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Show Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon/Tue. Dec. 31, 2004 - Jan. 5, 2005 C-21 The Park Record See some red. Save some green. Chevy Silverado NEWS, TRENDS AND GOSSIP S S S Hot off the press Hot off the press • Luxury buyers, get ready to open your • So, maybe the Volkswagen Microbus w a l l e t s : The Sleulh has heard that General Motors is very interested in building a production version of the Cadillac Sixteen concept car n showed at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. Apparently. GM vice Chairman Bob Lutz thinks there's a place for a limited-edition - j , , , ~,.. . Cadillac sedan Cadillac S xteen concept car . , . .. v priced at more than S100.000. It would be a vehicle that wouid/might/could sell about 1,000 units per year. It definitely wouldn't be a vehicle in the $300,000 range. Maybachs and Rolls-Royces just aren't pulling their weight these days. • Speaking of luxury, the Sleuth has also learned that Lexus would love lo play in the ultra-luxury arena and might have a candidate that costs more than $100,000 within three years. i s n ' t d e a d j u s t y e t : Less than a year after saying it was canceling its minivan project, VW has another new one on the way, The Sleuth hears that VW will fill two spots in its vehicle lineup in the near future, adding a minivan and a small sportutility vehicle. Both models , , are being developed right J u s t o n e " I c r o b u s concept. now. The Sleuth hears that VW Chairman Bernd Pischetsrleder told dealers that VW will offer a sport-utility vehicle based on the Golf in the second half of 2006. A minivan will follow after that. • Hot. Hot. Hot. The Sleuth has learned (hat demand for the new Chrysler 300 and Dodge Magnum is so high, that the Chrysler group will add a third shift at its Brampton, Ontano plant in Canada. That's good news for those who , n h i h d e m a n d . C h , e r 3 0 0 3 [nought the 300 might |ust wind up being a limited-production vehicle with appeal to match. There s definitely life at Chrysler after all. • Hydrogen, anyone? Sources close to the Sleuth have indicated that Mazda will begm leasing an RX-8 that runs on both hydrogen and gasoline. The first few leases of the sports car wili begin within two years on research vehicles that will go to government and corporate fleets, initially. Mazda will lease all of the cars in Japan with the idea that they could eventually come to North A h y d r o g e n - p o w G r G d RX-8? Amenca. The Sleuth has. . , , . , ::also learned Mazda will show a version of the vehicle at the Tokyo Motor Show in November ol next year. The car has two fuel tanks, plus hydrogen leak sensors in the cabin and engine compartment. • Speaking of hydrogen, the Terminator has a new ride. The Sleuth has learned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and General Motors have gotten together on a hydrogen-powered Hummer. GM has custom built an H2 model to run on hydrogen that the governor will use to occasionally to commute to work California will also put a hydrogenfueling station in Tr)is n e w place at Los H3 will b e f o l l o w e d b y Angeles a n even s m a l l e r H4. International Airport, although it won't open tc average drivers for another five to 10 years Speaking of Hummer, the Sleuth has learned some hot stuff about the future of the brand. Hummer is entertaining the idea of adding an H4 to the lineup, a vehicle lhat could arnve at about the size of a Jeep Wrangler. Hummer also wants to add a pickup bed to the back of the H3, the new, smaller vanation of the H2. And Hummer wants lo add more dlesel engines to all Hummer vehicles- In all. the Sleulh has discovered lhat Hummer wants to double its North American sales within two years. Ambitious plans for an aggressive line, indeed. • Saturn memories: Remember the series of commercials that featured teary-eyed first-time Saturn owners receiving the keys to their new cars? Well, they're back- Saturn tells the the Sleuth that it will rerun some of those familiar commercials lhat used to highlight its owners and their experiences with their brand-spankingnew Saturn(s), Saturn will call the ads "People First," an attempt to A hydrogen-powered RX-8? return to its roots, something the General Motors division feels it needs as it tries to put a larger dent in the industry • Is the world getting smaller, or what? The Sleuth has learned that General Motors is considering bringing a Koreanbuilt minicar concept, called the M3X, to North America as a competitor to DaimlerChrysler's Smart cars. The Smart smallcar brand is scheduled to completely hit North America in 2006. Smart cars are already for sale in Canada. The M3X It's as s m a r t as It l o o k s . was unveiled as a concept car In Paris, but will go into production next spring as a Chevrolet in Europe. Apparently GM sees big hopes for small cars, perhaps inspired by S50-plus a barrel for oil. • So much for show-and-tell. The Sleuth hears that BMW is pressing charges against unknown individuals responsible for taking internal pictures and sharing technical data with Auto Motor and Sport, a German motoring magazine. The snaps and information showed revealed BMW's new multipurpose vehicle, which was planned to debut in 2008. Information on the next 7-serles sedan and a convertible 3-serles was also shown. • SS-wow. The Sleulh hears that Chevrolet is unveiling an SSR Dlamondback edition at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Chevy still h a s b i g plans Las Vegas, Nev,. It will feature f o r the SSR. a carbon-fiber fixed roof and a supercnargea b.u-iner, ow-norsepower V8 engine. • Ford Motor Company plans to really dive into fuel cells: The Sleuth has received word that Ford will build a new center for fuel-cell development as part of an $820-million upgrade at its Toronto-area assembly operations. Ford should announce the move soon. The research center will develop a patented electricity-generation system. U p , K i a i n E u r o p e : Kia - yes. Kla - is hot Well, at least in Europe, anyway. The popularity of Kia's Plcanto mini car and Cerato compact has helped sales improve by 30 per cent this year. In September. Kia was up 62 per cent over the previous period last year. It's a bil of a continued renaissance for an Asian corrjpany that was once left for dead, even if success around the world is somewhat spotty. # D o w n , B M W ' S i - D r i v e : Perhaps tired of hearing its buyers complain about the I-Drive, BMW will make that fealure an option, and not standard equipment, on the upcoming redesigned 3Series. Can we hear an amen? The multi-function, central-command system lhat works like a joystick on the center console of most high-end BMWs has never been simple to use and BMW is finally responding to pressure, The new iDnve will also be i-Drive will be simpler to use, with fewer maneuvers optional on the and complex movements. new 3-Series. Been sleuthing around yourself? Got a hot automotive tip for The Sleuth? You can email him by logging on to www.wheelbase.ws/mailbaq.hlml. V r 1 n n o S a f e & s ° u . nd fKJKJKJ package discount Total Value with GMAC financing* 6,000 '04 Closeout - Huge Discounts! Up to 72 mos. only 13 Left! 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Certairr vehicles qualify: BMW OF MURRAY PRE-OWNED b m wof m urray.com BMWX5 2004 BMW 325XiTA Wagon Loaded, Low Miles $33,999 2001 Jaguar XR3 Convertible Very, Very Low Miles, Like New Call Market indicators Up, Chrysler profits: Chrysler's recovery Market indicators Power 1I \J\J\J CiCid LPackage ' 9 ^ D u t vdiscount f BI • You don't have the Pontiac Aztek to kick around anymore: Sources have revealed to the Sleuth that General Motors will replace the low-selling Aztek with a new small sport-utility vehicle, called the Torrent, that will hit showrooms next fall. The first public showing of the vehicle, which is based on the Despite its merits the Aztek Is a slow seller. Chevrolet Equinox, will take place at the Los Angetes Auto Show in January. • And, finally, Ford Is headed to China: Ford will begin exporting its Maverick sport-utilIty vehicle to China under an agreement between Beijing and Washington. The SUVs will be built in Kansas City, Mo., and will be priced at 288,000 yaun, Ford Maverick. or about US $35,000. The Maverick was introduced in China in 2003 and was previously sourced from Taiwan and sold for much more money. 4 , 0 0 0 T o t a l Cash Back received another boost after the company reported a fifth consecutive quarterly profit on strong demand for new models. Chrysler's crosstown rivals, Ford and GM, both reported auto losses during the quarter. The Chrysler Heml engine is The Hemi is partly hot. So is the 300 and the responsible for a Magnum. * surge at Chrysler. Down, Ford Five Hundred: The Sleuth hears that the folks at Ford can't stop talking about the design of the Chrysler 300 and actually want to mimic it in future models. Meanwhile, all the car books are going crazy over Is the Five Hundred living what the critics term "bland design" of the Five Hundred In Chrysler's shadow? sedan. It's a huge investment for Ford.Hopefully it pays off. 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