In a sign that the Cash-for-Clunkers program is working and that car sales are finally starting to turn a corner, General Motors has announced that it is increasing production and adding overtime shifts at several plants.

Shifts will be added at GM’s CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada and at the Lordstown, Ohio plant. The Lordstown facility is responsible for assembly of the Chevy Cobalt, while the Ingersoll facility is home to the GMC Terrain and the all new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox (pictured above).

The added shifts means General Motors will bring 1,350 employees back on the job.

Earlier this month Gm added overtime shifts at its Arlington, Texas plant where the Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon are made.

The total production increase is said to be roughly 60,000 units, a move deemed necessary by General Motors to ensure its dealers have an appropriate number of vehicles on their lots after a surge in sales following the recent Cash-for-Clunkers legislation saw dealer inventories hit their lowest point since 1991.

[Source: Automotive News]

Hyundai has just released two renderings and a teaser image of the upcoming 2010 Hyundai Tucson. We have already had a good glimpse of what the car will look like thanks to a lone spy photo, but the renderings give us an ever better idea of the car from all angles, including the large hexagonal grille.

Along with the renderings is a lone teaser photo, which, according to PR rep Dan Bedore, gives us a whole bunch of misinformation. While the 2010 Tucson is set to be called the ix35 in Europe, it will keep the Tucson name in North America. Additionally, just under the”ix35″ badge are the letters “CRDi” indicating that this is a diesel model. The diesel version will, however, not be offered in North America.

We do expect to get a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, however, and there are rumors that a dual-clutch transmission will be available.

We’ll have to wait for the Frankfurt Auto Show unveiling on September 15th for more info.

GALLERY: 2010 Hyundai Tucson

[Source: Autoblog]

Official release after the jump:

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Volkswagen’s U.S. CEO has confirmed the planned return of the Phaeton. In an interview with The Detroit News, Stefan Jacoby outlined the German automaker’s plans to become a major payer in the U.S. market and to sell 800,000 vehicles annually by 2018.

The plan includes vehicles, many of them entirely new models, to compete in the U.S. market. Included in the list are a new mid-sized sedan, to replace the Passat, and a new compact sedan, to replace the Jetta. Apparently the Polo has still not been green-lighted for the U.S.

Along with an additional crossover, Jacoby did say that VW is looking at a top-level luxury car and even used the Phaeton name. The Phaeton, a massive flop for VW when it sold in the U.S. from 2004 to 2006, was based on the same platform as the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and was priced accordingly.

Jacoby did, however, say that the new Phaeton would be aimed more at the full-sized segment, than the luxury one, hinting that it would be designed to take on cars like the Toyota Avalon.

[Source: TheDetroitNews]

First shown as a concept (above) at the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Scion will reportedly bring the iQ to market by the Fall of 2010.

After receiving an excellent reception at the show, Scion’s VP, Jack Hollis has said he is fighting to get the car to market. One large Toyota dealer, has however, spilled the beans, telling the folks at AutoWeek that an agreement has been reached to bring the diminutive car to the U.S.

At a length of just 117.5-inches, the iQ is only slightly larger than a SMART fortwo. Unlike the SMART, however, the iQ can fit three adults and a child… at least that’s what Scion says. Taking a look at the car, however, it appears as though seating for two is about all there’s room for.

While several engine options are available in Europe, the iQ will most likely get the largest (1.3-liter four-cylinder) when it debuts in the U.S. That engine makes 99hp and gets 66 mpg.

Scion is a company desperate to reinvent itself, as its popularity is based as much on fresh product as it is on customizing that product. “Scion is a good business mode that will be valuable and viable in the future, but for the business model to be successful, product freshness is key,” said Toyota North America president and COO Yoshi Inaba. And fresh-product isn’t something Scion has much of. Currently the company is working on a replacement to the tC coupe, while the iconic Scion, the xB, is already starting to lose out to new models like the Kia Soul.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Lexus has just released a quick teaser image of a new model the luxury automaker will unveil at the Frankfurt auto Show this September. The car is a hatchback and is designed specifically for the European market. It is also expected to be a hybrid as Europe will not get the HS250h hybrid model.

Small luxury cars (coupes and hatchbacks) in this segment are quite popular, so Lexus has decided to go head on with rivals like the BMW 1 Series, Mercedes B-Class, Audi A3 and Volvo C30. Lexus will position its hatchback as a hybrid competitor to the diesel variants of these small luxury vehicles.

Lexus has yet to release any official naming for the car, but recently patents for the names CT200h, CT300h and CT400h were registered. The alfanumeric name actually spells out exactly what the car is. The “C” standing for the C-premium segment of cars and the “T” for touring, a name commonly given to hatchbacks or wagons in Europe. The small “h” indicates that the models are hybrids, while the numbers indicate roughly the power output of the engine (rather than its size). That being said, the CT200h, as it is expected to be called whenit debuts at Frankfurt, will make roughly 200hp from a hybrdized 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine.

General Motors has signed an agreement to sell off its Swedish Saab unit to the Koenigsegg Group. Led by supercar maker Koenigsegg, the group includes several additional investors. The deal will see the Koenigsegg Group take a 100 percent stake in Saab.

In a statement Koenigsegg Group CEO Christian von Koenigsegg said that the group plans to “transform Saab into a stand-alone vibrant entrepreneurial company and make it ‘sustainable’ by making it profitable.”

The deal is still contingent on additional funding, which Koenigsegg plans to raise through government loans and additional investors. According to a report in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, a Koenigsegg Group executive said that the company requires $413.6 million in additional investments. Currently the Swedish government is reviewing a plan to secure a loan from the European Investment Bank.

Both Koenigsegg and General Motors seem to have differing opinions on how long it will take for the funding issue to be solved. Koenigsegg spokeswoman Halldora von Koenigsegg said she expects funding to be secured by in a month, while the less-optimistic GM is reported to have the end of 2009 pegged as a deadline to finalize the sale.

Additional specific terms of the agreement are not known, but it is expected that GM will supply the Koenigsegg Group with resources to assist in developing one additional model. Currently Saab is set to launch its latest model, the 2010 9-5 (pictured above) at the Frankfurt Auto Show.

[Source: Automotive News]

While the real stars of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance are the vintage autos, the Concept Lawn is a special place where future show-stoppers are put on display. While some of the models are actually concepts, many are rare coachbuilt models and a few are full-production cars.

In the concept category there was the luxury convertible plug-in hybrid, the Fisker Sunset, as well as the absolutely stunning Infiniti Essence Concept - a hybrid in it’s own right, making 600hp thanks to a 440hp twin-turbo direct-injection 3.7-liter V6 and a 160hp electric motor.

Included in the list of Coachbuilt creations was the edgy Corvette ZR1-based Stile Bertone Mantide. This is no kit car, however, as the vehicle was designed by Jason Castriota, the man who also penned the Pininfarina P4/5. Plus, it weights 220 lbs less than the ZR1 for even more performance.

Also on display was the Devon GTX (pictured above), arguably the arch-nemesis of the Mantide, as it is based on the Dodge Viper. With a more shapely body than the Mantide, the 650hp GTX is scheduled to attempt to set a new fastest lap time at the Nürburgring. No doubt there’s some ego involved in this announcement as Devon attempted to buy Viper from Chrysler but the deal was never completed.

In the production category cars ranged from the reasonably well priced (Lotus Evora) to the ridiculous (Bugatti Sang Bleu). The four-seater Lotus is scheduled to be released early next year, while the ultra-limited edition Bugatti is based on the convertible Grand Sport model. Other production or near production models included the Spyker C8 Aileron Spyder, V-10 powered Audi R8, the 750hp carbon-chassis Aston Martin One-77, a Morgan, the all-new 510hp 2010 Jaguar XJL Supersport, the Mercedes-McLaren SLR Stirling Moss and the Rolls-Royce EX200, aka, the Ghost. And who could forget the misplaced SMS 570X Dodge Challenger.

GALLERY: Pebble Beach Concept Lawn

The prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show award went to the 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet. The car belongs to Bob Lee, who won the award in 2006 with a 1931 Daimler Double Six Corsica Drophead Coupe.

The Horch company was started in Germany in 1899 by August Horch, although Horch the auto manufacturer didn’t start until 1909. 

Horch was later unified with three other auto makers (Audi, DKW and Wanderer) to form Auto Union, or what is today known as Audi. In fact, Horch is the Latin translation of Horch.

GALLERY: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2009 Best of Show, 1937 Horch 853 Voll & Ruhrbeck Sport Cabriolet

There’s just no way to truly experience the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance without attending the show. But for those who can’t be there and feel the breeze blow in off the Pacific Ocean while sipping Champagne and admiring some of the most beautiful and expensive cars ever made, we have assembled this photo gallery. 

Below is a selection of just a small portion of the amazing automotive masterpieces on display at the 2009 concours, including classic Bentleys, Ferrari motorsports legends, Bugattis and some of our favorites, the Duesenbergs.

Among the Ferraris in attendance included 10 1949 166 MM Touring Barchettas and all four remaining TR 59 race cars. Some of the more prestigious Bentleys included the early 3 Litre car, the Birkin Blower race cars and three record setting Speed Sixes.

GALLERY: Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2009

There couldn’t be a more perfect venue to debut the latest Bentley product and successor to the fabulously-regal Arnage than the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Accompanied by bagpipers, the “Grand Bentley”, now officially named the Mulsanne, drove up on to the awards show platform – a stage many Bentleys have graced before.

Many past Bentleys have taken their names from the famous Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans race track and this Bentley is no different. Whereas the previous Bentley flagship, the Arnage, was named for a tight corner, this car is named after both a corner and a straight. On the long Mulsanne straight race cars have to slow from over 200mph to 65mph, then run through the a tight chicane and down the second half of the straight.

Bentley is keeping tight-lipped about much of the rest of the details of its new flagship until its auto show debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show this September.

What we do know is that it will continue to use a twin-turbocharged 6.75-liter V8 engine that has almost been completely redesigned to no doubt make even more horsepower and torque while using less fuel.

As for the design of the car, it’s as familiar as the engine, with a massive flat nose, huge circle headlights and plenty of chrome.

GALLERY: 2010 Bentley Mulsanne