. Reaching the new fuel mileage regulations appears to be a greater priority right now. Plus, one dealer exclaimed that the cost of getting the Firebird to production would have run around $200 million. Apparently that was all it took to keep the screaming chicken retired in its coup.

Toyota executives are playing the wait-and-see game with their A-BAT Concept. After its debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January and its showing at the Chicago Auto Show this past week the future of the A-BAT is in the hands of the consumer… for now.

As their current trucks have grown substantially in size and are selling well Toyota is looking for a truck to fit in on the small scale. As the auto market is beginning to swing back toward smaller cars all of the players in the industry are looking for a way to fill the void, but it is Toyota’s A-BAT that was first to step up with something different and say, “Pick Me!”
A-BAT Photo Gallery after the link

Upon the release of the new North American (NA) Ford Focus there have been many industry writers complaining (or was it just me?) about the failure in its cosmetic design. Particularly when you compare the NA version of the Focus to the European Ford Focus that trumps it hands down. Well it seems as though all that complaining has reached its intended purpose, or else the decision is just part of Ford’s plan to reach global integration with their line-up and reduce costs… either way Ford President Alan Mulally has announced that the next Ford Focus in 2010 will be a global design. Thus, there will be one Focus for one world.

The only concern about the “One Focus, One World” ideation is which design team is going to be in charge of the next Ford Focus? We have seen what the North American design teams for the Ford Focus have produced and it is most unimpressive. Sure the added safety features and the Sync system are great, but there is no curbside appeal.

Just last year when the new CEO Bob Nardelli of the company announced that Chrysler was going to hualt the production of the PT Cruiser Convertible, Pacifica and Crossfire and the Dodge Magnum the thought that Chrysler was in trouble sprouted for some. It was obvious to many that the US Auto Industry had fattened in its gluttony and was expected to experience a number of “Jenny Craig” years. Now that Cerebrus has their hands on the dials it has been announced by Jim Press that Cerebrus is ready to turn back the dials on their automotive machine and reign in tighter control.

The name of the plan is Project Genesis and from that comes the New Day campaign. From the onset Chrysler will re-examine internal competition taking place between its three brands: Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler. As Jim Press put it, “Do we need 11 SUVs? Maybe we just need three or four?” The word is that Chrysler will cut their vehicle line-up nearly in half and remove a lot of the red tape that hinders decisions in the process.

Another move anticipated in the Project Genesis plan is to consolidate dealerships that are duplications of the Chrysler brand in the same market. They want Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler housed under the same roof and not spread out into their individual parts. This way when the line-up is reduced they will still have complete coverage for what buyers want, instead say having all their Jeep SUV’s across town from their Chrysler cars. How they are going to manage taking franchise’s away from owners and giving them to other dealers is going to be quite a hurdle, but that is their plan. For Chrysler it is all about the “New Day” that they are looking to begin.

It has been 2 years since Dodge first exposed the Challenger Concept to the world at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006. Chevy introduced their new Camaro Concept that same year, but it is Dodge that is beating them to the show rooms with their Retro Revival. At this years Chicago Auto Show Dodge has officially unveiled for the first time their production model Dodge Challenger SRT8 after months and months of sneak pics and teaser samples. Ofcourse sales for the once fabled classic have been going on well without official pics or specs as some are reporting that all 6,400 models to be produced this year are all already spoken for. We had reported before on the premiums of up to $20,000 being stacked on top of the $40,095 MSRP*.

However, now it is all about getting that first look of the production version of the Dodge Challenger SRT8 and its 6.1 liter Hemi engine. All of the 6,400 models for this year will be the 425-hp, 420-torque SRT8 package with more variants to follow in the next year. For 2009 there is a smaller 5.7 liter V8 model, the R/T, a V6 version and potentially a convertible model for the Challenger on down the road. As production hits full-steam Dodge expects to sell between 20,000 and 30,000 Challengers a year.
Check out the Large Gallery of Pics and Press Release below

The Yes! Roadster 3.2 greeted the media on Wednesday as they perused the floor of the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The Yes! Roadsters sitting there in silver or orange are immediate standouts with their gull-wing styled doors. While few patrons of the auto show may remember the 1.8 version of this roadster from a few years ago, the version 3.2 will be looking to jar some enthusiasm from the unfamiliar. Do not feel discouraged by the version numbers though and think for a second that you missed out on the ones in-between 1.8 and 3.2.

The version number for the Yes! Roadster 3.2 is based upon the engine as it is propelled along the road by a 3.2 4-valve V6. The base version (yes, there are faster ones) accelerates from zero to sixty at 4.9 seconds with 255-hp helping it along the way. But for those where 255-hp on a 1-ton car is just not enough there is a turbo-charged version of the car that comes with 355-hp and a sub-4 second zero to sixty time that might be just what you are looking for. And if that is still not enough to push your eye balls back in their sockets you can move up to the 415-hp Roadster, but we would suggest opting for the 4-point safety belt harnesses out of the additional options package.
Press Release and a Gallery of Photos after the Link