GM and Segway's Project PUMA

Recently unveiled at the 2009 New York auto show, PUMA stands for Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility and is the result of the collaboration between GM and Segway.

The PUMA has a maximum speed of 35 mph and can go up to 35 miles on a full charge.

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New Vauxhall Insignia

Have been seeing ads about the new Vauxhall Insignia everywhere on the net. In continental Europe, it is sold as the Opel Insignia. It was unveiled at the British motor show in 2008.



Recently voted as Car of the Year 2009, it has also achieved a five-star adult occupant rating and four stars for child protection and two stars for pedestrian protection (the highest so far in it's category) from Euro NCAP.

The Insignia is available in Hatch and Saloon variants and come in a choice of 5 engines - Two 2 litre diesel engines and three petrol engines (1.8, 2.0 and 2.8 V6 engines).

Prices start from £15600.74 (OTR) for the base model - Insignia Exclusiv 1.8i 16v VVT (140PS) Manual.

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The 5 passenger Isuzu Ascender

The Japanese company auto company Isuzu, is mostly known for trucks of all sizes. It had been quiet for sometime now.

One of the best selling Isuzu models has been the Isuzu Ascender. The design was derived from General Motors' Envoy. And if you look closely, it does look similar to the Chevy TrailBlazer as well. The 7-passenger Ascender which was launched in 2003, replaced the Isuzu Trooper. The 5-passenger model was introduced later in 2004. The production of the 7-passenger model was stopped in 2007.

Even though the Ascender looks like the models produced by General Motor's, it's much cheaper than either than them.

The 6-cylinder 4.2 litre V8 engine pumps out 291 hp @ 6,000 rpm. The transmission features a 4-speed automatic with lockup torque converter (in 3rd or 4th gears) and overdrive. This Isuzu SUV is ideal for everyday commuting as well as the occasional road trips. Go over to their site to get a quote. They are now offering an unbelievable 7 years and 75,000 mile power train limited warranty.

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Supermini concepts from Chevrolet

Three concept cars that debuted at the New York Auto Show, namely the Beat, Groove and the Trax. Check out link here.

Created by GM's design studio in Incheon, South Korea, these cars are clearly targeted at countries outside the US with a demand for small cars.

I feel that they would do quite good in the UK, that is, if the price is right. Right now, I guess the Ford Ka is the leader in the small car market.

Coming back to the three concepts, my favourite is the Trax, which is powered by a 1 litre petrol engine, 16 inch rims and a rugged look.

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Latest GM models on Jay's site

I wrote about Jay Leno's garage a few days back. As you might be aware, most of the cars which have been featured on the show so far are the classic models. However, there's a feature on GM’s latest 2007 models, ranging from the ’07 Chevy Silverado to the ’07 Saturn Sky. check it out here.



Thanks for the info Shankar.

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