Chevrolet: Camaro Ss on 2040-cars

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Before Chevrolet's Redline, there was the Saturn Red Line

While Chevy rolls out Redline special editions across more of the lineup at this year's Chicago Auto Show, we've been eating some 'member berries and started thinking about the last time GM used the term. Back in 2004, Saturn rolled out Red Line (two words) editions of the Ion and Vue. The lineup was joined by the Sky Red Line in 2007, and the second-generation Vue kept the tradition going in 2008. This was in the heady days of the mid-2000s, before the financial crisis and GM's bankruptcy reorganization that saw the end of Saturn. The press release headline for the 2008 Sky is now cringe-worthy: "Hot-selling Sky helps drive Saturn product renaissance." Performance lineups were the hot new thing, as automakers attempted to cash in on the tuner trend popularized by The Fast and the Furious. Chevy had SS models, Pontiac had GXP, and Saturn had Red Line. Across the Detroit Metro area, Dodge had a slew of SRT models, and Ford's Special Vehicle Team brought us the SVT Lightning pickup, the SVT Focus, and a smattering of hopped-up Mustangs. The performance cred of Red Line models varied from car to car. The Ion Red Line shared the same engine as the original Chevy Cobalt SS, a 205-horsepower supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, 65 hp more than stock. Car and Driver tested one with a 0-to-60-mph time of 6.1 seconds and said the Ion "tears down the wall that has separated enthusiasts from the Saturn brand for so long." The Vue Red Line, meanwhile, came with the same optional Honda-sourced 3.5-liter V6 you could get in the regular Vue, and added a stiffer, lower suspension, bigger wheels with more aggressive rubber, and recalibrated steering assist. When the Vue was redesigned for the 2008 model year, the Vue Red Line was a similar proposition. The engine was now from GM, and up 7 horsepower to 257, but you could get it in both Red Line and XE trim. Aside from the tire and suspension upgrades, Red Line models now came with a unique front fascia and rear exhaust cutouts. The most exciting Red Line, of course, was the high-performance version of the Sky roadster, which shared underpinnings with its Pontiac Solstice twin. This model came with GM's hot 2.0-liter Ecotec Turbo, good for 260 horsepower. The extra power was crucial in covering up the Sky's unfortunate manual gearbox ratios, which left the non-turbo model aching for torque in lower gears. As we all know, Saturn was taken by the grim reaper in 2009 after an attempt to sell the brand to the Penske Group.

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee head for auction

This month at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, AZ, the customized 1992 Peterbilt 379 of Optimus Prime from the Transformers series and director Michael Bay's own 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Bumblebee will cross the block. The company will sell both with no reserve, and they'll come with letters of authenticity. This specific Bumblebee is the mean-looking restomod from Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth installment in the franchise, and Bay apparently liked it enough to hang onto the aggressive coupe after filming. He even autographed the car for this sale. The Camaro would make a great star in a Hollywood chase scene with its LS3 V8, six-speed manual gearbox, Wilwood brakes, and custom suspension. Bumblebee also wears a menacing satin black body with yellow accents and custom carbon fiber fender flares. Optimus Prime's Peterbilt appeared on-screen in the first three Transformers films, the auction house's spokesperson Aaron Cook told Autoblog. An Autobot emblem sits proudly on top of the grille, and the truck wears a flame paintjob. Barrett-Jackson's description says that the semi is fully functioning but no longer street legal and is now for display only. It would likely be the ultimate piece in anyone's Transformers collection. CRAIG JACKSON'S BARRETT-JACKSON TEAMS UP WITH MICHAEL BAY, PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO AUCTION ICONIC TRANSFORMERS VEHICLES Paramount Pictures is auctioning Optimus Prime® (Lot #1325.1), the iconic truck featured in the first three Transformers™ films American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction his 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which starred as Bumblebee™in the blockbuster movie, "Transformers: Age of Extinction" SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Jan. 4, 2016 – Barrett-Jackson, The World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions®, announced today that Paramount Pictures and American filmmaker Michael Bay will auction two vehicles that starred in the Transformers movie franchise, during the company's nine-day 45th Anniversary Auction, from Jan. 23-31, 2016, at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Up for sale at No Reserve is the iconic truck, Optimus Prime (Lot #1325.1), featured in the first three science fiction action films. Bay has consigned a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS (Lot #1325.2), which was cast as Bumblebee in the latest film, "Transformers 4: Age of Extinction." "The hottest Hollywood stars at Barrett-Jackson come in all shapes and sizes," said Craig Jackson, chairman and CEO of Barrett-Jackson.

GM and Ford quarterly sales continue to slump in China

BEIJING — General Motors and Ford announced their quarterly sales in China fell, albeit at a slower pace sequentially, as the U.S. automakers were hit by a slowing economy amid the Sino-U.S. trade war. GM's vehicle sales in China for the quarter ended June 30 dropped 12.2%, while Ford's sales slumped by 21.7%. While GM also suffered from heightened competition in its key mid-priced SUV segment, Ford was hurt by the limited new models for customers to choose from. For the first quarter of this year, Ford's sales in China tumbled 35.8 percent while GM's skid 17.5 percent. Still, the numbers from GM, the second biggest international automaker in China by sales, and Ford portend more uncertainty for the industry which is trying to rebound from a downward spiral that led to its first annual sales decline last year in more than two decades. GM delivered 1.57 million vehicles in China in the January-June period this year, while Ford delivered 290,321 vehicles. China's factory activity shrank more than expected in June, highlighting the need for more economic stimulus amid higher U.S. tariffs and weaker domestic demand. Annual car sales in China fell last year for the first time since the 1990s, and they are expected to fall this year too. Sales tumbled 16.4% in May from the same month a year prior, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said. That marked the 11th consecutive month of decline and followed falls of 14.6% in April and 5.2% in March. U.S. car companies' share of total China passenger vehicles sales fell to 9.6% in the first five months of this year from 10.9% in the year-ago period, according to CAAM. Over the same period, German car makers' share has risen to 23.3% from 20.9% and Japanese auto makers' to 21.3% from 17.3%. CAAM is set to announce June sales next week, which industry analysts forecast will be negative.   New models In China, GM has a joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp, in which the Buick, Chevrolet and Cadillac are made. It also has another venture, with SAIC and GuangxiAutomobile Group, in which they make no-frills minivans and have started to make higher-end cars. Sales of GM's affordable brand Baojun dropped 31.8% for the latest quarter. But luxury brand Cadillac's sales jumped 36.6%. GM sold 3.64 million units in China last year, down from 4.04 units in 2017. Ford makes cars in China through its joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co and Jiangling Motors Corp (JMC).