Somebody call Burt Reynolds… the Trans Am is back! Sort of…

With the Pontiac brand officially scheduled for deletion by the accountants at General Motors, the Trans Am Depot has decided to partner with Kevin Morgan Designs to create a Trans Am conversion kit for the new 2010 Camaro.

Set to be unveiled at this year’s Trans Am Nationals, the kit is inspired by the ’78-’79 Trans Am and will be sold as a complete package. Current the the Trans Am Depot is building a prototype model and intends to offer full packages for both coupes and for the upcoming Camaro convertible.

A special Phoenix Edition will also be offered with a lowered suspension, upgraded sway bars, 20-inch wheels and a full decal package.

Full details after the jump:

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Earlier this week GM laid out it’s two-year-plan at a product and technology event, with the focus being on new Buick and Cadillac models and, of course, the 230 mpg claim for the Chevrolet Volt. But there was another tid-bit of info in that two-year-plan on another highly-anticipated Chevy… the C7 Corvette.

Initially the next generation Corvette had been postponed until 2014, but according to GM’s latest plans the car’s production has been bumped up, leaving the engineering team significantly less time to re-create the legendary sports car.

That being said, it’s no surprise that the Corvette will continue to use it’s front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout. What isn’t clear is, well… everything else. As for the design, with the limited time frame we would expect to see an evolutionary new body, but considering the big changes at GM these days, the automaker may want to help set itself apart from the past by using more progressive sheetmetal, like that off the Corvette Stingray Concept (pictured above).

We do expect to see more light weight materials, including carbon fiber, aluminum and magnesium and there is also the possibility of a smaller, yet more powerful engine. Forced induction on all models is also not out of the question.

With test-mules expected in 2011, we’ll keep our eyes focused on the Nürburgring to see how development of the C7 Corvette is going.

[Source: CorvetteBlogger]

Just moments after releasing details on the company’s new X6 hybrid, BMW has now unveiled a new ActiveHybrid version of the 7 Series.

The ActiveHybrid 7 uses the same twin-turbocharged V8 as found in the 750i, but pairs it with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack to make 455hp and 516 ft-lbs of torque. And while the X6 ActiveHybrid may lay claim to being the world’s most powerful hybrid, the ActiveHybrid 7 is most likely the fastest with a 0-60 sprint in just 4.8 seconds.

Impressively, while BMW is using its ActiveHybrid system to improve performance on the 7 Series, it is also (as you might expect from a hybrid) improving fuel economy. Total fuel-consumption is expected to be reduced by 15 percent compared to the 750i.

Due to the use of a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery pack, the unit measures just 14.6 x 8.7 x 9.1 inches and only weights 59.5 lbs, making it just slightly heavier and larger than a conventional car battery. BMW has located the lithium-ion unit under the trunk floor, keeping an adequate amount of trunk space

The new ActiveHybrid 7 also features regenerative braking, as well as a start-stop system. Impressively, even when the engine is shut off at a stop light, the air conditioning continues to run as is it powered electronically, not by the gasoline engine.

BMW will officially debut the ActiveHybrid 7 at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September with sales starting in the Spring of 2010. Both a conventional wheelbase and extended wheelbase hybrid 7 Series will be offered.

GALLERY: BMW ActiveHybrid 7

Official release after the jump:

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BMW has finally made good on its promise to deliver a hybrid model… and in true BMW fashion it puts performance first. The x6 ActiveHybrid uses a the 400hp twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the X6 and combines it with two electric motors to achieve a massive 480hp and 575 ft-lbs of torque, enabling the X6 ActiveHybrid to hit 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds.

As a two-mode hybrid system, the X6 ActiveHybrid will be able to travel on pure electric power up to a speed of 37 mph. Unfortunately it can’t drive on electric power long, just 1.6 miles, before the gasoline engine kicks in.

Interestingly the X6 ActiveHybrid makes use of a 7-speed automatic transmission that can be shifted by the driver. BMW says the tranny is “based on” a CVT transmission and works in two separate modes. There is one mode for around town where one electric motor operates and when the speed is increase or more power is called for the second electric motor kicks in an engages the gasoline engine. That second electric motor then powers the vehicle’s electric systems (power steering, radio, etc.).

BMW says the X6 ActiveHybrid will provide a 20 fuel-consumption improvement over a similarly powerful engine, meaning that the X6 ActiveHybrid isn’t likely to produce better fuel-economy than the regular gasoline model, but rather more power at roughly the same fuel-economy.

No official EPA fuel-economy numbers are available yet. We expect to learn more when BMW officially unveils the X6 ActiveHybrid at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

The X6 ActiveHybrid will go on sale in the U.S. later this year.

GALLERY: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid

Official release after the jump:

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Ever wonder what it’s like to drive the world famous Laguna Seca race track? Apparently the folks at Google were curious and so they sent out one of the Google street view cars onto the track.

For some reason the Google street view doesn’t include a whole lap of the track, just from around turn five to turn 10. That portion does include the famous Corkscrew but the Google street view car doesn’t seem to capture it, which does make sense to anyone who’s taken the corkscrew before. One of the things that makes the Corkscrew so challenging is the fact that it’s so steep you don’t even know where the road is until you’re going down it (or, if you’re unlucky, driving down the dirt). Likely the Google street view camera was filming the sky at that point.

The filming appears to have been done during a practice session at last year’s ALMS race, as you can see the black and yellow GT1 Corvette and one of the Flying Lizzard Motorsports Porsches. Make sure to look behind you though…. yup, that’s a LMP2 Acura and the Audi R10 TDI.

Ride along with the Google street view car at Laguna Seca here:

Google Streetview Drives Laguna Seca

[Source: Google]

We had all but relegated Hennessey’s Venom GT supercar to the concept car history books but it appears as though the 1,200hp monster is anything but a piece of fiction. Hennessey Performance Engineering, known best for tuning Dodge Vipers, has announced that it will build the car and unveil it at the Geneva Auto Show this winter.

Aiming to take on vehicles like the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg CCX, the Venom GT will be powered by a V8 engine (likely twin-turbocharged) and capable of as much as 1,200hp. With a cub weight of just 2,400 lbs, Hennessey expects a 0-60 mph time of just 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 272 mph!

GALLERY: Hennessey Venom GT Concept

Full specifications after the jump:

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Based on a new system to rate the fuel-economy of plug-in hybrids, Chevy announced yesterday that it’s Volt will get 230 mpg in the city. Using the same math, the folks at Nissan have determined that their upcoming electric Leaf will get 367 mpg.

The 367 mph rating was posted on the automaker’s Twitter page yesterday and is obviously somewhat less-than-serious, as rating a vehicle that doesn’t use gas in terms of its gasoline consumption is, to say the least, a stretch.

While the EPA has yet to release its rating system for measuring the fuel-economy of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, GM’s formula appears to be based on a 51 mile city driving cycle. As the Volt can travel 40 of those 50 miles on pure electricity using no gasoline, only the remaining 11 miles involve any consumption at all. What this means is that the Volt can travel 51 miles on 11 miles worth of gas, which works out to 230 mpg.

[Source: LeftLaneNews]

Hyundai continues to shake up perceptions of what a Korean automaker can be, announcing today that it will offer its flagship Equus sedan in the U.S. starting next year.

The Equus is based on the same architecture as the Genesis, but is noticeably larger. Hyundai intends that it will compete with the world’s premiere luxury saloons including the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Lexus LS.

“We showed the car at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, and the response was fantastic,” says John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO. “Since then, we’ve had a fleet traveling around the country, capturing input from our dealers and consumers. Here, too, the response was extraordinarily positive, and similar to the market reaction to the award-winning Genesis, so we’ve decided to bring it to the U.S.”

And as though showcasing the car at the New York Auto Show wasn’t enough of a shock to the traditionalists, Hyundai will again display the vehicle this weekend at the ultra-prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

Hyundai has yet to release specifications on the new model, but it’s certain to be offered with the company’s 375hp 4.6-liter V8. Recently we reported that the Korean automaker has also developed a 5.0-liter V8 engine as well, and there is a strong possibility that powerplant could be offered in North America.

Hyundai is also undecided on whether or not its flagship will keep it’s Korean-market name, indicating that the Equus badge may be dropped in favor of a more U.S.-friendly name.

GALLERY: 2011 Hyundai Equus

Official release after the jump:

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Acura is considering introducing a wagon version of its TSX luxury sedan in North America. John Watts, product planning boss at Acura told Car & Driver that they are “closely, closely looking at it.”

Watts believes that younger buyers, Generation Y in particular, are interested in wagons and don’t regard them with the same sort of disdain that older generations do.

The market certainly seems open to wagons and Cadillac is just about to launch its CTS Sport Wagon and Mercedes just confirmed the E-Class wagon will make its way to North America. Audi has also offered a wagon (Avant) version of the A4 for years and while BMW hasn’t had much success with the 3 Series wagon, it is poised to launch a car with a similar concept, the 3 Series GranTurismo.

Making the possibility of a TSX wagon even more likely is the fact that the car already exits… in Europe. The current TSX is actually just a rebadged (and leather-coated) Euro-spec Honda Accord. Honda sells an Accord Touring in Europe and all Acura would have to do would be rebadge it and get government approval to sell it in North America.

[Source: Car & Driver]

During GM’s product technology even held yesterday CEO Fritz Henderson confirmed that the automaker’s top-tier Cadillac brand will bring a new flagship sedan, as well as an entry-level sedan to market shortly.

The new high-end model will replace the DTS and is reportedly to be called the XTS. This full-sized luxury sedan will be based on the same platform as at the 2010 Buck LaCrosse and will be offered in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The vehicle will reportedly use design cues from the Cadillac Sixteen Concept.

The most exciting news, however, comes from the lower-end of the luxury spectrum where Cadillac says it will build a new model to compete directly with the BMW 3 Series.

“We are determined to repeat what CTS has already achieved in design, quality, driving dynamics, performance and fuel economy to grow our presence in this high-volume and highly competitive segment,” said Henderson.

Unofficially known as the ATS, this new model will initially be offered only as a sedan in rear-wheel and all-wheel drive, but a coupe is likely if the sedan sells well.

Additionally, GM re-confirmed that the CTS Sport Wagon and new 2010 SRX will go on sale this month. The SRX will be offered with both a direct-injection 3.0-liter V6 as well as an optional turbocharged 2.8-liter V6.

Official release after the jump:

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