2015 Buick Riviera?

Recently it was discovered that Gm had patented the Riviera Moniker for use on an automobile, this news came right after GM had patented the SS nameplate for the new Sport Sedan, now naturally this was exciting information for the automotive community, as the Riviera is sorely missed. The 1963 Riviera was designed by GM styling legend Bill Mitchell who hoped to create “a cross between a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce” now obviously this is no longer possible because of café standards and Buick’s mid level Luxury positioning, but Buick’s Lineup, not unlike its upscale stable mate Cadillac’s, has the glaring omission of a proper flagship. Follow the jump to learn more about the future Riv' and see a mock up that the production model may be based on. CLICK READ MORE

2013 Opel Adam?

For quite a while it has been common knowledge that GM’s Opel Division has been working on a premium Fiat 500 fighter to slot below the Corsa, which possibly replace the Suzuki sourced Agila. Speculation as to the baby Opel’s name has been crazy; it has been referred to as TRIXX (after the 2004 Concept), Allegra, and Junior, which is the car’s internal code name. Opel has officially confirmed via a comic strip on their FaceBook page that Junior is not the car’s real name. 
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Mystery Voltec Mule

Earlier today spy photographers just Outside GM’s Proving Grounds captured photos of an absolutely ridiculous looking Volt sporting 20” rims wrapped in custom rubber. The natural response to the car is “What were they thinking!?” but then after you see that all important blue “M” on the plate you realize there is more to this car than meets the eye.

So if this is a Mule what is it for, well we don’t really know, but the most likely guess is the Cadillac ELR, the ELR is the upcoming production version of the infamous ConverJ concept. Because it is a Cadillac Larger wheels are a given, and this “Volt” seems to have the same slightly elevated ride Height rear end as the production intent ELR, but that could just be a visual trick. If this is the ELR don’t expect to see these wheels on the production version, the ELR will most likely get specifically made wheels the same size as these, but with a unique design.

So, What Else Could it be? Well there is a Voltec Buick on the way, but it’s expected to be a crossover, although you never know, this could end up wearing a tri-Shield Badge. Another Possibility is that this is just a mule for Voltec 1.5, which is set to debut soon, but I Can’t see Chevrolet adding 20” wheels to the updated Volt. 

So with all things considered, it’s most likely the Cadillac, but it could be a host of other things as well, let me know in the Comments what you think it is, and Head over to Autoblog to see the rest of the Photos: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/03/22/is-this-dub-rockin-chevrolet-volt-actually-a-cadillac-converj-i/#aol-comments

Sibling Rivalry: Ampera Vs. Volt

Thingsare looking up for the 2012 European Car of the year, Despite Delays theChevrolet Volt’s Sister Car the Opel Ampera is selling pretty well, themajority of current owners have traded in higher end cars like BMWs, Audis andBenzes, and this year’s Ampera orders have already come very close the numberof Volts sold in America last year, with over 7,000. And with 8 months left inthe year it seems very likely that the Ampera will at least meet the new salesgoal of 10,000 units. This could be because Europeans are more open to the Ideaof an electric car, but I think styling could play a bigger factor in thesales. The Volt and the Ampera are somewhat pricey, and rightfully so, they areboth engineering masterpieces, but the Ampera’s styling is considerably bolder,a further departure from the ICE cars, which is a very good thing in myopinion, because the people with money to spare who are looking into, say anAudi, might find the bolder look more appealing and may be more inclined topurchase an Ampera, than say a Volt, because it has the distinctive look of a car that doesn’t use gasoline. So bring on the ELR!

Just thought I’d put thatout there, It could also be that they don’t have politicians attacking it, anddestroying their own industry, but Volt sales here are slowly picking up aswell, what do you all think? Let me know in the comments.

2013 Opel Astra MCE

Recent spy shots have given us a strong hint as to what Opel has in store for us in the upcoming Astra refresh.

The Astra will get a new Corsa inspires front fascia with a larger smile, new projector style foglamps sporting chrome accents, a new grille with a slimmer chrome bar that curls up at each end. The bumper itself is much less defined, and while it looks a great deal more like the Corsa, which I think is a very smart looking subcompact, I think I actually prefer the old Astra’s muscular creases.
The new rear bumper actually looks less like the Corsa, the license plate cove is redesigned to have more harmony with the lower bodywork, and a chrome spear has been affixed to the body crease.
You don’t really notice these changes until the cars are next to eachother, and it really doesn’t make too much of a difference to me anyway. If it ever does come to the US the front end at least would most likely be completely redesigned, which brings me to the same rant I give every time I talk about the Astra, Dear GM let us buy this car! You already build a version in China, the Buick Excelle Xt, and we have the Astra’s Sedan Counterpart here already, and sales of the Verano have been great so why not capitalize on that and add variants, I would love to be able to buy one of these, give Buick a competitor to the high end golfs GTIs, it makes perfect sense, yet we still can’t get it here. Head over to World Car Fans to see the Photos!
http://www.worldcarfans.com/112031942525/2013-opel-astra-facelift-spied-undisguised/photos