All Kind Automotive

Adding to Japanese automakers woes are the numerous recalls and the bad publicity brought about by the sudden unintended acceleration debacle in 2009 and 2010, both of which have hurt the brand’s image for reliability.

Meanwhile, a post-bankruptcy GM has gone from strength to strength. Better products – including the likes of the Buick Lacrosse and Chevy Cruze and Equinox models – are helping bring GM into the second decade of the 21st century. Toyota, meanwhile, is struggling to maintain sales with an ageing range of vehicles, bad PR and diminished production capacity.

Since both cars are fitted as standard with electronic stability control systems, they also qualified as winners of Top Safety Pick, the Institute's award for state-of-the-art crash protection.

The new version features GM’s eAssist “light electrification” technology, which is the company’s way of saying it is a micro-hybrid car. The eAssist uses a lithium-ion battery and an electric motor-generator to enable regenerative braking electric assist and start-stop functionality.

Starting from the engine range, GM revealed at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show that the new Malibu will be offered with 10 different 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder units that run on gasoline, diesel or LPG fuel and will be linked to manual and automatic transmissions, depending on the market.

In China, GM said the new mid-size Chevy will be available at launch with two naturally-aspirated gasoline engine options, a 2.0-liter and a 2.4-liter, both linked to a 6-speed automatic transmission. The US automaker added that international versions of the Malibu will also get a 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline unit, details of which will be released at a later date.

What’s important about this generation of the Malibu is that Chevy’s mid-size saloon will become a global player, as GM plans to sell the car in nearly 100 countries across the world and build it in multiple locations, including China. The North American version will be manufactured at the Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, and at the Hamtramck factory in Detroit.

Redesigned from the ground up, the new Malibu sports a new exterior styling with lines and curves inspired from Chevy’s most recent models such as the Cruze up front and even the Camaro at the back with the LED dual-element taillamps.

“The exterior design of the all-new Malibu carries DNA from its sister vehicles, the Camaro and Corvette, to bring a sporty sensibility to the family sedan segment,” said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director for GM exterior design.

For the new Sonic, which replaces the Aveo in the States, the Z-Spec range will initially focus on cosmetic improvements.

Available bits will include a full bodykit comprising of front and rear aprons, rocker panel extensions and a silver exhaust tip, contrasting mirror caps and roof spoiler, contrasting upper and lower grille surrounds and a body graphics package like the one you see here.

Weber will be in control of EfficientDynamics (the green stuff), driver safety/assistance tech, and "full vehicle concepts and architecture", as well as bringing a whole bunch of electrical wizardry and know-how to BMW's nascent electric future.

With its forward raked and blacked out rump, sculptured flanks and shark-like nose, the Anandi incorporates Corvette styling cues both past and present. Think of it as a modern day interpretation of the Stingray of the 1960s. And what a better place to present it than in Monaco which has a reputation for offering the most exclusive and exotic goods and services to the uber-rich.

The car sports an aero kit comprising of a front spoiler lip, side skirts and a redesigned rear bumper that features a large air diffuser. The huge 22-inch black alloy wheels as well as the black central stripe and the black racing numbers on the doors contrast with the green paint job. On top of the rear fenders, the Geiger Camaro sports a “Supercharged” logo, which hints at how the engineers managed to increase the output of the 6.2-liter V8 engine.

The revised engine is 20.5 pounds (9.3 kg) lighter and benefits from a thorough rework, including new cylinder head design, larger intake valves, new fuel pump and optimized-flow fuel injectors, among other changes.

2012MY Camaro SS coupes will be available with a new FE4 sport suspension, which improves handling. “We applied lessons learned from extensive track testing to better refine the suspension geometry for flatter cornering, a more neutral balance during hard turns, and minimized understeer at the limit,” says Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer.