The Impala isn’t the only RWD car stuck in limbo while GM waits for the fog of new CAFE standards to lift: Motor Trend reports that now the C7 Corvette program has been put on hold, as well.

We reported yesterday that the next generation C7 Corvette will bow out of the horsepower brinkmanship game and instead shed weight, engine displacement and ponies.

The interim issue is that GM doesn’t know what its EPA gas mileage targets are during the run-up to the 35 mpg fleet average in 2020, and those won’t be sorted out until 2009. Read more »

Lord help us, for the automotive industry has sunk to a new low. As if it wasn’t bad enough that Maybach created an ode to conspicuous consumption like the 62 Landaulet, but now Mercedes’ big, goofy brother has decided to put the thing into production.

Following a spat of rumors, Maybach initially unveiled the half limo/half convertible/half marshmallow in Dubai this past November, and then laid it on us in person at the Detroit show.

It starts with the Maybach 62 S and then peeled off half the roof like a can of sardines and slathered whitewash all over the thing.

Unfortunately, as we could see by the yellow Cayenne we showed you yesterday, money and taste don’t always go together, and Daimler seems content to separate the former from those who don’t have the latter. Read more »

Chevrolet and Barrett-Jackson has auctioned off the world’s first 2009 Corvette ZR1. I knew demand was high for the Chevy’s new super Corvette. However, I didn’t expect the bidding to reach $1 million !

Dave Ressler, the man who owns the world’s oldest surviving Corvette, 1953’s #003, is the proud new owner of ZR1 #001.

Now you might ask what kind of person pays a million bucks of a car that will retail for $100,000 to $120,000 when it hit dealerships later this year ? Read more »

With the media focused firmly on Sunday morning’s overexcited cattle, Cadillac quietly revealed that it has more in store than the high-powered 2009 CTS-V for the Monday morning festivities, mainly a coupe variant of the hot CTS.

Unfortunately, it will only be a conceptbather than a production car, but that is not too shocking — a production CTS Coupe is not expected until 2010.

Caddy will also have another fuel cell car on hand in addition to the Provoq, which was unveiled earlier at the CES show called the Myst. No word on what kind of vehicle the Myst happens to be. Read more »

We finally got a chance to see the real deal HUMMER HX today, and it was exactly what we expected. Not since the H1 has a Hummer looked so perfect for its intended purpose.

We were even lucky enough to get a video tour of the vehicle that you can check out by clicking here. We’ve already mentioned that it features a 3.6-liter SIDI E85 FlexFuel engine powering all four wheels via a six-speed automatic, and the fact that the HX is essentially a convertible with removable roof panels and a modular rear that opens or stows is clutch.

What we weren’t able to convey until now is that it’s the first V6 HUMMER and that it signals a move towards every HUMMER being available in an E85 form. Read more »

We first saw spy photos of the Lincoln MKT concept only a week ago, and it’s now here as a concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show.Based on the fact that a development mule was spotted already, you can ignore Lincoln when it says the MKT is a potential new vehicle for the brand. It is a new vehicle for the brand.

The new premium CUV is believed to be based on the platform of the Ford Flex and follows the Explorer America concept in being powered by one of Ford’s new EcoBoost engines. Like its sedan sibling, the MKS, this one gets a turbocharged 3.5L V6 that allows you to choose between either E85 or premium grade petroleum-based gasoline.

The premium requirement is the result of the engine being optimized for the higher octane ratings of the biofuel. The upside is that output jumps from 340 hp/340 lb-ft to 415hp and 400 lb-ft. All of that twisting force is transmitted through a six-speed automatic transmission and distributed to all four wheels for propulsion. Read more »

Today Audi brought some more of its Le Mans-conquering technology to the street in the form of the new R8 V-12 TDI. The R8 V12 TDI is a concept that melds the 6.0L V-12 diesel from last years Q7 concept with the award winning R8 sports car.

The concept engine shares a cylinder count with the race-winning R10, but it’s actually a completely new engine with a 60-degree bank angle instead of the 90 degrees used on the race engine. While the 500 hp is only par for the course in its class, the 738 lb-ft of torque is enough to shred all four tires with ease.

While the R8 V12 TDI storms to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and maxes out at 186mph, it also manages to get 23 MPG. The combination of a 29,000-psi direct-inject fuel injection system, particulate filters and urea injection allows this beast to pass 2014 EuroVI emissions standards, too. Read more »