Bragging features on our eBay Motors Ride/Attention Whore of the Day include:

• Custom Ferrari-red paint
• Color-coordinated 18″ Assanti rims
• Front suicide doors
• Rear gullwing doors
• Aftermarket train horn mounted behind front grill
• Suede Interior headliner
• Snakeskin seat inserts
• In-dash TV/DVD/NAV system
• 4 headrest-mounted TV screens
• 50″ rear cylinder-mounted LCD TV screen

A train horn and fifty-inch LCD screen? Really?  Really.
We are speechless.

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2008 Saturn Flextreme Concept

The 2008 Saturn Flextreme may still be a concept, but it is another example that General Motors is serious about putting advanced, fuel-efficient hybrids on American roads in the not too distant future.  They had better be.  The long-term financial health of GM is staked in the success of cars like the Flextreme and Volt.  The “Not so distant future” is the standard answer out of Detroit regarding timelines for production of electric vehicles.  So when will the Saturn Flextreme be made? 2010.  Isn’t it great that the “not so distant future” is becoming the present?

As the HUMMER division looks out upon a dismal landscape in the civilian market, parent company GM has been met with yet another roadblock as they desperately try to rid themselves of the powerful line of off-road vehicles. In today’s news, it was announced that Chinese SUV manufacturer Hunan Changfeng has ended discussions with GM about the purchase of the HUMMER line. One of the top 3 market leaders in the Chinese auto industry, Changfeng showed an active interest in taking over GM’s HUMMER division earlier this year but has recently withdrawn all tenative offers. Negative market analyst feedback and the ever-fluctuating price of oil apparently caused Changfeng to be a little trigger-shy. 

All hope not lost, GM is continuing talks with India-based Tata Motor Corps - the same company that relieved Ford of its ailing Jaguar and Land Rover subsidiaries in June.

Volt Sneak Peek

In GM: “I told you so” news, General Motors Corp announced on Thursday that the finalized design of the Chevy Volt will be done by mid-September and that 50 working prototypes should be ready by the end of 2008.  Amazingly, a handful of prototypes with production-ready parts are hoped to be ready in the next 10 days.

2008 Pontiac G8 GT

“Oil crisis my ass, let’s make a rear wheel drive car with a 6.0 liter V8.”
-Fake quote from GM chairman Bob Lutz

The G8 is the first in a new trend for Pontiac, selling quality cars. That’s a cheap shot, but they have been seriously lacking in the “driving excitement” category over the years, so it’s about time they put out something for the enthusiast.

And the G8 is definitely an enthusiast’s car. It’s based on the Australian Holden Commodore, which already has a fantastic reputation for its high speed, solid handling, and roomy interior at a reasonable price.

A spin on Chrysler’s wave of 2-Mode Hybrid vehicles, GM has announced plans to expand its fuel efficient XFE line-up for 2009. Currently, the only XFE [Xtra Fuel Economy] vehicle available is the Chevy Cobalt XFE, a fuel efficient version of Chevy’s small car that was released last March. Using a combination of mass and drag-reducing enhancements, the Cobalt XFE saw a 9% jump in fuel economy [from 33 mpg hwy to 36 mpg hwy] while the Cobalt line saw an 8% jump in sales.

Recognizing the dramatic change in consumer interests as wrought by the fuel crisis, GM has decided to perform an XFE overhaul on its 2009 large vehicle line up. Among the vehicles scheduled for an XFE face lift: the Chevy Silverado pick-up truck, Chevy Tahoe SUV, GMC Sierra pick-up truck, and the GMC Yukon SUV.

Despite a laundry list of innovative ideas and hybrid technologies that GM is unleashing on the market, they seem to be setting themselves up for a pretty spectacular failure with the 2009 Hummer H3T. I’ll admit that I want one though, chiefly because 1.) They’re probably selling for a song, and 2.) You just never know when you might need to drag a house down. Well, plus the fact that a vehicle with a 38.7 degree Approach Angle and a 32.0 Departure Angle really turns me on…

Due to it hit showrooms in the fall as a 2009 model, the new Cadillac Escalade Hybrid features all of the premium luxury associated with its name, but with a much smaller carbon footprint. Classified as a 2-Mode hybrid, the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid boasts roughly 50% better fuel efficiency than its predecessors with an EPA fuel efficiency estimate of 20 mpg city/21 hwy,

Really earning their green stripes under the hood, GM has done more than just knock a few bucks off the gas tab. In addition to cylinder deactivation [referred to by GM as “Active Fuel Management” ] late-intake technology, 42-volt electrically powered variable steering, and a regenerative braking system, the Escalade Hybrid also features a 300-volt battery pack mounted under the driver’s seat which powers the vehicle’s interior accessories and drive train. In addition to its energy-conserving technology, the Escalade Hybrid also features a pretty impressive 6.1L 332-hp V8 engine,  6-sp automatic transmission, and a 6,000 lb towing capacity – thus effectively instructing the Toyota Prius to go [aggressively fornicate] itself.

Saab: the awkward years and now

I am not a Saab naysayer. I have always found the slightly quirky cars a nice balance to all of the Luminas and Cavaliers cranked out over the years by the “designers” (and I use that term loosely) from mothership General Motors. I also, admittedly, generally only write about cars I like and I WANT to like the Turbo X. But I don’t; and like most bad things these days it’s because of money.

First the good news:

Chrysler, ostracized earlier last week for its unorthodox decision to end its leasing program, has apparently started a maelstrom of similiar acitivty. Completing The Detroit 3 panic trifecta, both Ford and GM-controlled GMAC are planning to throw in the credit towel – sort of. Not quite willing to make the huge commitment made by Chrysler to completely eliminate leasing programs, both Ford and GMAC have announced plans to significantly distance themselves from the leasing industry.

GMAC, a financing company who owns controlling stock in both Chrysler and GM, has already ordered the end of its subsidized leasing program in Canada [effective Friday]. Although spokespeople for GMAC won’t disclose whether this initiative is U.S.-bound, GM dealers in the U.S. admit they have already been notified of the pending policy change.

Ford, adding to its growing list of unprecedented inter-company changes,