NISSAN Z. The company, which introduced the 240Z in 1970, is coming out with the latest “Z” version, the 370Z. It is scheduled for dealer showrooms this month and offers impressive performance standards: 0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds, 100 mph in 12.8 seconds. Road and Track magazine says, “The 370Z continues to offer the style and performance of European sports cars at a fraction of their price.”

HONDA NSX. “A Honda V-8 may be dead in the water. But a V-10? That’s another matter,” writes Hans Greimel in Automotive News. He adds that Honda wants 10 cylinders for the company’s upcoming super sports car, the NSX. Honda expects to sell 1,000 units a year in the U.S., starting with its debut in 2011.

FORD MUSTANG. The pony car gets a makeover designed to make it look smaller. Power is not neglected — a V-8 in the 315 hp range with a racing performance engine in the 400 hp area.

CHEVROLET CAMARO. So far, production is scheduled to start next month on the much-awaited Camaro with a base price of $22,995. The SS model is rated at 422 hp with a higher price tag.

DODGE CHALLENGER. The last we heard was the 2009 Challenger would start with an MSRP of $21,995. Exact production start-up is uncertain at this time...Charleston.net

In addition to increased horsepower, the new vehicle also features an aggressive new exterior design, as well as a variety of performance improvements.

"The ability to produce a niche vehicle is almost a statement to the rest of the world saying, 'We can do this. We are not chopping models. We are creating models,' " said Karl Brauer, editor in chief at Edmunds.com.

Ford, which lost $8.6 billion through September but still has $29.6 billion in cash and credit on hand, is regarded as the healthiest of Detroit's automakers...Freep.com

There’s even hope for the internal-combustion engine. At the introduction of the Bentley Flying Spur Speed — perhaps the last place you’d expect a discussion of alternative energy — the company’s head of engineering, Ulrich Eichhorn, proffered a dose of optimism about biofuels. 

Bentley is working with energy companies to develop advanced biofuels — in what was probablya first, a Bentley press document included the words “intensively farmed algae.”

Don’t get mad that I love overpowered cars like the Corvette ZR1. If Corvette profits help to develop the Volt, that’s 638 horsepower deployed for the common good. And if some of my picks are not the most efficient cars out there, perhaps that means more money for hard-working algae farmers. After 2008, not much would surprise me...The New York Times

Modern Classic Sports Cars Buying Guide

Lured by low labor costs, Detroit's automakers have been critical to an industry that now makes up 3 percent of Mexico's gross domestic product and accounts for a fifth of its exports. The 13 plants run by Ford, Chrysler and GM account for more than 50 percent of Mexico's auto production.

While nothing in the $17.4 billion U.S. government loan package prohibits it, expansion outside of the United States using taxpayer money would most likely lead to a huge backlash.

"They really need this money, so my guess is that they will try to stay away from making new investments in Mexico in the short term because it would look very bad," said Juan Pablo Fuentes, an economist with Moody's Economy.com.

Lawmakers have made clear they expect U.S. carmakers to keep jobs at home. And they have leverage: $4 billion of the auto loan package will only be made available if Congress votes to release $350 billion that remains in the financial industry bailout fund...The Associate Press

Collectible Muscle Car Buying Guide

Sega is teaming up with Sumo Digital once more, this time to bring the OutRun series to the newest generation of consoles. The publisher today announced that Sumo Digital's OutRun Online Arcade will be released as a downloadable game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 early next year.

Like the original, OutRun Online Arcade is a race through a variety of 15 US locales with branching routes. And in keeping with the series' fixation on a specific brand of fast cars, OutRun Online Arcade also features a selection of 10 different Ferraris. As the game's name suggests, online multiplayer races will also be included, with support for up to six players per match...GameSpot

But at a news conference Friday morning, Mr. Gettelfinger said the union feared that it was “being set up” by Mr. Corker, who he said was asking the union for concessions that were not sought from other participants in the talks.

Mr. Gettelfinger called on the Treasury and the White House to release financing and “prevent the imminent collapse of the automakers and the devastating consequences that would follow.” Until now , the White House had resisted such a move, but said Friday morning that it would consider using money from the $700 billion financial bailout to help the automakers.

Late Thursday, the Senate did not take up an assistance measure passed by the House, after hours of negotiations between Senate Republicans with the auto companies and the U.A.W. The sticking point apparently was the union’s refusal to agree to lower wage and benefit rates as soon as next year...The New York Times        GMC  Ford  Chrysler
   

While prices have been out of this world for rare Corvettes, Plymouth 'Cuda models and plenty of other so-called muscle cars, Bob Varsha, who anchored Speed TV's 40 hours of live Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction TV coverage, is quick to reassure car lovers of the bottom line.

You don't have to spend $1 million to get a really cool car.

There are numerous cars in the sub-$50,000 price range that can deliver a tremendous amount of bang for the buck and a lot of pleasure for their owners, but don't require a second mortgage.

For that kind of money, a buyer isn't going to get a restored 1970 Plymouth Hemicuda or a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette with a 427 cubic-inch V8. But that doesn't mean you can't have a lot of fun....Mercury News     Dodge

“By this time of year, if you haven’t figured out what you’re doing, it’s always difficult,” said Smith, 25, after he clinched the rookie honor at the last Sprint Cup Series race of 2008 in Miami. “I’m pretty confident I’ll be driving a Cup car for somebody next year, I just don’t know which one.”

The average value of the top 15 teams in Nascar jumped 65 percent to $119 million in the last two years based partly on 2007 sponsorships, according to Forbes magazine. This season, five of those teams have lost sponsorship on at least one car, two have merged and one may not compete next season. General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp., which lavished cash and technical support on teams and drivers, are seeking as much as $25 billion in government aid to stay afloat....Bloomberg              Chevrolet Chrysler Ford
  

"It's a car that you have to experience in almost telepathic terms," said Roger Becker, head of vehicle engineering for Lotus, without a trace of irony.

The display may seem improper after U.S. auto executives spent the week begging for alms in Washington. But ultra-luxury cars like those on display at the LA show are often highly resistant to economic downturns, said Erich Merkle, top auto analyst with the consulting firm Crowe Horwath LLP.

"You're dealing with the ultra rich who, even if they take a hit, a car purchase for them is a very, very fractional piece of their net worth," Merkle said. "Whether they're paying $50,000 for a car or $200,000 or $300,000 for a car, it really makes no difference in their net worth."...Associated Press      Ferrari

The downward spiral began last winter and was quite noticeable at the January Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Barrett-Jackson auction is famous among the general public as the most televised collector car auction, but its meat and potatoes has been the cars of the 1950s and '60s.

In last winter's auction, there were a lot of unhappy owners whose cars did not achieve the high prices that were rampant a year earlier. A recent Barrett-Jackson auction held in Las Vegas had even worse results.

Cars sold, but, as there are no reserves allowed at a Barrett-Jackson auction, that is not surprising...Calgary Herald  Collector Cars

"My uncle works on the Volt as an engineer. He's getting laid off Friday because apparantly the project (aka VOLT) is on hold indefinitely."

We've put in a call to GM PR to ask them about the veracity of our tipsters claim, but we've yet to receive a response. We'll let you know when we've got more to tell you — but in terms of reliability, it would mean yesterday's Reuters report claiming GM was expanding R&D spend on hybrid electrics was total baloney. I hate baloney. Even when it's fried. Jalopnik

He’s calling the project Linc Volt and he picked that Lincoln from his collection because it was his “favorite of the craziest and most out-there designs that American automobile manufacturers had come up with,” Mr. Young said. “I thought it would be a good poster child for the latest in technology.”

Mr. Young, 62, is a longtime tinkerer. He holds several patents, mostly having to do with model trains, and he once owned part of the model train maker Lionel. “I’m a transportation freak,” he said. “I like transportation devices. I like mechanical devices.”...New York Times

The talks between GM and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler, began more than a month ago, and the negotiations are not certain to produce a deal. Two people close to the process said the chances of a merger were "50-50" as of Friday and most likely would still take weeks to work out.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people it described as familiar with the discussions, says Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns 80.1 percent of Chrysler and 51 percent of GMAC Financial Services, proposed trading Chrysler's automotive operations to GM. The Journal says Cerberus would receive GM's remaining 49 percent stake in GMAC.

The New York Times, also citing people familiar with the talks, says the automakers were discussing a merger. The Times did not mention GMAC, a traditional auto lender hit hard by the housing market downturn...The Jackson Citizen Patriot - MLive.com, MI