Auto News Blog

Germany declined the request of General Motors for state funding of their Opel-Vauxhall arm. Now, the car manufacturer approached the four states in Germany which host the Opel factories to provide some financial support. Opel will be liquid for remaining months of 2010.

Opel, however, needs to spend a few billion Euros to execute a reorganization that will cut jobs and decrease capacity by about 20%. The funds will also be utilized for the development of new products to make the brand profitable again. Since Germany rejected the request of GM, Opel will search for other sources of loan guarantees.

Opel applied for federal guarantees amounting to about 1.1 billion Euros from the bailout money called the Deuthschlandfonds from the government. The carmaker is seeking help from the 4 German states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palastinate, and Hesse.

The states approached by Opel have confirmed their readiness for the funding. Hesse, for example, can offer around 1.5 billion Euros for a guarantee program this year. Back in 2009, Hesse loaned to Opel 347 million Euros as part of a bridge loan and Opel has repaid this loan with interest.

The top executive of Opel asserts that the German states might be agreeable in extending the loan guarantees from 275 through 550 million Euros which they can use to source funds from the EIB or European Investment Bank.

The German Chancellor also suggested that the carmaker may benefit from other programs of the government with focus on greener technologies but no details about these have been supplied.

An F1 racer is maintained and developed by more engineers than a trainload of cars. It costs a lot of money, is made up of composite, light weight materials, and generates unfathomable gravitational force. With all the fuss, some people think that maybe F1 racers are really more like jet planes than actual cars. After all, both vehicles travel at incredible speeds. With this report, that theory might not be too far off.

According to Pitpass.com, F1 racers may be shifting to small displacement turbo-charged engines. In other words, racers are proposing for the use of turbine engines in the game. This proposal is currently being analyzed by the FIA, and once they give a nod to the proposal, race-ready turbines may be manufactured by 2013.

Backtracking, a few F1 fans might remember the Lotus which used turbine power on its cars. However, it should also be noted that the Lotus scored no higher than the 8th place in all attempts. The proposal is getting mixed feedback from the major players of the game. This is because while it can’t produce a monstrous difference in power, turbine engines cost a lot less to maintain.

Big race players like Ferrari are, of course, worried about this engine- shift. Once turbine engines enter the scene, a lot of race aspects may change. For example, FIA will have to set a new set of ground rules, again, to standardize F1 races. Positive feedback emanates from dependents like Red Bull. These smaller players might just catch up with the monsters with turbine engines at play.

Choosing a car is a very hard task, however it is not impossible, especially when you have the knowledge of the safety on the car.  What this means is that you need to know exactly what to look for and that is what I am here for – to assist you in finding the safest and coolest car around!

One thing you want to remember whenever you are considering purchasing a car is the high crash test scores.  This score actually rate how a given vehicle fares whenever a collision happens and if the rating is high, that is actually a good thing.

Another thing you want to look for is stability control, as this is something that a lot of people do not exactly think about whenever they are choosing a new car.

In this day and age, the times have changed and switched up and it is almost like I can feel spring coming.  It is right around the corner and I can almost taste it.  Did you know that in the car world, there are actually different colors that are meant for spring and that the dealers actually push during the spring months?

One of them by far is lime green.  Lime green is one of those colors that you should not purchase unless you want to be noticed.  Personally, I love this color and I think that it looks absolutely fantastic and springy!  You want a car that is very spring-like?  Lime green is the color you should opt for.

Of course, the type of car that you choose is something that should match the car as well – like VW bugs?  Oh, how beautiful they are in lime green!

Congrats, guys.  Make sure to let all your car fanatic friends know that you just got a glimpse at one of the very first, exclusive pictures of the Kia Optima’s next generation.  Also known as the Magentis, the car will not be officially revealed until April, whereupon its debut will occur at the annual auto show in New York.

I have to admit, since starting to do this blog, I have been paying a lot more attention to the cars, trucks, and SUVs I see on the road.  Lately I have actually noticed a lot of Kia models; not only that, I have noticed some really sporty, really cute, and really edgy vehicles.

I think this generation of the Optima falls right in line with that design aesthetic.  I can see where Kia is trying to go with their future.  And I think the Optima is going to be a big hit when it finally debuts.

Why would you not get a free Auto Insurance Quote right now? Think about it: it takes just a few minutes, it's absolutely free, it can save you hundreds of dollars per year (sometimes even thousand) and you might even be able to get better coverage! Why not? No reason!

If you are a car person, like I am, you know that it has been over 15 years since Alfa Romeo has come out with a car.  Know what that means right?  The very, very long awaited brand new Alfa Romeo 159 is going to be one hot car on the market as soon as it comes out.

One of the greatest things I think about the Alfa Romeo brand as a whole is that they make you wait for their cars.  If you are one of the car people, like me, then you know what that waiting does to you.   The Alfa Romeo 159 is going to be a fantastic car as soon as it comes out, but you are going to have to wait for it.

Trust me, as soon as any Alfa Romeo car hits the market, it is by far going to be the best selling car on the market!

When  you think about Sweden, what is the first thing that comes to mind?  For me — it is the chocolate, however the brand new Swiss design Rinspeed is actually one car that is getting noticed a lot more than I think that it should.  Not only is it one of the compact cars that Europe seems to love but it — okay, it does look a little cool and a little chic bit how about the Fiat 500?

What’s the difference?  To me, I don’t see a whole lot of difference, however the Rinspeed is supposed to have the brand new lithium ion battery pack from LiTec and is supposed to actually run about 65mph, which for a completely electric car, that is pretty good.

I guess — if you want a decent little Swiss car that is going to get you around, the Rinspeed should work for you.

Winter – oh, the lovely, lovely snow is something that I look forward to every single year is something that I absolutely hate driving in.  If you are like me and you are one of the snowy, snowy states you might not be aware of some of the winter driving tips that can really help you avoid ending up on the side of the road in an accident.

One of the first things that you need to do is make sure that your speed is normal or even slow.  Going slow on icy and snowy roads will definitely ensure that you are not only safer.

You also want to make sure that you keep your lights on and your windshield cleaned, as you want to ensure that you can see everything coming at you.

Although it is still just a few short months away, the debut of the 2011 Volvo S60 is by far one of the most highly anticipated debuts and I can tell you that I am very, very excited about the 2011 Volvo S60.  The color – way off seems very small compared to the overall body that the 2011 Volvo S60 is going to have on it.

The 2011 Volvo S60 is inspired by the S60 Concept that was shown at the Detroit Auto Show this year and now, the brand new 2011 Volvo S60 will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show next year – which is something that I am very excited about.

Unfortunately – no interior designs have been released, but the exterior looks absolutely incredible!

So, this is the Rinspeed UC? concept — and no, that question mark is not a typo. Yes, it throws me for a bit of a loop as well, but hey, the Swiss are full of surprises … sort of.

But anyway, obviously, Rinspeed is a Swiss automaker. The company plans to unveil what is classified as a whole mobility concept in March of 2010, at the annual motor show in Geneva.

That will, of course, be the Rinspeed UC? concept. “UC?” is actually an acronym, for the words “Urban Commuter.” However, it can be interpreted literally as well — as the phrase, “You see?” Pretty clever, no?

The concept is a two seater with an electric motor; in the future, it may be a series.

The small, speedy vehicle is only two and a half meters long. It is extremely lightweight and supposedly able to go as fast as one hundred and ten kilometers per hour.