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: Aftermarket , Frankfurt Motor Show , Performance , Europe , Chevrolet 2009 Geiger GTS - Click above for high-res image gallery Geiger is back, and this time it's the vaunted Corvette ZR1 that gets the tuner touch. Dubbed the "Geiger GTS," this

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: Frankfurt Motor Show , Budget , Europe , Hatchback , Kia Kia Venga - Click above for high-res image gallery If you're going to ape the design of another automaker's product, it's best to choose one that's attractive. Therefore, we give Kia kudo points for making its Venga look something like a smoothed-over Ford Fiesta, a car we've gone on record multiple times as admiring. In any case, the Kia Venga is a somewhat derivative but all-in-all attractive take on the single-box hatchback bodystyle. If you're hoping to put a Venga in your driveway and you live in the United States, sorry to burst your bubble. While anything is possible, Kia has yet to give any indication that the Venga is headed Stateside. That being the case, feel free to gaze longingly at our gallery of live shots below. If you happen to live in Europe, all you need to do is wait a few months as the Venga is set to hit the showroom floor later this year. Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga Continue reading Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga is nice... and a little Fiesta-riffic to our eyes Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga is nice... and a little Fiesta-riffic to our eyes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:27:00 EST.

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: 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 Frauleins of Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Motorsports , Canada Felipe Massa passes the casino on Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve It's only been a year, but it's been a long one for Formula One fans in North America. Last year Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA canceled the Canadian Grand Prix - a regular fixture of the F1 calendar and the only stop the circus makes in North America - when race organizers and local governments rejected demands for increased fees. Negotiations failed to bring the race back, but following purported pressure from the remaining manufacturers in the series and renewed contact with officials on the ground, the race has been confirmed to return for next season. According to previous reports , Ecclestone's demand of $175 million to secure the race for several years was reduced to just $75 million, a price which supporting parties are apparently willing and able to pay in order to bring the grand prix back to the Gilles Villeneuve circuit. [Source: Autosport | Image: Paul Gilham/Getty] Return of the Prix: F1 confirmed back in Canada for 2010 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

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.

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show , Europe , Hatchback , Citroen 2010 Citroen DS3 - Click above for high-res image gallery Seriously Citroen, what is up? We're all for premium small cars (think Mini Cooper, Audi A3) and pray nightly that more will start coming to our shores. But calling this C3-based hatchback a DS? For reals? Look, any new Citroen DS has some mighty big Louboutins to fill. Like, huge. And, well, come on now - who you fooling? End oleopneumatic-a-phile rant. Hey hey - this is a nice looking little guy. Love the two-tone roof, the LED fog light surrounds, blackened wheels, the trick mirror and general demeanor.