If all goes as planned the Penske-owned Saturn brand could be selling rebadged vehicles from French automaker Renault in the U.S. Thought to be a wild rumor at first, Renault has now confirmed that Penske has in fact approached the automaker to supply both parts and cars.

Currently Penske Automotive Group has a tentative deal with General Motors to buy its Saturn brand. Penske is expected to take full control of the company by September. The deal would see GM continue to supply vehicles for two years and does not include any manufacturing abilities, meaning that Penske must forge an alliance with another automaker to obtain vehicles.

Renault spokeswoman Frederique LeGreves would not comment further on the proposed deal but did say that it would not involve any part of Renault’s Nissan division.

Penske Automotive spokesman Tony Pordon wouldn’t comment specifically either but did say that his company is in talks with several different manufacturers.

In Europe Renault sells a full line of vehicles including the popular compact Clio as well as high performance models like the Megane RS (pictured above).

[Source: Automotive News]

If you’ve been trying to decide whether or not to trade in your gas guzzler on a new fuel-efficient model and cash in on the government’s $4,500 CARS rebate, you’ve waited too long. The program, funded with 1 billion dollars of tax payers’ money is already running low – just six days after the Obama Administration officially launched it.

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), by the end of the Wednesday work day dealers had submitted 22,782 claims for a total of $95.5 million. 

At that rate the program will run out of money long before the planned CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) expiration date of November 1st. Reuters cites Bailey Wood, a spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association, who speculates the program will run out of funding before the date.

The Cash-for-Clunkers legislation had been criticized heavily before being passed for not being sufficiently funded. 

The good news out of this is that if the CARS rebate system is used up (early or not) it is expected to generate as many as 250,000 car sales – something which should help speed up an economy that already shows signs of recovering.

Reuters cites an unnamed inside government source for the tip, who says the CARS program wil be suspended shortly. There is no word on if there are plans to find additional funding and re-instate Cash-for-Clunkers at a later date.

[Source: Automotive News]

To celebrate its 15th anniversary the National Corvette Museum (NCM) is holding a raffle for a new 2010 Corvette Grand Sport. Tickets aren’t cheap at $150 a pop, but with just 2,009 tickets being sold the odds of winning are pretty good.

The NCM Corvette Grand Sport Coupe was custom designed by the folks at the museum using the same white, black and red as their logo. “This special ‘one off’ NCM Corvette Grand Sport coupe was created and inspired by the hard work and dedication of the people who work at the National Corvette Museum,” said Corvette Designer Kirk Bennion to the CorvetteBlogger. “The chosen colors of white, black, and red were based on the NCM logo. The stripe design embodies the true ‘passion for competition’ that the Museum has for Corvette’s long racing heritage. The Corvette Museum not only displays Corvette’s history but is also dedicated to presenting Corvette’s latest offerings. This is why we chose the new for 2010 Corvette Grand Sport for NCM’s 15th Anniversary!”

The 2010 Grand Sport is powered by a 430hp LS3 V8. It gets wider front and rear fenders, a large rear spoiler and a Z06-style front -splitter, as well as bigger brakes and wider tires than the standard Corvette.

Second prize in the raffle is a not-too-shabby $10,000, while the second runner-up gets $5,000.

The NCM Corvette Grand Sport Coupe will be auctioned off on September 6th at the museum’s 15th anniversary celebration.

[Source: CorvetteMuseum via CorvetteBlogger]

A post on one of TopGear’s blogs last week had everyone chatting about a new Lexus hybrid designed to take on the BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 in Europe. Now word comes from Lexus enthusiast site My.IS that the rumored Lexus C-Premium concept, which will debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this fall, will arrive as the CT200h at the Geneva Auto Show in early 2010.

Better yet, CT300h and CT400h versions of the car are expected to follow. Lexus filed for trademarks on all three of the names in the U.S. recently, although the company only filed for the CT200h name in Canada.

The name would seem to coincide with the vehicle itself. The “C” standing for the European C-Premium segment of compact luxury cars. The “T” would seem to suggest (as has already been rumored) that the car would be a hatchback or, as the European’s say, “touring” model. The car will be based on the new Prius platform and as such be front-wheel drive.

The folks over at My.IS put on their thinking caps and came up with just what these new names will mean in terms of powerplants. Unlike Toyotas, where the hybrid system works primarily to save fuel, with Lexus models it works to deliver the performance of a larger engine, while getting the fuel economy of a smaller one. For example, the Lexus RX450h uses a 3.5-liter V6, but according to Lexus it has the power of a 4.5-liter V8.

The CT200h, therefore, is likely to use Toyota’s 1.8-liter four-cylinder but make power equivalent to a 2.0-liter engine. The CT300h will use a hybrid setup mated to the company’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder to make the power of a 3.0-liter V6 with 2.4-liter fuel-economy. And finally the CT400h would get a hybridized version of the 3.5-liter V6, making the power of a 4.0-liter V8 – although we’ll believe that when we see it.

Still, it looks like Lexus has quite a lineup of exciting hybrid hatchbacks headed for Europe.

[Source: TopGear and My.Is]

Earlier this week General Motors officially turned off the lights and locked the doors at its Boxwood Road assembly plant for the last time, marking the end of the line for the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky.

The two vehicles (along with the Opel GT) were manufactured at the plant in Wilmington, Delaware, which is being closed as a part of GM’s restructuring process.

General Motors has decided to eliminate the Pontiac brand and sell Saturn to the Penske Automotive Group. The announcement to close the plant came on July 1st when GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. At the time GM gave short notice to plant workers saying the facility would be shuttered by the end of July.

GM spokesman John Raut said the final vehicle to roll off the assembly line was a silver Pontiac Solstice.

[Source: SaturnFans]

In a strange turn of events, a source inside Toyota has told the U.K.’s AutoCar that the Japanese automaker isn’t looking to build a hybrid version of the Yaris. The source says the car won’t be built in France, Japan or anywhere; not yet anyway.

Toyota does plan to build hybrid versions of every car it sells by 2020, but in the mean time the Yaris’s already fuel-efficient engine (sold with a 1.33-liter four cylinder that gets over 50 mpg in Europe and Japan) is sufficient. While the added weight and cost of hybridizing a car makes good financial sense on larger vehicles, it just wouldn’t be worth it on sub-compacts like the Yaris, says the unnamed source. That is, until battery technology improves, making the electric components smaller, lighter and cheaper.

Toyota has, however, officially said it will build a hybrid version of the slightly larger Auris in the U.K. starting next year.

[Source: AutoCar]

Suzuki has been in the North American marketplace for a long time, but you’d hardly know it. The Japanese automaker hopes to change all that by stepping into the ultra-competitive mid-size sedan category competing alongside cars like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

Set to officially launch tomorrow, the Kizashi (or at least that’s the name given to the concept car) was spied just ahead of its debut. The last time we saw the car it was doing some hot weather testing in Dubai and was spied by a citizen journalist. Back then the vehicle was masked in both the front and rear.

What we can see now is a massive front grill along the lines of Audi’s new design or the previous generation VW Golf. The earlier spy photos showed a rather uninspiring car but now with the covers removed its quite striking.

We’ll be sure to update you more photos and full specifications once they become available.

GALLERY: Suzuki Kizashi

[Source: NextAutos]

Kia ha just released several renderings of a new full-sized sedan, with the code name VG. Shown as a concept at the Seoul Auto Show earlier this year, these renders are intended to give a better idea of what the new car will look like.

Kia has also confirmed that the new model will replace the Opirus (known as the Amanti in North America).

“VG clearly demonstrates the next stage in Kia’s design evolution and showcases our new design principle of ‘sophistication by simplicity’,” said Kia’s Senior VP Hyoung Keun Lee. “The exterior is a seamless blend of powerful front, sleek profile and sophisticated but simple rear lines to create an elegant and luxurious appearance.”

We can certainly say this new model is a huge step forward from the less-than-attractive Amanti.

There are no specifics for a launch date but the VG is expected to debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next year.

GALLERY: Kia VG

Official release:

Continue Reading…

With the launch of Nissan’s new zero-emissions website dedicated to the upcoming launch of the automaker’s new electric vehicle comes a sneak peek at the revolutionary EV. 

We can’t tell much from the picture but it does appear to be an expectedly-funky design and a small car to boot. That being said, if the overall size and weight do prove to be diminutive, then the EV should certainly be a fun car to drive wit 107-hp and 207 ft-lbs of torque.

Nissan has said that the new vehicle will be an original platform and won’t be based on the Cube, Versa or any other existing Nissan. Powered by an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack Nissan’s EV will be able to travel a distance of 100 miles on a single charge. And to help owners operate within that limit the car will come with a navigation system which displays the maximum distance the car can go in each direction.

At all times, the car will be tied in to Nissan’s global data center to provide support (should it be needed) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nissan will officially unveil its new EV on August 2nd during the opening of its new headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. The car will be manufactured in both the U.S. and Japan and will go on sale in next year.

For more information visit:

www.nissan-zeroemission.com

Ferrari has just announced that seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher will return to the sport. Schumacher will race in place Felipe Massa, who is recovering after being hit by a piece of debris during qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro intends to put Michael Schumacher in Felipe Massa’s car until the Brazilian driver will be able to race again,” said Ferrari in a statement. Absent from the series for several years now, the now 40-year-old Schumacher will begin a training program that will ultimately determine if he is ready to race at the European Grand Prix on August 23rd.

Schumacher was humble in accepting the challenge and drew attention away from himself and on to the driver he will be replacing. “The important thing is that Massa gets better,” he told AFP, commenting that he was just trying to help out the Ferrari team any way he could.

Not able to contain his excitement, Schumacher did also say that, “as the competitor I am, I also very much look forward to facing this.”

[Source: Ferrari and AFP]