The Motor Report Auto News Blog

The folks over at G8 Nation share a rather close working relationship with the General, or at least the General’s Pontiac division. Rising fuel prices have got the Pontiac folk considering a second engine option for the upcoming Pontiac G8 ST, until now a V8 only proposition. In this case the engine under consideration is the 265hp/197kW 3.6-litre engine that we know as the Alloytec - the same engine that powers our VE Commodore and the Pontiac G8 sedan.

The idea of a second more economical engine option is still being kicked around the Pontiac boardroom but I’d almost be prepared to put money on it being given the final tick of approval.

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If there is a current international triumvirate of daily drivable performance car kings, undoubtedly you would have to name the Porsche 911 from Europe, the Nissan GT-R from Asia, and finally the Chevrolet Corvette from America.

Of course, these are just base models. In each, you have the most hardcore, the most focused variants which lie at the edge of streetability.  These are their track-day specials. Porsche fired the first salvo with the release of the 911 GT2. The GT-R V-Spec is slated to debut in Paris at the end of the year. But, until then, we can expect to see plenty of head-to-head battles as the Porsche and the Corvette butt heads. » Read Article

Whenever I head out to another city on assignment, I invariably need to hire a car to get myself around. Normally it’s the cheapest, thriftiest, most feminine econobox in the company’s inventory; something that won’t blow the expense account but at the same time nothing that would ever blow the doors off another car in a stoplight drag race.

The story would be very, very different if I happened to be flying to the US.

You see, in the good ol’ US of A, you are furnished with a much more palatable range of vehicles from which to choose from upon touchdown. Sure, you’ve got the usual hatchbacks, sedans and vans, but over in the Land Of The Free you can hand over a wad of cash to the good people at Hertz and drive away in something much less pedestrian. Like a 436hp Corvette ZHZ.
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It appears that Ford Australia is not the only colonial outpost of the big American manufacturers to be given the red light for developing future large rear-wheel-drive sedan platforms.

Automotive News is reporting that a GM source has indicated that a similar program led by Holden has been shelved. Under the plan, Holden would have had the starring role in developing large rear-wheel-drive platforms for the likes of Chevrolet and Buick, including the 2011 Chevrolet Impala (artists rendering above), development of which will now be scrapped. The 2011 Impala was to be based on the VE Commodores platform.
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