Vauxhall

Vauxhall | Car Review | Vauxhall or Vauxhall Motors or Vauxhall Motors Ltd is a company name ofBritish automobile manufacturer owned by GM, General Motors.  Vauxhall Motors Ltd is headquartered in Luton, United Kingdom.

Vauxhall Astra, 2010

Vauxhall was founded in 1857 as a pump and marine engine manufacturer, began manufacturing cars in 1903 and was acquired by GM in 1925. It has been the second-largest selling car brand in the UK for over two decades. The current Vauxhall range includes :Agila (city car), Astra (small family car), Corsa (supermini), Insignia (large family car), Meriva (mini MPV) and Zafira (compact MPV).

Vauxhall VXR8 Interior, 2011

Vauxhall has major manufacturing facilities in Luton (commercial vehicles) and Ellesmere Port, UK (passenger cars). The Luton plant currently employs around 1,170 staff and has a capacity of approximately 100,000 units. The Ellesmere Port plant currently employs around 2,100 staff and has a capacity of approximately 187,000 units.

Vauxhall Ampera, 2011

The Vauxhall product range is largely identical to that of Opel, GM's German subsidiary, and most models are principally designed in Rüsselsheim, Germany. A high proportion of Vauxhall-branded vehicles sold in the UK are produced at Opel factories in Germany, Spain and Poland, and roughly 80% of Vauxhall production is exported, most of which is sold under the Opel brand.

Vauxhall Corsa, 2011

The griffin emblem, which is still in use, is derived from the coat of arms of Falkes de Breauté, a mercenary soldier who was granted the Manor of Luton for services to King John in the thirteenth century. By marriage, he also gained the rights to an area near London, south of the Thames. The house he built, Fulk's Hall, became known in time as Vauxhall. Vauxhall Iron Works adopted this emblem from the coat of arms to emphasise its links to the local area. When Vauxhall Iron Works moved to Luton in 1905, the griffin emblem coincidentally returned to its ancestral home.

Vauxhall Zavira, 2011

Alexander Wilson founded the company in the Dusian Road, Vauxhall, London in 1857. Originally named Alex Wilson and Company, then Vauxhall Iron Works, the company built pumps and marine engines. In 1903, the company built its first car, a five-horsepower model steered using a tiller, with two forward gears and no reverse gear. This led to a better design which was made available for sale.

Vauxhall Astra VXR, 2005

In 1903, the first ever Vauxhall car was the 6HP with its slow-revving single cylinder engine and a chassis that was Forward Thinking – amalgamating the chassis and lower body into a composite steel and wood structure. Vauxhall’s sporting debut also came in October 1903 with a time trail in the ninth Vauxhall ever made.

To expand, the company moved the majority of its production to Luton in 1905. The company continued to trade under the name Vauxhall Iron Works until 1907, when the modern name of Vauxhall Motors was adopted. The company was characterised by its sporting models, but after World War I the company's designs were more austere.

Vauxhall Cavalier, 1980

In 1908, the A-type grew out of the Y-type prototype that beat Rolls Royce on a 200 mile speed test at the newly opened Brooklands track, laying more foundations for a dynasty of sporting Vauxhalls. The A-type sported a wide range of formal, touring and sporting coachwork. In 1910, The Prince Henry, with its distinctive pointed radiator was the most famous Edwardian Vauxhall of all, enjoyed by wealthy customers who regarded sporting motoring as something of an adventure coupled with an interest in new technology.

Vauxhall Cresta PA, 1960

In 1922, Luton wanted out and out racing cars to compete in ever more competitive events. The 1922 TT Vauxhall was all that and more. A 3.0 litre racing car with engines by design legend H R Ricardo. Two overhead camshafts with four valves per cylinder, roller big ends in an aluminium block with wet sump lubrication pointed the way forward.

Vauxhall Velox Series L, 1950

With its overhead valve engine, in 1923, the Vauxhall E-type 30-98 became the fastest catalogued car in Britain. Bodies included an elegant 4-seat Velox open tourer and a dramatic nautical-looking ‘boat-tailed’ Wensum with polished wood panelling.

Vauxhall, 1929

In 1925, General Motors buys Vauxhall for $2.5 million in a deal encouraged by GM President Alfred P Sloan Jnr. The first Vauxhall made under GM was a short wheelbase 21HP model. - CAR REVIEW

Vauxhall

Buick

CAR REVIEW | Buick | Buick is a luxury brand of car produced by General Motors (GM). Buick car  models are sold in the United States, Canada, Israel, Mexico, China, and Taiwan, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make. Some current Buick models are shared with GM's German Opel subsidiary.

Buick Lacrose

The Buick is currently the oldest American still-active automotive make, and among the oldest automobile brands in the world. It originated as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company in 1899, an independent internal combustion engine and motor-car manufacturer, and was later incorporated as the Buick Motor Company on May 19, 1903, by Scottish born David Dunbar Buick in Detroit, Michigan. Later that year, the struggling company was taken over by James H. Whiting (1842–1919), who moved it to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, and brought in William C. Durant in 1904 to manage his new acquisition. Buick sold his stock for a small sum upon departure, and died in modest circumstances twenty-five years later.

1912 Buick logo

Between 1899 and 1902 two prototype vehicles of Buick were built in Detroit, Michigan by Walter Lorenzo Marr. Some documentation exists of the 1901 or 1902 prototype with tiller steering similar to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash.

Buick Enclave, 2010

In mid-1904 another prototype was constructed for an endurance run, which convinced James H. Whiting to authorize production of the first models offered to the public. The architecture of this prototype was the basis for the Model B.

The first Buick made for sale, the 1904 Model B, was built in Flint, Michigan. There were 37 Buicks made that year, none of which survived. There are, however, two replicas in existence: the 1904 endurance car, at the Buick Gallery & Research Center in Flint, and a Model B assembled by an enthusiast in California for the division's 100th anniversary. Both of these vehicles use various parts from Buicks of that early era, as well as fabricated parts. These vehicles were each constructed with the two known surviving 1904 engines.

Buick Eight Sedan, 1951

The power-train and chassis architecture introduced on the Model B was continued through the 1909 Model F. The early success of Buick is attributed in part to the valve-in-head engine patented by Eugene Richard. The creation of General Motors is attributed in part to the success of Buick, so it can be said Marr and Richard's designs directly led to GM.

The basic design of the 1904 Buick was optimally engineered even by today's standards. The flat-twin engine is inherently balanced, with torque presented to the chassis in a longitudinal manner, actually cancelling front end lift, rather than producing undesirable lateral motion. The engine was mounted amidships, now considered the optimal location.

Buick 2011

Durant was a natural promoter, and Buick soon became the largest car maker in America. Using the profits from this, Durant embarked on a series of corporate acquisitions, calling the new mega-corporation General Motors. At first, the manufacturers comprising General Motors competed against each other, but Durant ended that. He wanted each General Motors division to target one class of buyer, and in his new scheme Buick was near the top — only the Cadillac brand had more prestige. This is the position that Buick occupies to this day in the General Motors lineup. The ideal Buick customer is comfortably well off, possibly not quite rich enough to afford a Cadillac, nor desiring the ostentation of one, but definitely in the market for a car above the norm.

At first, Buick followed the likes of Napier in automobile racing, winning the first-ever race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Buick 1931

Buick launched its first closed-body car in 1911, four years ahead of Ford. As part of General Motors' companion make program, in 1929 Buick Motor Division launched the Marquette sister brand, designed to bridge the price gap between Buick and Oldsmobile; but, Marquette was stopped in 1930. Buick recorded another first, when it became the first company to introduce turn signals in 1939. - Car Review

Buick

Pontiac GTO

Pontiac GTO | Car Review | The Pontiac GTO is a car built by the Pontiac division of General Motors in the United States from 1964 to 1974 and by GM subsidiary Holden in Australia from 2004 to 2006. It is considered an innovative, classic muscle car of the 1960s and 1970s. From 1964 to mid 1973, it was closely linked to Pontiac Tempest / Le Mans and the 1974 model year it was based on the Pontiac Ventura. The 21st century GTO is essentially a left hand drive Holden Monaro, itself a variant of the Holden Commodore coupe.

Pontiac GTO Ram Air 6, 2004

Pontiac GTO was the brainchild of Pontiac engineer Russell Gee, an engine specialist; Bill Collins, a chassis engineer; and Pontiac chief engineer John DeLorean. In early 1963, General Motors' management issued an edict banning divisions from involvement in auto racing. At the time, Pontiac's advertising and marketing approach was heavily based on performance, and racing was an important component of that strategy. With GM's ban on factory-sponsored racing, Pontiac's young, visionary management turned its attention to emphasizing street performance.

Pontiac GTO 1974

In his autobiography “Glory Days,” Pontiac chief marketing manager Jim Wangers, who worked for the division’s contract advertising and public relations agency, states that John DeLorean, Bill Collins and Russ Gee were indeed responsible for the GTO's creation. It involved transforming the upcoming redesigned Tempest (which was set to revert to a conventional front-engine, front transmission, rear-wheel drive configuration) into a "Super Tempest" with the larger 389 cu in (6.4 L) Pontiac V8 engine from the full-sized Pontiac Catalina and Bonneville in place of the standard 326 cu in (5.3 L) Tempest V8. By promoting the big-engine Tempest as a special high-performance model, they could appeal to the speed-minded youth market (which had also been recognized by Ford Motor Company's Lee Iacocca, who was at that time preparing the Ford Mustang).

Pontiac GTO 1973

The name, which was DeLorean's idea, was inspired by the Ferrari 250 GTO, the successful race car. It is an Italian abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omologato, (exact translation is Grand Tourer Homologated) which means officially certified for racing in the Grand tourer class. The name drew protest from purists, who considered it close to sacrilege.

Pontiac GTO 1969

Pontiac GTO was essentially a violation of GM policy limiting the intermediary a line to a maximum displacement of 330 cubic inches (5.4 L). Since the GTO was an option package and no series could be considered to fall into a gap in politics. Pontiac General Manager Elliot "Pete" Estes has approved the new model, although sales manager Frank Bridge, who did not believe it would find a market, insisted on limiting initial production to no more than 5000 cars. If the model is a failure, Estes probably would have been reprimanded. As it turned out, was a great success. - CAR REVIEW

Pontiac GTO Convertible 1965

Pontiac GTO

About Chevrolet Aveo T250

GM introduced a revised sedan at Auto Shanghai 2005, designed in cooperation with PATAC. Bearing the internal code T250 and sold in South Korea as the "Daewoo Gentra", the revision comprised primarily interior and exterior styling changes, a new interior instrument panel and minor equipment changes, including increased sound deadening. Incorporation of the radio antenna into the rear glass and extensive wind tunnel testing helped reduce the coefficient of drag from 0.348 to 0.326.

A restyled hatchback with the sedan's updated instrument panel was presented as the Chevrolet Aveo during the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007, to be marketed in Europe and North America. The Korean market received its own distinct restyle of the hatchback, the Gentra X.

Later iterations, including the Kalos, Aveo, Barina and Gentra sedans, the Gentra X hatchback and the 2007 "Frankfurt Show" hatchbacks were styled in-house and with the assistance of PATAC, and depart notably from the original Giugiaro exterior and interior styling designs.

With launch of the Gentra X in South Korea, GMDAT had replaced engines of T250. 1.2 L S-TEC II inline-four engine was updated with features such as dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) and timing chain (older version has timing belt) system. 1.6 L E-TEC II engine had replaced with ECOTEC (GEN-III) engine with new features such as variable valve timing mechanism.

Design Development of Chevrolet Aveo T200

Daewoo's now disbanded Worthing Technical Centre in the UK conducted the initial research and platform engineering, with Daewoo's main Technical Center in Bupyong, Incheon, South Korea completing the majority of the later development programme. Daewoo engineers refined the chassis in Britain, on the proving ground at Motor Industry Research Association near Nuneaton, UK. Long-term testing covered nearly 2.2 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) with further testing outside South Korea on test sites in Arjeplog, Sweden; Granada and El Vendrell, Spain; Kapuskasing, Canada and Beijing, China. According to an April, 2003 GMDAT press release, Daewoo built 119 prototypes during the Kalos's design and development, crashing 31 for research and data-gathering purposes, and manufacturing 39 pilot production vehicles to verify standards and quality.

The body's sheet metal panel gaps were kept to 3 mm (0.1 in) and all but the roof panel were galvanized steel. 46% of the Kalos' underlying structural components were produced with high-strength steel, with tailor-welded blanks used in the production of the vehicle to put strength where needed while saving weight. The front suspension used MacPherson struts with offset coil springs and a stabilizer bar, while the rear featured a semi-independent torsion beam axle.

The body featured a drag coefficient of 0.35, with a frontal area of 2.16 m2 (23.3 sq ft) giving aerodynamic resistance of 00.74 m2 (8.0 sq ft). All Kalos iterations featured high H-point seating within a relatively narrow, short and high-roofed body that combined a long wheelbase with short front (81 cm/32 in) and rear (49 cm/19 in, hatchback) overhangs to maximize the outward visibility, interior space and maneuverability relative to the vehicle's footprint. Rear seat H-points are higher in all body types, giving the car theatre seating.

About Chevrolet Aveo

The first generation of Chevrolet Aveo began with launching Model T200, a subcompact automobile which has manufactured and marketed since 2002 by GM Daewoo, the South Korean subsidiary of General Motors. The model was marketed prominently under the nameplate Aveo. The model received the T200 internal codes, used first by Daewoo, and then, by GM Daewoo during the car's development. The T250 code was designated for the facelifted models.

Chevrolet Aveo T250 (sedan)

Designed, engineered and originally marketed by GM Daewoo, the Aveo succeeded the Daewoo Lanos and was marketed worldwide in 120 countries under five brands: Chevrolet, Daewoo, Holden, Pontiac, and Suzuki, being originally called Daewoo Kalos in its home country market South Korea, before being rebranded Daewoo Gentra. In other markets, the first generation model was marketed as the Holden Barina in Australia and Asia, Pontiac G3 in the United States and later Canada, previously in Canada as the Pontiac Wave and currently in Canada as the Suzuki Swift⁺. The successor of T200, the Chevrolet Aveo T300 will be released in 2011.