What next for Pontiac and Saab?

With Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, and Cadillac named as GM's "core" North American brands, the Internet is rampant with all sorts of speculation about what General Motors plans to do with its "Excitement Division." Fact is, GM isn't there, yet. GM can't develop a plan until its finances are certain enough to take all its projects from being on hold, and then it has future corporate average fuel economy standards to consider. However, GM has said Pontiac is to become a "specialty" brand, while Saturn and Saab are under strategic review and Hummer is up for sale.

For Pontiac, short-term "specialization" will likely mean completing the G8's five-year cycle. The Pontiac Solstice would continue past 2012.

If GM doesn't cancel its Alpha small rear-drive program for a BMW 3 Series-size Cadillac, that platform could support a second-generation Solstice. GM's hope would be to make the Solstice a "world" sports car, like the Mazda Miata, and kind of like the Chevrolet Corvette. If there is a second generation, though, the Solstice is likely to continue in Europe as the Opel GT. This fits in nicely with plans we revealed last month for GM to combine Opel and Buick design.The G6 is older than the Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura, and its replacement has been put on hold. It's Pontiac's volume car, so simply dropping it from the lineup makes Pontiac a "specialty" brand by definition. Vibe probably has another four years to its lifecycle.

Longer term, Pontiac will need sporty cars on small, lightweight platforms for fuel-efficiency if it's to remain viable. Consider a version of the Chevy Volt with a handling package, a coupe built on the Cruze platform and with more turbo boost, a U.S.-built car off the Delta platform or the Mini-fighter, still apparently in need of a division, that was spotted in late 2007 on GM's drawing boards. Better to update the brand with cars like these.

If GM defines Pontiac's "specialty" as baby-boomer-oriented cars like the G8, the division won't last much longer than that car's lifecycle.

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Meanwhile, at Saab, work continues on new product.

The Swedish government has pledged $3.4 billion in credit guarantees and loans to Saab and Volvo, which are for sale by General Motors and Ford Motor, respectively.

So what about Saab's version of the new Cadillac SRX unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January? It's on the way, says Steve Shannon, Saab's executive director in the U.S. Launch cadence is four or five months behind the Caddy's, which means a late 2009 on-sale date and no plans for a U.S. auto show debut.

And Shannon says Saab continues work on a new version of its 9-5 flagship. "It's about a year-ish away," he says.

2010 Ford Taurus

While the spotlight at this year's North American International Auto Show may be shining on an assortment of futuristic hybrids and battery cars, the Detroit Three are putting their real bets down on a trio of relatively conventional sedans that could help determine the fate of Detroit's troubled manufacturers.

Between them, the 2010 Ford Taurus, Chrysler 300 and Buick LaCrosse could redefine the domestic passenger car. But they could also blur the line between mainstream and luxury products, as each is equipped with the sort of advanced technology normally reserved for significantly more expensive products.

When the Taurus hits showrooms, mid-year, it might evoke a sense of deja vu, for when the original car bearing that name debuted, in 1986, it was arguably one of the most important cars for Ford since the legendary Model T. The automaker was in a financial crisis as challenging as the one it faces today, and the failure of that first Taurus might have capsized the company, according to analyst Joe Phillippi, of AutoTrends Consulting.

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The '86 was a major success, outselling even such vaunted imports as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. But over the coming years, Ford seemed to lose interest in its midsize mainstay, and by the beginning of this decade, the bulk of production was earmarked for rental and corporate fleets. Ford finally pulled Taurus from production, then brought the nameplate back on a rebadged version of the unloved Five Hundred.

Now, the company hopes to match the excitement of the original, and with the 2010 sedan, "You wouldn't be stretching the point to call it a make-it-or-break-it car," all over again, said Phillippi.

Unlike the most recent car to bear the Taurus name, the new model is visually dynamic, and it's loaded with an assortment of high-tech features -- from radar-guided cruise control to an automatic parking system -- one might otherwise expect on high-line products like the latest BMW 7-Series.

"We came to the conclusion that being good wasn't good enough," explained Mark Fields, Ford's President of the Americas.

dNaNo - USB R/C Micro Cars by Kyosho

The Japanese R/C model car company KYOSHO is about to release the dNaNo series in USA and Europe. These micro cars are super realistic 1:43 scale replicas and they’ve got the same level of details as the Die-cast models do.

What makes dNaNo really outstanding, beside its impressive performance, is the USB compatible control unit. It allows the user to setup the car via the Kyosho web server.

By registering the car and entering the special circuit, the dedicated ID
assigned to the IC tag on each car during production links to the circuit and
starts measuring lap times. While displaying your data on the circuit display,
all circuits are networked to the dNaNo Server, which automatically gets updated
with your lap times.
You can access this webpage from your PC. This amazing
system made possible with the dNaNo provides you with a deeper involvement with
your racing machine and its performance, bringing you closer to the racing
experience than ever before.

Head on over to the kyosho.com and dnanoshop.com websites for prices and more information about the dNaNo USB R/C micro cars from Kyosho.

Car-Shaped USB Hub

Fans of car-shaped USB mice, flash drives and card readers can now expand their collections with a 4-port USB (1.1 only) hub inspired by the classic Beetle.


Beetle Car USB 4-port Hub allows users to connect USB devices via its wheels. Users also can put their name cards or mobile phone on the stand.

Product Specifications:

4 ports hub
USB 1.1
LED head lights
Name card holder / Mobile phone holder
Plug and play
Size: 148*82*60mm
Weight: 95g

The Beetle Car USB 4-port Hub is yours for $12.50 from the gadget4all.com website.