First Drive: BMW 535i Gran Turismo evolves the wagon with clever packaging, solid dynamics and... a prehensile tail? BMW's 5 Series Gran Turismo is the latest automotive platypus, a distinctive new five-door that aims to meld the practical utility of a CUV and a station wagon without the either genre's dynamic and civil penalties. GM willing to investigate hybrid tech, low-rolling resistance tires if Corvette's survival depends on it Is GM really considering a hybrid Corvette? Tom Stephens, GM's vice chairman of global product development, says it's a possibility, assuming it needs a gas-electric drivetrain to meet 2016 CAFE standards. Fiat wants Chrysler to be a Cadillac competitor Fiat is working out a far-reaching game plan for the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, and it sees Chrysler competing in the luxury space. Other news of import Nissan's Fiesty Mr. K calls out the 370Z GM dealers opting out of 60 day satisfaction guarantee? 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS comes to Formula D Chrysler owners' manuals go digital for 2010, save 20,000 trees GM kills plans for unibody pickup truck Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 9.21.09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Coupe , Smart , Alternative Fuel Brabus High Voltage - Click above for high-res image gallery In addition to the Tailor Made concepts that Brabus trotted out for the Frankfurt Motor Show , the German tuning firm also showed off a new version of its electric Smart Fortwo called the Unlimited High Voltage. This new model is an updated version of the company's electric Smart ED concept and it features a lithium ion battery pack supplied by Tesla Motors, Daimler's electric vehicle partner. The High Voltage's rear-mounted electric motor was also developed by Tesla and offers up 82 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, which Brabus says is sufficient to push the little electric runabout to 60 mph in under 10 seconds. Additional interesting touches include aerodynamic wheels with clear plexiglass covers and wider side skirts to improve airflow. Inside, white leather seats with yellow stitching join a console-mounted monitor that displays the remaining state of charge. The HV's single most intriguing bit of tech, though, would have to be the sound generator . This little unit will reportedly allow the diminutive electric machine to sound like a honkin' V8-powered racecar... should the owner feel so inclined. Check out the high-res image gallery below. Gallery: Brabus Smart High Voltage Frankfurt 2009: Smart + Tesla + Brabus = High Voltage originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:27:00 EST.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show - Click above for complete list of vehicles covered You're looking at a Porsche Panamera S with a trailer hitch. We're looking at an empty bottle of scotch and 11-hour plane rides. But never mind all that - what you really need to know is five hacks blogged over 60 posts and approximately ninety-billion photos in two days. Why so many cars? We're thinking that the OEMs had a ton of new metal lined-up pre-Great Recession then got spooked by the economic meltdown. Frankfurt proved to be a dumping ground for all the new stuff - or at least it felt that way. But hey, what's better than new cars? For us and you, not a whole lot. Follow the jump for a list of every car we covered in Frankfurt and discover exactly how we felt walking back to the hotel after being (almost) forcibly removed from the media room. At least you can't accuse us of not trying.

Filed under: Government/Legal , Technology , Ford , GM At first, Ford's SYNC wasn't much more than a way for drivers to access music on their MP3 players through their car's radio. But SYNC grew up and, in its last update , gained the ability to summon help in an emergency, access navigation and information services and, basically, match GM's OnStar. Ford had Joseph Berry to thank for that. Past tense. Had. Back in July, Ford reportedly terminated Berry without getting him to sign over several key SYNC patents. Berry says the patents are based on ideas he came up with before joining Ford and therefore belong to him. But, he says, he'll be happy to license them to his former employer. Ford basically says, "No comment." The patents are directly related technologies that allow SYNC to use mobile phones to access data such as weather and real-time traffic information. Berry says he's currently in talks with "several automakers" and the head of GM's OnStar division will only say that they "know who Joe Berry is." Should Ford SYNC users be concerned about losing service?

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show Frauleins of Frankfurt - Click above for high-res image gallery Yes, that's a Lamborghini in the picture above. We think. Could be a bar stool. As we do with every auto show, Autoblog is happy to present the one post that we're sure at least some of you have been waiting for since we touched down in Germany to cover the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show . It's time to honor those women (and one dude in a furry suit ) who are charged with keeping our attention focused on those vehicles they've been paid to lean against. These sirens of chrome (not our label, see here ) are sometimes controversial (are the women objectified, do we need this service anymore, who does their hair?), but always a pleasure to behold. Check out the gallery below for our roundup of an admittedly smaller group of car models than years past (damn global recession!). Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: The Frauleins of Frankfurt Frankfurt 2009: The Fraulein of Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Concept Cars , Frankfurt Motor Show , Renault , Alternative Fuel Renault Zero Emission line-up - Click above for high-res image gallery The more we see of Renault's all-electric line-up on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show , the more we want to hang out at company cocktail parties. Something delicious and potent must be on tap there. From the elegant and unexpected lines of the Zoe (above, note the recycle logo) to the buggy quirkiness of the Twizy , Renault is displaying some truly fun-looking electric cars here. Now if only these things were available to drive off the lot today, we'd really be getting somewhere. As we said yesterday when we got Renault's official pics , these cars demand a second look in high-res. Have at it in the gallery below. While you do, we'll hunt down more information on Renault's Quickdrop battery exchange station and what role Better Place has with the technology. Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Renault Twizy, Zoe, Kangoo and Fluence EVs Photos copyright (C)2009 Jonathon Ramsey / Weblogs, Inc. Frankfurt 2009: Renault goes Twizy (with Zoe and Fluence and Kangoo) originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Budget , Europe , Hatchback , Citroen 2010 Citroen C3 - click above image for hi-res gallery It's really a shame we can't buy Citroens in America anymore. Main reason is the awesome C6. Second reason is that all the small Citroens we poked our heads into at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show had sticks. By comparison, more than half the VWs were slushers. Moving on - check out this cute little guy! It's the new C3, complete with its "Zenith Windshield." As you may have noticed, the front piece of glass goes all the way to eleven. We like this, because as time moves on, safety concerns and styling trends are forcing more and more glass out of the cabin. It's getting so bad that you can't hardly see out of the new Chevy Camaro. Not so in this here Citroen C3. Forward visibility for the win. And the view from outside the car ain't so bad either.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Sedan , Audi , Diesel , Luxury 2010 Audi A4 3.0 TDI Clean Diesel Quattro The 3.0-liter, 240-hp diesel that first served in the Audi Q7 has been assigned to duty in the Audi A4. We drove the 3.0 in the Q7 during last year's Audi Mileage Marathon , and both mileage and power didn't disappoint. Put into the A4, the oil burner with 369 lb-ft should shine like Alpha Centauri. Audi says it will get you to sixty in 6.2 seconds with the six-speed Tiptronic and return 35 mpg at the same time as it already meets the Euro 6 standards coming in 2014. It's unlikely we'll get the treat in this corner of the Western Hemisphere, but that doesn't mean we won't keep looking out for it... especially as an Avant... with those wheels... Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Audi A4 3.0 TDI Continue reading Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Audi 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro would make an excellent gift to the U.S. Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Audi 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro would make an excellent gift to the U.S. originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:21:00 EST.

Lotus F1 racer - Click above for high-res image gallery Two major announcements came hot on the heels of one another on Tuesday that seem set to shake up the always turbulent Formula 1 series even further in 2010. First, Team Lotus will indeed be back on the starting grid next year to contest the constructors championship with a duo of drivers. Backing the effort is Malaysian automaker Proton, which owns Lotus, and the team will be headquartered at a purpose-built facility at Malaysia's Sepang International circuit. While it's not surprising that Lotus has rejoined F1 after weeks of rumormill gossip, many assumed the team would take the reigns of the Sauber team from BMW , but that's not the case. Lotus has received the 13th and final spot on the grid, taking the place of BMW. Interestingly, just hours after the announcement from Proton, F1 organizers announced that BMW had agreed to sell its F1 team to Swiss-based Qadbak Investments Ltd. At this time, there is no guarantee that Sauber will be on the starting grid in 2010, but the FIA has granted the ex-BMW team the 14th place for 2010, meaning that it will have the first opportunity to fill any unforseen vacancies. Barring that, the FIA is pressing for a change to the rulebooks that would allow a 14th team to race in the championship. Gallery: Lotus F1 cars [Source: BBC ] Lotus back in F1, BMW Sauber gets new ownership originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Budget , Europe , Hatchback , Peugeot Peugeot BB1 Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery You know what the problem with Smart cars is? Not tough enough! Regardless, meet the Peugeot BB1. Yes, it is the logical result of a one night stand between a Subaru SVX and a Peel 50 . What are we talking about? We don't even know what we're looking at. Feel free to read a rational account of the Peugeot BB1 at your leisure. OK fine -- our editor is forcing us to tell you some facts about the BB1. Four wheels for sure. And the weirdly curved glass is all tilted forward before eventually morphing into solar panels on the roof. You steer it with moto-style handle bars.