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Chrysler was trying to put on the market the line of the Dodge Viper sports car since last year but the brand did not even receive a bid of $10 million. The highest offer came from Devon Motorworks for $5.5 million which planned to use the Viper DNA for their supercar GTX range.

Before the bankruptcy of Chrysler, it has been said that it received offers for as much as $35 million. These attempts failed and were rejected due to insufficient funding.

Now that Fiat controls Chrysler, the latter has turned over the control of the Dodge Viper business to the Italian car maker. The fate of the super car brand is now in the hands of Fiat which can decide on continuing the Viper brand or declare its flat line.

There is a strong buzz and a high potential of killing the Viper brand since it is a competitor to the Maserati and Ferrari.

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Proton will be engaging in the mass production of electric vehicles under the license of Detroit Electric. These cars will be sold in the markets of US, Europe, and China.

The electric vehicles will be branded under Detroit Electric and will be launched in Asia and in Europe in February 2010. They will be rolling out of the US market three to six months after.

Detroit Electric will be aiming for countries in Europe that excellent tax incentive programs for environment friendly vehicles. They have on their list Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, UK, and France. The EVs will be marketed in China through a local distributor tie-up.

The electric vehicles will be built based on the platform of the hatchback and saloon of Proton but will have styling changes to make them distinct from the range of the Malaysian manufacturer’s vehicles. Proton will also use the technology from the drive system of Detroit Electric and implement them on their own production of vehicles in southeast Asia.

The EVs will be powered by lithium ion battery packs and will not have a petrol system to back them up like the other cars from competing manufacturers. They are set to have a driving distance of 180 kilometers on a single charge.

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The 2009 Tokyo Auto Salon is still a big hit with 600 plus cars on spotlight. The car show also attracted a record high of exhibitors, temporarily brushing off the thought that the auto industry is suffering from the global financial meltdown.

The mix of vehicles is a colorful dash of style and inspiration. The displays were ranging from super tune vehicles, hardcore, odd customized tricycles, and muscle 1000 automobile.

The atmosphere was very encouraging. Tuners were all out in convincing muscle car lovers to do their next engine modifications. Manufacturers were also playing hard and teasing youngsters with imagination-tickling customization of the production cars.

The Nissan 370Z caught the attention of everyone. The manufacturers tuning arm, the Nismo, took advantage of the spotlight and unveiled the S-tune version of the car. The staff revealed that the S-version may reach the shores of the United States. Zele Perfomance won praises with their 370Z version, the Lamborghini-orange.

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Toyota is meeting with GM OnStar head on as it introduces its own telematics systems aptly called Safety Connect and Lexus Enform.

The Japanese car maker showcased the different features during the Consumer Electrics Show in Las Vegas.

The Toyota vehicles will have the Safety Connect which uses GPS and cellular phone signals for help. An operator will call the driver if the airbags of the car deploy or if a severe tail end collision happens. The operator will call 911 in case the driver does not answer and the location of the car will be given.

During cases where the system is not automatically triggered, the occupants of the vehicle can press the SOS button to contact the emergency services. This can also be used if the occupants encounter engine problem on the road and needs help.

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The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is collaborating with the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) to step on the gas of research and development of automated vehicle systems that is also hoped to create jobs and attract business in Michigan.

The tie-up will market the racetrack in Brooklyn, Michigan to developers and manufacturers of connected vehicle innovative technologies. This allows the companies to test their products in a closed and safe environment.

The connected automobile technologies will allow vehicles to “talk” to each other to increase fuel efficiency, promote better mobility, and avoid road mishaps.

Last November the department of transportation of Michigan disclosed plans to use the Telegraph Road along Oakland County as a test line for the automotive technology. Combining this test with the MIS project will create a big laboratory on public and private roads for the automated vehicles.

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The Environmental Protection Agency or EPA gave the new Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Hybrids a fuel rating of 36 mpg on the highway and an excellent 41 mpg on the city.

The figures make these Ford sedans the best of its class in terms of fuel economy. Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids best the hybrid variant of the Toyota Camry by a convincing 2 mpg on city highway driving and 8 mpg while cruising on city streets. According to company officials, the cars also edged the Honda Civic hybrid by 1 mpg on city driving.

The ratings were disclosed after the December testing of the vehicles in its grounds in Allen Park, Michigan.

The new hybrid cars from Ford can go as fast as 47 mph utilizing its pure electric power. It can travel as far as 700 miles if it will use up a single load of its gas tank.

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Amid the backing out of major car manufacturers like Mitsubishi from this year’s Detroit Auto Show, Chinese car makers will get a chance to be on the spotlight at the main floor of the Cobo Center this January.

BYD Auto Company and Brilliance Jinbei will have to themselves around 11000 square foot of exhibition space on the main floor. The space was allotted to Mitsubishi who backed out from the following their plans of cutting down their expenses.

BYD and Brilliance have been participating in the Detroit Auto Show for several years now but have always occupied the Michigan Hall which is the lower level of the Cobo Hall.

BYD and Brilliance are not yet selling cars in the US. The latter is planning to kick off their US campaign in the United States in 2009.

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Ford Mustang and World War II-era fighter planes, two of America’s favorite icons, combined into one powerful sports car—the P-51B Mustang. Patterned after the 2009 Mustang GT bodywork, it is the second military-themed speed machine produced by Roush Performance. Rated at 510 hp and 510 lb-ft of torque, it is by far the most powerful Mustang ever manufactured.

A stock Ford 4.6 liter with a three-valve V8 powerplant received a major revamp by the Roush guys — replacing most of the internal parts with much stronger versions including the aluminum piston with increased dish, lowering the compression ratio. Steel fabricated crankshaft and connecting rods were added, with the output reinforced by a Roush supercharger. An improved high-capacity fuel-delivery system and an upgraded clutch were also added. Roush equipped it with its Stage 3T suspension for better cornering and handling. As for the external parts, it features a six-piece aero body kit that suggests the various metals used on the WWII fighter planes. The checkerboard design pays homage to the pilots of the 357th Fighters Group, Eighth Air Force.

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2006 was a good year for the Ford Fusion family sedan, bagging several awards for quality and beating the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in the reliability index released by Consumer Reports. However, the Ford Fusion has yet to win the North American Car of the Year award, because it was previously given to the Saturn Aura in the same year that Ford launched the Fusion. Ford also needs to revamp Fusion if they want to be a worthy player in the market for mid-size sedan vehicles.

In 2009, the Ford Fusion is due to have its mid-term facelift, after which it will be re-launched into the market as a 2010 model. J.D. Shanahan, the one in charge of model production, knows that it’s going to take more than just minor sheet metal changes and hardware upgrades if Ford wants Fusion to get back on top of the game. Shanahan says that even though Fusion beat Accord and Camry in 2006, they stilll have a lot of model upgrading and redesigning to do because Toyota and Honda will also be coming out with mid-term updates on their own models.

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