2008 Chevy Impala 50th Anniversary Edition coming to Detroit

The Chevy Impala is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion the Bowtie division is offering up a badge-and-trim special edition. What you have here is the garden-variety Impala LT, upgraded for anniversary-edition duty with an FE3 sport suspension, 18-inch alloys, commemorative "50th" Impala badges and a rear spoiler. Inside, the seats are leather and two-toned, with eight-way adjustability for the driver and anniversary embroidery on the headrests. Other edition-specific features include a multifunction steering wheel wrapped in contrast-stitched leather, slightly fancier floormats, and doorsill plates sporting the anniversary logo.

Tags: Saturn SW Parts, Sedans/Saloons, Chevrolet, GM.

BMW X6 to debut at Detroit

BMW's big Detroit debut will be the production X6 Sports Activity Coupe (unsurprisingly, BMW avoids the somewhat unbecoming "SAC" acronym), which will be arriving in US showrooms sometime during the second quarter of 2008. When it does, buyers get two flavors to choose from. The xDrive50i is powered by a new twin-turbo, direct-injected 4.4L V8 pumping out 400-horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque. The xDrive35i, meanwhile, gets the automaker's acclaimed 300-hp TT inline six-cylinder. Dynamic Performance Control is a standard feature that can direct torque to either rear wheel, further aiding steering in both dry weather and sloppier conditions. Design-wise, the production X6 looks pretty much just like the hybrid-equipped concept version we saw earlier this year.

Tags: Saturn SL Parts, SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW.

Production version of the BMW X6

When the BMW X6 concept was revealed in Frankfurt in September, we had mixed reactions to its oversized hatchback proportions. BMW made no bones about the fact that the sleek CUV was close to its production reality, and after seeing the motion pictures on YouTube, we tend to believe them. Video of the freshly-unveiled X6 in production trim is sitting out there for everyone to see, and from what we can tell, it's almost a dead-ringer to its Frankfurt forefather. As the scribes over at Carscoop pointed out, the b and c-pillars are now predictably visible, the side view mirrors are now larger, and the tail pipes have been modified.

Tags: saturn parts, Frankfurt Auto Show, Videos, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW.

New shot of 2008 Dodge Challenger found

Are we that hard up for news on the 2008 Dodge Challenger that we'll do a post on one measly new photo of a part of the car we've already seen? Uh, yeah, in fact we are, so credit Autoblog reader Glenn who found this new shot on Dodge's website for the Challenger. It's slid in there with the rest ofo the teaser shots we've seen and shows the same grille we've seen before but from another angle. In fact, from this perspective it appears that the housing for the headlights is silver rather than black, but it could just as easily be crappy lighting messing with our heads. Check out the actual shape of the headlights, though, that give the impression they're peering out from beneath the hood even though they're not.

Tags: Pontiac Trans Sport Van Parts, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chrysler, Dodge

Nissan releases another new interior sketch of Forum Concept

We bring you the third sketch of the Forum Concept to be officially released by Nissan ahead of the vehicle's debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. As we've reported previously, the Forum is a futuristic people mover that may or may not contain styling cues destined for production. It could forecast a replacement for the Nissan Quest minivan, or it could herald an altogether new vehicle, or it could be a designer's flight of fancy. Regardless, this is the second interior sketch released by Nissan, this time showing a pretty neat trick: the second row bench, the entire second-row bench, can swivel 90-degrees either way or 180-degress to face the third-row seats. Sure, you don't get the center aisle that two captains chairs would provide, but getting in the way back seats should be a lot easier with second-row turned 90-degrees. Nissan calls it "Turntable Seating", a name that sounds warmed over by marketing types, which is evidence enough that it's being considered for production.

Tags: pontiac safari wagon parts, Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Minivans/MPVs. Crossovers/CUVs, Nissan

Nissan FORUM Concept

Next month in Detroit, Nissan will show the world the FORUM, a minivan design study that probably hints at styling cues and features being considered for whatever's destined to replace the Quest. After reading Nissan's hyperbolic press release (it's pasted after the jump), one might think the FORUM is single-handedly capable of restoring the American nuclear family dynamic through its feature set alone. Seriously, there's a line in there that calls the vehicle a "unique family 'togetherness' space." I have one of those, too: it's called a house.

Tags: Westin X-treme Brush Guard, Concept Cars, Minivans/MPVs, Nissan.

Toyota Venza Crossover Sedan coming to NAIAS

Toyota's presence at the Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS) will be punctuated by what the automaker is calling a "crossover sedan" that incorporates elements of both a sedan and an SUV. The U.S.-designed and engineered 2009 Toyota Venza will seat five and be built alongside the Camry, Avalon and Solara at ToMoCo's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. That pretty much means it's a go for production despite never having been glimpsed by the public.

Tags: Weiand Action Plus Series Intake Manifold, Crossovers/CUVs, Toyota

The Heart of the King, the LS9 is born!

Every great king needs a great heart. Given the competition out there, if a car intends to claim the mantle of "King of the Hill", it better have a mighty heart. We haven't driven the new Corvette ZR1 yet, but based on what we know so far of its heart, it can surely make a plausible claim to the throne. Beating in the engine compartment of every ZR1 will be the most powerful series production edition of the Chevrolet small block V-8 ever created.
While the new LS9 shares the important dimensional characteristics that define the small block, that being the 4.4-inch bore spacing and the cam-shaft embedded in the valley between the two banks of four cylinders, it is in essence a new engine.

Tags: Weathertech Advantage Luxury Floor Mats, Tech, Supercars, Chevrolet, GM

The King is back atop the hill - 2009 Corvette ZR1

The King of the Hill has returned! The new Corvette that has been variously known as the "Blue Devil" and SS for at least the past five years has now been officially designated as the ZR1. The new monster from Bowling Green has revived the ZR1 designation for the first time since the C4-based original faded away in 1995. Stories and spy photos of this mythical machine have been circulating the web and print media since well before the current C6 generation Corvette debuted in 2005.
The program has reportedly been killed and revived several times, but it is now very much alive and we have all the details of the fastest, most expensive production 'Vette of all time. Given the recent developments with fuel economy regulations (35 mpg fleet average by 2020) this new King may well turn out to be last and greatest member of this blood-line.

Tags: Weapon R Dragon Short Ram Intake, Supercars, Chevrolet

Something "stunning" coming from Audi

Following our report last month, Audi has confirmed it will be showing two new cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month. Although Audi is mute on what those two cars will be, one is reportedly a "stunning" new concept car; the second being a new production model making its worldwide debut.

We previously speculated that Audi could be showing the production TT-S, although the next new model expected to come down the pipeline from Audi is a facelifted version of the A3 hatchback, which makes it a strong candidate to fill that slot at Audi's Detroit stand. The A3 has run the longest in the line-up since introduction or refresh, followed by the A8 luxury sedan.

Tags: Warn Trans4mer Brush Guard, Detroit Auto Show, Audi