Soon Buick will have an entire lineup of competitive vehicles with the Enclave, all-new LaCrosse and soon-to-arrive-from-Europe Regal. Since the latter model is basically a direct port of the Opel Insignia, its success may help General Motors decide whether or not to snag a fourth model from another overseas market. The likely candidate is this car, the next-gen Buick Excelle that is currently sold only in China.

Recently snapped by spy photographers while undergoing testing with very little camouflage, the next-gen Excelle will adopt GM's Delta II small car platform that also underpins the new Chevy Cruze and Opel Astra. It's more closely related to later, however, as previous generations have been not much more than rebadged Astras. Just because Buick could sell the Excelle in the U.S., however, doesn't mean it should. Would the market really accept a Buick this small, especially when the Cruze is on sale across the street? Time will tell but you can let GM know what you think now in the comments.



[Photos: KGP Photography]

Today the wraps were officially removed from the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe. The coupe is the latest model to join the burgeoning CTS lineup, which also includes the sedan that started it all, the 556-hp CTS-V super sedan and the more recent CTS Sport Wagon. The coupe, however, is by far the most visually distinct CTS, sharing only its instrument panel, console, headlamps, front fenders and grille with the sedan. Though its wheelbase is the same as the four-door's, the coupe sits two inches lower and stretches two inches less from tip to tail. The best touches are the hidden B-pillar, flush door handles, center-mounted dual exhaust, and a windshield and back glass that are raked at impossibly steep angles.

While the exterior screams excitement, the coupe's mechanicals are what we've come to expect from the CTS, which ain't a bad thing. The standard engine at launch will be General Motors' direct inject 3.6-liter V6 producing 304 hp and 273 pound-feet of torque. Expect 17 mpg city/26 mpg highway when paired with GM's optional Hydra-Matic 6L50 six-speed automatic and 17/25 with the standard Aisin six-speed manual. Both rear- and all-wheel-drive are available, as are two handling packages: a Performance package with 18-inch wheels and a Summer Tire Performance package with 19-inch wheels, summer tires and larger brakes. Cadillac also confirmed that a V-Series variant will be sold sometime 2010.

The 2010 CTS Coupe is being referred to by GM as the focal point of Cadillac going forward, and it certainly anchors an incredibly strong and varied CTS lineup. There are plenty of competitors out there, however, just waiting for the CTS Coupe to throw its first punch, including the incredibly competent BMW 3-Series coupe and Audi A5. From this first look at things, they should brace themselves.



[Source: Cadillac]

Read more →

For the first time ever, Motor Trend announced the winner of its annual Car of the Year award this afternoon live via webcast. Though the field of 23 contenders was highly competitive this year (follow the jump for a complete list), we guessed immediately that the winner was a Ford as soon as the webcast came online. How'd we know? The fact they were broadcasting the announcement from Ford World Headquarters in Detroit was a not-so-subtle clue. The Fusion, Taurus and Mustang were all in the running, but it was Ford's redesigned mid-size sedan, the Fusion, that took home the coveted Golden Calipers.

In retrospect, the choice is a solid one and not all that surprising. The Fusion was extensively reworked for the 2010 model year and features a new exterior design, new models and new powertrains. Ford offers a four-cylinder model, two strong V6 options and a full-on parallel hybrid variant, which means buyers should have no trouble finding a Fusion that fits their needs. And indeed they have, as the Fusion has already broken its own yearly sales record – with two months left to go.

Like MT, we're big fans of the Fusion here at Autoblog, and even have high hopes that one day it could be the domestic car that knocks the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord from atop their perches as the best selling cars in the States. That said, this Ford still has a long way to go. Toyota has sold nearly twice as many Camry models as the Fusion so far this year, and the Accord and Nissan Altima are still flashing their taillights at Ford's CoTY winner. It's not just demand, as Ford doesn't even have the production capacity at the moment to match Camry sales, and it doesn't help that the Mercury Milan siphons off a few potential Fusion customers, as well.

Nevertheless, this is less about what the Fusion could be in the future than what it is today: the 2010 Motor Trend Car of the Year. Congrats to Ford and the Fusion team.





[Source: Motor Trend]

Read more →

Swedespeed has asked the question that anyone who follows Volvo is thinking: Will R cars return? After a tumultuous last couple of years that saw the Swedish brand suffer falling sales amidst parent company Ford's effort to sell the brand to the highest bidder (it's looking like Chinese automaker Geely at the moment), Volvo has gotten as far away from producing performance automobiles as a brand can. All the while, its competition from Germany, Japan and the U.S. have augmented their luxury lines with mid-level or super high-performance cars like the BMW 335i/M3, Audi S4/RS4 and Cadillac CTS-V. Volvo, meanwhile, put all its egg into a basket that touted refined design and safety. Unfortunately, every player in these segments has upped the ante with their designs and superior safety is no longer an island on which Volvo finds itself alone.

So back to the R cars. Volvo had some success with the 850R in the mid-Nineties, which was a mildly hotter version than the standard box sedan on which it was based. After that, the P2-gen S60R and V70R were downright scorchers with a complex Haldex all-wheel-drive system, 300-hp motor, adjustable 4C suspension and Brembo brakes. But then the R cars disappeared and were replaced by "R Design" packages that offered all of the visual potential for high performance but little else.

Swedespeed decided that proper R cars should return with the arrival of the all-new S60, and rather than being blow-the-doors-off quick, should offer mid-level performance like the original 850R did. What you see above is their rendered speculation of a reborn S60R. Click here to read more about it and catch an extra view. We think they're spot on and would love to see Volvo return to building R cars that make us think of more than safety and design when we're behind the wheel.

[Source: Swedespeed]

We've made it to the last day of our SEMA Sweeps! We've given away four limited-edition PSP/Gran Turismo bundles, but we've got one left. Yesterday's winner has been randomly selected and contacted, so here's how you can win today.

We're doing this in honor of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, and with it, the Seventh Annual GT Awards, so take advantage of our generosity and follow the directions below for your chance to win.

For the last prize, we want to know which car you think should be the cover car of Gran Turismo 5. Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG? Corvette ZR1? Something else? This is your last chance to win, so make sure to follow the directions below and enter for your chance to win!

Entering is easy. All you have to do is:

• Leave a comment in this post telling us what vehicle you think should be the cover car of Gran Turismo 5.
• You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the U.S. or Canada (excluding Quebec, désolé!)
• Limit 1 entry per person per day
• This entry period ends at 3:00PM EST on Saturday, November 7
  
• At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive one PSP/GT bundle (ARV $199.99) that includes a Mystic Silver PSP-3000 system, Gran Turismo PSP game on UMD, a PlayStation Network downloadable voucher for a white Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, PlayStation Network downloadable movie voucher (title TBD) and Sony MusicPass voucher good for 10 downloadable songs.
• For a list of complete rules, click here

That's it - it's free and easy. Good luck!