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Weekly Recap: Lamborghini to build SUV

Finally, Lamborghini will build a sport utility vehicle. The Italian supercar maker confirmed this week that it will launch a luxury SUV in 2018. It will be built at Lamborghini's soon-to-expand factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese in Italy, and will double the company's current sales volume. Lamborghini did not announce a name for the vehicle or other details, but noted a concept version, the Urus, was displayed at the Beijing motor show in 2012. It will be sold around the world, but it's expected to be a critical offering in the United States, China, and the Middle East. The automaker projects the SUV will sell about 3,000 units per year, and it will be the third product in Lamborghini's portfolio. It currently sells the Huracan and Aventador supercars. "The introduction of a third model line endorses the stable and sustainable growth of the company and signifies for us the beginning of a new era," Lamborghini chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said in a statement. The project is also a boon for Italy, which will get 500 new jobs in the Emilia Romagna region as Lamborghini's factory will nearly double in size. Ian Fletcher, principal analyst for IHS Automotive, said the SUV will position Lamborghini for future growth. "It could well also bring new customers to the brand [who] may find the dramatic styling of Lamborghini products appealing, but find its typical sports cars restrictive," he said. "If it is a success, the SUV could be a catalyst to Lamborghini broadening its portfolio further." OTHER NEWS & NOTES GM invests in Chevy Camaro factory General Motors is investing $175 million to upgrade its factory in Lansing, MI, to build the 2016 Chevy Camaro. The investment will pay for new tooling and equipment. The improvements include three new paint systems and two new robotic framers. GM will add a second shift at the factory to build the Camaro, resulting in 500 jobs. The automaker had dropped the plant to one shift last year amid slow sales for its products, the Cadillac ATS and CTS. GM is spending $5.4 billion over the next three years to upgrade its US facilities. Last week, GM announced plans to spend $439 million to build a new paint shop for the Chevy Corvette. While the Camaro and Corvette plant improvements are intriguing to enthusiasts, GM also confirmed this week that it is investing $1.2 billion in its Fort Wayne (IN) factory that builds trucks.

Chevy Colorado gets Midnight, Trail Boss editions

After introducing a gamut of special editions for the full-size Silverado, Chevrolet is offering a pair of new packages for its midsize Colorado. Following in the Silverado's footsteps, the Colorado Midnight Edition just blacks out all the things. There's a black grille, black Bowtie, and exclusive 18-inch wheels. They happen to be black, as well. In terms of functional changes, the Midnight Edition adds a spray-in bedliner, tonneau cover, and unique sill plates. Potential owners won't be limited on engine options and body styles here, as the blacked-out trim can be added to extended and crew cab bodies, in two- or four-wheel drive models, and with all of the pickup's available engines, including the upcoming Duramax diesel. The only limiting factor is the actual trim level – you'll need to settle for the mid-grade LT. Don't worry, though. The heftier, top-of-the-line Z71 will be offered with its own unique package, called the Trail Boss. As expected, it goes big on off-road character, with LED trail lighting and aggressive Goodyear Wrangler DuraTec tires. There are also black 17-inch wheels, newly flared fenders, side steps, and like the Midnight Edition, a blacked-out grille and spray-in bedliner. Also like the Midnight Edition, the only limit to adding the Trail Boss is that you opt for the Z71 trim. Engines, drivetrains, and body styles are not fixed. Look for both trucks at your local Chevrolet dealer this fall. Until then, scroll down for the official press release. 2016 Chevy Colorado Special Models Dressed to Impress Midnight Edition, Z71 Trail Boss complement capability with customized style 2015-08-03 DETROIT – On the street or on the trail, the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado's Midnight Edition and Z71 Trail Boss bring bolder choices to customers looking to make a visual statement with their truck. The special editions roll into Chevrolet dealerships this fall, with distinctly tailored appearances that blend custom design cues with Colorado's popular options and accessories. The Midnight Edition evokes the aesthetic of an urban tuner vehicle, while the Z71 Trail Boss is designed for terrain where the pavement ends. "These are aggressive editions of one of the country's hottest-selling truck, demonstrating the personalization that's possible with Chevrolet accessories, whether it's for the street, trail or both," said Tony Johnson, Colorado marketing manager.

The Opel GT is the concept General Motors should build for the US

Now is the time. General Motors should double-down on performance cars and build the Opel GT concept that's set to debut next week at the Geneva Motor Show. Better yet, sell it in the United States as the Chevy GT. Consumers are showing a thirst for performance cars not seen in decades. Ford has them coming in waves, with everything from the F-150 Raptor to a hotted-up Fusion. FCA US is unrepentantly building loads of Hellcats. GM should respond. The General's cupboard is hardly bare. With the Corvette, Camaro, and Cadillac's V-Series, GM has more than enough to compete with its crosstown rivals and anything Europe or Japan can throw at it. But there's also an opportunity. There's not many front-mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat sports cars out there like the Opel GT concept. A Chevy GT that used that layout and captured some of the concept car's proportions and curves would ignite a different kind of passion in enthusiasts. It would be Miata-like. With Chevy branding, this sports car would be the everyday exotic. The concept has a turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine, which makes about 143 horsepower to motivate a structure that weighs less than 2,200 pounds. It can hit 60 miles per hour in less than eight seconds. All of those numbers are within the front-engined Miata's territory. This new Opel is inspired by two great mid-1960s concepts that helped put its design studio, and that of its sister brand, the British Vauxhall, on the map. (The GT concept is also technically a Vauxhall, as the brands are linked in GM's European strategy.) One of them, the '66 Vauxhall XVR remained a concept. The '65 Opel Experimental GT was on the road by 1968. That shows this is doable. There's precedent. The Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice shared a chassis with a modern GT during that trio's brief run. If GM ever makes this concept, Opel and Vauxhall should get their versions. But Chevy is the one that could make this car a global icon. Chevrolet GT. Make it happen. News & Analysis News: The potential return of the Ford Bronco is generating a ton of attention. Analysis: That's not news, per se. But when the Bronco6G.com fan site did a rendering of a next-generation Bronco, it almost broke the Internet. Everyone from Automotive News to Jalopnik picked up the illustrations. Our own post has drawn a lot of traffic and passionate responses. People are clamoring for the Bronco's return.