Filed under: Green, Marketing/Advertising, GM

Well, that breakup didn’t last long. It seems that GM is looking to get back together even before it parted ways with Big Oil. We wonder, however, just how apt Big Oil will be to take GM back. Remember, it was just the other day that the General decided to bolster its green credentials by announcing the split would take place in an upcoming TV commercial. According to GM spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato, though, GM’s marketing department is still tweaking the television spot, and might choose not to run it at all. The commercial was expected to air this weekend and possibly appear afterwards on Discovery’s newly launched eco-friendly channel, Planet Green.

Perhaps GM’s corporate marketing Director Katherine Benoit didn’t realize how big of a story this would turn out to be. The Chevy Volt is still a few years away and GM’s going to need to sell more SUVs until then, so perhaps the Dear John letter was a wee bit premature.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req’d]

Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Videos, Dodge, Celebrities

Click above to view video after the jump

A couple of weeks ago we showed you some pics of Jay Leno’s new Challenger SRT8. A tipster had taken some pics of Jay’s car appearing outside his Tonight Show studio at the NBC lot in Burbank. We added a bit of additional info via the interwebs that told us Jay had purchased the car the day before and that it was the very first Challenger delivered in California. Now we have a full video of Jay taking delivery of the car from the Leno’s Garage website that’s posted after the jump.

Follow Jay as he drives his ‘70 Challenger Hemi over to Valley Dodge in Van Nuys to pick it up. There Jay gets a walkaround of the new version from Dodge Brand Director, Michael Accavitti. Next Leno takes the car home, giving us some insight into the car’s driving dynamics along the way. He seems impressed with the car’s build quality and good road manners compared to the original. Finally, we see a bit of Jay hinting at what’s in store for this new car. Follow the jump to see the embedded video and head on over to Jay Leno’s Garage for even more info about Jay’s car collection. Thanks for the tip, MajorGeek!

[Source: Jay Leno’s Garage]

Continue reading VIDEO: Leno takes delivery of Challenger number 4

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Driving

When is a speed bump not a speed bump? When it’s a faux traffic calming device merely painted on the road. Philadelphia is trotting out “Drive CarePhilly,” a program that simultaneously gets a raspberry for its name and its execution. The aim of the effort is to slow down speeding drivers, and one technique involves a tromp l’oeil ruse to make drivers go “What the heck is that?” and slow down. Philadelphia’s traffic manager Charles Denny apparently thinks the plastic material laid down at some intersections looks like a hump in the roadway; whatever you say, chief. While not convincing as a speed bump, the appliques definitely catch attention, and might work briefly until drivers on their regular route get wise. Our low opinion of this boondoggle is shared by sharp-witted Fark commenters, who offer alternate scenarios on this program’s success. It’s good that they’re trying something, though, even if we’ve added heat instead of light to the discussion. Thanks for the tip, Scott!

[Source KYW 1060]

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

Someone really wanted diesel fuel. They wanted it so badly that they took 4,000 gallons from a LA-area station. Just like that. People are getting desperate, but there is always hope. Yesterday, for example, there was good news from Mitsubishi about electric car plans and from Lotus about new projects. And, dare we hope, a little bit of sense from Zap?

• OK, now what: thieves make off with 4,000 gallons of diesel from LA-area station
• ZAP Alias prototype built; the Obvio disappears
• Mitsubishi’s electric car plans revealed
• Honda to revive the Insight name for new hybrid?
• Mercedes launches C-Class Blue Efficiency
• Ford SUV assembly plant workers get 9-week unplanned vacation
• Australian gov’t to help GM, Ford fix fuel economy of large cars
• Hyundai Elantra Hybrid set for 2009 in Korea with no help from gov’t
• Kia adds Eco Driving System to Optima sedan
• Lotus picks up two more green car projects
• Chrysler prices new Aspen/Durango two-mode hybrids, starting at $45,340
• Heavy duty (really heavy duty) electric truck in use at LA port
• Neste oil to build $1 billion biodiesel plant in Rotterdam, Holland
• A two seat unicycle?Toyota UK’s offices go green in June
• Officially, official: Mitusbishi and PSA’s electric vehicle partnership
• High speed trains are killing airplanes
• Bosch and Samsung to team up on battery development
• Dodge Hornet likely to be built by Nissan
• The Lancia Delta reappears

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Supercars, Acura

click above to high-res gallery of Acura NSX spy shots

The spy shots we showed you earlier of an Acura NSX prototype on the street were taken in Germany near the famed Nurburgring test track. Of course, any prototype driving around the ‘Ring will eventually be driving on the ‘Ring, and so it was today for Acura’s future supercar. KGP photographers snapped the NSX prototype being driven hard around the Green Hell, so much so that the car’s left-front wheel catches air at one point during hard cornering. There are many more angles and views of the next NSX in our gallery below that should allow you to see the car’s form through its heavy camo paint even better.

[Source: KGP Photography]

Continue reading Spy Shots: Acura NSX prototype lifts wheel at the ‘Ring