Car Throttle

Big shoes to fill.  Very big ones.  Big, black menacing shoes to fill.  They look like this... Because any time Buick makes a high-performance car with the "Regal" nameplate attached, it has that to live up to.  It's an unfortunate comparison for Buick's new Opel Regal, but it's not necessarily a valid one.  The whole automotive world knows the Grand National was awesome - a turbocharged, tire-smoking musclecar that liked a steady diet of Corvettes and 5.0 Mustangs.  The new hot-rod Regal GS is not the drag-racing Darth Vader-mobile some of us might wish it was.  But it is a high-tech, thoroughly modern turbocharged sports sedan - it just happens to have a Buick badge. It is pretty.  The Regal is a carbon-copy of

Auto enthusiasts and members of the press often have a desire to see European models brought over to the United States. With General Motors deciding to keep Opel in the corporate stable, the Opel Insignia is being brought over as the Buick Regal. Needless to say, it has garnered a lot of attention, with questions about a sport wagon variant and a GS performance model that was shown at the North American International Auto Show (shown below). The Regal is a unique situation for Buick - the car is being produced in Europe and that brings up the situation with fluctuating currency exchange rates. Especially with non-luxury models, this makes it harder to turn a profit.  For this reason, many manufacturers are moving production to the United

Since the restructuring of General Motors, all the existing brands have started to transform. With only half the brands they once had for the US market, GM needs each of it's divisions to cover more of the market.  And if ever there was a sign that GM is not afraid of change, and the future in general, it's gotta be this: the Buick Regal GS "concept." You've probably already had an earful on the new Regal by this point.  If you haven't, here's the cliff notes:  Take one Opel Insignia, mix with Buick grille and badges, and bam - instant Regal!  This isn't the first time GM has slung Adam Opel's wares as Buicks in the US (Remember the old Buick-Opels?  Buick-Opel-Isuzus?), but it's probably going to

Buick has been dominating headlines lately - and thankfully, it is for all the right reasons. The introduction of the Buick Regal is a welcome change for the brand. The Regal is sourced from General Motors' Opel, which was just announced that GM would be keeping. In typical fashion for those in the automotive blogosphere, we're always looking forward to the next thing - particularly when it comes to performance. The standard Opel Insignia has been brought over as the Regal, but Opel also has the OPC (Opel Performance Center) performance model that many are pining for. Speculation about future Regal models has mainly centered around bringing that model over here as the Regal GNX. Car & Driver talked to Bob Lutz about this possibility at

When it comes to Saab,  SaabsUnited is the place to go for all the details. This latest scoop they've gotten is their best yet though. The new Saab 9-5 is a highly anticipated release for the brand. How could it be anything else?   The new 9-5 will replace an again, 15-year old flagship and it's the car that GM's CEO Fritz Henderson was reportedly afraid of bettering it's Opel platform mate the Insignia. Saab can't afford for the car to be anything but a hit. From these pictures, it looks like they're not going to let us down on that. WOW. What you're seeing is likely an official, leaked image of the new Saab 9-5. Doesn't look real? That's because it's probably a CGI image. Nearly all manufacturers use

If you've been reading my posts, you know doubt know that i have a soft spot for: A) The Opel Insignia VXR, and B) Station Wagons. All of my hopes, prayers, and dreams (except one!) were fulfilled today with the official debut of the Insignia VXR/OPC Sports Tourer, which is marketing double-speak for "station wagon" - since apparently calling a spade a spade is just not done any more. The Sports Tourer is just like the regular OPC/VXR, only more useful and better looking.  Ok, I'm biased with the two-box shapes, but I think the proportions just make a lot more sense on the wagon.  It's up for debate, as the taillights are a bit strange looking, but in my eyes this is one seriously attractive

CarScoop is really on a roll these days.  Just yesterday they found uncovered spy shots of the upcoming Saab 9-5, and today they bring us completely undisguised shots of the Insignia OPC wagon. We've discussed the impressive technical side of the OPC/VXR here before, so there's little need to reiterate.  For those that missed it, power comes from a turbocharged 2.8L V6 with 325bhp, funnelled through the latest Haldex IV torque-vectoring AWD, and there are Brembos and Recaros and all the usual trappings of a luxury performance sedan. Did I say sedan?  I also meant wagon.  I personally think the OPC works better as a wagon; the proportions make a lot more sense and the shape overall is a lot prettier than the sedan.  I'm

The pace of news has been positively breathtaking surrounding all that is going on with General Motors. As I've said before, the corporation is so vast, with so much going on that it's just incredible. The entire company appears to be heading for bankruptcy, and a much smaller global reach when the dust finally settles. The auto industry as a whole and General Motors are in total upheaval right now. It's quite interesting to watch the back and forth, with the sheer amount of players involved. Spanning the continents with leaders of various companies, corporations and wat not. When things finally settle down, the automotive landscape will be forever changed. GM will no longer have subsidiaries Opel/Vauxhall, Saab, Hummer or Saturn. The individual units that once were

GM Europe's Opel and Vauxhall divisions have just revealed the range-topping high performance version of the Insignia, and it looks like it's going to offer serious competition for Audi's new S4 sedan.  Considering I can say that unironically, let's take a closer look at these new hi-po GM sedans to see what they have to offer. The Insignia replaced the Vectra as GM Europe's large sedan last year, and was met with largely positive reviews in the press.  It's a looker, too, especially with the Irmscher Performance Parts on it.  Now GM has stepped into the ring with the full-on OPC/VXR models, boasting lots of power, grip and poise for the discerning driver. Under the hood is a derivative of GM's "high feature" 2.8L 24v V6. 

Even with all the upheaval over at General Motors and General Motors Europe, the launches keep on coming. Today CarScoop has supposedly official sketches and pictures of the upcoming 2010 Opel Astra. I see definite influence from the well-received Opel Insignia mid-size sedan. Particularly in the surfacing and front headlights. It looks like the Astra will be moving upmarket, getting larger in every dimension. Will be interesting to compare new and old side-by-side. If Saturn was still chugging along like normal, with an Opel supply plan, we might see this car here in the United States. As we all know though, that is not the case. GM has agreed only to supply products to the Saturn brand until 2012. With a debut late this year, I highly