Car Throttle

Although production at Saab's Trollhattan plant is stopped, the company is soldiering on. Another $36 million short-term lifeline has been thrown to the company via the Gemini Investment Fund. This is in addition to a order for 582 cars by an "undisclosed" Chinese manufacturer. Meanwhile, deals with Chinese distributor Pang Da and Youngman Automotive are pending regulatory approval. General Motors is also doing its part by continuing production of the highly-important 9-4X crossover at its plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Production there began in February. Saab is looking to restart production soon at the Trollhattan plant in Sweden, which produces the 9-5 and 9-3. A model enthusiasts have had a particular affinity for has been the 9-5 SportCombi. The 9-5 SportCombi has to rank among

Some features that come standard in cars these days we take completely for granted. The type of stuff that if it wasn't there, we'd be very confused.  Power steering, servo-assisted brakes, a rear windscreen defroster, synchromesh in the gearbox, a parking brake - these are all things we take for granted, because cars need them in various ways to be functioning transportation appliances.  And as technology marches on, other stuff is becoming a given - it's pretty hard to find a car, any car, for sale in the US now without power windows, a radio or stereo of some sort, rear infant seat anchors, tire pressure monitors, traction control (still iffy; my 2007 Honda doesn't have it), variable-intermittent windshield wipers - even cool but useless

No car clubs, no sponsors, no vendor tents - just car people standing in a parking lot. A few years ago, that's how it used to be in Raleigh.  Of course, the downside to that was it was the prelude to a whole bunch of illegal street racing, a meetup spot where people popped hoods and talked cars, oogled girls, then rolled out to the highway in a big group, doing 3rd gear rolls to absurd speeds until the cops showed up. Then came the crackdown; RPD got sick of it, and the street racing - the bad stuff - along with the impromptu, unorganized night time car shows - were basically eradicated.  You used to be able to roll up to a number of different

Cat with nine lives? Its quite amazing that Saab is still here today, and kicking. It has pulled quite a few rabbits out of its hat (yeah we know, we'll stop with the cliches now) over the past few years. There was a deal with Hawtei that fell apart, followed by a distribution agreement with Pang Da. Chinese dealer network Pang Da provided a deal that was free of regulatory-approval and gave a short-term infusion of cash to Saab. Youngman Automotive is a third investment partner that will provide the company with additional cash as well as access to Chinese manufacturing facilities needed to compete in the Chinese marketplace. The deals involve distribution and manufacturing joint ventures. The MJV (manufacturing joint venture) will be

"Oh, a Cobalt?  I think I rented one of those once.  What's the big deal?" Well, before you click on another article, let me put some numbers in front of your face:  355 horsepower and 426lb-ft torque on a stock turbocharger.  Those aren't "oh, it might be makin' this" crank output estimates - that's how much this white Cobalt SS sedan puts down at the wheels on a dyno. In the world of sport compacts, the Chevrolet Cobalt SS is an under appreciated vehicle.  Most people take one look at the pedestrian exterior - no huge hood scoops, stripes, giant blingy wheels - and immediately think "rental car."  And it's true there are a lot of Cobalt rental cars out there.  They make good rentals; they're cheap, reliable,

Just when you think the Saab saga is settled for just a little while, something gets thrown in the mix to mess things up. We've got to hand it to the guys at Spyker - they keep trying over and over. No one ever though it would be easy for a diminuitive company like Spyker to handle Saab, and that has proved to be just the case. The deal with Chinese manufacturer Hawtei Motor Group Company Limited struck earlier this month has fell apart. Automotive News reports new deal with Chinese automobile distributor Panda Automobile has been tentatively worked out. Rather than focus on an immediate stake in the company, the deal focuses on large purchases of Saab cars in bulk. These purchases will keep Saab's

This question is inspired by one of Sajeev Mehta's latest "Piston Slap" articles on The Truth About Cars.  It's a darn good question, too.  Most people when talking about cars will refer to things like suspension tuning, power output, features, visibility... but they'll skip over one of the most important things when it comes to what makes a car good daily driver: the seats. Around town, for short distances, seats aren't that important.  They hold your butt up off the floor, allow you to grab the primary controls with a minimal of stretching, and you sort of forget about them.  But there's almost nothing more important when it comes to enthusiastic driving or long road trips than how comfortable the seats are.  Bad seats

At the end of last year, I made a post compiling some of the random cool stuff I've seen around Raleigh. It's been a few months, and I've continued to see more cool stuff, which I am happy to share with you all.  Comments at the bottom! A '91 Alfa Romeo 164 LS 5-speed, in almost perfect condition.  This was a trade-in at Hendrick Fiat of Cary on a new 500 - you almost never see these cars (running) in the US any more.  There's a lot of Saab 9000 underneath, but still awesome. A Daihatsu Hijet mini-truck used as a parts runner at Leith BMW in Raleigh.  Note: sticking a BMW badge on it, does not make it a BMW!  Very odd to see

Yes, you read that right. After having production shutdown for over a month, some good news is finally arriving. Saab has secured a good chunk of financing for the foreseeable future. This includes every facet of the deals we've been discussing for a while now, and then some. For a restart of production, Gemini Investment has agreed to a six-month (!) loan worth 30 million Euros. The rest of the funding comes from the European Investment Banks as part of a draw down of Saab's previous loan. The other deal with Vladamir Anotov to sell a stake in the company, as well as the company's facilities like the Trollhattan plant, is awaiting approval but looks to be close to completion. The big deal though is nearly

At the Geneva Motor Show, Saab showed off its styling future with the PheoniX Concept. It appeared that with the new 9-5, 9-4X and refreshed 9-3 either on sale or going on sale, the brand's future prospects were improving. However, things aren't so rosy behind the scenes. While the company's business plan was said to be funded until next year, the company's finances are in bad shape. The financial situation has worsened to a point where Saab is unable to pay key components suppliers, resulting production shutdowns at the Trollhattan plant in Sweden. Russian businessman Vladamir Anotov is looking to invest in the company, helping to supply it with cash until sales recover and losses slow down. Bloomberg is now reporting that the Swedish government is